Dwell Differently

"The narrative that Satan tells us is that we're unforgiven, we're unforgivable, we're steeped in this, there's no way out. And when you feel that way, that's condemnation. And my encouragement is when you hear those voices that you would respond with what is true—you would respond with some of the verses that we've memorized like...'As far as the east is fr...

“No matter what you've done or where you've come from there is a God in heaven that loves you. And he wants to have a relationship with you." — Jake Bodine This month we're focusing on the radical, endless love and forgiveness God offers sinners. Today we're seeing that love and forgiveness through the lens of prison inmates. Jake Bodine, founder of God Behind Bars, shares...

“If you are walking around right now carrying a heavy burden of shame and guilt, and you feel like there is no way God could forgive you, you are wrong…that sin has already been paid for by the blood of Christ.” — Natalie Abbott Our verse this month is a message we all need to hear again and again. Join Natalie Abbott, co-founder of Dwell Differently, as she unpacks the truth of what God has done...

Today we're resharing one of our most inspiring episodes about how God uses ordinary people to make an extraordinary impact. You won't want to miss hearing Jonathan Almonte’s story. He was born into poverty in the Dominican Republic with no education and no prospects. But God changed the trajectory of his life entirely when a 20-something from Michigan decided to sponsor a Compassion chi...

“Are the actions plugged into faith, or are they unplugged? What are we operating out of? Are we operating out of a duty to do these things because that's the right thing to do? Or are we plugged into faith and motivated by the love God has for us to do the things we're called to do?" — Vera Schmitz What's the difference between false religiosity and true religion? That's...

“I would just encourage people to step out and love those people in front of you...you're just trying to impact one by one. And that's all that any of us can do.” — Jenny McGee Join Natalie Abbott as she talks with Jenny McGee, founder of Starfish Project. They talk about Jenny's specific calling to help exploited and trafficked women and girls find freedom, independence, and meanin...

“God has done so much for us in Christ Jesus, and it is beautiful and it is wonderful, and it should change the way we live out our faith—both externally and internally." — Natalie Abbott Today, Natalie Abbott talks about how the book of James is like an ice plunge—a wake-up call for us to live out our faith. And James 1:27 (our memory verse) is where the rubber meets the road, calling us to...

"These are not just good words, these are powerful, true, universe-creating words that you are speaking into your soul...these words have the power to completely transform your life. We believe that. We've experienced that." — Vera Schmitz On today's episode, Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz are talking about their new book Dwell Differently: Overcome Negative Thinking with the...

“The words that we speak simply are revealing what’s already there—they’re not making it, they’re not creating it, they’re just the thing that spills over.” — Courtney Doctor Join Natalie Abbott and Courtney Doctor as they discuss how what we say reveals what’s going on inside us, how seeing the ugliness within us come out can sometimes be a gift, and how Jesus enables us to be people with transfo...

“Memorizing Scripture…actually stores up the good thing in my heart. The only good things I have are from the Lord. The only good in me is from the Lord….Any goodness that I perform or any kindness that I have first comes from a truth that I’m believing about God or about myself.” — Vera Schmitz What are you filling your mind and heart with these days? Join Vera Schmitz and Natalie Abbott, sisters...

“We have that ability—we can take God’s Word and when it’s ingrained in us we can just take it and pick it up and pray it over ourselves and pray it over our loved ones.” — Jennifer Dukes Lee Today, Jennifer Dukes Lee joins Natalie Abbott to talk about Luke 6:45a, and you won't want to miss it. Jennifer talks vulnerably about how God has met and sustained her and her family  in hard seasons t...

“What you store up in your heart—either good or bad—has a real effect in your life. And the good things that come out of your heart, or the bad things, are the result of what you’re putting inside of you. So here’s the thing: we can know what’s going on inside of us by evaluating what’s coming out of us.” — Natalie Abbott Have you ever said something and been shocked by what came out of your mouth...

“God invites us to participate in what we’re seeing there in Ezekiel 36 and 37. It’s not that we’re making this heart of stone into a heart of flesh—God’s the actor. It’s not that we’re making these dry bones come alive—God’s doing that. But he invites us to be a part of that. That is an incredible privilege and it’s exciting.” — Mike Grenier If you're honest, do you ever feel like you should...

