FAITH: Customer Interview Dwell Deeply Journals - Susanna Zach

I’m thrilled to share with you the first in a sporadic series of posts that will appear throughout the fall, interviewing customers about Dwell Deeply Journals! So many of you love the journals, and I thought it would be super fun to hear from some of you how you use them. Not only will these posts show you how other people use their journals, but their answers have been full of encouragement and other nuggets of wisdom about faith.

If you are unfamiliar with our Dwell Deeply Journals these posts should be informative for you! You can also check out our past blog post explaining them here. 

First up, I interviewed my friend and customer Susanna Zach! To help you get to know Susanna, I made her answer a few questions random questions about herself. Get to know Susanna below, and then dive into our interview.

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Fun Facts about Susanna

• Name: Susanna Zach
• Age: 21
• Instagram: @susanna.rachel
• Current Occupation/Job Goals/Major?: I'm student teaching right now and looking forward to being an elementary teacher soon!
• Favorite Color?: I love lots of neutrals, but right now I've been loving dark army green!
• Favorite Bible Verse?: My favorite passage in the Bible is Ephesians 2:1-10! It's so full of so many beautiful truths. If I had to choose a favorite verse from that section it'd probably by verses 4 and 5. I think that "But God" is probably one of the most important and powerful phrases in the Bible.  
• Hobbies?: Reading, listening to Music, organizing, playing with my nieces/nephew and all little kids, checking out the hippest coffee shops, watching the sunset.
• Favorite way to spend a free afternoon/evening?: If I had a free afternoon, you'd probably find me snuggled up on my bed reading a good book. I love reading memoirs and Christian non-fiction, but recently I've totally been enjoying Harry Potter. I would have a candle lit and a cup of iced coffee in hand.
• Coffee or Tea?: Both
• Chipotle or Qdoba?: Chipotle
• Salty or Sweet Snacks?: Salty

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Dwell Deeply Guest Post Interview

What does it mean for the word of God to dwell within you? When the Word of God dwells within us, it impacts our lives and the way that we go about our days. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to change us and mold us and make us more like God. If we passively read the Bible, it won't seep into our hearts and lives. I think that we need to dig into the Word, what it means, and how we can apply it to our lives. Then, when the enemy tries sends his lies and arrows to attack us, we can combat his lies with the truths we've learned from the Bible.

How has the Dwell Deeply Journal encouraged you in your times with the Lord, and allowed you to process scripture? Using the Dwell Deeply Journal has helped me dig into what the passage is saying, what it means, and how I can apply it my life. When I go through those steps of studying the Word, I think that I really understand it deeper and remember it longer. I totally love the doodling section because I can choose a small phrase or word that really stood out to me and write it all pretty. That helps me recall what I learned from that Bible passage. These last few years I have learned the great importance of gratitude and how it impacts our outlook on life. I love that there's a section in the Dwell Deeply Journal to jot down things that I'm thankful for that day. I think that the best way to end studying the Word is by seeking the Lord in prayer. The prayer request section helps me focus my prayers and be intentional about who and what I'm praying for.

Dwell Deeply Doodle | Grace be with you | by Susanna Zach

What is your favorite devotional to use with the Dwell Deeply Journal? I love using the Dwell Deeply Journal with the She Reads Truth plans. I write down the most impactful quotes from the devotion in the take away section. Then I use the application section to process what I learned and how that impacted my life.

What is a verse, or verses that have encouraged you lately? "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord God is an everlasting rock" (Isaiah 26:3-4). These verses have been so encouraging to me recently. When I'm filled with fear and worry, I know that the Lord will fill me with His inexplicable peace. I love to look up the Greek and Hebrew of specific words in the passage. Perfect peace comes from the word shalom, which means completeness, contentment, whole, rest, safety, peace with God especially in a covenant relationship. I love those descriptions of the peace that I can find in Jesus.

What other resources would you recommend to someone looking to dig deeper into the word of God? I love using the Blue Letter Bible app to look up the Greek and Hebrew of words in the Bible. "Women of the Word" by Jen Wilkin is very informative on why and how we can study the Bible. "The MacArthur Bible Handbook" by John MacArthur gives an in-depth description of each book of the Bible, including background, setting, theological themes, key words, and God's character displayed in that book. I also find commentaries very helpful, especially when reading something that's difficult to understand. Matthew Henry is a great commentator.

Dwell Deeply Doodle | Colossians 1:10 | By Susanna Zach

How does processing scripture allow you to apply it to your business, job, family, passions etc? When I take the time to truly understand what I'm reading in the Scriptures, I think that it makes what I'm reading more meaningful to me. As I read and pray, the Lord reveals to me ways that I can change, become more like Him, love people better, and live more intentionally. I learn how to better steward my finances when I'm reading about the generosity of the early church. I learn how to trust God more when I read about David's dependence on Him. When I read about Christ's humility, I am spurred on to think of others as more important than myself and serve in any way.

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A big thank you to Susanna for answering these questions, and giving us all so much encouragement. I love seeing how real customers use their journals, and how they are being used as a resource to process scripture. 

If you are interested in a Dwell Deeply Journal for use in your own quiet time you can find them over in the shop! Stay tuned for more customer interviews about Dwell Deeply Journals, faith, and customer photos of their doodles! Enjoy!

3 Additional Ideas for a Successful Quiet Time

Back in January I posted about  3 Tips for a Successful Quiet Time. I posted this because I know how easily I can get distracted or discouraged with my own quiet time. We recently launched the men's version of the Dwell Deeply Journals. These journals are quiet time companion journals that help you to dwell on truth. So, I asked my husband, Alex, for three additional ideas he had for a successful quiet time. 

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Hey there, it's Alex. First, off I wanted to ditto what Machelle said in her previous quiet time blog post. Her three tips were to 'set the mood' or create a space to have a quiet time, ditch your phone (unless you need it for the Bible app), and leave your Bible and/or devotional material out. I thought these tips were very helpful, and wanted to contribute some of my own.

1. Leave Out Your To-Do List

This may sound very goofy to some of you, but hang with me! I am very easily distracted - let me repeat that - I am very easily distracted. Frequently when I sit down to do my quiet time I will read something that reminds me of something I need to do. It can be tempting to quick pay the bills before I forget, or quick reply to that email. So, as a solution I leave out my to-do list. That way if I remember something I need to do while I am trying to focus on the word, I can write it down instead of jumping to get it done. So, if you get distracted like me leave your to do list out to quickly jot down thoughts, to-do's, and ideas so you can get them out of your head and continue to concentrate. 

2. Be Okay With A Short Quiet Time

I love the days when I can spend an hour in the word. The reality is that usually only happens on Saturdays. It can be frustrating on weekday mornings when I run out of time for a "full quiet time". Here is what I have learned, it's okay to have a short quiet time. Being hard on yourself for not being able to have a lengthy quiet time every day can defeat the purpose and intent of letting the word be a part of your life. If you find during the week you only have ten minutes every morning - then embrace that! Taking that time to pray or read a devotional is so much more fruitful than being upset with yourself. Embrace those ten minutes, and embrace a short quiet time on occasion. 

Men's Dwell Deeply Journals // Quiet Time Companion Journals // mkolbodesignstudio.etsy.com

3. Use Your Time Creatively

I mentioned in the last post that I have learned to be okay with shorter quiet times on occasion. This tip goes along with that. I have learned to use my time in the morning while getting ready creatively. For example, every morning I wake up and go sit on the toilet. I know that this toilet pit-stop is going to take me ten-fifteen minutes. Instead of scrolling through social media while I sit on the pot, I now keep a devotional book in the bathroom. My phrase for this is "meeting God on the throne, while on the throne" (Machelle is going to hate this). My point is that there is probably time where you are standing around, sitting around or waiting on something (breakfast, coffee, etc.) where you could be reading the Bible, a devotional, or praying. Think creatively about how you can utilize your time, and create space to be in the word. 

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I hope these tips from Alex, and the previous tips I shared on the blog help you dive in and have a successful quiet time. If you don't know where to start or need some help along the way our Dwell Deeply Journals are a great resource. 

Have a great one friends! We are cheering you on!

 

INTRODUCING: MEN'S DWELL DEEPLY JOURNAL

We are excited to announce that we now offer a Men's Dwell Deeply Journal! After personally using the women's Dwell Deeply Journal, and letting my husband Alex use one as well (he tried to make it a little less feminine), it became apparent that there was a real need for a similar men's journal! 

So why did we think this was so important to create? Read on for some thoughts from Alex on the creation of the men's version. 

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Hey - Alex here - when Machelle launched the women's version of the Dwell Deeply journal it was exciting to watch women around her use these journals to process truth. I also loved watching how it was helping her process, and grow more consistent in quiet times and prayer. So, one day I asked if I could use one of the journals. So, I did. I loved it, but she designed them to be more feminine. I took the liberty to make some adjustments to the one I was using to give it cleaner lines and a more geometric feel.

The more I used the journal the more I saw how it was leading me to become more disciplined in my quiet time, but still giving me freedom to study anything. I also found that because I was writing things down and sketching them out they stuck in my mind more. This allowed me to recall things more easily and then share it with others. This recall was especially helpful for the areas of my life where I am leading others. 

Another cool thing was that Machelle and I were processing scripture, and writing prayer requests in a similar way. It gave us a great way to share truth and scripture with each other. Even though we would be studying different things we could encourage each other and share how we felt different scripture applied to our lives and specific situations. So, I wanted to create a men's version so that husbands and wives, or families could be processing scripture in a similar way. 

Most of all, I saw how this journal was helping Machelle with her quiet time, and I wanted that. Not only did I want it for myself, but for other men as well. So, we talked about the need for a men's journal, and I was enlisted to create the cover lettering, and inside lettering/graphics. 

Overall, the bones of the journal is the same. If you have used a women's journal all the sections are there. I just created graphics and different wording to make the journal less feminine and give a more gender neutral option for men. 

I hope you will take a look at the men's journal, and give it a try. My prayer is that this would help you be more disciplined in your quiet time, and ultimately help God's truth dwell in all areas of your life. 

