Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 35
November 12, 2018
Thanking Our Heroes
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Not long ago I had the honor of spending time with a couple of cowboys who had more than the love of rodeo and horses in common. Though one hailed from Louisiana and the other from Pennsylvania, their trails first crossed during an emergency medevac on 13 October 1971 in Vietnam. From a wrecked Jeep, one laid down cover fire for the other who carried the wounded to his chopper that hung by one skid over a mountain ledge.
Not only did they both live to tell about it, they lived to be cowboys, and they lived to be preachers.
Which of their lives lived was that of a hero? I’d have to say all of them. I thank God for those soldier-cowboy-preachers.
When I taught sixth grade in a rural California middle school, I asked my students to define what a hero was.
“A hero is a person who does something good.”
“A hero is someone who does something that’s not forgettable.”
“It could be your mom or your grandpa, just as long as they help you.”
“My hero would be a best friend because they stick up for you.”
Yesterday, many of us took time to say “thank you” to those who have stuck up for us during their military service. We call them veterans. Those who have “been there, done that.”
In the wake of our collective, national day of thanking our heroes, take a moment today and share in the comments below about others in your life whom you call “hero.”
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Thanking our heroes.
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If any man is in Me, he is a new creation.
The voice spoke so clearly that Eli looked over his shoulder expecting—what?
Feeling foolish, he pushed his cap off and rubbed his head, recalling long cold nights in foreign mountains. A man’s mind could play tricks on him, make him think someone was out there, when in truth, there were many someones out there.
If any man is in Me, he is a new creation.
This time the words settled inside him, pulsating like some living thing.
And the voice. He hadn’t listened to it in a while.
The promise was more than a well-delivered sermon from a Sunday pulpit. It belonged to the God Eli had known before Laura moved away. Before the IED blew up the Humvee. Before Pop died.
“I really do want a fresh start.” Confession clawed its way up his throat. Saying it out loud made it real. Tangible. His stomach clenched, his hands fisted around nothing. He desperately wanted to slough off the old and start over. ~The Miracle Tree
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November 5, 2018
Love Warms the Heart
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I knitted once.
Many years ago, I needled my way through a scarf for my soon-to-be-husband, hoping to keep him warm in Colorado’s snowy clime while I wintered in temperate California. That scarf was the extent of my knitting career.
When I started writing this year’s Christmas novella, Snow Angel, I discovered that my heroine knitted despite her physical challenge. My own knitting experience wasn’t enough to help her out, so in order to keep the details realistic, I contacted Ann Goldman, owner of Yarned & Dangerous in downtown Cañon City, Colorado.
I asked Ann if a woman like my heroine, Lena Carver, would be able to knit. Ann and her crew grabbed their needles, assumed Lena’s disability, and found a way. Yes – it was possible!
The results of their efforts made it into the story.
Ann, at left, with Nancy Corbin and Jerri Wright.I met Ann when she owned the Christian book store in town, Words of Life. She hosted several book signings for me, and our friendship grew over the years.
With the changing times and demise of nearly every independent book seller, Ann survived with the help of a knitting nook she opened at the back of the store. It became a gathering place where women came with their projects, seating themselves around a large central table, surrounded by walls of colorful yarn and thread. It was a veritable visual feast of color and texture, as well as a safe and soft place to share dreams and heartaches.
The book store has since closed, but Ann’s new Yarned & Dangerous thrives at the opposite end of Main Street, just as colorful and just as welcoming. Thanks to Ann and her crew, my heroine, Lena, warms those she loves with the work of her hands. Just like Ann.
“I learned to knit when I was a little girl in school,” Ann told me. “Everybody in the class had to learn to knit. And purl. Because we had to rib.”
(Whatever that means!)
“We were all working on a project,” she said. “Everybody did something with their hands.”
Those days of learning a skill one could actually use turned out to be a good investment for the little girl who grew up to raise a family, earn her MBA, and run her own business.
The image at the top of this post shows the scarf I made when I was 19. My first (and last) knitting project and absolutely a labor of love. The little red yarn doll is one I made last week (no knitting required!). It represents an act of love in my novella, something that warms the hearts of children in a small town during Christmas in the 1800s.
Do you have any handmade projects that have figured prominently in your holiday celebrations, or a skill you learned from a grandmother or parent that lovingly warms the heart? Please take a moment and share your experience in the comments below.
~
Love warms the heart.
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Night edged closer to the house. Lena fed the hearth fire and banked the cook stove for morning, but sleep evaded her. Her knitting called, so she trimmed a lamp near her rocker and settled in for the evening.
The fire crackled, its woodsy warmth a companionable presence as she dug through her scrap yarn, leaving Tay’s scarf for later.
Last year she’d made eight yarn dolls for little girls at the church party. This year, two new families had moved to town, their fathers taking jobs at the lumber mill. Each had one girl, but rather than miscalculate or fail to note family visiting from elsewhere over the holidays, Lena chose enough yarn for twelve dolls. Better to have more than she needed rather than too few. No child should be left out of the excitement of peering into a small paper bag and finding cookies, candies, and Christmas surprises—yarn dolls for the girls and wooden tops for the boys.
Connect with Ann via her Yarned & Dangerous web site or on Facebook.
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October 29, 2018
If We Do Not Give Up
By 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.”
I know; my advice is boringly repetitive.
However, that’s the kind of stick-to-it-iveness required for most worthwhile endeavors.
It’s that simple.
One of the easiest things to do is quit.
One of the hardest things is not to.
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 this fall at the bountiful evidence of things that were small and seemingly insignificant last spring. Today they are bright pumpkins, colorful gourds, juicy apples. They were all worth the wait.
…at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
What is growing and maturing in your life that will someday be worth the wait, effort, and determination not to quit? Could it be prayer? Faith? Hope?
~
One of the easiest things to do is quit; one of the hardest things is not to.
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Christmas Day dinner always turned into a test of faith, Lena found, trusting that people would do as they said they would. Having faith in people was much more trying than having faith in the Lord. ~Snow Angel
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October 22, 2018
Hope in the Changing Seasons
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
In most places, fall arrives with a visual reminder that change is coming. Ordinary green trees don brilliant foliage and temperatures fluctuate drastically.
I find hope in the changing seasons – hope that God in His mercy won’t leave me stuck in the same circumstances forever. That I can look forward to times of rest, renewal, and growth.
I need the visual change around me, and I need the spiritual change within me. How beautifully they complement the one unchanging force that holds everything together – Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Do you have a favorite season that reminds you of God’s faithfulness?
~
Hope in the changing seasons
Click To TweetHistorical Christmas-romance novella available for pre-order today! Release date for Kindle Unlimited Nov. 1, 2018.
Cinnamon. Cloves. Oranges, for heaven’s sake. A heady perfume with a hefty price.
Lena mentally tallied her purchases. Such indulgence. But Christmas came only once in twelve months, and if she spread her extravagance out over the next eight weeks, they could manage.
She thanked Mr. Fielding at the mercantile and headed home, a quarter-of-a-mile trip in good weather. Today it felt farther. The sky hung low, goose gray, and promising rain, which meant mud. It should be snowing this time of year, with the cottonwoods flashing yellow along the road, their aspen cousins trickling gold down the hillside at the end of town.
Smelling the storm’s approach, she hiked her skirt and quickened her pace. The one thing she could count on this time of year was her heart flip-flopping between cherished memories and painful recollections. Between excitement and dread. ~Snow Angel
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October 15, 2018
Face-to-Face Love
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
You’ve probably watched a parent hold their child close and pour in their love. Eye to eye. Face to face.
Maybe you’ve even done it yourself.
Holding a little one close to our face is often symbolic of how we hold them close to our heart.
As an earthly parent adores the child of his love and hugs her close, so the Lord adores us and draws us near if we let Him.
The Psalmist wrote of God’s people and His victories on their behalf:
It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
Notice the progression, closer and closer, from hand to arm to face.
Many times we’ve seen God’s hand in our lives. We’ve even seen the strength of His arm. But have we let Him draw us so close that we see the light of His face?
The better question may be, have we drawn close enough to Him?
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. (James 4:8 NLT)
~
Face-to-face love.
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Historical Christmas-romance novella available for pre-order today! Release date for Kindle Unlimited Nov. 1, 2018.
From a child’s perspective…
He wore a thick brown coat like a big bear. A fur cap covered his head and ears, and his face had a light inside it, like a lamp shining behind a curtain. He smiled, and it made her feel sleepy and safe and cozy all at the same time. But what she noticed most were his eyes—blue crystals. They smiled too, with little lines spreading out at the corners.
~prologue to Snow Angel
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October 8, 2018
Out of Reach for a Reason
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Do you see it—hanging like a papery ornament, just in front of a Colorado blue spruce?
What you may not notice are its whirring, buzzing, stinging residents.
That nest is best left alone.
I shot this picture from the back of my horse on a trail at Music Meadows Ranch near the base of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Curiosity over the intricately layered nest called me to investigate, but I didn’t. I knew the consequences and rode on by. My horse whiffled out a deep breath, as if in relief. As if it knew humans were just dumb enough to try a stunt like poking around at a wasp nest.
God puts some things out of reach for a reason. This concept makes me wonder if the tree in the center of the garden of Eden was growing out of a rocky crag in a hard-to-reach position that had to be scaled with great determination and effort.
So often in my life, I’ve been afraid of falling off of God’s will, as if it were a tightrope I had to walk. However, experience has taught me that God’s will shouldn’t be compared to a tightrope. Like a preacher once said, it’s more of a canyon we have to deliberately climb out of.
I’m sure glad, because my tightrope-walking skills aren’t that shiny.
As much as I want to be in God’s will, He wants me in His will even more. When I ask Him to lead me in the paths of his choosing, I can be confident in His faithfulness to do just that.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
~
Some things are out of reach for a reason.
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“The unknown is often frightening, but Jesus said He would never leave us. Our job is to move forward, into the future, trusting Him.” ~ The Miracle Tree
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October 1, 2018
Surround Yourself with Joy!
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I received a note from a friend the other day. Part of it said, “Surround yourself with what you love.”
Sometimes I do this without thinking about it, haphazardly scattering colors or keepsakes that appeal to me. Without serious consideration, I simply like the feel or look of particular designs and styles.
At other times, I deliberately choose the imagery and symbolism of my environment because of how it speaks to me. Lately, these choices have become more important, and I’ve found myself looking purposefully for that which leads to joy.
Why make such a big deal out of it?
Because everything speaks to us whether we are actively listening or not, and much of what our world has to say is deceptive and depressing.
In our easily connected, technological age, we receive countless messages daily. Those messages can be overwhelming—from news of natural disasters and crumbling governments, infrastructures, and families to cynicism of the media and subtle references to an inactive, disinterested God. After awhile I’m depressed, and discouraged, and wondering why.
Therefore, I choose to surround myself with what is uplifting. For me, this involves active choices of the music I listen to, the books I read, the movies/television I watch, even the amount of news I ingest.
It all affects me to some degree.
Since there is so very much nonjoy in the world, I choose joy and the things that bring it.
Not long ago, I watched a movie during which an adult daughter brought her mother a potted, flowering plant. The mother said, “Flowers die. They’re a waste of money.”
What died was a little piece of the daughter who made the overture.
Yes, flowers fade and pass. So will we. Does that mean we quit living?
Flowers may not appeal to everyone, but they do to many. Depending on their form, they can evoke a sense of elegance, cheerfulness, or celebration. Even if only for a moment, they have the power to uplift and encourage.
Why do you suppose God made flowers of such varied color and fragrance? And what about food? Why so many different types with such rich flavors and textures?
The same consideration can be made of trees, wildlife, even geological formations. The point is, creation could have been purely functional. But instead, it’s filled with beauty and blessing, reflecting who God is. It reveals His love and care, the delight and joy of His presence.
Within the freewill we’ve been given lie everyday choices of simple preferences. What an exciting gift!
I choose joy.
What do you choose?
The joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
~
Surround yourself with what you love.
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A wide window above the table revealed a grassy yard that sloped toward Campbell Creek. A fallen cottonwood, whitened with age, lay across the creek bed like an invitation.
“You have a lovely place,” Laura said.
Mary set a cardinal-red mug before her and took a seat across the table. “I’ve come to really enjoy it.” She looked out the window. “Deer often drink at the stream, but in the spring they also help themselves to the bulbs in my garden. I don’t enjoy that so much.” ~The Miracle Tree
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September 24, 2018
Fear is a Liar
Kathleen L. MaherJoin me today as I welcome author Kathleen L. Maher, as she shares encouragement for the week as well as information about a giveaway. -Davalynn Spencer
By Kathleen L. Maher @Mahereenie
Fear is a liar. As the popular song goes, “It will rob your rest, steal your happiness.”
In my Civil War novel The Abolitionist’s Daughter, each character entertains a lie that causes them to fear. The hero’s twin brother manipulates the hero to try to avoid what he fears most.
Fear of what others might do, or fail to do, can create a controlling response. Fear can cause a friend to turn into a fiend or a bosom brother into a loathsome bother when we allow our fears to bully us and others.
But what is the antidote to fear? Is it courage? Is it faith, or even strength? What if I told you scripture prescribes love as the ultimate weapon against dread? 1 John 4:18 KJV says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.“
Faith is very good, and so are courage and strength. But when it comes to grabbing fear by the throat and choking off its ability to control, it is love that has the ultimate power. Love that trusts our loved ones enough to make the right decision. Love that puts others’ needs ahead of our own.
Sometimes we don’t know how to love like that. It is then that we must receive the Heavenly Love that never tires.
Corrie ten Boom, the woman whose great faith sustained her through the Holocaust, once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Jesus’ love will sort the truth from the lie. He is, after all, the way, the TRUTH, and the life.
~
Fear is a liar.
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Kathleen is giving away a copy of one of her books, winner to be drawn by random.org on Sept. 26 (winner’s choice of print or e-book, US residents only).
To enter, please give an answer in the comments section below to the following question: Has fear ever kept you from accomplishing something you wanted to do? Did you overcome? Why/why not?
In addition, Kathleen is running a Rafflecopter grand-prize giveaway for her blog tour with several prizes, including a $50 Ammy gift card, one of each of my books, and a Christmas goodie basket. Winners for the Rafflecopter will be drawn by Thanksgiving, with several chances to enter. (US residents only.) Thanks for entering! (Click on either Rafflecopter link.)
The Abolitionist’s Daughter by Kathleen L. Maher
The crusading daughter of a Washington politician comes between twin brothers as the country plunges toward Civil War. Horsemen from Virginia, the twins would defend their livelihood from her meddling kind. When love ignites, friends become enemies. Can the very girl who divided bosom brothers unite them again?
Love Brick by Brick by Kathleen L. Maher
SarahAnn Winnifred overcomes orphanhood apprenticing with pioneering doctors. Rufus Sedgwick, relocating his English estate, seeks help for his ailing Mum. Christmas reveals the secret wish of both hearts—for love.
Kathleen L. Maher has had an infatuation with books and fictional heroes ever since her preschool crush, Peter Rabbit. She has a novella releasing with BARBOUR in the 2018 Victorian Christmas Brides collection, featuring her hometown of Elmira, New York. Her debut historical, Bachelor Buttons, blends her Irish heritage and love of the American Civil War. She won the 2012 ACFW Genesis contest for her Civil War story, releasing this summer under a new title The Abolitionist’s Daughter. Kathleen shares an old farmhouse in upstate New York with her husband, children, and a small zoo of rescued animals.
Follow Kathleen:
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLMaherAuthor/
on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mahereenie
and on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kathleenlmaher
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September 17, 2018
Hide and Seek
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Hide and seek – is it only a child’s game?
Not necessarily. Adults like to figure things out, hunt for buried treasure, and make ground-breaking discoveries.
It is in man’s DNA to investigate and unearth. Personally, I believe God intended it to be so, and I wouldn’t be surprised if He takes great delight in our discoveries, much like a parent watching their child do the same.
The Scriptures say, “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them” (Proverbs 25:2 NLT). Almost sounds like a cosmic game of hide and seek.
However, people hide things too, hoping (or not) that their stash will be found. Geocaching is a world-wide hide-and-seek adventure enjoyed by thousands.
Sometimes people conceal information and items for less than honorable reasons, but often they do it simply for safety or protection, as in the case of my heroine in An Unexpected Redemption.
Today just happens to coincide with my monthly blog post for Heroes, Heroines, & History. The post is titled, “Safe, Secure, and Secret,” and discusses Victorian-era trunks with secret compartments similar to the hiding place used to conceal a private journal in An Unexpected Redemption.
Speaking of journals, where do you suppose I hid my very first journal as a child? If you’re curious, stop by https://www.hhhistory.com/ to find out.
“But he’s keeping secrets from me. If he loved me, wouldn’t he share everything with me?” ~An Unexpected Redemption
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September 10, 2018
Down in the Dumps?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Have you ever heard the phrase “down in the dumps”?
It’s been around about 500 years, according to people who look that stuff up.
Though the idiom is nearly self-explanatory, some etymologists believe the word “dumps” may have come from a Dutch or German word meaning hazy or musing. In sixteenth century English, dumps referred to a fit of depression.
Regardless, we know what it means because our words “down” and “up” are heavily hinged with emotion. No explanation needed.
I’ve been in the dumps. I don’t like it there, but sometimes it’s hard to climb out on my own. I need someone to reach down and grab me in one of those hand-to-wrist holds and pull me up.
Most often, God does this for me through His word and my friends. It’s amazing how the two coincide and confirm what the other said.
My recent trip to the dumps was cut short by my friends. Then Psalm 40:1-3 came to mind, verses I’d memorized years ago. They bubbled right up out of my heart, lifting me with them, comforting me with the knowledge that a king who had everything also knew what it was like down there in the dumps.
David, King of Israel, wrote:
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
Did you catch the “miry clay” part? That’s why it’s hard to get out on our own.
The only thing the Psalmist did in this exchange was wait – which is maybe one of the hardest things in the world to do.
God did everything else.
He inclined – leaned over to listen.
He heard.
He brought up – lifted
He set David on a rock.
He established his steps – got him back on the right path.
He put a new song in his mouth.
The next line surprises me: “Many shall see it…”
How do you see the song in someone else’s mouth?
I think it shows on their face. Their demeanor changes, their eyes light up again.
And finally, the results of God rescuing someone from the dumps:
“Many…will trust in the Lord.”
That sounds like the Lord working a bad thing into a good situation.
Thank God for faithful friends and the faithfulness of His word.
~
Down in the dumps? Reach up!
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“We can’t stop change, can we?” A sad note played in her voice. “Go back to the way things were.”
His lip curled at her mention of his secret resentment. “Nope.”
She looked squarely at him then. “If we could, what would you change?” ~The Miracle Tree
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