"I wrote in [my journal] to the Lord, 'Would you wake me up?' I wanna be awake. I want this verse to be real—that I would live a life of light, and that I would believe that Jesus is my life, and that I would be compelled to share it with others...I want to go out there and tell people about Jesus, but I was walking around like a dead person, weak and afraid of what it might mean if I wrote in [my journal], 'Wake me up.'"
— Vera Schmitz
 
Today's Episode: Today's episode with Natalie and Vera is the very thing our souls need. We need to be reminded that Jesus is the light and Jesus is the life. Sometimes we fall asleep to this reality and we need Jesus to wake us up! Listen in as they confess their own tendencies to shrink back from Jesus, especially when things are hard. But he is always right there (especially in his Word) waiting to meet us with arms open wide. May this episode compel you (no matter where you are) to step even more into the light of Jesus and experience his life today!

This month's memory verse: "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." John 1:4

Support Our Show: Leave a review to encourage us and help other people find our show.

Links from today's show: 

• Shop our SALE and give thoughtful, Christ-centered gifts at deep discounts!
• Check out The Pour Over, Natalie and Vera's go-to source for concise, unbiased news from a Christian perspective.
• Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory: the Dwell Differently membership.
• Need a prayer journal, check out the one Vera uses from Hosanna Revival here. 
• Dig even deeper into God's Word (and memorize it!) in Natalie and Vera's new Bible study, Dwell on These Things and book, Dwell Differently. 

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"You can't gather up a bunch of darkness and put out a candle. But you bring in one candle, and it always beats the dark. Light is always stronger. Light always wins."
— Tara-Leigh Cobble
 
Today's Episode: Do you need to be reminded that the light of Jesus always wins over every dark thing? Then this is the episode for you! Listen in as Tara-Leigh Cobble and Natalie bring encouragement, biblical teaching, and hones, practical dialogue about the abundant life we can experience when we walk in the light of Jesus. They talk about the fear of the dark, Tara-Leigh's struggle with sleeplessness, and what she learned in the dark. They also talk about the victory of Jesus over every dark thing in our lives and what it looks like to walk in the abundant life of light. Finally, they discuss how our experience of Jesus should compel us to share his light with others. It's such an encouraging conversation, you won't want to miss it!

This month's memory verse: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:4
 
Today's guest: Tara-Leigh Cobble's zeal for Biblical literacy is at the heart of everything she creates. Her goal is to help people read, understand, and love Scripture. Her daily podcast, "The Bible Recap", guides listeners through a chronological 1-Year Bible reading plan. She created and leads D-Group International, which has grown into an international network of 300+ weekly Bible studies that meet in homes, churches, and online. She also writes and hosts a daily radio show called "The God Shot" and leads trips to Israel to study the Bible on site. Her book The Bible Recap and Bible study He’s Where the Joy Is are outlets for understanding Scripture as a whole and the Trinity in particular. She lives in Dallas, TX, where she has no pets, children, or anything that might die if she forgets to feed it.

Support Our Show: Leave a review to encourage us and help other people find our show.

Links from today's show: 

• Find out more about Tara Leigh Cobble here.
• Looking for a last minute Christmas gift, but worried about getting it to them on time? A Dwell Differently membership starts in January and helps your loved one learn God's Word for months to come (available in 4, 8, and 12 month memberships).
• Dig even deeper into God's Word (and memorize it!) in Natalie and Vera's new Bible study, Dwell on These Things and book, Dwell Differently. 

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"When the light of Jesus comes on in our dark hearts, the darkness must flee!"
— Natalie Abbott

Today's episode: We want life—real life, lasting life, full life—and this is precisely what what Jesus offers us! Listen in as Natalie Abbott unpacks the metaphors Jesus uses to explain the life he wants to give us. She narrows in on the metaphor of light, helping us see what it communicates about eternal life, victory over sin and death, and the beauty of the Christian life.  This is the message of Jesus: the message of life and light! All we need to do to receive it is to believe it! It's a great episode and a helpful message to share with anyone who wants to know more about what it means to believe in Jesus.   

This month's memory verse: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:4

Memorize with us: Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory and memorize this month's verse with the Dwell Differently monthly membership!

Support Our Show: Leaving us a review is the best way to encourage us and help other people find our show.
 
Links from today's show: 

• Read more of Natalie's thoughts in her post, Light to All! Life for All! The Best Christmas Offer.
• Shop our SALE and give thoughtful, Christ-centered gifts at deep discounts!
• Dig even deeper into God's Word (and memorize it!) in Natalie and Vera's Bible study and book: Dwell on These Things and Dwell Differently. 

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"Our feelings are important. But at the same time, we can't hang all of the weight of our being and our confidence on that, because they're going to vacillate, man. We've got to have something that's rock solid. And that's the Word of God. That's the presence of God." —Carlos Smith

Today's Episode: Natalie is chatting with Vera's pastor, Dr. Carlos Smith. It's such a great episode about the love and faithfulness of God. Listen in as they discuss being disappointed by our broken human relationships and our need to experience the love and faithfulness of God. Pastor Carlos shares with insight and compassion about finding healing, reorienting our feelings with truth, and experiencing God's presence both in his Word and through his people. 

This month's memory verse: "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." — Psalm 100:5
 
Today's guest: Dr. Carlos B. Smith has a deep passion for Jesus, his Word, and his people. He is the Lead Pastor of Refresh Community Church, a thriving, multiethnic, multicultural, and multigenerational congregation serving the Greater St. Louis Area.  

Support Our Show: Leave us a review! We'd love to hear what you think and it helps others find our show.
 
Links from today's show: 

• Learn more about Carlos: check out his church and podcast!
• Shop our SALE and give thoughtful, Christ-centered gifts at deep discounts!
• Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory: the Dwell Differently membership!
• Dig even deeper into God's Word (and memorize it!) in Natalie and Vera's new Bible study, Dwell on These Things and book, Dwell Differently. 

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

The everlasting love of God frees us from the fear of messing up and from hiding away from him when we do mess up (which is constantly). He's always that warm and loving Father who...even though your "wrecked the car"...says, "I am going to pay for that. My arms are open wide and I will love you regardless."
— Natalie Abbott

Today's Episode: Do you ever try to earn God's love for you? Or do you doubt his love when you mess up? Well, here's the best news, God's love isn't dependent on you. Today, Dwell co-founders Natalie and Vera are talking about the joy and relief of knowing that God is unchanging in his character. You'll be encouraged as they relate stories of how they've seen God's love, goodness, and faithfulness in their own lives.

This month's memory verse: "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." — Psalm 100:5

Memorize Scripture with us: Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory, Dwell Differently’s monthly kit!

Support our show: It's really just as simple as leaving a review!

Links from today's show: 

• Check out The Pour Over, Natalie and Vera's go-to source for concise, unbiased news from a Christian perspective.
• Check out Natalie and Vera's new Bible study, Dwell on These Things: Transform Your Heart and Mind by Memorizing God's Word. 
• Memorize 11 new verses in Natalie and Vera's book, Dwell Differently: Overcome Negative Thinking with the Simple Practice of Memorizing God’s Truth.
• Dig deeper into this month's verse in our weekly devotionals. Get them sent to your inbox free every Monday!

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"The reality is, we see God's goodness all the time—when we wake up in the morning and there's light streaming in through the window and the rains fall and water the earth—there are these things that are happening all the time that we can miss that are displays of God's goodness and his sustaining grace."
— Tina Boesch
 
Today's Episode: You won't want to miss today's episode about the amazing goodness of our God! Listen in as Tina Boesch and Natalie share personal stories of God's goodness. They encourage us to find and recount God's goodness in hard times. They relate stories about how we can experience goodness through God's people. Through it all, they relate how we see the nature of God's goodness as it's expressed throughout the Bible. You will walk away encouraged to recount God's goodness all the time, because he is good all the time, even when we don't quite see it.   

