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JOURNAL
PASSAGE
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About The Founder
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The
Founder of The Wayƒarers Journal
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MOSTLY DUE to the devastation experienced from a failed marriage, but also a result of the disillusionment caused by the church, the creator and founder of TWJ, Thom prayerfully decides to dispose of all his possessions, depart the city where he had been since early childhood, leave the only life he had ever known, bid farewell to family, friends and then live at need level while he quests to find the meaning of life.
The initial part of this quest, while walking the Appalachian Trail helps him to dispose of the self-defeating attitudes acquired in the world during the previous decades.
Helping him to accomplish his desire to dispose of these attitudes, he carries and reads a King James Version Bible, a small one that his mother has purchased for him.
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While walking upon this trail, he enjoys his Bible reading so much that more often than not, he would talk with others about what he was learning and thereafter came to be affectionately dubbed The Preacher by many of his hiking companions.
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The
Quest for Answers
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AS HE CONTINUES TAKING STEPS on his life journey, he quests for answers to many perplexing questions and this ongoing quest of his finds him reading daily in the Bible.
This first year of his quest expands to include his desire to find other wayƒarers, who like himself, are questing to walk upon the Way of Holiness, that way he had learned about from his Bible reading.
Isaiah 35:8
During the second year, while camped at Sabbath Day Pond, he does meet other thru hikers, who much like himself have been questing for answers to their reading of the Bible.
The third year of this quest found him traveling across the North American continent in search of what he discerned from his Bible to be the
Brotherhood of the
Wayƒarers.
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His footsteps together with his Bible reading both provide much help for him to see through the facade so prevalent in the churches of this modern world.
His steps take him to many places of worship but none of those people found within these places displayed the same character, conduct and rectitude, characterized by these disciples he is reading about in his Bible. Well, not until when walking along the Pacific coast he entered a small place of worship, joined the worship there and found what he believed to be the brotherhood of wayƒarers.
What was it that made it evident these were of the true worship he had long been questing to find? There were two things that impressed him favorably. First, this group was actually reasoning from the Bible, explaining and proving by references to Scripture, the subjects in the talks and study. Second, never was there a contribution plate passed nor repeated calls to dig down deep for more money contributions.
Now with his understanding of the identity of the brotherhood of wayƒarers, he could progress spiritually and add to his knowledge of the truth he had long been desiring to obtain.
One of such truths he previously discerned was the need to tell others about the wonderful promises recorded within the Bible, promises made to any who would just find out God′s will and then endeavor to apply it in their lives. He came to desire a larger share in helping others to learn about this good news.
Later, when Thom began looking for a location where the need for kingdom publishers of the good news is greater, he found himself following three rainbows to an island in northern Puget Sound. His stay on that rock lasted nearly twenty five years until he could retire from work and move to other locations where the need for kingdom publishers is even greater.
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The
Quest Afoot
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ACTUALLY, HIS JOURNEY began four decades ago, when on the last day of the fifth month of 1976 his wife divorced him. The devastating event this young man encountered, causes him to begin the process in which he would soon after abandon and leave behind all that he had known during the first two and a half decades of his live.
After nearly two years of diligent preparation, on the seventeenth day of February of 1978, he walks away from his coastal Texas home, the one of his rearing and begins what is to become his three year quest afoot.
Leaving his home is only a small part of what he purposely abandons. He leaves his job and career, he gives away his car and all his possessions, in fact his entire life prior to that woeful event. Further, he bids farewell to all his acquaintances, friends and family.
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Finally, after lifting to his back what he believes would sustain him for an extended journey, he departs afoot on a quest for the answers to his questions hoping to find the real meaning of life. To him, it seems that trustworthy, believable answers to the questions have been evading him for much too long and upon initiating this quest, he would begin his diligent search for the answers.
It is not until after a period of three years on this quest afoot, that the answers finally begin to enter his life. With hope finally on the horizon, he returns to the Texas Gulf Coast to begin an exhaustive examination of these answers, testing and proving them until there was no doubt that he has found the truth.
Still, as a result of his three year quest afoot, he acquires from his experiences, much in the way of practical wisdom. Further, he takes to heart several noteworthy learned lessons, lessons that he knew could only help him in the future. Therefore, his hope is that he will never need abandon and leave these lessons behind, much like he had easily done three years earlier with his possessions.
Indeed, he reasons in his heart that these lessons are meant to be keep close at hand for himself to use in the years to come, even for them to become life lesson to him. Furthermore, his determination is that in the years to come, these life lessons, treasures to him now, shall increase in number.
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The
Path of Drudgery
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NEVERTHELESS, ONCE the answers he had quested for made sense, somehow, he became complacent and allowed himself to return to the same path of drudgery that he had traveled upon before embarking on the quest afoot.
He again becomes involved with the distractions of life, the stress of running a business, accumulation of possessions, entanglement of home possessionship together with the bills necessary for keeping a home and everything that goes with one, even mowing grass.
All of this must have gotten the best of him because he begins to imbibe often to help alleviate his continuous struggle to make ends meet. Also, he returns to old habits, especially the easy ones, such as going out to eat, particularly in fast food restaurants.
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Often, he would eat out three times a day, reasoning to himself "It′s fast, easy and what can it hurt?"
In the ensuing years, his determinations concerning the lessons he had acquired during those three years of the quest afoot were lost somewhere between eating in restaurants, mowing the grass and keeping paint from peeling.
In his busy daily routine, all of those hard earned lesson seemed to have faded into the past or even thrown out with the trash.
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The
Quest Afield
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FOR NIGH UNTO SIX YEARS, the founder has endeavored to return to a semblance of the lifestyle he had achieved long ago, to gain back achievements he obtained during the quest afoot when he was lean, strong and fast, those same achievements that he then heedlessly lost.
Although the truth he has come to love and appreciate continue forthright and powerful, there are those quests from his past that he now must needs be re-acquainted with.
Further, additional questions have come upon him to which answers now must needs be found, and as he pursues in quest for these answers, he is ever determined to walk in the way which promotes health and well being but most importantly in such a way which promotes and leads to spiritual health and well being.
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He must needs maintain his steps upon that path directing him to the everlasting life he first learned about and had such a passion for. Furthermore, his wholehearted desire is to return to the passion he had in his youth, because he desires from his heart to walk in those steps he knows to be the real way to life.
Nevertheless, there remains those questions that he must needs find the answers for. Accordingly, his quest afield continues.
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The
Quest to be a Need Greater
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NOW, THIS WAYFARER is much desirous to travel to where there is a need for publishers of the Good News of God′s Kingdom. In order to avoid the cold weather in the north during the winter months, he has previously traveled to south Texas and got to know the friends in the Rio Grande City English Congregation.
Then, in December of 2015, he again returns to south Texas to spend the winter here helping in an area where there is a need. Still, the winter months do not last long in the Rio Grande Valley but he endeavors to do the most he is able to do while here.
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Thank you for visiting
The Wayƒarers Journal.
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See Ya above the Treeline!
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This Page Last Updated: 11 January 2025
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