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Once in a while, I happen upon a Bible verse that leaps off the page at me, filling me with hope or with inspiration! The verse in this episode is one of those. It's not that I'd never read or heard it before, but when I came upon it recently, I knew it was exactly what I needed to hear for this season of my life. It was inspiring! But, I also quickly realized I cannot sustain the inspiration to carry this out on my own. I will need help! I'm so grateful that God does not call us to anything that He will not also provide the grace for us to carry out. I hope today's episode fills you not only with inspiration to do something difficult, but with the hope to know that He will be with you, giving grace all along the way. Listen in! Questions from today's episode: Is there one relationship, or perhaps two, in which I sense God inviting me to practice complete humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with the other in love? What might that look like on a daily basis? Am I aware of my utter dependence on Him to carry that out? And perhaps even the ways I’ve made a mess of it on my own? Remembering His posture of love and humility toward me, what is my prayer in response?

Those of us who grew up in church culture in the 70s and 80s might remember best the focus on "the rapture." It seemed like all the popular Christian films of the day, and many songs too, were calling us to "be ready." Understandably, as a young girl, I was far too curious about how my life would play out to be excited for Jesus to return! In this episode, more than reminiscing about my childhood, I hope to help us all contemplate that God is our portion and delight both here and in our future home. Read our verses from Psalm 73 here Questions from today's episode: Am I holding onto dreams or pursuits for this life that I think will make me feel complete? Does the thought of making Lord God my true home fill me with delight and refreshment? Is the Lord whispering an invitation to my heart today? How might I respond?

In this episode, we will wrap up our series in Psalm 62. Much like making coffee with my French press, which involves careful pressing and patient pouring, time spent with Jesus calls for a "pressing" in and a "pouring" out of all that is in our hearts, and then entrusting it into his care. When we are patient and careful to make this our regular practice, we find that God is our refuge! Read Psalm 62:1-8 Questions from today's episode: Do I have a time in my routine where I regularly sit in the presence of the Lord? If so, do I “show up” for this time with authenticity and vulnerability, pouring out my heart to the Lord? Is there something I want to say to God right now, in the quiet of these moments?

Sometimes I find myself working to defend my own honor. Can you relate at all? Do you ever find yourself in situations where you find yourself compulsively needing to correct someone’s impression of your behavior? Or defensively reacting to any perceived “slight” toward your honor? In today's episode, we'll take a few minutes to consider another way, and whether our loving Savior Jesus has an invitation for us. Listen in! Read Psalm 62:1-8 Questions from today's episode:  In what ways am I inclined to “defend my own honor”? Do I actually believe that both my salvation and my honor can be entrusted to God? Is there an invitation for me here today? How will I respond?

In today's episode, we finally get to the part of Psalm 62 where David, who wrote this psalm, seems to give us a clue as to what is troubling him, and we're also encouraged, once again, to give counsel to our own soul, based on truth and regardless of our circumstances. It's the kind of encouragement I need regularly, how about you? Read Psalm 62:1-8 Questions from today's episode: Can I identify the work of the enemy in my life right now? Whether it is thoughts he is trying to feed me that would be destructive to relationships with others, or even if he is succeeding in using others to distract or do me harm? Or perhaps temptations that I am struggling to overcome? Am I able to feel the weighty cloud lift as I counsel myself along with the psalmist David, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him”? Is there an invitation from God for me here today? How will I respond? Possibly the most endearing version of "Think I'll Go Eat Worms" Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Where do we run when life's circumstances shake us to the core? What, or Who, is our Fortress? In today's episode we'll spend a little time considering these questions and more, from the foundations of Psalm 62:1-8. Listen in! Read it here Questions from today's episode: How instinctively do I run to God in the midst of the daily trials that arise? And what about those larger trials? Do I truly believe that God will shelter me, or do I tend to try to erect my own shelters? Is there a gentle invitation for me today? How will I respond?

Over the next several episodes, the plan is to linger in several verses from Psalm 62, allowing the comfort of this Psalm to find its way deep into our souls. Today we'll focus in on verse 1. At any given point in time, any number of things in our lives can leave us in need of the kind of rest that only God can provide. As we spend just a few minutes together in this episode, we'll take time to consider what might be going on in our own lives right now that points to that need, and then we'll use our time of purposeful quiet to seek out that rest! Let's get started! Read Psalm 62:1-8 Questions from today's episode: Is there anything that your soul needs to find rest from today? As you sit with your Savior Jesus, perhaps quietly repeating this prayer, “as you will, and as you know, Lord, have mercy,” what is His Spirit saying to your spirit? Is there an invitation he is extending to you today? How will you respond? Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

I'm always challenged by the words of verse 2, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord…” The question that arises for me is, “Can I honestly say that my soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord?” Have you ever stopped to evaluate your longings? When we have a longing, doesn’t it indicate that something is missing from our lives? Sometimes our longings indicate a desire to escape our current circumstances. In this episode, we'll explore what our longings might be trying to tell us, and we'll take some time to consider our response. Listen in! Read it here Questions for this episode: Does this resonate with my soul today? Do I find myself trying to fill my cravings with temporary things that never completely satisfy? Am I able to see that what my soul really wants is to encounter the living God? Is there something He is inviting me to do, or to set aside doing, so that I can enter into our relationship more intentionally? was one of the first I read on this topic! The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun is a really great resource on many different disciplines and the desire behind each The Lectio 365 App is a great daily resource for slowing down to encounter scripture prayerfully! Podcast music is written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Welcome to a new season of Quiet on Purpose, friends - I can't believe we are beginning our 6th year together! What a delight for me. As 2025 was winding down and I began to anticipate the start of a new year, I began, as has become my practice, paying attention to what God seems to be up to in this season of my life, and where I felt His Spirit at work in my heart, especially seeking a “word of the year” to guide my spiritual focus for 2026. The word I settled on for this year is “Watch!” (Yes, with an exclamation point!) Even before the new year began, I could see how He was inviting me to focus on this word, this practice really, and the hope that is connected to it! I’m excited to “Watch!” and see what God does in this year, and you're invited to join me! You can read Micah 7.7 here Questions from today's episode: Where am I longing for God to work in my own life or the lives of my loved ones today? Do I sense an invitation from him to watch in hope as I pour out my heart to him, knowing that he hears me and he is already at work? Am I ready to open my hands and release outcomes and timing to the One True God, whose timing is never wrong?

