Cloud Puffs and Brake Dust, Part 1

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A teenage inventor tries to fix a problem the world ignored and ends up breathing in the very danger he set out to contain. That choice ripples through his family, culminating in a loss that shatters his certainty and leaves him convinced he deserves whatever comes next. When Tom finds a hard lump near his liver, he decides to stay silent, wear the guilt, and wait for the inevitable—until a moment of raw encounter breaks in like thunder and floods the room with love he didn’t know existed.
We walk with Tom from a childhood shaped by hidden Jewish roots and a father who spoke in formulas, to the dizzy pride of winning science fairs with a brake-dust device built on insight and blind spots. The story pivots when asbestos exposure intersects with his mother’s illness, turning intellect into anguish and engineering into accusation. For months, visions of cloud-framed scenes reveal a world that goes on without him, untethering the belief that performance holds everything together. Then, an audible voice speaks two sentences that cut through fear and reframe the future: unconditional love now, and a promise that suggests tomorrow still belongs to him.
This episode blends faith, science, trauma, and hope into a narrative that asks hard questions about responsibility, suffering, and what it means to be seen by God. We don’t rush the answers. Instead, we open space for the tension between data and mystery, between guilt and grace, and we sit with the shock of being loved before we’ve made anything right. If you’ve wrestled with shame, felt crushed by the outcomes of your best intentions, or wondered whether God still speaks, this story will meet you where you’re most human and point toward a wider horizon.
If the conversation moved you, share it with a friend, tap follow to catch part two, and leave a review with your biggest question—we’re listening and we’ll bring your questions into the next chapter.

Website: https://just2beclear.com/. [To Learn More About Tom's Current and Upcoming Books]

Substack: https://just2beclear1.substack.com/ [For Blogs, Posts, and Podcasts Tom Has Been On.]

"The Daily Stand" on Aamzon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPNFRW3T

"Set The Captives Free" on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FCJ2Z2LN

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/just2beclear

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Direct Email: [email protected]

"The Flowers You Are Picking Today Come From the Seeds You Planted Yesterday. Don't Like Your Boquet Of Flowers? Then Change the Seeds You Are Planting Today." Chaplain Terry

챕터

1. Cloud Puffs and Brake Dust, Part 1 (00:00:00)

2. Host Intro and Guest Setup (00:00:03)

3. Tom’s Beliefs and Background (00:00:20)

4. Hidden Jewish Identity and Family History (00:01:21)

5. Childhood, Father’s Standards, and Ego (00:02:55)

6. Asbestos Realization and Science Fairs (00:04:44)

7. Brake-Dust Invention and Exposure (00:06:46)

8. Mother’s Illness and Death (00:09:42)

9. Tom’s Tumor and Crushing Guilt (00:10:33)

10. Visions of Life Without Him (00:12:09)

11. The Audible Voice and Overwhelming Love (00:13:26)

12. Cliffhanger and Next Session Tease (00:15:45)