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
Having Fun is Serious Business
Daily Devotional, Tammi ArenderI think we need to get serious about having fun.
Somewhere along the way, adulthood started to feel like a slow stacking of weight. Things like bills, responsibilities, taking care of the kids, then our parents, deadlines, and expectations pulling at us.
Before long, it’s like life has quietly taken the life right out of us. Not all at once. Just little by little, until laughter feels like something we used to do.
Think about it for a second. What did you love to do as a kid? The kind of things you wouldn’t suggest doing now because it feels… a little childlike.
Maybe it’s a waterpark. Go-karts. Putt-putt. What about riding a horse?
Here’s the thing. You still could do those things!
It’s kind of sad that we feel like we have to carve out time on our calendars just to have fun, but the truth is, we were designed to live lives full of joy. We were meant to live with a childlike sense of wonder and joy.
Researchers say laughing is like “jogging on the inside.” It’s cardio for your core.
Researchers say laughing is like “jogging on the inside.” It lowers stress, engages your body, and reminds you that joy isn’t frivolous—it’s restorative.
Because joy was never meant to be separate from a faith filled life. It was meant to sustain it.
The strength you need from God won’t always come from pushing harder. It often comes from receiving the joy He gives. I’m not talking about a shallow escape or avoiding responsibility, but I’m talking about a steady, rooted gladness that reminds you God is still good in the middle of real life.
Because the God who calls you to faithfulness also invites you to joy. So maybe this isn’t about adding something extra to your life. Maybe it’s about returning to something you were never meant to lose.
Take the trip to the waterpark. Play a round of putt-putt. Laugh until your stomach hurts. Not because you’re ignoring life’s responsibilities, but because you’re remembering that God is still good.
And when you do, you may discover something surprising: joy isn’t a distraction from the life God has given you. It’s one of the ways He gives you strength to keep living it.
The joy of the Lord really is your strength.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Pause Before You Post
Bri Dunn, Daily DevotionalSometimes the best thing you can do is close the laptop.
You can feel it when it’s time. You’re halfway through typing a response on social media when you notice your jaw a little too tight and your head is hurting.
It’s easy to get that way. Online you see this group fighting against that group. Everyone is an expert. Everybody wants to be heard, and before long, you feel the urge to jump in, take a side, and say something too.
But sometimes I see it all unfolding and think, Lord… this is not the way.
Because when I’m overwhelmed, overstimulated, or frustrated, I don’t always say the best things. I speak too quickly. I react, and that doesn’t bring life.
So, I’ve learned, as unnatural as it feels, to just close my device and go spend time with real people. At home, in a coffee shop…it doesn’t matter. I’ve realized that a real conversation is better than a comment section.
Sometimes I’ll do that. Other times, I’ll open my Bible. Better yet, I’ll do both.
There is simply something about sitting with Jesus that brings peace. His word says, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”
When your soul is shouting, wisdom sometimes sounds like stepping back instead of speaking up. It looks more like leaning in than lashing out.
If you’ve been overwhelmed lately, maybe it’s worth taking a day off the internet. Sit with someone you love. Say good things. Laugh at something simple and do something that’s actually good for your soul.
Because in the end, the noise online may not stop, but you can still choose which voices get to shape you.
And sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is close the laptop, open your Bible, and let the voice of Jesus be the loudest one in the room.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
No Rebrand Required
Daily Devotional, Denise PaganoSo, I need to talk to you about my sweet puppy, Porsche, because apparently she is reinventing herself.
Out of nowhere—and I mean out of nowhere—this dog has decided she likes to bury bones. We’ve lived in this house for years. She’s had bones her entire one-year of existence. Never once has she thought, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to act like a squirrel and prepare for winter. But this week? She’s outside digging.
I mean digging.
And I’m standing there, a full-grown, fifty-something woman, watching my dog have what I can only describe as a personality rebrand. She digs the hole, places the bone in it, covers it dramatically, steps back proudly, and then five minutes later, she forgets where she put it.
Now she’s pacing the yard like somebody betrayed her. Meanwhile, I am over here using the same casserole dish from 1998.
But there is One who doesn’t wake up reinventing Himself.
God doesn’t have mood swings or forget His promises like they’re buried somewhere out of reach. What He says stands. What He starts, He doesn’t abandon.
God is not like me or Porsche—He is steady.
And maybe that’s what you need to remember today.
Because life changes. People change. Plans change. Some days, even you don’t feel like the same person you were a week ago.
But God doesn’t change.
The same God who was faithful yesterday will be faithful today. The promises He made haven’t expired. The love He showed you hasn’t diminished. The grace He offered hasn’t run dry.
Numbers reminds us that God does not lie or change His mind. If He says He will be with you, He will. If He says He loves you, He does. If He says He is working, even when you can’t see it, He is.
If you’re anything like me, that’s comforting. Because while the rest of us are constantly changing, God never needs a rebrand.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT