Wayfarer

The prophesied rebellion of God’s people does not happen out of suffering, trial, or condemnation. It happens when things go well. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 32. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In all of creation, God infused music with a secret super power. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 31. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

When it comes to what my young adult children do, the only thing I really control is my response. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 30. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Mystery stays veiled. Responsibility does not. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 29. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Today’s chapter is arguably as tough as it gets when it comes to harsh Old Testament language. It’s the kind of chapter that causes modern readers to close the book and walk away. There’s so much going on beneath the surface of this chapter that I could write an entire book unpacking it—but let me try to explain it succinctly. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 28. The text version may alway...

The further I get in my earthly journey, the more I’ve realized my ignorance regarding creation’s role in the Great Story. It plays a central role in today’s chapter. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 27. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Very rarely has anyone recited back to me the content of a training session or message I’ve delivered. It is very common for people to tell me,  “I remember that story you told." A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 26. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

God through Moses doesn’t flirt with abstractions when it comes to the justice of every day life and business. It rolls up its sleeves, plants its feet in the dust, and whispers: " Justice is not an idea. It’s how you treat the body in front of you…every one….every day.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 25. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

“Remember” is a word Moses uses three times in today’s chapter. He returns to what Jewish teachers called  zakhor , memories that help build moral muscle. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 24. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Who was in our home last weekend mattered deeply to us. And that reality informed our thoughts, our decisions, and our behavior that day. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 23. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

As I lace ‘em up for this another day on this earthly journey, I’m not so much thinking about what’s out there. I’m thinking about what’s in me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 22. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

God in today's chapter is not cold—He is careful with blood, with power, with people. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 21. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

There is something innately human—and perhaps especially American—that equates big numbers with success, status, and safety. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 20. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Mercy has an address. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 19. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Faith is not the absence of uncertainty — it is the refusal to worship false certainty. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 18. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In today’s chapter, Moses prescribes the most astonishing of tasks for every person appointed to the throne: Handwrite a copy of the Torah onto a single scroll - the entirety of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Why? A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 17. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

God does not dwell just in places. He inhabits moments. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 16. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

At Christmas, God provides an eternal object lesson of what Deuteronomy 15 is all about. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 15. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Today’s chapter whispers to me of God’s heart: generous, selfless, and servant-hearted. From the beginning God's prescription for Life flowed from His Spirit of intimacy, community, and generosity in the simple acts of gathering, celebrating, and eating. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 14. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Today’s chapter is jarring, especially at the beginning of the week of Christmas as I hum  O Little Town of Bethlehem . Yet one of the things that I’ve discovered about this Great Story is that everything connects. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 13. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

For eleven chapters Moses has been teaching Israel how to remember. Today, he teaches them how to desire. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 12. The text version may always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

The message I found flowing through the chapter in the quiet this morning was that the danger is not rebellion or disobedience. The danger is forgetting. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 11. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

As I meditated on these things in the quiet this morning, I was amazed at how much it resonated with our current culture and headlines. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 10. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, sentimental twinkle-light memories get balanced with the sobriety of  zakhor  memories. Moral memory isn’t shame, it’s schooling. It’s not reproach, it’s reinforcement of reality. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 9. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Many years ago I memorized Deuteronomy 8:10. I began quietly quoting Deuteronomy 8:10 to myself as a post meal blessing. I didn’t know it, but I had stumbled upon what Jewish tradition calls  Birkat HaMazon . A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 8. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .