Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 22
May 30, 2021
Remember the Price Paid
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
More than a century ago, the Civil War uprooted dreams, decimated families, and divided the nation. Those who survived were determined to remember the price paid by decorating the graves of their fallen loved ones with flowers and flags on Decoration Day. Gradually, the name *Memorial Day became the more commonly used term for this day of recognition.
After WWI, the honor of remembrance was extended to include those who had died in any war during which Americans had served. Battlefields were clearly on the minds of the founders who established this day of remembrance, but many sons and daughters gave their lives on battlefields that were often not recognized as such.
During WWII, countless women went to work outside their homes for the first time, picking up the slack left in the wake of their deployed husbands, fathers, and brothers, gladly joining the war effort.
A young bride was one of thousands of civilians who took to the Long Beach shipyards in southern California while her new husband served on the damp airfields of England.
But it was the husband who came home to a funeral, for the young woman’s lungs could not withstand the ravages of tuberculosis, and she left a toddler in his arms when she died.
Every year on Memorial Day, my husband bows his head for this woman he never knew. The woman who gave him life and ultimately her own for her country.
Others whose names we may not know have given all of what they had to give on a battlefield of mud or concrete, salty sea and riddled skies, or technological minefields cluttered with unseen enemies.
And today, the giving goes on.
This Memorial Day, we would do well to remember with gratitude the fallen upon whose sacrifices we stand. May we live our lives in ways that honor such examples of faith and selflessness.
~
Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13
Remember with gratitude the fallen upon whose sacrifices we stand.
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*In 1967, Memorial Day was declared the official name of the federal holiday. The following year, Congress moved Memorial Day from its traditional date of May 30 to the last Monday of May for convenience sake.
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May 23, 2021
Always a Wedding Planner – Story 4
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Thank you for joining me for this “Takeaway” series with input from all four authors in the upcoming contemporary romance collection from Barbour Publishing, Always a Wedding Planner. We have heard from Toni Shiloh, RL Ashly, and Leeann Betts. Today I share what I hope readers take away from my story, “Taste and See.”
As I mentioned three weeks ago, takeaway is what stays with a reader long after the story is over. And if it’s a solid takeaway, the story never really ends. That’s what I like to write—stories that stay.
Simply Trust
In this collection told from the perspectives of four business partners, each with something to hide, I was quick to decide upon my story’s scriptural connection. Writing from the chef’s point of view, and with “insider’s” knowledge about the big secret she was hiding, I went to one of my favorite Psalms.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good:
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8
Taste and smell are the two physical senses so closely connected, not taste and see. Why are these two paired in this passage? Perhaps the verse could be interpreted as meaning “try God out and discover how good He is.” But I’ll leave translations up to the scholars and focus on what the scripture actually says.
My cooking character, Saffron (Ronnie) Fare has a barnboard plaque hanging above the counter in her commercial kitchen with this verse inscribed on it. The plaque was a gift from her mother. An encouragement for her career as a chef and a reminder that those who trust the Lord are blessed – whether they are man or woman.
However, when Ronnie came down with an infection that rendered her senses of taste and smell useless, she was devastated. Fear threatened to undermine her confidence as a chef. Of all the senses she needed the most in order to do her job, taste and smell were critical. Without them, she was forced to depend on the senses of others and their reactions to determine if she had succeeded with a new recipe or an adjustment to an old one.
Ultimately, she realized that she had to apply the second half of the verse and trust God. She chose to use the unexpected provisions God had supplied rather than let fear take over.
When our back is up against the wall and we’re pushed into a corner, God is there. When we’re faced with losing our livelihood and all we hold dear, God is there. And when fear threatens to strangle our confident praise into squirming panic, God is there. It’s the letting go and trusting that is so hard because trust comes at the great, bloody expense of self-will.
My prayer that accompanies this light-hearted tale is that readers see their real-life challenges met with hope that the real-life promises of God are true and worthy of our trust. I pray they will take God at His word, then taste and see how good He truly is.
~
At the great, bloody expense of self-will.
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Ronnie peered through teary eyes at the barnboard sign her mother had given her when she graduated from her culinary training. The black script letters were only half of the verse in Psalm 34—the challenge part.
The encouragement part wasn’t there, but it had been tattooed on her heart by two loving women over the years, and even now ran through her mind in her Gramma ’Cine’s voice: “Blessed is the wo-man who trusts in Him.”
For as long as Ronnie could remember, Gramma had added wo- to the verse, insisting that it didn’t alter the promise, but directed it to a more specific audience.
Years of hearing that affirmation had laid a foundation of trust.
Trust sounded a whole lot like taste. And right now it was just about the only thing she could do in the face of this potentially life-altering challenge. ~”Taste and See” from Always a Wedding Planner
Pre-order your copy today!
~
Bestselling author and Will Rogers Gold Medallion winner for Inspirational Western Fiction, Davalynn Spencer is the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters and can’t stop #lovingthecowboy. When she’s not writing Western romance, she teaches writing workshops and wrangles Blue the Cowdog and feline mouse detectors Annie and Oakley. Join her newsletter readers and receive a free historical novella!
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May 16, 2021
Always a Wedding Planner – Story 3
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Thank you for joining me for week three in our “Takeaway” series by authors of the soon-to-release Always a Wedding Planner. So far, we have heard from Toni Shiloh and RL Ashley.
Today, author Leeann Betts joins us to share what she hopes will be the takeaway from her story in the collection, “The Worst-Kept Secret.”
Hiding from God
The theme for The Worst-Kept Secret is that we can’t hide anything from God. He already knows. Yet we spend so much time making excuses, taking unnecessary detours, and simply avoiding the truth. If, instead, we invested our energies in deepening our relationship with God, He would point out those areas that need to change so we could deepen our relationship with Him and enjoy the fullness of His gifts of grace and mercy which He extends to us each day.
My heroine, Cassie, has a secret which she desperately feels she needs to hide for two reasons: she doesn’t want to disappoint her friends and business partners, and she doesn’t want them to ask her to leave the partnership. Another job she can always find; three great friends like Kiki, Ronnie, and Felicity are a treasure of great worth.
The hero, Brady, also has a secret, not one he consciously tries to hide, but which he prefers to keep a secret because of client confidentiality. He’s heard the rumors around town about his reason for coming to Colorado, but the fact is, if he makes known why he really chose a small town near the Rocky Mountain National Park, he could lose his client base. After all, most of the folks who rent limos are out for a night on the town before they head to the Park to ski and booze. And yes, occasionally do drugs. Well, he can’t stop them, and if there is money to be made in renting cars, he’ll do it. He needs to live and keep a roof over his head and office space available if he’s going to help folks who really want to make changes in their lifestyle.
The contrast between Cassie’s conservative lifestyle and what she perceives as Brady’s party-boy life demonstrates the difference between trying to make ourselves righteous in our own works and choosing to live a life that we know isn’t pleasing to God. However, we learn Cassie was wrong about Brady, and in this is the lesson that we shouldn’t listen to rumors. Scripture tells us to go to the person if we have anything against them. Brady also tries so hard to first change Cassie’s opinion of him, and then later to win her back because the applause of others is important to him. He learns through this story that he need please only one: God, which is something we all need to realize too.
My goal is that readers will finish reading this story with a better understanding that God wants to be the center of our entire life, not just our prayer life, our Sunday or church life, or our private thought life. He longs to be included in every decision we make, in how we vote, in how we spend our money, and in how we treat the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in our neighborhoods and the world. We are all weak, broken vessels in dire need of a Savior, and presenting Him—and us—in this light is my heart’s desire.
For nothing is secret that will not be revealed,
nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.
Luke 8:17 NKJV
He longs to be included.
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Business coordinator Cassie Blackthorn is an introvert who hates talking to people. But she has a great sense of what people really want. Brady Millman wears two hats. By day he owns and runs a limousine company, and by night he is an addictions counselor.
Pre-order your copy of Always a Wedding Planner today!
Leeann Betts writes contemporary suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical suspense. Together she and Donna have published more than 30 novellas and full-length novels. They ghostwrite, edit, facilitate a critique group, teach writing classes, blog regularly for Heroes, Heroines, and History, judge writing contests, and are members of ACFW, Writers on the Rock, SinC, Pikes Peak Writers, Capitol Christian Writers Fellowship, Christian Women Writers, and Christian Authors Network. www.LeeannBetts.com
Connect with Leeann via her website: allbettsareoff.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeannBettsAuthor
Twitter: Leeann Betts (@LeeannBetts) / Twitter
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May 9, 2021
Always a Wedding Planner – Story 2
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Thank you for joining me in week 2 of our Takeaway series from the authors of Always a Wedding Planner. Last week we heard from Toni Shiloh, author of the first story in the collection, “Finally a Sweetheart.” This week’s takeaway thoughts are shared by R.L. Ashley, author of the second story, “Hemmed In.”
Relationships – With God and Others
Hemmed In focuses on God’s relationship with the individual and the individual’s relationship with others. When I was writing the story, I chose the following verse as the theme:
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:5 NIV
As a professional seamstress, the New International Version’s use of the word “hem” appealed to me. A garment or project without a hem looks sloppy and is unfinished. The fabric unravels and deteriorates over time. The item lasts longer and is more serviceable if it has a hem in it. Recognizing God’s protection and leading in our lives, reminds me of a finished seam.
The words “You hem me in” demonstrate God’s active participation in the believer’s life. Behind, before, and above denote the surrounding presence of the Lord in our lives. God stitches the broken places making them whole. “You hem me in” connotates a very deep and personal relationship with God. The language stresses ‘God and me.’ It’s cool to be tight with God.
Relationships are fun and at times difficult. In my story, Kiki develops a friendship with Bing and works on her relationship with Camilla. They succeed in some areas and struggle with others. Kiki and Bing learn to work together and even though it takes the entire story, Kiki and Camilla’s relationship improves.
Not only do stories seek to instruct and encourage, but they are also created for fun. Novels take the reader on many kinds of adventures. Entertainment serves its purpose when the one being entertained can forget about life’s struggles for a while and rejuvenate. My happy place would be a library with floor-to-ceiling shelves stuffed with books and a hammock.
~
You hem me in.
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Bing climbed out of the trash receptacle, scoped out the bear’s location, then helped Kiki down from the truck.
His ears turned red as he held her hand. “I was going to tell you I loved you later, but Crusher forced it out of me. Sorry, claiming my love from the floor of a dumpster is not very romantic.”
She squeezed his hand. “Depends on who you ask.”
He bent and kissed her on the cheek.
She’d never wash her face again. ~ “Hemmed In” from Always a Wedding Planner
Pre-order your copy today!
RL Ashly is a master seamstress with a Master of Arts degree in Literature. A mother and grandmother, she is active in her local writing community, never says “never” to a home-improvement task, and strives to one day write the great American novel.
Connect with her via Twitter: https://twitter.com/rl_ashly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rlashlyauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rl.ashly.1/
Website: https://rlashlyauthor.wixsite.com/rlashly
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May 2, 2021
Always a Wedding Planner – Story 1
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Last year an author friend approached me about writing part of a contemporary romance collection for Barbour Publishing. She and her two partners needed a fourth author. Would I join them?
Yes!
Always a Wedding Planner is a behind the scenes look into the lives of four friends who run a business called Weddings by 
Design based in Loveland, Colorado. Perfect, right?
Each author tells the story of one of the four business partners – all single, and each with a secret to keep. It was great fun working with everyone as we all linked our characters throughout the collection.
Possibly the most important element of writing fiction is giving readers a good takeaway – an idea or thought or encouragement they take with them after reading the last page and closing the book.
Beginning today and continuing the next three weeks, each author will highlight the “takeaway” from her story. Today I’m pleased to introduce Toni Shiloh who opens the collection with her story, “Finally a Sweetheart.”
