Forever #lovingthecowboy
ALT="anniversary card picture of cowboy and sweetheart"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “I do” was a high-priced promise. On this, the anniversary of my wedding, I see how those two little words spoken so long ago were life-changers. That’s one of the things I love about words—and writing them. They can open our hearts to a …

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Memorial Day Historical Giveaway
ALT="book cover, Far Side of the Sea"

I felt it quite fitting that today’s post for Memorial Day be presented from wartime novelist Kate Breslin. Kate’s answers to my questions are well thought-out and insightful. Comment below for entry into a giveaway for a paperback copy (ships US) of her latest release, Far Side …

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O Taste and See That the Lord is Good!
ALT="girl eating donut"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I don’t even like donuts, but this enthusiastic eater of doughy delights makes me want one. Do food commercials affect you that way? What about a billboard with an image of someone chomping into a juicy burger or slurping a double-scoop ice-cream cone? Yeah, …

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All I Want
ALT ="camp fire"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Have you ever wanted something so simple that it crosses all barriers of time and culture? I have. Fire.             The warmth of a wood stove on a cold spring morning.             The campfire of a cowboy who rolls out …

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HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT … and a giveaway
ALT="The Lone Ranger"

I’m happy to introduce guest-blogger, author, and dancer Laura Padgett today. Expression is her forte! Can you relate with her take on masks? Be sure to comment below for entry into a drawing for Laura’s devotional book, Jesus in Shorts – a great play on words! Masked …

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May All That You Read Be Uplifting
ALT="an open book"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “May all that you read be uplifting.” Have you seen that line? I use it at the bottom of my email and quarterly newsletters, and I include it at the end of most of my novels. However, it’s more than a poetic parting. Life …

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Is It Personal?
ALT="Sunrise"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “Automation is on the horizon,” said the checker at my favorite grocery store as he rang up my weekly purchases. “Everything will be done electronically via camera and scanners.” I was stunned. No more friendly conversations, smiles, and small talk during my marketing experience? …

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Jesus Paid What We Owed
ALT="A crown of thorns"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer This is an interesting week. Today is the deadline for government taxes due in the United States, and this Friday is the day Christians commemorate Jesus’ death on the cross.   These events seem as far apart on the spectrum as possible, yet in …

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Try Again
ALT="yellow daffodil"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I ask why a lot. Do you? Why did mother die? Why did that guy cut me off in traffic? Why did I lose my job?   Why has life not gone as I planned? Maybe I’m asking the wrong why. Maybe I should …

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The Fool Says…There Is No God.
ALT="Sunrise Psalm 51:3"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Today is April Fool’s day, observed in many Western nations as an opportune time to play jokes on the gullible and unsuspecting. I’ve played tricks on employers, family members, and students and have had plenty of tricks played on me. It’s a fun day …

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Are We Living Too Fast?
ALT="sunset"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer One morning as I hurried around the house, fretting over my ever-growing to-do list, I muttered, “Did time go this fast for the Hebrews who wandered in the wilderness? How about when David was a shepherd boy, giant-killer, and king? Or when Jesus walked …

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Guest Post by Author Susan G. Mathis and a Giveaway!
ALT="burned treed"

“Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” Many of us struggle with gossip, frivolous chatter, and unwholesome talk – all caused by what the book of James calls “a small part of the body…that makes great boasts,” the tongue. James goes on to compare the …

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Marigolds or Miracles?
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By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When my daughter was a small child, she referred to the marigolds in our garden as “miracles.” I didn’t correct her. My young son once pointed to shafts of sunlight breaking through a cloud bank and said, “Maybe heaven’s having a tour.” What a …

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Family Ties
ALT="hand-stitched quilt"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Laura Jameson Bell was born in the 1870s. She buried two husbands, all her children, and was 104 when she died. Toward the end of her life, she lived with my family since we were the only living relatives she had. My mother was …

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Are You a Troublemaker?
ALT="two rodeo clowns in arena"

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Are you a troublemaker? Before you answer that question, let’s talk about what a troublemaker is and why sometimes it’s a good thing. Usually when we think of a troublemaker, we think of that kid in school who was always in the principal’s office. …

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