Wayfarer
By Tom Vander Well
WayfarerApr 27, 2021
On Miracles and Prophecy (CaD Acts 20)
Sometimes God works through miracles and prophecy. But, not always. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 20. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Three Forces Rule the World (CaD Acts 19)
I saw a meme on social media over the weekend that caught my eye. It was a quote from Albert Einstein who said, “Three great forces rule the world...." A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 19. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Kingdom of All Believers (CaD Acts 17)
I’ve always embraced the notion that I want my earthly journey to experience a little bit of heaven described in Revelation, in which I experience worship and unity with all believers not just the ones in my silo. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 17. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Praise in Chains (CaD Acts 16)
When life interrupts our lives with any kind of unexpected difficulty or tragedy, Wendy and I announce it to one another by saying, “Honey? We have a Chain Reaction of Praise moment.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 16. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Division (CaD Acts 15)
In division, people may sometimes learn that they can function independently of one another while both contribute to Jesus' Movement and its mission. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 15. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Seed and Heart-Soil (CaD Acts 14)
Like Paul and Barnabas, and like Jesus' parable, I am the sower. The yield is dependent on the heart-soil of each one who reads or listens. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 14. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Jews and Romans (CaD Acts 13)
As a disciple of Jesus, I've had to understand that things change and the spiritual journey is one of constantly managing those changes. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 13. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Clashing Kingdoms (CaD Acts 12)
Along my life journey, I’ve observed that religion can be as much a Kingdom of this World as any civic or commercial authority. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 12. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Encourager (CaD Acts 11)
In the book of Acts, a man named Barnabas repeatedly shows up in the story. He doesn’t get top billing. His actions primarily happen “backstage” in the larger story that Luke is reporting, but he’s a crucial piece of that story. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 11. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Game Changer (CaD Acts 10)
How many people do I have the opportunity to engage, but choose not to because it's uncomfortable breaking out of the normal, daily, cultural routine? A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 10. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Radical Conversion (CaD Acts 9)
God uses so many different people with different gifts in different ways to accomplish His purposes on a grand scale that is hard for me to even fathom. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 9. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Pain's Propulsion (CaD Acts 8)
Along my own life journey, I’ve learned that God sometimes uses difficult circumstances to propel me to the place I’m supposed to be, where God has purposes for me I could never have known or expected. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 8. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Wells and Walls (CaD Acts 7)
One of the things that I love most about Jesus was that He moved God’s presence out of buildings with walls made with human hands to the table where “two or three are gathered” over a good meal and conversation. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 7. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Growing Things Change (CaD Acts 6)
How I handle the change is, I believe, a barometer of my spiritual health. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 6. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Bullies (CaD Acts 5)
Bullying doesn’t end as we grow older. It just gets more insidious and protected by larger systems both legal and illegal. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 5. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Compelled (CaD Acts 4)
I gave a message yesterday to our local gathering of Jesus’ followers. As I got up to deliver the message I realized that the page with the message I had prepared and all my notes was still back in my home office sitting on my desk. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 4. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Third Place Witness (CaD Acts 3)
The further I get in my journey, the more I have come to realize and embrace that my “witness” as a disciple of Jesus is how I interact with the regulars in my life. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 3. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Purpose & Timing (CaD Acts 2)
The purpose and timing happening in today's chapter can easily go unnoticed by the modern and casual reader. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 2. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Unknown Disciples (CaD Acts 1)
There was a whole host of unknown, unmentioned followers who had their own personal Jesus story and were a crucial part of participating in and carrying out Jesus' mission. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 1. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Testimony & Verdict (CaD Jhn 21)
Once again, as a reader, John leaves me to decide if I believe his testimony and what verdict I will personally render regarding the question "Who is Jesus?" A chapter-a-day podcast from John 21. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
"The One Thing" (CaD Jhn 20)
This morning I glanced back on over forty years of believing in and following Jesus. Time and life have not diminished my belief. They have honed it. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 20. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
"The Man Who Saw It" (CaD Jhn 19)
I have observed along my journey that certain historical events become so ubiquitous, that the actual events are lost or muddled in the pervasive contemporary and cultural understanding. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 19. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Empire v. Kingdom (CaD Jhn 18)
Jesus freely and willingly submitted to a set of trials that were both illegal and illicit. He submitted precisely because His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world, especially the human empires that are currently judging Him. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 18. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Where His Footsteps Lead (CaD Jhn 17)
I can't be the light of the world if I'm hiding the light under a box. I can't be the salt of the earth if I'm still inside the salt shaker in the cupboard. I don't need protection from the evil one if I'm never a threat to him or his dominion. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 17. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Contrasting Statements (CaD Jhn 16)
God provides shalom, not by power but by suffering, not by force but by surrender, not through the suppression of resistance but through love, forgiveness, and freedom from sin and death. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 16. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Dude Abides (CaD Jhn 15)
When I invited Jesus into my life and asked Him to be the Lord of my life, I suddenly experienced something new: His indwelling. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 15. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Peace that's Not of this World (CaD Jhn 14)
In my lifetime, I've observed that the world's promise of peace has gotten more insidious with its intangible paths to peace. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 14. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Waypoints of Confusion (CaD Jhn 13)
I’ve discovered along life's road that there are times when it is only in retrospect that I can see how God was at work in me, directing my path and guiding my steps. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 13. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Spectrum of Belief (CaD Jhn 12)
In the subtext of today's chapter is a question that I believe motivated John to write his account of the Jesus Story in the first place. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 12. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Watershed Moment (CaD Jhn 11)
Along my own earthly journey as a disciple of Jesus, I have been able to look back on my journey and see how certain watershed moments in my own story were instrumental in driving the action. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 11. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Shepherd and Sheep (CaD Jhn 10)
He has been a Good Shepherd to this dumb sheep, and I can trust Him to continue being so. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 10. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Seeing and Believing (CaD Jhn 9)
Today's chapter is a reminder that staunch, educated religious people can be spiritually blind while humble, uneducated, and irreligious individuals can have spiritual sight which is 20/20. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 9. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Showdown (CaD Jhn 8)
Along my spiritual journey, I have observed that any human religious institution can become a perpetrator of evil. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 8. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Division (CaD Jhn7)
Our current political landscape in America came to mind in the quiet this morning simply because in today's chapter John focuses on how incredibly divisive Jesus was at the peak of His public ministry. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 7. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Filet-o'-Fish or Flesh & Blood? (CaD Jhn 6)
The further I've progressed in my spiritual journey the more I have come to believe that today's chapter contains among the most critical messages that Jesus uttered in His earthly ministry. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 6. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
"Who Am I Living to Please?" (CaD Jhn 5)
I find the question, "Who am I living to please?" worth pondering. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 5. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
No Sign Needed (CaD Jhn 4)
If Jesus was playing poker with the cultural rules of His day, His conversation with the Samaritan woman was Him going "all in." A chapter-a-day podcast from John 4. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Loyalty to a Trusted Source (CaD Jhn 3)
Along my life journey, I’ve observed that people build up a sense of loyalty to voices that resonate with them. There’s a certain trust that is built, which can often result in mistrust of any other voices. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 3. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Signs (CaD Jhn 2)
Along my spiritual journey, I've observed that God often provides signs along life's road. I may not realize it in the moment, but I will later look back and realize that the sign was there all along. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 2. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The God Who Pitched His Tent (CaD Jhn 1)
From his opening sentence, John establishes that he is not using the chronological, reporting style of the other accounts of Jesus. He is writing thematically in presenting to us the Jesus he followed, witnessed, and knew intimately. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 1. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Best of 2023 #1: I Don't Know What I Don't Know
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #2: Death-to-Life
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #3: Plague and Blessing
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #4: A Spiritual Stake in the Ground
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #5: Will the Circle Be Unbroken
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #6: Mourners Need Not Apply
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #7: Eli's Unintended Lesson
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #8: Busy Livin'
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #9: Relationship & Communication
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!
Best of 2023 #10: Culture & Compromise
I'm on a three-week vacation. While I'm away I'll be publishing the top 15 episodes of 2023 as determined by plays and views at tomvanderwell.com. Enjoy!