Devotionals for the Heart: When God calls us out of our comfort zone

The Comfort Zone
A devotional by Colleen C. Howard

“And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” —Mark 10:49 (ESV)

There is much talk these days about the comfort zone.

It is considered to be a space you create. A place where you feel safe and secure in the midst of this big, bad world. Maybe you travel the same way to work every day because it’s familiar. Maybe you shop at the same grocery store because you know the contents of every aisle. But let’s look a little deeper.

Is it possible God might be calling you to a life outside of the secure walls you have built for yourself?

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to sell all your belongings and head for the South American jungle to spread the gospel. Although God plants that desire into the hearts of some, He has also equipped them to thrive in the environment of the jungle. However, I’ll bet the thought of selling your home and going to some remote village in the middle of nowhere was the first thing that crossed your mind.

Sometimes God calls you to get up and step out of your comfort zone. He urges you to venture into the uncomfortable zone that leads you to freedom. Perhaps you need to move. Your current house payments feel like a chain around your neck and put unnecessary strain on your finances. Moving could create financial freedom. Maybe your job situation is stealing you away from your family and chipping away pieces of your soul. Are you willing to place the sign in the yard or give your boss a two-week notice? Be aware, both these steps require the courage to take action and a huge dose of faith.

The world doesn’t make this easy. It’s human nature to place our security in the arms of what’s familiar. However, making a lateral move into something you already know only mimics security.

As followers of Jesus Christ, our security is found in Him alone. God’s Word is filled with ordinary people just like us, people who stepped outside of their comfort zone and accomplished extraordinary things through Christ. Let’s take a peek into a slice of time in the life of one of God’s people.

In Exodus 3:1-4, we find Moses as he is tending to the flock. Suddenly his attention is captured by a bush that’s on fire. But oddly, even though the fire rages, the bush is not consumed! So, Moses walks over to get a closer look and then it happens. Moses literally hears God call his name out loud, “Moses! Here I am.”

Did you notice what happened there? Moses left his familiar position with the flock and walked toward the flames. This is a seriously brave move. I think all Moses had in mind was to see why the bush wasn’t burning up. But he got way more than he bargained for by taking action. He took a few steps forward.

If you feel familiarity is holding you prisoner, maybe it’s time to walk toward the fire. God wants to set you free from the false sense of security the enemy places before you. Ask Jesus for the courage to take a few steps of faith and place yourself outside of your comfort zone. Step over the self-imposed boundary and lean in, be aware of God’s presence and seek the light that sets your soul on fire.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and remember that He has prepared a path just for you. He has equipped you with all you need. Every story has to start somewhere. Let your next adventure begin!

Let’s Pray:

Dear God,

Give me ears to hear what You are calling me to do. Show me a glimpse of your plans. Equip me with the courage to step forward and move out of the boundaries of my comfort zone. Fill me with faith to step over what’s holding me back and guide my path in alignment with your plans.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “He’s Calling You” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Glorious Unfolding” by Steven Curtis Chapman. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Outside These Walls” by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Colleen C. Howard is a follower of Jesus Christ, educator and writer. She lives with her husband in the Arizona desert where the sunsets are spectacular, the summers are relentless and the winters are a little slice of Heaven. 

Colleen earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. This degree opened opportunities to write science curriculum, develop district programs, work with Arizona teachers, community leaders, and more. With NASA Grant funding, she was also able to work with teachers all over the country and expand their knowledge of teaching science as a collaborative effort.

Over the last few years God has placed a strong desire in Colleen’s heart to shine a light on God’s presence throughout ordinary days and encourage women in their faith walk with Him. Although some days bring trials and others bring joy, Colleen believes that if you fix your eyes on Jesus then you will see the heart of God.

Colleen’s writing has been published in the following online publications: Living By Design, Her View From Home, Inside Out Worldwide, Inkspirations, and in anthologies like From Ruins to Restoration, Mountains Moved: 45 Devotions of Bold Faith, and The Miracle of Prayer. She is a monthly blogger for Dressing in God’s Love.

~*~
Connect with Colleen:
Website: authorcolleenchoward.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When God calls you to move beyond comfort

When God calls you to move beyond your place of comfort
A devotional by Colleen C. Howard

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” –Exodus 3:4 (NIV)

I’ve always found comfort in writing. I kept a diary as a child and journaled as a young adult.

However, about five years ago, something changed. I felt God calling me to write with purpose and encourage women in their faith walk with Jesus Christ by sharing my stories. But lately, I’ve wondered if I’m getting too comfortable.

I have a favorite armchair in a cozy corner of our family room in our home. Each time, I settle in, put my feet up, slowly sink into its welcoming arms, and heave a big sigh. This is where I talk with Jesus every morning. I read the Bible and listen for His voice—all in the comfort of my little corner, in my favorite chair.

During my quiet time, I feel safe and secure amid the chaos of life. I talk with God, and He speaks to me through His Word and His presence. I wonder if I’ve become so comfortable that it prevents me from living the abundant life Christ wants me to live. Is it possible that an excess of comfort is a breeding ground for complacency?

Not long ago, I sensed God’s nudge regarding my writing because I kept it to myself. I’d been writing for quite a while but hadn’t shared it with anyone except my husband. It felt as though God gently tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Colleen, you need to share this with others.” I was terrified. Sharing my writing with others felt like bearing my soul through an intercom for all the world to hear. Once words take flight, they can’t be unheard or unread. What if I mess this up?

A few days passed, and reality took over. Realizing God didn’t ask me to read my writing on stage to a crowded auditorium, I got a grip on my fears. He asked me to share my pages with two trusted friends. They were kind, encouraging, and supportive. If I hadn’t taken that first step, no one would be reading these words now.

A few weeks later, I was reading chapter three in the Bible book of Exodus where Moses was tending to his flock. Suddenly, his attention was captured by a bush on fire. But oddly, even though the fire continued to rage on, the bush never burned to the ground. Moses approached the bush to get a closer look, and something remarkable happened! He heard God call his name.

When Moses left his comfortable position with the flock and walked toward the flames, God showed him that the bush was on fire but wasn’t being consumed. If Moses hadn’t taken those first steps of faith, he might never have been had such a powerful relationship with God. However, Moses took those brave steps and God used him to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.

When I feel my love for what’s comfortable is holding me prisoner, it’s time to walk toward the holy fire of God. He wants to free us from the false sense of security the enemy provides. God saved me from becoming an “armchair Christian” as I’d call it, by giving me the faith and courage to leave my cozy chair and take action. He can do the same for each of us.

When we ask Jesus Christ for courage, we’re able to take steps of faith and move outside of our comfort zones. As we become aware of God’s presence, we also gain the benefit of His leadership and our mission.

Let’s Pray: Dear Father God, I ask You to continue to give me the courage to step over my self-imposed boundaries and take action. Give me the faith to live a life of abundance. Position my heart to align with yours and open my ears to hear your calling on my life. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “I Will Follow” by Chris Tomlin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “He’s Calling You” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “I Will Go” by Steve Green. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Alone in the Presence” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Colleen C. Howard is a follower of Jesus Christ, educator and writer. She lives with her husband in the Arizona desert where the sunsets are spectacular, the summers are relentless and the winters are a little slice of Heaven. 

Colleen earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. This degree opened opportunities to write science curriculum, develop district programs, work with Arizona teachers, community leaders, and more. With NASA Grant funding, she was also able to work with teachers all over the country and expand their knowledge of teaching science as a collaborative effort.

Over the last few years God has placed a strong desire in Colleen’s heart to shine a light on God’s presence throughout ordinary days and encourage women in their faith walk with Him. Although some days bring trials and others bring joy, Colleen believes that if you fix your eyes on Jesus then you will see the heart of God.

Colleen’s writing has been published in the following online publications: Living By Design, Her View From Home, Inside Out Worldwide, Inkspirations, and in anthologies like From Ruins to Restoration, Mountains Moved: 45 Devotions of Bold Faith, and The Miracle of Prayer. She is a monthly blogger for Dressing in God’s Love.

~*~
Connect with Colleen:
Website: authorcolleenchoward.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When you feel like your life is too small

Your Life is Not Too Small
A devotional by Lynette Allcock Yoon

“God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.”

—1 Corinthians 1:28 (NLT)

“My life is too small now,” I thought to myself as I looked out the subway window on my way to work. Brown wintry trees and tall grey apartment buildings seemed to mirror my dull spirit.

When I first moved to South Korea to teach English, the excitement of my new adventure ensured that I spent every spare moment exploring. I delighted in visiting colorful palaces, walking the narrow streets between traditional “hanok” houses, finding cute cafes, and taking in mountains, parks, and beaches. As I went through the highs and lows of adapting to my work and new surroundings, I felt I had plenty to write about or post on social media.

However, a couple of years and a wedding later, I found myself figuring out how to “settle down” in Korea. Life became “normal.” I got into a routine of home and work responsibilities. I didn’t have the same time or energy for always going out as I once did, and somehow my life began to feel too small and ordinary. Was there anything truly meaningful in my story now?

I grew up as a Third Culture Kid (TCK)—moving between numerous cities and even countries during my younger years—and I knew that many other TCKs also struggled with perceived smallness or stillness when they tried to settle down after many years of going to and fro. I knew it could be hard to adopt a different, slower rhythm of life.

But as I made my way to work that day, a question rose up inside me: “Who gets to decide what ‘small’ is, anyway?” I felt God whisper to my heart, “Slow, small, settled, or still does not equal ‘meaningless.’”

The things that we might consider small and even unimportant are not so to God. For example, Jesus Christ said in Matthew 25:40 (NIV), “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Luke 16:10 (NIV) reminds us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

And then there is the story of the boy with five barley loaves and two small fish (John 6:1-13). His small lunch fed thousands because he was willing to offer the little that he had to Jesus.

It’s important to note Ephesians 5:2 (NLT) where the Apostle Paul writes, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” Jesus spent most of His life on Earth in obscurity, doing the humble work of a carpenter before He stepped into public ministry. Perhaps our ordinary days—without adventurous thrills or social media validation—are the best way to learn how follow Christ’s example and to live a life filled with love. As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

So, that day on the subway, I put aside my inner grumblings. I went to teach my English classes with a renewed perspective. I hoped that my students wouldn’t just learn new grammar and vocabulary, but that they would smile, and that they would feel the love and interest of God flowing through me to them. Then I went home and loved my husband by preparing bowls of sliced fruit and putting clean socks in the drawer. These ordinary tasks, this unglamourous day, still held value in learning how to love.

Friend, if you too are sometimes tempted to feel that your life is too small or ordinary, remember that your life makes ripples of loving impact that go on and on, no matter what your day looks like. That is no small thing.

Let’s Pray: Lord, teach us to look at our lives through Your perspective. You care about sparrows and lilies and the hair on our heads. May we too value seemingly small things. Help us to see that our most ordinary days, our most unexciting tasks, and our apparently slow or small life seasons, still hold purpose and meaning. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Little is Much” by Downhere. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Lynette Allcock Yoon is a writer, teacher, and former radio host. 

She grew up in three countries and now lives in South Korea with her husband.

Lynette writes about life abroad, faith, and relationships from an expat, Third Culture Kid (TCK) perspective.

Outside of work, Lynette enjoys musical theatre and long walks with good friends.

~*~
Connect with Lynette:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsforwanderers/
Website: https://www.lynetteallcock.com/

Devotionals for the Heart: Connecting with God in the Wilderness

Reclaiming My Connection to God in the Wilderness
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

Have you ever been so emotionally exhausted you can’t really think straight, let alone relate well to the people around you?

With some family issues and a crunch of deadlines and a million things in between, I’ve been struggling this last month. I felt like that last miniscule piece of butter I’m trying to smear on a piece of toast, only it’s hard as a rock and just won’t spread right. That’s been me—spread thin, not enough energy or time or who-knows-what to go around.

It kind of crept up on me, too. I’d been fully aware of my stress level and trying really hard to combat it with proper self-care, getting enough sleep, eating well, saying no to nonessentials, that sort of thing. But sometimes, being spread thin for long periods of time just starts to take a major toll, and that’s where I was.

So last Friday morning my husband—perceptive and sweet soul that he is—told me I was way too stressed out and he was taking me camping, just the two of us, alone in the wilderness for about four days.

Now, I enjoy camping. But I think I’ve only been a total of three times, so it’s not exactly my comfort zone. While I like it and I love nature, I have to admit I wasn’t terribly excited about sleeping in a tent and roughing it when I was already feeling so emotionally and physically raw.

But Matt persistently got us all packed and prepared. I half-heartedly helped and we hit the road early Friday headed for the great unknown, somewhere in that no-cell-phone-signal zone nestled in the mountains where South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia converge.

Today, I literally feel like a new person.

We spent several nights in a primitive campsite, sleeping beneath the stars. We had bug spray and an awesome 12-volt camp refrigerator powered by a battery station and a very cool tiny trailer that towed our ground tent and a couple of folding chairs. While our air mattress had a hole and was worthless, at least we remembered to pack pillows this time. We saw waterfalls and slugs, rhododendron and mountain laurel. We sang along to a lot of John Denver and Johnny Cash, and even saw a rattlesnake on the road (no bears this time, much to Matt’s dismay). We went to bed early, gazing up at the moonlit sky, and woke to the chirping of birds. It was absolutely glorious.

Being away from all the distractions, even distractions we love—our kids and our cats and our dog and all the responsibilities of home and work and bills and life in general—drew us closer together as a couple.

It also brought me closer to God, and reminded me of who I really am at my core: God’s girl. Daughter of the king. Precious soul, loved despite all my flaws and baggage. One among countless points of light, all joined by the Holy Spirit in love.

Over the years, especially recently, I have learned one critical lesson that serves me better than almost any other kernel of wisdom I have gleaned in life: Whenever I have an opportunity to get outside and escape the noise, to just be still in creation, I feel so much more connected to my Creator. I am more focused on His voice and His messages, on all the important things I need to be thinking about instead of the petty or distracting swirl of everyday life.

Love looks like so many different things. This weekend it looked like me and Matt, sleeping in a tent beneath the stars, getting back to nature and the simple things in life, and connecting anew with God. It looked like me falling in love again with my true self, the best version of me, when my heart and mind and body are centered and true and more aligned with God and the wonders of this world.

Today, refreshed and rejuvenated by my wilderness wandering, I’m reminded of the words of the psalmist, and the comforting knowledge that God sees me in every moment, whether I’m deep in the serene woods or stressed out and frazzled on the interstate, whether I’m joyful or grumpy, whether I’m balanced or off-kilter:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:13-17 NIV).

It's not just me—God knows you this way, too. We are all so very, very loved. May we never forget this.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for seeing and loving me in the midst of this sometimes-crazy world and reminding me of what it truly important. Thank you for refreshing my spirit and restoring my ability to focus on Your voice and Your way. Please help me tune out the noise and focus on You even when the chaos presses in thick and close and I feel the weight of the world heavy upon my back. Help me to love others better and truly in the midst of all of this. In Your holy and precious name I pray. Amen.

~*~

Note from Alexis: Jessica's devotional message reminds me of Chris August's song "The Maker". Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast.

You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: When you wish you could start over

When You Wish You Could Choose A Different Ending 
A devotional by Angela Anderson

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” –Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

One day my oldest son came home with a book from the library.

He was so excited about this book and eager to get started because it was a book that allowed him to choose his own ending. Furthermore, this book was written from a second-person point of view so that the reader takes on the role of the main character. As the book progresses, the reader can choose the main character’s actions which determines the outcome of the plot.

My son found his favorite spot in his room and began to read the book. As time passed, he came out of his room appearing disappointed. He told me that he was not happy with the ending. Well, all he had to do was go back to the page in the book where he made the wrong choice, and then he decided to follow a different pre-written plot so that he could experience a happy ending.

Have you ever had such a bad day that you wished you could just start over? Maybe you recollected something that went wrong during the day, and you just wanted to rewind and do things a little differently. Perhaps there is a situation in your life where you regret a decision that you made. You wonder how things would be now if only you had made another choice back then. You wished it were as simple as turning back to a page in the storybook of your life and choosing a better ending.

Fortunately, God gives us another chance. He specializes in taking an unpleasant situation and creating a favorable outcome. The verse for today’s devotional thought expresses this the best: “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

This is reassuring us that our God is able to make wrong things right, crooked paths straight, barren places fertile, and old things new. God does not want us to live a life of regret, or to wonder “if only.” Instead, He wants to forgive us of our past mistakes, and then provide us with the opportunity to get our lives on track. I am so grateful that when we serve a God of love and mercy.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank you for being a God of second chances. Your grace allows us to forget our past mistakes and walk boldly into the future, knowing that You have prepared the way for the best possible outcome. Thank you for working things out for our good. We love you and we will always serve you. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Angela Anderson was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in NJ. She found her love for writing when she was in elementary school. She continued writing through high school, college, and into adulthood. 

Angela is the author of a devotional book titled, Just When I Thought I Knew God, and a children's book that is not yet published.

In 2021, Angela started writing articles for an online magazine called Christian Women Living, where she focuses on writing messages for mothers and sharing advice on parenting. In addition to this, Angela wrote a devotional that is featured in a book published by Proverbs 31 Ministries. The book title is Hope When Your Heart is Heavy.

Angela has a passion for inspiring and impacting others through her writing as well as speaking. She is the co-founder of Anchor Moms, a ministry to cure loneliness in Motherhood. Currently, this ministry meets via a group on Facebook.

Angela has been married to the love of her life, Duane Anderson, for 17 years. Together, they have two sons: Thomas (age 9) and Ryan (age 4). Angela’s favorite pastime is journaling, and she also enjoys spending quality time with her family. Her personal mission is to empower others to achieve their goals and dreams.

~*~
Connect with Angela:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/angela.thomasanderson
Facebook fan page for her devotional book, Just When I Thought I Knew God:
https://www.facebook.com/jwitikg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelanderson1104/

Devotionals for the Heart: Life Lessons Learned from an Anniversary Trip

Worth It All
A devotional by Angela Anderson

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” –2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)

Last year, my husband surprised me with an anniversary gift that included a trip to San Francisco, California.

While we were there, we met another couple who suggested that we rent bikes, ride them across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then take the ferry back to San Francisco. My husband and I thought this idea was amazing, so we immediately set out to do it on the day of our anniversary.

The concierge at our hotel gave us instructions to get to the bike rental shop using public transportation. He explained that from the shop, it was a “nice bike ride” to the bridge. Neither of us were experienced bikers, but we assembled our backpacks and made sure we were prepared for the brisk weather in San Francisco.

We took the streetcar and the bus to the part of town that rented the bikes. We were told to ride to the paved bike path and follow it to the bridge. The excitement was building as we started on this journey. The weather was pleasant and as the clouds parted, we saw the beautiful bridge in the distance. I was very impressed with how flat and smooth the bike path was. After riding for about 30 minutes, the bridge was getting closer, but still seemed far off in the distance.

Suddenly, we were facing a steep inclination in the road. We both tried to pedal our way up the hill, but we had to get off our bikes and walk along side for the rest of the way up the hill. This happened several more times along the way to the bridge. I was getting tired, but I was still very much excited to complete this mission.

Finally, after surmounting yet another hill and getting turned around because of a road closure, we arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge! There was a roadway designated for those who dared to ride their bikes across the almost two-mile path. Although the bike path on the bridge was fenced in, we could still feel the vibration of the cars whizzing across the bridge. The wind gusts that threatened to toss us off our bikes were concerning, but we kept going. We looked over the railing and the view was breathtaking. The rocky landscape of trees and greenery lay perfectly across the San Francisco Bay and the rays from the sun glistened on top of the waves in the water. Before we knew it, we were at the end of the bridge, and we were looking forward to the ferry ride so that we could return to our hotel.

Once we exited the bridge on our bikes, we searched for the ferry. We found some people who were kind enough to point us in the right direction, down another bike path.

At the bottom of the hill, we saw a sign. Three more miles to the ferry in a town called Sausalito! There was no time to waste because the ferry was the last one for the day! We hurried and tried our best to pedal the uphill roads. We finally made it on the ferry with only a couple of minutes to spare. The ferry dropped us off at the pier and we rode our bikes two more miles back to our hotel. By that time, it was evening, and we were beyond exhausted.

In retrospect, I often wonder if I would have embarked on such an adventure if I had known all the details ahead of time. The view from the bridge was amazing, but I might have passed up the biking opportunity once I heard that it would take about 45 – 60 minutes to get to the bridge, then two miles to get across, three miles to the ferry, and then another two miles to get back to the hotel…not to mention the steep hills along the way, the gusty wind, and the stinging chill in the air.

Many of us want to experience something amazing but we are not willing to do what it takes to get there. God is trying to take us to a much higher level in our lives, but we want to know all the details beforehand and then determine whether it is worth all the trouble. Meanwhile, what He has in store for us is beyond our wildest dreams.

Furthermore, God is trying to get us to Heaven. Just to see His face one day outweighs any afflictions or momentary troubles that we experience on this Earth. I am so thankful that God’s plan for us is just on the other side of whatever we are going through, and it will be worth it all in the end.

Let’s Pray: Father, we are so thankful that You are such a loving God who always has our best interests at heart. Help us to remember that there is so much more for us beyond what we can see right now. We just need to trust you and believe that we will get to where you want us to be. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Angela Anderson was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in NJ. She found her love for writing when she was in elementary school. She continued writing through high school, college, and into adulthood. 

Angela is the author of a devotional book titled, Just When I Thought I Knew God, and a children's book that is not yet published.

In 2021, Angela started writing articles for an online magazine called Christian Women Living, where she focuses on writing messages for mothers and sharing advice on parenting. In addition to this, Angela wrote a devotional that is featured in a book published by Proverbs 31 Ministries. The book title is Hope When Your Heart is Heavy.

Angela has a passion for inspiring and impacting others through her writing as well as speaking. She is the co-founder of Anchor Moms, a ministry to cure loneliness in Motherhood. Currently, this ministry meets via a group on Facebook.

Angela has been married to the love of her life, Duane Anderson, for 17 years. Together, they have two sons: Thomas (age 9) and Ryan (age 4). Angela’s favorite pastime is journaling, and she also enjoys spending quality time with her family. Her personal mission is to empower others to achieve their goals and dreams.

~*~
Connect with Angela:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/angela.thomasanderson
Facebook fan page for her devotional book, Just When I Thought I Knew God:
https://www.facebook.com/jwitikg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelanderson1104/

Devotionals for the Heart: Reasons why we can completely trust God

Trust With Abandon
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, “Destroy them!” 

–Deuteronomy 33:27 (NLT)

Years ago, on a trip to Texas to visit my sister and her family, I learned a valuable lesson about trusting in God. We had gone to the community swimming pool to find relief from the intense summer heat. My youngest nephew, not yet knowing how to swim, seemed perfectly content wearing his swimmies on his arms playing safely in the shallow waters of the kiddie pool.

I vividly remember his face lighting up with delight when his daddy decided to pick him up and take him into the big pool. He seemed satisfied resting in the security of his daddy's arms as he carried him around the pool. But soon he was begging his dad to take him to the side so he could jump in. I watched with nervous anticipation as his father set him carefully on the pool deck, wondering if he would chicken out. On the contrary, as soon as his little feet hit the deck, he turned around and flung his little body boldly into the air, confident he would land safely in the arms of his father.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we would have that kind of total trust and faith in our Heavenly Father? Instead of being apprehensive or fearful, or dwelling too much on the past, what if we would just exercise courage and trust about plunging into the unknown, anticipating stepping into something incredible?

Those without God must forever be cautious. One mistake may wipe them out. But as believers, we should be more like Peter, confidently climbing over the side of a boat to walk upon the waves of the sea, knowing that even if we falter and take our eyes off God, He never takes His eyes or focus off of us. We should maintain what I like to call “vertical vision”, fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Moses’s declaration in Deuteronomy 33:27 is that God is our refuge, our only true security. So often we entrust our lives to other things such as money, career, a noble cause, or a lifelong dream. But these things will always fall short of providing any guarantees or anything of lasting value to our lives. Our only true refuge is the eternal God, who always holds out His arms to catch us when the shaky supports that we trust collapse and fail. No storm can destroy us when we take refuge in Him. No weapon formed against us can prosper.

Because we live for God, we can dare to be bold. We can take chances and step courageously into all God has called us to be. Like Esther in the Bible, we can risk putting our neck on the line knowing that the God who loves us enough to die for us goes before us and paves the way for our victory. We can live fearlessly, daring to believe that God has exceedingly more for us than we can ask or imagine. Whatever God has ordained for our lives He has also equipped and empowered us to fulfill. Let’s commit to aim for new heights today and not worry about falling, because the arms of our Heavenly Father are open wide and ready to catch us if we slip.

Let’s Pray: Loving Father, thank You for being my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer. Forgive me for the times when I put my faith in other things only to come running back to You when they let me down. I choose to remove fear and anxiety from my life, placing my complete trust in You to guide me and lead me into Your perfect will, or catch me when I stumble and fall. Help me to live with abandon, stepping confidently into Your will for my life. Let me dare to be bold as I live for You and seek to walk out this life You created me for. To You and You alone be the glory, in Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him. 

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

~*~
Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should set our goals with God

Goals with God
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” 

–Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

I love the feel of a new year.

It’s like a blank slate just waiting to be filled with hopes and dreams, experiences and adventures. Anything seems possible while the door closes on the previous year’s journey, no matter what happened along the way. Usually, I have a new planner waiting for my activities and experiences to be reported. I also have a crisp, clean journal inviting my stories to be written and my experiences to be chronicled.

During the week between Christmas and New Year I always set aside time to take an inventory of the year about to close—a “year in review” of sorts. I relive highlights of the year—happy times and hard times—as I observe all the ways God showed up along my journey. I find Him in the mountaintop moments where I experienced rich joy in His presence. I also encounter Him in the deepest valleys where I had to cling to Him for comfort so my grief would not consume me. This review reminds me that I serve a loving and faithful God who promises never to leave me nor forsake me. He is my constant companion.

My “year in review” also serves as the perfect launching pad to look at the “year in view” – the new year on the horizon. As I stand on the threshold of a new year, I sometimes feel like the Israelites when they sent out the scouts to the Promised Land. On one hand I am hopeful, anticipating great things from the God who assures me in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans for me, plans not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.

But on the other hand, I can feel the imposing presence of giants lurking in the shadows, a reminder of the adversary who is always looking for a way to devour me and distract me from what God has planned. I don’t allow my thoughts to linger there too long before I fix my mind on Jesus Christ who has already defeated the devil. Therefore, I begin to prayerfully pen plans and goals, dreams and expectations for the year ahead.

It’s exciting, albeit slightly daunting, to see on paper the many things I hope to accomplish in the coming months. I find peace in the reminder that while I make my plans, I serve a God who will order my steps into His perfect will for my tomorrows and for eternity. I can then step confidently into all He has for me.

While God invites us to review the past, He doesn’t want us to dwell in it. While He encourages us to set goals and pursue dreams for the future, He also reminds us to not worry about tomorrow. Those “steps” that God orders on the path to pursuing our plans happen in the present. The present is where we encounter God daily. He meets with us in the everyday moments of our lives, attending to every last detail. He desires daily, intimate relationship with us. Our spirit will thrive when we seek Him with greater intensity than we chase our dreams.

As much contemplating and planning as I do at the onset of a new year, when I come to the year in review, I'm always sure to see sweet little surprises my Savior gifted me with along the way. I try not to box God into my plans. Instead, I leave them open to His creativity along the way. He has unlimited resources and unexpected methods of making things happens for our good and His glory. And I don’t want to miss a single one.

Let’s Pray: Creator God, thank You for being my faithful guide and constant companion on my journey through life. I am so grateful You are accessible in my every moment, joining me in the joy on the mountain tops and accompanying me as I trudge through the valleys. I marvel at Your creativity as You unfold your plans and purpose for my life in surprising and unexpected ways. I appreciate Your patience and faithfulness as I stumble in the steps I take in efforts to walk in your will. I am grateful that Your gentle hand is ever present to pick me when I fall far from Your plans, and set me back on the path You've placed before me. While I prayerfully pen my plans for this new season, help me to stay out of Your way. Teach me how to surrender any expectations of outcomes to Your ways, Your will and Your timing. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie devoted to living her life for Jesus until the day she is living with Him.

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God's Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your life "souled out" to the One whose love has no limits.

~*~
Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/

Book Spotlight on Celtic Winter by Wendy Wilson Spooner

The sequel to Once Upon an Irish Summer is here! And today, you’re in for a treat because the author of this new novel called Celtic Winter, is here to share the story behind her new book!

Let’s welcome my author friend Wendy Wilson Spooner to the blog. Enjoy your time together!

~*~

The Story Behind the story Celtic Winter by Wendy Wilson Spooner:

Founded on a 200-year-old collection of letters

A faded and worn letter collection survives today, written by Eliza and Allen’s parents, to Allen, after he went to America. My mom, my daughters and I transcribed many of the faded, damaged letters ourselves.

Microfilm copies can be found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as the genealogical library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The correspondence is both inspiring and heart-breaking, filled with the family’s trust in God as they suffered, while Allen journeyed thousands of miles away through antebellum America, seeking for a way to make a success of himself so he could bring his family to him before it was too late. The small snippets of Eliza’s life in the letters are very precious to me because there aren’t many records to be found for her.

As starvation and typhus fever raged throughout Ireland, Eliza’s story still inspires me today. She worked her fingers to the bone as a dressmaker and cared for her family continuously.

I wrote Once Upon an Irish Summer and Celtic Winter through the eyes of Allen Hamilton’s fictional descendant—a young, gifted artist struggling through debilitating grief—to show that what we learn from the past and who we come from, can entirely change us.

No Doubts

Writing this story in dual timeline was no easy task. But I would do it all again because the outcome has inspired countless people to delve into the lives of their own ancestors.

