Peace on earth …

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer An advent wreath was not part of our Christmas traditions when I was growing up. We didn’t light advent candles during the holidays or talk about what they meant, so learning about advent as an adult became one more thing on my to-do list.

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Hope Interrupting
ALT="Mary riding a donkey"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The young Jewish woman we think of each Christmas must have been an equestrian of the highest order, riding full-term over rough ground on a donkey. Twenty miles a day for more than seventy miles she and her fiancé traveled so they could be

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Give Up or Give Thanks?
ALT="big orange pumpkin and fall leaves"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Eleven years ago at one of my earliest book signings, I sat behind a little table near the front of a Colorado Bible/book store, surrounded by everything Duck Dynasty. Talk about a duck out of water – that was me. My book had nothing

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Contradiction or Connection?
ALT="sunset over roadway"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Strength and rest have long seemed like contradictory concepts to me. Rest is sedentary and strength is active, right? Not necessarily. I’m currently reading a novel, Where Trees Touch the Sky, one of Karen Barnett’s National Park Novels. The quiet strength of the West

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When the Leaves Let Go
ALT="yellow leaves in fall"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I wish I had known my grandmother when she was a young woman with long russet hair and ankle-brushing skirts. I wish I could have seen her dreams, her daily struggles, and heard the defiance in her voice when she said, “I will not

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FAITH, HOPE & LOVE – Weight of the Past, Hope for Renewal
ALT="author Susan G Mathis" and book Julia's Joy

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Today I’m happy to introduce friend and fellow author Susan G Mathis with her latest release, Julia’s Joy. I hope you’re blessed. Weight of the Past – Hope for Renewal with Faith, Hope, and Love By Susan G Mathis In 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 we

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At the Proper Time
ALT="pumpkins"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I am often asked what advice I have for aspiring writers. My answer is always the same. “Don’t quit.” However, sometimes I say, “Never give up.” And often I elaborate: “Keep writing.” Sound boringly repetitive? I’m afraid so. But it is the kind of

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Which way?
ALT="a Y in the road"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last Monday, the post office was closed for the observance of Columbus Day. I imagine the following day had a line of postal patrons stretched out the door and into the lobby. I have spent many post-Columbus-Day Tuesdays in a post office line. One

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It’s All About the Light
ALT="yellow aspen on mountain"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer People who visit the Colorado mountains each fall to see the changing leaves learn how to position themselves in relation to the sun if they want the best picture possible. For the most vibrant colors and the bluest sky, they shoot with the sun

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Beautiful Bounty … and recipes!
ALT="basket of red apples"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer My kitchen is brimming with apples, and the choices abound as to what I’ll do with them: 1. Make applesauce 2. Make apple pie or cobbler 3. Make apple cookies 4. Make apple bread 5. Bake apples 6. Dry apples 7. Slice and eat

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Of Fruits and Roots
ALT="yellow pumpkin blossom and green pumpkin"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last fall, a cheeky tree squirrel ate the autumn decorations off my front porch. One evening I had two pumpkins and a clutch of Indian corn; the next morning I had one ear of corn with several kernels missing. And two hardened pumpkin stems.

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Who Needs Boundaries?
ALT="Skyline Drive with no railing"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Skyline Drive offers no railing in its climb up the hogbacks just west of Cañon City, Colorado. The narrow road lives up to its name, allowing motorists and hikers to feel as if they are scaling the sky. Some of us don’t like that

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The Lord is … the Lord Forever
ALT="sheep in field"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “The Lord is … the Lord forever.” These six words are the first three and the last three of the 23rd Psalm. They declare a simple yet profound truth, and in between them, we discover the character of God. This psalm is not just

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Suddenly September
ALT="color-streaked sunset"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It’s suddenly September. Well, I guess it’s not exactly sudden, but it sure feels that way. On August 8, a month ago, the sun rose at 6:07 a.m. on Colorado’s Front Range and set at 7:59 p.m. Today, sunrise was at 6:34 a.m. and

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Come and Drink
ALT="deer in a stream"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Look closely at the deer. He’s a loner. Imperfect. In the world of nature, those imperfections put him at a disadvantage. He would lose in a battle with another buck, so he stays to himself. Alone he forages at the back of our property

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