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
Holy Moments in Dark Places (CaD Ps 106)
In the quiet this morning I find myself thinking about my own journey which includes holy moments that occurred both on spiritual mountain tops and sinful…
- Wayfarer
(WW) My 20000 Birthday!
I'm publishing this podcast on my 20,000th birthday. I'm 20,000 days old today. When I was a young man my mentor encouraged me to "number my days." Years later…
- Wayfarer
Tribal Stories & Ballads (CaD Ps 105)
As I've been meditating on how technology is forming us, I've thought about the difference between information and knowledge, between data and understanding. A…
- Wayfarer
Creation Contemplation (CaD Ps 104)
Among our local gathering of Jesus' followers, we've been asking ourselves a lot of questions about distractions and attachments. A chapter-a-day podcast on…
- Wayfarer
My Inmost Being (CaD Ps 103)
In a few weeks, I will mark a milestone in my spiritual journey. It was a frigidly cold February night in 1981 when I decided to become a follower of Jesus…
- Wayfarer
"God is Grape" (CaD Ps 102)
One of the oft-forgotten themes of the Great Story is that of descendence. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 102. The text version may be found and shared at…
- Wayfarer
More Than Words (CaD Ps 101)
To the ancient Hebrews, the heart and the eyes were of primary importance in determining one’s ultimate actions. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 101. Text…
- Wayfarer
(WW) The Way of a Disciple
The return from COVID quarantine!! On this Wayfarer Weekend, we attempt to get back into spiritual rhythm with a discussion of "The Way of a Disciple."
- Wayfarer
A Time to Shout! (CaD Ps 100)
Wendy and I have noticed as we worship that there’s often what feels like a spiritual lid on the room. You can feel people waiting for an excuse, or for…
- Wayfarer
That's Qadosh (CaD Ps 99)
I confess that “holy” is a word, and a spiritual concept, that I failed to fully understand, or flat out got wrong, for most of my journey. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
Connected (CaD Ps 98)
Concentric circles. God’s Spirit, God’s creation, God’s love, God’s praise are always pressing outward, reaching out, embracing, pulling in, and sending out…
- Wayfarer
Macro and Micro (CaD Ps 97)
In the quiet this morning, I hear God’s Spirit whispering to my spirit. The Spirit gently reminds me that, in both the macro and the micro, “I’ve got this.” A…
- Wayfarer
New (CaD Ps 96)
Throughout the Great Story, "new" is a repetitive theme. In fact, if you step back and look at the Great Story from a macro level, doing something "new" is a…
- Wayfarer
A Rocky Start (CaD Ps 95)
Greetings from quarantine. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 95. Text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
- Wayfarer
"Just the Way it Works" (CaD Ps 94)
Along my life journey, I've observed that corruption exists everywhere. It exists in governments, business, education, healthcare, and religion. Wherever you…
- Wayfarer
Faith in the Fire (CaD Ps 93)
Following Jesus is a faith journey because it requires me to find assurance in hope that isn’t readily apparent in my present circumstances. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
Rest Sans Rule-Keeping (CaD Ps 92)
Along my spiritual journey, I’ve learned to shun religious rule-keeping and seek those things that promote Life and Spirit. What I’ve learned is that there is…
- Wayfarer
(WW) One Word
This Wayfarer Weekend Podcast: Trivial Pursuit, Naked Tenders, Synergy, Magnanimity, Thomas Aquinas, Kenosis, Quarantine, English Premier League, and Ted Lasso…
- Wayfarer
An Autopsy of My Fears (CaD Ps 91)
One of the observations I've made this year as I've watched and listened is how individuals respond and react to fear. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 91…
- Wayfarer
My First Lesson in Time Management (CaD Ps 90)
I observed how my mentor managed his time in this really cool binder to which he constantly referred. I asked him to teach me about time management. I was…
- Wayfarer
Rug-Pulling Moments (CaD Ps 89)
Today's psalm reminds me of the very human reaction I tend to have whenever life doesn't turn out the way I planned. A chapter-a-day post from Psalm 89. Text…
- Wayfarer
Dark Places (CaD Ps 88)
If you're an angst-filled teenager or a melancholy Enneagram Type Four, then you'll love wallowing in the gloom as the psalmist pens: "The Darkness is my…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Conversations with Life (Part 2)
This week on the Wayfarer Weekend (WW) podcast: The second-half of "Conversations with Life" with Matthew Burch. Sage, friend, therapist, and "one who leads…
- Wayfarer
"Centering Down" (CaD Ps 87)
The editors were metaphorically calling me as a reader to "center down" and come to God's presence in the midst of my distress. What I will find there, the…
- Wayfarer
"Consider it Joy" (Again) [CaD Ps 86]
There are days when I have to be reminded, once again, to consider joy: Surrendering the circumstances of that day in order to reach further up and further in…
- Wayfarer
Stop, and Listen (CaD Ps 85)
In the quiet this morning, I find my heart ruminating once again on this difficult year. Like the writer of Psalm 85, I find myself having to consciously stop…
- Wayfarer
My Heart's Highway (CaD Ps 84)
"One day in your courts" is not about me going to church on Sunday. For followers of Jesus, it is a spiritual pilgrimage of the heart to seek commune with…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Conversations With Life and Matthew Burch (Part 1)
On this Wayfarer Weekend podcast, we welcome Matthew Burch. As a therapist, consultant, and advisor, Matthew believes that everyone is having a conversation…
- Wayfarer
Fight Song (CaD Ps 83)
The fact that I can't comprehend Asaph's realities leads me to extend him some grace as I try to wrap my head around the context of asking God to destroy my…
- Wayfarer
Questions of Justice (CaD Ps 82)
The words of Asaph's song leave me sitting in the quiet this morning thinking about my conversations with family and friends earlier this year. I'm pondering…
- Wayfarer
The Mystery of the Voice (CaD Ps 81)
One of the mysteries of the Great Story is that individuals in the story hear God's voice. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 81. Text version can always be…
- Wayfarer
Meaning in the Metaphor (CaD Ps 80)
As another Christmas approaches, I'm connecting with the least discussed event of that first Christmas. If I miss that connection, then I'm missing the Life…
- Wayfarer
Devastation, Dinosaurs, and Spiritual Development (CaD Ps 79)
Today's psalm is another example of God honoring the need that we have as human beings of expressing our hearts and emotions in the moment, as we have them, no…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Spiritual Formation with Laine Korver (Part 2)
How much do I miss out on because I make assumptions about others? Am I going to hold the people at my class reunion to the people they were 30 years ago? How…
- Wayfarer
Epic Wisdom (CaD Ps 78)
In the quiet this morning, I find myself contemplating my love of history on both a large scale as well as the more intimate history of both my paternal and…
- Wayfarer
One Thing I Always Fail to See (CaD Ps 77)
I don't need to pray for God's presence. I need to pray that God will heal my spiritual blindness. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 77. Text version may be…
- Wayfarer
"It's a Miracle!" (or Not) [CaD Ps 76]
Sometimes the miracle is part of the Great Story (Peter escaping the Jerusalem prison), and sometimes the suffering is part of the Great Story (Peter being…
- Wayfarer
Beginning the End of a Shaky Year (CaD Ps 175)
I have a feeling that most of the collective conversation this year will be a giant good-riddance to 2020 and desperate, hopeful pleas for better times ahead…
- Wayfarer
Child-like Feelings, Child-like Faith (CaD Ps 74)
The fact that Asaph's song made it into the anthology of Hebrew song lyrics tells me that, like a good parent, God understands that sometimes we have to feel…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Spiritual Formation with Laine Korver Part 1
The first half of my conversation with an amazing lady full of joy and wisdom. Laine Korver talks about her own journey and shares her experiences with…
- Wayfarer
Envy: The Pretty Sin (CaD Ps 73)
Pretty sins are shortcomings we largely ignore because we all do it and so there is an unspoken social and spiritual covenant we have with one another to turn…
- Wayfarer
The Day the Music Died (CaD Ps 72)
This is the way. I have spoken. ;-) A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 72. Text version may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.
