A Spiritual Aftertaste
So happy to have Davalynn Spencer here to share her
Guest Devotional
Welcome to my Blog, Davalynn Spencer!
Authors like to call that the takeaway.
Tomorrow is release day for Always a Wedding Planner, a contemporary romance collection from Barbour Publishing that has four takeaways – one from each of the four authors who contributed a novella.
As one of the four authors, I know I speak for the others when I say we hope you take away an idea, new thought, or word of encouragement from our stories, something that you can apply to your day-to-day life.
Following is our overview from the spiritual side of this light-hearted romantic collection.
Toni Shiloh: In my story Finally a Sweetheart, Felicity Edwards is a wedding cake baker who dreams of having a family one day. She deals with the conflict of knowing when to be vulnerable, feeling like she’s worthy of love, and opening her heart to new possibilities.
The biggest takeaway I hope readers will leave with is that you can trust God with it all. He’ll see you through the trials and tribulations. He’ll strengthen you when you’re weak. Bless you with wisdom when you’re conflicted on an issue. I hope that people see the humanity in Felicity and the desire to be better as a person.
RL Ashly: Hemmed In focuses on God’s relationship with the individual and the individual’s relationship with others. When I was writing the story, I chose the following verse as the theme. “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5 NIV)
As a professional seamstress, the New International Version’s use of the word “hem” appealed to me. A garment or project without a hem looks sloppy and is unfinished. The fabric unravels and deteriorates over time. The item lasts longer and is more serviceable if it has a hem in it.
Recognizing God’s protection and leading in our lives,
reminds me of a finished seam.
The words “You hem me in” demonstrate God’s active
participation in the believer’s life. Behind, before, and above denote the
surrounding presence of the Lord in our lives. God stitches the broken places
making them whole.
Not only do stories seek to instruct and encourage, but
they are also created for fun. Novels take the reader on many kinds of
adventures. Entertainment serves its purpose when the one being entertained can
forget about life’s struggles for a while and rejuvenate. My happy place would
be a library with floor-to-ceiling shelves stuffed with books and a
hammock.
Leeann Betts: The theme for The Worst-Kept Secret is that we can’t hide anything from God. He already knows. Yet we spend so much time making excuses, taking unnecessary detours, and simply avoiding the truth.
If, instead, we invested our energies in deepening our relationship with God, He would point out those areas that need to change so we can deepen our relationship with Him and enjoy the fullness of His gifts of grace and mercy which He extends to us each day.
My goal is that readers will finish reading this story with a better understanding that God wants to be the center of our entire life, not just our prayer life, our Sunday or church life, or our private thought life. He longs to be included in every decision we make, in how we vote, in how we spend our money, and in how we treat the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in our neighborhoods and the world. We are all weak, broken vessels in dire need of a Savior, and presenting Him—and us—in this light is my heart’s desire.
Davalynn Spencer: The scriptural connection for “Taste and See” came to me immediately upon deciding that I would write from the chef’s perspective. The verse is found in one of my favorite Psalms, and may, at first, sound like a contradiction:
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
(Psalm 34:8)
Taste and smell are the two physical senses so closely connected, not taste and see. Why are these two paired in this passage? Perhaps the verse could be interpreted as meaning “try God out and discover how good He is,” but I’ll leave translations up to the scholars.
My heroine, Ronnie Fare, had to choose to swallow the second half of the verse as well as the first half. Her back was against the wall. Would she trust God or would she not? Would she use the unusual provision God had supplied, or would she let fear take over?
The unexpected is something we all must face, and how we respond is a choice that each of us must make. It’s the letting go and trusting that is so hard because trust comes at the great, bloody expense of self-will.
Blurb for Always a Wedding Planner:
Discover how keeping secrets from each other threatens four women’s
friendships, wedding business, and ability to find love in Loveland, Colorado.
Business partners Felicity Edwards, the cake baker; Kiki Bell, the seamstress;
Cassie Blackthorn, the coordinator; and chef Saffron Fare are best of friends
in a town that is a romantic wedding destination for many couples. They work
together at Weddings by Design to make every bride’s special day perfect. Could
each falling into their own romance be the key to working out their differences
and learning to trust each other–and God–with their futures?
Short link: https://amzn.to/3kTvAge
Thank you for hosting me, Sonja.
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