Devotionals

2021

“It’s a Beautiful Day in Chicago!”

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...

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Gentlemen, Can’t We at Least Be Civil, Please?

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...

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Do We Have a Right to a Life Free of Stress?

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...

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Why Don’t We Get Along with Each Other?

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...

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“Grampa Has Money,” the Child Said

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!...

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On Making a List of Things I Need to Do

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...

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Don’t Let the Labels Others Pin on You Define You

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...

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Monday’s Eclipse Was Not an Omen of Evil—

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Monday’s eclipse was not a omen of evil, as some predicted. On the contrary, it was visible proof of God’s loving faithfulness and His full control of the beautiful universe He created for us. Monday I watched the...

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Protected by My Almighty God

A Word of Encouragement from Rice Elizabeth Handford Sometimes in life there is absolutely no one, nothing, that can help you except your Almighty God. There are crises in life that no amount of money, no amount of influence, no education or intelligence can solve....

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When God Prompts You to Do Something— Why Not Do It Today?

A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford I woke up one morning this week, feeling that I needed to call a friend who’d been going through a difficult time with her aged husband’s illness. Was it a prompting by God? I thought so. I knew it certainly wasn’t...

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