Wayfarer

While the sentiment of Laban's words, taken at face value, may sound like a heart-warming desire between loved ones, that is definitely not what Laban and Jacob were communicating. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 31. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Sometimes, the seemingly irredeemable characters are essential to the ultimate story of redemption. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 30. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Sometimes being a "chip off the ol' block" has less to do with looks and more to do with how we think, behave, act, and react within a family system. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 29. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In marriage, we often think about "two becoming one" but rarely do we discuss the prerequisite of "leaving" our parents and our family system. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 28. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Death and funerals tend to bring out all of the "fun" in family "dysfunction." A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 27. The text version of all chapter-a-day podcasts can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I find myself with what is a much-needed reminder given the core motivations of my heart. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 26. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I make value judgments every day. What do my decisions and choices reveal about what I value, and what I don't? A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 25. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In the quiet this morning, I find myself asking a lot of questions that don't have specific answers in the Great Story. And, while I don't have a lot of specific answers, I find myself comfortable with a conclusion. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 24. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Our culture is obsessed with living well, but I don't observe many people who consider what it means to die well. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 23. The text version of all chapter-a-day podcasts can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Abraham blazes the trail of faith. Abraham foreshadows what God is going to do. Abraham's faith echoes through history past, it resonates through the crucified Christ, and it is transmitted into the prophesied future. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 22. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

There are a number of dark valleys on this road of life. Despite my Fourness, I have emerged on the other side of each of them. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 21. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

If God operated like Cancel Culture there would be no hope for me. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 20. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

As I launch into another work week this morning, today's chapter has me asking myself asking three questions.... A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 19. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Wendy and I have tried to continue the same kind of hospitality that was modeled for me by my parents, the same kind of generous hospitality we have experienced from others, and the hospitality that God desires from every follower of Jesus. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 18. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Along my journey, I've found faith to be a struggle. It ebbs and flows like the ribbon tied on the middle of the tug-of-war rope. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 17. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Sometimes in the Great Story one must face injustice rather than flee it in order for the larger Story to unfold. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 16. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

This is the problem: It's too easy to mix-up God and Santa Claus. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In today's chapter, we are briefly introduced to a mysterious figure, a sage character who appears on stage for a moment, but whose presence is dripping with foreshadowing in the larger Great Story which will only become clear thousands of years later. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 14. The text version of all chapter-a-day podcasts may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

"Greener" grass isn't always the best criteria for making a decision. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 13. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Today's chapter marks an important shift in the Great Story. It is an inflection point. The narrative shifts from humanity's continuous and repetitive descent toward a promise and hope of redemption. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 12. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast may be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

Never, since the Tower of Babel, has humanity been more of a global village increasingly uniting under the umbrella of technology and connected to all countries and cultures through social media. At the same time, I observe more and more confusion about who we are. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 11. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com...

As I traverse this chapter-a-day journey, I'm reminded that every chapter holds meaning, even the seemingly meaningless ones. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 10. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

In today's chapter, God establishes the sacredness of "life," "blood," and "covenant." A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 9. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

I'm reminded this morning of Romans 2:4 which says it is God's kindness that leads to repentance, not hatred, anger, judgment, condemnation, or damnation. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 8. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .

The water in today's chapter was an agent of divine judgment and it is transformed into an agent of divine redemption, and that is a beautiful picture of Great Story itself. A chapter-a-day podcast from Genesis 7. The text version of every chapter-a-day podcast can be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com .