If you’ve dipped your toes in the Lenten waters, you’ve likely noticed that prayer is a central part of this journey.

We pray prayers that spontaneously rise up in our hearts, yet we also pray as we listen to the Bible, with saints and heroes of the faith, and using traditional prayers that help us walk through each week of Lent in a posture of attentive listening to the Lord. 

If you aren’t accustomed to this practice, praying prayers written by someone else might feel a bit weird. These prayers may feel stale, impersonal, or detached from the everyday experience of life. You might say, “How can someone who lived hundreds of years ago possibly know what I’m feeling in this present moment?” If you can suspend your skepticism for just a moment, the answer might surprise you.

Written prayers train and inform our spontaneous prayers. And be careful, before you know it, these “stuffy” prayers just might become a prayer of your heart! 

If we’re honest, we don’t exactly know how to pray well. Very few of us would be so bold as to claim expertise in this area. In fact, Jesus’ own disciples struggled with prayer, so at least we’re in good company.


Do you remember how Jesus responded when his disciples expressed their struggles with prayer? Did he tell them to pray whatever came to mind, or to only pray in times of crisis or great need? No, believe it or not, Jesus gave them a “written” prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven…” (Mt 6:9)

It is essential for us to engage our hearts in prayer, but our hearts are not always trustworthy guides and often need to be helped in the right direction. We can be consumed with our own desires, and so we must learn to pray “thy Kingdom come” before we begin to pray “give us this day.” We say “hallowed be thy name,” which leads us into the contrition of “forgive us our trespasses.” Whether it is the Lord’s Prayer, or the countless prayers based upon it, consider the ways the Holy Spirit might be at work today in and through these ancient words from the past!

Prayer of the Week

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for the Second Sunday in Lent

Key Passage for the Week

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:34-35 (NIV)

Lent is a journey with a clear destination.

When I look at where we’re headed, I am today reminded of our Lord’s words spoken in the garden to his disciples: “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour” (Mt 26:40)? In order to walk through Lent in a meaningful and redemptive way, we must hear these words asked directly to us.

In Lent, Jesus looks at each of us with love and compassion and says, “Are you awake?”

Attentive living is closely related to spiritual alertness. It is the realization that we are so often asleep in our faith, drifting from one place to the next without actively or intentionally cultivating a listening ear to the words of God spoken over us.

To be attentive is to be clear-headed. In Lent, we remove the distractions and vices that keep us sleepy and numb to our life with Christ. In fact, attentiveness in Scripture is often seen as the opposite of drunkenness. It is for this reason that Peter encourages Christians to “be sober-minded and watchful” (1 Pet 5:8). 

Sometimes, our spiritual sickness is seen in and through deliberate and obvious actions. We lash out at others in anger or rage. We indulge the flesh. We consume in ways that steal from our neighbor. However, it is our passive inattention that is often our greatest threat.

It is possible to sleepwalk your way through life. To wake, eat, drink, work, play, sleep, rinse and repeat, yet entirely miss God in the process. Lent reminds us that it doesn’t have to be this way. Within every question is an invitation, and today Jesus is inviting us to discover the joy that comes from clear-headed and attentive living.

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer for the First Sunday in Lent

Key Passage for the Week

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. Mark 1:9-13 (ESV)

Mark is one of our incredible Dwell voices, we’re so blessed to have him. An actor and voice artist, Mark brings warmth and life to the Scripture-listening experience. We asked him a few questions so you can get to know him a little more.

1. Tell us about your audition with Dwell; how you heard about it and the process of becoming a voice.

My audition with Dwell was a very comfortable one indeed. I had heard about the casting through Craigslist believe it or not, and thought It would be a great fit if I booked it. The initial audition all the way through the final “Call-back” was a very laid back process, where Jon/Josh made me feel at home. Initially I declined their offer for different reasons, but God brought us back together again after many months.

2. Do you have something you do before you begin recording to get into a certain mindset?

Before each recording session I say a prayer, and try to get into my “Brother Andrew” character. He is a character that I envision to be sitting in a quiet cabin reading through a copy of the part of the Bible he finished copying. This character helps me to get into the right mode and pace of reading.

3. What is the biggest challenge of reading the entire Bible?

The biggest challenge in reading the Bible in its entirety, is staying in character with the same vocal tones, rythyms, etc.

4. What do you do aside from being one of the voices of Dwell?

My regular job is an actor/voice actor.

5. Have you ever done voice work before?

I have done voice work many times throughout my career. I’ve done everything from voice acting for an animated film, to voice acting for Japanese anime.

Mark’s Favorites

• Snack: Nut butter filled Clif Bars
• Band: Coldplay
• Book of the Bible: Love Psalms, Revelation, Micah
• Superhero movie: Wolverine
• Hobby: Reading about different speculative subjects

8. What drew you to join Dwell?

What drew me to join the Dwell team was the goal of showcasing the Scriptures vocally in a whole different light. Using original art/music etc. with the different styles of voices was incredible to me.

What is one thing you’ve learned since you started recording the Scriptures?

The one thing I’m learning since starting the recording sessions is to always be patient with myself. This is a huge deal for me. As an actor, I have a hard time with that, believe me!

9. Has being involved with this project changed your outlook of the Bible?

Being involved with this project has made me more attune to the Scriptures in general. There are some passages I’ve recorded that I never had heard before believe it or not.

Felix is one of our incredible Dwell voices, we’re so blessed to have him. From Kenya, Felix’s warm and expressive voice keep you engaged as you listen to Scriptures. We asked him a few questions so you can get to know him a little more.

1. Tell us about your audition with Dwell; how you heard about it and the process of becoming a voice.

I found an ad on craigslist, and I got excited because it was a Bible App and it was something concerning the gospel. So many people had discouraged me because of my accent because I’m from Africa. But I love the Bible so much and I would read it out loud in church and people were really excited because I read with a lot of passion, so when I saw the ad I knew I had to audition. After that, everything changed. I met Jon and Josh and they were so welcoming and excited about my voice; I don’t think I’ve ever met two people who have such a passion for spreading the gospel.

2. Do you have something you do before you begin recording to get into a certain mindset?

I always have to get myself ready to travel through both the new and old testament. I feel as though I’m preparing my reading for the listener.

3. What is the biggest challenge of reading the entire Bible?

I get so excited about it, but it’s such a big book and it takes a long time, and I am looking forward to getting it out there for the listeners to begin to experience and change the world.

4. What do you do aside from one of the voices of Dwell?

I work at in a packing and shipping warehouse.

5. Have you ever done voice work before?

No, just reading in church.

Felix’s Favorites

• Snack: Cake
• Band: Hillsong United
• Book of the Bible: John
• Superhero movie: Superman
•  Hobby: Photography

8. What is one thing you’ve learned since you started recording the Scriptures?

That the Scriptures are the Living Word. It applies to all parts of our lives, past present and future. 

9. Has being involved with this project changed your outlook of the Bible?

Yes, I have learned to understand more about the Bible and I feel so excited that we are going to make a difference and spread the Word of Jesus Christ.

Gregory is one of our incredible Dwell voices, we’re so blessed to have him. As our resident storyteller his dramatized reads bring the Scriptures to life and really engage the listener. We asked him a few questions so you can get to know him a little better. 

1. Tell us about your audition with Dwell; how you heard about it and the process of becoming a voice.

My audition with Dwell was a very pleasant experience. Jon and Josh are very direct in their focus and vision, and have a heart for making listening to the Bible easy to understand. Of course in today’s world convenience is everything, so making the Bible easily accessible is now possible.

As a former radio guy, it is a pleasure to work with them to lend sort of a different storytelling voice to the exceptional list of narrators that are currently listed with Dwell.

2. Do you have something you do before you begin recording to get into a certain mindset?
Before I begin reading, I practice the text the night before to add a bit of passion and enhance the listening experience, and give the listener a closer, more personal listen. I try to read as if the listener were right there experiencing the situation firsthand.

3. What is the biggest challenge of reading the entire Bible?

The biggest challenge to me is to paint a picture or create an impact on the listener as he or she follows along. So much of the Bible is a story within a story. The triumphs and failures of regular people, like you and me, who simply by trusting God’s word, can be victorious through Jesus Christ. God used regular, ordinary people to do extraordinary things and I think that is just how God works. He chooses those that come to Him with a humble and contrite spirit.

4. What do you do aside from one of the voices of Dwell?

I have my hobbies and everything… They’re mostly voice and communication related. I’m trying to get into other types of things like getting more into the engineering side of producing. I’m also trying to improve my writing skills.

