Wayfarer

How apt that the Divinely appointed human "leader" of Jesus' followers becomes the designated representative of human weakness. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 18. The text version of all chapter-a-day posts can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Jesus said His followers were "not of this world" but He says so immediately after praying that they remain in it. In the world, not of it. To quote Hamlet, "ay, there's the rub." A chapter-a-day podcast from John 17. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

What fascinated me as I read Jesus' words to His followers this morning was both the warning and the promise with which today's chapter is bookended. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 16. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The teacher's earthly mission is almost over. His followers' mission is just beginning, and they have no clue just how much things are about to change. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 15. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I can't help but think about what chaotic times we live in. I can't help but think about the tremendous lack of peace I observe in others. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 14. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

"Love" has been central to all of Jesus' teaching. So what's "new" about this command? A chapter-a-day podcast from John 13. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I'm feeling both inspired and challenged. I'm inspired by Jesus' example and His mission. At the same time, I am challenged to reclaim Jesus' example of crossing any and every social boundary, excluding no one in channeling God's love. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 12. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the previous chapter's podcast, I said: "Actions reveal identity." They do, but the identity doesn't lie in the actions themselves, but in the motivations that spawned them. A chapter-a-day post from John 11. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . 

Actions reveal identity. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 10. The text version can always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please feel free to "Like" and share.

How fascinating, to think that the Light of the World causes some to see while causing others to be blind. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 9. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . 

Today's chapter is a showdown that has been building between Jesus and the religious institutional establishment, and it's an important one in the story. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 8. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please feel free to "Like" and share.

Identity is a major theme that weaves its way through John's writing and the stories he chooses to share from the voluminous number of stories he could have shared. It's a timely theme. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 7. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

It appears to me that Jesus' motivation was to bring a Kingdom to this world that looks nothing like the kingdoms of this world. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 6. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please feel free to "Like" and share.

"Do you want to get well?" On the surface, it seems a stupid question to ask a paralyzed man, but maybe it's not stupid at all. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 5. Text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please "Like" and share.

As I look back on my journey as a follower of Jesus, I recognize that it has been a process of learning who I truly am in relationship to who Jesus truly is. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 4. 

Like U2 trying to steal "Helter Skelter" back from what Charles Manson made of it, I want to get back to the meaning of a simple word picture Jesus gave to a spiritually blind religious man. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 3. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please "Like" and share!

In the quiet this morning I find myself desiring to embody two character qualities that John identifies in Jesus. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 2. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please "Like" and share.

Yesterday, I posted an old photo of my parents on social media. Friends were quick to comment how much I look like my father. A chapter-a-day podcast from John 1. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com . Please "Like" and share!

Road trips are good for the soul (in more ways than one). A chapter-a-day podcast from Exodus 13, originally published June 2, 2020, on the Wayfarer blog at tomvanderwell.com .

I'm reminded this morning that Harriett Tubman led approximately 70 slaves to freedom on some 13 missions. Seventy out of some 6 million slaves. She courageously and intentionally did what she could. There's no reason I can't expect the same from myself. A chapter-a-day podcast from Exodus 12, originally published as a blog post on June 1, 2020, on the Wayfarer blog at tomvanderwell.com .

Some mornings my soul is overwhelmed with questions. Like Jacob, I find myself wrestling with God. The Moses story will always be relevant in a fallen world where broken earthly systems favor some people and not others. A chapter-a-day podcast originally published on May 29, 2020, on the Wayfarer blog at tomvanderwell.com .

An adult can't reason with a two-year-old by getting him or her to sit and listen to you read a psychology textbook that explains his or her need to modify behavior. In the same way, understanding ancient stories require me, a 21st-century reader, to think outside the box of my 21st-century thoughts and sensitivities. They require me to think about how God is meeting with and interacting with huma...

Judgment and being judicious are two very different things. Jesus condemned the former and encouraged the latter. A chapter-a-day podcast from Exodus 9, originally published on May 27, 2020, at tomvanderwell.com .

Following Jesus is about following His example and humbly putting God and others ahead of myself. A chapter-a-day podcast from Exodus 8, originally published as a blog post on May 26, 2020 at tomvanderwell.com .

If I want to be "like God" by sitting on the throne of my own life looking out for numero uno, doing as I please, and determining my own way with every step, then my path is going to lead to spiritually dark places (even if I wear the facade of being a good and faithful member of my local church). A chapter-a-day podcast from Exodus 7, originally published on May 20, 2020, at tomvanderwell.com .