There Are No Wrong Notes — What 100,000 Business Phone Calls Taught Me About God | Ep. 106 with Tom Vander Well

At 14 years old, Tom Vander Well had a vision — standing in a pulpit, hearing God say: you are going to proclaim my word.

He just had no idea what that would actually look like.

In Episode 106 of Hear Where You Belong Podcast, host Dea Irby sits down with Tom Vander Well — CEO of Intelligentix, Amazon international bestselling author, speaker, actor, playwright, and host of the Wayfarer Blog and Podcast. Over thirty years, Tom has analyzed more than 100,000 business conversations across every industry imaginable — and discovered something nobody expected:

Every great customer service principle traces back to Scripture.

Tom opens up about preaching across the state of Iowa at 15, the six years of pastoral ministry that were — in his words — awful, and the divine appointment with his old mentor Chuck that redirected his entire life into business. He shares how God taught him spiritual truths through phone calls, collections teams, and corporate America. How a chapter-a-day blog he started in 2006 now reaches readers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and China. How his daughter told him his grandchildren and great-grandchildren will one day hear his voice and know him through those 5,000-plus posts.

He also shares the Miles Davis story — and the three words that became his favorite quote and the most beautiful picture of God's grace he has ever encountered:

There are no wrong notes.

Because God redeems every single one. The wrong chord Herbie Hancock played on stage. The six years in the wrong pulpit. The divorce. The detour. All of it — redeemed.

His parting word is the one he has been living for twenty years:

Be faithful to what God calls you to do. Live for something eternal.

And somewhere in Hong Kong or Singapore or China — someone reading a chapter-a-day blog is proof that faithful is enough. 💛

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