Wayfarer

As Wendy and I have rediscovered the joy of truly dwelling at home, it provided a really powerful metaphor in the quiet this morning for what Paul is getting at as he uses this particular phrase. A chapter-a-day podcast from Colossians 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

As a disciple of Jesus, I believe that if I diminish Jesus the Christ in any way, I've lost connection to the head and have become decapitated from the Truth. A chapter-a-day podcast from Colossians 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

As I meditated on four things Paul mentions in today's chapter, I thought to myself what a simple checklist they were to do my own spiritual health assessment. A chapter-a-day podcast from Colossians 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The thing that I love about the story of Philemon is that it perfectly illustrates the way of Jesus. A chapter-a-day podcast from Philemon 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Did you know...?” The voice asked on the other end of the phone. Then spewed a long litany of salacious and slanderous allegations regarding someone on my team. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 13. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Along my life journey I have observed that we humans beings are given to a desire for everything to be easy and pain-free. We want to be healthy and wealthy our entire lives. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 12. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

If I ever lose sight of this simple reality, then I've completely lost the thread of what it means to be His disciple. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 11. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Occasionally, I have found myself in old-fashioned pissing contests prompted by individuals who have questioned my motives, credentials, authority, and sincerity. The Apostle Paul was constantly experiencing identical struggles. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 10. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I have a tat on my right bicep referencing Psalm 112 because the right arm is a metaphor of blessing, and the bicep is a metaphor of strength. It reminds me daily that my strength is in being a man blessed by God, which requires me to be generous. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 9. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I confess that I was not a generous person as a young man. Generosity has been something that has grown within me as I have grown and matured in God's Spirit. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 8. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The world could use some sorrow that leads to positive change. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 7. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

My experiences and observations along this life journey are that there are sheep and goats in every denomination and every local church. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 6. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I think it might be very possible that as my physical hearing dulls my spiritual hearing becomes more sharpened. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 5. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Outwardly, it would appear that the emerging generation are outwardly blessed with affluence, education, technology, safety, security, and health in ways and in levels that no generation before them has ever experienced. Nevertheless, they are inwardly wasting away.A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 4. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In today's chapter, Paul uses a simple but beautiful metaphor as he tells the believers in Corinth that they themselves are Paul's “letter of recommendation.” A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

As I read today's chapter, I thought about my mother's letters. It's amazing to me that people forget that the “book” that we know as 2 Corinthians is not a book at all. It's a letter.A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

As I experience God's grace, comfort, peace, joy, and faithfulness through difficult seasons, I am equipped and called to help others do the same. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Corinthians 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I can't help but to consider that Jesus told me that I have the same choice that He was given. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 28. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In my thoughts, words, actions, and relationships, I don't want to mindlessly be just another example of how the world works. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 27. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I think of Jesus' death and resurrection much like graduation in our culture. It is a rite of passage out of childhood and into spiritual adulthood. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 26. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In each of the three parables of today's chapter, there is a final reckoning. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 25. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Just last week I celebrated my 59th birthday. That mean's I've entered my 60th lap around the sun. And, that has me thinking about what's out there on the horizon. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 24. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I don't control large, complex human systems of government and religion, though I have tremendous influence on the small human systems of family, business, and local community. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 23. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

For me, the most powerful spiritual lesson in today's chapter is not under the microscope but in the wide-angle lens. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 22. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In today's chapter, the crowd plays a significant role. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 21. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Today, I complete my 59th lap around the sun. In the quiet I hear God's Spirit whisper to my spirit the same question He asked of the wife of Zebedee. The same question He asked the two blind men.“Happy birthday, Tom. What do you want me to do for you?"A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 20. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

