Shows / Wayfarer
Wayfarer
Tom Vander Well is author of "This Call May Be Monitored (What Eavesdropping on Corporate America Taught Me About Business and Life)" A "wayfaring stranger" life's road. Husband, father, writer, CEO, actor, playwright, preacher, back porch musician, and follower of Jesus, he shares his thoughts and observations on the journey. Each weekday he offers 5-10 minute Chapter-a-Day (CaD) reflections on one chapter of the Bible, perfect for a daily commute. Longer reflections are on the Wayfarer…
Episodes
- Wayfarer
Slimy Sympathy (CaD Job 5)
In reading the last half of Job's friend, Eli's, first discourse about Job's suffering, it felt kind of slimy from a relational human perspective. A…
- Wayfarer
Eli and the Santa Clause (CaD Job 4)
Do good, receive presents. Be naughty, reap coal. It's the "Santa Clause." We feed it to our children, and it sticks with us as adults. A chapter-a-day podcast…
- Wayfarer
Birthday (CaD Job 3)
When Job finally speaks, the first thing he does is curse his birthday. A chapter-a-day podcast from Job 3. The text version may be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
The Spiritual Triangle (CaD Job 2)
Despite his agony, Job refuses to do abandon God or curse him. He asks his wife another one of the big questions that resonate throughout the entire story, and…
- Wayfarer
Big, Uncomfortable Questions (CaD Job 1)
My previous journeys through Job reveal it to be a story that asks big, challenging life questions that test the human limitations of understanding. A…
- Wayfarer
Coffee and Contentment (CaD Php 4)
I know, contentment isn't as inspiring as moving mountains, but to my mind it might be more difficult. A chapter-a-day podcast from Philippians 4. The text…
- Wayfarer
Bullsh!t (CaD Php 3)
All of my earthbound blessings, achievements, status, and possessions are eternally worthless in God's economy. A chapter-a-day podcast from Philippians 3. The…
- Wayfarer
The Spiritual "To Do" List (CaD Php 2)
I have an app with a list of things I need to accomplish for our home maintenance and improvements. What about a list of things I need to do in my spiritual…
- Wayfarer
W.I.P (CaD Php 1)
Believing in Jesus does not result in immediate transformation into righteousness. Rather, believing in Jesus launches a long-term, top-to-bottom, spiritual…
- Wayfarer
The Day (CaD Joel3)
Of late, the reality of corruption has been seeping out the cracks of the closed doors and smoke-filled rooms across the political spectrum. I'm not convinced…
- Wayfarer
God Beyond Distinctions (CaD Joel 2)
The further I get in my spiritual journey, the more I have come to embrace the understanding that the gifts and callings of God's Spirit are not discriminatory…
- Wayfarer
Plague and Blessing (CaD Joel 1)
Tragedy sometimes befalls the best of us, while blessing sometimes rains down on the worst of us. I have observed along my life journey that in either…
- Wayfarer
"Wait for It" (CaD Mal 4)
The spiritual journey as a follower of Jesus is fraught with waiting. Spiritual growth is an organic process that requires time. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
Money Matters (CaD Mal 3)
The story of my spiritual journey is inextricably woven with the story of my financial journey. My progress in the former is predicated on my progress in the…
- Wayfarer
The Thread (CaD Mal 2)
The text of the prophets expects something different from me in the way I read, study, and think. One of those expectations is for me to see the connections…
- Wayfarer
Profane (CaD Mal 1)
If I take my family's precious and priceless fine china and antique silver spoons and use them to feed a stray dog on the back patio, I'm profaning it. A…
- Wayfarer
A Parable of Kings (CaD Jer 52)
In a world that seems to only value power and triumph, I'm reminded that God's ways always flow in the opposite direction of raw humanity. Eternal power is…
- Wayfarer
Babylonian Lessons (CaD Jer 51)
Babylon occupies a deep historical and metaphorical presence throughout the Great Story. From the erection of the Tower of Babel in the opening chapters of…
- Wayfarer
Kingdom and Empire (CaD Jer 50)
Empires rise, they fall, and other empires emerge on this earth. Personally, I want to be part of a Kingdom that's not of this world. A chapter-a-day podcast…
- Wayfarer
Bad Blood (CaD Jer 49)
"Blood is thicker than water" is the idiom we use to express the importance of family over everything else in life. But I've equally observed that bad blood…
- Wayfarer
I'll Drink to That! (CaD Jer 48)
Jeremiah proclaims the defeat and exile of Moabites with a metaphorical end to the flow of their wine. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 48. The text…
- Wayfarer
Flash Flood (Cad Jer 47)
Along this life journey I have observed that sometimes troubles rise like floodwaters, and I am helpless to avoid them or prevent them. A chapter-a-day podcast…
- Wayfarer
An Ancient Smackdown (CaD Jer 46)
As I've progressed in my spiritual journey, I've learned to increasingly embrace the understanding that God is at work in every person's story. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
My Core Weakness (CaD Jer 45)
I can focus on obediently and faithfully fulfilling that to which I've been called, or I can waste a lot of time pining away in envy for what others have been…
- Wayfarer
The Slave's Return (CaD Jer 44)
How ironic. These Hebrews have come full circle. The former slaves return to the land of their slave master. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 44. The text…
- Wayfarer
Choices and Destiny (CaD Jer 43)
I have found on my spiritual journey that there is a certain humility required of me as a disciple of Jesus. The humility comes from acknowledging that there…
- Wayfarer
The Futility of Flight (CaD Jer 42)
No matter where I run or how far I run, God is there asking me to face the very thing I fear. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 42. The text version may be…
- Wayfarer
Good Man, Wrong Job (CaD Jer 41)
When you have the wrong people in critical positions of any human system, things will only get messier. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 41. The text…
- Wayfarer
Faithful Tenacity (CaD Jer 40)
There was never a point at which Jeremiah was not in danger of insult, mockery, public humiliation, verbal attack, physical attack, or the threat of death. A…
- Wayfarer
"D-Day" (CaD Jer 39)
