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
Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Isaiah 40:31 is a familiar verse to me, beautifully poetic about soaring on wings like eagles. It was an underlying theme in one of my novels, The Miracle Tree, and I’ve also written about it for Guideposts publications. But last week I saw the verse
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The morning I opened my Bible to Psalm 57, I had just read a social media post from a young woman in a war-torn country. She recounted miracles and unexplained accounts of things happening that should not have – but for the power of
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer In recent months, I’ve had a few requests for copies of my out-of-print devotional book for women, Always Before Me. So remodeling has begun. Additions are framed in, and an open house is set for this spring. The original book had 30 daily devotional
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer This post first appeared on Nov. 11, 2019. It appears edited today in honor of JPat Branch, *pictured above, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, who reported to his last call of duty on Oct. 29, 2021. When I taught sixth-grade world history,
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Today is National Farmers Day. My dad was a farmer. So was his father before him. And so were many other people at that time. Today, not so much. In 1862, President Lincoln established the U.S. Department of Agriculture which he dubbed “the people’s
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer The crowd gasped and held its collective breath—complete silence in and around the arena. Nothing but the imagined heartbeat of the bullfighter about to be trampled. And then “The Grizz” turned away and trotted toward the out gate. The bullfighter got up and walked
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer One of my favorite promises in the Bible is found in Isaiah 40:31 where new or renewed strength is assured for those who wait on the Lord. “They shall soar high on wings like eagles,” says the New Living Translation. I’ve written quite a
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Last Monday I had a 2 p.m. appointment and just enough time to get there. Then the phone rang with a long-distance call. And the dog wouldn’t go back in the yard because he was freaked out by an approaching storm. How does a
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Today is April Fool’s day, observed in many Western nations as an opportune time to play jokes on the gullible and unsuspecting. I’ve played tricks on employers, family members, and students and have had plenty of tricks played on me. It’s a fun day
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer When my daughter was a small child, she referred to the marigolds in our garden as “miracles.” I didn’t correct her. My young son once pointed to shafts of sunlight breaking through a cloud bank and said, “Maybe heaven’s having a tour.” What a
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Laura Jameson Bell was born in the 1870s. She buried two husbands, all her children, and was 104 when she died. Toward the end of her life, she lived with my family since we were the only living relatives she had. My mother was
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer I read a lot. No surprise, right? Today I’m sharing some of my favorite reads from 2018. All are what I consider to be uplifting. That doesn’t mean character lives are trouble-free. Far from it! But the end results are redemptive. That’s important to
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Do you have nightlights in your home? I have several throughout the house. Some are always on, faintly visible, and others pop on automatically when daylight diminishes. These unobtrusive illuminators serve as guides for adult feet making emergency calls in the night, or as
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer Thank you for participating in last week’s dog’s-life book giveaway and helping me decide what kind of dog I should get next. I’m always interested in hearing what readers think of my stories and characters, and it seems like almost everyone enjoys a good