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
Mary and the Dudes (CaD Mk 14)
Another day has dawned, and so my story isn't over either. I take hope in that this morning. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 14. The text version can be…
- Wayfarer
Of Riches and Rubble (CaD Mk 13)
I'm reminded this morning, that every good story ends up in dark places. There's always darkness before the dawn. Without catastrophe there's no eucatastrophe…
- Wayfarer
The Crowd (CaD Mk 12)
It's easy for me to overlook it, but the crowd has been a constant player in Jesus' story. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 12. The text version can be found…
- Wayfarer
By-Products (CaD Mk 11)
It's the fruit that produces the by-products, never the other way around. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 11. The text version can be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
Life on the Fast-Track (CaD Mk 10)
Much of my life has been spent hurrying. It's taught me there are no shortcuts on the spiritual journey. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 10. The text version…
- Wayfarer
"Ins" and "Outs" (CaD Mk 9)
Like every other human being, my life journey has been dotted with observing and experiencing the "ins" and "outs" of social groups. A chapter-a-day podcast…
- Wayfarer
The Inflection Point (CaD Mk 8)
"Inflection Point" has become a buzzword in business during my career. And, it's often misunderstood. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 8. The text version may…
- Wayfarer
The Contrast (CaD Mk 7)
The more I read the story, and read Jesus' teachings, the more I see the stark contrast between the heart-principles of the Kingdom of God and the religious…
- Wayfarer
Soil Samples (CaD Mk 6)
As I've trekked my way through the Great Story again and again over the past forty years, I've learned that sometimes the lesson is not in microscopically…
- Wayfarer
The Three Questions (CaD Mk 5)
Along the journey, I've perpetually spent time in the quiet with God contemplating three questions. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 5. The text version may…
- Wayfarer
Sow What? (CaD Mk 4)
Spring brings my perennial desire to plant something and make it grow. Confession: I'm really bad at this. A chapter-a-day podcast from Mark 4. The text…
- Wayfarer
A Different Playbook (CaD Mk 3)
In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking that the more things change, the more they stay the same in the Kingdoms of this World. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
The Great Conflict (CaD Mk 2)
As I read the chapter this morning, I see that on the macro level, Mark is telling us that the pieces are quickly moving into place on the chess board. The…
- Wayfarer
Source, not Compensation (CaD Mk 1)
It was in my twenties that I observed a soul wound that affected a number of my male friends. They had never experienced a father's love. Never had their ears…
- Wayfarer
Just Breathe (CaD Ps 150)
Connection with the God of creation is as simple and profound as breathing. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 150. The text version can be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
Bookends of Praise (CaD Ps 149)
What happens when I'm missing one bookend on the shelf? A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 149. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com…
- Wayfarer
Strength in Praise (CaD Ps 148)
Along my life journey, I have learned that praise sincerely offered whether in word, song, or thought is a spiritual activator. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
Exile and Return (CaD Ps 147)
But there is a recurring theme that is often lost and forgotten a I journey through my personal wilderness. Perhaps I am simply blind to it in the moment. A…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Dentist: On a Mission from God
On this Wayfarer Weekend (WW) podcast I welcome Dr. Eric Recker to the Vander Well Pub for a conversation about his mission from God that sprung out of the…
- Wayfarer
"Some Other Mettle" (CaD Ps 146)
Leonardo: Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband. Beatrice: Not till God make men of some other mettle than earth. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
Holy Moment (CaD Psalm 145.2)
He was weeping over the phone. Across the miles, on the other end of the connection, I knew that this was a holy moment. A chapter-a-day podcast from 145…
- Wayfarer
"King of My Castle" (CaD Ps 145)
From the head of the table, cigar in hand, Grandpa would often smile, pound his fist on the table, and with a gleam in his eye insist, "I'm the king of this…
- Wayfarer
A Tale of Two Kings (CaD Ps 144)
Bear with me today, because I'm going to theatre geek out on you a bit... A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 144. The text version may be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
Good Morning (CaD Ps 143)
I have always been a morning person, dang it. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 143. The text version can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
- Wayfarer
Prison Blues (CaD Ps 142)
Thus far in my life journey, I am happy to say that I have avoided prison time, at in the traditional sense of the word. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm…
- Wayfarer
About Knowing (CaD Ps 141)
All of the ritual, participation, knowledge and cognitive assent to a belief statement at church had relatively little effect on my motives, my thoughts, my…
- Wayfarer
Ruminating (CaD Ps 140)
Ever since I was a kid, I have been one to excessively ruminate on conflict or personal problems that I encounter along life's road. A chapter-a-day podcast…
- Wayfarer
Judicial Realizations (CaD Ps 139)
I've learned along this journey that sometimes old things must be razed before new, fruitful things can begin growing. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 139…
- Wayfarer
One Song, Two Levels (CaD Ps 138)
I find that God's Kingdom is not about top-down systemic power but about bottom-up organic transformation of Spirit. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 138…
- Wayfarer
Old Wounds Die Hard (CaD Ps 137)
