Write this Down! with Dot Bowen

Do you want God's presence, or do you just want His presents? This week Dot and Cara sit with that question and trace it through the life of Moses, a man who saw God's power firsthand but still said he wasn't going anywhere without God's presence going with him. They talk through Moses and the Israelites, Mary and Martha, and what it actually means to know God's ways instead of just knowing what H...

What's your golden calf? In this conversation, Dot and Cara dig into one of the most honest questions we can ask ourselves: have we quietly given something, or someone, the place that only God deserves? Drawing from Exodus 23, they walk through how to recognize an idol, why good things can end up in the wrong position, and what it really means to surrender something to God without the fear that He...

Ever feel like collateral damage in someone else's bad decision? That's exactly where Dot and Cara picked up this week, continuing last week's conversation about counting the cost, but this time turning to what happens when someone else's choices end up costing you. They talk through the real difference between discernment and judgment, and why grace means giving someone what they don't deserve, e...

Every decision has a price tag, and most of us never stop to read it. In this episode, Dot and Cara sit with Luke 14 and get honest about the cost of following Jesus, the cost of our daily choices, and what we're quietly giving up when we say yes to the wrong things. From forgiving the unforgivable to waiting on a miracle you can't control, this conversation is for anyone who has ever felt the wei...

There are two kinds of sorrow, and one of them is quietly leading you away from God. In this episode, Dot and Cara sit with 2 Corinthians 7 and get honest about broken hearts, the grief that draws you toward Jesus, and the grief that slowly pulls you away. They look at Peter, at Judas, and at what it actually means to bring your whole hurt to Him, even the parts you're afraid to say out loud. Pull...

How do you know if what you're hearing is actually from God? In this episode, Dot and Cara get honest about one of the most real questions a believer carries, and the answer keeps coming back to the same place: knowing His Word. Dot shares a story from her own marriage that makes the stakes of this unforgettable, and Cara opens up about a journaling practice that has been quietly changing the way...

What if worrying about the future is actually keeping you from experiencing God today? In this episode, Dot and Cara sit with Lamentations 3:22-23 and get honest about what it really means to trust that His mercies are new every morning. Dot talks about why living in the future, whether through anxiety or wishful thinking, can become a kind of hiding from today’s reality, and Cara opens up about a...

You had a plan. Maybe it was for the summer, maybe it was for your whole life -- and then reality showed up and none of it looked the way you thought. In this episode, Dot and Cara have an honest, tender conversation about what it means to surrender your expectations to a God who actually knows what He's doing. Cara shares from a raw and hard season she's walking through right now, and Dot reminds...

What does it look like to actually build your life on Jesus, not just hear about it? Dot and Cara wrap up the Sermon on the Mount with the parable of the wise and foolish builders, and this one lands close to home. The storm is coming either way. The question is whether you've been laying bricks before it gets here, or scrambling to build a foundation in the middle of the rain. Pull up a chair, gr...

It is so much easier to spot what someone else is doing wrong than to take a hard look in the mirror. In this episode, Dot and Cara work through one of the most quoted and most misunderstood passages in all of Scripture, Matthew 7:1-5, and push past the casual “judge not” bumper sticker to find what Jesus was really getting at. They talk about the difference between judging someone’s actions and p...

You've asked. You've knocked. You've kept asking. And the door is still closed. Dot and Cara get real about the places where prayer feels hard, where persistent asking starts to feel pointless, and what Matthew 7 is actually saying about a God who doesn't hand you a stone when you ask for bread. This one is honest, a little vulnerable, and full of hope for anyone who has wrestled with why God keep...

What do you do when the "don't worry" in Scripture feels impossible to actually live? In this episode, Dot and Cara sit with Matthew 6:25-34 and get honest about the anxious thoughts that sneak in, the "what if" seeds that take root, and what it really looks like to keep your eyes on God when life feels out of control. This is a real, warm, and deeply practical conversation about faith as somethin...

What if the Sermon on the Mount is the New Testament's answer to the Ten Commandments, a standard not written to burden us, but to show us how to truly live? In this episode, Dot and Cara sit down for an honest conversation about one of Jesus' most sweeping teachings in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, and why it might be the most important thing He ever said. They talk about what it actually means to be set...

