The Ezekiel Group was born out of a desire to help "dry bones live again"
--to see hurting pastors and people find hope and healing.
Through the hurts of pastoring and everyday life, God shaped Ray's
heart and opened doors of ministry to pastors and those who are grieving.
Inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14
About Ray Johnson
Ray has served over 40 years in full-time ministry as a pastor in Texas, Southern California, and Kentucky. In addition, he has served as a fire and hospice chaplain during those years.
As the Founder & Director of the Ezekiel Group, Ray has regularly provided trusted, confidential relationships to pastors--offering encouragement, counseling, and mentoring, all without charge.
He is a Certified Christian Grief and Loss Counselor, and is well respected in his community for his compassionate care. Over 300 people have attended his grief classes.
Ray and Lauri live in north central Kentucky and have been married for over 39 years. They have 4 grown children and seven grandchildren.
Ray serves as a "pastor to the pastor"
Ray has a heart for pastors and a desire to help them through the joys and struggles of ministry. Ray has personally known the joy of a church tripling in size, and the hurt of being forced out by leaders within the church. Ray desires to come along side pastors to provide encouragement, support, coaching, and counseling. Ray provides trusted, confidential relationships without charge.
Ray helps minister to those in need of grief care
Ray dealt with over 160 deaths/year as a hospice chaplain, faced some of the most horrendous and tragic deaths as a fire chaplain, and comforted families for over 40 years as a pastor. In those years, he has learned some key truths about death and how to help families in the midst of it. Ray is a Certified Christian Grief and Loss Counselor and offers individual grief counseling, grief classes, and leadership training. Over 300 grieving loved ones have attended his grief classes. Ray has seen God bring hope and healing.
A Story of Anger and Healing
He came in breathing fire like a dragon. He was angry that his wife was gone, and that the God she wanted him to know had taken her.
Despite his relentless anger, he came to the class week after week. He despised the love and talk of God, yet yearned for it at the same time. He continued to spew poison each time that he came, but the class was patient with him. They patiently listened and “loved on” him, giving him space to pour out his anger and without harsh judgment.
As the weeks went by, he finally began to trust the group more and more, and allow the love of the group to tear down some of those walls. In those same weeks, I met with him privately multiple times. Anger darts flew viciously each and every time. Over time, though, he began to allow me to share about God's love in the midst of the pain. I prayed for him constantly, as did the whole class.
After several agonizing months had gone by, he reached out and asked me to come to his home. I arrived expecting to hear the pain and anger as before, but immediately sensed something was different. There was a peace that had never been present before. The anger was missing. He began to share how God had overwhelmed him with His presence and His peace in the midst of the night. He shared how he began to experience the love of God that his wife had so earnestly prayed he would know. As he hungered to know more, I was able to walk through the story of the Gospel, the love and forgiveness of God. He drank in every word. That day he accepted God’s love and forgiveness, and became a follower of Christ.
In the days and weeks that followed, he was a different man. He came back to the class and shared the new peace that he had found. Everyone in the class who had known him before immediately recognized the change. The anger was gone. The fire had been extinguished. There was a peace and joy like never before.
A few weeks later he learned that his cancer had returned. Six weeks after finding God’s peace, he was gone. God had mercifully healed his anger, and ultimately healed his body. God had brought him into His very presence, to enjoy His peace for all eternity. (shared with permission)