By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Tomorrow is November 3, election day in the United States of America. Most of us who are voting have already done so. But all of us are affected by the turmoil of this year’s political races. So may I encourage you this week, rather …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I think there is a National Day for just about everything, but I could not pass up the day set aside for pumpkins – that lovable, roundish, grooved member of the gourd family. Pumpkins may have even made their way into the Old Testament. …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Are we hearing from God? We often ask, “How do I know when God is speaking to my heart? How do I know if I’m hearing from Him?” This is a critical question when we’re seeking His will, and I admit, I’ve missed it. …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Today is National Farmers Day. My dad was a farmer. So was his father before him. And so were many other people at that time. Today, not so much. In 1862, President Lincoln established the U.S. Department of Agriculture which he dubbed “the people’s …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer In my early twenties, I worked briefly for an insurance company in a small Northern Colorado farming community. On my lunch break, I often walked the length of a tree-lined street, past a beautifully maintained Victorian home at the corner. The house was surrounded …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Perspective is key. With a change in perspective, we often see a difficult situation differently. Viewing something from another angle may show us that things aren’t as bad as we thought. We may recognize a pending answer and not just an overwhelming problem. We …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Every time I pull up to the stoplight at the highway intersection pictured above, I exercise my free will by complying with what the sign says. The first vehicle to arrive at the light has room to stop on the other side of the …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It’s suddenly September. Well, I guess it’s not exactly suddenly, but it sure feels that way. Four weeks ago it was light at 6 a.m. in Colorado and the sun set just after 8 p.m. Today, sunrise was at 6:34 a.m. and the sun …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I believe few would argue that this metaphorical year of perfect “2020” vision has been anything but. Yet the Lord is still my Shepherd. In spite of all the misunderstanding, miscommunication, and misguidedness (Is that even a word?) going on around me, the stream …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Just because we are believers doesn’t mean we won’t experience loss and pain. It doesn’t mean that sometimes we won’t have all the answers. But it does mean that we aren’t alone. Andy Squyres is a songwriter who grabbed my attention in an interview …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When I was growing up, my mother used to tell me, “You are what you eat.” The phrase seemed silly to me at the time, but I learned that when I ate healthy foods, I became healthier and stronger. When I ate junk food, …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer In a recent Bible-study discussion on the inward change of a person’s nature, the participants were directed to 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It was late July and the land of the Nez Perce beckoned from across the Bitterroot Range. Following a string of Montana rodeos, we charted our way across northern Idaho and into Washington. At Clarkston, two routes led to our destination: a long way …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “I will run in the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart” (Psalm 119:32). This verse was listed in my morning reading one day last week and left me wondering what it meant for God to enlarge my heart. I know …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “Inspirational romance—isn’t that an oxymoron?” A secular, general-market author fired the question at me during a family-related social gathering. “No, you moron. It isn’t.” I’d like to say the above response to the question is from a salty character in one of my novels, …