Wayfarer

In the quiet this morning, I'm reminded that this faith journey is one of perpetual surrender. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 21. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I find in Jeremiah's lament the childlike sense of safety to throw an unbridled tantrum before an understanding and patient parent who sees the tantrum as the momentary meltdown it is in the context of broader and more mature knowledge. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 20. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

God ultimately wanted to rewire His people's thinking and beliefs, their minds and hearts. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 19. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

There is a place where the mystery of God's will and my will finds its tension. God may want to mold me a certain way, but if I remain oppositionally defiant and hard-hearted, then there's only so much that can be done with me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 18. The text version of today's podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Behavior modification will never change a scarred heart. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 17. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

After yesterday's amazing celebration and feast, today's chapter really resonated. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 16. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

God doesn't work like the American educational system in which you keep moving up a grade whether or not you actually learned anything during the school year. In God's Kingdom system, I have to actually learn the lesson before I get to move up to the next level of spiritual maturity. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 15. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

If the world operated perfectly within the comfortable little box of my personal worldview then Jesus would never have had to cry out, "Father, let this cup pass from me" and I would never need faith. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 14. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The prophet Jeremiah will be vindicated and proved right. But he takes no pleasure in this. In fact, it pains him greatly. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 13. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Wendy and I will often, in our frustration, point out what the other "always" or "never" does. My maternal grandparents used to call this particular form of marital accusation "pointing the boney finger." A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 12. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

A person's heart can't be changed with a government edict or an institutional dictate. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 11. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The subtle beauty and the meaning of Jeremiah's nickname for God are likely lost on most readers as it's been lost on me until this morning. A chapter-a-day journey from Jeremiah 10. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Grief was not just a natural emotional reaction in Jeremiah's culture but a professional, ritual production. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 9. The text version (along with the photo referenced in the podcast) can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

For the people of Jeremiah's day, the temple and the Law of Moses were basically good luck charms like all the other stars, idols, and pagan images they worshipped along with them. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 8. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Immediate access to a smorgasbord of information, words, and voices does not necessarily lead to my increased knowledge or wisdom. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 7. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I think about some of my loved ones and the crossroads of life at which they stand. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 6. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

As I grow in my relationship with Jesus (the Alpha through whom everything was created), I should increasingly exhibit the very quality He expressed from the beginning of creation on the seventh day: knowing when to say "enough." A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 5. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

No one likes the bearer of bad news. Unfortunately for Jeremiah, he was the bearer of a lot of it. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 4. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Today's chapter has me contemplating the fact that there is something that God respects in those sinners who don't even pretend to care about Him in contrast to those who say they love Him and then live as if they love the world and the things of the world. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 3. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I can't help but escape the power of Jeremiah's metaphor as I face my past. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 2. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Today's chapter gives me encouragement as a disciple of Jesus walking through my own strange times. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 1. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

What fascinated me in the quiet this morning was the angel's twice-repeated response: "Go your way, Daniel." A chapter-a-day podcast from Daniel 12. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The truth is that some sections of the Great Story are difficult even for learned readers. Among the most difficult are prophetic, or apocalyptic, passages like today’s chapter. A chapter-a-day podcast from Daniel 11. The text version may be found and played at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my life journey, I have encountered a diverse number of individuals who have "set their minds" to various things in life. A chapter-a-day podcast from Daniel 10. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Marriage has taught me that improving communication is always an opportunity for improvement no matter how long we've been in the relationship. The same is true of my relationship with God. A chapter-a-day podcast from Daniel 9. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .