Devotionals

A Gentle Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “Endgate! This is endgate!” Ben greeted Walt, his pastor, at the door, waving a beer bottle. “This is the last drink I’ll ever take, I promise,” he said tearfully. The poor man’s wife had called us because her...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Ebenezer? Ebenezer who? If it were Christmas, you’d understand my talking about Ebenezer Scrooge. He’s the stingy boss in Dickens’ story, “A Christmas Carol.” He’s that scowling misfit who mutters “Humbug!” until...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Last week, I found myself thinking, “When it rains, it pours.” I was beset by all kinds of problems. I needed a new house cleaner. A pipe broke in my bathroom; another in my sprinkler system. The roof over the guest...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford The child was bullied at school. When he protested to the teacher, she labeled him a troublemaker, and disciplined him instead of the bully. A co-worker made a costly mistake, but blamed her innocent office-mate....

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford You may feel you have good reason not to vote in this election. (I write not as a Democrat or Republican or Independent, but as a simple Christian burdened for our country.) “My one vote won’t make any difference,”...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “Irrefutable,” the handwritten note said. My debate partner and I had just won a debate in a collegiate tournament. The judge’s rating sheet of my performance said we’d earned a superior rating, the best you could...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford My long-haired dachshund Schatzi and I have an odd synergistic relationship that works to our mutual advantage and makes us both happy. In my old age, I regret to confess, food sometimes falls off my fork on its way...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford It was grandson Joey’s birthday and just the three of us, Grandpa, Joey, and I, were going to celebrate in a restaurant of Joey’s choice. No tiresome grown-ups or noisy cousins were invited, just us three. “So,...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford It was frightening to see the devastation Hurricane Ian wreaked in Cuba. Now it was clawing its slow path toward the lovely, vulnerable heart of Florida, almost a Category 5 storm. My son John and his wife were...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford After watching the burial services for Queen Elizabeth II, my 90-year-old younger sister Joanna said wistfully, “I wish I had a crown to lay at Jesus’ feet.” Joanna had read a poignant statement by Queen Elizabeth:...