- Wayfarer
Unseen Choices (CaD Ps 71)
I couldn't help but notice this morning that David's faith, hope, trust, and praise are not the result of his circumstances. David is choosing them despite his…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Enneagram: Types, Arrows, Wings, & Triads (Part 2)
The second part of our conversation with Dr. Karen Cleveland, a clinical psychologist, and a certified Enneagram coach. In Part 2 we talk about "wings" and…
- Wayfarer
"Help!" (CaD Ps 70)
There a certain waypoints on the road of life when all I can muster is a cry for help. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 70. The text version can always be…
- Wayfarer
One Song, Two Stories (CaD Ps 69)
In the quiet this morning I couldn't help but think back on the darkest moments of my own life journey when my sins and mistakes wreaked havoc on my life and…
- Wayfarer
Journey (CaD Ps 68)
Why does "journey" resonate so deeply in me? What is it about the journey that seems to weave itself into the fabric of everything? We even envision time as a…
- Wayfarer
Voices on the Whispering Wind (CaD Ps 67)
In the quiet this morning, I'm listening to voices on the whispering wind. My heart grumbles, but it never grumbles with essential spiritual perspective in…
- Wayfarer
That Story Is My Story (CaD Ps 66)
God uses story because we find a connection to ourselves, our lives, and our stories in the story. A chapter-a-day podcast from Psalm 66. The text version can…
- Wayfarer
(WW) Enneagram: Types, Arrows, Wings, & Triads (Part 1)
On this Wayfarer Weekend, I welcome Dr. Karen Cleveland to the podcast. Karen is a Clinical Psychologist and Certified Enneagram Coach who was a reluctant…
- Wayfarer
Muted by 2020 (CaD Ps 65)
I have a confession to make this morning. As I read through the lyrics of Psalm 65, I found that my weariness of current events has made my heart cynical and…
- Wayfarer
Unraveling (CaD Ps 64)
Every time those obstacles, burdens, critics, detractors, and attacks have my heart and mind twisted up in anxious knots, I have Psalm 64 to remind me what…
- Wayfarer
The Nightwatch (CaD Ps 63)
The "Nightwatch." I've always loved that metaphor. The word picture reminds me that, spiritually speaking, Jesus always pulls the Nightwatch. A chapter-a-day…
- Wayfarer
The Mystery of the Missing Word (CaD Ps 62)
In a world of endangered silence, with ceaseless noise of humanity encroaching on me 24/7/365, I find this morning that I need this mysterious, missing word. A…
- Wayfarer
Postcard Promises (CaD Ps 61)
One of the great things about this chapter-a-day journey and spending my life reading and studying the Great Story is that Jesus words are forever stored on my…
- Wayfarer
(WW) A Wayfarer's Thoughts: Where it's All Going
The most contentious election in recent history in the most strange year of our lifetimes. Where are we headed and where is it all going? Thoughts of a…
- Wayfarer
The "Bitter Defeat Blues" (CaD Ps 60)
From my current waypoint on this Life journey, I find David's song is less about an actual battle than it is about feelings of loss, defeat, and despair. A…
- Wayfarer
Surrounded and Slandered (CaD Ps 59)
Just last night as we lay in bed I expressed to Wendy that all it takes is for me to glance at any social media app right now and feel misunderstood…
- Wayfarer
Getting it Out (CaD Ps 58)
Along this life journey, I've come to acknowledge that I can't avoid anger. Even Jesus got righteously angry, and Paul told the followers of Jesus in Ephesus…
- Wayfarer
Highest Authority (CaD Ps 57)
I find in the story of Saul and David a contrast of attitudes that speaks to the divergent paths of thought and emotion I can take today. In David's song, I…