The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
Stuck In Your Head Again?August 26, 2026 - 7:00 am
When Jesus Rewrites Your StoryAugust 25, 2026 - 7:00 am
Dare To Dream AgainAugust 24, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Fight Nobody SeesAugust 23, 2026 - 7:00 am
Still Breathing, Still CalledAugust 22, 2026 - 7:00 am
Look How Far You’ve ComeAugust 21, 2026 - 7:00 am
Don’t Let Them Stop YouAugust 20, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Seeds You Never SeeAugust 19, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Secret to Spiritual GrowthAugust 18, 2026 - 7:00 am
Change Is Here, Now What?August 17, 2026 - 7:00 am
HEART OF THE ARTIST
Meet Me in the ValleyAugust 9, 2026 - 7:00 am
Holding on Through HeartbreakJuly 5, 2026 - 7:00 am
Faith That Falls ForwardJune 18, 2026 - 7:00 am
From Dusty Bibles to Daily BreadJune 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
Leaving No SurvivorsJune 7, 2026 - 7:00 am
STORIES ABOUT SONGS
- The Fight Nobody SeesAugust 23, 2026 - 7:00 am
One Way Through the ChaosJuly 26, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Gospel Still Changes EverythingJuly 12, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Beauty in the Broken RoadJune 28, 2026 - 7:00 am- From Dusty Bibles to Daily BreadJune 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
Stories About Songs
- The Fight Nobody SeesAugust 23, 2026 - 7:00 am
- One Way Through the ChaosJuly 26, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Gospel Still Changes EverythingJuly 12, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Beauty in the Broken RoadJune 28, 2026 - 7:00 am
- From Dusty Bibles to Daily BreadJune 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
What Really Grows in the Dirt
Daily Devotional, Denise PaganoSummer gardens are wild to me.
You can always tell which plants are healthy by the roots.
The flowers might look beautiful for a little while, but if the roots are weak, eventually the summer heat exposes it.
My son Jeffrey and his wife Katelyn’s church is going through a series right now called “Rooted,” and I just love that title because, honestly…
It’s something all of us need.
A lot of us spend more time trying to look okay than actually becoming okay.
We want the right image.
The right vibe.
The approval of the people around us.
But God never asked us to build our lives from the surface down.
He invites us to build from the roots up.
That’s why Paul writes, “Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.”
Roots aren’t exciting.
You don’t see them.
But they’re what keep a tree standing when the wind starts blowing.
The same is true for us.
When our lives are rooted in Jesus, we find strength that doesn’t depend on our circumstances.
Hard seasons still come.
Anxiety still happens.
Disappointment still hurts.
But rooted people don’t fall apart every time life gets difficult because their foundation goes deeper than their feelings.
Maybe that’s what God wants for you today.
Not just a better-looking life.
A deeper one.
So instead of asking,
“How do I look?”
Maybe ask,
“What am I rooted in?”
Because the strongest faith usually grows underground before anyone else ever sees it.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Break Away, Find God
Bri Dunn, Daily DevotionalDon’t forget to take care of you. Even Jesus went off to pray.
And I’m so moved by that.
Jesus walked with His disciples all the time. He was constantly surrounded, constantly needed, and yet there were moments when He would look at them and say…
“Stay here. I mean it. You pray over there, and I’m going to go over here. I’ve got to spend time with My Father.”
It sounds funny, but I think that’s so good.
We love the idea of being available, being helpful, and being everything for everyone. But even Jesus—fully God, fully present, and fully loved—did not live life with constant access.
He stepped away on purpose, not by accident.
James writes, “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” In other words, no matter what season you’re in, your first response is to bring it to God.
Jesus modeled exactly that.
He needed those quiet moments with the Father, not because He lacked strength, but because He showed us where true strength comes from.
So, I hope you’ll take this to heart. It’s okay to take time for you and the Lord.
It’s not selfish. It’s not extra. It’s necessary.
Honestly, I think a lot of us are worn thin because we skipped that part. We kept pouring out without getting filled back up. But rest isn’t a reward for being done. It’s part of being faithful.
There’s a rhythm to life and spiritual health, so let’s follow His example.
Maybe the holiest thing you could do today is step away.
Just you. And the Father.
Pray if you’re hurting. Praise Him if you’re rejoicing.
And come back whole.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Protect What God Is Growing
Daily Devotional, Tammi ArenderThe Bible tells us to guard our hearts, and lately I’ve realized I apparently need to guard my strawberries too.
Yeah, I planted this little strawberry patch in my backyard, and I live in town, okay? I’ve babied those things and encouraged them like they were family members.
But I walked out there in the morning, and just before they turned that perfect shade of red, some little critter had already come in during the night and eaten the whole thing… or just taken a bite out of it. And I was so frustrated.
Now I’m basically a detective going, “Okay, wait a minute. Was that a squirrel, a bird, a raccoon, or somebody’s freeloading cousin?”
But then it hit me: I’m not upset just because the strawberries are gone. I’m upset because something keeps getting to what’s growing.
Isn’t that true of our hearts too? What grows unguarded rarely grows unharmed.
Just like we protect things that are growing, the seemingly small negative influences can quietly steal our joy. Fear, bitterness, jealousy, and resentment. They don’t usually show up all at once. They sneak in a little at a time and start taking bites out of the good things God is growing in us.
That’s why Scripture tells us to watch over the wellspring of our lives, because everything else flows from there. Guard the source, and you’ll protect the fruit.
So maybe today, before you go looking for what’s wrong around you, just ask what’s been nibbling away at your heart. Then you can deal with it before it steals any more joy.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT