Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 14

Trust Like That

Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

Most moms have a way of knowing what their children are capable of, whether it’s good or ornery.

They also usually know what’s going on. Especially at important gatherings.

One day in a small Middle Eastern town roughly halfway between an inland sea and the Mediterranean, a family hosted a wedding supper for their son. It must have been a big affair because they ran out of wine—a serious situation for the wedding planner.

How do people toast the happy couple without something in their glass or goblet? Something other than water.

Several moms were there besides the mother of the bride, but one in particular saw what was happening. She was a simple woman, not of the elite class, but she was paying attention as guests emptied their cups and no one came to refill them.

She must have anticipated trouble, or at the least, embarrassment.

So she whispered to her son who was also there, “They have no more wine.”

He said in essence, “It’s not my problem.”

True, it wasn’t his problem, but why would she tell him rather than someone else? He wasn’t in charge. He was a guest too.

But she knew what he was capable of. Maybe in the quiet of their family life at home she had seen him intervene, come up with a solution. Think outside the box.

She turned to the waitstaff and told them, “Do whatever he tells you.”

And what he said would have given me pause. He told them to fill several twenty- to thirty-gallon containers in the house with water, then pour that out for the wedding planner.

What must his mother have thought? Was she shocked? Frightened? Did she wave her arms and shout, “Wait! Stop!”

We don’t know how she reacted but we know how the staff responded. They did what her son told them.

And it was a show stopper.

After tasting the wine, the wedding planner drew the groom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

Notice who got the kudos: not the mom, her son, or the hosts, but the groom. The guy who had absolutely nothing to do with it.

And who knew what really happened?

The servers.

They knew they had filled those containers with water and they knew when they poured it out it was wine.

No fanfare. No announcement. Just a simple, quiet miracle resulting from the servers’ obedience to do what they were told.

I want to obey like that.

The son’s friends figured it out later. But I think his mom expected it.

Somehow, she knew. She trusted.

I want to trust like that.

John 2:1-11

~

“Those barbecued beans were great. And the cake.” Ty shook his head in a way Ronnie knew meant yes rather than no.

“Thank you. Felicity, our cake specialist, is a genius. And the beans, well, my Gramma ’Cine should get credit for those.”

“Seen?” His forehead wrinkled.

“C-i-n-e. Short for Francine.”

“Did she cook ’em? Your grandmother, I mean.”

“Oh, no. She’s been gone for twenty years. But she taught me how to make them when I was a little girl.”

Not exactly the time to get all puddly, but Gramma ’Cine had laid the foundation for nearly everything Ronnie did, from cooking to trusting God, both of which often went hand in hand.

Polite won out over petrified, and Ty reached for the saganaki wedge she’d offered. “Sounds Japanese,” he said. “Not Greek.” His mouth hitched up on one side with a little chuckle deep in his chest. But when he bit into one of the cheese-topped triangles, his eyes slid closed in pleasure.

Bingo.

~ “Taste and See” from Always a Wedding Planner

 

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2023 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

 

The post Trust Like That appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

Better Than What the Well Offered

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 one-on-one and saying something pertinent to them. Noticing them.

One example is the hot, dry day he stopped to rest on his trip north from Judea. He stopped at the well of Sychar in Samaria, which was unusual, because most Jews went out of their way to skirt around Samaria.

Except Jesus.

When a woman showed up to draw water from the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. Seems logical, but it wasn’t. 

Men in that society didn’t speak to women in public, especially Jewish men to Samaritan women who should have come to the well in the morning with other women.

Except Jesus.

That day, the woman may have thought a stranger in the area – a Jew no less – would simply ignore her.

But Jesus knew exactly why she came to the well in the middle of the day, and He offered her what she really needed.

He wasn’t in too big of a hurry to talk with her. He didn’t ignore her.

He wasn’t like me in the checkout line at the market, avoiding the eyes of others because I’m in a hurry or bothered about something that needs my uninterrupted thought processes.

He wasn’t like me when I squeeze into an airline seat and stare out the window hoping no one talks to me so I can zone out during the flight.

No, He wasn’t like me at all. He spoke to her, told her He knew she was living with man number six, but showed no offense or judgement. He gave her a metaphorical version of an eternal truth about Living Water—better than what the well offered—and told her where to find it.

But Jesus is also telling me something here. He’s showing me how to meet people where they live. In the middle of their need. Maybe in my checkout line at the market, or the seat next to me on a plane.

Jesus didn’t always do what was expected. Imagine that.

So now the choice is mine. In the weeks ahead, will I make the most of what could be God-ordained opportunities to show a little interest in someone else’s life? Or will I draw into myself, ignore the situation, and let the other person go away thirsty?

Read the whole account of the woman at the well in John 4:1-42

~

Meet people where they live.
Click To Tweet

Mary’s pulse increased, throbbing in her already painful temple. “The property was bequeathed to me.”

“And you are from—?”

“Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.”

“I see,” the banker said. “We will need verification that you are who you say you are. Is there anyone in Cañon City who can substantiate your claim?”

“Excuse me?”

“I am sorry, ma’am, but we need proof of your identity. The property is under foreclosure and a tax lien and is to be auctioned off. When an heir appears contesting ownership, said heir has three years to redeem the property by paying overdue and current taxes. However, as I said, we would need proof of your identity. Preferably from a male next of kin.”

Mary took the will from his hand, thanked him with as few words as possible, and left. The distance to the buggy felt like miles rather than yards, and her jaw ached from clenching it. She didn’t know what to think or feel—angry, insulted, or cheated. She’d been so upset she hadn’t even verified what the mortgage debt was. ~Hope Is Built

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2023 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post Better Than What the Well Offered appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

Expectancy Frees Us from Expectation

Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

When I was in elementary school, I had two classmates who 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 are closely related but one is to be preferred over the other.

Expectation calls for a predetermined desire/event/goal that, if not acquired, can spawn disappointment.

Expectancy eagerly anticipates what lies ahead.

Expectation presses my foot on the accelerator because I need to arrive at an appointed time.

Expectancy allows me to enjoy the ride and respond to careless drivers without elevating my blood pressure—or hand.

When God reveals Himself to us, short-sighted expectation often follows: “Now I’ll get what I want.” Expectation stamps its foot and demands that God do things my way.

However, expectancy allows us to stand in awe of His grace and love. Expectancy acknowledges that He is sovereign and, more likely than not, will surprise us.

Scottish evangelist and teacher, Oswald Chambers, says in My Utmost for His Highest, “’What do you expect to do?’ You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing.” 

Perhaps this is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight. To put our trust in the God we are getting to know, the God Who awes us with His power, perfection, and mercy. The God Who loves us more than we will ever comprehend.

My plans and dreams for the year ahead take on a different flavor when I look toward tomorrow in expectancy rather than preconceived expectation.

What might God have in store for me that I hadn’t thought of?

What might He have for you?

~

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed
when God called him to leave home
and go to another land that God would
give him as his inheritance.
He went without knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 NLT

~

Hugh hadn’t held a woman in his arms since the night Jane died. He’d clutched her lifeless body and cried like the baby at her side, praying that he could die with her.

That was his last earnest prayer—until the pit a week ago when he’d prayed he could get Mary McCrae out of it without killing her. He’d held her then, not knowing who she was, and carried her into the ranch house. But this—alone in the emptiness of a vacant home—this was different. He felt her sense of abandonment, the weakening of her steely resolve, her need for his strength.

His need to hold her. 

He was losing his mind. ~Hope Is Built

 

 

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2023 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post Expectancy Frees Us from Expectation appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

How to Approach a New Year

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.

Note that I said response not reaction, for those are two very different words that we often confuse. The confusion begins in childhood, and I see it in my grandchildren when they defend an outburst or retaliation by crying, “But he made me mad!”

“He made you?” I ask. “He (or she) has that much power over you?”

They don’t like that last question.

Learning the difference between response and reaction is as hard for adults to learn as it is for children. But it’s part of the whole free-will thing God gave us.

Praise—like love and forgiveness—is an attitude choice. Though we usually bounce into these three conditions via emotional triggers or reactions, they are also choices. This means we don’t have to be limited to how we feel.

Sometimes I feel like recycled horse feed, but I don’t have to let that emotion rule my day or life. I can still praise God for Who and what He is.

