Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 4
November 24, 2024
Give Up or Give Thanks?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Eleven years ago at one of my earliest book signings, I sat behind a little table near the front of a Colorado Bible/book store, surrounded by everything Duck Dynasty.
Talk about a duck out of water – that was me. My book had nothing to do with calls, waterfowl blinds, or camouflage clothing.
However, I couldn’t have had a better seat.
From my chair near the front entrance, I had an unavoidable view of a large, artistic rendition of Psalm 37:4 –
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you
the desires of your heart.
As a fledgling novelist, my heart had been wavering where desire was concerned. Oh, it wasn’t a desire like, “Oooh, I’d really like to have (whatever)!” My desire to write was a heart-longing, and I believed that longing had come from God.
Like most Christians, I was quite familiar with the cause-and-effect promise in Psalm 37, but nothing was happening with my writing. My dream was languishing. Was I to shove it in a drawer behind other unfinished projects and turn to more immediate responsibilities?
Discouragement had me in its crosshairs. However, pinned down near the Dynasty display that Saturday morning, I saw Psalm 37:4 on the wall every time I looked up. My eyes were drawn to it like the gaze of weary hunters to firepit flames.
I began to suspect that the positioning of the artwork was purposeful—as intentional as the placement of my chair.
Keep going, it seemed to urge. Don’t give up.
I had once heard it said that God gives you the desires of your heart so He can give you the desires of your heart.
But what happens when nothing happens? Was I to ignore the desire? Forget about it? Let discouragement win?
Or would I dig in and work at it by educating myself, perfecting my skills, praying, and waiting patiently?
Even duck hunters need to learn, improve, and wait.
I went home that Saturday evening with very few books sold, but the store owners bought several copies for their shelves. A pity-purchase, I felt.
But spending the day facing what God said about our desires somehow encouraged me.
Today, twenty-one books later, I look back on that day at the book store, grateful that I didn’t give up. Now I give thanks.
The Lord planted the desire in me to work with words. Then He helped me develop the skills, tied knots in my ropes so I could hold on over time, and made my dream a reality.
Now my heart sings a song of thanksgiving.
What about you? During this thankful holiday period, consider what God has brought you through, trained you for, or given you over time. And give back to Him your thanks.
The LORD is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart
is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:7
~
Give Up or Give Thanks?
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A tender Thanksgiving tale. Also in audiobook.The room grew quiet, every voice hushed, every hand stilled, and Etta peeked to see every head bowed, even the Eversons’. She’d never attended a church social quite like this, and her heart overflowed with gratitude for the providential hand that led her to Lockton.
At Bern’s “amen,” she realized she’d missed his prayer, so full she’d been of her own thanksgiving.
In a most random yet orderly fashion, families rose from the circle and helped themselves at the serving tables. But never was there a crush of people or a line waiting. People simply flowed in and out of the larger group until everyone was seated again and enjoying the food and those who shared it with them.
Etta became more and more agitated and could not determine why. By the time she’d pushed her fork through sliced ham, sweet yams, and dressing, her hand shook so visibly she was afraid to try Dottie’s pudding for fear she’d splatter her skirt with it. ~Mail-Order Misfire
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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November 17, 2024
Contradiction or Connection?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Strength and rest have long seemed like contradictory concepts to me. Rest is sedentary and strength is active, right?
Not necessarily.
I’m currently reading a novel, Where Trees Touch the Sky, one of Karen Barnett’s National Park Novels. The quiet strength of the West Coast redwoods stills the soul when one stands in their presence. Their strength seems to inspire a sense of rest in those fortunate enough to experience their grandeur.
Is that contradiction or connection?
What about the biblical hero, Moses, who was tasked with leading hundreds of thousands of Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, across the wilderness, and back to their promised land in Canaan.
Moses begged God to go with them on the journey and basically said, “If You don’t go with us, I’m not going either.”
God said okay, but in a way I wouldn’t have expected.
“My presence will go with you
and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:14
Why didn’t God say He would give strength or victory? Wouldn’t that be less contradictory as they traveled through hostile territory?
A verse in Isaiah 30 also mentions rest in an unusual context:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
Isaiah 30:15
Again, an apparent contradiction that says we are saved by resting.
When God’s presence accompanied Moses and the Israelites, His strength was impressively attendant. They could rest in the confidence that He “had their back,” so to speak.
Isaiah reminds us of this idea. When we return to the Lord (after doing everything our way) and rest in His presence and provision, we are saved. We are safe. We are strong.
A quiet confidence gives us the strength to say, “God’s got this,” whatever this may be.
I want that.
When I rest body, soul, and spirit in His presence, I find strength. When I listen to what God is saying to my heart, I realize it isn’t so much a contradiction as it is a connection. Cause and effect, if you will.
How about you? Have you ever found God’s answer in an apparent contradiction?
~
Contradiction or connection?
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A tender Thanksgiving tale. Also in audiobook.Etta regretted not making room for her winter boots when she left Independence, for this morning the yard was a lake. It had
rained steadily all night, and a trip to the cellar would soak her feet through unless she found something to cover them.
A thorough search of the kitchen netted a length of oil cloth that she cut in half and wrapped around her high-top shoes. Twine at
her ankles tied them in place. Then she slipped into an old coat of Bern’s hanging by the back door, and with a small pail in hand, set
out for the cellar.
Even against the sharp morning air, she smelled Bern in the canvas that encased her. His scent suggested warmth and strength—twin enticements she’d packed away with her late husband’s clothes.
Lord help her, she had to stop thinking of Bern Stidham in such terms. Especially now. As much as she wanted to belong, she resisted any hope of permanence in Lockton. In a matter of weeks, she’d be gone. Departure wouldn’t hurt so much if she didn’t think of town and the frame house at the end of Main Street as home. ~Mail-Order Misfire, prequel to the beloved Front Range Brides series.
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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November 10, 2024
When the Leaves Let Go
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I wish I had known my grandmother when she was a young woman with long russet hair and ankle-brushing skirts. I wish I could have seen her dreams, her daily struggles, and heard the defiance in her voice when she said, “I will not marry until I am eighteen.”
An old maid, others warned. She’d be an old maid by then.
I wish I could have seen her in San Francisco the night her father didn’t come home. What sense of loss must she have felt—she, her sister, and their mother. Papa had been carrying the payroll, someone told them, and he’d been shanghaied.
Such a fate caught many men unaware in those lusty years. Fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons awoke kidnapped and beaten, drugged, or drunk on the decks of great sailing ships bound for ports unknown.
Forced labor ended their lives if they didn’t manage to escape like the characters of a Louis L’Amour title, Cross Fire Trail. Perhaps my great-grandfather’s fate is why I’m so fond of the movie of that same name. No one knew what happened to him.
I wish I had known my grandmother’s reasons for marrying Benjamin Ferris Chamberlain. Did she love the red-headed carpenter? Did she fear for him as he fought in the fiery aftermath of the Great San Francisco earthquake of 1906?
Did she believe they would find a new life together when they left for the San Joaquin Valley? Did hope purchase their farmland and raise a three-walled cabin with only a blanket to serve as the fourth?
Did she envy her sister who stayed in San Francisco and married a wealthy lawyer but had no children? And did she boast of her own little ones when old friends stopped by her new farmhouse—unmarried sisters who had survived the Titanic.
Arriving decades behind her other grandchildren, I knew her only as a little woman stooped by hard work who wore her long gray hair in a bun and her wide wedding band on a chain around her neck. It had worn through over the years, so she flattened it, punched a hole in one end, and hung it on a delicate chain. “I’ll be buried with it,” she told me.
I know she believed she was visited one night by the spirit of a little girl she had cared for. “Look, I washed my hands,” the child said, as if proud to have been obedient even on her way to heaven.
And I know my grandmother believed that she herself would die in the fall, when the leaves let go their grasp.
When they fell six weeks after Benjamin breathed his last, she indeed let go and flew away with them as they danced from the trees.
Each fall I think of my grandmother and her sugar-dusted apple fritters and how she simply knew certain things.
And I wonder if, like her, I will dance on an autumn breeze someday with leaves awhirl as I catch my ride to heaven.
~
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” -John Burroughs
~
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121:8
~
When leaves let go ...
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Dusty images stirred in Grace’s memory—a snowy graveside service for her grandfather years before. Grandmother’s mention of a boarding house, though at the time Grace didn’t know what that meant.
The widow paused a moment before addressing her again, an added depth of tone in her voice. “I see your grandmother’s fearlessness in you. The only thing different is your hair. You have more than your share, as did she. but hers was fiery red to match her spirit.”
Grace’s eyes welled, spilling first across her soul with the healing of home she’d not found when she returned to the ranch three weeks ago. Her brothers and their wives had welcomed her. So had Helen and the boys. But she didn’t fit there. Just like she hadn’t fit before she left with the Wild West Show.
But here? In her grandmother’s home with a woman who had known her so well? ~Covering Grace
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#ChristmasRomance #WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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November 3, 2024
FAITH, HOPE & LOVE – Weight of the Past, Hope for Renewal
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Today I’m happy to introduce friend and fellow author Susan G Mathis with her latest release, Julia’s Joy. I hope you’re blessed.
Weight of the Past – Hope for Renewal
with Faith, Hope, and Love
By Susan G Mathis
In 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 we read, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Sometimes, a story can help us see a little more clearly what the Scriptures are trying to say.
In Julia’s Joy, Julia Collins embarks on a profound journey that serves as a reflection of healing from personal loss and the discovery of hope in unexpected places. Her emotional struggles, intertwined with the vibrant yet isolated setting of Sister Island and her relationship with William, create a rich narrative that resonates with themes of resilience and transformation.
Like us, Julia grapples with the weight of her past. The deaths of her parents, and later her grandmother, leave her with profound grief and feelings of abandonment. This loss shapes her spiritual identity and influences her decisions as she arrives on Sister Island with the intent of claiming her inheritance. However, beneath her practical exterior lies a questioning heart burdened by unresolved pain.
As the story unfolds, Julia’s emotional struggles become increasingly apparent. She battles feelings of isolation, questioning her worth and the direction of her life. Her spiritual journey is marked by the challenge of confronting this grief head-on, rather than merely attempting to move on. This internal spiritual conflict is a central theme, illustrating the complex nature of healing—it’s not just about letting go; it’s about facing the past to make room for God to mold the future.
Sister Island serves as more than just a physical setting; it becomes a catalyst for Julia’s healing. The island’s serene beauty and faith-filled atmosphere provide a stark contrast to the turmoil in her heart. As Julia immerses herself in the island’s community and its natural surroundings, she begins to experience spiritual moments of peace and clarity.
The isolation of the island forces Julia to slow down, reflect, and truly engage with her emotions. Nature often acts as a healing balm, and for Julia, the tranquil waters and lush landscapes symbolize hope and renewal. This environment encourages her to confront her grief, allowing her to process her feelings and gradually open her heart to the possibilities of life beyond her loss.
We can learn to see our brokenness and the need for God’s help a little more clearly as we explore the stories of others, whether in the Bible or in another book. My prayer is that you’ll see the journey of faith, hope, and love through the mirror of Julia’s Joy.
Julia's Joy
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About Julia’s Joy:
She came to claim her inheritance, but the mysterious scarred lighthouse keeper makes her question all her plans.
When Julia Collins reluctantly sets foot on Sister Island, compelled by her wealthy grandmother’s will, she is intent on claiming her inheritance and moving on. But when she experiences the peaceful, faith-filled island life, and connects with the handsome lightkeeper, William, Julia finds herself confronting her open wounds from her parents’ deaths.
William Dodge, lightkeeper of Sister Island, harbors a heart hardened by a past betrayal. Between that and his chronic pleurisy, he wants nothing to do with love. But when Julia arrives on the island bursting with vitality and unconventional notions, William’s world is turned upside down. As she chips away at the walls William has built for himself, he finds his reluctance waning.
But just as love begins to blossom between them, Julia is faced with a tempting proposal from a prominent Brockville family. Will she succumb to societal expectations or choose the richness of her island life and the love of the steadfast lightkeeper?
