Wayfarer

We end 2021 and begin 2022 with a countdown of the top 15 chapter-a-day posts since Tom Vander Well began blogging a chapter-a-day back in March of 2006. We continue today with Top Post #12. The text version of every chapter-a-day post may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

We end 2021 and begin 2022 with a countdown of the top 15 chapter-a-day posts since Tom Vander Well began blogging a chapter-a-day back in March of 2006. We continue today with Top Post #13. The text version of every chapter-a-day post may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

We end 2021 and begin 2022 with a countdown of the top 15 chapter-a-day posts since Tom Vander Well began blogging a chapter-a-day back in March of 2006. We continue today with Top Post #14. The text version of every chapter-a-day post may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

We end 2021 and begin 2022 with a countdown of the top 15 chapter-a-day posts since Tom Vander Well began blogging a chapter-a-day back in March of 2006. We kick it off today with Top Post #15.

In this Wayfarer Weekend (WW) podcast, we'll talk about layers of introspection from devotional chapter-a-day thoughts to an annual focus on "one word." Earlier in 2021, I talked about my "one word" for this year. Today, I'll recap some of the places my focus on that word led me, and how it's helped me in my spiritual journey.

This life journey ebbs and flows, and its course doesn't always conveniently coincide with the spirit of the holidays the world seems to annually expect of me. And, that's okay. A chapter-a-day podcast from Lamentations 5. The text version of very chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I'm no prophet, but I also know that there are no guarantees in this life. A chapter-a-day podcast from Lamentations 4. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Along the journey, I've learned that there's a point at which the healthy expression of my sorrow becomes an unhealthy victim status. A chapter-a-day podcast from Lamentations 3. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

It's through the free flow of my grief that God spiritually transports me to where He's leading me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Lamentations 2. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I found myself praying for all those for whom this Christmas is an especially "blue" Christmas. A chapter-a-day podcast from Lamentations 1. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Should Joseph decide to "settle accounts" with his brothers for beating him with murderous intent and then selling him into slavery he could. All Joseph had to do was give the word. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 50. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my earthly journey, I have observed individuals whose lives have been either blessed or plagued by the words of a parent. These words get imprinted in a person's psyche and soul for good or for ill. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 49. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my earthly journey, I've observed that one's place and position within the family system can often have a tremendous impact on how one sees and perceives themselves, their self-worth, and their place in this world. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 48. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

One of the observations I've made in the past two years is the degree to which people fear death, and just how powerfully that fear can drive a person's thoughts, words, and actions. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 47. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

If I had forewarning of every difficulty I have personally faced on my life journey, I'm quite certain I would have opted out of most of them. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 46. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Just yesterday morning, over coffee, Wendy and I recounted some painful moments and relationships we've experienced over the years. With each one, we were able to look back and see how God used those moments and difficult stretches of the journey both in our lives and the lives of others involved. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 45. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found...

Along my journey, I've observed that certain themes are recurring in family systems. I have found these types of patterns fascinating and meaningful in gaining both understanding and wisdom. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 44. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I can't help but think about the decisions we make in our lives that will have a generational impact on our descendants. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 43. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com

One of the lessons my family history adventure taught me is that family is not either/or "good" or "bad," but rather it is both/and good things and bad things. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 42. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In my experience, one never "gets over" a soul wound (especially father wounds). Rather, I have to "get through" it and do the hard work of understanding just how intimately the wound is a part of me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 41. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The notion we have any control in this life is an illusion. The Sage of Ecclesiastes calls it "hevel." It's like trying to grab hold of the fog. But there's a parallel reality I must consider as a follower of Jesus. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 40. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The whispers are subtle, yet powerful messages whispered into my soul from childhood. The whispers form, and then reinforce, deeply held beliefs about myself, others, and my place in the world. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 39. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Times change, but humans of every time and place in history are human. In that, there is nothing new under the sun. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 38. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Favoritism is not only insidious when it's directly and blatantly practiced by a parent, but I've seen it be just as insidious when it is unjustly perceived and projected onto a parent by a child. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 37. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

While the Kingdoms of this world continue to divide, disconnect, separate, and antagonize, Jesus calls me to be an Ambassador of God's Kingdom where the goal is to be one Body, connected, unified, and loving. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 36. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .