“What was that! Are you okay?” At 70+mph in the middle of death valley’s midday sun and no civilization as far as the eyes could see, our world shook.

It had already been shaken quite a bit and Lorie and I were both looking for some respite.

Our life circumstances placed us thousands of miles apart for six weeks and we were finally reunited.

I had flown out to California to spend some quiet time with Lorie after her treatment for some aggressive cancer that had gone undetected.

We rented a vehicle, planned a scenic trip and were using the time to relax.

As much as it was wonderful to be reunited, it was bitter-sweet. Surgery was next, the future was uncertain, but we needed a slow ride back home together to regroup.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere between California and Vegas we were having fun watching the thermometer rise in the brutal sun. 106, 7, 8, 9!

We were also hoping the vehicle and air conditioning could handle the punishment.

If you’ve driven that stretch of interstate, you know what I mean.

Finally, we saw something quite amazing. It was another vehicle – a semi doing 70.

Lorie had her head back and eyes closed as we passed that enormous truck.

Then it happened.

The sound of an explosion shook us violently while things hit our vehicle and left us momentarily stunned.

The truck’s tire exploded right next to Lorie’s face.

My first thought was that Lorie had to be injured – badly.

The truck moved off the road while I tried to get oriented and pulled off as well.

Thankfully Lorie’s window was up and did not shatter when his tire blew and showered our vehicle with hot rubber and shrapnel.

No one was hurt and yet in that split second of disorientation my mind had blown everything out of proportion. I thought the worst had happened. Who wouldn’t?

As you can imagine it scared her (us) immensely. Lorie’s body was drained and she had no reserves. Then this!

We had great cause for concern in that anxious moment that also served as another reminder of Who is in control.

Just a few moments after saying “What was that! Are you okay?” we were laughing again.

I never get tired of this passage from Isa. 43:1-5.

Our heart rates slowly got back to “normal” and now our only worry was how much damage might have been done to our rental vehicle. The answer was practically zero.

Phil. 4:4-8 is another favorite that I carry with me everywhere.

It’s God’s reminder that when you fear the uncertain future or that something bad might happen – or when it does – we still don’t have to blow it out of proportion.

When our world gets shook, we can just give it to Jesus who’s always in control (Mark 4:37-41).

So, here’s my question for you: What might you be blowing out of proportion that would be better placed into the loving competent care of Jesus who keeps your heart and mind?

I’d love to hear your response. I read them all. Reply and share it with me, or better yet, share your comments about this post with others in our community space.

PS You can pay it forward by forwarding this email to a few people you know, encourage them to subscribe and also help grow this ministry. It just takes a minute or two. Thanks!

New (9/8) Upcoming Book Excerpt:

…Yet what you’ll find in this book is not going to be academic or scholarly. It’s not a textbook or how-to manual with technical language. It’s written for the average person who struggles to pick up and enjoy reading and understanding the Bible. It’s written to get you started on the road to reading the Bible the way it was intended to be read; to aligning your beliefs with Scripture instead of what others have taught or told you to believe.

I am not going to tell you what to believe, attempt to talk you out of your beliefs, or encourage you to believe as I do. I am going to give you some essential principles, insights and tools that will help you get the most out of the Bible and start you down the path to a lifelong love of Scripture with some guardrails to keep you out of the ditches.

This book is dedicated to those who go to church (or don't) and find the Bible challenging. Maybe you’ve been part of a church or tradition for years or have no religious background at all and want the Bible to make more sense but without everyone else’s spin. You might have tried but have lost motivation or just feel lost and need a good map and guide to move you in the right direction. Some feel like something’s wrong with them because they don't get much out of it even after reading for years.…

You can read the rest of the excerpt in the community space. Just click on the link below:

🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♂️There’s a new space right inside this newsletter where you can share prayer requests, comment on the newsletter, make some new friends and keep up on the latest with the book project. Click on this link, enter the email you already use for this newsletter and you’re in. You can use the app or just click in from this newsletter any time.

Connect your customer data, teams, and tools without the hassle of complex integrations or lengthy setups. One easy platform gives marketing, sales, and service teams a unified customer view and the tools to turn it into growth.

Why HubSpot and what's new
• Generate leads and automate marketing with Marketing Hub
• Build your pipeline and close more deals with Sales Hub
• Scale customer support and drive retention with Service Hub
• Keep customer data clean, connected, and actionable with one, unified platform

Join 306,000+ in over 135 countries using HubSpot to grow their businesses.

See what a more connected approach to growth can do for you and your team. Get setup quickly and start checking off your hardest tasks.

Get started free

🛐 How can we pray for you? Please let us know here.

📖 ICYMI. Monday 8pm (eastern) online Bible study & fellowship. Click this Zoom link a little before 8pm on Monday and you’ll be welcomed in!

🤲🏻🤝🏻Jump into our new free community. Share prayer, catch upcoming events, talk about the Newsletter, read excerpts from the Book and let us know your thoughts.

📫 Forward this email to friends & family and encourage them to subscribe

♥️ Follow on Instagram | Facebook | Threads for more biblical encouragement.

👊🏼 Quick Favor? I’m attempting to double the reach of this newsletter. You can help. Can you forward this to a few people you care about-and encourage them to subscribe? Would you also help me spread the word by sharing BV2U to your social media? Thank you.

💬💡Feedback? Let me know how to improve BV2U or how it impacted you. Reply to this email or use [email protected]. I read every email.