About Susan:
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has thirteen in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, and Julia’s Joy, the second in her three-book lighthouse series. Her book awards include three Illumination Book Awards, four American Fiction Awards, three Indie Excellence Book Awards, five Literary Titan Book Awards, two Golden Scroll Awards, and a Selah Award. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan makes her home in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling around the world but returns each summer to enjoy the Thousand Islands. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.
Find Susan online:
Website: https://www.susangmathis.com/fiction-books
Book buy-links: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Wild Heart Books
Social media links: Website |Author Central | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Instagram| Goodreads l Book Bub| Pinterest |
Julia’s Joy book trailer:
PLEASE, PLEASE, don’t forget to vote on or before November 5.
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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October 27, 2024
At the Proper Time
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I am often asked what advice I have for aspiring writers. My answer is always the same.
“Don’t quit.”
However, sometimes I say, “Never give up.”
And often I elaborate: “Keep writing.”
Sound boringly repetitive?
I’m afraid so. But it is the kind of stick-to-it advice that most worthwhile endeavors require.
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 catchy phrases have appeared 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. And they were all worth the wait.
At the proper time, that which is growing will come to fruition.
What is growing and maturing in your life that will someday be worth the wait, the effort, and the determination? Could it be prayer? Faith? Hope?
You’ll never know if you quit.
~
Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble,
And keep on praying.
Romans 12:12
…at the proper time
we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.
Gal. 6:9
Don't quit now.
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Matt elaborated.
“No dad in the picture,” he said. “Mom worked when she was sober, but we lived on welfare most of the time, and charity from a nearby church. I wanted my life to be different, and after high school I moved in with a buddy. Got an associate degree at the local junior college and my grades earned me a scholarship to UC Boulder. Mom died before I graduated.”
Breanna fingered her napkin. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.”
“I know, but I’m still sorry. It sounds like you didn’t have much of a family life.”
He finished off his potatoes and picked up his coffee. “Nada.”
“A lot of kids have a similar story. Most of my students come from single-parent homes or blended families. Some of them have a strong core unit, but many of them don’t.”
He noticed a subtle change in her tone.
“You’d be an inspiration to them,” she said.
“Me? Why?”
She leaned forward on her elbows. “Because you persevered. You didn’t quit, and you made a life for yourself.” ~A Boarding House Christmas from A Country Christmas Collection
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#ChristmasRomance #WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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October 20, 2024
Which way?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Last Monday, the post office was closed for the observance of Columbus Day. I imagine the following day had a line of postal patrons stretched out the door and into the lobby.
I have spent many post-Columbus-Day Tuesdays in a post office line. One year as I approached the end of the long queue, I noticed a college-aged man standing off to the side with paperwork in his hand. His facial expression suggested he’d never been inside a post office before.
“Are you in line?” I asked.
“Sort of,” he replied.
Not the answer I expected. I’d thought he would say yes or no.
I set my heavy box on the counter that separated waiting customers from the main counter, then looked at the young man and indicated the space in front of me. The space he should have been occupying.
“Go ahead.”
He did.
I don’t know the reason for his hesitancy that day. Many things could have kept him in the corner watching the line grow longer. But he reminded me of how dangerous it can be to go through life with a “sort of” attitude.
Some folks drive with that mentality—sort of in their lane. Often couples don’t get married because things might not work out. And others are often in a perpetual wishy-washy state about everything.
It’s not safe.
Yes, we all look for guidance in our decisions, but once we find it, shouldn’t we commit, whether to our convictions or our relationships with other people and with God?
The Bible mentions this concept several times:
…choose today whom you will serve … (Joshua 24:15)
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death … (Deuteronomy 30:19)
How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? (1 Kings 18:21)
… you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! (Rev. 3:15)
The young man in the post office was getting nowhere until he committed to either get in line or leave.
God committed Himself to us in His unfailing love. Jesus didn’t sort of save us from the penalty of sin. And we don’t have to fear that there is a sort-of way to heaven.
Thank God, He’s as clear and certain as His word, and that word stands forever.
For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything He does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.”
Psalm 33:4-5
Is there something in your life to which you need to step up and say either yes, or no?
~
wishy-washy
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By the time Matt made it home, he felt better. He stocked his cupboards and fridge, set the gifts out on the counter, and started a fire in the fireplace. In spite of the new furnace, a fire seemed friendlier, warmer.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Mollie had said. He’d love to show up at her boarding house dinner table, take a seat across from Breanna, and stare a hole through Aaron’s forehead.
Instead, he walked to his bedroom for his drafting table. He’d move it to the living room, crank up the radio for background music, and work on some plans that needed his attention.
He flipped on the light and stood staring at the blank space against the outside wall. It took him a moment to remember, and the irony tugged at his mouth. He’d left the table at the boarding house. Good reason to drop by.
After a broiled steak and baked potato, Matt decided to stick to his earlier resolve and stay away 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… ~A Boarding House Christmas from “A Country Christmas Collection“
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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October 13, 2024
It’s All About the Light
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
People who visit the Colorado mountains each fall to see the changing leaves learn how to position themselves in relation to the sun if they want the best picture possible. For the most vibrant colors and the bluest sky, they shoot with the sun at their back.
Other angles also produce pleasing results, but the colors are more distinct with the sun behind the camera because
it’s all about the light.
Autumn in Colorado offers a visual feast, especially the gold that trickles down pine-draped mountains in streams of yellow aspen. Sometimes, the trees appear to be on fire with autumn’s blaze in their leaves.
I’ve often wondered if these explosive seasonal colors are God’s reminder of how He wants His children to stand out – as souls on fire.
It’s His light within us that sets us ablaze.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12).
When we take Him up on that offer, a transformation occurs.
Jesus explained: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14 NIV).
Can people see the Light of Jesus shining out through the cracks in our lives?
This fall, let’s be souls on fire, burning with the light of God’s great love.
Remember – it’s all about the Light.
Souls on fire
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Coming soon:
Sweet holiday romance, A Country Christmas Collection, two previous e-book novellas now under one print cover. Explore contemporary cowboy love along Colorado’s Front Range in A Mistletoe Christmas and A Boarding House Christmas. Perfect for a cozy evening read!
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
The post It’s All About the Light appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.
October 6, 2024
Beautiful Bounty … and recipes!
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
My kitchen is brimming with apples, and the choices abound as to what I’ll do with them:
1. Make applesauce
2. Make apple pie or cobbler
3. Make apple cookies
4. Make apple bread
5. Bake apples
6. Dry apples
7. Slice and eat for snacks
8. Chop and freeze for oatmeal topping
9. Feed apples to Coconut, our expectant miniature donkey
10. Feed apples to the goats, Oatmeal and Little Bit
I’ve accomplished nearly all of the above, and I must admit that 9. and 10. are some of my favorite things to do!
Aside from that, I almost forgot about the delicious apple salad I made last night for guests and my favorite apple/pumpkin/Craisen muffins.
You’ll find those two recipes in this blog post so you can try them with your fall apples as well. Join me as we praise the Lord for His provisions and abundantly beautiful bounty.
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night will never cease.”
Genesis 8:22
~
Apple Salad
4 large apples, cubed
lemon juice for tossing apple cubes
1/3 c Miracle Whip or mayo
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 celery stalks sliced thin
1/2 c Craisens
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 chopped pecans
Toss apple cubes with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. In a separate bowl, mix mayo and brown sugar. Combine remaining ingredients and stir into the mayo mix so everything is evenly coated. Place in a pretty bowl, cover and refrigerate prior to serving 5-7 people.
Apple-Pumpkin-Craisen Muffins
2.5 cups flour
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 15-oz can pumpkin
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c applesauce
1 c peeled and diced apples
1 c Craisens
In a large bowl, mix the first seven ingredients. In separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients and add to the flour mixture. Line muffin tins with paper cups and fill 2/3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, adding minutes if necessary until done. Cool and remove from pan. Store in airtight container. Makes 18 muffins.
Two apple recipes.
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Coming soon:
Sweet holiday romance, A Country Christmas Collection, two previous e-book novellas now under one print cover. Explore contemporary cowboy love along Colorado’s Front Range in A Mistletoe Christmas and A Boarding House Christmas. Perfect for a cozy evening read!
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
The post Beautiful Bounty … and recipes! appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.
