Tag Archives: Search

Carry On

June 11, 2015 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:26-27 (NRSV)

A few weeks ago Wendy and I were driving through Des Moines and she was handling the DJ duties on the radio. Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas came on and we rocked out to it together. A flood of memories came rushing back to me. As a boy, Kansas was my favorite rock group and I wore out the needle on my cheap record player with their albums and 45s.

One of the things that I remember loving about Kansas was the meaning I found in their lyrics. Kansas was the first group that I remember truly paying attention to the lyrics and in Kerry Livgren’s spiritual groping I found a kindred spirit.

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man,
Well, it surely means that I don’t know

On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about, I’m like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune,
But I hear the voices say

Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more no!

As I read Paul’s message to the people of Athens, my memory was suddenly stirred to my days of spiritual groping, setting my soul’s course to seek after God in song lyrics and wherever else I might find a hint of God’s presence. As Paul testified, I eventually found that God was not as far from me as I thought. It was a cold February night in 1981 that I opened my heart and began my relationship with Jesus. I stopped groping for Him and started growing in Him. I’ve been carrying on ever since. At times I merely stumble along, but I keep pressing forward none the less.

If you’re groping, carry on. He is not as far as you think.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Psalm 43

October 23, 2012 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

There I will go to the altar of God,
to God—the source of all my joy.
Psalm 43:4a (NLT)

When it comes to giving gifts to our little friends, Wendy and I like to give books. It’s become kind of a thing with us in recent years as the number friends with small children proliferates. We’ve seen the frustration in parents eyes at birthday parties and at Christmas time. Their kids open yet another buzzy, blinky, beeping toy which will hold their child’s attention for a short time while increasing the din of noise pollution in their home to levels the EPA would condemn as hazardous to human sanity. Books, on the other hand, tend to become treasured keepsakes. They promote togetherness and family time. They entertain and inspire over and over and over again.

A few years ago we gave a book to one of our little friends and I scribbled an inscription on the inside the front cover. I later learned from his parents that their son requires them to read the inscription each time they read the book. Wow. How cool. Suddenly what I wrote for an inscription took on a new meaning and purpose.

This past weekend Wendy and I bought an “I Spy” book for a couple of young friends we were visiting. It was cool because it was made up of works of art from across centuries and artistic periods. Children can play I spy with their parents while learning about art. When it came time to write an inscription I wrote an encouragement to our young friends that while God’s Message promises that those who seek will find, it’s also important to be wise in where you choose to search. The choice of where you look determines the quality of the treasure you find.

I thought of my inscription and encouragement to our young friends this morning as I read the verse above. The author seeks out God’s mountain and searches out God’s altar to find God the “source of all my joy.” Every one of us want a little joy in our lives. Who doesn’t desire joy in the midst of today’s rat race. The question is: Where am I looking? What am I choosing to chase after in an effort to find it?

The choice of where you search will determine the quality of treasure that you find.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Psalm 9

June 27, 2012 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
Psalm 9:10 (NLT)

Ask a follower of Jesus to tell you their story and the opening chapters of the tale you will hear will typically be about that person’s search. Before one becomes a follower, before you are in relationship, and even before you know Him by name, you first find yourself a seeker.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

As with all that God has created, there is generally a natural and organic progression to things. The search is critical, for what you seek determines the paths you choose and the paths you choose determine where you end up.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

God does not abandon those who search after Him.

Don’t give up.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 4

August 24, 2011 Tom Vander Well 2 Comments

Child walking alone — Image by -JosephB- via Flickr

But even there, if you seek God, your God, you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul. Deuteronomy 4:29 (MSG)

When my nephew, Sam, was just a little guy about three years old his male spirit kicked in. Curious and wild at heart, the little man set out on an adventure from Grandma and Grandpa’s house wandering down the street in search of a buried treasure, a damsel in distress, or who knows what. With a house full of family young and old, it was several minutes before any one realized that Sam was missing.

I will never forget the desperate search of Sam’s mom, my sister, for her son. The entire family fanned out into the neighborhood, but a bloodhound on a scent has far less passion and intensity than my sister did that day as she searched for her boy. It did not take long before the little wayfarer was found a block or two down the street. Mother and son came walking back to the house together. The three year old Sam was smiling as if he’d had a fine time on his grand adventure. His mother was a basket case of emotions with tears streaking down her cheeks.

When I read today that those who want to find God should seek after him with their heart and soul, I thought of my sister’s desperate search for little Sam. The Kingdom of God is not something stumbled upon. It is not found by random happenstance. God is found by those who actively seek after Him.

Today I am reminded that while I may be a wayfarer on this journey through life, my road is not aimless.