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 …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Daylight Saving Time started today. At 2 a.m., to be exact. Were you awake? Me neither. I remember once asking my mother about Daylight Wasting Time. Of course she thought it was cute. But my elementary-school brain figured the opposite of saving had to …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Reading one morning from a different version of the Bible, I was caught by new wording of a familiar verse: You are my refuge and my shield. Your word is my source of hope. Psalm 119:114 In my childhood, I had learned the first …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked. Prov. 4:25-27 Stay on the path. A simple directive. As simple as the one about not …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It’s amazing what one may chance to see when taking a puppy out to pee. Now you know why I’m not a poet. Poetry aside, life rhythms have changed for me over the last few wintry weeks. One late night as I stood bundled …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways,” wrote Elizabeth Barrett Browning. For simplicity’s sake, let’s merely count the kinds of love. Romantic love. Empathetic love. Brotherly love. Unconditional love. Unfailing love. Mature love. Sacrificial love. Endless love – as is the …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Dawn may be my favorite time of day. It appears full of promise and new possibilities. Most of my stories present at least one sunrise that catches my characters’ attention and provides a moment of reflection and gratitude. I also find dawn mentioned during …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “I talk about these made-up people as if they were real,” I told a friend as we discussed the characters in one of my books. “I know them better than I do most real people.” “That’s because you know their hearts,” she said. “You …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The earth was eating my driveway. Where had all the gravel gone? (Sounds like a Pete Seeger song.) My remedy: order more. But that’s not how it works. I couldn’t just call the rock shop and ask them to deliver plain gravel – even …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Ah, peace. What a priceless commodity these days. Isaiah 26:3 offers an equation for finding peace like no other. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee.” The old King James English may grate on …
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Have you ever read something familiar and found yourself seeing it with fresh eyes? It happens to me frequently, and lately it’s been Matthew 11:28-30. Clearly this passage speaks to me, for I wrote about it in September. Is God trying to tell me …