September 29, 2024
Of Fruits and Roots
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Last fall, a cheeky tree squirrel ate the autumn decorations off my front porch. One evening I had two pumpkins and a clutch of Indian corn; the next morning I had one ear of corn with several kernels missing.
And two hardened pumpkin stems.
So much for seasonal décor.
This May, I noticed a strange plant pushing up among the roses in front of our house, and I suspected an aerial fly-by planting.
By the time the squash-like plant matured and overtook the rose garden, green basket balls had formed on several stems, reminding me of last year’s autumn décor debacle.
From the fruit I knew the root.
In the natural world, that connection is easily recognized. The same principle is true in our hearts, but we overlook the spiritual application.
I’m currently reading three books, and last week they all intersected with the fruit-root concept. When something like that happens in my life, I know it is not coincidence but rather God saying, “Listen up!”
In Risk the Real, a stunning little book by Allen Arnold, the author reminds us that fruit always reveals its root. Arnold’s premise is based on Eden’s two primary trees around which the rest of the garden grew (Genesis 2:8-9). Tree number one was the tree of life and tree number two was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Adam and Eve were free to eat from any of the trees in that garden but were warned not to eat from tree number two.
They did, and that tree’s fruit has been reproducing ever since—death.
Death of dreams, death of relationships, death of hopes, and eventually death of the physical body.
The fruit-root connection also comes to life in Laura Frantz’s historical romance novel, Courting Morrow Little. Frontier life in the Ohio River valley is hard and dangerous in the 1700s. Settlers lose loved ones in cultural conflicts. Devastated, the heroine’s preacher father chooses forgiveness rather than resentment, even though it is hard. The heroine’s close friend refuses to forgive, and bitterness spreads from her hardened heart to everyone with whom she comes in contact.
The third book I’m reading is the Bible. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, God again lays out two choices for his people: obedience and disobedience. Life or living without God and His blessings. He explains it this way:
“I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the LORD our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit” (Deut. 29:18).
The fruit-root connection shows up again in the New Testament:
“Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15).
It doesn’t take much to host a small bit of bitterness. After all, it’s just a little seed, like the mystery seed in my rose garden.
“But that person wronged me,” we want to say. And so the bitterness takes root and grows its poison. It afflicts not only the host, but also infects everyone they come in contact with.
Poison is poison, no matter how it’s packaged. And things eventually die—friendships, affection, trust.
Turning away and refusing God’s example of forgiveness causes bitterness to take root.
I’d rather not have pumpkins in my roses. And I don’t want to nurture bitterness in my heart.
God help me choose You and Your way. Help me choose life.
~
Of fruits and roots
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Dan paid the blacksmith. “Thank you. I’ll be here early.”
He didn’t know what time Thorson and his crew would get to the ranch, but he’d just as soon get there first, which meant he had work to do.
He checked the traffic and cut across the road to the lane by the feed store. At the boarding house, he stomped his boots off at the front door, knocked on the screen, and at a cheerful “Come in,” trailed back to the kitchen.
Pop and Dorrie sat at the table enjoying pie and coffee. Quite a habit for his father to take up at his age. But the fact was, he didn’t look his age anymore. Somewhere along the way sorrow had sloughed off and taken the fruitless years with it.
“I wondered if you’d be back in time for supper.” Dorrie set another plate and cup on the table, then served a generous slice of canned-cherry pie.
Dan hung his hat on the hook by the back door and took a seat. “Thank you, Dorrie. This will do for me. I won’t take supper this evening. I’ve got three hats to finish before tomorrow.”
“Why the rush?” Pop asked.
“I’ll be gone tomorrow, all day I expect. Which reminds me, Dorrie, would it be all right if—”
“By all means,” she said. “I have a dozen crocuses and some hyacinths that arrived last week, and I want to get them in the ground.”
“You didn’t ask if it was all right with me.” Pop cut Dorrie a side glance, then winked at Dan.
Coughing to disguise his amazement, Dan took his plate to the sink. “All right, Pop. What do you think of spending the day here tomorrow?”
“She wants to put me to work in her garden. Thinks I’m closer to the ground than she is.”
Pop’s sense of humor was sprouting like those bulbs would next spring. “Well, don’t work him too hard, Dorrie.”
“Pffft.” She swatted the air and topped off his father’s coffee cup. ~Covering Grace
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
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September 22, 2024
Who Needs Boundaries?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Skyline Drive offers no railing in its climb up the hogbacks just west of Cañon City, Colorado. The narrow road lives up to its name, allowing motorists and hikers to feel as if they are scaling the sky.
Some of us don’t like that feeling.
I am one who needs boundaries, and I’m grateful for those I see around school playgrounds and along bridges and roadways.
Why?
The obvious answer is safety.
But sometimes there is more to it than protection.
Borders are often aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Consider flower gardens, farmland, and lawns. Without boundaries, overgrowth and chaos would distract from their beauty and productivity.
Other limitations in our daily lives are meant to help us. Health can be destroyed by over-eating and over-drinking. Ignoring yellow and white lines on streets and highways can result in vehicle accidents and even death.
Without limits, much of our life would be in floppy chaos.
The Bible has a lot to say about physical boundaries, but it also speaks to our emotional borders, limits that help protect our energy, and concentration.
In our busy lives, we often overlook emotional boundaries, especially when we have trouble saying “no” to demands on our time and resources.
In Matthew 25:1-13, we find the story of ten virgins, or bridesmaids in today’s vernacular. This parable is often used to stress the importance of being prepared, but I believe it also addresses personal boundaries.
Jesus tells His listeners that five of the ten young women were foolish and five were wise. When the five unprepared women asked the other five to share their lamp oil for the night, those other five said no.
At first, their answer seems selfish and “unchristian.” However, good stewardship calls for refusal to recklessly give away what one has been charged with. This includes time, resources, and emotional energy.
A visual example could be the bound edges of dishcloths and bath towels. Do we like it when the hems unravel and the fabric begins to fray?
How often does our life feel like that—frayed around the edges? Is it because we have no boundaries or limits?
Psalm 139:5 speaks of God’s care when it says, “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”
Often, we fight against boundaries and press past them—eating too much, drinking too much, not following God’s plan for relationships.
Boundaries provide not only beauty, protection, and a sense of order, but when heeded, they lead us away from regret, overextension, and stress.
Skyline Drive may be an exciting excursion, but when it comes to everyday life and challenges, I am one who needs boundaries. Thank God for the buffer He provides.
For further study on boundaries mentioned in the Bible, see the following passages:
Proverbs 8:29 The sea has boundaries put in place by the Creator. Wisdom says, “I was there when He set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when He marked off the earth’s foundations.”
Psalm 16:6 Property lines protect ownership. “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
Proverbs 15:25 The Lord recognizes the importance of boundaries. “The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.”
“Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
Jeremiah 5:22
~
Who needs boundaries?
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“We’ve got a runaway stagecoach and we need you to chase it down, jump from your horse, and take control of the team.” Thorson looked at Grace. “Dressed like Molly.”
Grace stood in her stirrups for a better view of the incline ahead that narrowed into a razor’s edge, dropping off on both sides about a hundred feet.
Was Thorson out of his mind?
No wonder Molly wanted to keep both feet in the stirrups.
“I can do it, but not here.”
The director stammered into an irritated holler. “Why not?”
Grace swept her arm out over the scenic drop below them. “You are severely short on land.”
He swore under his breath.
A couple of cowboys grinned, but silently.
“I’ll chase the stagecoach to the top, then chase it down the other side, but I won’t risk the life of my horse on this narrow sky-track. I’ll do the stunt on flat ground and you can splice it in.”
Since Cody had taken an interest in filming his Wild West Show the previous year, Grace had learned about such scenes. It was entirely possible.
She also knew that no one else would do the stunt, so she wasn’t surprised when Thorson swept his hat off and mopped his forehead with his sleeve. “All right. We’ll shoot the chase now and tomorrow film the transfer out on the road to the Hutton ranch.” ~Covering Grace
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
#lovingthecowboy
(c) 2024 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
#WesternRomance #ChristianFiction #FreeBook #HistoricalRomance #CowboyRomance
The post Who Needs Boundaries? appeared first on Davalynn Spencer.
