21 minute read
RAY RUSSELL
Ray Russell’s Spiritual Forecast
Ray Russell
named Rubel Shelly. After being so impressed and so convinced by the things he was learning there, Ray came home from college one weekend and made this announcement: “Mom, Dad, I’m not going to major in computer science anymore, I’m going to major in Bible!” Rather than disagree about this, his parents made this wise suggestion: “Son, since we’re paying for your education we’d like for you to stay with your major, but maybe you could do both.” “That’s when I became the only person in history to have a double major in Bible and Computer Science,” Ray said.
Majoring in Bible and then being very involved in leadership roles in the Church over the last 35 years is a major part of Ray’s life that only those closest to him know about. However, it’s one he’s happy to reveal, because it’s foundational to everything else he does, including Ray’sWeather.com. As we continue with this story, most of it will be told exactly as he told it to this writer. However, I must admit that I have embellished it a bit, but I’ve done so with Ray’s complete approval and collaboration.
“I’ve never wanted to be overt about my faith through the weather site that I started, because that’s not what it’s about. It’s about getting a professional, accurate, local forecast of the weather. But, I have wanted the site to be a wholesome, positive experience for people to start their day with, and I think we’ve succeeded in doing that. And now I’m happy to be able to share about the importance of my faith through this publication. I say this because I want people to know things about me beyond the website, and beyond my career as a computer science professor.” So, now we get to hear the rest of Ray’s story about his life as an elder, deacon, minister, song director, wedding singer and guest Sunday School teacher here in the High Country. As this story unfolds and as the reader considers his insightful comments about the state of Christianity in our nation, I believe you’ll pick up on some spiritual forecasting that’s important to heed.
“There was a church in Luray, Tennessee called Luray Church of M any people across the mountains and foothills of Northwest North Carolina are familiar with Ray’sWeather.com because it’s where hundreds of thousands of us turn to get our weather forecasts with the most “local” flavor. And, if you’re one of those who goes to Ray’s Weather site to get your weather information, you probably know that what began as a hobby for Ray Russell, a computer science professor at Appalachian State University since 1991, has morphed into a very successful business that covers the weather across our region with 60 weather stations in all and 10 employees.
But, what you don’t know is that Ray’s 35 year career as a computer science professor was almost set aside when he came home from college in his freshman year and announced to his parents that he was switching his major from computer science to Bible.
It was 1975 when Ray made the decision to attend Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, with the idea of majoring in computer science. Several things influenced him to choose this path.
The school, at that time, was affiliated with the Church of Christ, which had played a significant and meaningful role in Ray’s family. His dad was an educator in Middle Tennessee as a school teacher and principal, but he also was the minister at the local Church of Christ where Ray was raised. When Ray was considering where he would attend college, he had an interest in computer science because he was good at math and he knew his employment prospects would be good with a degree in an up and coming field like that. Since Freed-Hardeman was one of the few schools that offered a degree in computer science, that’s where Ray landed.
Every student at Ray’s new school was required to take a class in Bible and also attend daily chapel services. The class that influenced Ray to want to change his major was entitled: “Life of Christ: A Study of the Gospels,” and it was taught by a renowned Church of Christ leader
Ray Russell with his wife Rhonda, daughters Laura & Leah, sons-in-law Jeff & Denny, and granddaughter Amelia
Christ. It was about 30 minutes from Freed-Hardeman, and they had a tradition of reaching out to the University for Student Interns to speak at their Sunday meetings. During my sophomore year, another student and I were recruited to do that, and it was a wonderful experience for me. They were a sweet, forgiving, forbearing group of folks who lovingly tolerated these greenhorns learning how to teach the Bible.
One of the most wonderfully influential parts of that experience was a simple piece of paper that was taped to the pulpit with this short verse taken straight from the gospels. It said, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” That was a great reminder for us young buckaroos to remember when we stood to teach, because it’s not supposed to be about us, but about Jesus. Little did I know what that stint as a student intern would lead to in regard to future opportunities to speak at many churches, and even minister at a few.
As a result of being well received as a student intern speaker at the Luray Church of Christ, other speaking opportunities opened up for me. Before long I was speaking at churches all over the Southeast as an ambassador for Christ and my school. This led to an unusual call to be the minister of a Church in Mississippi right after I graduated from college in 1979. With great enthusiasm and anticipation I accepted this position because I was excited about the opportunity to get paid to preach and to be entrusted with the opportunity lead a church. Now, before I continue with this story, let me tell you about how I met and married my wonderful wife Rhonda, because she is my much better half and she figures prominently into this story of my first ministry.
Rhonda and I met in college as a part of a choral group that would sing in Churches of Christ across the country. Well, it just so happens that Rhonda’s dad was a minister just like mine was, and he invited our choral group to sing in Galax, Virginia. It was common for us to stay in the homes of church members when we traveled to do events like this and guess where I got to stay… You guessed it. I was one of the people who Rhonda picked to stay at her parent’s house, and that’s where the romance that would lead to our marriage began.
We were married in 1978 between my junior and senior year, so when I got this call to move to Mississippi to minister, Rhonda moved with me and got a job teaching second grade in the public school. That’s where we both experienced major culture shock, because some white people in this little town were racist, and a few people in the church I was
called to were racist, too. On top of this, the poverty level and the gap between the rich and poor of the town was something my wife and I had not encountered before. Though there weren’t any signs that designated a separation for where white people were allowed, and where black people were allowed, it was certainly implied. For example when we first went to the doctor’s office in town, there was a clear established understanding of where the different races were to sit. Then, we were more astounded to discover that this same doctor had spearheaded an effort to establish a white private school to counteract public school integration. As a result, my wife’s second grade class of 34 children only had two white children.
Being thrown into a culture with this kind of poverty and racism was one thing, but when we encountered racism among church people, who I naively assumed should know better, it was hard for us. Our parents and the churches we were raised in had raised us to understand from the Scriptures that prejudice of any kind was wrong. Yet, here in the Deep South, the culture had obviously influenced the Church more than the Church had influenced the culture.
This is where I became grateful for what I had learned from some of my Bible professors at Freed-Hardeman University. They had taught me to teach through different books of the Bible instead of only teaching topically. The logic was that when you come to the truth in the Bible that might confront things in people’s lives that need to be confronted, the minister can’t be accused of picking on anybody. So, when I decided to preach through the book of James, I did so knowing that people would be challenged to confront their prejudicial attitudes if they had them. I say that because this book of the Bible confronts prejudice in a powerful way. The good news is that there were many wonderful people in that church who already knew that the kind of racism that existed in our town was wrong. Also, there were many who were willing to accept the truth and change their views. The bad news is that not all of the church was receptive to what the Scriptures have to say about unconditional love of our fellow man. when people who consider themselves Christians need to be willing to change their beliefs or their attitudes as the Holy Spirit moves to give us a deeper understanding of the truth of the Scriptures. This is particularly true when we’ve held presuppositions that make us come off as judgmental know it alls instead of loving, humble, faithful servants of Christ.””
This is the point in Ray’s story where his Computer Science major comes back into play. This is important to the overall story because it will help us understand how he’s evolved to be the Ray we know through his website and as a university professor. However, we are going to come back to his parallel life as a minister.
Right on the heels of Ray’s culture shock experience in Mississippi, he was offered a position at his alma mater as a computer science professor. This offer also came with an agreement that he could pursue his master’s degree while he was on staff there. That opportunity led to Ray being a master’s degree student at the University of Memphis, which led to him pursuing his PhD at Georgia Tech. What astounds me about this part of Ray’s story is that while he was still in his early twenties, he had already had two careers, and he was about to become Dr. Ray Russell and launch a long successful career in the academic world, while still maintaining a strong leadership role in the Church of Christ. With that in mind, let’s pick up Ray’s story in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was getting his PhD, and where he had also been asked to do some supply preaching at the Druid Hills Church of Christ right in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
“Little did I know that this six month supply job
We have fought the wrong battles (over church “trivia” and symbols instead of justice, mercy, and righteousness). We have turned inward, building higher and thicker walls between “us” and “them”. We have become known for being angry and judgmental instead of caring, understanding, and loving. In some circles, we have become “anti-intellectual,” forcing people to choose between science and a poorly informed view of God’s work in this world.
Though this was a hard experience for us, it was a good one. Because we had both been raised in solid homes and churches, we had an idealistic, rose-colored perception of things. This time in Mississippi gave us a dose of reality that has served us well from then until now. We have both remained deeply committed to our faith, yet understanding that there are times
would turn into two and a half years as the interim minister there. The whole time I was in grad school, I was also at this church in a part of Atlanta that’s been revitalized now, but was pretty rough then. Right next door to our church building there was a halfway house for patients who had been released from mental institutions, and we often had visitors to our services from the residents there. This made for some interesting services, and seemed to highlight to me the difference our church could make right where we were. Yet, in spite of efforts from the church eldership to encourage outreach to our community, it didn’t happen. They were trying to inspire our fellow church members to realize the opportunity we had to begin the type of urban ministry that could have a positive impact on the community. The idea was to help our members understand that church was meant to be so much more than just coming together to sing a few hymns and hear a nice Bible teaching. We were trying to emphasize that Christianity was never meant to be only about being a part of a religious club and receiving God’s blessings. Yes, God wants to bless us, but He blesses us to be a
As Ray continued to talk about his own experiences in his church, and as he made observations about all churches of the Christian faith, he candidly shared some concerns that all believers from all denominations would be wise to hear. He talked about some bright spots and some good things that he sees happening within Churches of Christ and in the church at large, but he also said this: “I am having a crisis, but it’s not a crisis of my personal faith in Christ, it’s a crisis of faith in current practices of many churches.”
Recently, a widely read Pew Research study highlighted the sharp decline in church membership for people between the ages of 20 and 40, and a significant drop in membership among most churches. I am totally unsatisfied with the explanation offered by most church leaders, that millennials are disinterested in spiritual matters, or that our culture has lost its desire for God, etc. Instead
I believe that it is church leadership that has lost its way. We have fought the wrong battles (over church “trivia” and symbols instead of justice, mercy, and righteousness). We have turned inward, building higher and thicker walls between “us” and “them”. We have become known for being angry and judgmental instead of caring, understanding, and loving. In some circles, we have become “anti-intellectual,” forcing people to choose between science and a poorly informed view of God’s work in this world. And we have put too much emphasis on “being in church” rather than God’s mission in the world. It is past time for us to rekindle the spirit of Israel’s prophets…
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8
As I end this story about Ray Russell’s spiritual journey, it’s clear that he’s so much more than just a professor and a weather forecaster; he’s doing some spiritual forecasting that we need to tune into as well. Written with Ben Cox ~
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A Marriage
Built on Christ and Prayer
Larry & Doris Francis
Larry and Doris Francis, residents of Land Harbor, chuckled as they reminisced over their many years of dating and courtship, of how they met during high school, fell in love and married. Doris would begin a sentence and Larry would finish. Then Larry would share meaningful, treasured details of their story as Doris soaked it in, as if experiencing their love story for the first time.
It was evident how very much in love they were. Had you been eavesdropping, you would have thought they were teenagers without a care in the world but for each other. It is through their journey of endurance, hardship, loss and faith, that they have discovered the strength of their marriage. This is their inspiring story of how God made them one, to help carry each other’s burdens, learn to pray together through the storms, and to always trust God.
“December 28, 1955. That was our first date. We were both ninth graders,” Larry proudly shared.
She came into my homeroom class every morning to deliver the lunch order. I remember thinking, “Who is this cute gal?” Eager to find out her name, I turned to the boy sitting next to me, Paul Matheny, and asked if he happened to know her. To my shock, he did! She was Paul’s first cousin. A couple months later, we went on our first little date and I knew she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Since that first date, Larry and Doris have been inseparable.
Doris confessed, “A date was considered one time a week, on Saturdays. We could only sit at my house, so he had to love me!” And she knew he must have loved her because Larry would often walk the distance from his house to hers on Saturday just to spend time with her.
They spent every Saturday getting to know each other and became best friends. They were each other’s biggest fans. Larry played football and Doris cheered. They even participated in their school plays together. You would think this story was stolen from the script of a Nicholas Sparks novel, but they’re as authentic and real as they come.
At the end of their senior year, having dated for almost four years, Larry and Doris decided they were both going to attend Appalachian State. Doris knew she had to tell her mother, and it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do. Despite the fact that Larry and Doris both grew up in Christian, loving, and healthy homes, Doris knew her mother was a little overprotective because she had lost her mother at a young age. When she shared this with Larry, he proposed they get married! The summer after they graduated from high school, Larry and Doris married, on July 19, 1959.
“We were taking a leap of faith because we didn’t have any money,” Doris recounted. “My granddaddy gave me $20 as a graduation gift and my mother gave me $100.”
Larry jokingly injected, “Oh, I had about 37 cents!” So they took some of their $120.37 and planned on a small honeymoon trip to Asheville.
A couple weeks after their honeymoon, Larry landed a short-term job painting schools in Winston Salem. It was the only source of income they had. So for the first two months in marriage, Larry and Doris went days without seeing each other because Larry could only get away on the weekends. Despite the challenge of making the distance work, they were finally ready to move to Boone that September. Thankfully, they both earned teaching scholarships that would financially assist them through their first year in college.
“Then in November, I got pregnant,” Doris shared. “I was terrified to tell my mother because I told her if she allowed me to marry Larry, we would finish school before having children. I felt like I had lied to my mother, but God allowed us to get through that winter. Mother shared her support and was one of our biggest cheerleaders.”
Tami, I was convinced I would stay home so that Larry could finish school. My mother was not going to have it that way! She knew it would be challenging for the both of us to go through school while raising a child so offered to take care of Tami for us. We both finished school in three and a half years.
Those were difficult years, being away from Tami. She was living with my mother in Rutherford County so that we could focus on fin- ishing our degrees. I would go to school during the week, and then on the weekends, I would rush to spend time with my sweet baby girl.
God helped us through that time. It was a challenging time being so far from Tami. There were weekends we were unsure we were going to be able to see her. God continued to pour his blessings on us so that we could get to see Tami as often as we could.
I am so thankful for my mother through those years. She and Tami have such a special bond because of it. As Tami grew during those years, my mother would always hold a picture out of Larry and me and share with Tami that we were her parents. My life has always been patterned after love. It was an environment I grew up in and that I wanted for my own family. I have built my life’s motto around 1 John 4:7, “Beloved, love one another because God loves us.” Push- ing through those years, as Larry worked through school, and I paid friends a dollar here and a dollar there to take me up and down the mountain.
When we graduated, God continued to provide for us. Larry was given multiple opportunities to work in carpentry. He developed his construction skills through contract jobs over the years, and after we retired, Larry built homes for our kids.
From the very beginning of marriage, and especially when we first had Tami, prayer has been an important part of our lives. We labored in prayer daily for our children and family. We still do to this day. We have seen God at work in our lives from the beginning. We always believed He was working in our lives, whether we could see it or not. We just knew it. We just believed it. It didn’t take much to make us happy. If we had cole slaw and beans, we were happy.
For many years, after we graduated from college, we continued to pursue higher degrees. While I was working on my masters, the kids were at home with Larry. Tami was 14 years older than our youngest, Chris, at the time. She and her sister Pam were able to help take care of Chris and work in the garden. Along with Larry, we made that season work. God provided the opportunities for us to continue in school. Every bit of success in our lives is because of God.
Larry and Doris were educators. Larry was the principal at Chase High School for 19 years and Doris, an assistant principal. As they reflected on their joyful experience as educators, Larry looked to his wife and said, “She inspires me. She inspired me everyday.”
He shared about her love for the Bible. “She is the kind of person who doesn’t need to hear that someone is hurting. She just sees people’s pain and isn’t afraid to approach them. She meets people everywhere we go with open arms and will pray for them wherever we are.”
Doris continued to share, “We have been members of the First Baptist Church of Newland for over 20 years now. We love the faith com- munity we have found in our church and our community. These are the people who we have leaned on and in return, poured back. We pray together. We celebrate together. Just as we have done for many years in our marriage, it is something we can do with our church and family too. We just believe in the power of prayer.” Written with Pangshua Riley ~
