Tag Archives: Purpose

Chapter-a-Day

My Part in Jesus’ Ministry

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The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Luke 8:38-39 (NIV)

I regularly get addressed as “Pastor Tom” by people locally, even though I have not been on a church staff for 33 years. I do regularly teach among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers, however, and so many people place the label on me. I’m fine with that. I consider it an honor.

When I was a child I had a very narrow definition of God’s purposes and callings. This came, in part, from the denominational paradigm in which I was raised. Humanity was spiritually divided into two camps: clergy and laity. Ministry was a profession and only those in the profession could do certain spiritual things. Laity, or “everyone else” was a catch-all. A layperson might attain to more-or-less spirituality, but you were still not in the rarified air of being a “minister.”

This was childish thinking — and it took me a while to outgrow it.

In today’s chapter, I was struck by all of the people around what Jesus is doing…

  • There’s the twelve, who are without question Jesus’ officially designated disciples.
  • Within the twelve only Peter, James, and John are allowed to go into the house of Jairus to witness the raising of his daughter. These three would regularly be Jesus’ “inner circle” within the Twelve.
  • There were several women in Jesus’ entourage. Luke names three but states there were “many” others supporting Jesus’ ministry operationally and financially.
  • Jesus’ family were also present, and Jesus seems a bit dismissive in today’s chapter, but they will have a large part to play in the Jesus Movement later on. His brother James will lead the Movement in Jerusalem and write the book of James.
  • The demon-possessed man Jesus heals begs Jesus to let him follow, but Jesus sends him with a mission to tell everyone in his hometown all that Jesus had done for him. Proximity to Jesus was obviously not required for participation in His mission.

As I meditated on these things in the quiet this morning, I was struck by the fact that all of these people had a part to play in what Jesus was doing. Jesus needed the support of the ladies in His entourage. He needed people to spread the word about what He’d done for them. He needed disciples, but He also needed a few disciples that He could entrust with more than others.

They all had a purpose.

Each one had a part to play in what God was doing.

Along my journey I’ve continued to observe individuals who still see the Kingdom of God through the binary lens of professional ministry and everyone else. Being in the “everyone else” camp causes some people to feel diminished regarding God’s purpose for their lives — like they’re sitting in the cheap seats in the Kingdom while others get called onto the field. I’ve observed that some feel it exempts them from even considering things of the Spirit.

Dr. Mary Neal had an extraordinary Near Death Experience she shares in her book To Heaven and Back. She was physically dead for several minutes and experienced going to heaven. In that experience she shared how she was shown how things she had said and done had a ripple effect in the lives of people all over the world. Even her mistakes and failures had redemptive impact in the lives and stories of others in ways she could never have fathomed.

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that every one is a part of the “body” of Christ. We may be different parts. We may operate in very different systems required to make a healthy body function. Like each person in today’s chapter, everyone has a part to play in what God is doing. Peter had a part to play. So did Joanna. So did the man healed from demon possession. Each was very different, but all were part of God’s operation.

It begins with…
A loving gesture
A kind word
Peace in my posture
Joy in my smile
A gentle response
Patience with that annoying person
Faithfully doing what I’ve been asked or have promised
Doing a good deed when the opportunity presents itself

If I focus on these things, God will use me in ways I can’t even fathom for purposes I may never realize this side of heaven.

No theology degree or ministerial certificate required.

Take it from Pastor Tom.

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

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These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
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Chapter-a-Day

“Because You Were Foreigners”

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/197CLi9z4WqJ7VPm9awLgX?si=39wNyYaNSOedb18SahiMHQ

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (NIV)

I dropped my car off to be serviced yesterday. I was given a ride home and had a very enjoyable conversation with the young man who was tasked with driving me. He was raised in a very different place and culture and was obviously getting used to the quirks of living in a community built by Dutch settlers. He asked if I was from Pella.

I laughed.

With the last name Vander Well, I told him that he had made a safe assumption. Then I informed him that when I moved into the community over 20 years ago, it was obvious that everyone who was from Pella knew that Vander Well is not a Pella Dutch name. My great-grandfather settled in northwest Iowa.

I am of the third generation of a Dutch immigrant in America. I live in a community settled and created by Dutch immigrants. As I’ve studied the history of the great Dutch migration in the 19th century and the history of our community, I’ve discovered a double-edged sword.

