When you stop to think about the good in your life, what comes to mind? Your people? Experiences or education you've been privileged to enjoy? Possessions? Or maybe what comes to mind for you is the good things you've been able to contribute to the world, making it a better place! And I would say, "Yes! And also, there's something more." Listen in to this episode as we consider ALL the good we can handle! Read Psalm 16:2 Questions from today's episode: Where does this verse challenge you most? Can you readily see that every good thing in your life is a gift from God? Can you readily admit that apart from Him your “good” works are empty and meaningless, not necessarily even “good” at all? Do you, like me, have to admit that, while you may give mental ascent to the truth that the only good you know in this world is found in Him alone, your life and heart don’t always live in that reality? What invitation is God extending to you today, drawing you one step closer to a deep and dependent relationship with Him? How will you respond? This song has been a particular blessing to me of late. Enjoy! Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

I have to confess that over the years, in times of trouble or distress, God was not always the first place I turned for refuge. However, I know that when trouble comes or something distressing happens, there is One who can be trusted completely, and only One! We can take a deep breath, hit pause, and seek the Lord immediately, because through His Spirit He is always with us! While other trusted friends, confidants and counselors can be a great help, I want to learn to turn first to God, my refuge! You too? Listen in! Read Psalm 16:1 Questions from today's episode: Do I take refuge in God before seeking it elsewhere? Where else do I seek refuge, what person or activity do I tend to turn to first? How can I train myself to take refuge first and foremost in God? Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

The verse we're considering in this episode appears, at first glance, to be repeating itself, just saying the same thing in different ways. But, when you look closer, considering it more deeply, you begin to uncover layers. "Layers of hope," I'm calling them. Listen in! Read it here! Questions from today's episode: Am I ready to ask God to show me His ways? Am I genuinely ready to be guided in His truth, or am I still trying to hold onto control and do life my way? If I’m still clinging to control, why? What scares me about giving Him control? Have I really made Him my Savior and put my hope in Him? Talk to God about your answers to these questions, and listen to what He might be saying to you today. Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning Not familiar with Trader Joe's? Here's more info! Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

What do you do when you don't feel God's love for you? What if you never feel it, on an emotional level? A recent conversation with a friend got me thinking about this, and I think today's verse speaks to that question. Listen in! Read Psalm 27:13 Questions from today's episode: Is there an area of your life that feels desperate, that you are in danger of “despairing” over? Tell God about it. Are you struggling to see His goodness today? Ask Him to reveal something small that has happened in the past 24 hours that is a reminder of His goodness in your life. Ask Him to help your unbelief! King of My Heart is a great song to remind me of the goodness of God! Listen to it here! Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

If you are part of a church that follows the liturgical church calendar, you will be very familiar with the fact that this week is Holy Week. For all Christian traditions, liturgical or not, this is certainly the most sacred week of the year, the one in which we celebrate the passion of Jesus Christ, culminating with His crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter morning, and all that it means for us. So I think it is only appropriate that in today’s episode we peer into the very moments of Jesus’ death. I hope you'll make this week's episode even a small part of your Easter preparations this year! Luke 23:44-46 Questions from today's episode: Have you personally accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf yet? If not, are you ready to do that today? Take these next few minutes to talk to God about your gratitude that Jesus is the One who made it possible for you to have a relationship with Him, in spite of your imperfection and sins. If you’ve already come into a relationship with God through Jesus, spend these next few moments thanking God again for initiating the relationship with you and doing all that was required to make you right with Him. We did nothing to deserve it on our own! NASA article Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

