By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer This two-word query is one of the most important questions a novelist asks while writing a book. Various answers propel characters into riveting plot twists or brain-throbbing conflicts. But for those seeking to live faith-led lives of obedience in the real world, “What if?” can be
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer In a scene from one of my Western romance novels, the heroine struggles with memories of her Christian mother’s favorite counsel: “All things work together for good.” She struggles because things are not going well. Bad things have happened. A lot of bad things,
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Wind and water have two-sided natures. When used in creative writing, wind whispers as a cooling breeze or roars like a tornado. Water sings in a trickling stream or crashes through canyons as a flood. Winds along Colorado’s Front Range flutter through golden aspen
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Most people in the U.S. are aware of the total solar eclipse occurring in North America on April 8, 2024. NASA Eclipse Explorer website states: “The total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine on April 8,
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I imagine Jesus’ resurrection from the garden tomb was a quiet miracle—aside from the earthquake and fainting guards that Matthew records in his gospel. The other three Gospel writers—Mark, Luke, and John—tell us, like Matthew, that women arrived early at the site to care
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The mob can turn. One day you’re the favorite, the next day you’re not. It happened a couple thousand years ago as Jerusalem was getting ready for a big event called Passover. Everyone was busy preparing, anticipating, and rushing around when a man rode
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer As spring approaches, I’m inclined to envy the vibrant, living metaphors of renewal sprouting in the bulb garden and singing from the trees. Oh for a fresh start, a do-over, new growth. Is it possible? Can we rejuvenate like the flowers and trees in
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer It happened again. I’m sure you noticed when you had to get up earlier. Due to Daylight Saving Time, we “lost” an hour of sleep Saturday night so it could be saved. How are we saving daylight? Where is it being stored? Is there
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer March is Women’s History Month. Several national sponsors have added their support in “commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.” It’s an interesting topic, and more can be learned about it at the Women’s
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A small natural disaster created a major inconvenience here a few years ago. On national radar it was a blip. Locally it was a rockslide. Literally. Seven thousand tons of rock slipped off the mountain and across U.S. Highway 50 like a broken string
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer A friend of mine shared plans to participate in a spiritual retreat called Walk to Emmaus. As we visited about the weekend event, I prayed it would be one of personal revelation. Personal revelation is exactly what happened in the gospel account of two
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer “No waiting on checkout aisle number three.” I squeezed the red plastic handle of my shopping cart and held my ground. The frenzy around me resembled the Indy 500 at the drop of a green flag as shoppers rushed to be first in the
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Do you have a Valentine? I believe we all do, whether we realize it or not. I’m not talking about someone to whom we’ve given our hearts in the romantic sense, but someone who epitomizes Christian love in our life. Tradition says Valentine’s Day
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When my youngest granddaughter plays hide-and-seek with her daddy, she sees things only from her perspective. She has no idea she’s giving away her whereabouts. Perhaps in her innocence she reasons like the cartoon ostrich: “If I can’t see them, they can’t see me.”
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Sometimes we feel forgotten. Unappreciated. Overlooked. Abandoned. Unloved. Alone. But we’re not. “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore;