Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 37
June 25, 2018
To obey … or not.
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
One recent morning as Blue and I walked along our country road, I let him off his leash to investigate the rabbit brush and cholla while I watched the skies for Canada geese I’d heard calling.
It was my favorite time of day—dawn. Cool, fresh, full of promise.
Full of danger, too, of which I was unaware because I was watching the sky.
No geese showed, so I turned my attention to Blue, riveted on a particular bush along the roadside, sharp ears pointed straight ahead, body braced.
I moved closer, surprised by my easy-going heeler who never alerted to much of anything other than squirrels.
That’s when I saw the locked and loaded black-and-white tail.
“Blue—come!” With as much command as I could muster, I called my near-deaf dog.
He didn’t move.
“Blue—come!”
His concentration broke as he glanced my way, and then he relented and trotted to me.
His obedience saved us both.
With a finger under his collar and a breathy “Good dog,” I quickly led him out of range, snapped on his leash, and headed for home. Once we rounded the curve in the road, an unmistakable odor wafted our way. We’d been upwind.
I was knee-quakingly grateful for Blue’s obedience. Without it, we could have both been skunked—a story from another day that I cared not to repeat.
All the way home I thought about the ramifications of Blue’s obedience and what his failure to do so might have cost us. And I couldn’t avoid the quick connection to my own life-choices where obedience to the Lord was involved. Those decisions have no doubt impacted other “innocent” bystanders, whether family, friends, or onlookers.
We’re not the only ones affected by our obedience, either directly or indirectly. God help us listen and obey.
“Obedience is better than sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22
~
We’re not the only ones affected by our obedience.
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His obedience saved us both.
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Unable to hold the railing, she descended slowly, her gaze flicking between the next step and the sheriff—feet spread, arms crossed, hat low. His impervious posture appeared a dare as much as anything. What she did or did not do was no concern of his, and he’d better not try to prevent her from leaving.
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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June 18, 2018
Ever Been Prepared But Not Ready?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
One summer evening when our children were little, a thunderstorm crashed up against the Front Range and knocked out the power. Colorado is famous for its sudden storms and lightning shows but, newcomer that I was, I was proudly prepared.
“Let’s be pioneers,” I told the kids, hoping to banish their fears with a little make-believe.
Smugly, I gathered kerosene lamps, bottled oil, and a package of wicks I kept in the pantry.
Confident in their mother’s wisdom, my 3- and 7-year-old watched as I carefully poured the precious oil into the glass-lamp basins, pushed new, white cotton wicks into the burners, and screwed the burners onto the lamps.
“We have everything we need for light, just like your great-great-grandparents,” I said.
I struck the match, held it to the wick, and watched it burn down to my fingertips before I tried a second match, and then a third.
My children stared wide-eyed at the tightly woven wick that wouldn’t light, no matter how many times Mom tried. And then they looked at me.
Fear wiggled its way from my heart to my throat—not fear of the dark or the storm, but fear of failing my children, of not coming through on a promise.
As we all stood assessing my so-called preparation, comprehension washed over me like the rain drenching our house.
It wasn’t the wick that burned—it was the oil in the wick. My wicks were new and dry, and it was going to take hours for them to soak up the oil.
Heavy, wet darkness blanketed our home, and I tucked my disappointed children into bed, promising I’d show them the light the next morning. Then I curled up on the sofa and watched the lightning through our big picture windows.
Frustrated, I realized that I could be just like those dry wicks.
I had every one of God’s promises from the Bible, but had I readied my heart by soaking them in? When adversity’s thunder crashed into my life and the lights went out, would my heart be full of His words and ready to brighten the darkness?
I had always wondered what Jesus meant when He said, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4). The idea sounded like a paradox to me. But after I tried to light the dry wick, I understood it completely.
The oil doesn’t get into the wick unless the wick is in the oil.
God’s truth and comfort would never permeate me unless I immersed myself in His word.
The next morning I easily lit the lamp for my children, but I’d lost the moment of pioneer adventure. I promised myself that the next time I tried to show them the light—whether with a kerosene lamp or my life—I’d be ready.
~
Prepared but not ready.
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Oil doesn't get in the wick unless the wick is in the oil.
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Another crack of thunder and Livvy flinched. She slid down, pulled her knees to her chest, and tried to squeeze her entire body beneath her hat brim. Rain pounded her hat and arms and bounced off the ground.
Bounced?
Kernel-sized hail popped out of the grass and off the rocks like buckshot. It stung right through her clothing, but there was nothing she could do. For all her childhood experience in the saddle, she’d never ridden out a storm in the open. ~Straight to My Heart
BONUS: If you’d like to read about the Royal Gorge War, mentioned in Straight to My Heart, read here for my post on Heroes, Heroines, and History, a blog that connects those who love to write about history with those who love to read it.
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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June 11, 2018
Collecting Moments Beside Still Waters
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
As an author of historical fiction, I’m often asked how much time I spend researching.
That’s a hard question to answer because it depends upon the topic researched and the type of research required.
However, I must admit that my most enjoyable research venture occurred last week at a working cattle operation, Badger Creek Ranch, 8,800 feet up in the high parks of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
Many of you who have read my novels know that I write about the high parks and those who ran cattle and horses there in days gone by. Experiencing this work and setting first hand, even in our modern era, was like stepping into one of my stories.
In addition to the camaraderie of the ranch owners and others, the hard work we enjoyed, and the surprisingly peaceful beauty, I brought two clear realizations home with me.
First, I lived and breathed and drank in the reason the American cowboy became the American cowboy. Atop a good horse, riding across open range, the world and its temporal cares slip away like night at the crest of dawn. Those timeless hours taught me, in a deeper sense, why cowboys and cattlemen do what they do, both yesterday and today.
Second, I experienced a tender aspect of the long familiar words, “The Lord is my shepherd.”
Cattle have an innate belief that the grass is always greener elsewhere, typically beyond the fence that manages their roaming tendencies. They are cliché to the point of “if there’s a will there’s a way.” But so are ranchers.
When cattle stray from the better pasture and away from their water source, putting themselves in danger, the cattleman “pushes” them home. Pushing is an old cowboy term that means heading them in the right direction at a leisurely pace, following behind and beside on horseback.
The rancher wants his stock to “lie down in green pastures,” drink from still waters, and be restored. He may not be called a shepherd, but the desire of his heart for his animals is the same.
How often I’ve felt the same nudge from my Lord and drawn strength from His presence through dry or difficult times.
Returning with an abundance of sayings and experiences, I plan to share many of them, whether in blog posts, via social media, or in my books—my favorite of all places to speak of life. And I’m working on creating a special Pinterest page for countless photos I gathered at the ranch. Give me a week or so to get it up and running. You can keep an eye on my Pinterest pages at https://www.pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/
However, one saying stays with me, weaving in and out of my thoughts, tying in values from my past with dreams for my future. A wise horsewoman at Badger Creek recounted at dinner one evening her rendition of a quote by which she tries to live:
“Collect moments, not material things.”
Thank you, Anke. I believe I will. 
~
Collect moments.
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“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He beds me down in green pastures with sweet water.” -Deacon, An Improper Proposal
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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June 4, 2018
Choose How You Remember
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Last Monday, on Memorial Day, we commemorated the men and women who have died in the service of our country.
But they’re not the only people we remember because some people—deceased or still living—are hard to forget, for reasons both good and bad.
Who do you remember?
Someone who hurt you or someone who helped you?
Someone who betrayed you or someone who bettered you?
Someone who left you or someone who loved you?
We don’t always have a say in what happens to us, but we have a say in what we think about and focus on.
Let’s choose the good.
Let’s choose the redemptive.
Let’s choose the uplifting, even if we have to reach way down to pick it up.
Today I choose the man I chose once before.
Happy anniversary, Cowboy.
~
Choose how you remember.
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Note: The picture above is from a Leanin’ Tree card the Cowboy gave me one year on our anniversary. He liked it so much, that he found another one just like it and gave it to me again the next year. Hard to forget.
(Original artwork copyright by Larry Fanning.)
“It’s hard to come home again and not be remembered for who you were, dear.” ~An Unexpected Redemption
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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May 28, 2018
Remember the Fallen
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
It is fitting to remember the fallen this Memorial Day. Though they cannot hear our thanks, their families and descendants can.
Acknowledging their sacrifice reminds us that none of what we possess or enjoy has been achieved on our own.
Others have contributed.
May we consider today those lives given, men and women over the years who spent their present and their future so that others could enjoy the very same.
~
Remember the fallen.
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None of what we possess or enjoy has been achieved on our own.
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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May 21, 2018
Does Christian Fiction Stack Up to the Truth?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Today I’m guest posting on Amanda Geaney’s blog, Christian Shelf-Esteem, where I discuss writing Christian fiction.
Did you know that some people think believers should not write fiction?
You can read what I have to say about this subject at Amanda’s blog.
In the meantime, consider the word “crucifixion.”