Will we face overwhelming days ahead?

Yes.

Will we be ecstatic about positive developments that come our way?

Yes.

God told the Israelites after their long, circuitous journey to the Promised Land, “… choose today whom you will serve,” (Joshua 24:15). 

We always have a choice in how to approach a new year.

~

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign LORD is my strength!
Habakkuk 3:17-19 

We always have a choice.
Click To Tweet

 

Psalm 37 … The verses continued from the lefthand page to the right, familiar lines that carried childhood memories of her mother reading to the family on winter evenings. The psalm held so many promises of God’s provision, and so many warnings against harmful choices.

Mary’s gaze fell first to “fret not,” repeated three times in the first eight verses—an insistent reminder that worry accomplished nothing. Mary was an expert in that regard. All her fretting had done nothing but weaken her faith. ~Hope Is Built

 

 

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2023 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post How to Approach a New Year appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

Deep Calls Unto Deep

Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

Iconic images of frozen Niagara Falls have hit the Internet as hard as a recent wintry storm hit North America.

Amazing that the water’s thunderous, rushing journey can be stopped.

I’ve never been to New York and the Niagara River, but I’ve heard the roar of Shoshone Falls* on the Snake River in Idaho. I’ve seen the rapids of Great Falls, Montana, and understood the portage of canoes by Lewis, Clark, and their companions along that stretch of the Missouri River.

And I love the pivotal scene in The Last of the Mohicans set behind a cascading veil of roaring water.

It is humbling to stand near such a display of natural strength.

A favorite scripture of mine speaks of “the noise of Your waterfalls” (Psalm 42:7 NKJV). But it is what precedes that phrase that captures my attention:  

Deep calls unto deep … 

What does that even mean?

As I searched for definition, I read several versions of this scripture and settled upon the poetry in The Passion Translation as the psalmist cries out to God:

My deep need calls out to the deep kindness of your love.

That rings true in the recesses of my own heart. No one knows me quite so well as God, not even my family.

Often people suffering similar grief will share similar grace. They recognize the deep wounds of the other as well as their deep dependency upon God.

If you have found someone like that, treasure them. If you have not discovered that the depth of God’s love will meet the depth of your need, talk to Him. Pour out your pain. Be honest in your complaint, for though He already knows, He loves to hear your voice.

And take heart in the next verse of Psalm 42, the one that assures us of God’s response to those who trust Him:

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:8 NKJV

~

Deep calls unto deep
Click To Tweet

Kip leaned sideways and looked past Hugh with a question wrinkling his face. “Did you buy a devil wagon?”
“No, I did not buy a devil— And don’t call ’em that.”
“You do.”
Hugh ran his hand over his face, wiping away what he wanted to say at being dressed down, first by his horse and then by his youngest son. “Don’t talk back. Just do what I told you.”
Ty and Kip skedaddled inside, too fast for Hugh to call them back and warn them to be quiet about it. Like that would help. 
He set out for the east pasture, following a thin trail of women’s clothing. Found a hair brush. Toothbrush. A near-empty tin of face powder next to a small sage brush with flesh-colored leaves. It could have been Jane’s possessions scattered across the grassland.
His housekeeper had looked after Jane’s belongings seven years ago, and at first, Hugh resented the purging. But he soon realized it was for the best. Finding reminders of his deceased wife in unexpected places only dug the wound deeper.
Until now, all that had reminded him of her were two dark eyes looking up at him from the face of his youngest son. ~Hope Is Built

Congratulations, Kim Hansen. You are the randomly chosen winner from last week’s giveaway!

 

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2023 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

*Shoshone Falls

Thank you, Diane Sillaman, for mentioning this marvelous verse. 

The post Deep Calls Unto Deep appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

The Children We Were – and a giveaway

Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

Memories decorate more Christmases than all the world’s tree ornaments, lights, and trimmings combined. For some people, those memories aren’t so pleasant. For others, they are the core of the season.

My adult son displays a lighted miniature village in his home–the same village he grew up with–and he’s passing that tradition down to his own family.

My grown daughter shares with her in-laws her skill with Mexican food: “You should have been at our house on Christmas Eve for the enchilada dinner.”

Another son puts on a feed that is hard to beat, complete with grilled meat, richly seasoned sides, and creative desserts.

And they recall with childlike delight the years we trekked into the Rocky Mountain woods to cut our own tree.

Good memories.

Yet there are many adults who cringe at Christmas. They can’t help but recall the family fights, drunken brawls, and hurtful words. The holiday isn’t so merry for them.

If you fall into the latter category, start fresh this year, even if most of your own childhood days were filled with sorrow or strife. We each have the ability to create new memories for our current family, whether those around us are related by blood, by love, or by necessity.

That’s why we celebrate Christmas in the first place – to remember the Child who came our way so He could include us in His family.

Christmas is all about the Christ Child. So maybe we could let the children we were touch the children we raise so they too can see the wonder of God’s love.

~

[The shepherds] hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph.
And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
Luke 2:16 NLT

So they too can see the wonder of God's love.
Click To Tweet

The children we were
Click To Tweet

Comment below with your favorite Christmas memory and be entered in a drawing for a free e-book, A Boarding House Christmas.

Matt helped his passengers out, escorted them inside, and then parked in the lot next to the church. It was surprisingly full, he noted, evidence that others, too, had braved the storm to keep a tradition.

Tradition. He had very few, if any. Last Christmas he’d spent poring over plans for a school gymnasium he’d hoped to bid on. The Christmas before that he didn’t remember. For the most part, his adult life had been one continuous blur of sameness—like the snow whirling around him in the dark. And Breanna Murphy and her grandmother were colorful lights in the night offering warmth and companionship and … love?

An unfamiliar scene met him as he entered the sanctuary. Candles raised a steady golden flame from every level surface around the edge of the room and on the podium, and pine boughs filled window ledges and tables. The room radiated peace, and it seeped inside him and settled against his soul. ~A Boarding House Christmas

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2022 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post The Children We Were – and a giveaway appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

Who Could Refuse Such a Perfect Gift?

Davalynn Spencer  @davalynnspencer

If you were God, how would you introduce yourself to your creation?

I’d be 27 years old, a size 8 with flawless complexion, no white hair, and an IQ of 145.

I would not show up as a baby, completely helpless and totally dependent upon two nondescript people who arrived in town after all the motel rooms were taken and had to sleep in a barn.

Good thing I’m not God.

But why a baby?

It’s simple, really. God wanted to enter the human race, and there is only one way to become a human and that is to be born.

The problem is humans can’t get away from sin. It’s an inherited trait – in the blood, so to speak.  Passed down from generation to generation.

God played by the rules and a child was born. But the baby bypassed the blood-born pathogen of sin through birth by a virgin who conceived by the Holy Spirit, not sin-stained man. The embryo developed a blood system, as do all human embryos, and since the mother’s blood does not mix with her baby’s, the baby inherited no sin.

A perfect human.

That doesn’t mean the baby didn’t grow up to be tempted by sin. He did, just like us. But He didn’t bite.

This God-man lived a sinless life, so when He died, His sinless blood was undeserving of death, and in the eyes of the Father, that blood paid the penalty of sin and washed away mankind’s debt.

A perfect sacrifice.

That baby has been called Yeshua, even Joshua. He is known widely today as Jesus.

Jesus didn’t just pay and run. After He lived and died, He conquered death and lived again to walk beside us in our own life-living.

A perfect gift.

So Christmas is really about sacrifice. Maybe that’s why red and green are such prominent seasonal colors: the blood-red ribbons that flow from our evergreen boughs remind of us the Perfect Life that gives the rest of us eternal, ever-life.

If we accept the gift.

And who could refuse such a perfect gift?

And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins,
and there is no sin in Him.
1John 3:5

~

I would not show up as a baby.
Click To Tweet

Breanna bowed her head, and her hair fell in a dark curtain against her cheeks. She paused for a moment and then began in a near whisper. “Thank You, Lord, for this most wonderful time of year. For sending Your son, Jesus. For this house and this food, and for loving us as we are. Amen.”

As we are.

Her quiet prayer stirred something deep in Matt’s gut, unsettling him with a possible answer to his unvoiced question.

When he opened his eyes, she was watching him with such warmth that he thought his heart might explode. She’d be gone in a week and now that he’d seen what a family could be, he wouldn’t survive without her. ~ A Boarding House Christmas

 

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2022 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post Who Could Refuse Such a Perfect Gift? appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

What Would You Do With a Miracle?

Davalynn Spencer  @davalynnspencer

Have you ever prayed for something so long that when it finally showed up you didn’t believe it?
 
A Jewish priest in 1st-century Judea did. Zechariah prayed for years that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child.
 
This man knew the miraculous stories of barren women giving birth to such giants of faith as Isaac and Samuel. But they had lived decades earlier, not in the modern times of the Roman Empire, and so far, no tiny fingers had ever grasped his own.
 
Maybe he just quit praying. Or quit believing. Or maybe he figured that God’s answer was “no.”
 
And maybe that had something to do with his reaction when an angel stepped up and took his breath away with news that Elizabeth was going to have a baby after all.
 
I wonder what I would say to an angel with a message like that – if I could get the words out. If I didn’t pass out. Hopefully I wouldn’t say what Zechariah said: “How can I be sure of this?” (Luke 1:18 NIV)
 
The sudden and inexplicable appearance of an unusual figure telling me about something no one knew but God would, I hope, make a believer out of me.
 
But for whatever reason, Zechariah doubted, and because of that doubt he ended up speechless.
 
A few months later the same angel told a teenage girl that she would bear the Messiah for whom Israel waited. This girl, Mary, said what the more experienced and well-versed priest should have said: “All right. Whatever the Lord wants.”
 
Young Mary had a question, yes, but it wasn’t one of faith, it was a point of understanding. She knew how children were conceived and she knew she was still a virgin. So when the angel explained, Mary said, “So be it.”
 
I want to be like Mary. I want to say, “All right, God,” when He sends an unbelievable event my way. I don’t want to recite every reasonable obstacle to my faith and say, “I don’t know about this, God.”
 
I want to say, “I’m your servant, Lord. Whatever you say.”
 
But the truth is, I’m more often like Zechariah – knowing God’s faithfulness and still wondering how He will do the impossible. And that’s why I’m encouraged by God’s choice of this man, the man whose first spoken words after nine months of silence were praise to a faithful God.
 
Yes, he knew the history of his people, and yes, he had grown weary in his faith. But God had not given up on him and knew that Zechariah was the one to teach his child of “the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:77 NIV).
 
God gives all of us opportunities to say “yes,” whether it’s sooner or later. What will your choice be this Christmas season?

What would you do with a miracle?

~

What would you do with a miracle?
Click To Tweet

Matt decided to stick to his earlier resolve and stay away from the boarding house while Mollie’s weekend guests were there. In truth, he didn’t trust himself, and he didn’t need to do anything to make Breanna think he was some kind of animal. Some kind of…

That blasted story had been stuck in his brain ever since Mollie’s cryptic remark about God’s love. God wasn’t even in it, only people—one of them more animal than human.

Is that how God sees us? The same as animals?

No, there must be a connection between Mollie’s puzzling comment and Breanna’s take on church.

“What better place to go when you’re hurting and need help?” she’d said.

Definitely his mother’s approach, but little good it did her.

The old resentment tried to resurrect, but he ignored it. Breanna was nothing like his mother. Neither was Mollie. What had they found at church that his mother hadn’t? ~ A Boarding House Christmas

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2022 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post What Would You Do With a Miracle? appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

Am I Heaven Scent?

Davalynn Spencer  @davalynnspencer

Pumpkin pie, roasting turkey, and pine-scented candles perfume my home this time of year. The aromas please me, soothe me, and fill me with a sense of well-being and peace.

Some people call that aromatherapy – an ancient concept. Asian and Middle Eastern cultures have used incense for millennia. Today we continue to comfort ourselves by choosing fragrances for everything from our coffee and candles, to shampoo or detergent.

However, as a country dweller. I’ve had a few unchosen aromas waft through my house, like organically generated fertilizer or the pungent scent of a little black and white mammal.

Those colorful critters let you know when they’re in the vicinity. And they acquire a real attitude when startled or threatened – an attitude that lingers long after their departure.