Trust in God
In my story, “Finally a Sweetheart,” Felicity Edwards is a wedding cake baker who dreams of having a family one day. She deals with the conflict of knowing when to be vulnerable, feeling like she’s worthy of love, and opening her heart to new possibilities.
The biggest takeaway I hope readers will leave with is that you can trust God with it all. He’ll see you through the trials and tribulations. He’ll strengthen you when you’re weak. Bless you with wisdom when you’re conflicted on an issue.
I hope that people see the humanity in Felicity and the desire to be better as a person.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
~
Trust God with it all.
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Felicity’s relationship with Will wasn’t without its ups and downs. But through it all, Will had shown her she was enough. ~ “Finally a Sweetheart” from Always a Wedding Planner
Pre-order your copy today!
Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and multi-published Christian contemporary romance author. She writes to bring God glory and to learn more about His goodness. Her novel, Grace Restored, was a 2019 Holt Medallion finalist and Risking Love is a 2020 Selah Award finalist.
Learn more about Toni and her many books at Toni Shiloh – Soulfully Romantic. Connect with her on Twitter @tonishilohwrite and Facebook
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April 25, 2021
God Gives Rest
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Years ago when my rodeo-clown/bullfighter husband and I followed the circuit, we spent most of our summers on the road getting from one rodeo to the next.
Headed north through Colorado one day on our way to Montana, we listened to the recording of a pastor talking about common-sense matters of life.
“There are three parts in a waking day,” he said. “Morning, afternoon, and evening.”
Okay. Not exactly new information, but I’d play along for another mile or so.
“Work two of those, not three,” he said.
That was new.
“Work morning and afternoon or afternoon and evening. Don’t work all three.”
But who can get everything done in such a short period of time?
“Work two, not three.”
Can’t I sneak in a little extra record-keeping in the evening before I go to bed.
“Work two, not three.”
If I start really early and work through to just after dark, I can finally get caught up.
“Work two, not three.”
Sometimes I heeded the advice. Sometimes I didn’t.
Today, years and miles later, I still hear the faint whisper: “Work two, not three.”
Yes, there are often deadlines. In fact, they are an ongoing part of my life as an author. But if I make good use of my time, I can make those deadlines without ending up dead at the end of the waking day.
There is something to be said for rest that isn’t sleep. It’s deep relaxation. Letting go. Trusting that God will help me accomplish what I need to accomplish.
Dawn to dusk has long been the farmer’s clock, and often those who work the land and care for livestock begin their day way before dawn even thinks about cracking. But if they can take a serious chunk of time during their waking day to do something besides their regular work, it could become a health benefit for them.
When I sign off of my computer before dark, my eyes thank me. My brain thanks me. So does my back.
I have found that if I follow the pastor’s advice and “work two, not three,” I am less stressful and carry fewer aches and pains. If I take one of those three segments of the waking day and rest from my work with a walk, a good book, or doing something completely different from my job, I tend to enjoy life more. I tend to notice the people around me more, those who may need my attention.
Working two, not three, is becoming a habit that I want to cultivate even more. I encourage you to join me in the challenge. After all, scripture tells us:
It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.
(Psalm 127:2)
Work two, not three.
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Ella took a deep breath and slowly released it, then took another and knelt to the task.
Mended tears and tatted edges . . . wounds healed over and beautified . . . O Lord, make it so.
The three long gashes closed easily, and the dog gave little resistance other than a whimper now and then. Helen cooed continually to him, rubbing his head and leaning close while Ella drew the edges together with her grandmother’s needle.
She knotted and snipped the final thread with dainty silver scissors and leaned back on her heels, arching her back and neck. “Do you have any alcohol?”
Helen gaped.
Ella laughed. “For the dog. To disinfect his wounds, not for me.”
The woman clapped her mouth shut and pushed out of the chair with a grunt. “I knew that.”
Returning from the dining room, she handed over a dusty whiskey bottle, half full. Ella drizzled a small stream along each seam, dabbing with a clean cloth as she went. Then she corked the bottle, set it on the chair, and straightened, sore from kneeling but grateful for her newfound strength. A month ago, she would not have survived the afternoon.
She gathered the bloody rags. “Where do you want these?”
Helen bustled over, took the rags, and dropped them in the basin. “Go lie down, rest yourself. I’ll take care of supper and whatever else the men need, short of dressing out a smelly old bear.”
Ella laid a hand on her friend’s arm. “I can’t lie down. Not until I check on Cale.”
Helen’s gray eyes glimmered, and she blinked rapidly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to that boy. I hope he knows it.” ~A Change of Scenery
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April 18, 2021
Try Again
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Have you ever stood at the edge of the sea or a large lake and listened to waves lap against the shore? Or cradled yourself in a gently rocking boat, relaxing as you drifted with the breeze?
How about making your way to shore after a long and discouraging night of fishing that netted you nothing?
Peter, a professional fisherman in first-century Palestine, had likely experienced the first two scenarios, but we know for certain he was quite familiar with the last one.
Imagine his irritation when, after an unsuccessful night at work, he is told by a carpenter he had just met to push his boat out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch.
Try again, the man said.
Been there, done that, Peter replied. I’m a fisherman, you’re not, he might have thought. But he pushed out anyway. What did he have to lose at the suggestion of a carpenter-turned-itinerate teacher?
A whole boatload of fish. (Luke 5:1-11)
A similar scenario took place three years later. Peter and his pals had been fishing all night with no success. At dawn, someone shouted from the shore, “Cast your net from the right side of the boat and you’ll find some.” Try again.
I’m guessing those words sounded pretty familiar to Peter. He and his friends obeyed, and they caught more fish than they could pull into the boat. (John 21:1-14)
Twice when Peter-the-fisherman failed at his profession, Jesus was there to say, “Try again.”
These two incidents serve as bookends for the intersection of Peter’s life with Jesus. Fish bookends. Peter understood fish.
When I’m frustrated and want to quit, Jesus often says to me, “Try again.”
When I want to give up and walk away, He whispers, “Try again.”
When temptation arrives in the guise of quitting, His quiet “try again” helps me recognize it as the enemy of obedience.
The next time the Lord encourages me to “try again” with something at which I have failed, I want to listen and obey more quickly.
Without whining.
~
Quitting is the enemy of obeying
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Cale slipped through the corral poles and unlatched the north gate, then waved his hat and hollered at the ponies till they lit out. Doc’s graceful lope carried him ahead of the others. The gelding had a soft spot for that whip of a woman, the way he ate from Ella’s fingers almost dainty like. Doc’d be good to her if Cale could get her on him.
Combing a hand through his hair, he considered the other horses that were brought up. The boys’ old mare, Barlow, might be a fair choice. Wouldn’t spook if you lit her tail afire. Easygoing.
And why was he wasting his time considering a gentle mount for a woman who made it clear she didn’t ride?
He scoffed. A lie as plain as snow on Pikes Peak.
He resituated his hat, irritated that Ella Canaday drew his thoughts like a barn cat to cream. He savvied fear and figured she was fightin’ her head. But he also knew firsthand that a good spill called for gettin’ back in the saddle. His pa had been there for him when he was a youngster. Tossed Cale back up on the horse that had tossed him to begin with. There was nothing for it but to ride again, his pa insisted. And he’d been right. ~A Change of Scenery
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April 11, 2021
Do You Doubt It?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
A couple thousand years ago in Jerusalem, a man named Thomas got the short end of the experiential stick.
Or did he?
As one of the twelve closest friends of Jesus, he spent three years hanging out with God-as-man. He saw miracles. He saw compassion. He saw the impossible become possible.
Thomas saw so much that he wouldn’t believe the crucified Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw the scars of crucifixion and touched them. (Does that make you want to pull your hand back just thinking about it?)
So why wasn’t Thomas with the others when Jesus showed up and proved His resurrection?
All the guys were hanging out. You know, hiding. Safety in numbers and all that. I don’t think there was anything super religious going on when all of a sudden, Jesus was just there.
But Thomas wasn’t.
Where was he?
What was he doing?
Was he thinking about the puzzling words Jesus had spoken to him at the Passover meal a few days before?
It had been a fairly typical family supper: one guy left early (the group’s treasurer, of course). Jesus told another one that he would turn traitor, not just once, but three times. Then He told them all that He was going away but they couldn’t go with Him. However, He said, they knew the way there.
That was too much for Thomas.
“We don’t know where you’re going,” he said, “so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5)
Pause here for a moment and think about Thomas. Where was he seated at the low table? How frustrated must he have been? Was his question rhetorical or literal? Personally, I think it was literal.
“I am the way,” Jesus said.
He elaborated in His typically deep-yet-simple style: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”
Jesus was going to the Father – God the Father, Jehovah, Yahweh. And if Thomas (and the others) wanted to get there too, Jesus was the way to do it.
The second time Jesus joined the group after His resurrection, Thomas was there. Jesus offered His doubting disciple His hands and His side, saying “Put your finger here … Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” (John 20:26-29)
Jesus made an extra effort to reach His troubled, questioning follower. He cared that much, and He still does – for each of us.
We don’t know much about Thomas. Apparently, he didn’t have a lot to say. But to him—someone who would be labeled The Doubter—God-as-man had spoken some of the most life-changing words ever recorded.
Do you think Thomas ever forgot?
I doubt it.
~
Do you doubt it?
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Cale and his horse turned for town. Ella turned for the footbridge.
She clutched her hat as she crossed the wooden slats, water rushing below her like her past—the same, yet somehow changed in the passing. Last to arrive at the touring cars, she climbed into the back of the one with her clothes, other costumes, and Slim, and quickly checked her satchel for the sewing kit. Relieved at finding it still tucked inside, she fell against the seat back, tired, spent, and happier than she’d been in a very long time. A short-lived happiness, with departure pending, but happiness nonetheless.
The driver chugged the engine to life, and the car lurched forward.
“That was quite a ride you made today.” Slim hung his hat on his knee and flung his arm across the back of the seat.
Ella turned her head away. Sweaty didn’t begin to describe Slim’s condition or aroma. She took a long deep breath of fresher air before facing him. “Thank you. But I’m sure you could have done the same.”
A snorty huff. “I doubt it. Mr. Hutton wasn’t about to let me ride his horse, and I wasn’t about to ride Mabel’s. It was you or nothing, and I think Thorson would’ve had a seizure if you hadn’t stepped up.”
Interesting turn of phrase, in more ways than one, but a topic she didn’t care to discuss. “When do you think we’ll be leaving?”
Slim lowered his arm, a small but welcome blessing. ~A Change of Scenery
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April 4, 2021
He is Risen!
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
We were created to
live forever with God.
Sin interrupted and set us
on a detour to death.
Jesus intervened,
paid for the sin with His life and fixed us.
Now, because of Him,
we get to do what we
were created to do –
Live with Him forever.
A full circle.
Like a crown.
“He is risen from the dead …” (Matthew 28:7)
He is Risen!
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March 28, 2021
The Mob Can Turn
The mob can turn.
A big event was coming to town and everyone was busy preparing, anticipating, hurrying. The Jews called it Passover.
Early in the week, on a dirt-and-stone street, a crowd hailed an itinerant teacher as a king entering the gates of Jerusalem.
He was trending.
“Hosanna!” they yelled, strewing his path with palm branches and their cloaks in a sign of honor. The word means “send help from on high.”
Four days later, they called for His crucifixion.
Screamed for it.
Demanded it.
Got it.
Those who cried “Hosanna!” while waving palm branches and dancing alongside the donkey that carried Jesus didn’t know He was the Christ who came to die, not wage war against Rome.
They didn’t know He was indeed the help from on high.
They didn’t know He was the sacrifice.
Who else but God could snatch mankind from the jaws of judgement and death?
Hosanna …
To be continued …
Then the multitudes who went before
and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:9
~
The mob can turn.
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