More than that, I’m trying to get better with narration and voiceover. That’s the main thing. I’m doing that by studying on my craft, following the Holy Spirit as it leads, and to be a more impactful, influential narrator. 

Also, I really want to expand the use of voice for the sake of experience. Different dialects, publishing/narrating/writing faith-based children’s books are some things I’d like to get into eventually. I think thats what’s next for me.

5. Have you ever done voice work before?

Well, I was a howling, screaming, top 40 radio voice back in the mid-to-late 80’s. Then transitioned into a smooth Jazz RnB voice. I even did Country music as well at one point and that was a lot of fun. There was always something radio-oriented. Radio has changed a lot since then, though.

6. What is your favorite Bible story?

My mom used to read the story of David and Goliath to me when I was about 4 years old. Back in those days you could go to a store and get all of your favorite Bible stories. That’s still my favorite story. It kind of lit up a young boy, so unlikely and so unassuming, but with his steadfast and unwavering faith, he killed Goliath the giant and became the champion and king of Israel. Of course as I grew older I learned of David’s frailties and how, even though he fell short so many times, he learned to quickly acknowledge his guilt, understood that he could do nothing without the Lord’s help, and repented and received God’s grace and mercy, just as you and I would today.

In fact, to me, its the whole premise of why Jesus Christ came and died for us.

7. Has being involved with this project changed your outlook of the Bible?

Being involved with Dwell has helped bring all of the stories of the Bible together for me, full circle. We all have our favorite Scriptures and stories. Now its easier for me to tie all of those stories together because I sort of narrate the Bible in a storytelling form. It helped me tie them all together, full circle. I realized that the Bible is the greatest story, rather the collection of stories, ever told.

Rosie is one of our incredible Dwell voices, we’re so blessed to have her. From Northern England, Rosie’s soft and relaxed voice lends itself nicely to a contemplative Scripture-listening experience. We asked her a few questions so you can get to know her a little more. 

1. Tell us about your audition with Dwell; how you heard about it and the process of becoming a voice.

I heard about the Dwell audition through a friend who worked for Lightstock. I had honestly forgot about it for a month or so and then one night I had been praying for discipline with reading the bible. The next day my friend called me and reminded me of the app audition and it felt like God was giving me a nudge in the right direction. I recorded some scripture at home and sent it in and everyone seemed to like it! So I was brought in a week later to the studio for a second audition and offered a job soon after.

2. Do you have something you do before you begin recording to get into a certain mindset?

I try and be mindful of the responsibility I have before reading. I just like to sit in the quiet and read through what I’m about to start with and try to tune out any distractions from regular life.

3. What is the biggest challenge of reading the entire Bible?

Conveying the tone that, I believe, the authors were. Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to realize the underlying message of a verse or chapter before I can hear it clearly in my head and how it should be spoken aloud. I feel like I have a responsibility through my voice to create a connection to the listener and God through the verse; I don’t want to be using the wrong tone and turn the listener away!

4. What do you do aside from one of the voices of Dwell?

I work on a communications team for an organization called Greater Europe Mission – they send missionaries across Europe to spread the Gospel. I also volunteer with an anti-trafficking organization called Treasured Vessels Foundation on their communications team. I am also married and have a tiny puppy! 

5. Have you ever done voice work before?

I have done podcasts for the missions organization but never voice work professionally.  

Rosie’s Favorites

• Snack: Sushi
• Band: Mumford & Sons
• Book of the Bible: Psalms
• Marvel movie: Black Panther
• Hobby: Photography

6. What drew you to join Dwell?

It was an idea I instantly believed in. When I heard the other voices I realized the potential for the app to reach people across the world and to connect people to the word in an important, new way. 

7. What is one thing you’ve learned since you started recording the Scriptures?

 To be patient with myself and lean on God more. Sometimes it can be frustrating rereading the same verse again and again due to my own error, but I have learned that it’s ok to make mistakes, even when reading the bible, and that ultimately God has got me where I’m meant to be. 

8. Has being involved with this project changed your outlook of the Bible?

Absolutely. Personally I am impatient and can scan through the bible too quickly and not let it really sink in. But reading it aloud multiple times has allowed me to soak it in and find a deep meaning behind each chapter – I love it!