Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 43

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Published on May 01, 2017 06:00

What if?

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

“What if?”

This two-word query is one of the most important questions a novelist asks while working on a project. Various answers can propel an author’s characters into riveting plot twists or brain-throbbing conflicts.

But for someone seeking to live a faith-led life of obedience in the real world, “What if?” can be the most destructive, derailing question of all.

Unfortunately, we ask “What if?” all the time when it comes to doing what God tells us to do, because—let’s be honest—He’s asked His people to do some pretty strange things.

Like march around a walled city for seven days blowing trumpets.

Or feed a crowd of thousands with a kid’s sack lunch.

Or invite a neighbor to church.

Or trust Him.

Sometimes God asks us to be unlike everyone else because He wants to lead us on a different trail, often referred to as a path of righteousness.

But instead of stepping out in obedience, we start asking “What if?”

What if it doesn’t work?

What if my timing is off?

What if people won’t like me?

These worry-inducing, fret-focused questions can stop us in our tracks.

“What if?” racked me up last week, and it had nothing to do with the novel I was writing and everything to do with the trail I was walking.

The turning point arrived when I remembered that I’m not alone. That the same God who said, “Let there be light,” is lighting my path.

I’ve found that peace rushes in when I do what God whispers into my heart.

It’s just a two-step process, like the old song my parents used to sing, “Trust and Obey.”

It may not be easy, but it really can be that simple.

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COMING SOON … An Improper Proposal

ALT=

Widowed before she says “I do,” mail order bride Mae Ann Remington asks a stranger to take her groom’s place and ends up a Colorado rancher’s wife facing snakes, scoundrels, and second chances.

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Published on April 24, 2017 06:03

The Ugly, the Bad, and the Good

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

Writing a scene for a soon-to-release Western romance, I came face to face with my heroine’s memories of her mother’s favorite saying that “all things work together for good.”

She was having trouble believing what her mother had taught.

Bad things had happened to my character. A lot of bad things, and the scripture-turned-platitude chaffed her sense of fairness.

Her less-than-perfect situation had landed her in a stranger’s home where she was trying to do her best. At that particular moment of frustration and disappointment, she decided to bake.

Flour dust tainted the air as she sifted the proper amount into a bowl. A person could choke on flour—a tasteless death for sure.

Then she added Baker’s chocolate, a bitter ingredient.

Next came sugar—everyone’s favorite, but sickening in great quantities.

Eggs followed, not exactly tasty in their raw condition.

None of the ingredients my heroine added to her mixing bowl were appetizing on their own, but when worked together, they combined to create a chocolate cake—something very good indeed.

As she poured the batter into a baking pan, she wondered if her efforts reflected what God does in our lives. He takes the bad—the less-than-perfect things—and works them together into something good for His children.

Because He is good.

If God can make light and earth and sky from nothing, and man from dirt, imagine what He can do with our wrecked lives and surrendered hearts.

~

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

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If you enjoy Irish family fiction, try Susan G. Mathis’s newest release, The Fabric of Hope.

Two women a century apart, connected by a quilt. Will it wrap them in hope and faith or fear and faithlessness?

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Published on April 16, 2017 20:04

On the wings of the morning …

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

If you follow posts on my Facebook profile, you may have picked up on my love affair with morning. Pre-dawn, in particular.

There is something intimate about standing outside in the dark, watching the eastern horizon begin to glow—the light grow—as the wings of the morning spread wide and take off.

It’s a private moment between the watcher and God, because that person is catching something that not everyone sees or cares to.

And every dawn is different. Like snowflakes, no two are alike.

When I taught sixth-grade, I discovered author Gary D. Schmidt and his marvelous stories for middle-schoolers that all adults should read. His rendering of the Rumpelstiltskin tale, Straw into Gold, features a blind character who can hear dawn—the very moment it “cracks.” What if, I asked myself. What if?

One of the marvels of morning is the way light displaces darkness—as if each dawn is creation all over again, an image of God’s spirit hovering over the void and transforming it.

Not everyone today gets to see the sunrise, and the reasons are countless. But if you get the opportunity, take it.

Watch light displace darkness. Form replace void.

Scripture has a lot to say about morning. Below are five of my favorite references:

You might be surprised by what you find at dawn. A woman named Mary was.

… at dawn on the first day of the week,

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb

(Matthew 28:1 NIV).

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ALT= Davalynn Spencer.

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Published on April 10, 2017 00:30

My Soul Waits … For What?

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

What does our soul wait for?

To be honest, wait isn’t on my list of “Fun Things to Do.” More often than not, I’ve classified wait with other (inappropriate) four-letter words.

However, the image of someone watching for the sunrise lends an air of expectancy, even awe, as their waiting is rewarded with a breathtaking, one-of-a-kind view.

Recently, I’ve been reading about Moses meeting with God. He waited for the Lord, spent time with Him, lingered in His presence. Because of that, Moses came away with a surprising fringe benefit: he glowed.

“… his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the Lord …”

(Exodus 34:29 NLT)

The people noticed. Moses’ friends and family noticed. Not your everyday occurrence.

Moses physically demonstrated what happens to each of us emotionally and spiritually: We take on the characteristics of that with which we spend time. We are porous people, and we absorb mannerisms, speech patterns, philosophies of life.

The Psalmist wrote: “With you is the fountain of life. In your light we see light. (Psalm 36: 9)

What an impact we could have on our immediate area of the world if we spent so much time with the Lord – in prayer, reading His word, worshipping and praising Him – that His light was noticeable.

Imagine the peace of His presence that could be transmitted to those around us, rather than stress and worry and complaint.

When He is real to us—and we spend time with Him—one way or another, it will show.

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“The Wrangler’s Woman” – the story of two imperfect people who discover they are a perfect match. The Cowboy’s Bride collection, nine novellas of love in the Old West.

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Published on March 27, 2017 05:45

Transition: The Hard Part

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

Transition – ugh. That space between one place and another.

Like a portal or threshold between what was and what will be.

Like dying.

I once heard a preacher say that death itself didn’t bother him. It was the “getting dead” part he didn’t like.

Amen.

But transition is also about life, and without it, everything comes to a standstill.

In my neck o’ the woods, spring signals a transition called calving, and the pastures bloom with gamboling newborns. As a mother myself, I know those bovine mamas came to a moment of transition when everything in them said push. That’s the hard, but essential, part for a new beginning.

Sometimes it’s the everyday push that makes me weary—the pressing on, the longing for change, or the next phase in my career and personal relationships. And then I read Paul’s words to the Corinthians that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17 NIV).

I read about Jesus, our Author, “who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2).

This spring as bulbs push to blooms and brown breaks out in green, may we remember that transition doesn’t last forever.

And that in God’s economy, what’s waiting on the other side is always worth the effort.

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Published on March 20, 2017 06:49

The Lines Have Fallen to Me in Pleasant Places

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

When we bump up against life’s fences, do we greet them with acceptance, or do we cry out at their hindrance and resent their delays?

Sometimes those fences are raised for our comfort or protection.

Without boundaries, bridge-walkers could fall, cattle would stray, and lines of responsibility grow dim.

In the physical world, clear limits keep us on the right side of the protective yellow line.

In our emotional lives, boundaries allow us to say, “No, that is enough.”

Even the sea is prevented from surpassing the shore, and the sun and seasons know their limits.

May we too acknowledge the boundaries set before us, offering thanks to the One who knows just how much we can handle, and how to keep us safe.

Psalm 16:6

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Published on March 13, 2017 06:58

It’s Not Too Late

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

As spring approaches, I’m inclined to envy what I see happening in nature around me. Can people regenerate like the flowers and trees in their yards?

I believe the answer is yes, and these three steps can help:

* Forget about New Year’s resolutions and start a Spring Supplement, listing physical, spiritual and relational areas in which you’d like to see growth.

* Set aside a new time of day—morning, afternoon, or evening—for spending a few quiet moments alone with the Lord. A different time may result in a different perspective.

* Put feet on your focus. Get moving physically with a fresh walking route, an innovative exercise routine, or a new exercise partner. Music can be an inspiring companion.

Spring will soon be upon us—our annual reminder that life really does get a fresh start. It also reminds us of God’s promise of revival and redemption. What a great refresher course and another chance to hear Him say, “It’s not too late.”

A similar version of this post first appeared on the More to Life blog Feb. 27 under “Did You know?” Read what other authors had to say that day here.

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Published on March 06, 2017 06:46

Sometimes I Get Off Track

By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer

As a writer, it’s easy for me to digress into drama over everyday situations, and that’s exactly what I did recently.

Through circumstances beyond my control, I was ejected from an important relationship. I was also dejected about another tentative relationship, and finally rejected by the potential second half of a third and pending relationship with a publisher.

Yeah, rejection on three different levels.

I spent an entire day off track, licking my wounds, and feeling sorry for myself.

The next morning, I heard from the other half of my most important relationship. He left a note for me in Psalm 73:23-24, but it was written from my point of view so I’d really get the picture:

Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me to glory.

This tender reminder from the Author of my faith poured oil on my wounds and bound them securely in His love.

My focus shifted.

Comfort flooded all my sore places.

And I am beyond grateful.

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