Ray

Ray is a 58-year-old broken man. His past haunts him. His future is unsure. But he came to the SoCal Harvest seeking answers, seeking hope, seeking God.

He came to know the Lord in the early ’90s, was baptized, and attended a church in Downey, California. Although he never married, he was in and out of relationships over the years, but they never lasted. "Paulette was my longest relationship. Eight years we were together; she had problems in her family and left them so I tried to be a good example to her. I tried to teach her right from wrong, and once she became a better person, she went back to her family and I never saw her again."

But it is his breakup with his last girlfriend that seems to have left him lonely, sad, and looking for answers. As he tells me about Lisa and their split, it becomes evident there is something more to his story and to his brokenness. Ray has not been able to clear his mind and heart of his past. Through tears, he reluctantly tells me about his time as a mercenary for hire, and how he rescued POWs for money, which meant he had to take the lives of others—not just men, but children. His tears turn into anger: "It’s something that makes me numb and not care about people!" He is having trouble reconciling what he feels is an irreconcilable past.

But God . . .

Through this interview, God gave me the opportunity to remind Ray that our God is a God of forgiveness, even in the most sinful of pasts—that His Son died in our place, for our sins—that we can be reconciled to Him and set free from our past and set on a new path for a future in eternity with Christ!

We prayed, and then I asked Ray if I could take his picture. He preferred I didn’t show his face so as he turned around so that I could take his picture from behind, he opened his arms and called out to the Lord.

Thank You, God, for divine appointments like this one last night in Anaheim, California.