Quiet on Purpose

In this episode I share a story about a "work of my hands" that I have abandoned. I'm wondering if you have a story like that too? I think sometimes we tend to believe God feels about us the way I feel about my abandoned project! I think sometimes we believe God has treated us like I’ve treated my abandoned project! But today's scripture encourages us to understand and believe that this is not in keeping with God's character - He's not like us! If you've ever wondered if God has abandoned you or given up on you, this episode is for you! Listen in. Read Psalm 138:8 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%20138%3A8&version=CSB] Questions from today's episode: Am I tempted right now to believe the lie that God has abandoned the work of His hands in my own life? What circumstances have made it difficult for me to trust that He is still present, still working, still acting in his steadfast and faithful love toward me? Will I choose to open my hands in surrender and look for His work in my life, beginning today? What I'm listening [https://open.spotify.com/track/3uSFwz2CLus3kelRtYcKwV?si=97fe05d751a74d86] to right now Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

I believe I may have mentioned once or twice that I have 2 beautiful and delightful grandchildren, yes? Have I also mentioned how they live over 5,000 miles away from us?  Perhaps so. While being a Grammy to those 2 precious souls is one of my great delights in this life, I am not well-served when I think that it is the greatest delight of my life. The reality is that many, many of us have tough situations we are currently living with and do not see the end to anytime soon. What if we could say, along with the author of Lamentations, that God is our portion? What if He was enough? Listen in on today's episode and see if God has a sweet invitation for your soul in this scripture. Read Lamentations 3:24 here [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=lamentations%203%3A24&version=NIV] Questions from today's episode: Can you name a situation in your life that feels like a scarcity today, the thing you believe would bring you great delight if only a certain outcome were realized? Would you be willing to hold that situation in your hands and lift it up to the Lord, asking him to help you see your desire for that situation aligned behind your desire simply to know that he is with you, and your desire to be with him? Is he enough? Podcast music written and recorded by Caleb Lieurance

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 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2033%3A12-13&version=HCSB] 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 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2016%3A16-22&version=NIV] 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