Have you ever had the experience of getting together with a dear friend or family member after a long period of absence and wanted to just soak up every moment with them, savoring their presence with you? Have you ever realized, after perhaps hours of sitting and visiting with them, that you’ve lost all track of time because you have been so completely “with” them? The first chapter of the Gospel of John begins with beautifully poetic imagery which helps us to understand Jesus as Creator, eternal Son of God, Life and Light, and, in this verse, Emmanuel, God with us! Dive in to this special Christmas episode as we pause to consider the miracle of God with us! Read John 1:14 Questions from today's episode:  What does “God with us” mean to you today? How do you need to experience his “with-ness” in your life right now? Have you ever stopped to marvel at the fact that the Creator of the universe stepped into humanity and became one of us in order to help us know Him, to see God’s love for us, and to enact the most amazing redemption plan? Take some time now to linger in awe and wonder at God’s great love for us! A great listen:

This episode is being released the day before the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Today's scripture highlights the practice of thanking God for what He has done, and it makes an interesting connection between gratitude and hope. Listen in! Read Psalm 52:9 Questions from today's episode: What am I grateful for today? What do I have to be grateful for every day? As I take time to be grateful for these things, do I perceive even a tiny spark of hope igniting within me? Am I willing to commit to a spiritual practice of beginning each day with gratitude for a period of  time, being watchful for how it impacts my life in big and small ways?

Complaining about our bodies or our personalities is a "Great-American-Pastime" it would seem. But the scriptures confront that habit in Psalm 139, when the psalmist declares that he is "fearfully and wonderfully made". In today's episode we'll linger in the imagery of being "knit together" in our mother's wombs. Listen in! Read Psalm 139:13-14 Questions from today's episode: Linger in the beauty that God knit each one of us together in our mother’s womb and is intimately acquainted with everything about us. He declares that you are fearfully and wonderfully made! As you meditate on this truth, is your loving Creator inviting you to surrender your complaint about any part of you, either a physical trait or a personality trait, and instead to praise and thank Him for making you exactly as you are? Would you invite Him to show you how He might use that trait as a blessing to others? Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

Recently, it has seemed like everyone I know and love is involved in some kind of battle. Battles with various health struggles, battles with addiction, battles with a multitude of unforeseen life circumstances that are completely out of our control. It’s not only the world around us that feels out of control, it’s our own daily, personal lives. Have you ever noticed that sometimes life can be flowing along nicely, with everything seemingly “under control,” and then in an instant, the illusion of control is exposed for just that - an illusion?! Some seasons just bring that more clearly into focus, and for me, and so many of my loved ones, this is one of those seasons! That's what makes the scripture in this episode so remarkable and comforting! I hope you'll listen in. Exodus 14.14 Questions from today's episode: What season am I in today: one where everything seems under control? Or one in which I am painfully aware of my lack of control? Where am I in the trust cycle? Have I taken up my weapons? Am I overwhelmed, fearful and panicky? Or, have I chosen to lay down my weapons, be still, and trust God to fight for me? Is there an invitation or a comfort for me in this scripture today?

I think I’ve mentioned here and there over the years that I like to choose a word each year to represent where I see God at work in my heart as I step into a new year. In 2024, I chose the word Dwell. "Sitting quietly in the presence of God and my own soul" is one of the foundational purposes of this podcast, and spending an entire year dwelling on the word Dwell helped draw me back, and draw me deeper, into that practice. Throughout the year, I spent time searching the scriptures for verses with the word dwell in them. What I ended up discovering was this beautiful thread throughout scripture, which I believe is God’s foundational purpose for humanity. Listen in as I share some of what I found! Read Psalm 91:1-2 Question from today's episode: As you sit quietly in the presence of the Most High, ask Him to gently reveal to you any false shelters in which you are trusting for refuge today, anywhere you seek rest outside His shadow. If anything comes to mind, simply acknowledge and confess it, then walk away, allowing Him to lead you to His dwelling place instead. Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance What I'm listening to right now

I don’t have extensive experience on the sea, but I’ve spent a bit of time in and around the ocean and other large bodies of water; enough to know what I bet you know too: it doesn’t take much time out on a large body of water to be impressed by the immensity of it. When you’re out in the middle of the water on a vessel that seems large from land, you suddenly feel very small. Imagine being surrounded in that same way, by an overwhelming knowledge of the glory of the Lord! Listen in! Habakkuk 2:14 Do I have a solid grasp of the reality that a day is coming in which the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, so much so that my heart can hold onto that hope, even in difficult times? Do I have a solid grasp of the reality that only the work that I do toward that end will endure beyond my lifetime? Is there a gentle invitation to my soul through this verse today? How will I respond?