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 what it means to let Him be our strength.

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (0:18)
• What does it look like to rely on the Lord’s strength? (3:41)
• God gives you more than you can handle, so you rely on Him (11:26)
• You don’t have to love what God’s doing to trust him (15:22)
• We have to take time to pause and re-center our minds on truth (20:41)
• “God, help me.” is always a great prayer to pray (23:31)
• It all comes back to remembering who God is and letting Him do it (27:38)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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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 a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• One of the things that causes our anxiety is fear of the “what if” (2:16)
• Cara used to think she didn’t have a problem with control (4:25)
• There are areas of our lives we need to have control of (8:15)
• We have to leave outcomes up to God (9:39)
• Practically speaking, how do we “let it go”? (12:15)
• The bottom line is, am I trusting? (15:41)
• Trying to constantly control steals your enjoyment of life and people (19:01)
• Do what God tells you to and let Him own the outcome (24:00)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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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 your Bible, and lean in with us.

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down Romans 1:28-32 (0:13)
• We tend to categorize and rank sins (2:26)
• Gossip is speech about someone else that harms people (3:55)
• Gossip is specifically listed as a sin that God hates (8:00)
• If you need to “get it out,” Jesus is the only person you can tell everything to (12:42)
• Is sharing something that’s public knowledge the same as gossip? (17:21)
• When you get in tune with the Holy Spirit, it’s easier to recognize gossip (19:01)
• We need to be very careful with the lives of people God loves (23:55)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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Scripture Verse: Romans 1:28-32 (ESV)
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

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 prayers, your kids, or your life to someone else’s, we hope this conversation helps re-center your heart on Jesus and reminds you where peace is found.

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down John 21:20-23 (0:13)
• Knowing we are loved by God gives us freedom from comparison (3:45)
• Why would God take time to warn us against comparison? (8:10)
• Comparison doesn’t stay in its lane, it’s a sin that grows (9:42)
• God is at work in different ways in each of our lives (12:01)
• In comparing our lives to one another’s, we falsely give credit or blame (16:26)
• Comparison steals our gratitude and joy for what God is doing in our lives (19:26)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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Scripture Verse: John 21:20-23 (ESV) “Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers[a] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

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 your Bible, a pencil, and a cup of coffee, and join us.

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down Romans 8:15-17 (0:13)
• How does this truth change our lives, practically speaking? (2:08)
• We have to move this truth from our heads to our hearts (5:06)
• Remembering this truth gives us confidence and allows us to forgive (9:06)
• Claiming this truth in the middle of our day relieves fear and anxiety (11:41)
• Being a child of God means security and eternal protection (13:20)
• This becomes your reality as you apply it daily (19:56)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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Scripture Verse: Romans 8:15-17 (ESV)
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

What does it actually mean to be a child of God, and why does that understanding matter so much? In this first part of a two-part conversation, Dot and Cara dig into the theology behind spiritual adoption and identity, unpacking what Scripture teaches about being welcomed into God’s family. They explore the difference between being created by God and being a child of God, and why understanding that distinction brings security, freedom, and peace. Grab your Bible, a pencil, and a cup of coffee, and pull up a chair with us!

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down Romans 8:15-17 (0:13)
• This truth changed the way Cara viewed herself (1:58)
• There is a distinction between being created by God and being a child of God (4:20)
• Sin creates separation from God (8:25)
• We are all walking around wondering, ‘who am I?’ (12:15)
• Child of God means accepted, adopted, and embraced in the family of God (17:39)
• This understanding changes everything (19:20)
• The Spirit in you is evidence you are a child of God (25:20)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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Scripture Verse: Romans 8:15-17 (ESV) “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

As we step into a new year, many of us are thinking through how it should be different or better from the last. Today, Dot and Cara discuss a simple but significant question; what does it mean to be faithful with what God has given us? Using Jesus’ parable of the talents, they explore what it means to live from a place of trust, surrender, and stewardship. This conversation invites you to stop measuring your life by output and ask instead if you are walking faithfully in the circumstances you’ve been given. Grab your Bible, a pencil, and a cup of coffee, and pull up a chair with us.

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down Matthew 25:22-23 (0:08)
• This story is not about money - it’s about using what you’ve been given (3:30)
• Each year the Bowens choose words for the year & share them together (4:25)
• This story is about faith and trusting God (5:31)
• Parable applies not just to gifts and abilities, but to hardship, singleness, family struggles, even unmet expectations (9:45)
• Daily, Dot reflects on how she stewarded the day given to her (13:05)
• We get caught up in what we don’t have rather than what we have (16:00)
• There’s nothing facing us that God has not already equipped us for (18:30)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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Scripture Verse: Matthew 25:22-23 (ESV) “And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Today Dot and Cara turn from the younger son to the older brother. Looking at Luke 15 and sharing insights from The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, they explore how we can “do all the right things” and still miss the Father’s heart. This Christmas, what if we let God expose both the prodigal and the older brother in us so we can receive His grace? Grab your Bible, a cozy drink, and maybe your Christmas hat too and settle in for this hope-filled conversation.

Got a question about today’s episode or something else you’d like to hear us talk about on the show? Let us know!

Episode recap:

• Intro (00:00)
• Start by writing down Luke 15:25-32 (0:14)
• It’s easy to forget what we have been saved from (3:14)
• Like the Pharisees, we forget we need a Savior (7:00)
• Both sons were using the Father for their own sake (11:00)
• We think the story is about actions, but it's about their hearts (14:15)
• Remember the context of this story is the disciples and the Pharisees (19:00)
• Ask God to protect you from a judgmental heart (23:30)
• None of us deserve it or could earn it, but we get to receive the Father’s love (25:00)

Are you interested in having Dot come and speak to your community? Email us at hello@dotbowen.com.

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Scripture Verse: Luke 15:11-19 (ESV)
““Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in.

His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller: https://amzn.to/44Qrj71