The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
The Hot Water TestSeptember 16, 2026 - 7:00 am
Don’t Rehearse The RegretSeptember 15, 2026 - 7:00 am
Look Up, It’s Not OverSeptember 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
Come As You AreSeptember 13, 2026 - 7:00 am
Leave Hope Wherever You GoSeptember 12, 2026 - 7:00 am
United We Still StandSeptember 11, 2026 - 7:00 am
Jesus Cares About That TooSeptember 10, 2026 - 7:00 am
Don’t Judge the Book by its CoverSeptember 9, 2026 - 7:00 am
A Refreshing Plot TwistSeptember 8, 2026 - 7:00 am
Can You Sit with MeSeptember 7, 2026 - 7:00 am
HEART OF THE ARTIST
The Secret to Being BlessedSeptember 6, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Hardest HallelujahAugust 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
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
STORIES ABOUT SONGS
- Come As You AreSeptember 13, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Hardest HallelujahAugust 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
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
Stories About Songs
- Come As You AreSeptember 13, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Hardest HallelujahAugust 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
- 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
Empty Hands, Full Heart
Daily Devotional, Kirstie FordIt was pouring rain the day I left the UPS Store. As I got into my car, I noticed a man sitting under the awning nearby. In that moment, I felt a strong nudge of compassion—one of those quiet impressions that settles in and refuses to leave.
I knew I was supposed to give him something.
The only problem was, I didn’t have any cash.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had something to offer. I looked around my car and saw my Bible resting on the console.
I remember thinking, Surely not my Bible. There has to be something else.
So I searched again.
Nothing.
That’s when I realized the Lord was asking me to give a stranger my Bible.
I took out the notes and keepsakes tucked inside and walked over with it in hand.
His first words were, “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I assured him he hadn’t. Then I explained that I didn’t have any money to give him, but what I was handing him was more valuable than money.
He smiled and told me he had reading glasses in his bag. Then he thanked me and said he was encouraged that someone had thought about him.
The rain kept falling. The moment passed. But on my drive home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
How often do we disqualify ourselves because our hands seem empty?
We look at what we don’t have and forget what Christ has already given us.
Paul understood that. He knew he wasn’t deserving, yet God entrusted him with the endless treasures of Christ and sent him to share them with others.
The same is true for us.
You may not have all the answers. You may not have much to give. But if you know Jesus, you already carry the greatest treasure imaginable.
Sometimes the most meaningful acts of obedience aren’t planned or polished. They simply require us to trust that what God has placed in our hands is enough.
So the next time you feel that quiet nudge to notice someone, encourage someone, or stop and help someone, don’t rush past it.
The thing that feels small in your hands may become something far greater once it’s placed in God’s hands.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Hard Talks and Healthy Hearts
Bri Dunn, Daily DevotionalI think a lot of people hate the C-word.
Conflict.
If we’re honest, most of us would rather avoid it altogether.
But as believers, we can’t just ignore conflict and hope it disappears.
Now, I may be a little unusual. I don’t enjoy tension, but I’ve learned that healthy conflict often leads to healthier relationships. Things tend to get better on the other side of a hard conversation.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Most of us would rather have an argument, let a little time pass, and then pretend it never happened. We grab lunch, change the subject, and hope the awkwardness fades away on its own.
But the Lord gives us a different path.
He tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
There’s so much wisdom in that order.
Before we defend ourselves, we listen. Before we react, we pause. Before anger takes over, we seek understanding.
When we approach conflict that way, something changes. We can love the person in front of us while still standing for what is right and true.
That’s the Jesus way.
And maybe that’s the invitation today—not to rush in with louder words or stronger opinions, but to slow down enough to really hear someone.
Because healthy relationships require both courage and restraint.
After all, healthy conflict rarely hurts relationships.
Avoiding it often does.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
The Beauty in the Broken Road
David Hall, Stories About SongsHave you ever driven through a construction zone and thought, This is such a mess. Who planned this?
Lanes suddenly shift. Orange barrels are everywhere. Traffic slows to a crawl. Dust is flying, and nothing looks finished. Then you come back six months later, and there’s a new road, fresh pavement, and a bridge where there wasn’t one before.
Suddenly, the mess starts making sense.
Peter Burton’s song “Where Would I Be” comes from a deeply personal place, and it reminds me of that kind of roadwork. He has talked openly about his struggles with mental health and how God walked with him through every step of recovery.
He calls the song his testimony—a reminder that Jesus changes everything, and even in the mess, God is still at work.
Maybe that’s why the song hits home for so many people.
It’s your testimony and mine too.
We all have chapters we’d rather skip. Seasons where you felt buried under shame. Choices you wish you could erase. Anxiety, fear, bitterness you didn’t know how to shake.
But then Jesus steps into the mess. He starts breaking ground, healing hearts, doing a deep work in us. And one day you look back and barely recognize who you used to be.
He’s that good.
He’s the God who forgives all your sins, heals your diseases, redeems your life from destruction, and crowns you with love and tender mercies. Don’t forget that.
Because those moments that felt like falling apart were often the very places God was quietly rebuilding you.
And somewhere along the way, you may find yourself asking what Peter Burton asks in the song:
“Where would I be? Where would I be if it wasn’t for the love of God?”
…and honestly, thank God we’ll never know.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Lyrics:
Standing where I stand now
I know that He’s the reason
I almost can’t believe it
Every wrong turn He turned around
and I can just imagine
If it didn’t happen
How it happened
Oh
Seeing how good He’s been to me
Oh
I can’t help but think
Where would I be if I didn’t have Jesus
Pulling me outta that grave
Where would I be if I didn’t have mercy
Pulling me away from my ways
I’d probably crash and burn
Stay stuck down in that dirt
Like a prodigal running from home
Where would I be if I didn’t have Jesus
Thank God, thank God, thank God
I’ll never know
I used to feel the weight
Of the chains that I was holding
Til my savior came and broke em
I used to walk with shame
I was living at a loss
Til he settled up my cost
At the cross
Oh
Giving His life so I could live
Oh
Didn’t leave me where I’ve been
Where would I be if I didn’t have Jesus
Pulling me outta that grave
Where would I be if I didn’t have mercy
Pulling me away from my ways
I’d probably crash and burn
Stay stuck down in that dirt
Like a prodigal running from home
Where would I be if I didn’t have Jesus
Thank God, thank God, thank God
I’ll never know
Thank God
I’ll never know
Where would I be if I didn’t have Jesus
Pulling me outta that grave
Where would I be if I didn’t have mercy
Pulling me away from my ways
I’d probably crash and burn
Stay stuck down in that dirt
Like a prodigal running from home
Where would I be if I didn’t have Jesus
Thank God, thank God, thank God
I’ll never know
Thank God
I’ll never know
Thank God
I’ll never know
Written by Peter Burton, Matt Armstrong, AJ Pruis