Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 48
April 25, 2016
Prayer like incense
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I stopped by the spring flower display at the local grocery store and breathed deeply. Such perfume! How could I resist?
Living bulbs would bloom year after year in my yard, right? But for the next several days, I could enjoy them on my dining table.
The following morning when I sat down with my coffee and Bible, a most delicious fragrance greeted me. At first, I thought it came from the jonquils, tiny daffodil-like blooms, but the yellow-and-orange flowers had hardly any scent at all.
So what was emitting that luscious perfume?
I leaned toward the hyacinth, not fully opened, and found the breath-taking source.
For several days after, I caught the flower’s perfume each time I walked by the dining table—and I delighted in it.
Scripture tells me prayer is like incense before the Lord. Is that how it is when I sit down with God? Does He delight in the fragrance of my praise?
What do my prayers smell like? Am I always complaining, whining, grumbling? I know I’m invited to bring my needs and requests, my hurts and my pains. But do I bring my worship as well?
How often do I lift up the sweet scent of thanksgiving?
Joy?
Gratitude?
As spring blooms in my yard this year, may worship bloom from my heart and rise before the Flower-Creator like a sweet perfume.
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April 18, 2016
Life wins!
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Colorado weather is such a great life metaphor: Be ready for a surprise!
On Friday my apple and pear trees were in bountiful bloom and by Saturday they were drenched in snow.
However, the world didn’t stop spinning. Life doesn’t just “go on,” it does much more than that. Life wins!
This two-word phrase has become a mantra for me because I see it over and over in the beauties of nature around me.
I also know that our loving Father orchestrates those natural reminders to show us His great faithfulness.
If circumstances drop a heavy spring-like storm of discouragement on you this week, look around and remember His surging, supportive, and comforting presence.
Life wins!
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April 11, 2016
A Foundation on the Rock
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Winds along Colorado’s Front Range this spring have been stronger than ever. We’ve been pummeled by shuddering gusts that rattle windows and awnings and send wind chimes, lawn chairs, and trash cans flying. Yet in the most brutal moments, I’ve found comfort in my home’s sturdy construction.
Life does the same—it pummels us. Jesus knew this and He told us how to withstand the onslaught. He said if we’d put His words into practice, we’d survive the storms like a house built on a rock.
The picture above is one of my favorites. I took it atop an exposed hill not far from where I live, and I’m intrigued by the tree’s roots growing into the rock.
This image reminds me that if I’m rooted and anchored in Him, the Rock of my Salvation, together we can weather anything.
Anything.
Are there images or situations in your life that remind you of God’s staying power?
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April 4, 2016
The Real Deal
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
I love my own homemade coffee. In fact, I love it so much that I get it as close to “cowboy coffee” as I can with an antique enamel pot that perks the brew atop my stove. It’s the real deal.
Add canned milk and honey, and I’m in heaven. Nearly. In the winter I add a splash of caramel. Ah, yes.
Okay – so that’s not real cowboy coffee. If it were, it’d be “horned and barefoot” which means strong and black. No sugar, no milk, and absolutely no caramel.
Coffee and writing go well together, especially when I’m working on a story set in the 1880s and the heroine buys several packages of Arbuckle’s Ariosa coffee beans at the local mercantile.
As a letter-loving word-wrangler, I noticed something interesting about the Arbuckle’s name. Somehow, it looked familiar.
And then it jumped right off the page:
Arbuck-le’s
St-arbuck-s
Do you see it?
Is this subliminal, generational advertising?
Is it in our genes? Our DNA?
After a little research, I learned that good ol’ Arbuckle’s had no influence on the moniker chosen by founders of the Seattle-based coffee house. But still, it’s fun.
Another thing I like about my stove-top coffee is how it holds the heat. When I pour that steaming brew right out of the enamel pot into my cup, it’s hotter than what I get from a coffee maker.
And coffee reheated in my microwave doesn’t compare. It stays warm for about five minutes. Coffee heated on the stove stays hot much longer. It holds the heat.
I believe this phenomenon has something to do with the heat source. True heat versus fake heat, or “microwave radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum … that produce(s) thermal energy in a process known as dielectric heating.” (Kinda kills the whole campfire mystique, doesn’t it?)
However, I’ve noticed the same principal at work in my heart.
Jesus is the real deal, and when I stay close to the true source of love and peace and joy, I hold it longer. A quick fix from anything other than Him fades even quicker.
We can take our coffee how we like it. But when it comes to our hearts, we shouldn’t settle for anything other than the real deal.
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March 28, 2016
Dawn Changed Everything
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Imagine -
the day after dawn changed everything.
Light revealed the emptiness left behind
when Life got up and walked out of the tomb.
He does that, Jesus. He does the unexpected.
Even though He told His friends (and enemies)
that He wouldn’t stay dead, they were surprised.
From this side of that morning
we scowl at their unbelief.
So why, when He tells us that He is with us,
do we stutter and doubt?
He keeps His word.
He loves us.
He lives.
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March 21, 2016
Are You Making History?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
If you didn’t know by now, March is Women’s History Month. I’m guessing that’s the reason someone left this button in my inbox in the teacher’s lounge at the college.
It makes me laugh every time I notice it on my “inspiration” tack board in my office, reminding me of all the women we read about who made a difference in the lives of others. However, I can think of several women who did make history, in spite of being well-behaved. One in particular comes to mind. I’m sure you can name her.
Recently an Amazon reviewer commented on an impactful fictional woman—my heroine, Corra Jameson, in “The Wrangler’s Woman,” my novella in The Cowboy’s Bride collection. The remarks caught me by surprise.
The reviewer liked “… Corra’s influence on the Hanacker Family. It isn’t limited to just Jessica, and the effect of her presence in their lives is heartwarming. The romance adds to the story, but for me the highlight was the change in the family after Corra had been there for a couple of months.”—MeezCarrie
It’s interesting for an author to see how a reader interprets a character, and this interpretation blessed me because isn’t this what we want in our own lives? To have an influence on our family and see people change because of our presence and our beliefs?
Scripture has a lot to say about a woman who makes a difference. Chapter 31 of Proverbs gives an entire list of such a woman’s characteristics, and notes the following results:
Her children rise up and called her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her.
Let’s make history in the lives of our families, not just this month, but every day.
Is there a woman in your life who impacted you for the better? I’d love to read your answer below.
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March 14, 2016
Are You a Name-Dropper?
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
My friend Jill is a name dropper. She raises Nigerian Dwarf Goats on her Kentucky farm, Sinai Thunder, and she drops a blessing on each animal born on the farm.
As animal breeders do, Jill gives each kid a name that refers back to the dam and sire. This tiny girl is Twinkle lil Star, one of quints. But Jill also makes sure each name is a blessing that points to God.
A few examples are: Sinai Thunder Chariots of Fire, called Cherry; Sinai Thunder Breath of Heaven, called Heaven, Sinai Thunder Miracle of Grace, called Gracie, and Sinai Thunder AD Luke, called Lukie.
She also has Redemption, Charity, Queen of Sheba, a buck named Agnus Dei, and a truckload of others. Did I mention she has 100 goats?
When Jill buys a goat from another breeder, the original name comes with it. Sometimes she tweaks the name on the pedigree if it’s an uncomfortably “negative” moniker.
However, she always “drops” an unlovely name from her day-to-day handling of the animals, and instead, blesses each of them with a new name.
One doe’s original name was Voodoo Princess. This pretty mama is now called Queenie – an upgrade in status as well as a blessing.
After considering the way Jill blesses her kids with godly names, I realized that God did this with His kids, too. He dropped names all the time.
Remember Jacob who was renamed Israel? How about Abram and Sarai who became Abraham and Sarah?
In the New Testament Saul became Paul and Simon became Peter.
Name-dropping changed these people’s lives and probably also changed the way others regarded them.
So I wonder—what names should I be dropping from my vocabulary as well as dropping into people’s lives? Have I tagged people with curses rather than blessings?
What do I call the children I’m around? Little Monster? Trouble-maker? Do I really want a child to carry those labels, or worse yet, live up to them?
I plan to do some name-dropping this spring. How about you? Let’s drop a few blessings on those we come in contact with and see what a difference it makes.
Blessings in the Barn by Shannon at Sinai Thunder.
Grandma Charity (front), daughter Breath of Heaven (back right) and grandkids Cherry aka Chariots of Fire and Paradise.
One of nine novellas in The Cowboy’s Bride, “The Wrangler’s Woman” tells the story of widowed rancher Josiah Hanacker who hires spinster Corra Jameson as a lady-trainer for his young daughter, Jess. He fears losing Jess to his wife’s sister if the girl doesn’t meet her aunt’s ladylike expectations. Turns out, Corra has everything Josiah needs for his daughter. He just never figured she’d have what he needed for himself.
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March 7, 2016
Another Quiet Miracle
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
A few weeks ago I wrote about the “quiet miracle” of Jesus turning water into wine at a friend’s wedding. No fanfare. Just a simple act witnessed by a few obedient servants.
This week, perhaps for the hundredth time, I read about the resurrection. But this time I was struck by the thought that it, too, was a quiet miracle.
Jesus simply rose.
There is a message for me here regarding the way I live my life. Am I ever still enough to hear Him speak, see Him rise, sense His presence?
His quiet miracles continue if I let them.
Yesterday I went to see the movie Risen. I saw several quiet miracles depicted, and I highly recommend the film as one that touches hearts—and eyes and ears and souls. But it is not for small children. After all, Roman soldiers were not choir boys, and this movie is no bloodless entertainment flick.
Some will argue with the director’s interpretation of biblical events. Let them argue.
Jesus is risen.
That’s the bottom line upon which I bank my life.
The one quiet miracle when Jesus lived … again.
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February 29, 2016
Hopes Realized in “The Wrangler’s Woman”
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Tomorrow’s the big day—the release of The Cowboy’s Bride, Barbour Publishing’s collection of nine Western romances. One of those romances is mine, “The Wrangler’s Woman.”
This may be my favorite story of all that I’ve written. I enjoyed the family dynamics, the longing uncovered, the hopes realized. The surprises.
Writing a book can be as surprising as reading one because the characters are full of their own ideas. As an author, you get a peek inside those ideas.
You also get to create the world around those characters, complete with struggles and obstacles and challenges. Why is it we don’t want any of those things in our real lives, but we want to see how fictional characters deal with them?
I believe the answer to that question is hope. When we read how a character overcomes a problem similar to one we are facing, we find hope that we can do the same.
That’s why I write inspirational fiction. I enjoy encouraging readers with examples of God’s presence in people’s lives and how His presence can make a difference in their real world.
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If you’d like a special preview of “The Wrangler’s Woman,” my newsletter subscribers receive a free excerpt today. Sign up!
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February 22, 2016
I Will Sing of Your Mercy
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
The clock radio by my bed is tuned to a “light praise” station, and it kicks on each morning at 5:30. Sometimes I get up, and sometimes I just lie there and listen, letting the words and melodies wash over my soul. It’s a great way to start the day before my toes even touch the carpet.
One morning last week, the song that slid into my heart was “The Valley Song” by Jars of Clay. The chorus from that song may be my most favorite of all song lyrics:
“I will sing of your mercy that
leads me through valleys of sorrow
to rivers of joy.”
The melody travels down the scale, descending from high note to low—like water running from the mountains to the river at the lowest point in the valley.
How can God’s mercy lead us through a valley of sorrow?
Yet it does.
Would I rather go alone? Would I rather have someone else accompany me?
No. If sorrow lies ahead, I want my loving Lord with me, because look what awaits us at the bottom…
Joy.
Rivers of it …
… rushing over every obstacle …
… around every snag …
… through every canyon …
Unending.
“Music is the voice of the heart … the song of the soul” says a plaque in my office.
I couldn’t agree more.
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Coming March 1 – “The Wrangler’s Woman” in
Barbour’s The Cowboy’s Bride collection.
Nine novellas all about love in the Old West.
Preorder today!
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