Wally Long: Finding Hope & Healing Through Faith & Trials
Pastor and author Wally Long joins Philip Cameron to share one of the most harrowing stories of compounded family tragedy you will ever hear — and how his unshakeable faith carried him through it all. In the span of just eleven months, Wally lost his youngest sister to suicide, nearly lost his 18-year-old son in a devastating motorcycle accident, and then buried his mother. Before he could fully recover, a 12-year-old nephew killed Wally's brother and sister-in-law, critically wounding two younger children in the same attack. "The only thing I had was my faith," Wally says. "That's all I could cling to." Rather than collapse under the weight of unimaginable grief, Wally and his wife adopted two of the surviving children — their seventh and eighth — and leaned into a simple, daily discipline: "Just do the next thing." That posture of one-step-at-a-time obedience, rooted in the peace that "passes understanding," became the foundation of his healing journey and ultimately the sermon series that grew into his book, Why Me, Lord. Wally also recounts the moment — just five days after the murders — when God compelled him to visit his imprisoned 12-year-old nephew, and how choosing forgiveness over bitterness became the turning point for his entire family's restoration. He later appeared on the Piers Morgan show to share his faith publicly in the middle of the crisis. If you or someone you love is walking through a dark valley, this conversation is essential viewing. Learn more and get the book at wallylong.com.
What's Discussed
Pastor Wally Long of Mount Vernon, Missouri recounts a series of devastating losses: his sister's suicide in 2006, his son's near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2007, his mother's death weeks later, and — in 2011 — the murder of his brother and sister-in-law by their 12-year-old son in Aurora, Colorado. Two younger children survived and were eventually adopted by Wally and his wife, becoming their seventh and eighth children. Through counseling, Scripture, and a daily commitment to "just do the next thing," Wally found healing. He later appeared on the Piers Morgan show to publicly declare his faith during the crisis. His journey became the book Why Me, Lord. He also describes visiting his imprisoned nephew just five days after the murders — an act of grace that he credits as the beginning of his family's restoration.
- 18:42Sister's Suicide Rocks the Family
- 19:47Son's Near-Fatal Motorcycle Accident
- 20:20Mother's Death and Total Collapse
- 21:20Brother and Sister-in-Law Murdered
- 25:04Just Do the Next Thing: Daily Survival
- 27:04Searching Scripture for Answers
- 28:49Visiting the Nephew in Prison
- 30:12Choosing Forgiveness in the Courtroom