On one hand, there is a lot for which to be grateful. There is a legacy of faith, industriousness, frugality, and pride. These are the foundation of an amazing community and heritage we perpetually honor and celebrate. On the other edge of the sword is self-righteousness religiosity, legalism, judgement, and prejudice. I’ve heard many painful stories. Individuals outcast and ostracized. Divisions leading to hatred and resentment. Outsiders unwelcome.

Welcome to humanity.

Moses is leading a similarly human people, which is why in yesterday’s chapter he reminded them three times that God’s choosing them and giving them the Promised Land was not because they earned it or deserved it. Quite the opposite, they had perpetually proven themselves stubborn, whiny, ungrateful, disobedient, and faithless. Which is why today’s chapter is so powerful.

God tells Moses to chisel out two stone tablets to replace the ones he’d smashed. It’s God saying, “Come back up the mountain. I’ll make you a copy of the Ten Words. Oh, and bring a box, an ark, to provide a womb for my Words.”

Second chances. Their brokenness and failure does not negate God’s love, His covenant, or His gracious faithfulness. He is going with them. He will live among them, smack-dab in the middle of their camp. He will fulfill His plans for them, work His purposes through them, and deliver on His promises to give them possession of the land. All this despite them being stubborn, whiny, ungrateful, disobedient, and faithless.

This is the gospel before the Gospel.

The chapter then shifts. In light of God’s grace and mercy what does He ask of His people?

This is the heart of God and the heartbeat of His Great Story. This chapter is what Jesus channels and quotes repeatedly.

Circumcise your hearts. This isn’t about religious observation, but about transformation of spirit that leads to grateful love of God and the tangible love of others.

Love God. Love others. Jesus said those two commands summed up the whole of the Law of Moses.

Then God reminds His people – again – that if they are going to truly love others they need to love the ones He loves. The orphan. The widow. The outcast. The foreigner. The immigrant. The outsider.

Moses is building on zachor – moral memory – that flowed through yesterday’s chapter. God whispers: “Remember your chains. Remember your story – your history – being foreigners and slaves in the land of another people. Treat foreigners among you with the love, grace, and hospitality you wished Egypt had shown you. Be different. Follow my ways, not the ways of the world.”

As I meditated on these things in the quiet this morning, I was amazed at how much it resonated with our current culture and headlines. Borders, immigration, ICE raids, deportations, foreigners, and migrant workers fill never ending news cycles. Ancient Hebrews. 19th century Dutch settlers. 21st century foreigners and immigrants. What goes around comes around.

Welcome to humanity.

I don’t control national policy. I live far from my country’s borders. But, I can take to heart what God asks of me. The very thing He asked of His people through Moses. Love Him. Love others. Especially those who aren’t like me.

As we pulled into the driveway of our home, I thanked my young chauffeur sincerely. I wished him well. He was from a very different place, a very different people, and a very different heritage. He was a fine young man. I liked him a lot. He’s going to do really well here in our community. We’re fortunate he’s here, even if his name makes it obvious that he’s not from around here.

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

Promotional graphic for Tom Vander Well's Wayfarer blog and podcast, featuring icons of various podcast platforms with a photo of Tom Vander Well.
These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
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Chapter-a-Day

Comforted to be a Comfort

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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

I was in the middle of one of the most intense times of pressure I’ve ever experience in my entire life. Amidst the pressure cooker, I sat down with a wise man of God I’d never personally spoken to before. I shared with him my present circumstances and my emotions. He was kind in listening. I was then surprised when he didn’t really comment on my circumstances or my troubled heart. He simply and gently said, “Someday, you are going to encounter someone who is going through similar circumstances. When that happens, God is going to use you to walk with them through it.”

Just five years later, his prophetic words came true.

Over the past few years, our local gathering of believers has gone through a major season of leadership transition. As part of the change, a major undertaking took place to articulate our mission in this next season. It goes like this: “Every one, every day, helping one another experience life-giving freedom in Jesus.”

I’ve spent a lot of time meditating on this mission statement, and it came to mind this morning as I read the opening of Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth. Paul had been in a season of intense troubles. So intense, in fact, that he says he despaired of life itself. Yet, amidst these troubles he says that he learned not to rely on his own personal resources, but to rely on “the God of all comfort.” He also shares that the experience of divine comfort amidst life’s troubles had the divine purpose of helping others when they are going through similar troubles.

“Someday, you are going to encounter someone who is going through similar circumstances. When that happens, God is going to use you to walk with them through it.”

In the quiet this morning, I’m thinking back to the intensity of that season of life and am grateful that it is now a distant memory. I’m thinking about the life-long friend I made when I found myself helping another person through similar troubles. I’m mindful that he, in turn, has similarly helped others through similar circumstances. This is how the body of believers is designed to operate.

“Every one, every day, helping one another experience life-giving freedom in Jesus.”

I’ve learned along my life journey that there are spiritual purposes in the pains I experience. Navigating trials, troubles, and difficult circumstances are requisites for spiritual maturity. The purpose doesn’t end with my spiritual maturity, however. That is just the beginning. As I experience God’s grace, comfort, peace, joy, and faithfulness through difficult seasons, I am equipped and called to help others do the same.

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

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

Needed Words

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“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Mark 16:6-7 (NIV)

Wendy and I read an article over the weekend in The Free Press about The Absurd Genius of Netflix Christmas Films. Apparently, Netflix has been producing an entire genre of Christmas themed romantic comedies aimed specifically at the Millennial generation. Hot Frosty?! Yes, it’s what you think, and you don’t want to know. No thank you. I enjoy a number of modern Christmas movies, but I’ll always be an It’s a Wonderful Life kind of guy.

In my lifetime, the Christmas movie genre has become a thing. Yes, there were a handful of classic Christmas movies that played annually on the four broadcast television channels we could get in home growing up. But then cable television became a thing with tons of channels looking for Christmas programming to attract viewers, including the Hallmark Channel. You might not know it, but no one had really heard or remembered It’s a Wonderful Life when I was a kid. It took on a life of its own because it had fallen into obscurity and no one claimed the rights to it at that time. This meant that every cable channel could broadcast it for free, and they did. For a few years it was on every channel all the time. Between that and the invention of home video cassette recorders, millions rediscovered the movie for the classic it is. Everyone today knows the story of George Bailey, and that’s a good thing.

I have a file in a drawer in my office. In this file are words of encouragement I’ve received from people across my life journey. I keep the cards, hand written notes, postcards, and the like because one of the things I’ve learned about myself across the years is that I have a penchant for occasionally spiraling into a pessimistic funk. People are always surprised to learn this, but you can ask Wendy. It’s a thing. Like George Bailey, I start to think that nothing I do in this life really matters. It’s funny to even write that sentence because it sounds silly and dramatic enough to be in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Still, that’s the point. I occasionally need a reminder that my feelings are silly and dramatic, and the words in that file folder remind me of that. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually opened that file, but I know it’s there.

I thought of this in the quiet this morning because I noticed that when the angel announces to the three women that Jesus had risen from the dead, Mark records that the angel says, “tell his disciples, and Peter.”

When we last saw Peter in the story a couple of chapters ago, the rooster had just crowed. Peter’s rock solid commitment to be loyal to Jesus to the death had crumbled into three fear-driven lies. He claimed he didn’t even know Jesus.

It’s not hard for me to imagine Peter’s shame. He was the man Jesus had appointed leader of The Twelve. Peter was one of Jesus trusted inner circle. Jesus depended on Peter. It was Jesus who turned “Simon” into “Peter, the rock.” When it came to the crucial moment when Peter assumed that Jesus needed him the most, “the rock” turned out to be pea gravel. He failed the test. His faith in Jesus turned out to be a sham, and Jesus’ faith in him was all for nothing. At least, I can imagine Peter muttering that to himself.

Then, the angel names Peter specifically. Tell the disciples and Peter.

Peter, this isn’t finished.

Peter, don’t think for a second that you’ve been relieved of duty.

Peter, meet Jesus in Galilee. He needs to have a word with you.

Life is a marathon, and along the way I believe every person hits the wall, not just once, but multiple times. Along the race, we need occasional reminders like Clarence provided George, like the words in that file folder in the drawer behind me, like the angel gave Peter through the ladies at Jesus’ empty tomb.

I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am taking a break from this chapter-a-day journey for the rest of the holiday season, and will see you back here, Lord willing, in 2025. If you need a fix, please remember there’s an entire archive of past posts on the website at: https://tomvanderwell.com/2019/09/02/chapter-a-day-posts-by-book/

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

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!

Chapter-a-Day

Made for More

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Made for More (CaD Ezk 15) – Wayfarer

“Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?”
Ezekiel 15:2-3 (NIV)

I come from a family of carpenters and craftsmen. My father has my great-grandfather’s tool box. My grandfather told us that his father began by making wooden dowels by hand that were used as fasteners before metal nails and screws were widely available. It is believed that he worked his way up to building boats and ships before he came to the States. He worked as a carpenter before starting his own Hardware Store.

For the record, I did not inherit those genes. Though I have spent a lifetime around my father who can still make just about anything out of available scraps of wood that happen to be lying around. And, I’ve watched my brother, a luthier, turn different types of wood into fine handmade guitars.

In today’s chapter, God gives Ezekiel a prophetic metaphor in which God’s people in Jerusalem are compared to a vine. It’s interesting to note that both Isaiah (5:1-6) and Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah (2:21), also use the same vine metaphor. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah describe God’s disappointment with His “vineyard” not producing good fruit. Ezekiel, on the other hand, expresses that the vine is utterly useless. To his point, my father could not use the wood of the vine to craft a frame for his stained-glass, nor could my brother make a guitar out of it. Therefore, if the vine is fruitless it is useless except to be used as fuel on a fire.

When Jesus arrived on the scene, He takes the metaphor of the vine to another level. He tells us that He is “the True Vine” and as His disciple, I am a branch on that Vine. The goal is the same as it ever was: to bear the good fruit of God’s Spirit which is love in all of its facets. Jesus then talks of me being pruned along the life-cycle in order to produce more pure, deep, and abundant love. I only become useless if I produce no fruit and am cut-off from the Vine. Then, Jesus says, the outcome is the same that Zeke proclaims: the burn pile.

The truth on which the vine metaphor is established is that I was made with a purpose, just as God called His people with a purpose. I’m not useless. I’m called to be a life-giving organism producing the fruit of love and bringing God’s Kingdom to earth through that love. When I remain connected to the True Vine, I allow the Living Water from the root structure to flow through my branch and leaves spreading all of the vital nutrients of Word, prayer, relationship, and witness to have its life-giving, fruit-producing effect. The prophetic warning only comes if and when I fail to interact with the Vine. Then I will slowly, day-by-day, decision-by-decision, step-by-step, spiritually dry-up. My leaves wither. There is no joy, or peace, or love.

As I head into a new work week, I am thankful for purpose. I was lovingly made. I am grafted into a True Vine. I am called to produce the fruit of God’s Spirit, and thus bring God’s Kingdom to every one, every day.

Yesterday, Wendy and I spent time in worship with our local gathering of Jesus’ followers. We sang a song that welled up in my head and heart as I meditated on these things. I share it with you as I head into my day. May I always be mindful that I was made for more.

I wasn’t made to be tending a grave
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again
I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way
I know I am Yours
And I was made for more

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

Chapter-a-Day

Unexpected

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Unexpected (CaD Ezk 1) – Wayfarer

In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezekiel 1:1 (NIV)

Life wasn’t going as planned for Ezekiel. Born into a priestly family, his road in life was as straight and flat as an Interstate 80 in western Nebraska. He would spend his life studying in preparation for his 30th birthday when he would enter the priesthood and begin his priestly duties in the Temple in Jerusalem.

So much for that.

At the age of 26, the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem and young Ezekiel was among those forced to make the long 900-mile march to Babylon where he lives in exile with thousands of his people. His momentous 30th birthday arrives, but everything he’s planned for his entire life is gone. There will be no priestly duties in the Temple, which is almost a thousand miles away. Ezekiel finds himself sitting aimlessly by the Kebar River in Babylon. What’s a priest to do living in a foreign land with no Temple in which to perform his duties?

Then, unexpectedly, God shows up.

Today’s inaugural chapter of Ezekiel records the young priest’s first God-given vision, and boy is it a doozy. As I read it in the quiet this morning, I was reminded of a friend in college who described to me what it was like to drop acid. Ezekiel sees some pretty funky-looking creatures. But when you start thinking about the metaphorical meaning and looking at it in the context of the Great Story, it begins to make a lot of sense.

Ezekiel is not alone in receiving visions of God’s throne room. Isaiah had one. The entirety of John’s Revelation is one long vision in God’s throne room. There are many similarities. The number four represents completeness, so four angelic beings (aka Cherubim) with four sides/faces represent the ability to attend to things from all sides. The animals represented are about God’s glory and strength. The intersecting wheels allow for movement in all four directions and the eyes around the rims allow for seeing everything, from every direction. Together, they represent complete attendance to and service of God. Then there’s the Light, the incomparable power and brightness of the light. The “vault” between the cherubim and the throne is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis to describe God separating the waters above from the waters below. In other words, the throne is elevated above and beyond the creatures. It is holy.

