Tag Archives: Pace

“Right in Front of You”

April 13, 2026 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.
Luke 19:11 (NIV)

There is an art to storytelling.

In novels and in movies, and in the spoken word there is a structure to a well-told story that sucks listeners in, keeps them on the edge of their seats, and leaves them wanting more.

With the advent of streaming and binging entire seasons of television shows it easier than ever to see that writers structure an entire season of episodes like one giant story.

I have always said that all good stories are a reflection of the Great Story.

God is the Master Storyteller.

Luke is a careful apprentice—watching, learning, and telling the story with intention.

He sees the story of Jesus, and he is writing it capably.

One of the hallmarks of a good story is that as the narrative moves towards the climax, the pace of the story speeds up.

Things happen quickly.
Conflicts rise.
Tension builds.

Back in chapter 9 Luke informed us that Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He did so knowing that He would be arrested, tried, and executed. He predicted plainly… twice.

Over the next 9 chapters Luke slowly introduces the conflict with the prominent religious leaders. Jesus’ teachings and parables only stoke the flames of that conflict.

The religious establishment wants a king who conquers.
Jesus insists on a kingdom that transforms.

Jesus repeatedly frustrates them with His description of God’s Kingdom, and criticizes them for their inability to see it or accept it.

Today’s chapter. There’s movement here. Urgency. A heartbeat that quickens as Jesus draws closer to Jerusalem… and everything starts to come to a head.

The chapter unfolds like a series of charged moments:

In Jericho, a wealthy, compromised man named Zacchaeus climbs a tree just to see Jesus—and ends up being seen instead.
Scandalous. Not that Zacchaeus sought Jesus—but that Jesus wanted Zacchaeus. Salvation doesn’t wait for you to clean up. It invites itself into your messy house and sits down at your table like it owns the place.
Jesus tells a parable about servants entrusted with money (the minas), exposing what we do with what we’ve been given while the King is away. The minas aren’t just about stewardship—they’re about loyalty in the waiting. What I do with what God has placed in my hands—my influence, my voice, my time—isn’t neutral. It reveals my heart.
Then comes the triumphal entry—Jesus rides into Jerusalem as a king… but not the kind anyone expected.
Not on a war horse like the religious establishment wants, but a colt. This isn’t power, or intimidation, or conquest…peace. But don’t mistake gentleness for weakness. This King knows exactly who He is… and exactly where He’s going.
And finally, He weeps over the city and clears the temple, confronting a people who missed what was right in front of them.
A haunting moment as Jesus looks at Jerusalem… and cries. Not because He’s rejected. Because they didn’t recognize “the time of God’s coming.” They were looking for God… and missed Him when He stood right in front of them. And the temple cleansing isn’t random anger—it’s surgical. The establishment has turned God’s house into a cash cow of commerce. Religion without presence, activity without intimacy, noise without God — and Jesus won’t have it.

Today’s chapter is about recognition… and the tragedy of missing it.

Here’s where the chapter leans in close… and Holy Spirit whispers something uncomfortably personal.

“Tom? You’re in this story.”

Sometimes I’m Zacchaeus—curious, hungry, hiding in the branches, hoping to see without being seen.
Sometimes I’m the cautious servant—playing it safe, burying what I’ve been given because risk feels… well… risky.
Sometimes I’m a face in the crowd—cheering Jesus when it’s exciting, missing Him when it’s inconvenient.
And sometimes… I’m Jerusalem.

Busy.
Religious.
Close.

And still missing Him.

In the quiet this morning, I’m reminded that God’s Kingdom starts with me. Jesus always begins at the one-on-one relationship.

Not in theory.

Not in theology.

But in the quiet nudge…
The inconvenient interruption…
The invitation that feels a little too personal, a little too close for comfort…

Because Jesus still walks through every town like Jericho.

He still looks up into trees.

He still calls names.

And He still says, “I’m coming to your house today.”

When He does?

Things get rearranged.

Tables flip.
Priorities shift.
Wallets open.
Hearts soften.

And salvation doesn’t just pass by—

It moves in…
kicks off its shoes…
and stays awhile.

I am taking a couple of days off. See you on Thursday.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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Chapter-a-Day

Worthwhile Things Take Time

October 3, 2014 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

From thought to reality in less than a year.

