Devotionals

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford I was dismayed when I opened my front door to a woman who came to me for counsel.Her face was a taut mask of pain and grief like I’d seldom seen. I hadn’t met her before, and I had no idea of her need. But she could...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford When I was a child, and Mother was making biscuits, I would read again the line that was printed on every bag of General Mills Gold Medal Flour. It intrigued me so. It was only three words: “Why not now?” I was deeply...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford Have you ever felt like your world had collapsed, and that God has forgotten you? I remember a Sunday when the Rice family gathered at Mother’s and Daddy’s house for dinner in Wheaton. My sister Grace and her husband...

A Word of Encouragement with Elizabeth Rice Handford Schatzi: Chicago? A beautiful day? And rain? When I let Schatzi out the other morning, I said, “Schatzi, it’s a beautiful day in Chicago.” My long-haired dachshund looked up in surprise. This was the Carolinas, not...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford In the current political campaigns, I’ve heard words that if I’d had the temerity to use at home, my mother would have washed my mouth out with a big bar of lye soap. Of course the candidates of both parties...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford The newspaper columnist “Dear Abby” recently published a letter from a man complaining of the stresses in his life and asking, “Don’t I have a right to a stress-free life?” He craved the approval of his family about...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “The clerks in that store are so rude,” a woman said to me. “Everybody in the whole world is rude—the bank, the post office, the social security office. Everywhere I go people are ugly.” I didn’t answer her, because...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford My sweet little granddaughter Tiffani sat beside me in her car seat, as we were coming home from a doctor’s appointment. She was fascinated watching the busy traffic on 291. Suddenly she squealed, “There’s ’Donalds!...

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford I’m a firm believer in making lists of things I need to do. I’m so good at it that often my lists cover a whole page. And, occasionally, just to make me feel good about checking items off the list, I add the things...

A Word of Encouragement with Elizabeth Rice Handford The part I loved best about being principal of a Christian school was the sweet conversations I had with the children. (The part I liked least was disciplining other people’s children!) I struck up a conversation...