Get to know the team behind Dwell Daily, our all-new biblical devotional for spiritual transformation, available exclusively in the the Dwell app!

Biography

Ian lives, works, and plays in Vero Beach, Florida with his wife Jordie and their little girl, Eden Joy — oh, and also with their very wild goldendoodle! He serves as a pastor at Pillar Community Church, and enjoys reading, birdwatching, and tending to creative music and writing pursuits outside of his day-to-day pastoral work. His aim in life is very simple: to love God, love like God, and to know union with the Trinity through apprenticeship to Jesus Christ.

Q&A

1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
   
   I was born and raised in Louisville, KY, but now call Vero Beach, FL home!
   
   
2. What drew you to join this project with Dwell?
   
   I’m very excited to have been invited into this project because I have always resonated with Dwell’s heart: to recover the ancient practice of listening to Scripture. What particularly excites me about this project is to have the opportunity to not just read Scripture over folks, but to be able to carefully and prayerfully guide them into experiencing how God might be speaking to them through the reading.
   
   
3. What is your favorite story or character in the Bible?
   
   Aside from Jesus, my favorite character would be Barnabas. In Acts 11, it says of him that “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” It’s my deep desire, too, to be pervaded by virtue and full of the Holy Spirit — so that as a result, people might come to know friendship with Jesus.
   
   
4. Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture?
   
   My favorite verses are Philippians 2:3-4. My prayer is to know this kind of humility so as to love like Jesus loved.
   
   
5. What is one thing you hope the Dwell community gains through this new content? 
   
   My hope and prayer is that the Dwell community would find Dwell Daily to be a sweet opportunity to pause each day, come home to the presence of God, and to leave from that pause refreshed in His love and truth. I’m excited for how God will move in peoples’ lives through this simple yet powerful practice!

Get to know the team behind Dwell Daily, our all-new biblical devotional for spiritual transformation, available exclusively in the the Dwell app!

Biography

Viv David lives into her name pretty well: she’s full of life, creativity, and vivacity! She enjoys jumping into life wholeheartedly: cooking, gardening, singing, hiking, writing, and hanging out with friends. Viv hosts folks on retreat in her big old house in Eastern Ontario when she’s not planning spiritual formation resources for the staff team at Youth For Christ across Canada. 

Q&A

1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
   
   I live in a rural area of Ontario, about an hour from Ottawa, not far from where I was raised. I drive by my old highschool all the time. I had always been open to leaving and exploring the world, but through all my travels, God seems to bring me back to my home soil. This past year, my mom and I partnered to buy a big old house that we’re working on shaping into a small retreat centre, so we’re planted here for the next little while, for sure! If you’re ever out near Ottawa, send me a message and I would be thrilled to host you!
   
   
2. What drew you to join this project with Dwell?
   
   I’ve always loved encouraging people to look at scripture through a different lens, watching it come alive as we talk and share out loud. Reading scripture together is an important part of growing into Christ’s heart, for me. The opportunity to walk with others through the spoken Word of God is a great gift for me. When I sit down to record the pieces for Dwell Daily, I think of each person hearing on the other end. It’s so cool to know that we’re all connected through the Holy Spirit as we listen to God’s word and pray!
   
   
3. What is your favorite story or character in the Bible?
   
   I really really like to think about Thomas. I don’t like to call him “Doubting Thomas” because I think he’s just being honest and real about the things he’s wondering after Jesus died and then resurrected. I appreciate being given permission to ask tough questions, to have moments where I’m not sure. It’s special to know that Jesus went out of His way to meet Thomas in exactly the way that he needed. I love experiencing moments like that in my own life, where Jesus walks with me and answers my heart’s longings.
   
   
4. Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture?
   
   I think Psalm 16:8 is a verse that puts in words alot of the things I want to remember alot of the time in my faith journey: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” My eyes need to keep being reminded of where to go — to God. When I keep my eyes on God, life takes on a shape that is hopeful and joyful. It’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of daily life and forget to look to God. 
   
   
5. What is one thing you hope the Dwell community gains through this new content? 
   
   My prayer is that Dwell Daily will open up a community of connectivity, where listeners can hear other people’s ideas about scripture which will stir up their own imaginations and curiosity about God. Hearing the Word in a group reminds us that we are not alone in our walk with Christ. As we share ideas and questions, we grow together. I’m humbled to get to be part of that conversation in community.

Get to know the team behind Dwell Daily, our all-new biblical devotional for spiritual transformation, available exclusively in the the Dwell app!

Biography

Tripp Prince serves as the Head of Formation at Dwell. Prior to this, he worked for over a decade as a pastor in parishes across the United States. He holds a master’s degree from Regent College, as well as a doctorate from Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Additionally, he is currently studying ancient Christianity at the Antiochian House of Studies. Tripp, his wife Rachel, and their three children make their home in the countryside of North Georgia.

Q&A

1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
   
   I grew up in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. My father is from a rural town south of the city, and my mother is from Texas. As such, though I was raised in Georgia, my “expat” mother ensured my siblings and I were raised with a healthy love for all things Texas. I’ve since lived in multiple states and countries, yet decided a few years back to return home, and now my wife and I are raising our three children just a few miles from where we grew up.
   
   
2. What drew you to join this project with Dwell?
   
   I was a backer of the original Kickstarter and have had a love for the Dwell mission from day one. A few years back, I had the opportunity to come on board full-time with the Dwell team, which has been an incredible honor and joy. In my opinion, Dwell Daily represents a first step into the long-term future of Dwell. While “on-demand” access to Scripture through a wide range of self-guided plans and playlists will always be a part of our identity, we believe there is an incredible opportunity for us to encourage deeper engagement and formation in and through Scripture in the form of guided experiences that are led by faithful and trustworthy Christian leaders.
   
   
3. What is your favorite story or character in the Bible?
   
   I have always been deeply fascinated by King David. As a child, I was drawn to the stories, such as his battle with Goliath, his friendship with Jonathan, or his decision to spare Saul’s life. Yet as an adult, I now take great solace and comfort in his Psalms and his example of a life of repentance, contrition, and trust in the goodness and mercy of God.
   
   
4. Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture?
   
   For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 4:6 (ESV)
   
   
5. What is one thing you hope the Dwell community gains through this new content? 
   
   It is my prayer that these experiences lead people into a deeper encounter with God through his Word. By learning to attentively listen and prayerfully respond, these experiences invite us deeper into an abiding life with Christ, one in which we are able to experience his love, anytime and anywhere.

Get to know the team behind Dwell Daily, our all-new biblical devotional for spiritual transformation, available exclusively in the the Dwell app!

Biography

Jonathan Bailey is an advocate for a Christian spirituality that is rooted in the Christian tradition but also practical for people living in our technological world. He is Co-founder at Dwell. Jonathan also serves on the Ministry Team of Renovaré, a non-profit ministry that models, resources, and advocates fullness of life with God experienced, by grace, through the spiritual practices of Jesus and of the historical Church. He also is the creator of The Inward Odyssey newsletter, which is sent out each week to people who long to deepen their life with God. He lives in North Dal­las with his wife Kori, son Gray, and daugh­ters Abi­gail and Liv.

Q&A

1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
   
   I grew up in Plano, Texas, a booming city not far from where I now reside. Living in Frisco, just north of Dallas, has become home for me and my family. I enjoy the time spent with my wife Kori, son Gray, and daughters Abigail and Liv, all of whom make life a joy.
   
   
2. What drew you to join this project with Dwell?
   
   It’s exciting to be part of Dwell’s mission, guiding people through thoughtful experiences with Scripture. There’s something special about participating in this role; helping others connect with ancient Christian practices through Dwell is more than a job – it’s an incredibly meaningful experience. That’s really what I love about Dwell, it weaves together ancient practices and modern technology, forging a link between the wisdom of our Christian Tradition and the ease of technological innovation.
   
