Circle of Service
ALT="circles with scattered hearts"

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

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Hard Times & Good Advice
ALT="Jeep trail over mountain"

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?

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Give It a Rest!
ALT="computer screen and messy desk"

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

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Like a Tree Planted … and a giveaway!
ALT="tree by a river"

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 (

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Cords of Love
Alt="young girl holding baby goat"

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

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Life wins!
ALT="pink peach blossoms"

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

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Of Birthdays and Other Interuptions
ALT="toddler eating birthday cake"

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

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We Run Out of Time
ALT="gold pocket watch"

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

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In the Beginning Was the Word
ALT="In the beginning was the word"

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

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Better Than What the Well Offered
ALT="clay water pot"

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

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Expectancy Frees Us from Expectation
ALT="a road curving through grassland"

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

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How to Approach a New Year
ALT="Three horses in the snow"

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.

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Do Not Give Up – and a giveaway
ALT="harvest vegetables"

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

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One Blessing After Another
ALT="pomegranate on table"

Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer About this time every year, an unusual looking fruit appears in the produce section of the supermarket, one that I first sampled at my grandparents’ farm in California: Pomegranates. The only attractive thing about a pomegranate is its exquisite garnet color. Beyond that, the round,

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Let the Silence In
ALT="sunrise against pine trees"

Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last week we looked at what it means to “be still.” Quite a challenge for busy lives that don’t have much quiet time to reflect, listen, or simply breathe. Things always press in, demanding our attention, whether they are as fleeting as the news and

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