The One Who Stands Between: Prayer, Presence, and the Love That Won’t Let Go with Ray Buckley

In this season finale of The Academy Podcast, host Shalom Agtarap sits down with author, artist, and longtime Academy faculty member Ray Buckley to explore prayer, community, and what it means to live out the reign of God in a rapidly changing and uncertain world.

Ray first came to The Academy as a presenter alongside Elaine Heath at a Five-Day Academy in Oklahoma. He reflects on The Academy’s rhythm of listening, silence, and response, a rhythm rooted in the desert mothers and fathers and the early monastics, and on how it follows him home, prompting him to make space for reflection and to offer that same space to others.

Ray shares the practices that keep him grounded in rural Alaska, especially the life of prayer he shares with his brother Rick. Each night they practice “sharing breath,” a prayer passed down through Ray’s grandparents in which two people touch forehead and nose and exchange spirit through breath. Ray describes Rick’s spontaneous thanksgivings, his habit of noticing when someone needs a meal, and the “Hey Ray” moments that call him back to what matters.

Drawing on the Tlingit understanding of the warrior as “one who stands between,” Ray invites us to a faith that protects others and chooses presence over performance, where a cup of water can speak louder than words.

Together, Shalom and Ray reflect on solidarity, the walls that keep people out of the church, the Gospel as a truth that changes us, and the many voices that have shaped Ray’s life. Their conversation closes with a question about The Academy’s future: how can the gifts of spiritual formation reach those who may never attend an Academy? Ray’s answer is simple: keep pointing people to God, and walk beside them.

We share this conversation during National Native American Heritage Month, giving thanks for Indigenous wisdom rooted in story, relationship, and deep attentiveness to the sacred.

Ray Buckley has served the United Methodist Church in many leadership roles, including with the United Methodist Publishing House, as Director of the Native People Communication Office, and as Director of Connectional Ministries and Native Discipleship for the Alaska Missionary Conference. He is the author of numerous books and resources for readers of all ages and a contributor to The Upper Room Disciplines 2027. An artist, storyteller, traditional basket maker, and wood carver, Ray has seen his stories, poetry, and visual art published in journals, periodicals, and books around the world. A beloved longtime faculty member of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, Ray has helped participants encounter the sacred through story, tradition, beauty, and honest reflection. He and his brother Rick make their home in Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

Show Notes

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

Audio editing and production by Tim Savage.

A special thanks to the staff of The Upper Room, the Academy team, and everyone who helps bring this podcast to life.

For more information and resources, visit academy.upperroom.org/resources

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