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‘Eternity Is What Matters’: Christian Plane Crash Victims Transformed This Man’s Life
As the nation continues to mourn the 67 lives lost when an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 Wednesday night, victims’ personal stories are beginning to be told.
Among those killed was married couple Bob and Lori Schrock, farmers from Kiowa, Kansas who reportedly ran Premium Grain Inc. Their friend, Michael Simpson, told CBN News about their powerful influence over his life — and their deep faith in Jesus.
He said his friendship with Bob started decades ago when Simpson, president of Freedom Gates Boys Ranch, a Christian residential program that serves kids in need in Hazelton, Kansas, was just 12 years old.
“A few other men in the weight room taught me how to lift weights, kept me accountable with that,” he said, calling Bob’s influence “ridiculously encouraging.” “The weights were great, but the encouragement … as a 12-year-old kid, having people that are adults that are taking the time to walk across the gym, and encourage you, and tell you ‘good job,’ and give you advice … it’s not a common thing.”
Simpson said this motivation helped him as a young person, noting that, decades later, he still maintained the same friendship with Bob.
“Up until a few weeks ago … we’d see each other in the gym,” he said. “We’ve been doing it since I was a kid.”
In addition to those personal acts of service to Simpson, he said Bob and Lori were also known for kindness, goodness, and faithfulness in their local community.
“The best definition of integrity is doing the right thing when nobody’s watching,” he said. “And they just did the right thing and didn’t need people to know.”
The couple, according to Simpson, was driven by their Christian faith and values, expressing a “tremendous, walked-out, fruitful faith.”
As time went on, Simpson began to have more spiritual conversations with Bob. And, about a decade ago, Simpson confided in him about a calling on his heart: to work with at-risk kids from “hard places.”
When he told Bob he was considering quitting his job and getting into this ministry, Bob gave him faith-filled advice.
“I was getting ready to quit my job running cranes in the oil field to come out and be a part of the ministry full time,” Simpson said. “Bob … just encouraged [me], like, ‘Man, is this what you feel like the Lord’s wanting you to do?’”
It was then Simpson realized Bob truly follows the Lord’s promptings and he was encouraged to head down the path of helping young people. Simpson suddenly understood that “this is a guy that just doesn’t go to church and just doesn’t say that he’s a follower of Christ.”
Instead, Simpson saw a deeply rooted faith.
The support carried well beyond that, too, as Bob ended up supporting Freedom Gates Boys Ranch, spending what was likely tens of thousands of dollars to help make the pasture look good for the kids, among other assistance. The kind deeds haven’t been lost on Simpson.
“I didn’t have a lot of friends like that,” he said. “They don’t make a lot of people like that.”
Simpson, like so many friends and loved ones of those lost in this tragedy, said he’s been experiencing “waves” of pain in recent days as he reflects on the loss of Bob and Lori.
One area of reflection has been Simpson’s care for young boys in tough situations — something he now realizes was likely motivated, in part, by Bob’s investment in him as a child.
“I’ve never really thought about that until the last couple of days,” he said. “I never really put a lot of those pieces together until I’m like, ‘Wow, well, we have a weightlifting program here at the ranch.’ You know, why? Because I know how powerful it was for me to have that program and to have people mentor me into helping me get myself better physically.”
Simpson continued, “That would not be the case if it wasn’t for Bob and a couple of other guys there at the gym that encouraged me.”
Looking back, he sees the pure love and care through which Bob operated — a kindness that came with “no agenda” and no expectation of anything in return. And the impact has been profound.
Despite the difficulty of speaking out about his friends, Simpson said it’s important, as he knows Bob and Lori loved the Lord and would want others to know the truth.
“I know, based on the fruit that they had in their life and the profession from themselves, that they have a relationship with Christ,” he said. “They have a love for the Gospel. … I know I will see my friends again.”
Simpson also reiterated a past conversation he had with Bob about the importance of keeping an eternal perspective. Bob spoke about people who have a fear of losing material things.
“He [said], ‘They have no idea the peace that is found when you know that none of it belongs to you,’” he recalled. “We’re here for a short amount of time, and eternity is what matters. That’s what Bob would tell me.”
Sources:faithwire
ഡാളസ്: ശാരോന്‍ ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്‍ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്‍ത്ത് അമേരിക്കയുടെ എസ് എഫ് സി എന്‍ എ ദേശീയ എക്‌സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് നേതൃത്വം 2025-2027 വര്‍ഷത്തേക്ക് തുടരും.ശാരോന്‍ ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്‍ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്‍ത്ത് അമേരിക്ക 2025 ഫാമിലി കോണ്‍ഫറന്‍സിനോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് നടന്ന ജനറല്‍ ബോഡി മീറ്റിംഗിലാണ് ഈ തീരുമാനം അംഗീകരിച്ചത്. ശാരോന്‍ ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്‍ച്ചസ് ഓഫ് നോര്‍ത്ത് അമേരിക്ക സമൂഹത്തെ ശക്തപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതില്‍ ഈ ടീം നിര്‍ണായക പങ്ക് വഹിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.
പാസ്റ്റര്‍ ടിങ്കു തോംസണ്‍ (പ്രസിഡന്റ്) പാസ്റ്റര്‍ സന്തോഷ് താരിയന്‍ (വൈസ് പ്രസിഡന്റ്) ജോണ്‍സണ്‍ ഉമ്മന്‍ (ജനറല്‍ സെക്രട്ടറി) എബ്രഹാം വര്‍ഗീസ്(ജോയിന്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി) എബി കെ ജോണ്‍ (ട്രഷറര്‍)പാസ്റ്റര്‍ ബാബു തോമസ്(മിഷന്‍സ് ഡയറക്ടര്‍)പാസ്റ്റര്‍ റെന്‍ ഫിന്നി(യുവജന ഡയറക്ടര്‍)പാസ്റ്റര്‍ തേജസ് തോമസ്(സണ്‍ഡേ സ്‌കൂള്‍ ഡയറക്ടര്‍) ഷെറിന്‍ കെ ജോര്‍ജ് (മീഡിയ ഡയറക്ടര്‍) എന്നിവരാണ് 2025-2027എസ് എഫ് സി എന്‍ എ ദേശീയ എക്‌സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് കമ്മറ്റി ഭാരവാഹികള്‍.
United States — A trend of churches being attacked throughout the United States appears to be emerging.
On April 24, a Texas woman, identified as Natasha Marie O’Dell, pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fire to Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church (SLLC) in Snohomish County, Washington, on Aug. 25, 2023.
The blaze destroyed much of the church, and damage to the property was placed at $3.2 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), O’Dell admitted to telling “various acquaintances that she was angry about churches and specifically with SLLC. Later, she told another acquaintance that she planned to burn a nearby church.”
An Arizona man, identified as Zimnako Salah, was found guilty of a hate crime on April 3, 2025, after he targeted Christian churches with bomb threats. Salah intentionally attempted to intimidate Christians because of their faith, according to a special finding from a federal jury.
After visiting four churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado, Salah left backpacks at two of them to cause fear among congregants. Although there were no bombs in the packs, improvised explosive device (IED) components were found in Salah’s storage unit. The man had also consumed on social media violent videos of the Islamic State group (ISIS) killing people.
Michele Beckwith, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said Salah purposefully targeted Christians.
“[Salah’s] actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs,” Beckwith stated.
On June 18, Rui Jiang of Fairfax, Virginia, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for an attempted mass shooting at Park Valley Church in Virginia on Sept. 23, 2023. After Jiang posted disturbing content online, including him burning a Bible and threatening the church, police were alerted. The church’s security also became concerned.
On the morning of the intended shooting, church security stopped Jiang just before Prince William County police officers arrived to investigate. According to the DOJ, “Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun, two magazines of ammunition, and two knives. He [also] had additional ammunition, knives, and a canister of bear spray in his nearby car.”
U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia stated that Jiang went to “a church during a religious service armed with the intent to murder innocent parishioners.”
Jiang’s motives appear to be a mental health issue. According to the Associated Press, Jiang “had recently joined the church but indicated he was mad at God and at men for blocking him from having romantic relationships with women.”
On June 22, 2025, Brian Browning attempted a mass shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, but was stopped before he could harm anyone. Church security shot and killed the would-be attacker before he could reach the inside of the facility.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the man “was carrying several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.”
Browning’s motive remains to be uncovered, though it’s been speculated that he was suffering from mental health issues. Browning’s mother is a member of the church, and Browning had attended services a few times in the past year, according to the Wayne Police Department.
In February, President Donald Trump formed a task force, called “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” In a press release about its formation, Trump stated that anti-Christian acts, such as “hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship,” had surged between 2018 and 2023.
Trump continued, saying that “the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceed[ed] by more than eight times the number from 2018.”
The Family Research Council, in February 2024, released a report stating that “American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity.”
Sources:persecution
You were given a voice to worship.
Yes, you!
Maybe you think singing is for somebody else and that no one wants to hear you sing, but the Bible says otherwise. The Lord delights in the praises of His people. Or, as Psalm 22:3 puts it, He is “enthroned” upon them.
In the scriptures, singing is not optional or only for the select few. Over 400 times is singing mentioned. There are 50 direct commands to sing. The Bible is clear that our singing has purpose beyond enjoyment or performance.
Colossians 3:16 urges us to allow the word of God to dwell richly in us, with wisdom, as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Singing has a purpose: to plant the word of God in our hearts, remind us of the Gospel and draw us closer to Christ our Savior.
God desires our singing and praise. Singing reminds us of the good news of Jesus. Singing plants the word in our hearts. But is singing as an act of worship considered a spiritual discipline?
In short, yes.
Donald Whitney defines spiritual disciplines as “Biblical practices (things you do) that promote Spiritual health, take us deeper into our understanding of the gospel and lead us closer to Jesus.” He goes on to say that spiritual disciplines are the means to a greater end, that being holiness.
So, how does singing, both personally in private and corporately with the church, make anyone more holy?
Singing as an act of worship draws us closer to the heart of God. The Psalms are filled with personal cries to God. Cries for help, cries for mercy, cries of celebration, cries of remembering. God is a personal God who drew near to us and longs for us to know Him.
Singing God’s word lets us preach to ourselves. The Psalmist in Psalm 42 is singing to himself, reminding his own soul that his hope is found in the Lord. Singing as an act of worship is also preparation for the eternal song we see in Revelation 5.
Singing God’s word helps us remember God’s word. Our brains are wired to retain what we sing long after we remember just about anything else, and they’re activated in remarkable ways when we sing or hear singing.
Music activates the entire limbic system — the group of brain structures responsible for fundamental processes like emotional regulation, learning, loving, desiring and remembering. Music even has therapeutic applications for emotional, cognitive and psychological disorders. It has the power to console and encourage the families of Alzheimer’s patients who have forgotten their loved ones, but can still remember a song from their childhood.
Singing grows us in holiness by engaging, uplifting and educating us. It brings us closer to God, closer to each other and closer to the beauty of God’s creation.
Consider how much your experience of a beautiful songbird would be changed if you could only see it but not hear it. You need to hear them sing to experience the fullness of their created beauty.
The same is true for our worship and for the Word of God: We are commanded to sing not only for the sake of discipline but also to enjoy the beauty of song. For the distant or wandering soul, oftentimes, it’s the singing of God’s word that stirs the affections for the Lord again. Singing the truth will help us remember it and experience it in its fullness, even in our very last days, when everything else is fading.
My work at the Worship Initiative is an attempt to make song in worship just as universal as it was meant to be. We aim to equip everyone — at every level of confidence, experience and ministry involvement — to sing. Every voice is necessary. Every voice is beautiful and can become ever more so.
God wants to hear your voice. He wants to hear your voice singing His word back to Him, every day of your life — and every day of eternity. So let Him.
Sources:Christianpost
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