Tag Archives: Thoughts

2 Kings (Jan-Feb 2023)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of 2 Kings published by Tom Vander Well in Jan-Feb 2023. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

2 Kings 1: One Thing

2 Kings 2: Transitions

2 Kings 3: An Easy Thing

2 Kings 4: The God of Leftovers

2 Kings 5: “Consider” This

2 Kings 6: The Difference a Dinner Makes

2 Kings 7: The Message in the Moment

2 Kings 8: Thoughts on the Prophetic

2 Kings 9: The Leadership Difference

2 Kings 10: Cardiac Self-Examination

2 Kings 11: The Spare and the Savior

2 Kings 12: Wrong Person for the Job

2 Kings 13: Seasons of Life

2 Kings 14: Humiliating Defeat

2 Kings 15: How the World Works

2 Kings 16: Destructive Deference

2 Kings 17: “But He Also…”

2 Kings 18: Sacred Things

2 Kings 19: “Right”

2 Kings 20: “Trust the Story”

2 Kings 21: The Untold Stories

2 Kings 22: Life “By the Book”

2 Kings 23: Lost and Found

2 Kings 24: The Prescribed Pattern

2 Kings 25: Into the Wilderness

Jeremiah (Mar-Apr 2023)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of Jeremiah published by Tom Vander Well in Mar-Apr 2023. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Jeremiah 1: Certain Calling in Uncertain Times

Jeremiah 2: The Bride

Jeremiah 3: Faith-less or Un-faithful?

Jeremiah 4: Shooting the Messenger

Jeremiah 5: When to Say “Enough”

Jeremiah 6: Cross Road Blues

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Daniel (Feb-Mar 2023)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post and podcast for the book of Daniel published by Tom Vander Well in February and March 2023. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post or listen to the podcast.

Daniel 1: Serving the Enemy

Daniel 2: “A God in Heaven”

Daniel 3: Culture and Compromise

Daniel 4: Macro and Micro

Daniel 5: Weighed & Found Wanting

Daniel 6: The Filling Station

Daniel 7: Golf Dream

Daniel 8: “About the King’s Business”

Daniel 9: A Pattern of P.R.A.Y.E.R.

Daniel 10: My Mind is Set On…

Daniel 11: AP Prophetic Lit

Daniel 12: “Go Your Way to the End”

My Mind is Set On…

My Mind is Set On… (CaD Dan 10) Wayfarer

Then [the angel] continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
Daniel 10:12 (NIV)

Along my life journey, I have encountered a diverse number of individuals who have “set their minds” to various things in life. As I sat in the quiet this morning and let my mind wander down memory lane, a number of people popped into my mind.

The dude whose mind was always set on rock n’ roll, the music, the bands, the history, and the classics. From what I see on social media, that has never changed in 40 years.

The dude whose mind has always been set on being a success in business. He dresses for success, he networks for success, and he closely manages his conversations and relationships so as to leverage them for personal gain.

The girl who set her mind on creating the picture-perfect life. From breast augmentation to glamour shots, from the trophy husband to the perfectly gorgeous and well-dressed children, every post and story is managed and leveraged to impress.

I could continue. From what I’ve observed, people set their minds on everything, including setting their minds on nothing at all.

I found it interesting that the angels visiting Daniel in today’s chapter know him. They know who he is. They know his story. They know that at some point Daniel “set his mind” to live humbly before God and set his mind on the things of God.

In his book Imagine Heaven, John Burke tells of his thirty-five-year study of over 1,000 near-death experiences (NDEs). One of the recurring testimonies of those who have clinically died and experienced heaven is that a complete, written record and transcript exist of our entire earthly life. Jesus said, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” According to the NDEs that Burke heard and studied, Jesus was not kidding. We will review the entire record of our lives. As one NDE’er expressed:

[The man] stood beside me and directed me to look to my life, where I was replaying my life’s less complimentary moments; I relived those moments and felt not only what I had done but also the hurt I had caused. Some of the things I would have never imagined could have caused pain. I was surprised that some things I may have worried about, like shoplifting a chocolate as a child, were not there whilst casual remarks which caused hurt unknown to me at the time were counted.

It is an introspective time in the quiet this morning as I prepare to launch into a new work week. What have I set my mind upon? What do others see and consider to be the core motives of my life based on my words, my actions, my relationships, my tweets, my posts, and my stories? More importantly, what does heaven see that I have set my mind upon?

As I meditated on these questions, an old liturgical statement welled up from my long-term memory: May the words of my lips and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, my God.

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

Matthew (Jan-Feb 2022)

Each photo below corresponds to the chapter-a-day post for the book of Matthew published by Tom Vander Well in January and February of 2022. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Matthew 1: Adding it Up

Matthew 2: God of the Foreign

Matthew 3: Herald

Matthew 5: Alignment of Being

Matthew 6: Two Retirement Funds

Matthew 7: Simple Difference

Matthew 8: “Ins” and “Outs”

Matthew 9: For or Against

Matthew 11: A Hobby Kind of Thing

Matthew 12: Two Guys Alone in a Mall

Matthew 13: Heart and Words

Matthew 13: Finding Forrest

Matthew 14: Between Quiet and Noise

Matthew 15: “Leave Them”

Matthew 16: Jesus’ PR Pitch

Matthew 17: Behind the Veil

Matthew 18: The Debt

Matthew 19: The Sticky Wicket

Matthew 20: The Old Couple Who Lived Up on the Hill

Matthew 21: Jesus vs. the System

Matthew 22: The Context

Matthew 23: “The Weight”

Matthew 24: Hot Times and Cold Love

Matthew 25: Three Stories, Three Questions

Matthew 26: The Contrast

Matthew 27: Mob Justice

Matthew 28: The Presence

Acts (Sep-Oct 2018)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of Acts published by Tom Vander Well in November 2018. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Acts 1: Waiting and Watching

Acts 2: Worship Like You’re Drunk at 9 a.m.

Acts 3: Waypoints and Wisdom

Acts 4: When Systemic Power is Threatened

Acts 5: Human Endeavor vs. Divine Direction

Acts 6: Everyday People Making a Difference

Acts 7: Not Bricks and Mortar, but Flesh and Blood

Acts 8: Explosion Begets Expansion

Acts 9: Outside of the Lines

Acts 10: Arriving

Acts 11: Change, Action, & Reaction

Acts 12: Angels

Acts 13: Organism and Organization

Acts 14: He Went Back Into the City

Acts 15: Old Habits Die Hard

Acts 16: Money Trouble

Acts 17: The Truth About Trouble

Acts 18: Resurrection of the Organism

Acts 19: Of Mobs and Motives

Acts 20: Life, Death, Sacrifice, & the Multiverse

Acts 21: One of the Things We Continually Get Wrong

Acts 22: Paul the Lawyer & His Legal Chess Game

Acts 23: Polarized Parties, Powder Keg Issues, and Paul

Acts 24: The People v. Paul of Tarsus (Part 1)

Acts 25: The People v. Paul of Tarsus (Part 2)

Acts 26: The People v. Paul of Tarsus (Part 3)

Acts 27: Weathering the Storm

Acts 28: To Be Continued…

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Galatians (Oct-Nov 2018)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of Galatians published by Tom Vander Well in October and November 2018. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Galatians 1: The Maverick

Galatians 2: From “Members Only” to “A Can of Worms”

Galatians 3: The Gap Instinct

Galatians 4: The Boulevard and the Gate

Galatians 5: Freedom, Indulgence, Hard Knocks, and Wisdom

Galatians 6: Sharing the Burden, Carrying the Weight

You’re all caught up! Posts will be added here as they are published. Click on the image below for easy access to other recent posts indexed by book.

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1 Thessalonians (Nov 2018)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of 1 Thessalonians published by Tom Vander Well in November 2018. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

1 Thessalonians 1: “What’s My Motivation?”

1 Thessalonians 2: Managing Misinterpreted Motives

1 Thessalonians 3: Destined for Tough Terrain

1 Thessalonians 4: Work, Retirement, and “Enjoying Life”

1 Thessalonians 5: Maturing into Child-like Wonder

You’re all caught up! Posts will be added here as they are published. Click on the image below for easy access to other recent posts indexed by book.

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2 Thessalonians (Nov 2018)

Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of 2 Thessalonians published by Tom Vander Well in November 2018. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

2 Thessalonians 1: Progress

2 Thessalonians 2: The Dude Abides

2 Thessalonians 3: The Simple Honor of Labor

You’re all caught up! Posts will be added here as they are published. Click on the image below for easy access to other recent posts indexed by book.

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Mark (Apr/May 2021)

Each photo below corresponds to the chapter-a-day post for the book of Mark published by Tom Vander Well in April and May of 2021. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Mark 1: Source, not Compensation

Mark 2: The Great Conflict

Mark 3: A Different Playbook

Mark 4: Sow What?

Mark 5: The Three Questions

Mark 6: Soil Samples

Mark 7: The Contrast

Mark 8: The Inflection Point

Mark 9: “Ins” and “Outs”

Mark 10: Life on the Fast-Track

Mark 11: By-Products

Mark 12: The Crowd

Mark 13: Of Riches and Rubble

Mark 14: Mary and the Dudes

Mark 15: Success

Mark 16: Endings and Invitations