Growing up, I often wondered why it wasn’t spelled crucifiction, because that’s what it sounded like to me. At at the time, I didn’t know about the Latin base of the word, cruci fixus, “fixed to a cross.”
As a young believer, I figured the English masters simply spelled it “-fixion” so people wouldn’t get confused about the truth.
Christ’s brutal death and miraculous resurrection certainly aren’t fiction.
Do you believe those truths can empower Christian novelists today as they write their made-up stories?
~
Some people think believers should not write fiction.
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“Off with you, now. I can’t have my guests helping in the kitchen.” Maggie shooed her into the dining room. “While you’re unpacking tonight, you can think about how you’re going to break it him.”
Elizabeth stopped at the doorway, her throat tightening with the question she already knew the answer to. “Break what to him?”
“The truth, dear.”
~from An Unexpected Redemption
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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May 14, 2018
Mom-care
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
What is it about a mother that makes her do things for her children all the time? Even when no one’s looking. Even when no one knows. Even her children.
I believe it’s the God-gene she carries – not in a biological sense, but in a spiritual sense. God’s imprint on His creation.
He breathed life into Adam and from Adam created a woman, whom Adam named Eve because she would be the mother of all living.
Of course it’s a God thing.
Who else would go through pain for our deliverance?
Who else would give without thanks and then give again anyway?
Who else would say, “I’ll take care of you,” and then do it even when we’re not aware and don’t care?
Psalm 121:7 says,
The Lord will keep you from all harm –
he will watch over your life.
Last week when the automobile-service technician called me out to my car to see the split rubber on the inside of the left front tire, I remembered that verse.
The tire was closest to oncoming traffic. All the other tires were in good shape except that one. There was an imbalance somewhere, a misalignment. The fix was easy, but the unchecked consequences could have been horrific.
This was not the first time the Lord had watched over my life, nor would it be the last.
Psalm 121:8 makes that clear:
The Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
There’s a little bit of Mom-care there, just like the little bit of God-care in the mother I remember.
Thank you, Lord.
Thanks, Mom.
Who else would go through pain for our deliverance?
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Mama’s gentle voice curled around her heart in a whisper: Oh, to grace how great a debtor… ~An Unexpected Redemption
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
*“Mom-care” image: first colt by Tom’s Serenade out of Corilina, Barefoot Farm, Hot Springs, Arkansas, 1984.
(A similar version of this post first appeared May 8, 2010.)
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May 7, 2018
I Have Finished the Race
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
In the 1980s, during rodeo’s off-season, my husband worked with the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, serving as a chaplain five years at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He also spent one race meet at Aksarben (now dismantled) in Omaha, Nebraska, and one meet at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Ministering to the backside community at the track was dear to his heart. He held weekly services, prayed daily with the riders in the jocks’ room before the races began, held Bible studies, and talked to, worked with, assisted, and prayed for hot walkers, grooms, exercise riders, jockeys, trainers, and owners.
I took the photograph above at Oaklawn Park early one morning as an exercise rider worked one of the horses. Those were some of our best years. Great friends. Great memories.
Great lessons of life.
My photograph of the exercise rider is simply a place-filler. The image I want to focus on today is copyrighted by photographer, Adam Coglianese of Bob Coglianese Photos, Inc. Please click here to see the incredible picture.
Coglianese’s iconic image was taken in the stretch run of the 1980 Tremont Stakes held at Belmont Park in New York and is called “The Savage.” My husband didn’t chaplain at Belmont Park, nor did we know Coglianese, but in my opinion, this photograph is one of horse racing’s finest shots. It is a perfect example of some of the life lessons from our seasons at the track.
Look at the expression of the horse on the right, Golden Derby. You can see his heart in his eyes.
Golden Derby isn’t looking at his attacker, Great Prospector. Nor is he looking away, trying to avoid the assault or hunting a way out. His eyes, head, stride, and body are focused on one thing: running the race.
Look at Golden Derby’s jockey—head down, “pushing” the reins (giving the horse its head). Full throttle. Letting this magnificent animal do what it was born and trained to do.
The metaphor is clear.
The Apostle Paul wrote to a young man by the name of Timothy, telling him that he, Paul, had “finished the race.” Speaking of living his life for Christ, he also said he had fought the fight and kept the faith. These statements imply struggle.
No one said our Christian walk would be easy.
No one suggested it would be opposition-free.
No one promised that others wouldn’t “savage” us, try to stop us, hurt us, push us off course.
But Paul also told Timothy what waited at the end. A crown of righteousness for everyone looking expectantly to Christ.
