Journey Through The Valley
What if our valley's weren't a place to be feared,
but a gift from the Lord?
What You Can Expect From The Book
Thanks for your interest in Journey Through The Valley. I've provided a few excepts from throughout the book below, so that you can get a feel for my writing style, the mistakes I made along the way and what I've learned.
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How A Single Moment
Started A Journey
There's always an origin story. But every once in a while, we walk right past the trailhead without even realizing it. This was what happened with me. The essence of this book began 10 years ago when I received an invitation to join a group of men that were meeting Saturday at 6:30 in the morning to talk about faith. At such an early hour, it was an invitation I almost said no to.
What I came to realize almost eight years later was that "yes", wasn't a "yes" to join a men's group. It was a "yes" to enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus. To go beyond the Sunday experience and to follow His leading instead of using Him to get my way.
What I found over the years was that prioritizing community led to a desire for intimacy with Jesus. As my intimacy with Jesus grew, I began journaling. From there, a desire to read the Holy Scriptures emerged which led to a slow and often awkward addition of other spiritual practices. It wasn't a try harder, be a better Christian approach. But a gentle invitation to walk behind what Jesus was doing.
It is my sincere hope that as you journey to become more like Jesus, this book will encourage as you see how messy and clunky my journey was.
01. Brothers In Arms
Have you ever watched someone’s world fall apart? I have, and it changed my life. Back in 2016, I was asked to join a men’s spiritual leadership group. I still remember the invite for these 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning gatherings at one of our local breakfast restaurants only a few miles from my house. I thought my pastor was crazy—six thirty in the morning on a Saturday? After some personal reflection, I joined reluctantly. Right away it became clear these men were all on similar journeys, all trying to integrate faith, work, and family—just like I was. I’d never been part of a group like this before and after just one meeting, it became a vital part of my routine.
02. Falling For The American Dream
As I sat across from Caitlin, I put my best foot forward. She was articulate and a deep thinker. I tried my best to match her depth as we jumped from topic to topic. There was a definite chemistry, and we talked for hours. Emboldened by the wine, her infectious smile, and my topof-the-world confidence, I blurted out, “So what are your expectations for this relationship?”
She didn’t miss a beat. With a relaxing, disarming smile, she replied with a shrug. “Nothing really. Whatever happens, happens.”
Surely this couldn’t be true, I thought. I was intrigued because I’d never heard such a casual response before. “No expectations?” I continued. “Really? Everyone has at least some unwritten rules.”
“David,” she said, leaning forward and staring right into my eyes. “I know a lot of girls have been dreaming of their wedding day since they were playing with dolls—but that’s not me. I’m just taking life one day at a time. I’m good with wherever that takes me.”
Finally, I thought. A woman who checks all the boxes—beautiful, independent, and low-maintenance. I’ll definitely be able to climb the corporate ladder with her by my side. It wouldn’t be until we were married with our first child that I would realize that our early nonchalance toward our relationship came not from wholeness but rather from a deep place of unexamined hurt.
“David Brenner's book demonstrates that God is with us at all times, even in the most difficult situations. He has a clear and engaging writing style while offering thoughtful commentary.” —Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars
- Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars
03. Growing Faith and Family
“How was the trip?” I asked when Caitlin arrived back from Florida late on a Sunday night.
Flustered and confused, she replied, “David, I just spent an entire weekend with your mother, and she told me how important your faith is to you. How come I am finding this out just now—and from your mother and not you?”
I fumbled for words. “It just seems like you’re not really interested in spiritual things. You get really defensive and say religion isn’t for you. I was just worried you wouldn’t want to be with me if I told you about my faith.”
05. Learning to Trust Without Shame
I was shocked, given my past behavior, that Jesus would still
have a future for me. But in the stillness of the moment, I remembered that these were the same words my mom had heard when I was in the emergency room as an infant fighting for my life. Awe swept over me.
As I walked back to my seat, I replayed the words spoken over me and prayed quietly. Jesus, today You rescued me from my shame. I finally understand what You mean when the Scriptures say there is nothing that can separate us from Your love—no sins, no past failures. Nothing can separate us from Your love. In that moment, I felt like I had arrived at the summit of my faith. Over the next few months, though, I would learn I had actually only arrived at the trailhead.
11. Breaking In The Tension
I had used our culture’s standard for success and had mistakenly thought we were crushing it. Neither Caitlin nor I had any idea how much we were missing the mark spiritually as a couple. While we thought we were thriving, the Holy Scriptures whispered a different standard. The Scriptures spoke of a standard of us becoming one, and we were more like two people living different lives in the same house. It would take years for us to realize that this wisdom from God’s Word was for our protection and for our good.
12. Hearing From Jesus
Up to this point in my life, I was in control of the direction of my life. I had unintentionally set a boundary on how far I was willing to let Jesus lead me. In an instant, Jesus was about to turn my world upside down. The correction from my prayer was almost immediate. I saw a picture in my mind, sitting on a throne casting judgement on the company. In that moment, I realized that the throne I was sitting on was Jesus’s. In that moment, I was using my reasoning and logic to take control of my life. The picture Jesus gave me was like a whisper saying, “I see more than you do; you don’t see the full picture. Will you trust Me?” Jesus was showing me a greater level of submission, even when it didn’t make sense in the moment.
16. When The Holy Spirit Leads
To my old self, it might have seemed like my prayers were met with silence. But I now understood that faith, as described in Hebrews 11:1, was about looking at the impossible situation in front of me and choosing to believe that all things are possible with Jesus. We just have to trust in His way and His timing. I was finally learning to trust Jesus on His terms.
17. A Shift Of The Heart
Amid the heartache, I came to the realization that I needed a safe place to process the range of emotions I was experiencing. In the days that followed, I made my first appointment with a therapist to help me look beyond the surface to the deep things that were going on in my heart. With my therapist, we began to look for the root causes that were resulting in this continual pattern of striving, fighting, heartbreak, and coping. I had to swim upstream to where the issues were emerging: my head. If I kept trying to fight the battles in my heart, I was destined to never get out of this spin cycle. I had to fortify my mind.
18. How Are You Not Okay
20. Hiking The Summit
I paused to see if these boys were open to this shift in our conversation and willing to explore a different and deeper way of thinking. The Holy Spirit was showing me how to relate to these boys and then gave me the right words to shift the conversation. I continued with passion and excitement. “But there’s something much more important to consider. When I was your age, I was ambitious and climbed the corporate ladder faster than anyone else I knew. Once I landed my first leadership position, I realized I’d climbed so quickly that I’d failed to build a firm foundation. I’d ‘arrived,’ as they say, but it felt like being at the top of a flagpole as gusts of wind tossed from one side to the other.”
I paused again to make sure they were still with me. “Today everyone talks about how to be successful, but almost no one talks about the importance of building your character. If I could distill everything I’ve learned over the last twenty years into a single sentence, it would be this: Who you become is much more important than what you achieve.”
21. Finding Peace
Don't fear the valleys, for it is in these holy seasons of our lives that we wrestle with the broken places in our hearts and become more like Jesus. Even in the silence, the Lord your God is with you. His words are trustworthy and true, even in the valleys.