In episode 76, I introduced a spiritual practice for praying in the body. Today’s episode is a related spiritual practice on honoring the body in which we live out all of life, including our spirituality. This spiritual practice is rooted in the earliest writings of scripture. Humans are created in the image of God, and this truth should inform not only the way we treat other humans, but also the way we treat our own selves. Today's episode, therefore, explores the spiritual practice of honoring the body we've been given by God. Listen in! Genesis 1:26 Today's spiritual practice: Close your eyes, and pay attention to your breathing. Paying attention to your breathing is one of the simplest ways of getting in touch with your body. Notice if your breathing is shallow, and take time to breathe deeply. Allow your breathing to release any tension you are holding in your back and your shoulders. Allow yourself to relax into your space as a physical expression of your trust in God. Now, gently turn your attention to your body, and invite God to speak to you through it. Think about what happens inside you when you consider the idea of honoring your body or meeting God in your body. Does this idea excite you? Scare you? Confuse you? Intimidate you? Just sit with that feeling for a moment, and don’t try to judge it. Next, consider, what is the condition of your body these days? Have you been caring for it consistently by eating right, sleeping and resting enough, exercising, attending to medical issues or concerns, or have you been ignoring it or even abusing it in some way? Sit with your awareness and talk to God about what comes to mind. Listen for His response. Next, listen to what your body might be trying to tell you. Is there any place of tension or discomfort that you’ve been ignoring? Any medical issues that need attending to? Are there feelings of dis-ease that are vaguely unsettling? Listen to see if there is anything you have been keeping outside your conscious awareness. Talk to God about your body, reflecting on what you have discovered in this exercise, and how you are caring, or not caring, for it. Ask Him if there is anything He might be calling you to do now as an act of honoring your body as His dwelling place. Ask Him to show you one practical way you can grow in the area of honoring Him by honoring your body as made in His image and as the dwelling place of His Spirit. Then, respond to His leading. Stephanie Paulsell books Ruth Haley Barton books --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

Spiritual director and author, Ruth Haley Barton says “we are in need of a sacramental approach to life, in which the body is understood to be sacred because it is the place where God’s Spirit has chosen to dwell. Given this, all aspects of life in the body can become places where we meet and know God in unique ways.” As we pay attention to what is going on internally, in our body, it is possible to also become more aware of God's presence with us in our body and in our experiences. Taken from Ruth's book Sacred Rhythms, today's spiritual practice is a simple way of praying, talking to God, when we may not have the words to express what we are feeling. I hope you'll join in. I'd recommend listening to today's episode when you have time to be still and uninterrupted. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Ruth Haley Barton's website. Today's material taken largely from Sacred Rhythms. Prayer Movements: First, hold your hands in your lap, palms open to the sky. As you do this, bring to mind one element of your life, such as your family, your work, or yourself. You don’t need to put words around it, just allow your thoughts to flow into your consciousness. Allow yourself to think about any joys you are celebrating, any concerns or desires you have, any problems that need resolving. For the 2nd movement, lift your hands slightly and hold these thoughts in God’s presence. For the 3rd movement, raise your hands all the way up and move them apart to surrender your prayer to God. When you are done, return your hands to your lap, again with palms open, and just rest in the awareness that you’ve released your prayer into God’s capable hands. Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

Today's episode is on an encounter between God and Moses on Mt. Sinai, where God has, amazingly, agreed to show Moses His glory. When God displayed his glory to Moses it was astonishingly beautiful and downright shocking. Listen in as we talk about what God revealed to Moses in this encounter and how it informs our view of Him today! Is there something astonishing that God is revealing to me today? Is He pushing my boundaries, revealing something in my heart that I have believed to be true of Him that is, in fact, untrue? Is He inviting me to see Him with fresh eyes today? If so, how will I respond? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

I mentioned in episode 73 that my word for 2024 is “Dwell”. I am already so excited about what God is doing in my heart this year as I choose each day to dwell in His presence; in the safety of His embrace. I want to explore more places in scripture that talk about what it’s like to dwell with Him, but I’m reminded that before any scriptures talk about us choosing to dwell with Him, they talk about Him choosing to dwell with us! Today's scripture comes from the book of Exodus, when God first reveals to a recently emancipated group of slaves that He is going to "dwell" with them! Listen in! Read Exodus 25:8 here! Questions from today's episode: In this episode, I provide a few minutes for us to simply be in the presence of God. As you sit in the silence, I encourage you to invite God to reveal how He has been near to you, perhaps in a recent crisis, or simply in small moments that have passed by, unnoticed by you. Ask Him to give you eyes to see how He has made His dwelling with you. Then simply sit in the beauty and magnitude of that reality. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support

Happy New Year! I’m so excited to be beginning the 4th season of Quiet on Purpose, and so grateful to have you here with me! This week's episode is from John 13:3-5. Recently, my husband and I were reading together and something from this well-known scene caught my attention that I'd never noticed before! Listen in today as I focus in on what it tells us about why Jesus did what he did in these verses, and how that might inform our lives! Read John 13:3-5 on Bible Gateway Questions from today's episode: I’m going to provide time for each of us to simply sit in the loving presence of God. As you sit, I invite you to wait expectantly for him to warmly embrace you and whisper of his love for you today. Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quietonpurpose/support