The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
When Truth Turns the Car AroundMarch 6, 2026 - 7:00 am- Coffee‑Sized CompassionMarch 5, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Kindness That CarriesMarch 4, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Faith in the Field, Encourage BoldlyMarch 3, 2026 - 7:00 am
- One Song of HopeMarch 2, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Overwhelmed by GraceMarch 1, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Words Hurt, Truth HealsFebruary 28, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Hold Tight to What Matters MostFebruary 27, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Hooked on the Wrong ThingsFebruary 26, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Power With a PurposeFebruary 25, 2026 - 7:00 am
Heart of the Artist
- Words Hurt, Truth HealsFebruary 28, 2026 - 7:00 am
- When Differences Become GiftsFebruary 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Holding On During Hard DaysJanuary 31, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Redeemer in the RuinsJanuary 24, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Jericho in My RearviewJanuary 18, 2026 - 7:00 am
Stories About Songs
- Words Hurt, Truth HealsFebruary 28, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Shepherd and the Black SheepFebruary 15, 2026 - 7:00 am
- When Differences Become GiftsFebruary 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Holding On During Hard DaysJanuary 31, 2026 - 7:00 am
- Redeemer in the RuinsJanuary 24, 2026 - 7:00 am
Raw Worship, Real Faith
Daily Devotional, Stories About SongsRich Mullins was the kind of guy who showed up to concerts barefoot.
He was not trying to be a rebel—this was just who he was. He couldn’t pretend.
That honesty did not always sit well in the Christian music industry. People wanted polished radio hits and predictable melodies. But Rich’s songs did not fit. His lyrics were jagged prayers, full of doubt, struggle, and desperate longing.
He was disillusioned by what the industry told him to be. Faith, for him, was not about tidying yourself up for God. It was about being raw and honest about a messy life while clinging to a perfect Savior. Were people finding God in all of this, or settling for something shallow?
It felt too clean, too put together. He was not sure he believed in that kind of faith. Jesus had calloused hands. He sat in the dirt. He wept, raged, bled. That was the Savior Rich wanted to sing about, and if it did not sell? Fine. He was tired of worship that felt like a performance.
So he wrote like he prayed—messy, unfiltered, honest.
One day, he scribbled out “Our God is an awesome God.” It was not a masterpiece. It was not even his favorite song. But he meant it.
Somehow, the song caught fire. People sang it in churches and youth groups. It belonged to the brokenhearted, the tired, the messy believers who needed to remember that God was still mighty and still good.
But if you asked Rich, he never saw the song—or his music—as a success story. Success was not standing on a stage. It was not record sales or industry approval. It was a life lived honestly before God. A worship that was not a performance but a hallelujah rising from the dust.
And maybe that is the real takeaway. Worship is not about looking good or sounding right. It is about showing up—barefoot, broken, unsure—and offering everything you have, knowing God is worthy of it all.
Awesome God Story
Rich Mullins’ Awesome God is one of the most beloved anthems in contemporary Christian music, known for its simple yet powerful declaration of God’s greatness. Written in the late 1980s, the song was inspired by Mullins’ deep reverence for God’s majesty and his desire to create a song that would stir people to worship. The verses paint vivid images of God’s power and justice, while the chorus triumphantly proclaims, “Our God is an awesome God!”—a line that has echoed through churches and worship gatherings for decades.
Interestingly, Mullins himself once said, “You know, the thing I like about ‘Awesome God’ is that it’s one of the worst-written songs that I ever wrote; it’s just poorly crafted.” But he went on to explain that sometimes, the message is more important than the craftsmanship. Rather than focusing on crafting the perfect song, he wanted to write something that would make people respond—not to the song, but to the truth of who God is.
That’s exactly why Awesome God has endured as a church anthem. The melody is easy to sing, making it perfect for congregational worship, while the lyrics are a bold reminder of God’s sovereignty and grace. Even though Mullins was known for his poetic and often introspective songwriting, this song stands out as a direct and universal declaration of faith. It’s a song that unites believers, young and old, in a shared moment of praise—one that continues to resonate in hearts long after the music fades.
Awesome God
COMLETE LYRICS TO SONG
When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain’t just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There’s thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(Our God is an awesome God)
And the Lord wasn’t joking
When He kicked ’em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason
That He shed His blood
His return is very close
And so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
And when the sky was starless
In the void of the night
(Our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light
(Our God is an awesome God)
Judgment and wrath He poured out on the Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that you have not
Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
God’s Mercy in my Mess
Bri Dunn, Daily Devotional, UncategorizedThose early postpartum days felt like a blur. My baby Lennox was everything I had dreamed of, but somewhere between sleepless nights and diaper changes my house became, well, a nightmare.
Laundry draped over chairs, dishes filled on the edge of the sink, and the floor? Let’s just say I was not winning any cleaning awards. I hated how my house looked—and how I felt living in it. Truth be told, I could not keep up. I did not have the energy, and that only made me feel worse.
One afternoon, a message lit up my phone: “Hey,” my friend wrote, “we know how overwhelming those early baby days can be. We’d like to gift you a professional house cleaning.”
I stared at my phone, mortified. Let strangers into this mess? But before I could decline, another text followed.
“It’s okay,” she assured me. “This is what friends are for.”
When the cleaning team arrived, I felt like hiding. For three hours, they scrubbed, dusted, and tackled every corner. My husband and I apologized repeatedly, but they just smiled. “This is what we do,” they said. “We’re happy to help.”
This whole experience reminded me of God. How many times had I tried to hide my life’s mess from Him, thinking I needed to fix it first? Yet, every time, He steps into the chaos and does what I cannot.
God is the friend who steps into our chaos and says, “Let Me take care of this.” He doesn’t ask us to fix it first. He doesn’t wait until we are presentable. He meets us right in the middle of our mess and lovingly makes us whole again. It is not because we deserve it. It is because He is rich in mercy.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your life’s mess today, know this: you do not have to face it alone. God’s love can transform anything. So, let Him in. Let Him show you what grace can do.
Experience God’s Constant Love
Daily Devotional, Lisa WilliamsI love you, I love you, I hate you.
At lunch with a friend, I was describing the confusing relationship I had with my mom. After sharing several stories of painful moments, my friend calmly said, “That’s called ‘I love you, I love you, I hate you.’”
I’d never heard those words put together like that, but they rang true. My friend unpacked it more as we ate lunch, and I realized she was describing my childhood experience.
Later, as I thought about being loved and also very harsh moments throughout my childhood, I realized my marriage had been the same way. Sincere moments of love and care were followed by dishonesty, meanness, and infidelity. The cycle would repeat over and over. I love you, I love you, I hate you.
The more I thought about this, the sadder I became. One Sunday morning while driving, I began to pour out my heart to God. “Father, it doesn’t seem fair that the two most influential relationships of my life have been ‘I love you, I love you, I hate you’.” I repeated myself to God several times, lamenting the pain and confusion of these very close but very difficult relationships.
Then, very clearly, I heard a caring, warm voice say to me:
“I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Tears poured down my face as I pulled my car over. I couldn’t stop crying for over an hour. I knew it was true. He loves us, unconditionally. Hearing this and knowing it was true, I felt healing begin.
Our earthly relationships don’t always reflect the love of God. His love is constant, unwavering, and true. He isn’t reactionary or punishing. He doesn’t withhold His love. His love is lavish, healing, and unwavering.
If you’ve been hurt by a rejecting, confusing “I love you, I love you, I hate you” experience, I’m so sorry. Please know you have a Heavenly Father who is saying to you today:
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.