People today seem to be more contentious and polarized than I can remember in my lifetime around a variety of issues. Families are found at odds with one other, often divided along generational lines. It seems people “hold the line” and are unwilling to budge, unwilling to listen to reason or another point of view …
Author Archives: michelledowdybytheway
Abound in Hope
Isn’t it interesting how the Bible never teaches us, in the Old or New Testament, to seek after material possessions or wealth? Jesus’s message could have been, “Store up for yourselves plenty of treasure, so you will have a good retirement.” No, his message was always to seek things that are above, to seek first …
Deep Roots
It’s good to have deep roots – in a tree, in a family, in a community, in our faith. When roots grow down deep from years of good soil, nourishment, sunshine and rain, there is health for the tree. Our lives and our faith need the same things. We must feed our faith and allow …
Thy Will or My Will
It seems that every facet of life continues to be permeated by the fact that we are still fighting this horrible virus, and things have not yet returned to “normal.” For many, though, normal will be different, because they have suffered the greatest loss during this time and will never again hear their loved one’s …
What is on Your Lips?
My mother always wore lipstick. She was from the era where you put your best foot forward when you stepped out of the house, and you rarely stepped out without being dressed accordingly and having “fixed your face.” Even in retirement, when she relaxed her standards just a bit, one thing that never changed was …
Common Vessels
I am continually amazed at the richness of Scripture and how we can discern different meanings from it with different readings, as the Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth (John 16:13). Within one story, there can be so many lessons and ways God might speak to us corporately or personally. In John 2, we …
Ready
I was reading through the Gospel of Matthew this week and was struck by something I had never noticed before. As I read the account of the feeding of over 5,000 people in Matthew 14, I wondered why Jesus told the crowd to sit down before he multiplied the food that was given. As I …
Time for Surrender
Some of my best ideas seem to come when I am out in nature, walking the dog and looking at my surroundings. Not sure if my mind is more free from distractions during those times, but I find it is a good time to think and pray. On my walks for the last few days, …
What Do We Get Out of This?
Hello Friends, I thought I would share a few thoughts as we are still sheltering in place, learning to adjust to our “new normal.” I have been pondering how crisis pushes some people deeper into their faith and causes others to dig in deeper in their unbelief. Could it be that crisis magnifies our true …
A Nest on Bare Branches
As I was walking this morning, I took notice of a nest built in the branches of a small tree in a neighbor’s yard. The branches were bare, and I thought at the time, it was a pretty fitting analogy for where we are right now. The nest was still there, offering protection, but it …
Life By The Way 