Have you ever had one of those moments when God seems to speak to your soul by reminding you of a Bible verse you've memorized? Often those verses we've memorized come in the form of a song we've sung. I'm grateful for the many song writers who have put scripture to song. Among the oldest of these is the old hymn "I Know Whom I Have Believed". Check out the link below if you're unfamiliar. You can also check out the links for more information about the songwriter. I hope you'll listen in today for an encouraging episode about entrusting your most tender concerns to the One who can be trusted!

Read the verse here!

Questions from today's episode: What are you most likely to fret over today? Do you hear God’s invitation to entrust it to Him today? Do you believe that He is big enough, strong enough, and good enough to guard what you are willing to entrust to Him? How will you respond?
Lyrics here

Hymn writer bio here

YouTube version here

Podcast music composed and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

There are abundant definitions for the word "redeem" but the one that I resonate most with is one of the simplest: "to buy back." I love that God promises to buy back the messes we make and the time that we have wasted when we turn our lives over to Him! Redemption is one of the most beautiful and most fundamental characteristics of God. We see it woven throughout the story of the Bible, and we see it woven into our own stories, as well! Listen in to this encouraging episode today!

Read it!

Questions from today's episode: Is there a circumstance in your life right now that is ugly or seems beyond redemption? If so, I invite you to bring it before the Lord right now, and ask Him to give you hope, in order to see His redeeming work in the midst of it. Is there a circumstance in your past that God has redeemed? Give Him praise right now for that, and ask Him if there’s someone you can encourage today with your redemption story.

Waiting is hard! Whether we're waiting 2 minutes at a stoplight or months on end for something important, it's a given that we're inclined to treat the wait as though it were an unwelcome guest. But how we wait influences who we become on the other end. So, what might it look like to "wait on the Lord" in the waiting? To "hope in his word"? Today's episode takes a gentle look at how waiting is both hard and holy. Listen in!

Bible Gateway

Questions from today's episode: What are you waiting for right now? Are you tempted to “fake wait”? What would it look like to wait upon the Lord with your whole being today? Are you willing to put your hope in him as you wait?

Thinking about a Magnolia Journal subscription? Check it out here!

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

We tend to hold onto the sins of the past for dear life. We keep a record of the wrongs done to us, thinking we have to hold people accountable. We keep a record of the wrongs we've done, thinking that somehow we will make them right. When all along, God extends a different invitation to us. One that offers more peace, freedom and joy than we can imagine! Listen in!

Read it on Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: Where do I find myself today in the cycle of shame and forgiveness? Is there something specific I need to simply name out loud in the presence of God and then surrender to His love and forgiveness? Take some time now to respond to Him.

Can you think of a time when you've cried to God "out of the depths?" Maybe you've found yourself in some dire situation, your life crumbling all around you, despair threatening? If you've made it even as far as Jr. High, this scenario has probably been true of you on at least one occasion! If so, listen in. You might find some comfort in today's episode!

Read today's verses!

Questions from today's episode: Do I find myself today in a situation I might describe as "the depths?" If so, regardless of how I got here, am I willing to call out to God for mercy and plead with him to hear my voice? And as I cry for mercy, am I willing to surrender the outcome to him?

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Sometimes life feels so complicated! It doesn't have to, but it does. It's part of the human experience. But, there is a way to experience life in a beautiful simplicity. And the more I live by the principles in Psalm 37:3, the more I experience it exactly that way! Listen in today, there's an invitation for you here.

Read it!

Questions from today's episode: As I listened in today, did one of these phrases jump out at me as an area I might be "hung up" on? Is it keeping me from enjoying a simple life of freedom and joy in Christ? As I pause and consider this verse, what is His invitation to me today? How will I respond?

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

I don't think I'm alone in admitting that over the years, I've often thought that God went through some kind of metamorphosis between the Old Testament and the New Testament. We tend to think of "Old Testament God" as angry, vengeful, harsh and demanding, but "New Testament God" as soft, fluffy, and full of grace. In an astonishing account of God revealing himself and his character to Moses, today's verse shows us some phenomenal descriptions of a compassionate and gracious God. In the Old Testament. It blows me away, and beckons me near. I hope you'll listen in!

Read it! 

Questions from today's episode: Do I believe, today, that God's disposition toward me is one of compassion? If not, what do I believe instead? Knowing that God calls himself compassionate and gracious, is he inviting me today to lay down whatever lie I may have embraced and receive his compassionate love instead? How will I respond?

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

I admit, I've been spending a lot of time lately talking about how my own personal life has felt heavy, burdensome, and lacking in joy. I don't mean to be a downer, what I mean to be is authentic. If your struggle resonates with my own, maybe there's something for you here. One thing I deeply believe is that God intends for us to have joy. An authentic experience of a full, joyful life. So I'll keep pursuing it as long as there is breath in me, even if it doesn't come easily. Maybe especially because it doesn't come easily. I hope your life is full of joy today. But if you struggle sometimes too, listen in!

Read today's verse here

Questions from today's episode: Is my life lacking in joy right now? If the answer is yes, am I willing to invite God to reveal to me any unconfessed sin I might need to address? In the quiet of this space, is there a gentle invitation to turn back to him? How will I respond?

That story about King David and Bathsheba is here

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance. Thanks Caleb!

We see some hard things in the Bible, including what kind of love we're called to if we want to follow Jesus. We're called to give up everything in our love for others, just like He did. But, just like so many other things, we're not asked to do this in our own strength. In today's episode, we're taking some time to remember what kind of love we're called to, and then to consider how we get there. I hope you'll listen and be encouraged!

Read it for yourself!

Questions from today's episode: When I think about giving everything to love others, what obstacle immediately comes to mind? I name that thing before Jesus and admit to him how hard it feels. I let him know if it feels overwhelming, confusing, or simply impossible. Then I ask him to show me what it might look like to recognize my dependence on him in this area. And I respond once again, to his invitation to get into his yoke and allow him to carry the burden of the doing.

If you're a Rich Mullins fan...and if you don't know the story about the Jesus Record

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance - thanks, Caleb!

Continuing on from our previous episode, we're looking at Jesus' invitation to "take on" his "yoke" and his offer to provide rest for our souls. There are some super refreshing visuals in these two short verses that we might miss since most of us don't have much knowledge of historic farming practices. When it comes down to it, the kind of rest I'm looking for goes way beyond a spa day or even a tropical vacation. And that's what he's offering here. I hope you'll listen in and find this episode as refreshing to listen to as I found it was to write!

Read it for yourself!

Questions from today's episode: What am I struggling to surrender to Jesus today? Is it my whole life? Or maybe just one element that I'm not willing to let go control of? What is Jesus saying to me in the quiet right now? What is my response?

Soul Rest by Amy R. Dunham

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance