Camp Mystic Flood: How to Transform Your Loss into Life-Changing Redemption

One year after the Camp Mystic flood, the devastating losses of July 4, 2025, still reverberate across Texas and beyond.

At the gym today, I saw an interview with three dads who lost their daughters in the flood, sharing how and why they maintain their unwavering faith in God.

Twenty-eight people at Camp Mystic died in that flood, including 25 campers, two counselors, and camp director Dick Eastland.

Across Central Texas, the catastrophic flooding claimed at least 137 lives.

The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in less than an hour at dawn on July 4, 2025.

This is worse than a 100-year flood event, according to experts.

Approximately 100 billion gallons of rain fell on Kerr County, more than the daily flow of Niagara Falls.

Camp Mystic flood aftermath
Cabin where 20 girls went missing on July 5, 2025, in the Guadalupe River flood/Ronaldo Schemidt/gettyimages

Is it possible to storm-proof the future?

And later, loss?

Some folks say it’s never wise to camp by a river, especially one in the middle of “Flash Flood Alley,” where historic floods in August 1978 and July 1987 caused multiple fatalities.

But I think it’s fair to say there’s no place in the world to camp without risks.

An old Spanish proverb says, “There is no home which does not at some time know its hush.”

Three decisive steps may set a healing course for anyone drowning in tragedy.

Continue Reading “Camp Mystic Flood: How to Transform Your Loss into Life-Changing Redemption” >
Camp Mystic Flood: How to Transform Your Loss into Life-Changing Redemption

Before the Fire Comes: How to Prepare for Life’s Greatest Losses

Raging European wildfires remind us to prepare for life’s greatest losses before they arrive.

Wildfires are consuming parts of Spain and France at a staggering pace. Hundreds of thousands have evacuated, many leaving with only what they could carry.

Whether our greatest loss comes through fire, disease, betrayal, or tragedy, the time to prepare for life’s greatest losses is before the smoke appears.

Prepare Before Disaster
A resident walks through the devastation caused by wildfires in Spain. AP Photo/Manu Fernández
Continue Reading “Before the Fire Comes: How to Prepare for Life’s Greatest Losses” >
Before the Fire Comes: How to Prepare for Life’s Greatest Losses

Memorial Day: How Four Brave Chaplains Gave Their Lives So Others Could Live

This Memorial Day, remember the four military chaplains who sacrificed their lives to save others during World War II.

Memorial Day Four Chaplains sacrifice
The Four Chaplains became an enduring symbol of courage and sacrifice.

Their selfless acts saved many from a sinking ship, the Dorchester, in 1943.

More than eighty years later, their actions remind us what human courage can look like when fear and chaos take over.

Their story resonates today because much of the world continues searching for hope and stability.

Continue Reading “Memorial Day: How Four Brave Chaplains Gave Their Lives So Others Could Live” >
Memorial Day: How Four Brave Chaplains Gave Their Lives So Others Could Live

How to survive the desert without the desert living in you

Recently, I spoke at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on how to live through a desert season of life without the desert living inside of you.

Why this subject now? Because lots of folks are stuck in deserts.

  • Physical or emotional pain
  • Purposelessness
  • Anxiety
  • Fear
David in a desert season of life
The rugged desert of southern Israel/Pictorial Lands of the Bible

A famous king from the 10th century has advice for all of that.

He was a literary, musical, military, and organizational genius.

The king who united Israel into the reputation it has today as a worldwide leading fighting force is David.

But first, he had to survive a long desert season of life.

Desert seasons often magnify our fear.

And David’s advice for thriving without succumbing to desert terrain is golden.

Continue Reading “How to survive the desert without the desert living in you” >
How to survive the desert without the desert living in you

Can Ilia Malinin’s Olympic Fall Spark a Greater Comeback?

Ilia Malinin’s Olympic fall stunned the skating world as he entered the free skate leading for gold.

He appeared to skate not to win, but not to lose.

That subtle shift undoes anyone.

Quad God Ilia Malin
Ilia Malinin after his free skate at the 2026 Winter Olympics/Shutterstock.

Minutes into his program, Malinin missed his famed Axel, abandoned two quad attempts, fell twice, and shockingly finished off the podium.

Continue Reading “Can Ilia Malinin’s Olympic Fall Spark a Greater Comeback?” >
Can Ilia Malinin’s Olympic Fall Spark a Greater Comeback?