Hannah Harrison
AFA Journal staff writer
October 2019 – In their late 70s, Michael and Sarah Dowling sensed their time had come – they were being called to stand for Christ in a culture that stands against the beliefs of the Bible. The couple believes the Lord has been preparing them to take a stand against culture for the next generation.
Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables – with its whimsical text by Michael and fanciful art by Sarah – comes from hearts wanting to see homes and churches reclaim the values of Scripture. Faced daily with cultural challenges, today’s family is continually exposed to things not biblically sound. The Dowlings have crafted a beautiful aid to help correct the course of what many have already proclaimed a “post-Christian” era.
Using fables, the couple employs their extraordinary insights to help families face hard questions about unbiblical worldviews. They created Frog and seven more cute characters, each needing advice on how to make it through a little thing called life. Each animal’s adventure travels through Scriptures and arrives at a clear moral lesson.
“Burrowing Deeper,” a free downloadable study guide, is invaluable for any family that desires to reinforce and live by biblical values. This thorough guide features questions and scriptural principles for children of various ages and ideas for the entire family to discuss.
Wisdom – the world or the Word?
Each fable aims to overcome the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of the Word, always examining an issue through a biblical lens. For example, the Turtle character’s biggest issue is pride. His story ends with this rhyme: “If we puff ourselves up in our own eyes, we’re likely to have an unpleasant surprise.”
Then comes the startling contrast. The world says, “All power is within you; you can do anything and everything” (Swami Vivekananda, Hindu monk). But the Word of God says, “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time” (1 Peter 5:6).
Frog’s Rainy-Day Story will appeal to readers of all ages. In a world rapidly growing darker, it is a solid discipleship tool for parents, teachers, pastors, homeschoolers, and Sunday school teachers.
The Dowlings – darkness to discipleship
Decades ago, Michael was deeply involved in the New Age Movement. He was trapped in spiritual darkness as he participated in Silva mind control, a practice of extrasensory perception.
Meanwhile, Sarah was immersed in the occult. While a supervisor at a halfway house for mental patients, Sarah said she finally observed, “There were two different views. One life was dark mental patients that were being tormented, and the other life was this character, Jesus Christ.”
At that moment of realization, Sarah began to sense hope. Today, both she and Michael believe they were rescued for such a time as this. As they follow the Lord’s call in their senior season, they become even more aware of the influence Satan is trying to impose on the culture.
Once themselves slaves to sin, the Dowlings are now confident the Lord isn’t finished using them or their testimonies to spread His name across America. Their desire is to be salt and light in a mainstream culture that is typically against what the Word of God teaches.
Now is their time to stand for the gospel. With the release of Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables, the Dowlings offer the hope of Jesus and an effective way to grow in Him – beginning with the delightful fable of Frog. 
Frog’s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables will be available at online retailers October 1. See sample pages and pre-order autographed copies at FrogsRainyDayStory.com. Contact the Dowlings at [email protected].
