Dwell Differently

“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...

What is God's purpose for us in our pain and suffering? How do we walk through our trials in faithful prayer and even joy? In this episode, Kristen Wetherell answers these questions with vulnerable honesty. Kristen is a pastor's wife, busy mom of three, author, speaker, and she also suffers from chronic pain.  In our conversation today, she helps us see how knowing God in his Word is abs...

Our verse this month is Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." How in the world do we live like this? How do we have joy in our unrealized hopes? How do we patiently endure hardship? How do we faithfully pray in all of it? On today's episode, Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz wrestle through how they try (and often fail) to live like this, pointi...

Have you ever wanted to pray but couldn't find the words? In today's episode, Natalie talks with Andrew Peterson and Doug McKelvey about prayer—how we find time to pray in the midst of our lives, how we find words to pray when words are elusive, and how God wants to meet us in all of our emotions and situations with himself.  This month’s memory verse: "Be joyful in hope, patient in...

Are you good at waiting? Do you want to be? Our verse this month is all about waiting well. In it, we're encouraged to be joyful and patient and faithful in the unrealized and even difficult parts of our lives. But how do we do that? Tune in as Natalie Abbott walks us through the book of Romans, looking at the themes we see in Romans 12:12, and pointing us to the God in whom we can have confi...

Join Vera and Natalie, sisters and Dwell Differently co-founders, as they look back at 2023 and take a sneak peak into some exciting updates for Dwell Differently in 2024. They talk about which verses impacted them the most, their favorite podcast guests of the year, and what they're looking forward to in the new year! This month’s memory verse: "But when the kindness and love of God our...

Tara-Leigh Cobble is convinced that everything we long for in life is found in knowing God and reading his Word—but she didn't always feel that way. In today's episode, she shares with Natalie Abbot her own story of how God moved her from a place of not wanting to read the Bible to actually loving it. She talks about being surprised and encouraged by some totally weird parts of the Bible...

Do you feel like you have to get everything right all of the time? On today's episode, Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz talk about the freedom Jesus offers us when we trust in his perfection instead of relying on our own performance. Vera shares honestly about her regular struggle of trying to prove her worth and how verses like Titus 3:4–5a help her refocus on the truth of Christ throughout h...

Randall Goodgame of Slugs and Bugs joins Natalie Abbott to talk about how memorizing Scripture has impacted his life. They dig into how he found freedom in pointing his kids to Jesus as a dad, the mercy and kindness of God in Titus 3:4–5a, and the ministry the Lord has given him to help families have fun and learn Scripture together! This month’s memory verse: "But when the kindness and love...

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the Christmas things, this episode is for YOU today! Listen in as Natalie Abbott, co-founder of Dwell Differently, walks us through the context of this month’s memory verses, highlighting 3 things from the book of Titus: who we were , who we are , and being who we are. Jesus came—and he came for us . This is the kindness and love of God our Savior. This is &q...

Tune into this raw conversation between Jarred Lopes of Dad Tired and Matt Schmitz (husband of Dwell Differently co-founder Vera Schmitz) as they offer real encouragement and hope for dads who want to find their identity in Jesus, be spiritual leaders in their homes, and walk in the freedom of the gospel. And for any men who long to live like this, but don’t (and for the women who love them), don’...

Vera Schmitz brings us a heart check-up today: If we truly take inventory, are we just wanting the blessings of God, or are we wanting God himself? Tune in to hear a powerful quote from John Piper, the story of Vera’s battle with anxiety and what she learned in that season, and some helpful questions to evaluate what your heart is truly treasuring today. This month’s memory verse: "For where...

Do you find yourself more afraid of losing earthly treasure than your spiritual health? Ouch. If we’re honest, we all find ourselves there sometimes, and today Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz want to help us reorient our hearts toward our greatest treasure: Jesus Christ. Tune in to hear them talk about the story behind this month’s verse design, an antidote to worry, and an encouragement to ask Go...

What comes to mind when you think of “treasure”? More importantly, what does Jesus say about it? Join Jerrad Lopes, founder of Dad Tired, and Natalie Abbott, co-founder of Dwell Differently as they dig into our memory verse for the month: Matthew 6:21. They take a look at the context of our verse, dig into what the Bible has to say about treasure and blessing, and share honestly about ways they ar...

“Is your heart wrapped up in something right now that it cannot lose? Something that's lasting, something that's dependable, something that won't break it. Is your heart confident, rested, and secure? Is your heart set on the incorruptible, unfading, forever treasures of heaven? Or, is your heart filled with something that it dreads losing?” — Natalie Abbott Join Natalie Abbott, co-...

You won’t want to miss today’s episode with Sadie Robertson Huff and Christian Huff! Together with Natalie Abbott, they talk about why God is worth basing our whole life on, the overarching storyline of the Bible and how we see God’s faithfulness on display in it, how Sadie and Christian have seen God’s faithfulness in their own lives, and a word of hope to anyone listening who is struggling today...

What motivates our faithfulness? What can we learn about being faithful to God from the lives of other Christians? And what do we do when we realize that we've failed? Join Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz, sister and co-founders of Dwell Differently, as they talk about these questions and more! Want to learn more about the discussion questions they talk through today? Check out the Dwell Diff...

How do we know who “this God” from Psalm 48:14 really is? And how can we be sure that he will be our God for ever and ever? Join Natalie Abbott and Elizabeth Woodson as they zoom out to help us see the big picture of what Scripture says about the faithfulness of God. They dig into why God's faithfulness is a theme in our verse, why it’s such good news that God is faithful (even when we are fa...

Have you ever wondered how modern believers should view the Old Testament and its promises? What can we learn from Israel’s talk about the City of God? Join Natalie Abbott, co-founder of Dwell Differently, as she walks us through the context of Psalm 48, zooms out to look at God’s presence with his people from Genesis through Revelation, and helps reflect on the good news that this God—the God who...