Wayfarer
By Tom Vander Well
WayfarerMay 14, 2024
The Warriors (CaD 1 Chr 12)
Today is June 6, 2024. Eighty years ago today the Allied nations launched the greatest military assault in human history. It was the Allies who now pursued conquest to eliminate the threat of Nazi tyranny. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 12. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Glory Days (CaD 1 Chr 11)
It's human nature to glorify our past. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 11. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Selective History (CaD 1 Chr 10)
Along my life journey, I've observed that most people are selective when it comes to which parts of the Great Story they take time to read and study. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 10. The text version and links to the messages mentioned can be found at tomvanderwell.com.
History Lesson (or Not) [CaD 1 Chr 9]
I've observed the truth of the well-known statement that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I've also observed a related truth: Those who get stuck in history will never be able to learn from it. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 9. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Focus (CaD 1 Chr 8)
I've observed along life's road that you can tell a lot about a person by observing where they invest their time and energy, and what they like to talk about. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 8. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Women in the Patriarchy (CaD 1 Chr 7)
I don't think that it's any mistake that God surrounded me with strong women and gave me two daughters to raise. There were some deep-seated assumptions about women, both culturally and religiously, that I was forced to confront along the way, and for that I'm grateful. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 7. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Priesthood, Then and Now (CaD 1 Chr 6)
The week Jesus was to be executed He told His followers that the Temple would be destroyed. Exactly one generation later, the Romans fulfilled His prophetic prediction, and with the destruction of the genealogical records, the entire sacrificial system itself was dead and buried. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 6. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Black Sheep Family (CaD 1 Chr 5)
One of the hardest things about family is that it's not something we get to choose. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 5. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Prayer of Jabez (CaD 1 Chr 4)
As I’ve repeated and internalized the prayer of Jabez over the years, I’ve found it not to be about receiving material blessings, but about being a blessing. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 4. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
"Everyone Has Their Shit" (CaD 1 Chr 3)
Each person has their own messy, struggling, difficult, tragic, and even shameful story. We are fallen people living in a fallen world. Yet we project to strangers, acquaintances, friends, and even to family that things are "normal" and "good." Nothing to see here. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 3. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Genealogical Lessons (CaD 1 Chr 2)
I realize most people skip over genealogies, but there are little tidbits in any genealogy that have lessons for me if I'm willing to observe. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 2. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
A Fresh Revisiting of the Story (CaD 1 Chr 1)
Does my faith mean anything in this time and place? What is God doing? Is God even a part of the equation? If so, what am I to make of it all? Chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Chronicles 1. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Cults and Contrast (CaD Gal 6)
I have been sick for the past several days with a nasty case of Step throat. So, I've been spending a lot of time on the couch in front of the television binging different things. Among them, I've been watching documentaries about various cults and cultish leaders. A chapter-a-day podcast from Galatians 6. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Silent and Deadly (CaD Gal 5)
"You live in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, yet you feel economic anxiety. The late Charlie Munger summarized it succinctly: “The world is not driven by greed. It’s driven by envy.” And in this era of instantaneous communication networks and social media, envy has been put into hyperdrive." - Robert Parham
A chapter-a-day podcast from Galatians 5. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Grace and Merit (CaD Gal 4)
When Jesus talked about the Day of Judgement He spoke of there being one decisive criterion. A chapter-a-day podcast from Galatians 4. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
The Difference (CaD Gal 3)
It's not about guilt but about gratitude. It's not rule-keeping but responding to Jesus' kindness. Righteousness isn't earned, it's credited. A chapter-a-day podcast from Galatians 3. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Mom and the Ministry (CaD Gal 2)
We as humans have a hard time with change, and this can be especially true when it comes to transforming our belief systems. A chapter-a-day podcast from Galatians 2. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Members Only (or Not) [CaD Gal 1]
I have an issue with church membership. Let me explain.
A chapter-a-day podcast from Galatians 1. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Opportunity in Interruption (CaD Acts 28)
I have learned along life's road that when interruptions occur, my immediate emotional reactions aren't very healthy or productive. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 28. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Earned Respect (CaD Acts 27)
Paul had lived and conducted himself as a prisoner in such a way that a Roman centurion twice risked his own neck for him. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 27. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Paul v. The System (CaD Acts 26)
Paul had been spiritually freed from the system. Now he wants his old friends and comrades to experience the same freedom. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 26. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
To Appeal, or Not? (Cad Acts 25)
Life is a bit like the Waverunner we have at the lake. If you don’t have your finger on the accelerator and propelling yourself forward, you can’t steer the thing. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 25. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Political Imprisonment (CaD Acts 24)
Do my life and my actions reflect a person who is living for this world and the things of this world, or do they reflect a person living to bring God’s Kingdom to earth? A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 24. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Politics and Religion (CaD Acts 23)
If my personal faith in Jesus and my focus on daily living as His disciple transforms into being just another member of an earthly, collective religious system then my faith withers on the Vine. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 23. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
“Those People” (CaD Acts 22)
When Jesus interrupted Paul’s life, he was required to learn to love and embrace the very people he’d been systemically taught to ignore and even despise. Jesus asks the same of me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 22. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Friends and Flow (CaD Acts 18)
I’ve never “chosen” a friend by looking at a person across the room and saying “I want that person to be a key relationship in my life!” A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 18. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
Heather Holdsworth Interview (WW)
On this Wayfarer Weekend (WW) podcast, my interview with artist Heather Holdsworth, author of the stunning book Landscape of Hope. Heather resides in Scotland where she suffered through a debilitating bout with Long Covid. Channeling her struggles into her artwork, she has an amazing story to tell and beautiful artwork to share. You're going to love getting to know her.
Death & Discipleship (CaD Acts 21)
The great German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him ‘Come and die.’” A chapter-a-day podcast from Acts 21. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
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.