This month's memory verse: "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." — Psalm 100:5
 
Today's guest: Tina Boesch serves as manager of the Lifeway Women's Bible Study team. For fourteen years, she and her husband and their three kids—Lois, Micah, and Naomi—called Istanbul, Turkey, home. Now they've settled north of Nashville, but she still misses steaming cups of Turkish tea. Tina is the author of Given: The Forgotten Meaning and Practice of Blessing and has written for publications like Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition. She earned a Master of Arts in Theology from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. You can find some of her stained glass window design and writing on travel, art, Scripture, and life together at tinaboesch.com. 

Support Our Show: Leave a review to encourage us and help other people find our show.

Links from today's show: 

• Find out more about Tina at TinaBoesch.com.
• Shop our SALE and give thoughtful, Christ-centered gifts at deep discounts!
• Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory: the Dwell Differently membership.
• Dig even deeper into God's Word (and memorize it!) in Natalie and Vera's new Bible study, Dwell on These Things and book, Dwell Differently. 

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"All of this praise is built on the foundational bedrock of who God is."
— Natalie Abbott

Today's episode: Has your praise ever felt hollow or empty? On today's episode, Dwell Differently cofounder Natalie Abbott shares about how she initially felt "meh" reading Psalm 100 and our memory verse. She shares how God met her in confessional prayer and used his Word to transform her heart and help her honestly say those words of praise. She also helps us see how God himself and his character must fuel our worship. Finally, she leaves us with practical tips on how we can build our own honest praise on the foundation of who God is.

This month's memory verse: "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." — Psalm 100:5

Memorize Scripture with us: Find out more about the easy button for Scripture memory, Dwell Differently’s monthly kit!

Support Our Show: Leaving us a review is the best way to encourage us and help other people find our show.
 
Links from today's show: 

• Read Natalie's Devotional, Feeling Far From God? to hear more about how she wrestled with this verse.
• Check out The Pour Over, Natalie's go-to source for concise, unbiased news from a Christian perspective.
• Check out Natalie and Vera's new Bible study, Dwell on These Things: Transform Your Heart and Mind by Memorizing God's Word. 
• Memorize 11 new verses in Natalie and Vera's book, Dwell Differently: Overcome Negative Thinking with the Simple Practice of Memorizing God’s Truth.
• Dig deeper into this month's verse in our weekly devotionals. Get them sent to your inbox free every Monday!

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"Everybody has a 'yes' they can give [to mentor someone]. Give up your time for the good of someone else, then you will...also grow in it."
— Courtney Doctor

Today's Episode: What does a mentoring relationship really look like? Today Courtney Doctor and Hunter Beless are pulling back the curtain of their mentoring relationship. They are real and deep and rooted in the Word. And they are fun and practical and hilarious, and you won't want the conversation to end! We hope this episode blesses you and encourages you to intentionally pursue relationships with your gospel-friends like Hunter and Courtney do.

Today's Verse: "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." — Philippians 4:9

The Dwell on These Things Series: We’re talking about the 6 verses in our new Scripture memory Bible study with some of our favorite people! We’re talking about joy, peace, a firm mind, and the nearness of God himself. And we’re also talking with vulnerability and compassion about the things that plague our hearts, keep us up at night, and give us anxiety. Want more? Get the Dwell on These Things Bible study today!

Today's guests:
Courtney Doctor received an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary and currently serves as the Director of Women’s Initiatives for The Gospel Coalition. She is a Bible teacher and author of From Garden to Glory as well as several Bible studies including  In View of God’s Mercies, Behold and Believe, and Remember your Joy. Courtney and her husband Craig have four children, five beautiful grandchildren, and a goofy dog named Walter.
Hunter Beless is passionate about helping women and children know and love God more, especially through His Word. She is the founder of Journeywomen, hosts the Journeywomen podcast, and loves doing ministry in her local church context. Hunter and her husband, Brooks, have four wonderful kiddos. When they’re not snuggled up reading a good book, you can find the Beless family gardening, riding bikes, or exploring the Buffalo River. Learn more about Hunter at www.hunterbeless.com.

Support Our Show: Review our show on Spotify or Apple.

Links from today's show: 

• Find out more about Courtney at CourtneyDoctor.org and Hunter at HunterBeless.com.
• Get your own copy of the Dwell on These Things Bible study. 
• Discover the simplest way to get God's Word in your head and heart: Dwell Differently’s monthly membership!

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"We have been formed by the world...and we have to be reformed by the way of truth."
— Elizabeth Woodson

Today's Episode: The world has so much impact on our thought life—on how we think about ourselves, about what matters, about who God is—and so often we just passively allow the world to form us. On this episode, Elizabeth Woodson is urging us not to just passively or thoughtlessly receive what the world is dishing out, but to actively take in God's Word and reform our thinking. She encourages us to spend time in God's Word—to meditate on it, study it, memorize it, and allow it to impact our whole person for good.    

Today's Verse: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." — Philippians 4:8 

The Dwell on These Things Series: We’re talking about the 6 verses in our new Scripture memory Bible study with some of our favorite people! We’re talking about joy, peace, a firm mind, and the nearness of God himself. And we’re also talking with vulnerability and compassion about the things that plague our hearts, keep us up at night, and give us anxiety. Want more? Get the Dwell on These Things Bible study today!

Today's guest: Elizabeth Woodson is a Bible teacher, the author of Embrace Your Life and From Beginning to Forever, and the founder of The Woodson Institute, an organization that equips believers to understand and grow in their Christian faith. She is also a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a master’s in Christian education.

Support Our Show: Review our show on Spotify or Apple.

Links from today's show: 

• Find out more about Elizabeth and the Woodson institute here. 
• Get your own copy of the Dwell on These Things Bible study. 
• Discover the simplest way to get God's Word in your head and heart: Dwell Differently’s monthly membership!

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.

"I can actually hold on to peace and grief at the same time. I can hold on to peace and disappointment at the same time. I can savor the peace that Jesus offers me because of who he is, not because of what is going on in my life."
— Melissa Spoelstra

Today's Episode: Looking for real and lasting peace—peace that isn't dependent on perfect outcomes or shifting circumstances? Then stop right here and take a listen. Today Natalie and Vera are chatting with Melissa Spoelstra about peace. She helps us understand that Biblical peace isn't a tranquil state of circumstances, but a tranquil state of the soul. She helps us see how real and lasting peace is found in Jesus, and she gives us practical insights into how we can find our peace in him. 

Today's Verse: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:7

The Dwell on These Things Series: We’re talking about the 6 verses in our new Scripture memory Bible study with some of our favorite people! We’re talking about joy, peace, a firm mind, and the nearness of God himself. And we’re also talking with vulnerability and compassion about the things that plague our hearts, keep us up at night, and give us anxiety. Want more? Get the Dwell on These Things Bible study today!

Today's guest: Melissa Spoelstra is a Bible teacher and author who is madly in love with Jesus. She is passionate about studying God’s Word and helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. Melissa has a degree in Bible theology and has authored many Bible studies, including Isaiah: Striving Less and Trusting God More and The Gospel of John: Savoring the Peace of Jesus in a Chaotic World. Melissa enjoys spending time with her pastor husband, Sean, and their children: Zach & Morgan, Abby, Sara, Rachel, and Yoni.  

Support Our Show: Review our show on Spotify or Apple.

Links from today's show: 

• Find out more about Melissa at MelissaSpoelstra.com. 
• Get your own copy of the Dwell on These Things Bible study. 
• Discover the simplest way to get God's Word in your head and heart: Dwell Differently’s monthly membership!

Support the show

Follow Natalie & Vera at DwellDifferently.com and @dwelldifferenly.