Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Two weekends this month I have a small part in a play* about the life of Christ as well as the life of a wizened old judge whose dead friend pays him a visit. It is the second production I have participated in over the …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Please welcome my guest blogger today, author Susan G. Mathis, as she talks about something we all experience … The Refiner’s Fire Have you ever gone through the refiner’s fire? I’m sure you have, and so did my characters in Mary’s Moment who had just …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It has been said that the American West was “hell on horses and women,” but without them, the Wild West may never have been. Fits right in with Women’s History Month, doesn’t it? Alice Marriott, author of a book with the same colorful title, Hell …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer If you haven’t already heard, March is Women’s History Month. The button pictured above was left in my box in the teacher’s lounge when I taught at the college. I laugh every time I notice it on my “inspiration” board at home. However, I can …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Someone to Devour Sounds gruesome, doesn’t it? Like something out of a zombie or horror movie. However, there is more of that sort of thing going on than we realize. A friend of mine had her computer hacked the other day, and the culprit obtained …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Did you choose a “word for the year” at the beginning of 2023? Many people did. It has become a friendlier variation on the New-Year’s-Resolution theme. Researchers say resolutions last between two weeks and one month. I was surprised they lasted that long. However, a …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A lot is said in February about the heart. A lot of money is spent too. Advertisers market flowers, candy, cards, and jewelry all connected to the little red or pink ♥-shape denoting love, affection, fondness, and fidelity. And of course the ♥ looks nothing …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Have you ever suffered from “imposter syndrome?” Misgivings about what you’ve been called to do. “Me – teach?” “Me – sing?” “Me – help the sick/poor/lonely?” As an author, I know well the spidery footsteps of doubt crawling up my shoulder … “You – write?” …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Most moms have a way of knowing what their children are capable of, whether it’s good or ornery. They also usually know what’s going on. Especially at important gatherings. One day in a small Middle Eastern town roughly halfway between an inland sea and the Mediterranean, …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Do you ever get so busy that you ignore other people? In too big of a hurry to sense their need. So tied up in your own thoughts that you miss the obvious. I do. Maybe that’s why I enjoy accounts of Jesus meeting people …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When I was in elementary school, two of my classmates were identical twins. Even their names were nearly the same: Arlene and Darlene. I rarely knew who was who. As an adult, I’m learning the difference between two nearly identical words: expectation and expectancy. They …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A new calendar faces us. New challenges, new goals, new opportunities. And honestly, a lot of the same-ol’ same-ol’ repetitions we could do without. Yet, in spite of all those things we have no control over, we can choose to control our responses to them. …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Iconic images of frozen Niagara Falls have hit the Internet as hard as a recent wintry storm hit North America. Amazing that the water’s thunderous, rushing journey can be stopped. I’ve never been to New York and the Niagara River, but I’ve heard the roar …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Memories decorate more Christmases than all the world’s tree ornaments, lights, and trimmings combined. For some people, those memories aren’t so pleasant. For others, they are the core of the season. My adult son displays a lighted miniature village in his home–the same village he …
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer If you were God, how would you introduce yourself to your creation? I’d be 27 years old, a size 8 with flawless complexion, no white hair, and an IQ of 145. I would not show up as a baby, completely helpless and totally dependent upon …