Typically, I don’t think much about scent unless it pleases or displeases me. It’s the extremes that grab my attention.

Our lives can also have the same smelly affect.

Our appreciation filters out and touches the people closest to us. It clings to those we encounter at home, at work, or in the crush of a crowded shopping center.

But so does discontent. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of those around us and has a way of transferring from one person to the next. It sticks like skunk.

This all makes me wonder what I smell like during the busy holiday season. Am I heaven scent? What aromatic cloud accompanies me on errands, mingles with me at Christmas parties, or enters the homes of family members?

Do I wear the pinching perfume of attitude or the sweet aroma of gratitude? 

Live a life filled with love,
following the example of Christ.
He loved us and offered himself
as a sacrifice for us,
a pleasing aroma to God.
Ephesians 5:2

~

The winner of last week’s giveaway is:

Available now!

Matt Dawson noted the white Jeep parked in the drive. He pulled in front of the yellow Victorian and left his pickup at the curb. Mollie’s school-teaching granddaughter must have arrived. Home from Greeley for the holiday break with her fellow-teacher boyfriend. He’d heard all about Breanna and her other half—for whom his landlady had a keen distaste. He smiled to himself recalling how Mollie maneuvered every conversation around to her granddaughter. Her intentions were obvious, and he almost felt obligated to out-man the scholarly suitor spending two weeks at the Berthoud Boarding House. It shouldn’t be hard—Matt had his degree in architectural design and his roots in ranching. But hopefully, his furnace would be replaced in a couple of days and he could get back home for a less feminine Christmas.

Not that Christmas had ever been that important.

He wiped his boots on the front mat, opened the ornate door, and slammed into a wall of wonderful. His mouth watered. Maybe he could tolerate Mr. Education for a few days. Mollie’s cooking surpassed anything he threw together, regardless of his campfire skills. He already carried an extra pound or two around his middle, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d be letting his belt out a notch before New Year’s Day. ~A Boarding House Christmas

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2022 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post Am I Heaven Scent? appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.

Do Not Give Up – and a giveaway

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 things to do is quit.

One of the hardest things to do is not quit.

Giving up is not an option when you have a clear directive, and many a cliché has been generated in support of that premise:

“Do or die.”

“Never say never.”

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Look around at the bountiful, autumn evidence of things that were small and insignificant last spring. Today they are bright pumpkins, colorful gourds, and juicy apples. They were all worth the wait.

Is there something growing and maturing in your personal life that will someday be worth the wait, effort, and determination to not quit? Could it be prayer? Faith? Hope?

Do you think it’s too late to keep trying? Have you failed too often? Do you feel too old, too frail, or too discouraged?

If you live below the sky and above the grass, it is not too late for your soul to grow.

Do not give up.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.
At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing
if we don’t give up.
Galatians 6:9

~

Do not give up.
Click To Tweet

Instead of giving up, I’m giving away a *signed copy of my newest book, Hope Is Built, to one randomly drawn reader who comments below. Enter the drawing by sharing one blessing you received because you didn’t give up on something or someone. (*US residents, e-book elsewhere)

 

“It’s not that I don’t want the land,” Hugh said, “I do. But it’s Mary’s. It’s all she has of her kin, and they left it fair and legal to her. I can’t bid against her at the auction. It wouldn’t be right.”

Cale considered him a long minute, finishing off his cookies. “You’ve changed. Time was, you wouldn’t have cared.”

Hugh’s grit rose at the accusation, but he knew his brother was right. He’d soured after Jane’s death. Blamed God. Blamed himself. Blamed everything he could blame. But the boys had somehow helped keep him going. And the Rafter-H gave him a sense of purpose. He didn’t like admitting it, but even seeing Ella Canaday come along last year and lead Cale off to matrimony also had an effect on him.

Then Mary showed up and so did a second chance. Not at first, but in time. ~Hope Is Built

 

Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.FREE book via quarterly Newsletter!

Amazon Author Page  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  

Blog  |  Goodreads  l  Instagram |  Book  Bub

#lovingthecowboy

#WesternRomance #CowboyRomance #HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction

(c) 2022 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.

The post Do Not Give Up – and a giveaway appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.