I believe that those who came before us want nothing more than for each generation to become a little better. And that’s what Once Upon an Irish Summer and Celtic Winter are all about—to learn about the people we come from, to honor them, then to stand on their shoulders to become a better generation.

~*~
Author Bio:

Wendy Wilson Spooner, Lic. G., LCoT, is a Genetic Genealogist by day, a writer by night, and an artist in between. 

Her love of what we can learn from history compels her to write the true stories she unearths during her research because she has found that truth is indeed, much more exciting and inspiring than fiction.

Wendy is a member of the International Society of Genetic Genealogist, The Association of Professional Genealogists, Romance Writers of America, and The American Night Writer’s Association. As an award-winning author of professional articles and poems, she’s turned to novel writing to share what she knows with a greater audience.

When not writing or researching, Wendy paints, hikes, binges on Bollywood movies, and spends time with her greatest loves—her family.

~*~
Blurb for Celtic Winter:

BASED ON A TRUE STORY. Two young ladies, two centuries apart, struggle to save the people they love in this gripping sequel to Once Upon an Irish Summer. 

In 1817, Eliza Hamilton loses her favorite brother to the lure of antebellum America and is left behind in declining Northern Ireland to keep her family alive while religious warfare, oppressive English laws, typhus fever, and starvation, overtake her homeland. She has no time for love, even when her suitor Aiden McNair declares his adoration and wishes to wed.

Two hundred years later, descendant Beth Wilson travels to Indiana to help her injured grandmother. When she arrives, she finds across the street, the mother of the young man she loves-on her deathbed. While Beth cares for her beloved grandmother, juggles school and her budding art career, she and Preston determine to locate the only person who could save his mother's life.

Beth's love of history and what she learns about her ancestor, Eliza, along the way could give her the hope and strength she needs to persevere through it all.

~*~
Buy Wendy’s book on Amazon

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Connect with Wendy:
Website: https://wendywilsonspooner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorWendyWilsonSpooner/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wendy_W_Spooner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyspooner/

~*~
Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

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Devotionals for the Heart: A modern life lesson learned from a Bible story

Put A Fleece on It!
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

*Note to the reader: Open The Holy Bible and read Judges 6:36-40 for the Key Scripture that supports this devotional message today. 

I am so happy that I read the story of Gideon when I was young. Through the years it has helped me to be bold and make tough decisions.

In the Old Testament book of Judges, chapter six, the Bible introduces a reluctant leader. He knew the stories of Hebrew history. He had heard how God had miraculously delivered Israel, time after time. But in his life, he had never seen any miracles.

Israel had been impoverished by the malevolence of the competing cultures in the land. They had succumbed to the practice of idolatry. Violence and fear characterized the community in which he lived. Gideon was either the youngest or the poorest of his family members. He was either humble or struggled with low self-esteem. Until he had a divine encounter.

The story says that one day while in the normal pursuit of his work, he had an epiphany experience. God literally stopped him, spoke to him and gave him a charge that would change his life. Gideon rightly perceived that he was in the presence of a divine emissary and asked for time to honor this unparalleled moment in his life.

Since hospitality, even among the poor was a cultural imperative, he ran home, fixed a meal and brought it back to this Angel of the Lord. It was consumed by fire. The culture of the time declared that if a person saw God, he would die. Gideon was assured that he would not die because of this experience but that God would lead, guide and guard him in the prophetic tasks of leading his people to revolt against the prevailing idolatry. Jehovah Shalom, the divine blessing of peace and protection was pronounced. Gideon built an altar to memorialize the moment. Then, he went home.

It seems that God often speaks to people at night. That night God visited Gideon again. He challenged him with a revolutionary task. He was to purge his father’s territory of the idols and gardens honoring them. He recruited 10 men and they executed the Lord’s command the next night.

As expected, the men of the surrounding community were offended. The word spread and soon the worst of the worst were arrayed to do battle with and kill Gideon’s gene pool. Gideon, the reluctant warrior, called his cousins and told them to prepare for war. But, he needed assurance. He spoke to God asking for an affirming sign of His presence and blessing.

He asked for the improbable. I have often said that if the fulfillment of your vision and purpose does not require the miraculous intervention of God, it is too small. He put out a fleece, a wool shawl or towel. He asked that in the morning the fleece be wet with dew, but the ground be dry around it. In the morning, the fleece was so wet that when he wrung it, the water filled a bowl. But that was not enough. He asked for the opposite experience after the next dew fall.

Let the fleece be dry and the ground around it be wet. It was so. With that confirmation, Gideon launched the revolution that changed his community and restored the visible presence of the Grace of God in his community.

Are you struggling with an impoverished spirit? Is there a resonant vision in your mind’s eye that you don’t know how to pursue? Do you long for a more meaningful quality of life? These inclinations may be the becks and calls from divinity. They may be the breakthroughs that demand another leap of faith. Do what Gideon did and put a fleece on it. Ask for a sign. I did.

Facing a life changing decision, My wife and I prayed the fleece prayer and I left a towel on the front yard overnight. n the morning I checked on it. The ground was dry and the towel was damp. I could not wring a bowl full of water from it, but it was damp. The ensuing night I put another towel in the same spot on the yard. In the morning, the grass was wet with dew. The towel was dry. I made the tough call and even though I was warned that there was no bridge back, I took the leap of faith. Like Gideon, that decision changed my life for the better, ever since.

If you are stuck, demoralized, or looking for the next adventure in faith, put a fleece on it and look for God’s guidance. However, once His direction is clear, if you do not go where He leads, you may be forever plagued with the what if curse. That is a topic for another day. Just put a fleece on it.

Let’s Pray: Almighty God of creation, opportunity and destiny, please answer the furtive prayers of the reader today. Guide him/her into the path of your providence. Bless them with courage to trust and obey your prompting. When they do, may they see and feel confirmations from heaven. In the name of Jehovah Shalom, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

You may connect with Chaplain Anderson via email at this address, psanderson75@gmail.com.

Romantic Reads: A Dance in Donegal

The Story Behind the story A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel

In 2004, we had just moved back to the United States after two years living in remote, wild Donegal. Those two years were amazing…and hard…and life changing.

After we returned, I was struggling to process all we’d experienced in those long-but-brief two years. My faith had been stretched. I’d questioned my identity. And God’s sanity. I’d wondered about my place in the world, and how I could ever impact the darkness that seems to surround this world. And in His way and time, God was faithful. But there was still a lot to sift through.

Then one day, after reading a book about a quilting circle, this idea struck me for a story about a young Irish-American teacher who moves to her mother’s home village in Ireland to teach. Having suffered through a somewhat traumatic first year of teaching before moving overseas, it was easy for me to imagine what it might be like for a first-year teacher to start her career in a completely foreign environment, culture, and language. Thus, the baby idea for A Dance in Donegal took root.

I started writing right away, but was also expecting our first baby. Once she came along, the story sat. And sat. For years. Through that time, God continued to work on my heart and help me grow. We moved back to Ireland, and I learned even more about this amazing country, culture, and amazing, beautiful people. After another two and a half years back in Ireland, I picked the story back up, finding that it needed to be much different. Because I was different.

I’d learned more about the writing craft, the art of story, and I’d lived more of my faith. And some of my most favorite elements of the story came to life—the mystery element materialized, Moira’s main conflict and crisis of faith came to life, and secondary characters became like old friends.

There is so very much of my own heart and experiences bled onto the pages of A Dance in Donegal. And yet, Moira and Sean and Colm and Peg and all the others are their own people, with their own journeys. God showed me more of Himself and His grace as I wrote. And that is my prayer for all those who read it—that God would challenge and encourage them in their own faith journeys, no matter where on the spectrum of belief they start on.

And while they are fictional characters…figments of my own imagination…God used them to teach me more about faith, grace, and loyalty than if I’d never endeavored to write.

This story burned in my soul, and even though I was tempted to quit many times along the way because it was over 15 years from the time I started writing to when I signed the contract to publish it, I felt called to continue. And with that, I want to encourage you, dear reader, to keep on keeping on. If God has called you to it, He will equip you for it, and carry you through it, dark times and all.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jennifer Deibel is a middle school teacher whose work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine, and others. 

With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. 

After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children.

Her debut novel, A Dance in Donegal, is available wherever books are sold! Her second novel, The Lady of Galway Manor, is available for pre-order and is set to release February 1, 2022.

~*~
Book Blurb for A Dance in Donegal:

After the loss of her Irish mother in the summer of 1920, Moira Doherty decides to fulfill her mother’s wish for her to leave Boston and teach in her mother’s home village of Ballymann in Donegal, Ireland.

Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about a scandalous family reputation abound and threaten not only her new position but also her life.

Moira must rely on the kindness of a handful of unlikely friends including Sean, a handsome thatcher, to help her clear her family name before it’s too late. As she seeks to navigate her new life in Ireland, she may find that this is truly the life she was always meant to live.

Historical romance fans will embrace this lyrical tale of family and relish the cultural nuances, the rich history and the beautiful setting imbedded in the pages of A Dance in Donegal.

~*~
Buy Jennifer’s book:
Baker Book House ~ ChristianBook.com ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Target ~ Books-A-Million ~ IndieBound ~ Walmart ~ Lifeway

~*~
Connect with Jennifer:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdeibel_author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferdeibelauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20391683.Jennifer_Deibel
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-deibel

Romantic Reads: A Change of Scenery

The Story Behind A Change of Scenery (book) by Davalynn Spencer

My start in the writing business was strictly nonfiction. As a crime-beat reporter for the Cañon City Daily Record, I dredged up the facts. As a features writer, I built human-interest stories around the facts. And as the religion-page editor, I laid out the page and added one of my photographs with an appropriate Bible verse and inspirational thought as a cutline. Again – facts, but from the Word of God.

However, at a small-town daily newspaper, reporters do what needs to be done whether it’s their gig or not. One of my ongoing assignments was to find interesting news items at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center for the paper’s Back In Time series.

As some might say, that place was a gold mine. It still is.

Gold was a big deal in Colorado’s late 1800s, but prospectors didn’t find much of the precious metal around Cañon City. However, there is more than one type of gold, and while hard-rock miners were chipping away at gullies and washes in the high country, ranchers and farmers were making a go of it down here in the Arkansas River Valley because, well, miners have to eat.

One area north of town is still referred to as Garden Park – where vegetables grew in well-laid-out farms and countless dinosaur fossils were unearthed and fought over by rival university’s paleontology departments.

Fruit orchards still dot the Arkansas River basin, and ranchers still run cattle on the sweet mountain grass. Much of the area is as it was in spite of the 21st century’s noise and clutter.

Cañon City is an Old West town that just happened to survive because the founders built most of the buildings on Main Street from locally quarried stone. When places like Cripple Creek (over the hill at 10,000 feet) burned to the ground – twice – Cañon City lived on.

The place is ripe with history, and in my reporter days, I spent hours at the history museum reading amazing accounts of early life here. And the more I read, the more I envisioned some of the pioneers who settled the area and their Native American counterparts who were here first. The more I envisioned, the more I wanted to tell the stories, but not in a history book.

I learned during my middle-school-teaching days that students will devour historical facts if they are laced through an interesting novel. But so do adults. Historical fiction remains a selling market because, as I like to say, life wasn’t easier in the past but it was simpler. And simple is something people crave today – a respite from the mad go-and-show world in which we live.

My three novels in The Cañon City Chronicles are each set against backdrops of historical mile-markers from this area. And so is Book 4, A Change of Scenery. Silent pictures were a big deal here in the early 1900s, but they weren’t called silent pictures because pictures had never talked.

The flickers that “flicked” through nickelodeons were not referred to as silent pictures until “talkies” came along.

As I studied this era of local history, I was fascinated by what I read. Moving-picture companies paid ranchers top dollar to “rent” their cattle, horses, and ranches for filming. Even the ranchers themselves were paid day-wages – a whopping $5 per man per day.

Anchored in the rich historical facts, a story emerged in my heart of a rancher who was smitten by a big-city gal with the Selig-Polyscope company. The “what-if” nerve of a novelist began to throb, and A Change of Scenery played across my mind’s eye, starring two little boys from Book 3 in the Hutton-family saga known as The Cañon City Chronicles.

