Wayfarer

There is something unique about a corporate worship experience when those gathered are not just going through ritualistic motions but are truly pouring out from their spirits their gratitude, praise, pain, need, faith, and desire. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 33. Text versions of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning I am reminded that the Great Story is quite clear about the individual spiritual journey having a pivot point. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 32. Text version can always be found at tomvanderwell.com . 

I've observed that humans like to think that everything in life should be hunky-dory and if it's not then there's a problem. Jesus never taught that train of thought. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 31. Text version can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I couldn't help but feel the joy of David's escape of death, but the unbridled praise is rooted in his absolute fear and hope-less despair at the prospect of dying. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 30. Text version can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

This Wayfarer Weekend podcast presents the Beginner's Guide to the Great Story which is intended to give anyone with little or no background or understanding of the Bible a basic summary and overview of the Bible and its various sections, along with suggestions for the best places to dive in for yourself. In Part 8, we explore the "Gospels" (literally "Good News") which contain the Jesus Story alo...

Growing up in Iowa, I learned very early in life that it's important to make sure you always have shelter from the storm. That lesson is layered with meaning that has nothing to do with the weather. Chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 29. Text version can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Almost every pain-point I experience on life's journey can be traced back to unhealthy patterns. Growth, progress, and maturity necessitate the breaking of unhealthy patterns and the establishment of healthier ones, even those patterns that were once good for me but have actually become unhealthy. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 28. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be fo...

I have come to understand that my mental diet is as important to my health and well-being as my physical diet. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 27. The text version of every chapter-a-day post can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I get why followers of Jesus went back to the old edifice complex. For 1700 years we rebuilt temples made with human hands and ignored one of the fundamental changes Jesus came to make on Earth. We shifted the dwelling place of God from ourselves back to church buildings, cathedrals, and basilicas. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 26. Text versions of every chapter-a-day...

Along my spiritual journey, I've experienced that understanding the theme of order, disorder, reorder doesn't lessen the sting of life's disorder when it occurs. It has, however, helped me put the disorder into perspective. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 25. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Part 7 of our Beginner's Guide to the Great Story explores the books of the prophets (Isaiah through Malachi) and provides some basic insights to help understand the Bible's prophetic texts. 

What really led to transformation for me was when I realized that all my human appetites were good and created within in me by God. Paul realized it too when he said "Nothing is unlawful for me. It's just that some things aren't beneficial." The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Is it possible that I could be allowing myself to be "shepherded" by another human being, a religious institution, a teacher, a university, a parent, a government, a political party, a screen, a device, a drug, a drink, a dream, a job, an appetite, or a cause? The text version of this chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my life journey, I've observed that this is the way the prophetic works. It's mysterious, and strange, and comes from the most unexpected of people in the most random moments of time. You can't will it to happen like Professor Trelawney so aptly proved in every one of her utterly useless classes. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

One of the things I've learned to look for when reading through the texts of the Great Story is recurring patterns or themes. The theme I've noticed in the last few of David's songs is the fact that the great king and warrior, the famed slayer of the giant Goliath, is intent on making God the focal point.

Psalm 20 stands as a testament to the fact that David wanted to use his authority to ensure any fight song sung by his people for him would be a prayer for God's blessing and would ascribe praise for the victory to God and not him. Text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com.

On this Wayfarer Weekend podcast, I finish my conversation with Kevin Roose. Kevin is the one with whom I began my chapter-a-day journey twenty years ago. We talk about accountability, intentionality in friendships, hand how our journey together through the Great Story (as well as doing life together) has made a positive difference.

Today's chapter reminds me that endeavoring to apply the principles of Joshua 1:8 (continuous meditation, consistent application) has played a huge part in prospering my life with goodness in so many ways. A chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 19. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

The blessing in my life far outweighs the struggles in my life, and I'm asking myself in the quiet this morning: Does my praise and gratitude to God outweigh my self-centered pleas when I'm singing the blues? Chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 18. Text version of all chapter-a-day podcasts can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

I found myself with the opportunity to act with vengeance against the person who had injured me. I had a smoking gun that would pay back my enemy's injuries with compounding interest... A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 17. Text versions of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

I find myself thinking about current events in which I feel like so much of our world is out of control. I wonder what in the world is going to happen next. It can feel a bit like being under attack. Anxiety, fear, and worry are running rampant. What am I supposed to do? Chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 16. Text versions of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Jesus taught that "God's kindness is what leads to repentance." I've observed along the way is that we humans always want to go back to the "my moral purity leads to acceptance" model. Chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 15. Text of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .

The Wayfarer Weekend Podcast features special guest Kevin Roose discussing how the "Chapter-a-Day" journey began, and what it means to cultivate true companionship on the road of life. How do you develop an intentional relationship, depth, and accountability?

It's so easy for me to get sucked into being dismissive, diminishing, and disrespectful to the "other" writing those words that appear magically in my social-media feed. Chapter-a-Day podcast from Psalm 14. The text of all chapter-a-day podcast episodes can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

Along the way, I've learned that the road is going to have its ups and its downs. There are going to be good times and bad. It may not be about me, but it's certainly for me if I'm willing to learn what each stretch of the journey has to teach me. Chapter-a-day podcast on Psalm 13. Text version can always be found at tomvanderwell.com .