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God was present in both Jacob’s life and Laban’s life, but His presence produced two very different responses. Jacob was learning to trust God, while Laban continued resisting Him. In this episode of WestWay in 8, John explores the difference between hearing God’s Word and actually responding to it—and asks a question worth considering: What’s something God has been showing you that you haven’t responded to yet?

Throughout Jacob’s story, we’ve watched God transform a man who relied on his own skill, cunning, and manipulation into someone who is learning to trust the LORD. In Genesis 31, God’s faithful presence is unmistakable: when Laban turns against Jacob, God remains with him; when Laban exploits him, God provides for him; and when Laban threatens him, God protects him. But while God’s presence is transforming Jacob, Laban’s continued resistance to God is hardening his heart and distorting his understanding of reality. As Jacob’s story moves toward his encounter with God in Genesis 32, we’re confronted with an important question: Is God’s presence transforming us, or are we becoming increasingly resistant to Him?

What happens when we expect the people in our lives to give us something only God can provide? In this episode of WestWay in 8, John revisits the story of Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29–30 and explores how comparison, competition, and our desire for control can damage our relationships. We’ll consider what it means to remember that God sees us, why the people we love can complement us but cannot complete us, and how finding our identity in Christ frees us to love others without keeping score.

We all want to know that we’re loved, wanted, and enough. In Genesis 29–30, everyone is looking for something: Jacob looks for it in Rachel, Rachel and Leah look for it in children and affirmation, and Jacob and Laban look for it in wealth and success. Thousands of years later, we’re still looking—and still grasping. What happens when we ask people and things to give us what only God can? Genesis 29–30 reminds us that we already have what we need in the God who tells us who—and whose—we are.

Jacob has spent his life grasping for blessing. He took his brother’s birthright. He deceived his father to receive his blessing. And after getting everything he thought he wanted, Jacob finds himself alone, on the run, sleeping with a stone for a pillow. It turns out that getting what he wanted couldn’t give him what he really needed. It is there that God meets Jacob and gives him what all his grasping could never provide. This week, we’ll see that the blessing we need most isn’t something we can take, earn, or manipulate our way into. It comes from God alone.

The story of Jacob and Esau shows us what can happen when we trade what is valuable for what is temporary and try to take control of God’s promises instead of trusting Him. Even though Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau all make selfish and sinful choices, God continues to work through their brokenness and accomplish His purposes. Ultimately, their story points us to Jesus, the true Son who gives us what we could never earn by clothing us in His righteousness and bringing us into God’s family. Because of Jesus, we don’t have to pretend to be good enough for God; we can come to Him honestly, trust in Christ, and receive His grace.

Jesus has designed His church so that everyone has a role. Leaders shepherd and equip God’s people, and the church body participates in recognizing leaders who demonstrate biblical character and faithfulness. When leaders lead faithfully and the body participates faithfully, the church grows toward the maturity and unity Jesus desires for His people.

“You’re just like your father.” Depending on your story, those words might sound like a compliment—or they might be the last thing you ever wanted to hear. As Isaac’s story continues in Genesis 26, it becomes clear just how much he is like Abraham. He carries forward some of his father’s faith and worship, but he also repeats some of his father’s fear, deception, and failure to trust God. Our families shape us in ways we don’t always recognize. Some of what we inherit is worth celebrating; some of it needs to end with us. Genesis 26 invites us to consider what we’ve received from those who came before us—and to take responsibility for what we do with it.

In the beginning the Word already existed. These words written by the Apostle John were written in his gospel and referred to the very beginning of time. The very beginning of the Bible. Who is the Word? Why does John use this word to describe him? How does the Old Testament talk about him? Does it matter? These are the questions that we will discuss on Sunday morning as we read the first few verses of the Gospel of John and discuss the importance of the Old Testament.

As Abraham’s story comes to a close, the promise God made to him continues through Isaac. Abraham gains a permanent foothold in the land God promised, God provides a wife for Isaac, and then Isaac and Rebekah face the same problem his parents once faced: they cannot have children. But instead of trying to accomplish God’s promise on his own terms, Isaac asks God. Genesis 23–25 reminds us that because God is faithful, we don’t have to grasp for what we need—we can ask Him.

Genesis 22 brings Abraham to the greatest test of his life. The God who promised him a son now asks him to offer that very son as a sacrifice. Abraham doesn’t know how God will resolve what seems impossible, but he trusts that God will remain faithful to His promise.   At the moment everything seems lost, the LORD provides a substitute. Isaac lives because another dies in his place. This moment points beyond Abraham and Isaac to the greater provision God would make through Jesus. Genesis 22 reminds us that we do not approach God on our own terms or with whatever we decide to bring. We come carefully and humbly, trusting what God Himself has provided.

When God tells Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, those words carry meaning that can be easy for us to miss. Before continuing Abraham and Isaac’s story, we’ll step into Leviticus 1 to discover what God meant by a burnt offering. While Abraham would have understood sacrifice through the lens of his culture, Leviticus reveals God’s purpose: not appeasing an angry God, but providing a way for sinful people to draw near to Him. As we explore the meaning of the burnt offering, we’ll see why the wages of sin is death—and why Genesis 22 leaves us asking one unavoidable question: Who will die?

Genesis 21 reminds us that God keeps His promises. Isaac is born, Ishmael is delivered, and Abraham’s agreement with Abimelech prepares the way for promises that will be fulfilled generations later. For Israel, hearing this story on their way from slavery toward the Promised Land, the message was clear: God had been faithful before, and He could be trusted with what came next. The same is true for us: God’s past faithfulness gives us confidence to trust Him with what we cannot yet see.

This Sunday, we’ll gather for a special morning focused on encouraging and praying for those who serve in our schools. We’ll hear from two local principals as they share about the joys and challenges of serving students, how their faith in Christ has shaped the way they lead, and how our community can better support those working in education. We’ll also take time to honor and pray over every school employee in attendance as they begin another school year, asking God to give them wisdom, strength, peace, and encouragement for the days ahead.

Today, we're welcoming Sam Guilliams, President of NorthWest Haiti Christian Mission, for a special conversation about what God is doing in Haiti.For many years, WestWay has partnered with the ministry in Haiti through prayer, financial support, and relationships. This Sunday, we’ll hear firsthand about the work taking place, the challenges and opportunities facing the Haitian church, and how God continues to transform lives through faithful ministry.