Wayfarer

Suddenly, my life-long perception of ten black-and-white “commands” is laid bare for the hollow and meager interpretive shell it has always been. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 5. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Deuteronomy is Moses taking the face of his people lovingly in his withered hands and looking them in the eye one last time. These are the words of his deathbed. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 4. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Before there was Goliath there was Og, King of Bashan. There are moments for all of us when we're facing our own giants. Sometimes they are just rumors. Sometimes they are very, very real. In either case, God's message never changes. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Today's chapter is about restraint, timing, and finally stepping into what God has purposed, planned, and prepared. A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

What could and should have been an eleven day trip has taken them 40 years to bring them to this place in this moment — because they were afraid to follow God into the Promised Land. Forty years in the wilderness was not so much punishment as it was spiritual formation.A chapter-a-day podcast from Deuteronomy 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Today's final chapter of Hebrews reads like the last day of camp. A a heart-felt list of loving marching orders from a camp counselor to a tearful camper who doesn't want to return to “real life.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 13. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The author of Hebrews is writing to an audience of believers in the middle of a grueling real-life marathon. They are at risk of hitting the wall. The author knows it. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 12. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

When today's chapter speaks of the unseen — of walking toward a country you've never seen, of trusting a God that cannot be measured — it presses all my deepest buttons. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 11. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

There is a spiritual reality and an earthly reality. Spiritually I am graciously and mercifully forgiven forever, eternally cleansed from sin's stain. Physically, I am a wayfaring stranger continuing to make my way through this world of woe. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 10. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Troubled times. Political corruption. Nationalism zealously on the rise. Assassinations increasingly common. Political resentments. Religious fervor. Arrogance of the ruling class.I'm not talking about today.A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 9. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

If I miss this thread in the Great Story, it's like me watching the original "Star Wars" movie and thinking Luke and Darth Vader are unrelated antagonists. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 8. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

As a shame-based person, I can tell you that shame will always doggedly remind me what a worthless wretch I am. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 7. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The rain of grace keeps falling; what I tend determines what grows. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 6. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Along my journey, I've come to realize that there are certain spiritual truths that require effort, pursuit, experience, and even suffering in order for them to be revealed. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 5. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

There is then a spiritual “rest” that Jesus offers “Today” as shelter amidst the violent daily storms that arise unexpectedly on this earthly journey. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 4. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Today's chapter whispers a simple but fierce truth to me in the quiet this morning: Faithfulness is a daily choice. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The God who spoke galaxies into being also whispers comfort beside our hospital beds and tax forms and broken dreams. He doesn't rescue from afar; He wades into the flood beside us. He sanctifies our suffering by sharing it. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The author of Hebrews has forever been steeped in mystery, but from the opening sentences there is no doubt what the book is about. A chapter-a-day podcast from Hebrews 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.YouTube video referenced in today's podcast:https://youtu.be/b9tmOyrIlYM?si=fyUh4xrrD5ooFRm1

There is a spiritual waxing and waning that most people experience across their lives. The spiritual journey is not an event but an epic story. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 13. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Being home. What a crazy thought. For most of my life, that desire barely existed inside me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 12. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Sometimes, God needs people who simply have the faith and willingness to show up and do what needs to be done. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 11. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Nehemiah and the Hebrews' story is really a love story between God and a people saying again: “We're still yours.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 10. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Truth is always found at the point of tension between the two extremes. Whether in QA or in Life, the covenant relationship between God and humanity is constantly finding the tension. Today's chapter is a great example. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 9. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Nehemiah's restoration of the walls and gates of Jerusalem led to a very different type of restoration. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 8. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

As I embark on a new work week, I'm quietly grateful for my Senior Director of All the Things. Order is a good thing. Order is holy. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 7. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Faithfulness isn't measured by enthusiasm at the beginning but by integrity at the end. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 6. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Yesterday's chapter was about external opposition from neighboring enemies. Today's chapter is about the enemy within. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 5. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

If I were standing in Nehemiah's sandals, I would be descending into. a brooding puddle of pessimism. But Nehemiah was the right man for the job. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 4. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The Kingdom of God begins with every believer, no matter who they are, no matter what they've done, no matter how they are gifted, no matter what they do for a living, no matter their present circumstances. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the quiet this morning, I'm reminded that on this journey I never stop praying, never stop planning, and never stop paying attention. The hardest part is often waiting for God's providence. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Sometimes the best seasons begin with the greatest challenges. A chapter-a-day podcast from Nehemiah 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Paul's desire to have Mark by his side at the end of his earthly journey is a reminder to never give up trying to make things right in relationship. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Timothy 4. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

It's one thing to learn interesting facts but another thing to absorb and embrace the truth that's sitting there in plain sight. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Timothy 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The further I progress on this earthly journey the more I find myself discerning what I really care about, what I find worthwhile, and those things that are worth the investment of my time, energy, and resources. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Timothy 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Sometimes our prayers don't yield the results we desire, even for Paul. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Timothy 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

What we actively pursue in life isn't a trivial matter. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Timothy 6. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

No one who knew my Grandpa Spec would call him a particularly spiritual man. His faith, however, was genuine. It was proved genuine in the way he put his religion into practice. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Timothy 5. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I'm reminded in the quiet this morning that God continually calls me to wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Timothy 4. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Shouldn't my family and my closest friends get the best of me? Why would I ever conclude that I'm excused from rude, discourteous, disrespectful, and mean behavior at home simply because it's family? A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Timothy 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

When there is no other appeal to be made on earth, there is still an appeal to heaven. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Timothy 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The further I get in my spiritual journey, the more I've come to embrace the preeminence of love as the goal in all things. A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Timothy 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the long arc of the Great Story I see the Kingdom of God perpetually pushing against the curse of sin and the patriarchal nature of humanity that flows from that curse. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 36. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

This life journey contains moments where guilt—intentional or accidental—feels like a crushing weight. In today's chapter God whispers: "There is a place to run, and a God who receives you.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 35. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

When you go through a divorce life can seem like boundaries are erased. Everything moves and shifts, what was once established is now contested and negotiated. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 34. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the quiet this morning I'm staring down a rather boring and mundane Monday. How about you? A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 33. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

One of the quirky things I love about this chapter-a-day trek is that I'm constantly reminded of the source of what has become commonly known sayings and idioms. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 32. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

"Momento Mori" is Latin and it translates “Remember your death” or more aptly “Remember you're going to die.” A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 31. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I commonly hear people use the phrase, “I swear to God.” It's casually thrown out in our culture, but the concept of a divine oath is as old as humanity itself and throughout history oaths have carried very serious cultural and societal weight in ways we can't imagine today. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 30. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the quiet this morning, I'm reminded that God's ultimate plan for humanity in the Great Story is rooted in the individual. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 29. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Just this past week as Wendy and I enjoyed a little vacation we took time to talk about and review our rhythms. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 28. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

On the edge of the fulfilled promise of a land to call one's own, one of the most amazing stories in the entirety of the Great Story takes place. Most people have never heard it. A chapter-a-day podcast from Numbers 27. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.