Quiet on Purpose

In this episode, we explore the spiritual practice that started my journey into Quiet on Purpose ! Here at the beginning of Season 5, I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to share this journey with you. Thanks for listening!

Today’s episode is a little bit like a benediction to 2024 and a little bit like an invitation to all of us for 2025. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”! We'll be talking about my "word" for 2025 and the invitation that has me excited about what's in store for this new year. Listen in! Read R...

In this very special Christmas episode, I simply read the Christmas story aloud for you from Luke 2:1-20, and provide a few short minutes for you to meditate on the wonder of its truth! Read Luke 2:1-20 here Lyrics and story behind O Holy Night Lyrics and story behind O Little Town of Bethlehem Lyrics and story to We Wish You a Merry Christmas

We’re all waiting for something. It’s probably safe to say that we’re all waiting for something all the time! And waiting can be hard. Not just for children, but for the rest of us, too. When it comes to unanswered prayers, we can sometimes grow weary of praying the same thing with seemingly no response. We can begin to doubt God’s willingness to answer, or worse, we begin to doubt His loving good...

Here in the United States, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, so this is a Thanksgiving episode. But it's also more than that. It's a call to arrange our lives around simplicity, not necessarily by changing our circumstances, but by prioritizing what matters at a deeper level! I hope you'll listen, whether you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday or not, and whether you happen to find this epi...

I began praying today's verses in the weeks leading up to my husband's and my recent sabbatical, anticipating what God might do in my heart during this sweet season of spending much more focused time seeking His presence and listening for His voice. As I prayed this scripture and poured my longing out to God, I began to sense His gentle whisper to my soul, issuing an unexpected invitation. I hope...

The question that comes to mind when I read this psalm is this: What do I do when life feels out of control? What’s my emotional response, and then what comes next? For me, the emotional response is fear. More accurately, panic! My suspicion is I'm not alone in this. Even if you feel just a little bit of fear, today's episode, based on Psalm 46 might just have some foundational truths that will be...

Don't worry - I didn't suddenly decide to get political! Not even a little bit. Instead, I have something far more refreshing for you. There's only one who is always trustworthy, and he also promises to lead us into life and eternal pleasures ! Sign me up. This is our last episode in the Psalm 16 series, and also my last episode until after my sabbatical. Listen in! Read Psalm 16:11 Qu...

There are some moments in life that are absolutely delightful and I have no problem having a glad heart. But then circumstances change and the delightful moments pass. I need something more secure to keep hope alive. Today’s episode helps me remember what that hope is! Listen in! 
Read Psalm 16:9-10 here 
 Questions from today’s episode: Is my heart characterized by gladness and rejoicing, confide...

Do you ever go to bed at night stumped by a problem that you just can’t figure out, and then you wake up in the morning and the answer seems so clear? Or, have you ever been so shaken by some of life's circumstances that you can't see your way forward? In today's episode we consider these two different, but related scenarios and what the psalmist, King David, has to say about them. Lis...

I remember looking in the mirror for the first time somewhere in my twenties and noticing lines on my face. Apparently I furrow my brow often enough that a line had formed between my eyebrows at that early age! I did not think it was a line that had fallen in a pleasant place! There are lines, however, boundary lines, you might call them, that God sets in our lives, which, because He is so good, s...

The words "chosen" and “my cup” in Psalm 16:5 make me chuckle a little. I'm sure it's not just my family that believes that everyone needs their own cup! When our kids were little, to avoid fighting over cups, each child got to pick their favorite color and that was their “chosen AND assigned cup”! To this day, my husband and I like to keep a water cup on the counter throughout t...

In this episode, we're going to meditate on Psalm 16:3&4, and take some time to consider how we determine who the "saints" are, who we consider "excellent" and what it means to "delight" in them! Read Psalm 16:3&4 here Questions from today's episode: Do I delight myself in a community of Jesus-followers? Have I been intentional about the voices I liste...

When you stop to think about the good in your life, what comes to mind? Your people? Experiences or education you've been privileged to enjoy? Possessions? Or maybe what comes to mind for you is the good things you've been able to contribute to the world, making it a better place! And I would say, "Yes! And also, there's something more." Listen in to this episode as we consid...

I have to confess that over the years, in times of trouble or distress, God was not always the first place I turned for refuge. However, I know that when trouble comes or something distressing happens, there is One who can be trusted completely, and only One! We can take a deep breath, hit pause, and seek the Lord immediately, because through His Spirit He is always with us! While other trusted fr...

The verse we're considering in this episode appears, at first glance, to be repeating itself, just saying the same thing in different ways. But, when you look closer, considering it more deeply, you begin to uncover layers. "Layers of hope," I'm calling them. Listen in! Read it here ! Questions from today's episode: Am I ready to ask God to show me His ways? Am I genuinely re...

What do you do when you don't feel God's love for you? What if you never feel it, on an emotional level? A recent conversation with a friend got me thinking about this, and I think today's verse speaks to that question. Listen in! Read Psalm 27:13 Questions from today's episode: Is there an area of your life that feels desperate, that you are in danger of “despairing” over? Tell Go...

If you are part of a church that follows the liturgical church calendar, you will be very familiar with the fact that this week is Holy Week. For all Christian traditions, liturgical or not, this is certainly the most sacred week of the year, the one in which we celebrate the passion of Jesus Christ, culminating with His crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter morning, and all that i...

In episode 76, I introduced a spiritual practice for praying in the body. Today’s episode is a related spiritual practice on honoring the body in which we live out all of life, including our spirituality. This spiritual practice is rooted in the earliest writings of scripture. Humans are created in the image of God, and this truth should inform not only the way we treat other humans, but also the...

Spiritual director and author, Ruth Haley Barton says “we are in need of a sacramental approach to life, in which the body is understood to be sacred because it is the place where God’s Spirit has chosen to dwell. Given this, all aspects of life in the body can become places where we meet and know God in unique ways.” As we pay attention to what is going on internally, in our body, it is possible...

Today's episode is on an encounter between God and Moses on Mt. Sinai, where God has, amazingly, agreed to show Moses His glory. When God displayed his glory to Moses it was astonishingly beautiful and downright shocking. Listen in as we talk about what God revealed to Moses in this encounter and how it informs our view of Him today! Is there something astonishing that God is revealing to me t...

I mentioned in episode 73 that my word for 2024 is “Dwell”. I am already so excited about what God is doing in my heart this year as I choose each day to dwell in His presence; in the safety of His embrace. I want to explore more places in scripture that talk about what it’s like to dwell with Him, but I’m reminded that before any scriptures talk about us choosing to dwell with Him, they talk abou...

Happy New Year! I’m so excited to be beginning the 4th season of Quiet on Purpose, and so grateful to have you here with me! This week's episode is from John 13:3-5. Recently, my husband and I were reading together and something from this well-known scene caught my attention that I'd never noticed before! Listen in today as I focus in on what it tells us about why Jesus did what he did in...

This episode is set to release after Christmas, but it is still the fourth week of Advent. We have reached the end of this season of waiting with hopeful anticipation for the birth of Jesus! During this season, we’ve been following along with the themes the church follows throughout the 4 weeks of Advent, preparing our hearts for the climactic celebration of Christmas with the birth of the Messiah...

This is the third week of Advent, a season of waiting with hopeful anticipation for the birth of Jesus. During this season, we are following along with the themes the church follows each of the 4 weeks of Advent, preparing our hearts for the climactic celebration of Christmas and the birth of the Messiah! In most traditions, the theme of the 3rd week is Joy, so this week we are also focusing on jo...