Devotionals
2021
Self-Validation—But at Someone Else’s Expense?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “I need self-validation*,” a woman said to her friend. “I’m going to confront my mother today.” “What in the world is self-validation?” the friend asked naively. Incredulous, the woman said, “You haven’t heard about...
Look Down That Lonesome Road Before You Travel On
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “Look down, look down that lonesome road before you travel on, Look up, look up and seek your Maker before Gabriel blows his horn.” ---Gene Austin © 1928 Gene Austin’s plaintive song was...
Texans Want to Die with Their Boots On
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford In 1936 Texas marked the 100th year of their independence with celebrations the whole year long. I was 9 years old. All of us little Texas girls got to wear cowboy boots to school that year. (You do...
Here I Am Again, Lord, Asking for Help Again
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford I lost a hearing aid the other day. I was sitting on my bed and dropped it as I was putting it in my ear. Scrambling around—it had to be close by!—I was sitting right there when I dropped it. I panicked. “Here...
A Shih Tzu, a Prayer, and God’s Mercy
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford A woman, a dear friend of mine, had longed for a new little Shih Tsu. A breeder she’d worked with before had just the one she wanted. Her husband had some reservations: if you have a dog you always have to make...
Under Someone’s Authority?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Son John had a brand new moped, and this middle-aged mother thought I’d take it for a spin around the church parking lot behind our home. I had a wonderful time, for a while, pretending like I was a teenager again,...
I Need My Daddy
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford When I was a child, I had a dream so vivid and so frightening that in the middle of the night I ran to my parents’ bedroom and woke Daddy up. It really was a bad dream; I can still describe it to you in...
Dreams and Reality
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Walt and I once ran into an old college mate on the streets of our home town. We’d been acquaintances on campus, but hadn’t seen each other for years. At our chance encounter, the man exuded prosperity, from his...
What Are a Few Zeros More or Less?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford My sister Grace once ordered business envelopes for our father’s publishing company. The salesman for the printing company phoned me. “Want to check on this order for me? It seems a little...
Don’t Become a Writer Unless—
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford There’s a serious drawback to speaking your mind, whether using a podium or a word processor or social media. One fine day, someone is going to quote back to you what you said and hold you accountable for saying it....
