Christopher Laurie

I was in the church foyer when my daughter Carin approached me, tears filling her eyes as she told me that Greg Laurie's son 'Topher had died in a car crash. I was stunned, and not two minutes later Marie found me, tears streaming from her eyes as she sobbed out the words that no father ever wants to hear...a beloved child has died. My heart breaks with Greg and Cathe for every reason imaginable: when it all boils down to it, plain and simple, we who are parents just do not expect to bury our babies. There is just something intrinsically wrong with that, and our hearts and minds reel at just the thought of having to do such a thing. I have known of and have personally known Greg and Cathe Laurie for a long time. As a young man and pastor, I have sat under his teaching for many years and have loved him and admired him as a pastor, evangelist, and just a great guy who really loves the Lord, the lost, and his family. Greg is a pretty reserved man, one who doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, but I can tell you that his family is pretty much everything to him, outside of his love for Jesus. His son's death, especially in light of the fact that Christopher's wife Brittany is expecting their second child in November, is a tragic blow that will not soon be healed from. I find it revealing that this happened two weeks before the annual Summer Harvest Crusade in Anaheim and during the time that Greg is sharing his heart through his recent video/book testimony called Lost Boy. These things increase our vulnerability, and can be difficult in ways that not everybody understands. God is using the Crusades incredibly, reaching over 3.5 million people over the years, and the video/book testimony will reach many, many more. It is just like the enemy to attack at times like this, and I cannot help but believe that at the heart of this, is a full on attack on the Laurie family. Still, through it all, I know that the Lord will give them the strength and trust in Him to weather this, and to heal, but it is going to take time, a lifetime. We all need to hold them up in prayer, daily, that they might experience God's comfort and peace, a peace that only He can supply. One of the things Jesus promised to do is to be the One who "heals the brokenhearted". May God heal the broken hearts of His precious servants, Greg and Cathe Laurie, as well as Jonathan, Brittany, Stella, and Christopher's yet unborn little girl. We love them, and sorrow with them.