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
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 I prefer to shop for groceries early in the morning. That doesn’t mean I always make it. I just prefer it. There are fewer people and more available shopping carts. Shelves are recently stocked, and the nerves of checkers and staff are not yet
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer An empty calendar and the first page of a blank journal mark my juncture of Known and Unknown. Behind me lie personal mountains of success and failure, as well as the mistakes, warnings, and recommendations of others along the way. But ahead of me?
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Some of you will remember the not-too-distant past when Labor Day signaled the end of summer and the beginning of school. Okay, maybe that was longer ago than we care to admit. However, Labor Day still signals the end of summer (even though we technically
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Do you have a favorite tree? Countless varieties flourish on the earth, but Psalm 92 mentions three with a descriptive promise attached: The godly will flourish like palm trees, grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon, and still bear fruit in their old age (
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Robert Fulghum’s 1988 New York Times bestseller, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten was on that prestigious list for nearly two years. He made valid points and stirred most of us to consider the kindnesses and stress busters we were introduced
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer One morning last week, an ethereal veil hung over our small orchard, shrouding the budding trees with mist. I wondered, could that be what it looked like in God’s garden that we read about in Genesis? “… but a mist went up from the earth
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer My perspective of age has changed over the years. Perhaps that’s because I’m on a different side of it than I once was. I still look ahead in anticipation, but now I look back with more gratitude for where the Lord has brought me and
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Time. We run out of time faster than we run out of money and milk. But we can always get more money and milk. We can’t go get more time. When I was growing up and my mother didn’t want to accept an invitation, she
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 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 When asked what advice I have for aspiring writers, I say, “Don’t quit.” Sometimes I say, “Never give up.” And often I add, “Keep writing.” My advice is boringly repetitive. However, that’s the kind of stick-to-itiveness required for most worthwhile endeavors. One of the easiest