Ezekiel may be a thousand miles from the Temple, but he is given a front-row seat in God’s Throne Room. Like Ezekiel, I have discovered along my own life journey that my plans are not always God’s plan.

Ezekiel’s life and prophecies are built upon the foundational theme of exile. It has been argued that exile is the predominant theme of the Great Story. Humanity is exiled from the Garden at the beginning of Genesis and restored into fellowship with God at the end of Revelation. Jesus left heaven to live, teach, suffer, and die in exile on Earth. Joseph was exiled to Egypt, then the Hebrews were exiled to Egypt, and even Jesus was exiled to Egypt. The Jesus movement spread throughout the Roman world in part because persecution drove the early believers into exile. Exile is everywhere in the Great Story.

And, I find that to be a great theme for my own earthly journey. There are seasons of my life that felt like exile because I, like the Prodigal Son, made choices that put me there. In other cases, there were seasons of life when I found myself in places I never expected to be because of circumstances that were largely out of my control. Just like Ezekiel.

The message of Ezekiel is, however, a hopeful one. Ezekiel may be in exile, but God is right there with him. He may not be a priest in the Temple, but God’s got a job for Zeke as His prophet in exile. I also noted as I meditated on this in the quiet this morning that Zeke is not alone. Right up the Babylonian road is a guy named Daniel along with his friends Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego. They’re living in the same exile, and God has some big plans for using them, too. Despite his feelings of displacement, confusion, and isolation, Zeke is not alone, and he’s right where God has purposed for him to be to accomplish His will.

When I find myself in unexpected places, God shows up in unexpected ways.

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

Chapter-a-Day

To Appeal, or Not?

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To Appeal, or Not? (Cad Acts 25) – Wayfarer

“If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
Acts 25:11 (NIV)

Paul has been imprisoned for two years. He had been a political blue-chip for the Roman Governor, Felix, who wanted to stay on the good side of the Jewish rulers who wanted Paul dead. Paul gave him leverage. Felix gets recalled to Rome and a new Governor named Festus arrives. As Festus gets the political lay of the land, he quickly understands that the trial and fate of Paul is a political hot potato.

Festus begins with a political gesture to his Jewish constituents by traveling to Jerusalem to visit them on their home turf for a little over a week. Obviously, there were a number of political issues to discuss, but Paul’s fate was certainly on the list of Jewish demands.

Upon arriving back in his seat of power in Caesarea, Festus convenes the court and brings in Paul to hear Paul plead his case. Festus, still in a conciliatory mood with the powerful Jewish faction under his rule, asks Paul if he’s willing to be tried by the Governor in Jerusalem.

In this moment, Paul makes a decision that will seal his fate and determine the rest of his earthly journey. We know that Jesus had appeared to Paul and told him he must testify about Him in Rome (Acts 23:11). It is entirely possible that Paul was afraid that the new Governor, clearly trying to appease the Jewish rulers, would take him to Jerusalem and hand him over to them. To ensure that he would testify in Rome, Paul used his legal right under Roman law to appeal his case to Caesar in Rome itself. In doing so, Paul ties Festus’ hands politically. Festus is bound by duty to send Paul to Rome.

Along my life journey, I have encountered followers of Jesus who believe that God has called them to do this or that. Subsequently, I have watched individuals try to make it happen. In some cases, the results have been disastrous, much like Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It has left me believing that if God’s purpose is for me to go here or there and do this or that, then nothing can stop it from happening.

Was Paul’s appeal to Rome necessary or not? If God wanted Paul to testify in Rome, could/should Paul have trusted that God would see to it he won his trial in Jerusalem so he could travel to Rome of his own free will? Was his appeal to Caesar an act of obedience or an act of doubt? We’ll never know.

I have found along the way that God’s purposes and my free will are a lot like the mysterious circle dance of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in which One is Three and Three are One. There’s a tension. On one hand I can be too passive and think I’m trusting God to make things happen. On the other hand, I can willfully try too hard to make things happen and think I’m being obedient to what God has purposed for me.

Life is a bit like the Waverunner we have at the lake. If you don’t have your finger on the accelerator and are propelling yourself forward, you can’t steer the thing. My part is to willfully and obediently walk in discipleship (propelling myself spiritually forward). Then, I can trust God to steer me where He ultimately purposes for me to be.

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

Chapter-a-Day

Pain’s Propulsion

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Pain's Propulsion (CaD Acts 8) – Wayfarer

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Acts 8:1 (NIV)

This year marks a couple of anniversaries for my family and me.

January 1 was the 135th anniversary of my great-grandfather Vander Well’s arrival at Ellis Island. He arrived on the Holland America Line, though I suspect his ship wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the HAL Eurodam that Wendy and I enjoyed a couple of months ago. He was traveling by himself. It is believed that the death of his father, followed by his mother’s marriage to an older man who’d once been her teacher, angered him enough to leave his family and emigrate to America as a young man all by himself. It’s wild for me to think how fleeing his family’s issues changed life for both himself and his descendants.

This year is also the 20th anniversary of my move to Pella from Des Moines, which is my hometown. To be honest, moving to Pella was not my idea, nor did I initially want to make the move. The reasons for doing so are intertwined with no longer important issues in my first marriage. Like my great-grandfather, it was family issues that propelled the move. It is wild for me to think just how much the move to Pella has changed the course of my life, ultimately for the positive, in so many ways. At this point, I can’t imagine ever leaving Pella.

In today’s chapter, the resentment of the Jewish Temple establishment finally spills over against the growing Jesus Movement. With the stoning of Stephen, the Temple rulers began a crackdown in which believers in Jerusalem were sought out, arrested, and thrown in prison. As a result, many believers fled Jerusalem to find refuge in other towns throughout Judea and Samaria.

What’s fascinating is to reflect back on Jesus’ commission to the first disciples before His ascension: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus made it clear to His disciples that the mission was to spread out from Jerusalem, through Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Yet, through the first seven chapters of Acts, there’s no evidence that the Apostles and the exploding number of new believers had any intention of leaving Jerusalem. In fact, as the persecution breaks out, the Apostles (Jesus’ original disciples) stay in Jerusalem while the other believers flee. Were they waiting for Jesus to send them instructions? Whatever the reason, today’s chapter makes it evident that it was persecution that moved believers with Jesus’ message to Judea and Samaria as Jesus originally intended.

Along my own life journey, I’ve learned that God sometimes uses difficult circumstances to propel me to the place I’m supposed to be, where God has purposes for me I could never have known or expected. When unexpected and uncomfortable events arise, I have to remember that God may ultimately have purposes for me in the pain that I couldn’t possibly imagine.

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

Chapter-a-Day

“The One Thing”

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"The One Thing" (CaD Jhn 20) – Wayfarer

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
John 20:30 (NIV)

For a number of years, I was tasked by my local gathering of Jesus’ followers to mentor several individuals who were developing their preaching skills. It was a fun challenge, and I think I probably learned more than my protégés.

One of the things that I stressed to my charges was the importance of determining what I called “the one thing.” I encouraged them to identify “the one thing” they wanted listeners to hear and remember when they walked away.

“The one thing” is helpful in three key ways. First, it helps in developing the content by giving me a clear goal: “I want my listeners to walk away having clearly heard this one thing. So, how am I going to get there? Next, it helps to keep the message lean and on point. If I review my content and find that a certain point or illustration doesn’t really help to communicate “the one thing,” I cut it out. Third, I can be very clear with my listeners in my delivery. Sometimes I will even say, “If you hear one thing from my message this morning, I want you to hear this…”

In writing his account of Jesus’ story, John has been selective and structured in choosing the events and episodes to share. The same is true of his account of Jesus’ resurrection.

In today’s chapter, John chooses to share four quick episodes.

Early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene arrives to tell Peter and John that Jesus’ body is missing. They run to the tomb to find Jesus’ linen grave clothes neatly folded, but Jesus’ body missing. John says of his anonymous self, “He saw and believed.”

Peter and John return to where they were staying, but Mary Magdalene remains at the grave where a very alive Jesus appears to her.

Sunday evening, Jesus’ disciples (without Thomas) are together behind locked doors. Jesus suddenly appears among them.

One week later, the disciples are once more together behind locked doors. This time, Thomas is present. Jesus again appears among them. He invites Thomas to put his finger in the nail wounds on his hands, his hand in the spear wound on his side. Thomas believes, and Jesus states “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”

John then shares his “one thing” when he writes: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

In looking back at the resurrection episodes John chooses to share while being mindful of his “one thing” I can see why he chose to share the episodes he did:

John was at the empty tomb. He didn’t see Jesus, but with the empty tomb he “saw and believed.” He didn’t see the risen Christ, but already believed.

Mary saw the risen Jesus. John wants his readers to know that it wasn’t a conspiracy of “The Twelve.” Others saw the risen Jesus, talked to Him, and touched Him.

Jesus appeared to the disciples, but Thomas doubted until Jesus provided physical proof that it was Him. When Jesus shares, “blessed are those who have not see yet have believed,” John is leading his readers to the “one thing.” We, his readers, are among those who “have not seen” and he wants us to believe.

In the quiet this morning, I am mindful of the season of Lent in which believers annually walk with Jesus to the cross on Good Friday and run with John and Peter to the empty tomb on Easter Sunday. It is a time of reflection on the “one thing” of our faith: that Jesus sacrificed Himself for my sins, died on a cross, and was resurrected on the third day. This morning I glanced back on over forty years of believing in and following Jesus. Time and life have not diminished my belief. They have honed it.

I have not seen the risen Christ, but I have experienced His indwelling. I have heard His Spirit in my spirit. I have experienced His moving and working in my life so many times and in so many ways. And, I believe that I will see Him when this earthly journey is over. I’m reminded of Paul’s words to the believers in Corinth:

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

Until then, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I’m back on Facebook for those who liked to read my chapter-a-day posts there! Facebook refuses to give me access to my old, hacked account, but I have started a new account. Please feel free to search for me on Facebook and friend me. If Facebook won’t let you friend me, please go to my Facebook profile and “Message” me on Facebook Messenger, which should then allow me to friend you. Cheers! -Tom

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Chapter-a-Day

Grounded for Good

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“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness
    and speak tenderly to her.”
Hosea 2:14 (NIV)

As a parent, I was always mindful of the fact that I wanted punishment to be reserved for times when our girls needed to learn something. I’ve observed that some parents use punishment almost as a preemptive weapon to exert control out of perpetual attitude of distrust. I saved punishment for a lesson when an infraction had undoubtedly occurred and our daughters needed to feel the consequences of firm and loving discipline.

I only remember grounding one of our daughters once. Taylor was in high school. A night out with the gang got out of hand. Curfew was broken and it was clear that some unwise decisions had been made. I imposed a week’s grounding, telling Taylor that she was to be home other than when she was at school or work. There was no argument. She knew she was busted.

Wendy and I still laugh about that week. It was one of the most enjoyable weeks of parenting in all of Taylor’s adolescence. She offered to help with meals each night and learn a few things in the kitchen. She asked if we could go for walks together after school, which led to good conversations. It was obvious that she’d decided that if she had to be grounded for a week she was going to make the best of it. She turned a curse into a blessing.

I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to wade into Hosea’s prophecies against ancient Israel to compare them with his immediate predecessor, Amos. Amos was all angry protest songs, doom and judgement, and words that bite. One of the fascinating things about the prophet Hosea is the way that he consistently, in the midst of pronouncing God’s judgement on ancient Israel, follows up words of judgement with words of hope.

Hosea’s overarching metaphor is that of marriage. God is the bridegroom and His people, Israel, are the bride. She, however, has been unfaithful and has worshipped other gods. God likens this to promiscuity and adultery. So, punishment is coming. She will be taken captive and sent into exile. It’s not going to be pretty. It’s going to be hard.

But then Hosea follows it up by reminding Israel that it was in the wilderness after God led them out of slavery in Egypt and was leading her to the promised land, that they were first metaphorically “betrothed.” God’s punishment of exile is not meant for harm, but for an opportunity. In the wilderness of exile, God hopes to woo the heart of his bride. His goal is not destruction but restoration, not pain but the pursuit of love.

In the quiet this morning, I’m reminded of the fact that this life journey is fraught with difficult times and painful places. Despite what many believe, God never promised to deliver us from the difficulties and pain. In fact, Jesus assured us that it would be our earthly reality. What God did promise, however, was that if we approach the difficulties and pain with faith and joy, we will find that pain produces perseverance, hard times produce hope, and bad circumstances unearth unlooked for blessings.

Note to my regular readers: I’m out next week with an intense work and travel schedule. I plan to return on Monday, November 13. If you need a fix, feel free to visit the chapter-a-day index by book, where you can click on the icon of any book listed and it will provide you with an index page of all the posts from that book. Just click on the photo for each/any chapter and it will bring up the post. Cheers!

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