Ray Christensen died yesterday. He was my brother in Christ, a fellow church member, a quiet strong common sense leader who was a man of great faith. When Ray spoke I listened because his words were filled with wisdom. He and his wife Kathy raised the kind of boys you'd expect a man of his character to produce - faithful young men whom he loved with all his heart.
Even after I left our small church, Ray was the only member I continued to see on a regular basis. We shared hundreds of Saturday morning men's breakfasts over the years complete with a thousand laughs. He knew motors and cars and could diagnose a problem just by listening to you describe what was happening. He knew about Omaha history and hard work. He knew the grocery business. Best of all he knew his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I remember Ray was always ready to help at church any time he was asked. In fact he literally helped build the churches' recent addition. He was instrumental in getting the Atonement childcare up and running. It would become one of the largest LCMS childcare facilities in the country under his leadership and vision. He was a strong Elder, a faithful example for all. He taught, he built, he washed dishes, he did whatever needed to get done. Men like Ray aren't common, they are uncommon and we are blessed to share time together working in the vineyard with him, to watch one of God's most faithful men in action.
I remember a poster from our Bethel Bible study from Genesis 12 depicting God's pronouncement that we are 'blessed to be a blessing'. And the poster showed a prism reflecting light, showing how we are to reflect God's blessings to others. Ray was indeed that reflected Ray of hope, Ray of love, Ray of sunshine to all he met and all our lives are brighter because he was a part of it.
Ray's death is a great loss for his family and I pray for strength for them to get through these hard days. His death is a great loss for all of us and for me as well. I will miss our Saturday mornings together. I will miss your example. An encourager, a friend, a gift from God has run his race, finished well and claimed his reward. For that I am glad, for our loss I am sad. We will all greatly miss our Ray of Hope. kp