This past weekend as I spent hours power-washing, I found my mind wandering back to a slight that I experienced fifteen years ago which became the death knell…
- Wayfarer
The Song and the Story (CaD Ps 136)
As I thought about the structure of the song, I couldn't help but think that it parallels every life story, my life story. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm…
- Wayfarer
Weekend Treasure (CaD Ps 135)
Wendy and I returned last night from our "spring break" in which we spent a long weekend getting our Playhouse at the lake opened up and ready for the coming…
- Wayfarer
Call and Response (CaD Ps 134)
In the quiet this morning I find myself meditating on the spiritual notion of "call and response" which works in both directions. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
Body (CaD Ps 133)
I am grieved by the level of discord, dissension, conflict, and "cancellation" in our culture of late. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 133. The text version…
- Wayfarer
Things I Don't Control (CaD Ps 132)
When Paul said that for the believer "old things pass away" I believe that among the things that pass away are beliefs, patterns of thought, and behaviors that…
- Wayfarer
Finding Contentment (CaD Ps 131)
Contentment seems always to reside on life's horizon, but David's lyrics remind me today that contentment is found within me. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
Cancelled! [Not] (CaD Ps 130)
As a student of history, I can tell you that public shaming, scapegoating, and what today we call "cancelling" have been around as long as human civilization…
- Wayfarer
Every Tribe and Tongue (CaD Ps 129)
In the quiet this morning, I find myself confessing that there are a host of human experiences that I can't completely fathom because I haven't experienced…
- Wayfarer
"L'chaim!" (CaD Ps 128)
Wendy and I were so blessed this past Christmas to have the kids and Milo home. As always, meals were an important part of the family agenda from cocktails…
- Wayfarer
Gift, not Reward (CaD Ps 127)
When I was a young man, I embarked on a fact-finding mission to better understand my families of origin. What I discovered was that underneath the veneer of…
- Wayfarer
Of Rubble and Restoration (CaD Ps 126)
In the quiet this morning, I find myself reflecting on the highs and lows of this life journey. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 126. Text version may always…
- Wayfarer
Lessons in the Landscape (CaD Ps 125)
I have found that the spiritual truths that God wove into creation increasingly come into focus and gain clarity as my eyes weaken and my vision fades with…
- Wayfarer
Of Traditions (CaD Ps 124)
I have experienced that the breaking of certain traditions has been a spiritually healthy thing for me personally. I have also found that rediscovering lost…
- Wayfarer
Songs for Different Seasons (CaD Ps 123)
There were different songs of ascent for the different seasons of life each spiritual wayfarer might be in on the repeated journey to and from Jerusalem. A…
- Wayfarer
Human Systems (CaD Ps 122)
His mission was not to change the kingdoms of this world, but to instill the Kingdom of God into the hearts of individuals, that I might bring that Kingdom…
- Wayfarer
Songs of Assurance (CaD Ps 121)
In the quiet this morning, I am reminded by the lyrics of this song that sometimes I need words of assurance and affirmation along this life journey. A…
- Wayfarer
Songs With Purpose (CaD Ps 120)
One summer in my youth, I worked in the cornfields. I will always remember it as the summer that I learned about work songs. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm…
- Wayfarer
The Tension (CaD Ps 119)
Making the Great Story a part of my daily life hasn't made me perfect or pure, but the Great Shepherd has always used it to find this lost sheep and call me…
- Wayfarer
Music, Ritual, & Meaning (CaD Ps 118)
Music plays such a fascinating role in the human experience. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 118. Text version can always be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
Of Voices and Family (CaD Ps 117)
Along my life journey, I have observed that we humans like to reduce very complex questions into simple binary boxes and choices. A chapter-a-day podcast from…
- Wayfarer
Brooding (CaD Ps 116)
Brood is actually an interesting word because the most common definition in the English language means "to sit on" and "incubate" as a mother hen sits on her…
- Wayfarer
Dominion (CaD Ps 115)
Along my life journey, I've seen tremendous change. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 115. Text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
- Wayfarer
Divison (CaD Ps 114)
Along my journey, I have experienced discord and division among any number of groups to which I belonged. This includes family, churches, community…
- Wayfarer
Life is a Psalm (CaD Ps 113)
There are two themes in the Great Story that I have repeatedly mentioned across the 15 years I've been writing these chapter-a-day posts, and they are…
- Wayfarer
The Person I Want to Be (CaD Ps 112)
Many years ago, as my life was emerging from the ash heap I had made of it, I happened upon today's chapter, Psalm 112. I remember reading the lyrics to this…
- Wayfarer
Simple Songs of a Child (CaD Ps 111)
The further I get in my journey the more I appreciate the fact that the most important and profound of spiritual truth is found not in seminary classes but in…
- Wayfarer
Geeking Out on the Great Story (CaD Ps 110)
In the mystery of Melchizedek, I'm reminded that faith requires of me the humility to accept that there are truths that lie in mystery. They are deeper, older…
- Wayfarer
Betrayed (CaD Ps 109)
I thought he was my friend, and I continue to believe that he truly was at one time. I’m not sure when the smile became a lie. I’m not sure when our…
- Wayfarer
Of Change and Health (CaD Ps 108)
In my life, I have found change to be really difficult for people in almost any circle of life. When you mix in both change and religious tradition it can take…
- Wayfarer
Exilic Reflections (CaD Ps 107)
In the quiet this morning, I'm seeing the pattern. Out of darkness into the light. Up from the valley to the mountaintop. Return from exilic adversity to the…