We Are Wayfarers

In our 5th episode of the season centered on advent, we take some time to talk about the distinct advent themes of hope, love, joy and faith and how they are pronounced at Christmas.

Wayfarers, this brief episode is our prayer for you. May Jesus come close to you as you celebrate His first advent at Christmas and may His hope flood your heart as you look forward to the glorious day that He comes again! Oh, come Lord Jesus!

In this unique episode, Ben and Crystal center their conversation on John 1 as Ben shares thoughts from a sermon he preached a few years ago celebrating that the Light has come!

In episode 4, Ben & Crystal share how they see hope, love, joy and peace pronounced in the Christmas Story and how Jesus' first advent fuels our faith as we wait for His second advent!

We turn our conversation to some of the Team Woods Christmas traditions. Some of our traditions have remained the same, and some have had to change in our separation from our Calla, but our traditions serve to hold us together as a family of 5 and focus our hearts on our King Jesus.

In this episode, we continue our reflections and focus our thoughts on the season of Advent.

In the first episode of a very special Advent season of the We Are Wayfarers podcast, we share the focus of the season and reflect on some of our time and memories in the last several months.

In our Season 6 finale, we talk about the hope that Romans 8 infuses into our hearts, making us groan for the day that Christ returns to set all things right!

In our 9th episode of the season, we talk about the hope that 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (and its surrounding verses) bring to our hearts and the promise that to be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord.

In Episode 8, we talk about Jesus' promises in John 14:1-4 and the hope that comes when we trust that He has gone to prepare a place for us and that He will come to bring us there when "everything is ready." Amen, Come Lord Jesus!

In this episode we talk about 2 Peter 3:9 and the compelling reason it gives for God's patience. As we are waiting for Him to return, He is waiting on everyone to repent and come Home. God's love drives His patience....and though He will not wait forever, the door is open right now through Jesus Christ for all who would accept His free gift of salvation!

In this episode we talk about how we grieve with hope and encourage each other with the words of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. We grieve, but we grieve with hope.

We talk about the hope that 1 Corinthians 15:12-26 brings to our hearts and how everything we believe hinges on Christ's resurrection from the dead!

In Episode 4, we spend some time in Philippians 3:20-21 and trace some of the wayfaring themes throughout Scripture as we identify some implications and privileges of being a citizen of Heaven.

In this episode, we talk about God's beautiful promise in Isaiah 40:28-31; a promise to provide strength when we need it the most. We discuss the 3 paths that the promise can take: to soar on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, and to walk and not faint.

In Season 6: Episode 2 we talk about the deep impact that God's Word has on our lives and center our conversation around the unique look that Hebrews 9:28 gives us of our Savior and King, Jesus!

In our first episode of Season 6, we take a deeper look at Titus 2:11-14 and the way we are to live AS WE WAIT for our blessed hope, the return of our Savior Jesus!

In our season finale we talk about the importance of Revelation 22:20 and the power of praying, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

In Episode 9, we talk though some of how our hearts respond to Colossians 3:1-4 as we think about the things of Heaven.

In this episode we look at Paul's prayer for the believer's spiritual growth in Ephesians 3:14-21 and God's ability to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine!

In this episode we talk the imperative commands to "Be Strong and Courageous" given to Joshua in Joshua 1:9...commands that are repeated to many others throughout Scriptures...and to us...for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

In this episode we talk about Matthew 11:28-30; Jesus' precious promise of rest to those who are weary and carry heavy burdens who will come to Him.

Episode 5 centers around John 16:33 and some of Jesus' comforting last words to His disciples before He goes to the cross.

We take a look at Lamentations 3:19-26 in this episode of the podcast, talking about how God's Word gives us a license to lament, values a starting point of honesty and provides a lens of hope over suffering. "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: the faithful love of the Lord never ends..."

In this episode we talk about one of Benjamin's favorite passages, Romans 8:38-39.

In this episode we read Hebrews 10:35-11:1 and talk about why this passage has been so impactful in our lives! We would love to hear how God is using these verses to encourage and disciple your heart as well- please send us an email or message to tell us some of your thoughts!

We've taken a bit of a break between podcast seasons, so we spend some time bringing listeners up to speed on what's going on in The Brave Way Home and then share some of what to expect for Season 5!

In our season finale, we talk over what hope is and what hope isn't, as well as what comfort is and what comfort isn't.

We continue our discussion of how we hold on to hope by building on the foundation of previous episodes, culminating in living in a Holy Procession. Based on a study of 2 Cor 2:14-16, we as wayfarers can live in confident expectation because Christ leads us in a triumphant procession as we spread the aroma of Christ to every corner of our world. As we go, so goes the gospel!

We continue to embrace the "P" alliteration and dig into the Holy Purpose that God has for our lives, even through pain and grief. We talk about the Holy Purpose we can see through inward transformation and its outward expressions, as well as the importance of trust when we can't see the purpose in our circumstances.