   
3. What is your favorite story or character in the Bible?
   
   I have a deep admiration for the Apostle John. As one of Jesus’ closest companions, his insights and writings have always struck a chord with me. His unique relationship with Christ offers me profound lessons of love that inspire my own transformative journey today.
   
   
4. Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture?
   
   The introduction to John’s first letter is something that has always captured my imagination. There’s a rich depth of meaning and connection in his words that always draw me in. The entire letter is one of my favorites. It’s filled with profound insights that guide my understanding of what it means to apprentice myself to Christ.
   
   
5. What is one thing you hope the Dwell community gains through this new content? 
   
   My hope for the Dwell community is that they will be inspired by a slower, more reflective approach to engaging with the Bible. And I pray that that inspiration leads them to cultivation, which ultimately leads to more transformation into Christ’s likeness.

Welcome to Dwell Daily

A Biblical Devotional for Spiritual Transformation

Overview
Over the past five years, more than a million people have recovered the ancient practice of listening to Scripture with the Dwell app. Our goal from the very beginning has been to help people, just like you, discover the transformative power of daily time with God in his Word.

And while we’ve built personalized ways for you to engage Scripture more deeply – from custom playlists and daily plans to intuitive tools that foster reflection and memorization. However, we’ve longed to enhance this experience with a communal expression of Dwell, creating a shared space for the entire Dwell community to immerse ourselves in Scripture together.

After many months of prayerful development and exploration, today we are thrilled to introduce you to the all-new Dwell Daily, a guided and interactive audio devotional that roots your day in the rich soil of Scripture.

For years we’ve offered a verse of the day, featuring many of the most beloved and significant passages of Scripture that point us to Christ and his Kingdom. You’ll still be able to listen to these passages, yet in addition to this, you are now invited to prayerfully linger in this passage, with a trusted guide faithfully leading you through the text and into a lived encounter with the Lord.

Trusted Guides for the Journey
Dwell Daily is spearheaded by our trusted team of Dwell Guides – faithful Christian leaders, including pastors, authors, spiritual directors, theologians, and counselors. While representing a diverse range of Christian traditions, they are united in their love for Scripture and belief that God meets us in and through his Word.

Each day, one of these guides will lead you on a short devotional journey, roughly five minutes in length. We’ll begin with a prayer and invitation to quiet our hearts and minds so we can hear from God. The guide will then read a few verses and offer a short devotional reflection on them, followed by what we’re calling a “response of the heart.” We want to invite you into this experience, not only as a listener, but as a participant. So, we may ask you to say a prayer as an act of faith, to meditate upon a specific truth in that day’s bible passage, or to silently listen for the Spirit’s leading. We’ll then close in prayer and leave you with a final word of blessing.

An Immersive Experience
Additionally, we’ve collaborated with a talented composer, Nathan De La Cruz, who has crafted an original score exclusively for Dwell Daily. This music ebbs and flows with the guide’s voice, creating an immersive listening experience, enveloping you in a rich soundscape unlike anything you’ve heard before!

By offering this daily experience, we are not seeking to replace other devotional habits you may keep or practices observed within your church community. Think of this as a compliment and companion, one that you can easily fit into your day whenever you need a few minutes to recenter on God in and through Scripture.

What’s Ahead?
While Dwell Daily lays the foundation, it’s just the beginning.

We’re excited to announce the upcoming expansion of our library of guided biblical content, featuring seasonal devotionals, biblical meditations, prayers, sleep experiences, and more, set to launch exclusively on the Dwell app in the coming months. We believe and pray that each of these will contribute in a meaningful way to the transformation of our lives into the life and likeness of Christ.

A Sneak Peek
Lastly, we’d love to share another example of a typical Dwell Daily guided experience. Simply tap play below as Viv leads you through a reflection on Isaiah 40. We hope it is a blessing to you, and encourage you to join us daily as we seek to Dwell with God in his Word.

Warmly,
Team Dwell

To try out the new listening player, download our newest release in the App Store. For our Android users, the new listening player is coming later this summer. If you happen to have automatic updates disabled on your device, you can come back to this page and tap here to update manually.