There’s only one way to finish life’s race successfully, and that’s to not quit. We have God’s promise that He will be with us all the way. (Hebrews 13:5)
So which horse from Coglianese’s photo won the race?
Golden Derby.
~
No one said our Christian walk would be easy.
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There’s only one way to finish life’s race, and that’s to not quit.
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Garrett could light out after the hearing in Cedar City. Find a herd headed to Wyoming and cut a new trail. And leave Betsy behind—exactly like that low-down, lily-livered husband of hers.
Former husband.
He slammed the coffee pot down on the stove, mad at himself for being a coward. If he couldn’t tell Betsy Parker what pained him more than anything ever had, then he wasn’t man enough to marry her.
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(c) 2018 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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April 30, 2018
All Things New
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
“If God can make everything new again, in spite of the hard, painful parts, then we should let Him.”
Sounds like an obviously simple concept, right?
Simple, perhaps, but not easy. There’s a difference.
The quote is from my latest book, An Unexpected Redemption, Book 2 of the Front Range Brides series. A reviewer chose these words as one of her favorite lines from a character in the story who isn’t taking God at His word—just like us.
That’s the interesting thing about fiction. It’s full of truth.
How often do we feel we have to earn God’s forgiveness, clean up our lives so we deserve His attention?
That’s cart-before-the-horse thinking. Or as I like to put it, effect-before-cause thinking.
We love others, do good things, and respond in kindness because He loved us, not to make ourselves worthy so He will love us.
Does anyone ever truly deserve a second chance? Or are second chances all about grace, which is undeserved favor?
Let’s take God at His word and allow Him to make all things new for us.
“Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21:5 NKJV
~
Take God at His word.
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From the fire in her eye, he fully expected her to ignite. -An Unexpected Redemption
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April 23, 2018
What Would You Take?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
What would you take if you had five minutes to evacuate your home?
When I was a newspaper reporter, I covered a lot of bad news. This photo is of one event I showed up for, arriving moments before flames roared through the front window, shattering glass, nerves, and hope.
Thankfully, no one was home. But that family didn’t get the chance to choose what they’d take.
Though I no longer chase down the latest-breaking news story, I still pay close attention to the fire-ripe conditions in our drought-dry state.
Fire season hasn’t yet arrived in Colorado, but fires have. My heart breaks to hear of homes, livestock, and grazing land consumed by unstoppable wind-driven flames. Last week a wildland fire swept over 40,000+ acres southeast of Colorado Springs and devoured more than twenty homes.
And it’s nothing new.
Parched fuel, plus wind, plus any little spark can flare into a prairie, forest, or neighborhood fire before callers dial 9-1-1.
Several states have been hit with devastating fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or blizzards in the last few years. Such conditions leave many people living in fear due to the speed with which these natural disasters strike.
But the thing is, we have no control over any of them. What we do have control over is our choice between scared or prepared.
A few years ago when the Royal Gorge Fire threatened our area, my family prepared a grab-and-run plastic tub. It held important files, medications, tech devices, and a few items we wanted to preserve – small things that fit inside and could not be easily replaced.
I was surprised by how many of my possessions could be replaced and how many I could live without.
With fires on the rise here, I’ve packed up the grab-and-run tub again, and it waits in my office. Taking a cue from friends who endured the Northern California fires last October, I’ve also backed up my computer off-site. And we’ve taken some fire-mitigation precautions around the house.
But the greatest preparation involves the heart. I have no control over anything other than my response. I can choose to live in fear, or I can choose to trust God—even if I have no warning and everything burns up, including the grab-and-run tub.
“Even if” are pretty big words. The Old Testament prophet, Daniel, wrote of three young Hebrew captives who refused to worship a golden statue set up by their captor, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
They insisted that God was able to save them, yet that wasn’t all.
“Even if he does not … we will not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:17,18 NIV). (Read the entire account for an encouraging story of faith and deliverance.)
Fire season makes me grateful for every hard, frightening, painful time in my life, because they’ve all shown me that I serve a faithful God. I lie down in peace and sleep at night—not because I’ve cleared dry fuel from around the house, or packed up my grab-and-run tub, or checked weather conditions. But because God has gotten me through some serious issues in the past and proven Himself faithful.
He is worthy of my trust. Even if everything burns up. Even if the results hurt.
He is still faithful.
Listen here to MercyMe’s song, “Even If” and be encouraged by the faithfulness of our great God.
~
I have no control over anything other than my response.
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I can choose to live in fear, or I can choose to trust God.
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Pre-order now! See book’s page on this website for purchase options. On sale through April 25 for .99 via Kindle.
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