Wayfarer

Inside ancient Jerusalem the besieged residents of agree to free any Hebrew slaves inside the city. This sounds like a worthy and kind gesture given the grave circumstances, but their motives weren't exactly pure. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 34. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The journey is one from birth straight through until this wayfaring stranger crosses over Jordan. If I look to the horizon and see a point of arrival short of that, it's just a mirage. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 33. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Jeremiah buys a field, a vineyard. He is looking beyond his momentary circumstances to embrace the larger story God is authoring in their tragic, dire circumstances. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 32. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

One of the beautiful things about Jeremiah's prophetic works is that in the midst of the doom and gloom of his repetitive messages about exile, God has him announce something stunning in its hope and optimism. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 31. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I am reminded this morning that being a disciple of Jesus requires of me that I learn to hold a certain tension. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 30. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Social media was wall-to-wall young people in their caps and gowns this weekend. And, we're not even close to being done. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 29. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I've observed that it's easy for people to make the outcome of optimistic formulas into a type of personal god. Success, fame, influence, popularity, status, or financial security become the god, rather than a blessing. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 28. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

When it is politically incorrect and possibly dangerous to proclaim a contrasting opinion, then it's likely that motivations other than truth lie behind those things "everyone" is being coerced into believing and speaking. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 27. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Here's the thing I've learned and observed along my life journey: The truth sometimes hurts, and not all pain is bad. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 26. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

One of the things I love about reading through the ancient prophets is discovering the metaphorical threads and themes that tie the Great Story together from beginning to end. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 25. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The word picture God gave Jeremiah in today's chapter was a rare, hopeful message in the collection of Jeremiah's prophetic works. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 24. The text version may be found and played at tomvanderwell.com .

Times change, technology changes, culture changes, but one thing that doesn't change is the human condition. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 23. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 22. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

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 .