Wayfarer

In the quiet this morning, I'm thankful for David's little ditty. It reminds me that we are not the first generation of humanity to think everything was going to hell in a handbasket. Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 12. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I am reminded of the many times I have written in these posts that I believe life is part of the Great Story that is being told from Genesis through Revelation. If I really believe what I say I believe, then the chaos and upheaval I'm currently reading about and experiencing through social media are part of the current chapter of the story we happen to be living in. (Cha...

It's interesting that towards the end of today's psalm David appeals to God as "King forever and ever." At the end of his personal, earthly power that has fallen short of bringing justice to everyone, David appeals to God as the only higher authority who can step in and do something about it. Welcome to one of the most perplexing spiritual mysteries of the Great Story. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Ps...

Here's the thing I'm observing: In this moment of time, everyone feels oppressed by those who don't look the same, feel the same, think the same, or see things the same way. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 9; text of each chapter-a-day [CaD] podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com )

This morning I'm thinking about creation, and my responsibility to exercise my dominion in caring for it, tending it, and serving it. Not because I worship it, but I worship the One who created it, and it's a specific duty I'm honored to have been given. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Ps 8; text version of every chapter-a-day [CaD] podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com )

Along my life journey, I matured from the childish notion that every negative thing that happens to me is some kind of divine retribution for my wrong-doing. At the same time, I've recognized that my mature adult brain can find itself reverting back to childish patterns of thought and behavior, especially when I'm reacting to unexpected tragedy or stress. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 7; Text ve...

Along my life journey, I've both experienced in myself and observed in others the tragic consequences of suppressing and holding in the toxic emotional waste that builds up as we walk through life and relationship. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 6; Text of every Chapter-a-Day [CaD] podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com )

Life has a rhythm. It has a beat and a flow. One of the things I've observed along the way is that God creates things with layers. My life is layered. My well-being and attitude result from the state of many intertwining layers: physical, mental, relational, vocational, social, personal, financial, marital, parental, sexual, recreational, and spiritual. (Chapter-a-Day [CaD] podcast on Psalm 5; The...

In the quiet this morning I find myself accepting the fact that, despite 54 years on the journey and almost 40 years of following Jesus, I still have very human struggles with responding to negative emotions and circumstances in healthy ways. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 4; Text version of all chapter-a-day podcasts are available at tomvanderwell.com )

In the quiet this morning, David's example has me giving a backward glance at the road I've already traveled in life. I've been in, and through, my own personal wilderness before. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 3; The text of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com )

This world may sink into all sorts of crazy just as it has time and time again throughout the Great Story. But, I know whom I serve. And, His kingdom is unshakable, unbreakable, and not in trouble. (Chapter-a-Day podcast from Psalms 2; The text of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found at tomvanderwell.com ).

The intention of today's psalm is simple. What do I want my life to be? Established, fruitful, rooted, alive, continually nourished in the flow of living water? Or, dusty, dry, void of life, blown about chaotically by every gust of circumstance and trending fear? And, how do I become the former rather than the latter? (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Psalm 1; The text of every Chapter-a-Day podcast can b...

In the quiet this morning, I'm reminded that it never ends. For those who ask, seek, and knock. For any who truly follows and obeys. This dance, this relationship, this journey never stops progressing. It keeps changing as we change. It keeps maturing as we mature. It keeps getting layered with more, deeper meaning, and deeper understanding. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Exodus 40; The text version of...

I believe that this spiritual journey has a destination, and as I make progress on Life's road I'm also supposed to also be progressing in my spiritual maturity and my relationship with God.  (Chapter-a-Day podcast from Exodus 39; The text version of every Chapter-a-Day podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com )

This life journey is filled with human mistakes. Buy me a pint and I will give you an entire list of mistakes I've made along the way (it might cost you two pints, there are a lot of them). Mistakes that, when they came to light, created all sorts of groans, agonizing, shame, and despair for me. But, I've discovered through those stretches of life's road that God is not a God of condemnation and s...

In my perpetual journey through the Great Story I've come to learn that sometimes spiritual lessons are not within the text, but outside of it. It's not what is being communicated that holds value for me as much as how it's being communicated. (Chapter-a-Day podcast from Exodus 37; Text version of today's podcast can be found at tomvanderwell.com )

In this episode, we're going to talk about metaphor and the books of poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs). From "Why do bad things happen to good people?" to a healthy expression of the God-given expression of sexuality, this episode is an entry-level introduction to ancient Hebrew poetry and how it continues to resonate with us today. Part 1: Mystery, Context, & Metapho...

In this time of COVID craziness with many people out of work, in the wake of small family businesses burned to the ground by riots, there are a lot of people worried "about what may or may not happen tomorrow." Today's chapter is a good reminder of God's provision. (Chapter-a-Day reflections on Exodus 36; The text version can always be found at tomvanderwell.com and an index of all the Chapter-a-D...

Along this life journey, I've observed that it's quite common for humans to live on auto-pilot. Life is a series of rote words and actions motivated by nothing more than base human appetites and a lifetime of the systemic conditioning of family, education, and local culture. When I decided to follow Jesus, I was taught to honestly ask the question that has made all the difference in my life. (Chap...

In today's chapter, Moses returns to the top of the mountain and spends another 40 days with God. When he returns, the text says that his face was so radiant that it freaked out the Hebrews. Here's a bit of additional mystery for you. The Hebrew word used here is actually translated "horns." So what's up with that?! (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Exodus 34; The text version can be read and shared at to...

One of the most fascinating things about the story of the early Jesus movement is the transformation in the strong-willed, stiff-necked followers such as Peter, Paul, and John. With each one there was a process involved in the spiritual transformation that included moments of their strong-wills being broken and their spirits humbled. (Chapter-a-Day meditation on Exodus 33; The text version of toda...

I confess this morning that every time I watched the movie and every time I've read this story before, I have been led to the prescribed audience reaction. I shake my head and whisper a "tsk, tsk" in self-righteous judgment for the weak-minded Hebrews. This morning, however, I'm seeing it in a whole new way. (Chapter-a-Day from Exodus 32; The text version available here )

I'm reminded this morning of observing how the legalism and fundamentalism I experienced early in my spiritual journey created really sad, angry, and bitter people whose lives, and even their worship, appeared to me to be void of anything close to resembling peace, love, or joy.  (Chapter-a-Day from Exodus 31) Text version on the Wayfarer Blog at tomvanderwell.com .

Today I find, once again, that the physical bricks-and-mortar (or in this case oil-and-incense) of the Hebrew system matures through Jesus and shifts into a flesh-and-blood understanding of what God is doing. (Chapter-a-Day podcast on Exodus 30). The text version is always available on Tom Vander Well's Wayfarer blog .

The Kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of this world, and it requires the eyes and ears of my heart to see and hear beyond the simplistic choices fed to me by this world. (A chapter-a-day podcast from Exodus 29) https://tomvanderwell.com/2020/06/26/another-choice/