Devotionals
2021
Why Was My Sweet Dog Schatzi Afraid of Me?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Yesterday I decided to give my long-haired dachshund a bath. She needed a bath like any dog who rolls in the dust after sniffing at odd smells. I called her to come. But she’d seen signs of a bath coming, so she ran...
When You Sing “God Bless America,” Make It a Prayer
A Word of Encouragement with Elizabeth Rice Handford Why do thousands of refugees risk drowning in an unsafe boat or suffocating in a packed airless tractor trailer in an effort to get inside our borders? Why? Because, they see in America a treasure unmatched by any...
“The prisoner disappeared,” the guard said, “While I was busy doing something else!”
A word of encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford The Israeli King Ahab in Bible times wasn’t doing what a good king was supposed to do: helping people do right and punishing evil doers. (The story is told in First Kings, chapter 20.) Instead, King Ahab was “doing...
I Really Need to Know What God Wants Me to Do
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Life throws a lot of choices at us, and sometimes they are more important than we realize. I remember one late evening when I suddenly had to make a life-altering decision by 8:00 o’clock the next morning. I was 18...
Still Thinking About The Eternal Mercies of God
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford We talked our last time together about how comforting God’s merciful forgiveness of our failures is, and how His loving kindness will endure throughout eternity. I remember another time when God extended His mercy...
Our Only Resource After Failure: God’s Mercy
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford The man had betrayed his wife, shamed his friends, lost the respect of his children, disgusted his church family. For the last ten years he has been penitently rebuilding his life, earning back his wife’s love,...
Why Should I Expect Others to Be Perfect When I’m Not?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford The voice on the phone was broken with sobs. “Mrs. Handford, could you come over real quick? My home is falling apart.” Of course I went at once. What horrible tragedy had overcome that precious home? Jane let me in...
Road Rage and a “Soft” Answer
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Woodruff Road in Greenville, last week. Oozing Friday afternoon traffic. Three lanes of bumper to bumper automobiles. A traffic light in our favor but nothing moves because incoming traffic has blocked all lanes....
The Surprising Cure for My Bad Hair Day
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford My bad-hair day began the day my long-time hair dresser told me she was retiring. And that bad-hair day lasted for several weeks while I desperately shopped to replace her. My kids would tell you my hair-do is not...
This Is My Father’s World
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “What do you miss most about your home?” I asked a beautiful young college girl, an exchange student from India. “The food,” she answered promptly. “I miss our wonderful food. Especially curry.” I asked a young...