[Solomon] had spent seven years building [the temple]. 1 Kings 6:38b

Worthwhile things take time.

In the nearly 50 years of my lifetime I believe the greatest change in our culture has been the speed with which we live our lives. Our technological age has pushed the envelope of speed in nearly every area of life.

When I was a kid, I delivered the afternoon edition of the Des Moines newspaper on four square blocks up Madison Avenue from Lawnwoods Drive to Lower Beaver Road, south to Douglas Avenue and then back up Lawnwoods catching the side streets of Garden, Seneca, and Fleming Avenues in between. There were two papers printed each day back then to get more news out to the public faster. News traveled at the speed that my eleven year old feet could carry it in Chuck Taylor high-tops.

When I got home, I read the newspaper myself. I was always fascinated by the small “blurbs” that newspaper editors used to fill space on the page. “Blurbs” were small articles just a sentence or two long. Usually, it was a news story from the far reaches of the world that had little relevance to anyone in Des Moines such as a massive earthquake that struck a remote province in China.

Today, my phone would notify me of that same earthquake minutes after it happened with links to photos, videos and eyewitness reports. Suddenly, everything that happens is newsworthy and we are aware of everything that happens in an instant. Everything happens faster than before. Things get old quicker. Things are obsolete almost as quickly as you purchase them. Fads come and go in a day (remember the “Harlem Shake?”).

Today, I’m thinking about Solomon’s seven year effort to build the temple, and thinking about the house that Wendy and I are watching emerge from a vision in our heads to reality in less than a year. I’m thinking about some of the great building projects of history that spanned generations, and I wonder what it was like for a craftsman to dedicate his whole life to a building project that he knew he would never see completed.

I love all that that technology has afforded us. I love that I can have a coffee date with Taylor in Scotland via FaceTime. I love that Madison can text me from whichever airport she happens to be in at any moment and I can instantly communicate with her from anywhere. And yet, I am aware that having the world at our fingertips 24/7/365 has not made us better people, nor wiser, nor more satisfied.

Worthwhile things take time, but we increasingly steal time from our lives in search of worthwhile things.

Chapter-a-Day

Simple Pleasures

September 10, 2014 Tom Vander Well 7 Comments

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God…. Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NIV)

Wendy and I are decluttering our house in preparation to sell. With it we are going through a decade of stuff. I’ve found it fascinating to go through my drawers and discover the old cell phone covers, web cams, computer software and other sundry technology do-dads that have accumulated over a decade of living here. Things that were cutting edge technology necessities just a few years ago are woefully obsolete and seem almost silly today.

I’m struck by the pace with which technology amps up the world around us. Always connected to our network, we have things pushed, tweeted, shared, linked, texted, e-mailed, and messaged to us non-stop. Personally, I love all the good things that technology affords us. Last night we had a 42 minute video chat with Taylor from her dorm room at the University of Edinburg. She’s in SCOTLAND and we got to see her sweet face, read her expressions, and take a tour of her dorm room. How cool is that?

At the same time, I wonder what effect this is all having on us as humans. In a world that is always pushing the envelope for greater highs, faster speeds, the latest, the greatest, the newest, the coolest, I increasingly believe that there is something to be said for finding contentment in simple pleasures. I think wise King Solomon’s ancient words may be more relevant today than ever.

Simple pleasures I enjoy:

A good food, good wine, and dinner conversation that goes on for hours.
Sitting on the deck at the lake with Wendy (and family/friends!) as the sun goes down (even better if sipping a cold pint and smoking a Davidoff cigar).
Scoring a baseball game as I listen to it on the radio.
Playing a guitar and terrorizing the neighbors with my singing on the back porch.
Reading a good spy novel in bed before I turn out the lights.
Hot coffee, pondering a chapter, and quiet heart conversation with God in the early morning.
Watching a sunrise, a sunset, or a big harvest moon rise.
Reading an actual newspaper in the morning with Wendy, and solving the world’s problems together (If the world leaders would only stop by and listen to our wisdom, what a better world we’d live in!) 🙂
Discussions with Wendy like the one we had in the car the other day in which we considered traitors as an archetype. If a seemingly good character betrays a good cause he or she is a traitor/villain and is guilty of treason. If an evil character betrays evil, is it always an act of redemption? What a great conversation.

What simple pleasures motivate you to unplug and enjoy?