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Like Alex said, we are super excited to have these Men's Dwell Deeply Journals available! It has been such a cool way for us to process and share with each other. We created because we know sometimes you need a way to process what you are reading, or don't know where to begin with a quiet time. Interested? Check them out HERE. 

My Simple Method for Recording Answered Prayers

Recording answered prayers (and prayer requests) is such a sweet and simple reminder of God's faithfulness. It gives us a tangible way to read through specifically what He has done in our lives. Today, I want to share with you my simple method for recording answered prayers, using the Dwell Deeply Journal.

When I created the Dwell Deeply Journals, I added a page at the very back for answered prayers. To be honest, I thought it was a nice addition, but did not think it would become one of my favorite parts of the journal.

When I first started using the journals I didn't reference the answered prayer page, as it is the last page in the journal. I would use the prompts to help me dig deep into the scripture I was reading, write down what I was thankful, and record and pray over prayer requests. The journal has content pages for 31 days. So, after a little over a month I was done with my first journal. It was then that I saw the answered prayer page. I decided to go back through and read the prayer requests from the past month or so, and see if there was anything I could record on the answered prayers page. As I read through all the prayer requests I had recorded I was BLOWN AWAY by how God had answered those prayers - and how quickly I had forgotten his faithfulness. After pouring over all the prayer requests I was able to record numerous answered prayers, and had a heart FULL of gratitude. 

I was already intrigued by the concept of writing out prayers and answered prayers after watching the movie War Room. When I actually put it into practice myself that is when I really saw the power of it had. (Also if you haven't read this book - you should!)

So, my simple method is this: record your prayer requests for a month, and at the end of that month read through them and record all your answered prayers. I promise you will be blown away by God's faithfulness, and be able to see the unique ways he answered those prayers. Now, I'm not saying that all those answered prayers will be God saying "Yes". Recording our prayers and looking back over them may give us a new perspective of His bigger plan that is so much better than our own. 

To get started you can simply record your prayer requests and answered prayers in a journal, or on paper. Personally I would recommend grabbing one of the Dwell Deeply Journals so you can have your quiet times, prayer requests and answered prayers all in one spot!

Take some time this month to write out your prayers to God. Plan a time in the future, a month or two out when you will look over those prayers and record your answered prayers. My prayer is that this would cultivate gratitude, and trust in God's bigger plan for your life. I hope this post has encouraged you to consider taking simple steps to look for the answered prayers in your own life. 

Want to learn more about the Dwell Deeply Journals? Check out my post introducing them!

Also, Dwell Deeply Journals are available to purchase here: mkolbodesignstudio.etsy.com

3 Tips for a Successful Quiet Time

A new year always spurs on goals and resolutions. If you are like me, some of you may be hoping to be more consistent in your quiet time, reading the Bible, or time of prayer. So, today I've listed three tips that have helped me personally to be more successful. All of these tips feature the Dwell Deeply Journal, but can be applied to your quiet time even don't use one of our journals. Enjoy!

1. Set the Mood

Sharon @fernandthefawn cozied up with her Dwell Deeply Journal

Setting the mood will help set yourself up for success. This might sound strange, but follow me on this one. Our homes can be chaotic and filled with distractions, this can leave us frazzled and not focused. Do a few simple things to help yourself be comfortable and excited to dwell on the word of God. Light your favorite candle, grab a cozy blanket, make yourself a snack, or pour a glass of your favorite drink (coffee anyone?). Doing something simple can help set the mood and help you enter into a more focused time with God.

2. Ditch Your Phone

Olivia @omgwalls enjoys her Dwell Deeply Quiet Time Journal with a cup of coffee!

Seriously - ditch the phone. I'm preaching to myself on this one folks. For most of us our phones are attached to our hands and we react with every notification ping. The world will not miss you for 20 minutes while you take time to be with God. It will allow you to more fully process scripture, be present with God and feed your soul!

The one exception to this rule is if you are using The Bible App to access the Bible, or a devotional app such as She Reads Truth. These are both excellent resources, and if you use them during your quiet time keep using them!

3. Leave Your Bible, Devotional or Journal Out

Susanna @susanna.rachel leaves her Bible and Dwell Deeply Journal out on a table.

Leaving our Bibles out is something we started doing last year. I first saw the tip from a writer and speaker I greatly admire, Lara Casey. Leaving your Bible out in a common place serves as a reminder throughout the day. For example ours sit on the coffee table in the living room out and ready to be used. This is also helpful if you cannot dedicate a solid chunk of time to a quiet time whether it be due to your schedule, or little ones. If you leave your Bible and Dwell Deeply Journal out you can work on it throughout the day and pick up right where you left off. This allows you to fit in a quiet time where you find spare moments throughout your day.

Our Dwell Deeply Journals can also help you structure, organize and keep track of your quiet times. You can purchase them HERE in the Machelle Kolbo Design Studio Etsy Shop. Check out the #dwelldeeplyjournal on Instagram to see more photos of journals in use! Special thanks to our happy Instagram customers whose pictures I shared above.