Devotionals
2021
My Husband Said, “Libby, No!”
A mild admission from Elizabeth Rice Handford Walt and I were standing at dusk in the church parking lot with other church members, enjoying the air before the evening service. Some of the highschool boys were skate-boarding. I was intrigued, so this sixty-year-old...
Does What I Say I Believe Really Shape My Life?
A Sobering Conversation with Elizabeth Rice Handford First surprise in a 2020 Barna poll: 51% of all American adults claimed they believed that the Bible is the only source of absolute truth. They affirmed they make intellectual, emotional, and spiritual life choices...
When Justice and Mercy Kissed Each Other
You’ve got to confess it, I said to myself, desperately, for maybe the thirteenth time. If you don’t, and maybe somebody driving the car has an accident and dies, it will be all your fault. Daddy has to be told. I was sixteen years old. I’d only had my license for a...
God Is Still in Charge
The other day USA TODAY quoted John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate: “The Arctic is warming at a rate quadruple that of the rest of the planet. . . . We’re already seeing tipping points arrived at.” He added, “We’re also seeing the impacts in floods...
She Did What She Could
The weatherman predicted we’d have 2-5 inches of snow last Saturday night, and the snow arrived right on schedule. My children helped prepare me for the siege, a pantry full of food, extra bread and milk in the fridge, and Dog Chow for little Schatzi. I thought the...
My Sweet Granddaughter Bailee
This morning they called to tell me my youngest grandchild Bailee had died. She was only 25 years old. She came into the world with a genetic flaw that hampered her mentally and physically. You might have thought her birth a tragedy, but you’d have been wrong. Three...
But Who Will Help Daddy?
My Daddy was so smart, I just knew he could fix anything that needed fixing. “Daddy, my dolly just fell apart!” I cried. I’d just gotten it for Christmas, and already the rubber band that held it together had broken. No problem. My smart Daddy could fix it. “Daddy, I...
Dagwood and Guilt
Elizabeth Rice Handford Reminds Us God Will Be Faithful in 2022 In the comics this week Blondie asked Dagwood, “Did you make any New Year’s resolutions, dear?” O.K., I admit it. I still read the comics. We called them the fnnny papers when I was a child, and I felt...
Joy to the World the Lord Has Come
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room Finding New Joy in the Carols with Elizabeth Rice Handford The Christmas carol Joy to the World begins so sweetly: Joy to the World! The Lord has come! Let earth receive her King! Except that’s not what happened when Jesus came. The...
Away In A Manger
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me for ever, And love me, I pray. Finding New Joy in Christmas Carols with Elizabeth Rice Handford Son John, four years old, came running into the kitchen, shouting eagerly, “Mother! Mother, you were wrong! There is...
