Suffering. The older we get, the more we have known it in our own lives, or have seen others experience it. Lately I have noticed in Scripture that joy and suffering are often mentioned together. I began to ponder why. 1st Thessalonians, chapter 1 has a lot to say about this. The Bible tells us …
Author Archives: michelledowdybytheway
Moving Forward (Do the Next Thing)
Moving Forward (Do the Next Thing) There is almost no condition with the body that movement will not improve. We were made to move, and being immobile has negative effects of various kinds on the body. It seems now with most surgeries, the medical staff wants you up and moving as soon as possible. With …
Riches of His Grace
Riches of His GraceRussell Harbin’s Rescue Story “Russell, you need to go to the box,” the teacher said to a six-year-old little boy with an undiagnosed learning disability. “The Box” was a large container a refrigerator had come in, complete with a door cut in it, and a desk, reserved for those who needed a …
Umbrella in the Night
I believe God often teaches us lessons through the things that happen in our everyday lives if we have our eyes and ears open. One such instance happened to me the other day, and it involved an umbrella, a security system, and a dog. We were about to leave the house and it had …
Charcuterie Board Christianity
Surely, I am not the only one who is tired of the “charcuterie” phase in which we find ourselves. If you do not know how to pronounce this word, consider yourself blessed and of good fortune. I have several issues with the charcuterie board. First, the things which are typically placed upon it rarely constitute …
When Justice Met Mercy
When Mercy Met Justice Where does our desire for justice come from? We see a story on the news about some atrocity and we immediately want to see justice done, we want fairness to be meted out for the perpetrators. Why is that? Even when it doesn’t affect us personally, we have a similar reaction …
Who Does She Think She Is?
Who Does She Think She Is? Have you ever said that? I have an idea all of us have. At one time or another, we encountered someone who appeared to overstep her bounds, someone with an air of superiority. Maybe they “got above their raisin’,” as my mother would have said. In any case, it’s …
More Than Enough
God is a multiplier. We see this even in the natural order, as he created living things to reproduce themselves. Some of Jesus’s miracles involved multiplying things – bread and fish, for example. When Jesus took the 5 loaves and 2 fish and blessed and multiplied them, it was enough to feed over 5,000 hungry …
He Sees You
He sees youHe sees you in the day to dayThe mundane tasks, the ho-humHe sees you as you wipe that little nose for the hundredth timeAnd change the smelly diaperHe sees you as you clean upAfter a dinner you have fixed for hungry mouthsHe sees you rise up for another day and give Him thanksHe …
Let Love Cover It
Why do people take offense? Today more than ever, people seem to be quick to be offended by what, in past times, would have been very innocuous statements. When feelings and self are exalted above all else, becoming easily offended is a natural consequence. Sometimes offense occurs because we perceive the offending person did not …
Life By The Way 