Wayfarers are called to be holy, like God is holy and they're also called to travel Homeward together. In this episode we talk about some of the calls to holiness outlined in the gospels and challenge listeners to surround themselves with the holy people - The Church!

Our conversation centers around the dogged determination to allow a holy perspective anchored in eternity, to propel us through the troubles we face in this life. This essential ingredient is a part of the holy process, outlined in Romans 5, that ultimately results in a hope that will never disappoint.

Continuing our discussions about the essential tools in our backpacks as we learn to hold on to hope, today we talk about the Holy Presence of God on our journey through this world toward the promised land ahead. The Holy Presence provides partnership, peace, truth, provision, power and promise on the brave way Home!

Living with a holy perspective and running with a holy pursuit will result in yielding to a holy pace. In this episode we talk about some of the phrases God has used to refine our pace; teaching us to stay tethered to Him, to hold out for the eternal, to praise even in pain and to walk the brave way home with fellow wayfarers.

Adopting a holy perspective will give rise to a holy pursuit. When we pursue the things over which Christ presides we refuse the temptation to chase after what the world offers and doggedly follow Jesus (the Person we were made for) to Heaven (the Place we were made for). Wayfarers don't settle and wayfarers don't quit...we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts set on Heaven, living lives of holy pursuit.

Adopting a holy perspective is crucial to grieving with hope. In this episode we talk about what impacts life perspective and some characteristics of a holy perspective.

We begin our Season long discussion of hope by acknowledging the reality of grief and building a toolbox metaphor to help us meet moments of suffering well. We share some of the the truths we have discovered as reluctant learners in grief on the brave way Home and trace the trajectory of faithful endurance all the way to its promised end in eternal hope.

Two of our children, Ezra and Lilah, join us for the finale of Season 3! We talk about what it's like to live in the Team Woods family culture we've created together, and gain some valuable perspective from our two special guests about what they are experiencing in our home.

This is a unique episode is a real-time, practical demonstration of adding a culture code to your family's culture. This conversation is the point that we decided, "We are Team Woods: we will know God's Word and trust God's ways."

We discuss the reason why and the ways behind how we have chosen to pronounce our family culture code, "Every Moment Is A Gift."

We talk about what prayer is, what prayer isn't and why we want it pronounced as part of our family culture.

In this episode, we introduce another Team Woods Culture Code: Always Celebrate When Someone Comes Home and explore its roots in Luke 15.

We continue our conversation about how to create a culture of discipleship, focusing on the importance of championing Christ-centered values to shape our cultures! "The world's values are not God's values; disciples discern the difference," so the "why's" of embodying God's values must shape the "what's" of daily living.

In this final episode of Season 3, we talk about another one of our family culture codes: the end is not the end. As we point our family's hearts to Jesus we want to remember that this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a Home yet to come (Heb. 13:14). This reality is not all there is, there is much more beyond what we can see, beyond death - the end is not the end.

Our family believes that love is a choice, way before it is an emotion. We discuss how this important Team Woods culture code is lived out and how it points us to the example of Jesus and the love of God.

Very few culture codes have shaped our family like this one: Look Out For The Left Out. In this episode we talk about the way it came about, the precious way that our Calla has lived it out and the ways it helps our children see the heart of Jesus.

In this episode we share our family culture code, "Where we go, we go together" and the ways it shapes our family and our view of The Church.

We talk about our first and foundation family culture code has impacted our lives and our family culture. We are Team Woods - we love Jesus first!

In the first episode of Season 3, we talk about the privilege of pastoring your children, the importance of a family culture code and the deep impact of fostering a culture of discipleship in your home. Although our discussion flows from our experiences and convictions as parents, we believe a culture code can and will impact every team, staff, ministry, relationship or group you find yourself a part of!

In our Season 2 finale episode it is our privilege to introduce you to fellow wayfarers, Will & Sheila Howell. Will is a now retired, professional glass worker who shares how our stories first intersected with "the most precious piece of glass" any of us had ever laid eyes on. Will and Sheila share about their wayfaring experiences traveling across the country "crossing pathways" and stepping into deep spiritual moments with people as they go. We hope you are as encouraged as we are by these dear fellow wayfarers and their testimony of faith in action! To learn more about the Howell's travels, visit www.crossingpathways.org!

In this episode, we're joined by Josh Farro, a dear friend, talented singer/songwriter and trusted fellow wayfarer. Josh shares about his love for our sweet Calla, his perspective as a wayfarer and he shares a special song he wrote for Calla. We discuss the impact of the song Josh co-wrote called Name Above The Grave and lean into the ways the Holy Spirit speaks to those who are listening and expectant for His voice. To listen to Name Above The Grave, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCpa0DvmgHg.