The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Media Ministries, Inc.
101 N. 2nd Street, Suite 200
West Monroe, LA 71291
Office Phone: (318) 387-1230
Studio Line/Text Line: (318) 651-8870
Mailing Address:
PO Box 3265
Monroe, LA 71210

Bloom Where You’re Planted
Daily Devotional, Sarah HallI don’t know why I thought keeping plants alive would be easy. Water, sunlight, and a little love—how hard could it be?
I envisioned a home filled with thriving greenery and blooming flowers. So, I headed to the store to buy all the supplies: pots, soil, a watering can, and a few plants I had no idea how to care for.
But I was confident I would become a plant mom in no time.
But as you might guess, things didn’t go as planned. I either watered them too much or too little, put them in too much sun or not enough. Despite my best efforts, a few of them started to wither.
I felt a little defeated—why was this so hard?
After doing a little research, I quickly realized my mistake. I had not taken the time to learn what each plant needed to grow. Some love sunlight, and some love shade. Some want constant watering, while others prefer dry soil. I had been treating them all the same—assuming what worked for one should work for another.
Life with God isn’t so different. How often do I make my plans, set my expectations, and assume things should grow a certain way? But when something withers—when relationships change, when opportunities don’t work out, or when life takes an unexpected turn—I feel lost.
But God is the Master Gardener, not me.
He knows exactly what He’s doing. Sometimes He prunes things I thought were good. Sometimes, He allows seasons of waiting, where nothing seems to be happening. And sometimes, He uproots me entirely and plants me somewhere unexpected. Just like with my plants, I may not always understand why—but that does not mean He isn’t working in my life.
Maybe you are in a season of your life that does not make sense. Can I encourage you?
Trust the Gardener. After all, a plant can’t see the full picture—but it does not have to. It simply needs to trust that the gardener knows how to make it bloom.
The Road Back To Peace
Daily Devotional, Heart of the ArtistMy son tugged at my shirt, his tear-streaked face looking up at me, searching for reassurance. I bent down, wrapping him in my arms.
“It’s gonna be okay, honey,” I whispered.
And the second I said it, I felt the weight of those words. Because I remembered a time when I was not so sure.
I grew up in church. I knew all the right things to say and all the right things to believe. But when I got hurt—really hurt—by people who claimed to follow Jesus, it shook something in me. Suddenly, I didn’t feel safe anymore.
By the time I got to college, I wasn’t sure what I believed. I listened as people dissected faith, calling it outdated. And little by little, I started wondering if maybe they were right.
So I went looking for the truth.
I read, studied, and explored different religions, hoping one of them would bring me peace. But the more I searched, the more lost I felt.
And then, one night, I hit my lowest point.
I was tired. Empty. Done. And in that moment, with nothing left to give, I prayed the most desperate prayer of my life.
“Jesus, if You are real, I need You.”
And in that moment, I knew. He was there restoring and uplifting me.
It wasn’t an argument that convinced me. It wasn’t a philosophy that finally made sense. It was a peace that wrapped around me that could only have come from Him.
Now, holding my son, I breathed in that same peace, kissed his forehead, and whispered again.
“It’s gonna be okay, honey.”
And I knew, beyond any doubt, that it really would be.
— Tasha Layton
Lyrics “Never”
Verse 1
When this broken world is breaking me down
When my tears and knees both fall to the ground
When my questions make me doubt You more than ever
You remind me that Your answer is always “never…”
Chorus
Never forgotten
Never forsaken
Never abandoned
Not for a second
I am safe in Your hands
Always and forever
You’re never not working
My heart is the proof
There’s not a broken too broken for You
Will there ever come a day when You’re not holding me together?
You say “never”
Verse 2
Every single time I look back I see
There’s never been a promise You didn’t keep
You don’t waste the wounds, You use them for the better
When it comes to You Your answer’s always, “never ”
REPEAT CHORUS
Bridge
You never let me down
No, You never let me down
When did You ever let me down?
Never, No Never
You never let me down
No, You never let me down
When did You ever let me down?
Never
REPEAT CHORUS
Outro
You say “never”
You say “never”
You never let me down
When did you ever let me down?
Oh, never
Never!
Written by Tasha Layton, AJ Pruis, Keith Everette Smith, Matthew West
From Hardship to Hope
Daily Devotional, Stories About SongsAlbert Brumley had been working since sunrise, and he felt every minute of it. His back ached. His hands were raw. His mind ran in circles, weighed down by worries that had nothing to do with the field in front of him. The country was in crisis, people were struggling, and the work never seemed to end.
He exhaled hard and pressed his palm against the plow. Lord, how much longer?
That was when he saw it—a bird lifting off the fencepost. One beat of its wings and it was free, soaring higher and higher, carried by nothing but the wind.
Something deep in his chest cracked open. That’s what I want. To be lifted. To escape this heaviness.
He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling this way. He saw it in the faces around him—people carrying more than they could bear, pushing forward because they had no other choice. But what if there was something greater waiting beyond all of this? What if one day, every burden would be lifted?
That longing didn’t leave him. It stayed with him as he worked, as he walked, as he hummed a tune under his breath. A song was forming.
By the time he got home, he was writing as fast as his hands could move. That simple song—born from sweat and struggle—would go on to bring comfort to millions. It would be sung in churches, at funerals, in quiet moments when hope felt far away.
Because it wasn’t just a song. It was a promise.
Some glad morning, when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah, by and by
I’ll fly away
If your heart is tired, if the weight feels too much, remember this: it won’t last forever. God has prepared a place where every burden is lifted. Hold on—because on the horizon, joy is coming.
LYRICS
Some bright morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away
CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away
When the shadows of this life have gone
I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly
I’ll fly away
CHORUS
Oh, how glad and happy when we meet
I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I’ll fly away
CHORUS
Just a few more weary days and then
I’ll fly away
To a land where joys will never end
I’ll fly away
CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away