“When you get to the end of yourself and you’re truly honest with yourself, and then you hear this, and you hear that God comes right then with the promises, ‘I’ll give you a new heart and put my spirit in you,’ that is so good.” — Vera Schmitz We can be tempted to think we just need to be “cleaned up” before coming to Jesus, but our verse this month helps us see the amazing truth about a God who...

"The very thing that we most deeply need as human beings we can’t actually do for ourselves. It’s the work of God in us.” — Natalie Abbott What do you do when you find yourself not caring spiritually, when your heart feels cold toward God? What does it look like to have a heart that is soft toward the Lord? Join Natalie Abbott and Nicole Zasowski as they dig into how Ezekiel 36:26 continues t...

“God has given us his own Spirit, and that’s how as believers we are able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to follow him and to do what is right. But so often, we don’t. And that’s where this verse has been following me around. This verse has been convicting my heart where it’s hard and convicting my spirit where it’s unwilling and not wanting to follow the Holy Spirit who is in me and to listen...

“We have a God who first loved us…and sacrificed for us and served us, and that’s a beautiful, beautiful thing." — Jason Abbott This month’s verse raises so many questions: Why is Jesus able to be a ransom for us? What does this verse teach us about the kingdom of God? How does our servant-King’s example impact the way we live our lives? What should I do when I know the right way to serve and...

“If we make Christ greater, then we are thinking of ourselves less…I just want my life to be about Christ…it’s Christ above all , Christ greatest , Christ more . That’s what I want. And so I think that if that is true of me, then service out of that is easier and also I stop vying for position and rank and approval.” — Vera Schmitz Do you tend to keep a scorecard when it comes to serving others? O...

“Jesus is trying to flip everything you expect upside down so that you can see him as he actually is.” — Caroline Saunders Caroline Saunders joins Dwell Differently’s Natalie Abbott for a super honest conversation about what greatness really is, how to explain the truth of this month’s memory verse to a 10-year-old, what a ransom is, and more. You won't want to miss the practical implications...

“He came to serve us because we are actually incapable of doing the thing that we most desperately need, which is to be made right before God.” — Natalie Abbott How would you answer the question Jesus asks twice in Mark 10: “What do you want me to do for you?”? If you’re anything like us, you may wrestle with what you think that answer should be and what it really is. Join Natalie Abbott to learn...

When it comes to control, we often tend to fell like we have it all under control or like everything is spinning out of control. Our verse this month tells us neither is true. Jesus is the one who is in control. On todays episode our guest, Joanna Kimbrel, shares just how easy it is for us to live under the illusion of our self control, asking Natalie if she's been reading her journal. And sh...

“He sees everything, and there is a peace that comes when you remind yourself of how big and capable he is to hold all things together.” — Vera Schmitz What do you do when peace feels elusive and all the plates that are spinning feel like they’re about to crash? Join Dwell Differently co-founders and sisters, Vera Schmitz and Natalie Abbott, as they talk about times they’ve felt a lack of control...

“But the Lord, I believe, in his mercy brought me to the end of myself and just said, ‘Actually, Jen, you can’t do it all. You are not self made. You are not self-sufficient. I made you—and I made you for me . And that’s where you’re going to find peace.’” — Jen Oshman What do you do when overwhelm strikes? Or when you find yourself in a place of relying only on your own efforts and self-sufficien...

If you've ever felt like everything depends on you (maybe you even feel that way right now), like you're the one holding it all together, then today's message is for you! Here is the good news: everything does not depend on you, you are not the one holding it all together. Jesus is.  He made, sustains, and will redeems all things. And this is exactly the reminder our weary souls nee...

Have you ever struggled with fear, control, or busyness? Who doesn't?! We wanted to revisit this topic today by sharing one of our all-time most helpful episodes (first released in August 2022). Dwell Differently co-founder Vera Schmitz shares how memorizing specific truths from God's Word has helped set her free from these struggles in her own life. She relates how the truth about God&a...