How do you know if someone is the real deal, and what do you do with that once you do? In this episode, Dot and Cara open up Matthew 7 and talk through Jesus' principle of knowing people by their fruit. Not judging, not writing people off, but paying attention in the way a loving Father says you need to. They talk about what fruit of the spirit actually looks like, why we tend to excuse what we sh...

Faith and doubt have always gone hand in hand, and the story of Doubting Thomas might be the most honest proof of that in all of Scripture. In this Easter episode, Dot and Cara sit with John 20 and find something tender at the heart of it: Jesus didn't scold Thomas for his doubt. He showed up, scars and all, and met him right where he was. Together they unpack what it means that Jesus kept his sca...

When life feels uncertain or overwhelming, where do you run? This week, Dot and Cara explore the names of God and what they reveal about His character. He is our Shepherd, our Righteousness, our Protector, and our ever-present Emmanuel. This conversation moves beyond simply knowing God’s names to truly believing in them and the refuge they offer us. If you’ve ever struggled to trust who God says H...

What’s in a name? In Scripture, names carry deep meaning, so when God reveals His name as “I AM,” He is telling us something powerful about his character. In this episode, Dot and Cara begin a new conversation about the names of God by looking at Exodus 3, where God introduces himself to Moses. Together they explore why knowing the names of God helps us draw closer to Him and recognize that He is...

Feelings are powerful, but they aren't always trustworthy. In this conversation, Dot and Cara talk about the connection between our thoughts, our emotions, and the choices we make. It's easy to let our emotions define our identity, but instead of ignoring those emotions or being ruled by them, we can hold them up against Truth and let God shape how we see ourselves. Grab your Bible, a pencil, and...

We’re talking about a sneaky idol that can feel “spiritual” on the surface: knowledge. Using Genesis 3, Dot and Cara unpack how the desire to know can quietly become the desire to control , and how that pulls us away from faith and dependence on God. If you’ve ever felt that internal panic of “I have to figure this out,” this conversation will help you put knowledge in its right place so you can l...

Fasting isn’t a diet or a formula, and it definitely isn’t a way to get God to do what you want. In this personal episode, Cara opens up about her recent experience with prayer and fasting and shares how what began as a search for answers led to something deeper- intimacy with God. If you’re hungry for more of Him, pull up a chair and lean in with us. Grab your Bible, a pencil, and maybe even a cu...

What if real strength starts with admitting we’re weak? This week, Dot and Cara unpack Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” and ask what true surrender looks like. Through their own stories of grief, forgiveness, and everyday situations, they discuss what it actually looks like to rely on God’s strength instead of striving in their own. Pull up a chair, grab your Bible and your coffee, and learn with us wh...

Today Dot and Cara dig into the subtle and sneaky ways control fuels fear, overthinking, and exhaustion. Using Jesus’ words from Matthew 6, they talk through what it looks like to take responsibility where we should, release outcomes, and learn to trust God with it all. If you’ve ever struggled to let go, this conversation is for you. Grab your Bible, a pencil, and a cup of coffee and join us. Got...

Gossip often feels small, subtle, or maybe even spiritual, but Scripture paints a very different picture of it. Today, Dot and Cara take a hard look at gossip through the lens of Romans 1 and unpack why God names it among the most destructive of sins. Together they explore what gossip really is, how it harms us, and how learning to take it seriously can bring great freedom. Pull up a chair, grab y...

Comparison doesn’t stay small; it’s a sin that grows and slowly steals our joy. Today, Dot and Cara are walking through John 21:20–23, where Peter looks at someone else’s calling and Jesus responds, “What is that to you? You follow me.” Together, they unpack why comparison is a form of bondage  and how security in our identity brings freedom. If you’ve ever wrestled with comparing your story, your...

In part two of this conversation, Dot and Cara move from theology to everyday life, asking how being a child of God actually changes our normal, everyday lives. They talk honestly about how remembering who we belong to reshapes the way we pray, trust, forgive, and walk through hard moments. This episode is an invitation to let the truth of spiritual adoption move from your head to your heart. Grab...