The Why Behind the Player Refresh

Just want the Cliffs Notes version of this post? Watch the video below.

For a good part of the spring, we’ve been hard at work redesigning arguably the most important screen in Dwell, the listening player. We began this project with a few goals in mind: 

1) A Return to Simplicity – Over the last five years, we’ve added a lot of exciting new features, such as Read Along, Read, Repeat and Reflect, etc. These new features, while making your experience with Dwell more robust and useful, have also caused the player itself to become more clunky. So we really wanted to streamline and simplify the UI where we could, making it easier for you to focus on what matters most. 

2) Digital Wellbeing – It’s important that Dwell be a digital space that’s life-giving to you. We want you to feel a sense of calm when you interact with the app, and nowhere is that more important than when you interact with the listening player. 

3) One Player for All – The new listening player design not only improves upon our classic Scripture listening experience, it paves the way for new guided biblical experiences, such as devotionals, meditations, and prayers, all coming to the app this fall. In fact, we have a sample of the new daily devotional coming to Dwell below that we’d love for you to hear!    

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What’s Changed

Streamlined Primary Player Options: Voice & Version and Background Music

We’ve consolidated the four UI elements that help you view and select your voice, version and background music into two, providing some much-needed breathing space at the bottom of the player. 

Things are just more intuitive now. Simply tap the new voice pill to switch voice or version of the Bible that you’re hearing. Likewise, tap the music pill to change the background music.

Built new Options screen to keep Dwell’s growing suite of controls in one place

We’ve consolidated all of the Listening and Read Along controls into a single screen giving you one place to make any and all adjustments as well as view which controls are “on” or “off” at a glance.

This consolidation of the Listening and Read Along options means that the Sleep Timer and Repeat buttons are no longer visible at the bottom of the screen, but they are just one tap away in the new Options area.

Made it a breeze to favorite and share Scripture

We’ve made it a lot easier for you to share and favorite the content you love. We’ve provided quick access to each action at the bottom of the listening player. With the release of Scriptural devotions, meditations, and prayers, this change will be even more beneficial for you.

Repositioned Title and Subtitle for easier viewing

We’ve relocated the title and subtitle near the bottom of the listening player so that your eyes no longer have to scan up and down the screen to view all of the relevant information about what you’re listening to. The comparision above makes it easier to see some of the other, smaller tweaks we’ve made to the player. For example, when Dynamic Background is turned on, the background color of the player is not as strong as it once was. We want this player to be enriching and have a sense of freshness when you come back to it to hear God’s word, but we don’t want it to be visually overpowering so that it becomes a distracting. We feel like we’ve arrived at a good balance.

Made the Scripture reference tappable

Related to that, we’ve made the Scripture reference, which is more often than not the subtitle of any piece of listening content, tappable. It will now pull up the corresponding chapter and book of the Bible, giving you quick navigation to another chapter within the book you’re listening to or access to all of the books of the Bible.

This means that we no longer need the books of the Bible button and is another example of us trying to simplify the screen for you, taking away everything that isn’t necessary, but no more.

Shrunk the artwork to allow the UI elements to better breathe

We’ve done a lot of work to remove visual friction to the listening player; one of the ways we’ve done this is by shrinking the artwork to allow for the other UI elements on the screen to breathe better. More margin, more padding, and more empty space makes for a more relaxed viewing experience. 

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Listen to a sample of the new daily devotional coming to Dwell

The really exciting thing about all of the work we’ve been doing on the new player, is that it helps pave the way for all of the new biblical content (devotionals, meditations, prayers, sleep experiences, etc.) that is coming to Dwell this fall. Listen to a sample of our new daily devotional experience that will be launching at the beginning of September. We hope you find it as life giving as we do.

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We hope this post has given you some helpful info on the new listening player. Please reach out with any questions or suggestions! Thanks again for supporting Dwell, and we look forward to continuing to serve you. ❤️

Warmly,
Team Dwell