Today's chapter is Jeremiah's D-Day. All that he has prophesied for forty years finally happens. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 39. The text version may…
- Wayfarer
Under Siege (CaD Jer 38)
There are moments along life's road when life feels like I am being besieged on all sides by circumstances I don't control. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
Wanted: A Prophet (CaD Jer 37)
When all that I hear are the things I'm comfortable hearing, something is dysfunctional in the system. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 37. The text…
- Wayfarer
Controlling the Narrative (CaD Jer 36)
In my lifetime, I have never observed such a time as the one in which we are living, when political, media, educational and business institutions work hard to…
- Wayfarer
Profound Simplicity (CaD Jer 35)
Whenever I find myself deep in the weeds, I stop and grab hold once again of Jesus' profound simplicity. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 35. The text…
- Wayfarer
Repenting My Repentance (CaD Jer 34)
Inside ancient Jerusalem the besieged residents of agree to free any Hebrew slaves inside the city. This sounds like a worthy and kind gesture given the grave…
- Wayfarer
Journeys End (or Not) [CaD Jer 33]
The journey is one from birth straight through until this wayfaring stranger crosses over Jordan. If I look to the horizon and see a point of arrival short of…
- Wayfarer
Up From the Ashes (CaD Jer 32)
Jeremiah buys a field, a vineyard. He is looking beyond his momentary circumstances to embrace the larger story God is authoring in their tragic, dire…
- Wayfarer
A New Covenant (CaD Jer 31)
One of the beautiful things about Jeremiah's prophetic works is that in the midst of the doom and gloom of his repetitive messages about exile, God has him…
- Wayfarer
Was, Is, & Yet to Come (CaD Jer 30)
I am reminded this morning that being a disciple of Jesus requires of me that I learn to hold a certain tension. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 30. The…
- Wayfarer
Oh! The Places You'll Go! (CaD Jer 29)
Social media was wall-to-wall young people in their caps and gowns this weekend. And, we're not even close to being done. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah…
- Wayfarer
The God in My Image (CaD Jer 28)
I've observed that it's easy for people to make the outcome of optimistic formulas into a type of personal god. Success, fame, influence, popularity, status…
- Wayfarer
Truth or Security? (CaD Jef 27)
When it is politically incorrect and possibly dangerous to proclaim a contrasting opinion, then it's likely that motivations other than truth lie behind those…
- Wayfarer
Painful Truths (CaD Jer 26)
Here's the thing I've learned and observed along my life journey: The truth sometimes hurts, and not all pain is bad. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 26…
- Wayfarer
The Cup (CaD Jer 25)
One of the things I love about reading through the ancient prophets is discovering the metaphorical threads and themes that tie the Great Story together from…
- Wayfarer
Seasons of Struggle (CaD Jer 24)
The word picture God gave Jeremiah in today's chapter was a rare, hopeful message in the collection of Jeremiah's prophetic works. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
The Shepherd & the Hired Hand (CaD Jer 23)
Times change, technology changes, culture changes, but one thing that doesn't change is the human condition. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 23. The text…
- Wayfarer
Do the Right Thing (CaD Jer 22)
Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 22. The text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
- Wayfarer
Surrender (CaD Jer 21)
In the quiet this morning, I'm reminded that this faith journey is one of perpetual surrender. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 21. The text version may…
- Wayfarer
The Man of Constant Sorrow (CaD Jer 20)
I find in Jeremiah's lament the childlike sense of safety to throw an unbridled tantrum before an understanding and patient parent who sees the tantrum as the…
- Wayfarer
The Essential Ingredient (CaD Jer 19)
God ultimately wanted to rewire His people's thinking and beliefs, their minds and hearts. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 19. The text version may be…
- Wayfarer
The Pertinent Question (CaD Jer 18)
There is a place where the mystery of God's will and my will finds its tension. God may want to mold me a certain way, but if I remain oppositionally defiant…
- Wayfarer
Scarred Hearts (CaD Jer 17)
Behavior modification will never change a scarred heart. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 17. The text version may be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
A Great Day (CaD Jer 16)
After yesterday's amazing celebration and feast, today's chapter really resonated. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 16. The text version may be found and…
- Wayfarer
Learning the Lesson (or Not) [CaD Jer 15)
God doesn't work like the American educational system in which you keep moving up a grade whether or not you actually learned anything during the school year…
- Wayfarer
What I Want to Hear (CaD Jer 14)
If the world operated perfectly within the comfortable little box of my personal worldview then Jesus would never have had to cry out, "Father, let this cup…
- Wayfarer
The Shaming (CaD Jer 13)
The prophet Jeremiah will be vindicated and proved right. But he takes no pleasure in this. In fact, it pains him greatly. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
The "Boney Finger" (CaD Jer 12)
Wendy and I will often, in our frustration, point out what the other "always" or "never" does. My maternal grandparents used to call this particular form of…
- Wayfarer
Dictates Don't Change Hearts (CaD Jer 11)
A person's heart can't be changed with a government edict or an institutional dictate. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 11. The text version may be found…
- Wayfarer
The "Portion of Jacob" (CaD Jer 10)
The subtle beauty and the meaning of Jeremiah's nickname for God are likely lost on most readers as it's been lost on me until this morning. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
Mourners Need Not Apply (CaD Jer 9)
Grief was not just a natural emotional reaction in Jeremiah's culture but a professional, ritual production. A chapter-a-day podcast from Jeremiah 9. The text…