Devotionals
2021
Was It the End of the World?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford In the fall of 1958, Walt was asked to come to Podunk Center, Iowa, to preach in a evangelistic campagin for two weeks. (Yes, there really was a Podunk Center in those ancient days!) The four of us, Walt and I, with...
People See the Outside; God Knows My Heart
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Frankly, I didn’t think the woman looked like a good role-model for the women in our church, even if she was the evangelist’s wife. This was years ago. Walt had invited her husband to preach a series of messages in...
What to Do When You’re Afraid You’ve Ruined Everything
A Sort of Parable by Elizabeth Rice Handford Once upon a time, long ago and far away, lived a handsome prince with his beautiful wife and his three tall sons. They were all children of the High King of Heaven and Earth, and they all loved Him very much. But one...
Not Alone, Yet Still Lonely
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Shortly after my husband Walt retired as pastor of Southside Baptist, he fell from the roof of our home. Distraught, I followed the ambulance to the hospital, not knowing how seriously he was injured. It turned out...
Do You Sometimes Get Tired of Standing Up for Truth?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford. Why is it that so often these days I find myself holding a different opinion than what a TV drama is portraying? Or what a panel of experts is advocating? Or what a popular actor is promoting? I gladly affirm their...
How I Learned Anger Doesn’t Fix Anything
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford So here I am, dressed in my “Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes,” teaching my Sunday school class of young wives. I’m the pastor’s wife, mind you, mother of seven small children, expected to be a paragon of virtue...
One Grey Lady Too Many
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Grey Lady was a beautiful, purebred yellow-eyed weimaraner given to us by a friend. She was so affectionate, she’d stand on her hind legs, put her big paws on my shoulders and slobber her kisses all over my face....
Have You Prayed for Your President Today?
An earnest request from Elizabeth Rice Handford Have you prayed for your president today? I ask this, not as a Democrat or Republican or an Independent, but as someone who suddenly has realized that as a child of God I’ve been neglecting an important part of my...
Thoughtless Words Can Cause Pain
A Gentle Reminder from Elizabeth Rice Handford When I was a teenager I came across a Scripture that terrified me. Jesus said, “And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak” (Matthew 12:36 nlt). What was an “idle”...
I Pledge Allegiance to My Dear Country
A Word of Commitment from Elizabeth Rice Handford In the last ten years, more than 7.3 million people have been welcomed as naturalized citizens of the United States. Every single one of those new citizens stood before a U.S. official, put their right hands over their...
