About
To one I am a Husband. To some I am a Father. To many I am a Pastor. In the end, however, I am just simply Ray Noah.
So who am I?
I claim to drink only one cup of coffee a day, but truthfully, it’s closer to seven (don’t worry, caffeine doesn’t really affect me…really…I promise!).
If I could be someone else, the first thought that comes into my brain is 24’s Jack Bauer… or maybe UFC’s Chuck Liddell. I know! Not what you’d expect from a mild-mannered pastor.
I am unable to resist white chocolate macadamia nut cookies (especially in cookie dough form), and if there is someone else’s soda can sitting around the house, I have the tendency to finish it. I have established a rule in my house: Once take-out containers are put in our refrigerator, no matter who put them there, they’re mine! Seriously…don’t mess with me on that one!
Mexico is my favorite vacation spot, mostly for its beautiful coastlines and great weather; but truthfully, it’s the abundance of chilaquiles and a chance to practice the two Spanish phrases I know that really excites me.
I’m a whitewater fanatic, and the more difficult the river, the more I want to raft it. If I could, I’d raft the Bio Bio River in Chile or the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe in a heartbeat.
I love the music groups Chicago and The Doobie Brothers, although I wonder if there ought to be a mandatory retirement age of 50 for aging rock stars…at least a ban on old dudes wearing spandex.
There isn’t much that I don’t like, but some things that drive me nuts are cell phones going off in church, weird tele-evangelists (I know, that’s redundant), peas (they didn’t exist before the fall of Adam and Eve) and sudden death overtime in football (I say, let them play the whole period like they do in the NBA for crying out loud.)
I am also totally excited about my ministry in the local church. My passionate belief is that the local church is the only hope of the world. I’ve also been known to get more than a little out-of-control excited about planting new churches in Ethiopia. Over the last four years, God has privileged me to be a part of a missions foundation that has started well over a thousand churches in an unchurched remote region of that nation. A veritable book of Acts type revival is taking place there, and I am just crazy enough to believe that it’s just the beginning of winning all of Ethiopia to Jesus.
Oh, one more thing: I’m excited to have you join me in my morning devotions as we grab a cup of coffee and start our day off with the life-changing wisdom that God has left to guide our lives through His Word.
