By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer My kitchen is brimming with apples, and the choices abound as to what I’ll do with them: 1. Make applesauce 2. Make apple pie or cobbler 3. Make apple cookies 4. Make apple bread 5. Bake apples 6. Dry apples 7. Slice and eat
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last fall, a cheeky tree squirrel ate the autumn decorations off my front porch. One evening I had two pumpkins and a clutch of Indian corn; the next morning I had one ear of corn with several kernels missing. And two hardened pumpkin stems.
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Skyline Drive offers no railing in its climb up the hogbacks just west of Cañon City, Colorado. The narrow road lives up to its name, allowing motorists and hikers to feel as if they are scaling the sky. Some of us don’t like that
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “The Lord is … the Lord forever.” These six words are the first three and the last three of the 23rd Psalm. They declare a simple yet profound truth, and in between them, we discover the character of God. This psalm is not just
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It’s suddenly September. Well, I guess it’s not exactly sudden, but it sure feels that way. On August 8, a month ago, the sun rose at 6:07 a.m. on Colorado’s Front Range and set at 7:59 p.m. Today, sunrise was at 6:34 a.m. and
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Look closely at the deer. He’s a loner. Imperfect. In the world of nature, those imperfections put him at a disadvantage. He would lose in a battle with another buck, so he stays to himself. Alone he forages at the back of our property
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Storm clouds hung like a heavy curtain ahead of us, and we anticipated rain at our destination. Torrential rain. As the road curved, it lined up with a bright spot on the horizon, door-like in its invitation to escape the storm and go beyond.
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9 *The first morning I saw the white-haired couple on the Riverwalk, I nearly stared. Not because of their age, but because of their unified presence. The woman wore
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The farmer’s market brimmed with vendors’ booths of homemade breads, jellies, candles, and stained glass. Home-grown vegetables covered tables in patches of silk-topped corn, golden peaches, and squash of green and yellow—a fresh-air market spread beneath sunshine and shade, populated by the young and
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Today, friend and fellow author Susan B. Mathis is here with inspiration from her recent release, Libby’s Lighthouse, about God’s surprising voices. Welcome, Susan! Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Most of the characters in my books are people I’ve cooked up on my own. Others sneak up on me when I’m not looking, leaving me with the sense that I’ve met them before and just can’t remember when or where. I have a
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Things don’t always work out the way we hope they will. Let me rephrase that: Rarely do things work out the way we hope. Or expect. Or plan. Or even pray. Could that be because we’re not listening? I will not divulge how many
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Have you ever been asked, “How are you holding up?” Rarely do people mean, “How are you holding up the bank?” or “How are you holding up your socks?” or “You’re holding up the parade.” Ah, yes – the English language. The idiomatic expression,
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer This week I’m featuring a women’s devotional book from fellow author and friend, Becky Van Vleet. Not only do I like the catchy title, What’s In Your Purse, I enjoy the layout of each of the fifty-two devotionals with “Remember This” Bible verses, a
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Do you know the next phrase in the classic Western ballad that begins, “Oh, give me a home”? It has something to do with buffalo, deer, and antelope. However, the line after that is the best one, in my opinion, and no doubt became