History has dubbed the young man in today's chapter as the “rich young ruler,” but I think “eagle scout” is a more apt moniker. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 19. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Sometimes the traditional, yet out-of-date, wording of famous passages like The Lord's Prayer are like a comfy old sweatshirt that wraps you in the warmth and comfort of something familiar which has been with you and seen you through long stretches of life's journey. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 18. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Mountains are yet another metaphorical theme that runs throughout the Great Story in ways I've never seen or understood until now. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 17. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Along my chapter-a-day journey over the years, I've learned that spiritual lessons are found in Jesus' actions as well as His words. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 16. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the quiet this morning, I love the fact that Jesus poked the big dogs from Jerusalem regarding their rabid hypocrisy when it came to their traditions. Less than a week after Good Friday, I'm equally reminded that these same rabid, big dogs will quite literally kill Him for it.A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 15. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

It was a simple enough question. There are so many things in life that we do because they are habitual or traditional. We rarely stop to ask “Why?"A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 14. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The difference between the 25% of seeds that became productive and fruitful plants in Jesus' parable and the 75% of seeds who didn't make it was the quality of the soil. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 13. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

My heart is heavy and sad this morning. I have recently found myself in the midst of many conflicts. I don't like conflict. I confess that I don't do it particularly well. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 12. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking about the spiritual posture that Jesus is asking of John. It is a kneeling, open, and surrendered posture. It is the same that He has demanded of His disciples and anyone else who would follow, including me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 11. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I've learned along my life journey that sometimes one has to do something novel in order to “cut in” during a deep-seated cultural dance. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 10. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I long ago took off my Junior Holy Spirit badge pretending that I had exclusive rights, insight, or editorial control of the Story God is authoring in me or anyone else. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 9. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

While I was in high school, a spiritual revival broke out. I and my friends in our holy huddle had nothing to do with it. Zero, zip, zilch, nada. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 8. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

It is only later in life that I have learned to recognize one of my patterns of behavior. The truth is that I am, at the heart of things, a wallflower. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 7. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

When our friend Nathan was entering adolescence, I read a review in theWall Street Journal of a clever little book of etiquette for boys by Meghan Doherty called How Not to Be a Dick. We gifted it to our young friend. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 6. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

One of the observations I've had of recent generations is the difficulty they've experienced in maturing into adults. So much so that “adulting” is now a common term. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 5. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

It is the season of Lent, a time when many followers of Jesus around the globe choose to fast in preparation for the annual memorial of Jesus' death and subsequent celebration of His resurrection. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 4. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

We live in very unique times. In fact, I believe that we are in one of the most tectonic shifts in the history of Christianity. It is, perhaps, the most significant shift since the Reformation. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

In the quiet this morning, I'm reminded that the connections I find in the text aren't just trivial literary observations. There are spiritual truths present here that are true for me today. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

I love that God uses the uniqueness of every individual's experience, personality, giftedness, and temperament for the good of the whole. A chapter-a-day podcast from Matthew 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.Videos mentioned in today's episode:https://youtu.be/7IUL9yq0We8?si=pRq-8wHDmrIpz7ubhttps://youtu.be/kxduwZpLcCM?si=8YjE6VHvleyYiDwv

The further I get in my spiritual journey, the more I come to understand that the extent of my generosity is a leading indicator of the depth of both my spiritual understanding of the economics of God's Kingdom, and my gratitude for God's insane generosity towards me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Leviticus 27. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

My choices have natural consequences of both flesh and Spirit. What choices will I make today? A chapter-a-day podcast from Leviticus 26. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The more I think I own something, the more it ends up owning me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Leviticus 25. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

The lesson of the “continuous flame” in today's chapter was a spiritual lesson for the day when Jesus would come, indwell, and illuminate my 14-year-old heart, mind, and soul. A chapter-a-day podcast from Leviticus 24. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

It has been so woven into the fabric of our lives for so long that we don't even think about it. It is universal. It is unequivocally a basic human right: The weekend. A chapter-a-day podcast from Leviticus 23. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

Other than some relatively loose leadership structure mentioned by Paul, there is nothing in scripture that hints at anything like what “church” became once Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire. A chapter-a-day podcast from Leviticus 22. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.