Wayfarer

God is a God of detail and distinctions who transforms chaos into order, death into life, and the common into that which is holy. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 41. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Our family long ago realized that our place at the lake was sacred space. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 40. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my life journey, I have learned that there is a spiritual dance that happens between the micro and macro, the common and the cosmic, between the everyday events of my life journey and the larger Great Story of which it is a part. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 39. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my spiritual journey, I’ve learned that one has to approach the prophetic with humility. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 38. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I am reminded this morning that no matter what happens next Tuesday there is a theme that God has been revealing to humanity over and over and over again for thousands of years that dispels any of my fears. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 37. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Link to Tom's Message mentioned in today's podcast .

Growing up, my mother had a set of fine china and a "silver service." You knew that when mom broke out the fine china a very special meal was about to take place. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 36. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Peace begins with Jesus in me, and His grace through me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 35. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Right at the moment when Zeke and his compatriots are feeling hopeless, God reminds them where their true hope lies. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 34. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I sometimes see our adult children making choices that I think they’ll regret. Can I ground them? Give them a time-out? Send them to their room? A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 33. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I have always been fascinated by words and phrases and their histories along with culture’s mores and taboos regarding what is acceptable and unacceptable to say. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 32. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Jesus looks nothing like a human emperor, pharaoh, or caesar grabbing power, conquering by force, and clinging to it through intimidation, fear, and violence. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 31. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

One of the overarching themes of the entire Great Story from  Genesis  to  Revelation  is God’s expressed desire to be  known and to have a relationship with the pinnacle of HIs creation, human beings who have the free will to choose or refuse to be in a relationship. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 30. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

When I see evil in the events and the headlines of my daily news, I am reminded that  this   is  the Story. This spiritual conflict  will  continue with all of the tragic aftermath in its wake. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 29. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

One of the things I’ve observed on this earthly journey is that I will always be able to point to people I know and people I know of who have tremendously more wealth than me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 28. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Rob Henderson’s Essay on Luxury Beliefs referenced in today’s podcast .

Ancient Tyre bragged of its beauty, its power, and its wealth. They believed themselves and their trade indispensable to the nations and therefore believed themselves untouchable. [Cue: Enter the prophet Ezekiel] A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 27. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The entire Great Story from Genesis to Revelation is really about the conflict between God’s Kingdom and human empire. Human history is a study in the rise and fall of human empires. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 26. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Sometimes on this chapter-a-day journey there are moments of synchronicity. Today is one of those days. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 25. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

There is no way around the fact that human spiritual progress requires pain. Conversely, a life of ease and affluence is a surefire recipe for spiritual immaturity. And a related truth is what M. Scott Peck discovered in his research for The People of the Lie : evil only responds to the power of blunt force. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 24. The text version may be found and shared at tomva...

In today’s chapter, God through Ezekiel offers a raw and rather shocking metaphor regarding the unfaithfulness of the divided kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah (Jerusalem). They are presented as daughters of the same mother who become prostitutes, getting “in bed” with other nations. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 23. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I have found as a modern reader that it is easy to get focused on the idolatry in the prophets’ messages and then mentally zone out because, let’s face it, the notion of worshipping strange little statues is such a foreign concept in a world that has predominantly monotheistic for centuries. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 22. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In today’s chapter, Ezekiel is given a prophetic vision contrasting the scepter of the royal house of David to the sword of God’s judgment in the hands of the King of Babylon. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 21. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Throughout my life journey, I have experienced seasons in which I found out that I was the object of slander which is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as “a false and malicious statement or report about someone.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 20. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Today’s chapter is handicapped for the modern reader because it lacks the musical context that gave it metaphorical power back in Ezekiel’s day. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 19. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Stupid teenager decisions are a great example of what we call sin. We know it’s wrong, but we do it anyway. We do it for any number of reasons. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 18. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

As a disciple of Jesus, I once again find in Ezekiel’s prophetic message some comfort in our own crazy political climate. A chapter-a-day podcast from Ezekiel 17. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .