Rev. Donald E Ray, PhD

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Rev. Donald E Ray, PhD

"The goal of the instruction is love." (1 Tim. 1:5) Ph.D. trauma and posttraumatic growth researcher; pastor; educator. I earned a Ph.D. Louis, MO.

Educator | Pastor | Chaplain | Researcher | Author | donalderay.com

Pastor, teacher, and mixed-methods researcher exploring and informing how God forms His people through Word and trial. Like, follow, and share this page for research-based insights. My newest project comprises the largest known empirical study ever conducted on personal trauma, coping and religious coping, and posttraumatic growt

h among clergy. in Education from the Talbot School of Theology, Biola University (2023), La Mirada, CA; and an M.Div. from Concordia Seminary (2011), St.

06/08/2026

I am pleased to share that a new article of mine has been published today in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (JAAETS).

"Forged by Agonizing Struggles: A Sixteenth-Century Theological Framework for Traumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth" is a theologically reflective companion piece to my empirical research study published last year.

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This latest article explores how Martin Luther's concept of "Anfechtung" converges with modern posttraumatic growth theory and offers a living framework for those who study, endure, care for, and minister in the aftermath of trauma.

Whether you're a pastor walking with wounded people, a chaplain in crisis settings, an educator, a clinician, or a researcher — this piece makes the case that a 500-year-old theological paradigm still has something vital to say among the modern trauma conversation.

Comment below and DM me with your email to receive a complimentary pdf copy.

The Lord be with you!

05/12/2026

Photo-texts grabbed from an Instagram page, but the insights are grounded in sound psychosocial empirical research.

The pictured post frames the insights through the lens of one thing Winston Churchill did to combat his depressive episodes: he laid bricks.

The broader point: psychosocial challenges in the mind can be alleviated, in part, by engaging the body. For we are fearfully, wonderfully, and holistically made; body, mind, and spirit, all.

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So if you're a thinker, find ways also to be a doer.

Embrace a single, focused, physical task or activity. It focuses and quiets the mind, re-engages the whole body, and sets you back in balance.

And at the end, you have a tangible thing to show for it--yet another antidote for the searching, looping, ruminating, depressed, or anxious mind.

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As for me, I have a Masters and a Ph.D. Insatiably curious and inquisitive by nature. And I think, a lot.

Plus, I serve chiefly in a vocation that, next to counselors, begets the highest rates of depression of any other role in the nation, and often produces little to no tangible and observable fruit.

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So, how do I cope, in part? How do I turn down the volume in my brain and freely release intangible emotions--both from myself and others?

I don't lay bricks, but I do fix cars.

It helps; and further, repair work frees me from thrusting my own need for measureable task completion and visible results upon those I serve in ministry.

Said differently: I serve people, not widgets; and so, I fix widgets, that I can more freely serve people. It helps them, and it helps me.

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Person and people, boundaried but together; and body, mind, and spirit working independently yet holistically. It's God's design. And it's good.

So don't be a brick wall, but do consider laying one. It may help you, and others.

The Lord be with you.

02/01/2026

Christian, who are you if you stop striving? Stop performing? Stop trying to fit in (or, be different)? Stop accomplishing? Stop proving and achieving?

You're the same person you've always been...

You are God's beloved child, for whom Christ gave His whole life. You are His.

Rest, in Him.

01/27/2026

Another conference invitation, just now confirmed. Looking forward to continuing to serve Church and world, up in Alaska this Spring, for servant leaders in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). Thanks be to God!

09/30/2025

Christian: your worth is not what you do, but who you are.

And who are you? You are not your traumas, nor the sum total of what others have said or done to you. You are God's own child, created in His image and redeemed by the precious blood of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

What you have to offer the world pales in comparison to what God has offered and given you: life abundant, and life eternal, in Christ. You are precious and priceless, always.

08/28/2025

Thankful to God for the opportunity to have presented new research to 35 regional church leaders this week in Portland.

This marked the third time I have presented formally in person my now-published and still-new grounded theory of trauma, personal theological growth, and ministerial formation--all of which has grown out of my recent qualitative research.

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Recipients have expressed consistently that the model resonates deeply, accurately capturing the posttraumatic language and paths that they and others have experienced, while also serving as a guide to help walk with others who may endure the same.

I hope and pray the model continues to be presented, well-received, and shared--as well as tested and refined by future empirical research--all for the sake of Christ's Church and world.

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Praise the Lord!

04/29/2025

I am pleased to share that the report on the qualitative phase of my recent U.S. nationwide study exploring trauma, coping, and posttraumatic growth among clergy has been published!

Released this week in the Journal of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (JAAETS), Vol. 11 (Winter-Spring 2025).

Comment below and DM me with your email to receive a complimentary pdf copy.

The Lord be with you!

01/24/2025

Thankful to have been accepted as a Full Member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (AAETS).

AAETS is an interdisciplinary network of professionals committed to the advancement of intervention for trauma survivors. It brings together fellow experts across disciplines and across the world to provide continuing education and unparalleled standards for those providing intervention to survivors of traumatic events and to professionals exposed to the same.

Looking forward to continuing to learn, grow, contribute, and serve. Thanks be to God.

01/13/2025

Friends and Followers: I'm prayerfully considering composing a book proposal on what we can learn in life, and about life, from enduring our traumatic experiences.

Let's brainstorm together: what questions or dynamics might you like to see addressed, from a psychosocial and/or Biblical and theological perspective? Comment below. TIA!

09/19/2024

Hurting friend: God is for you, and with you, through Jesus Christ. He is "Immanuel," which means, "God with us."

Address

PO Box 2091
Wenatchee, WA
98807

Website

http://www.donalderay.com/contact

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