By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The doorbell rang. When I answered it, a friendly young man greeted me from a company I have done business with for several years. After leaving his delivery, he mentioned the deer in my driveway and yard. He had encountered several on the roads
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer At Christmas I became the hesitant owner of a Paperwhite Narcissus Bulb Kit – Ziva. Hesitant because things looked pretty barren in that mostly empty box. However, it was worth trying if success meant the heady perfume I associate with narcissi. According to the
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A new year. A new month. A new week. Do you ever get the feeling that you have to gear up and get a jump on things? Get a head start? But a head start on what? Anxiety, stress, over-achieving? Completing that to-do list
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I like to walk just before dawn. I don’t always make it, but when I do, I am awed each time by the moment night becomes day. Many verses in the Bible speak of it, and one of my favorites is Psalm 130:5-6. I
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer How often do our New Year’s Resolutions involve denying ourselves something in order to improve our life? Stop over-eating. Stop smoking. Give up sugar. Don’t criticize my spouse/siblings/in-laws. These are admirable aspirations and well worth our efforts. But typically, such resolutions fall by the
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I have never thought of Christmas as a time of gratitude for those who grieve. However, I’ve had a closer look lately. Long ago, the prophet Isaiah foretold that God would send One to bind up the brokenhearted and comfort those who mourned. That
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Christmas carols – I love them. That’s because I don’t sing them year-round or even in November. I wait until December and then savor them at church, in my home, and in the car on the radio. Many of the carols have roots in
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Merry Christmas! This week I’ve joined Hallee Bridgeman and twenty-three other Christian authors in Hallee’s annual Christmas Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. The prizes are spectacular: $250 first-place, $150 second-place or $100 third-place Amazon gift cards. I hope you’ll visit all the authors’ blogs so
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The guide and I walked a rutted dirt road used by Forest Service vehicles. Pine, scrub oak, and aspen bordered the road on each side. All was quiet – blissfully absent of people, their machines, and their devices. As we moved deeper into the