Faith is always a character in my stories – an aspect that directs lives the same way it does in real life. This book has no preaching but plenty of wisdom shared by truth-speaking characters. God and His peace and presence weave through the book the same way they do in my daily life: intimately, steadily, tenderly.

Tragedy takes its place on the stage, just as it does in our lives. But how a character handles it determines how that character develops. Again, an aspect that mirrors the reality of our lives.

And isn’t that what fiction is all about? Mirroring reality. I hope you’ll read A Change of Scenery and be blessed by the challenges, heartaches, and blessings that adorn this tender Western romance.

~*~
Author Bio:

Davalynn Spencer is a Publisher’s Weekly and ECPA bestselling author and winner of the Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Inspirational Western Fiction.

She is the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters and the author of sixteen titles, both contemporary and historical. She blogs monthly for Christian Authors Network, contributes to the American Christian Fiction Writers blog, and writes her own weekly inspirational blog.

Davalynn appears on the area radio broadcast, Write Time Radio, and teaches writing workshops when not wrangling Keeper the Cowdog and mouse detectors Annie and Oakley. 

Connect with her at https://www.davalynnspencer.com

~*~
Blurb for A Change of Scenery:

Inspirational Historical Western Romance

 

A hidden fear. A daring challenge. A liberating love.

A motorcar accident on a rainy Chicago night steals Ella Canaday’s fiancé as well as her ability to ride. Clinging to the remnants of her independence, she cuts her hair and her ties with her wealthy father and takes a train west as the seamstress with a moving-picture company. 

Colorado offers the change of scenery she needs. But she doesn’t expect the bold cowboy who challenges her to reclaim both the loves she thought she’d lost forever.

Cale Hutton needs the money the moving-picture company is paying for use of his cattle and horses, but he’s not keen on some city gal gettin’ in the way at the ranch. Between the filming crew by day and a rogue cattle-killing bear by night, his attention snags on the little bob-haired seamstress. Something about her easy manner around his horse sets his mind to find out what she’s hiding and why she has such a pull on his heart.

~*~
Buy Davalynn’s book, A Change of Scenery:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1064987

Davalynn's website: https://davalynnspencer.com/books/a-change-of-scenery/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RWJBTWG/

~*~
Connect with Davalynn:

Quarterly Author Update and free e-book: http://eepurl.com/xa81D

Blog: https://davalynnspencer.com/subscribe/

Website: https://www.davalynnspencer.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDavalynnSpencer

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/davalynn-spencer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/davalynnspencer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051432.Davalynn_Spencer

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/davalynnspencer/boards/

Amazon Author: https://amazon.com/author/davalynnspencer

CAN: http://christianauthorsnetwork.com/davalynn-spencer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davalynnspencer/

Devotionals for the Heart: Love

Love Over Labels
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” – Luke 8:46-48 (NLT)

Every time we got together as a family there was almost surely to come up a story that started with, “Remember that time when Cyndi…?” 

My family often retells stories of things I did that were rebellious when I was younger. I mean, to be fair, I gave them a lot of material. I was a bit of a wild child. In fact, if I am honest, I still have a streak of the wild and adventurous in me. But thankfully, I have also changed and grown not just older but wiser over the years. However, it doesn’t seem to matter how I have changed, they only seem to want to “remember when” I did things I shouldn’t have done. While I’ve come to accept it, I certainly don’t enjoy feeling like I am known by my “issues” or worst moments in life.

Every time I read the verses above in my Bible about the woman who suffered with constant bleeding for twelve years, my heart hurts. The title alone is certainly cringe-worthy. I mean we all have issues – was it necessary to point hers out so blatantly and then leave it there on the pages of the Bible for all to see forever?

I find it a bit unsettling to think this woman is known and labeled by her issues. Maybe because I have so many issues of my own that I am trying to free myself from mentally and emotionally so I can sit fully in my new creation status. What’s worse is sometimes we hold ourselves in that prison by not letting go of the past or shedding the labels we or others have placed on us. Thankfully, as is frequently the case with God, there’s more to the story.

In every Gospel account of this story, we see Jesus not only heal her issue but restore her value. Jesus first brings our sweet sister “out of hiding.” We are told “she realized she couldn’t stay hidden.” We often want to cruise through life with our issues, and sometimes ourselves, unnoticed. On the contrary, Jesus wants us to walk free and come boldly to His throne. And often that means bringing into His light those things lurking in the darkness.

My hope is stirred by the fact that Jesus ends this passage by calling her “Daughter.” While it’s not her “name”, I do believe Jesus wanted her (and us) to know He saw her, He knew her and the label of Daughter was the one that should truly define her. He was simply reminding her of the name she had always had. She had just forgotten, as we often do, that she was a Daughter of the King and that her status as Daughter of the King supersedes all other names and labels – even the name given by our parents at birth. We remain a Daughter (or son) of the King even when we stray or sin – we never lose our salvation or our status as His child.

I also love that we are told here that the “whole crowd” heard this exchange between her and Jesus. Because I am sure the “whole crowd” knew of her circumstances and may have had a hand in reminding her of her unclean status. They would have certainly avoided her, not spoken to her or acknowledged her, and would never have touched her. But Jesus did all of these. And He will do this for us too if we come to Him boldly and reach out for Him in faith. Our minds have a hard time forgetting our issues and failures. Others may make it a habit of reminding us of our issues and failures but our God does not. He puts them “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and we need to learn to do that too. Because when we do, we can walk fully and confidently into our future as a new creation in Christ and child of the Most High God.

Let’s Pray: Loving Lord, thank you for looking beyond our failures and infirmities to see us, truly SEE us. When our nature is to want to hide our face and cover our flaws, we are encouraged that you seek to remind us our true value and worth is found in You. Help us remember that when the world wants to label us repeatedly, You, instead, love us recklessly. Let us pursue You with abandon, knowing that in Your presence is where we encounter acceptance, secure our salvation and receive restoration to step fully into our position of royalty as Daughters and Sons of the King. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

~*~

Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him. 

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/