Quiet on Purpose

The awareness that he was intimately known and loved by God created within Moses a desire to more intimately know God, love God, and walk in His ways! I often think of life and relationships as on a spiral. We can either be moving upward on the spiral, toward greater wisdom and maturity and health in life; and toward greater love and intimacy in our relationships; or, we can be spiraling downward - away from wisdom, health, maturity, intimacy and love. In this episode of Quiet on Purpose, we'll explore God's invitation to us through this prayer of Moses. Listen in!

Read Exodus 33:12-13 here

Questions from today's episode: How great is my awareness of God’s love and favor toward me on a daily basis? Do I struggle to see it, or to believe it? Can I say with honesty that I long to know God more, to know His ways and to grow in His likeness? Is there an invitation from God in this scripture that He is highlighting for me today?

Zephaniah 3:17 says: The Lord your God is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing!

How often do you consider the fact that God is exulting over you with loud singing? Honestly. Ever? How often do you picture Him as a warrior in your midst, fighting to give you victory over your enemy, your real enemy - the Devil, the temptor, the liar, the accuser. How often do you allow yourself to sink into the reality that He gladly rejoices over you, how often do you bask in His love, allowing it to renew you? I’ll be honest. It takes concentrated effort and awareness on my part to bask in God’s love for me...today's episode we'll talk about this struggle, and the invitation in it. Listen in!

Questions from today's episode: Do I believe, in the depths of my being, that God loves, exults, rejoices in me; that He sings over me; that He is a warrior who helps me to gain victory over my enemy? Do I regularly take time to contemplate God’s love for me, so that I am quieted by it? As I quiet my heart now, is there an invitation that He is making known to my heart today? How will I respond?

This week is Holy week, the week in the church year from Palm Sunday to Easter, when we take time to reflect on the events of Jesus’ last days before his crucifixion and prepare to celebrate his resurrection! While I know, for me at least, it can be difficult to lean into the solemnity of all that it represents, I think that when we do choose to press into and consider deeply all that he endured, what he willingly entered into on our behalf, the pure joy of Easter is so much more tangible. Jesus himself, during his last moments with them before the cross, prepared his followers for the darkness that they were about to experience as they watched him unflinchingly accept the cross. Today’s scripture highlights this teaching in John 16:16-22.

Read it here

Questions from today's episode: What is one thing God is inviting me to do to more intentionally lean into the solemnity of Holy week, so that I can contemplate more fully all that Jesus endured on my behalf? How will I incorporate this discipline into the days leading up to Easter Sunday?

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Continuing our series through the season of Lent, this episode returns to John 15 and Jesus' final teachings to his disciples before he goes to the cross. He tells them that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends, and that they are his friends if they do this one thing that he commands: love each other. It's a simple command, but not so simple a task. Join us today as we contemplate Jesus' words to us through his words to the disciples.

Read John 15

Questions from today's episode: Is there a particular individual in your life, or a group of individuals that you find it difficult to love? Is the Spirit gently whispering to your heart, “yes, even them”? What first step might he be nudging you to take in that direction? What “laying down” of yourself is He calling you to? How will you respond?

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

This is our second episode in 2025 during the season of Lent. Historically, Lent is practiced as a time to reflect on our own mortality and sin nature in preparation for Passion week, culminating with the celebration of Easter Sunday. I mentioned previously that I grew up in a church tradition that did not follow the liturgical calendar, but today I find some of the rhythms of the church calendar to be helpful for me as I seek to incorporate my faith practices into all of life. So in recent years, I’ve been more intentional about marking the season of Lent, and I want to invite you to participate in a few special episodes during this season with me. I hope you’ll find them helpful, as, it seems evident that if you find yourself here, you also are seeking to be mindful about bringing your faith and spirituality into the whole of your life! Listen in!

John 15:4-5 & 8-10

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Today marks a very special day in the church calendar. It is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent. Historically, Ash Wednesday and Lent are practiced as a time to reflect on our own mortality and sin nature, as we prepare for Passion week, culminating with the celebration of Easter Sunday. I grew up in a church tradition that didn’t focus on the liturgical calendar, but I still find the rhythms of the church calendar to be helpful for me as I seek to incorporate my faith practices into all of life. In recent years, I’ve been more intentional about marking Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, and in this episode, we’re going to use our time together to do another Sacred Reading that focuses on the theme of Lent. Listen in!

For my last birthday, one of my soul sisters gave me the gift of a simple leather bracelet with a tiny metal plaque, on which is engraved “Be Present.” I treasure this gift both because it’s a testimony to the fact that she sees me and knows my heart, and because it is a daily, much-needed reminder to me to be present for all of it! I want to be present to God’s presence with me; I want to be present with the people He puts around me; I want to be present to myself -to what I’m experiencing and how I’m processing it all-what’s happening internally as I experience what’s happening externally. But this doesn't come naturally to me, I need practice, and I need God's help. Today's episode takes time to consider both. Listen in!

Do I have a tendency to spend more time ruminating on the past or else daydreaming or worrying about the future than living in the present? What might I be missing right now because I am not practicing being present and alert? Is there an invitation for me here today? Is there a confession I need to make? 

In this episode, we explore the spiritual practice that started my journey into Quiet on Purpose! Here at the beginning of Season 5, I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to share this journey with you. Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is a little bit like a benediction to 2024 and a little bit like an invitation to all of us for 2025. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”! We'll be talking about my "word" for 2025 and the invitation that has me excited about what's in store for this new year. Listen in!

Read Romans 15:13 above!

Questions from today's episode: Do I tend to view life as a grand adventure with God, or more like a difficult exam I have to pass, or perhaps there’s another analogy that represents my life better? What are the implications of this viewpoint? Is there an invitation from God for me here today? How will I respond?

In this very special Christmas episode, I simply read the Christmas story aloud for you from Luke 2:1-20, and provide a few short minutes for you to meditate on the wonder of its truth!

Read Luke 2:1-20 here

Lyrics and story behind O Holy Night

Lyrics and story behind O Little Town of Bethlehem

Lyrics and story to We Wish You a Merry Christmas