By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Merriam-Webster: prepare verb pre·pare | \ pri-ˈper \ prepared; preparing Definition of prepare 1a: to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity – prepare food for dinner b: to put in a proper state of mind is prepared to listen 2: to work out the details of: plan in advance preparing a campaign strategy 3a: to put …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer My farmer father taught me how to drive by starting me out on a tractor when I was about 10. His instructions included the following: Stand up on the brake if you can’t push it down. Stop at intersections even if no cars are …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Rarely have I seen a true silver lining on a cloud, but often I have heard that every cloud has one. John Milton is said to have coined the phrase in 1634. It has become a cliché encouragement to those in trying situations that …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last month I visited the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. After my initial amazement at how large the replica Ark was (built according to biblical dimensions), I was humbled by the lengths to which God would go to save His people and creation. The …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer More than a century ago, the Civil War uprooted dreams, decimated families, and divided the nation. Those who survived were determined to remember the price paid by decorating the graves of their fallen loved ones with flowers and flags on Decoration Day. Gradually, the …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Thank you for joining me for this “Takeaway” series with input from all four authors in the upcoming contemporary romance collection from Barbour Publishing, Always a Wedding Planner. We have heard from Toni Shiloh, RL Ashly, and Leeann Betts. Today I share what I hope readers …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Thank you for joining me for week three in our “Takeaway” series by authors of the soon-to-release Always a Wedding Planner. So far, we have heard from Toni Shiloh and RL Ashley. Today, author Leeann Betts joins us to share what she hopes will …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Thank you for joining me in week 2 of our Takeaway series from the authors of Always a Wedding Planner. Last week we heard from Toni Shiloh, author of the first story in the collection, “Finally a Sweetheart.” This week’s takeaway thoughts are shared …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last year an author friend approached me about writing part of a contemporary romance collection for Barbour Publishing. She and her two partners needed a fourth author. Would I join them? Yes! Always a Wedding Planner is a behind the scenes look into the …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Years ago when my rodeo-clown/bullfighter husband and I followed the circuit, we spent most of our summers on the road getting from one rodeo to the next. Headed north through Colorado one day on our way to Montana, we listened to the recording of …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Have you ever stood at the edge of the sea or a large lake and listened to waves lap against the shore? Or cradled yourself in a gently rocking boat, relaxing as you drifted with the breeze? How about making your way to shore …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A couple thousand years ago in Jerusalem, a man named Thomas got the short end of the experiential stick. Or did he? As one of the twelve closest friends of Jesus, he spent three years hanging out with God-as-man. He saw miracles. He saw …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer We were created to live forever with God. Sin interrupted and set us on a detour to death. Jesus intervened, paid for the sin with His life and fixed us. Now, because of Him, we get to do what we were created to do …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The mob can turn. A big event was coming to town and everyone was busy preparing, anticipating, hurrying. The Jews called it Passover. Early in the week, on a dirt-and-stone street, a crowd hailed an itinerant teacher as a king entering the gates of …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When I lived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, spring was obvious. Riotous, even, with flowers splashed on the hillsides and new-green grass everywhere. Some of my family still live there, and when they post photos on social media, I can almost …