Quiet on Purpose

As we anticipate celebrating Thanksgiving this week, today's episode is even shorter than our usual episodes, but still provides a few minutes of intentional quiet to specifically focus on ways to worship God. Listen in!

Today's questions: Is God nudging me to find a church family to worship with communally? Can our homes, schools, and places of employment also be sanctuaries? Can our car, the grocery store, a restaurant or nature be a sanctuary? If so, how does this inform what it might look like to praise God with our every breath? Is He whispering an invitation to you today? How will you respond?

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

One of my family's favorite Thanksgiving traditions is what we call our "Thankful Basket." Our time in Psalm 118 is coming to a close, and in today's episode we take a look at how this entire Psalm is kind of like a thankful basket! Then,  we spend some time giving thanks! What better way to spend a few minutes of your time? Listen in!

Read today's verse for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's show: Is the God of the Bible your God? If so, invite Him to reveal to you specific ways, over the past days, weeks, or months in which He has faithfully loved you. Then, give Him thanks! If you're not sure that He is your God, why not invite Him to speak to your heart right now, dispelling any doubts you may have that He is the One True God?

Want to know more about how to make sure He is your God? Check out this link that helps explain how you can be sure!

Longaberger Baskets are still a thing! Find them here!

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Sometimes I struggle to be present in today. I think we all do. But this is the day the Lord has made, and we're called to rejoice and be glad in it! There must  be a reason for that! I think it's because every day is a gift from God and it is good and He has good things in it for us! Although we might credit Grand Master Oogway (the elderly Galapagos tortoise) in Kung Fu Panda with this quote, I believe it was Eleanor Roosevelt who first said "Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'The Present'." What gets in our way and prevents us from living like today is a gift? That's what today's episode is all about! Listen in!

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: Are you prone to live too much in the future or too much in the past, neglecting the present? Name one thing that might drain you from being present in and rejoicing over today. Now listen for the gentle invitation from your Father. How will you respond?

Episode 18: Daily Review

Grand Master Oogway "Today is a gift"

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

I have a confession today - I hate admitting weakness and I hate asking for help! I know not everyone suffers with this malady, but I also know I'm not alone! So, if you, like me,  struggle with admitting you are weak, listen to this episode! As it turns out, there is a deep beauty in weakness that we will miss if we insist on projecting strength. And besides that, let's just be honest - sometimes we do need help! 

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: Are you struggling to admit that you too need help? Is there something you need help with right now? Do you hear a whispered invitation from the Savior? How will you respond?

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Isn't it our tendency to long for relationships with people who understand us and will always have our back? And isn't it our experience that we are often disappointed in those expectations? Whether we put our trust in someone who ultimately betrays us, or we just struggle through the reality that we often misunderstand one another in relationships, eventually we all experience the let down I'm referring to. But, there is a "better hope." There is One who is our "helper" and our "refuge" and He will not let us down. What if we learned to put our hopes in Him instead? Listen in!

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway! 

Questions from today's episode: Are you feeling “let down” by anyone/anything today? Have you looked to someone or something else to be your “helper?” What is your “go to” when you’re feeling “threatened?” What is God’s invitation to you today? How will you respond?

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

I don't think any of us would argue that the past 2 1/2 years have been years of increased fear and anxiety in many ways. But what if we actually knew, in the deepest part of us, that God was for us? What if we had absolute confidence that, no matter what, we would be ok, because the King of the Universe has our back? Would it make a difference? I'd like to suggest it would. And we can! Listen in today and see what God's invitation is for you right now.

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: Do you truly believe that God is for you? Can you name what is threatening your confident hope in Him today? Are there voices you may need to quiet for a time in order to hear His whisper of love to you more clearly? What is His invitation to you right now? What is your response?

Watch this powerful video of Fear is a Liar by Zach Williams, live from Harding Prison

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

We have all been in situations we would call "distressing" before. Maybe you're in one now. The Psalmist said when he called to the Lord in distress, the Lord answered him and put him in a spacious place; so why don't we always feel like that's happening for us? I think there's a key to "unlocking" that spaciousness we desire. It isn't necessarily easy, but it IS in our possession! Listen in!

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: Is there a prayer of desperation in your heart right now? Are you, like me, guilty of trying to tell God how He can and should answer it? What invitation is He whispering to your heart right now? How will you respond?

"Surrender" by Marc James

Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Gratitude gets a lot of nods from a lot of sources, but in today's episode of Quiet on Purpose, we're considering, is there a foundational element to gratitude that makes a difference? What does it look like to have rooted gratitude? Listen in!

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: Do you believe that God is good?Do you believe His faithful love for you endures in all circumstances, all seasons, and regardless of your behavior? What is God's invitation to your heart today? What is your response?

Article from Psychology Today

Article from Berkeley

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

In the fast-paced, multi-tasking, "you can have it all!" world in which we live, it is difficult for us to slow our pace down and seek just ONE THING! The Psalmist in today's verse says there is just one thing he wants from the Lord, just one thing he seeks after. And it's not what you and I might be most inclined to seek, but I do believe it's what we most need. Listen in for an invitation to simplicity and beauty that your soul just might be longing for!

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway!

Questions from today's episode: What 'one thing' are you most likely to seek first thing each morning, or in those moments during the day that feel uncertain or chaotic? What shift can you make, either in your schedule or in your mindset, to be able to say, "Above and before everything else, I seek the beauty and presence of the Lord"? Are you willing to make that shift?

Check out Xel Ha!

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

We tend to judge our circumstances based on what we can see with our own eyes. Our perspective is pretty limited when it comes down to it. How cool is it that the God of the universe is actually at work in all of our circumstances, causing them to work out in exactly the way that will be for our absolute best in the long run?! This is not some trite thing we tell ourselves in order to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Nor is it a band-aid we quickly throw on someone else's genuinely horrific life circumstances. It is a deep truth we can cling to when we truly know the good, good God behind it all. Listen in!

Read it for yourself at Bible Gateway.

Questions from today's episode: Is there something in your past that you have seen only as negative, and which God is inviting you now to see as redeemed? Is there something in your present that you wish would just go away, and which God is inviting you now to consider with hopeful curiosity? Are you willing to let Him work in these things? What is your heart saying to Him right now?

THIS is not exactly what we're talking about here...but it's still amusing!

Music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance