Soul Talk with Pastor Rick Qualls

Spiritual growth doesn't usually happen overnight—or through one dramatic experience. More often, God deepens our souls through simple practices faithfully lived out day after day.

In this episode of Soul Talk, Pastor Rick shares five simple practices that can help us draw closer to God and become more aware of His presence in everyday life:

Silence — slowing down, turning off the noise, and making room to listen to God.

Scripture meditation — moving beyond simply reading the Bible to slowing down, paying attention, and allowing God's Word to shape us.

The Examen — looking back over the day with God, recognizing where we experienced His presence, where we drifted, and where we need His forgiveness and guidance.

Gratitude — training our hearts to notice God's gifts, both big and small, even in the middle of difficult circumstances.

Breath prayers — using short prayers throughout the day to continually turn our attention back toward Christ.

None of these practices are about becoming more religious or simply checking another spiritual discipline off the list. They're about knowing Christ more deeply and allowing Him to transform the way we think, live, and love.

Like the roots of a tree, much of what God is doing in our souls happens beneath the surface. We may not always see the growth, but over time, the roots deepen and the fruit begins to show.

You don't have to start with all five. Choose one. Practice it. Give your soul room to grow.

What irritates you might reveal more about your spiritual life than you realize.

In this episode of Soul Talk, Pastor Rick explores seven “irritations of the soul”—patterns connected to the traditional seven deadly sins that can quietly show up even in the lives of people who genuinely want to follow Jesus. When we're pressured, disappointed, overlooked, or challenged, our reactions can expose what has been growing beneath the surface.

From spiritual pride and greed to spiritual sensuality, impatience with our own growth, spiritual gluttony, envy, and sloth, Pastor Rick invites us to look beyond the irritation itself and ask what God might be revealing through it.

Are you more concerned with being right than becoming like Christ? Are you constantly consuming spiritual content without putting it into practice? Do you struggle when you don't feel God's presence? Do you compare your journey with someone else's? Or have ordinary faithfulness started to feel boring?

The goal isn't condemnation—it's self-examination and growth. Pastor Rick reminds us that spiritual formation takes time, and that some of God's deepest work happens quietly, through ordinary faithfulness.

So the next time something—or someone—gets under your skin, don't just ask, “Why is this irritating me?”

Ask a deeper question:

“What is this irritation revealing about my soul, and what might God be trying to change in me?”

Loneliness may be more common—and much closer to us—than we realize.

In this episode of Soul Talk, Pastor Rick explores the reality of loneliness and challenges the church to become a community that doesn't simply gather together, but notices, includes, and stays. Loneliness isn't limited to older adults or people who live alone. It can hide behind the smile of a young parent, the success of a professional, the online connections of a teenager, or even the person sitting beside us in church. As Pastor Rick puts it, a full calendar can hide an empty relational life.

The early church in Acts gives us a picture of something deeper than simply attending the same service. Believers shared meals, prayed together, opened their lives to one another, and created a community where people were known. Jesus modeled that same kind of intentional connection by moving toward people others overlooked and making them feel seen.

So what can we do? Notice who is missing. Sit with someone who is alone. Make the phone call. Invite someone to coffee. Listen to someone's story. And perhaps most importantly, check back next week. Loneliness is rarely healed by one grand gesture. Often, it begins to loosen through small, repeated acts of love and presence.

Pastor Rick also reminds us that no one ages out of being needed in the body of Christ. Younger and older generations need one another, and every person has something to give and something to receive.

This week, don't just look for your seat—look for a person.

Because sometimes God's answer to someone's loneliness begins when one person simply decides to notice.

Pastors spend their lives caring for other people's souls—but who is caring for theirs?

In this episode of Soul Talk, Pastor Rick gets personal about the loneliness that can come with ministry and shares something he wishes he had learned much earlier: pastors need mentors, trusted companions, and people who can look beyond the ministry role and ask, “How is your soul?”

It’s easy for a pastor to look spiritually healthy on the outside while becoming exhausted, discouraged, isolated, or distant from God on the inside. Sermons get preached, meetings happen, people are helped—but ministry activity isn't the same thing as spiritual health.

Looking at the example of Jesus, Pastor Rick explores why we need both solitude with God and meaningful spiritual companionship. He also explains the difference between a mentor and a spiritual director—and why every pastor needs a place where they can stop being the pastor and simply be a person in the presence of God.

Whether you're a pastor, a church leader, or someone who loves and supports a pastor, this conversation offers an important reminder: the shepherd needs care too.

So here's the question Pastor Rick leaves us with:

Who is helping pastor you?

Not every Christian follows Jesus in exactly the same way—and that is part of God’s design. In this episode of Soul Talk, we explore five discipleship strengths: prayer and contemplation, service, mentoring, study, and evangelism. Each strength is a gift, but each can also become a limitation when we rely on it alone. Discover why your strength should be a starting point, not a stopping point, and how Jesus calls every disciple toward a healthy balance of prayer, service, relationships, truth, and witness.

Discouragement is everywhere, but God has called His people to bring hope. In this episode, we explore encouragement as a biblical ministry and look at how Jesus noticed, valued, and strengthened people who were often overlooked. Discover five practical ways to become a “hope dealer”—by noticing people, speaking encouragement while you can, being specific, honoring hidden faithfulness, and making encouragement a daily habit. Someone around you may need a word of hope today.

What happens when we put our hearts and minds into what we say, that lengthy presentation or well-worded text message? It turns out, as you'll find, small things go a long way, retention rates are more in favor these days of small moments of learning throughout the day. Join us and we'll explore this phenomenon about micro learning and the effect of it on our souls!

What if being busy for God is actually keeping you from being close to God? In this episode of Soul Talk, we look at the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38–42 and the difference between spiritual activity and spiritual health. Jesus reminds Martha—and us—that our relationship with Him must come before our performance for Him. Explore the warning signs of an unhealthy soul, take a spiritual inventory, and discover what it means to choose “the better part” by staying close to Christ.

Encouragement is one of God's simplest ministries. A little can go a long way, join us to see how what little encouragement can do big things in ways you would never think!

The Beatitudes offer more than comfort for today—they provide a vision of God's kingdom, both now and forever. In this episode, Rick examines the multiple layers found within Jesus' teachings, showing how each Beatitude brings present grace, inner transformation, and future promises. From spiritual poverty and mourning to mercy, peacemaking, and perseverance, learn how God is quietly growing deep roots of faith that will one day blossom into the fullness of His eternal kingdom. This encouraging study reminds believers that what God begins in the soul today, He will complete in glory tomorrow.