Hello everyone. I’m sure many of you are deeply saddened by the news of the flooding tragedy in Texas. As parents, we pray for the safety and protection of our children and grandchildren; and it’s probably our foremost priority on our daily prayers for them, no matter their ages. 

I came across this Facebook post by pastor Greg Laurie and I found peace and comfort in his message and Bible verses shared. I hope it helps you too. (FYI – Greg Laurie’s son died in a motorcycle accident). 

“A heartbreaking tragedy has unfolded in Texas.

After days of relentless rain, devastating floods have claimed the lives of at least 52 people, 15 of them children. As of now, 57 individuals are still missing. Some of the young girls who died were attending a Christian camp known as Camp Mystic when the floodwaters came.

What can you say in a moment like this?

There is no greater pain than for a parent to lose a child. That’s not theory for me—it’s personal. Our son Christopher was unexpectedly called home to Heaven 16 years ago, and the grief still runs deep.

Sometimes the most honest and comforting thing you can say is simply,
“I’m so sorry. There are no words.”

As Christians, we can be quick to try to explain the unexplainable. But I’ve learned that when I don’t know why, I pivot back to Who.
And by “Who,” I mean—Who do we turn to in moments like this?

We must turn to God. He is our ultimate source of strength.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
—Psalm 34:18

To those grieving parents, I would say this:
Your child is safely in the arms of Jesus in Heaven.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
—Matthew 19:14

And if you have put your faith in Christ, you will see them again.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout… and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them… and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
—1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

Your children are not only part of your past—they are also part of your future.

So yes, mourn. Grieve.
Cry your heart out.
And cry out to God—He will be there for you.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
—Psalm 46:1

Let’s continue to pray for the first responders still searching for the missing—and for the families facing unthinkable sorrow.

Lord, be near.”

Visiting Heaven:

If you haven’t listened to this podcast interview with John Burke who did extensive research of people who died and visited the other side due to near-death-experiences, here it is again. This one is about those who visited heaven.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heaven-meets-earth/id1806665471?i=1000714126161

Visiting Hell:

This one is about those who visited hell. I thought it’ll be depressing since so many people that I know have died. But instead, it gave me a glimmer of hope for those who passed away without a clear evidence that they were saved. Remember I once shared about an art professor who died and visited Hell? His story and name is mentioned on this podcast in case you missed it and want to look him up.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heaven-meets-earth/id1806665471?i=1000715077966

I find evangelism very difficult. I’m praying about that since I truly believe that no one is presentable to a Holy God, other than saying yes to Jesus’ free gift of salvation. This blog about evangelism by Ken Ham was excellent. 

https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2025/07/02/how-should-christians-do-evangelism/

(I thought his assessment was very good.)

“We need to understand the culture and how people think, and we need to understand terms to ensure we are communicating in a way they will comprehend. I’ve said for a long time that we live in an Acts 17–type culture (a “Greek/Babylonian” culture that knows nothing of God or his Word) and not an Acts 2–type culture (a “Jewish” culture that has a basic, foundational understanding of God as Creator, of sin, etc.) as we once did—and this means we need to change our method of presenting the gospel while understanding that the message of the gospel never changes.”

Biblical archaeology:

If anyone is interested in biblical archaeology and history, please check out this podcast. If you study the book of Daniel, you’ll learn so much about the great Babylonian empire, and biblical prophecy. I didn’t realize that a huge Babylonian gate was brought to Berlin, Germany and it is in their Pergamum museum. Wow. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-affirming-findings/id1611103692?i=1000680603388

Here is the museum and a portion of the Babylonian gate. 

https://www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/pergamonmuseum/collections-research/collections/

This podcast is about the fall of Babylon. It happened very suddenly in one night. I now understand why the Babylonian royals and leaders were drinking and partying away while being surrounded by the Persian army. (Remember that Persia is today’s Iran.)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-affirming-findings/id1611103692?i=1000679735260

I learned about this professor and his archeology work by listening to the Prophecy Pros podcast. In here, they also talk about the prophecy of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. It was written in the book of Daniel with an exact date of his entrance into Jerusalem. That’s why Jesus was so hard on the religious leaders and scholars who were so hard-hearted. They should have known better having studied the scriptures for a living. They should have searched the scriptures again when Jesus came out publicly with great signs and wonders. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prophecy-pros-podcast/id1503243159?i=1000715401315

Liza Minnelli:

I watched about half an hour of Liza Minnelli’s new bio-documentary about her life. I stopped watching because it was saddening. She will be another celebrity that I’ll be praying for regularly. Her mom was the famous actress, Judy Garland (she played Dorothy in the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz). Her mom died from an accidental drug overdose. Liza was only in her early 20s. Her mom’s close friend scooped into Liza’s life to help her during the tragedy, and eventually became like her stage mom. 

Parents, it matters who your closest friends are. No one knows how long we will live. Today my closest friends are from the church community. I’m confident that they will scoop in for my children if anything happens to me. Most importantly, they will point them to Jesus Christ. 

Pastor Jentezen Franklin talks about King Solomon in this message. King Solomon had it all – money, power, fame, admiration and all that the world has to offer. His life and legacy are recorded in several Old Testament books in the Bible for us to evaluate and reflect upon. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jentezen-franklin-at-free-chapel/id506354054?i=1000715080852

God bless you.