The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
Hope in Life’s RiptidesAugust 6, 2026 - 7:00 am
Kindness Delivered to Your DoorAugust 5, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Greener Grass TrapAugust 4, 2026 - 7:00 am
Fireworks Fade, Freedom LastsAugust 3, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Power of a PauseAugust 2, 2026 - 7:00 am
What To Do with Unanswered PrayersAugust 1, 2026 - 7:00 am
Rescued From Life’s RiptideJuly 31, 2026 - 7:00 am
Clear Truth in an Upside-Down WorldJuly 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
Wisdom Works When You ListenJuly 29, 2026 - 7:00 am
Trusting God in the FreefallJuly 28, 2026 - 7:00 am
HEART OF THE ARTIST
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
When Joy Fills RoomsMay 31, 2026 - 7:00 am
STORIES ABOUT SONGS
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
- Leaving No SurvivorsJune 7, 2026 - 7:00 am
Stories About Songs
- 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
- Leaving No SurvivorsJune 7, 2026 - 7:00 am
Rainy Days to Redemption
Brenda Price, Daily DevotionalSeventeen years ago is when I hit rock bottom. I was addicted to drugs and far from Jesus. Those were my rainy days. And you know, rainy days… they have a way of doing something to you. They strip you down. They show you what’s real.
I was a crazy party girl. And somehow, that’s the very place where everything started changing. Not all at once—but enough for God to get my attention.
I heard someone say once that the valley of weeping is what we must pass through on our way to God. And oh boy… I lived there for a while. Long enough to know what it feels like when the tears don’t fix anything. Long enough to know what it feels like to be completely empty.
But when I look back now, I can see it—God was pursuing me the whole time.
People ask me if I would change anything. And it sounds crazy, but no… I wouldn’t. Because it was there—in that lowest place—that everything changed.
When I almost died from an accidental overdose, I was in a coma. The doctors said I wasn’t going to make it. I opened my eyes just long enough to see my brother saying goodbye to me.
But Jesus had other plans. And in that moment—somewhere between life and death—He came to me.
Clear, personal, and close.
He asked me, “Are you done?”
I knew exactly what He meant.
I said, “Oh yes. I am.” Because I was. Done running, done numbing, and surviving the very life that was killing me.
And I woke up. Not just physically. Something deeper than that. Something I can’t fully explain, but I know it when I see it now.
Ever since then, my life has been different. Not perfect, but different. There’s a gratitude in me now that I didn’t have before. There’s a kind of love in me now that runs deeper than emotion—like my whole life finally has direction.
And when I think about it, it’s like my heart learned how to thank God from the inside out because I was rescued from a place I couldn’t escape on my own.
And He can do that for you too.
Maybe things in your life aren’t as extreme as mine were… or maybe they are. Maybe something in you feels like it’s flatlining. But here’s what I know.
There is no place too far gone for Jesus to step in, no life too broken for Him to restore when you finally surrender it to Him. So, if there’s anything you’ve been trying to manage, numb, or outrun… you don’t have to carry it anymore.
Sometimes the simplest surrender looks like “I’m done.”
And right there—in that surrendered place—He meets you.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Faith in the In-Between
Brendan McClain, Daily DevotionalMy wife and I were standing on the highest peak of Tijuana, Mexico. There we experienced a breathtaking view of the city—and the gravity of deep disappointment settling in our chests.
We had spent the last year preparing to serve as missionaries in Central America. We met with teams and stepped forward, desiring to discern God’s call.
Yet despite our desire for the nations, doors closed in three different countries, leaving us in a season of waiting and uncertainty.
But how do you respond when a door shuts? What do you do when you’re trying to be obedient, and things don’t work out how you expected?
In the book of Nehemiah, we see a man burdened with vision. But in humility, he bowed low under the weight of God’s providence. Nehemiah’s conviction did not drive him to force outcomes; it drove him to his knees.
Just like Nehemiah, the calling of God is rarely the version we sketch in our minds. Instead, the calling is surrender—no matter the outcome. So, we pray. We fast, and we stay near to God as we walk with Him.
Because we don’t hold the vision—He does.
And here’s the comforting thing we were learning. God knows our dreams and passions. He has not ignored them or cast them aside. In His remarkable wisdom, He weaves His sovereign plans together with the desires He Himself put inside us.
So, when we sense a call, we remain faithful.
When a door closes, we remain faithful.
And we wait patiently for the Lord. We choose to be brave despite the outcome.
Because God is never confused.
He can redirect our future more beautifully than we could ever imagine.
In the words of a seasoned missionary, “God is faithful to finish the work He starts—not necessarily the works we start. So, stay obedient, my friend.”
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Let Go of What Can’t Love You
Daily Devotional, Denise PaganoI read something this week that made me go, “Huh?”
So, there was a study out of Arizona State University that looked at something called “material possession love.” They interviewed people about their favorite cars, computers, bicycles—even collectibles—and discovered that some weren’t just enjoying their stuff.
They were actually emotionally attached to it—giving it more time, attention, and affection than actual human beings. And honestly, I think that tracks, because we live in a world where people make a big deal out of stuff.
Your sneakers, your cars, your brand—none of those things are bad. But here’s the quiet danger. Possessions never talk back. They never disappoint you. They don’t require forgiveness. They don’t challenge you. They just… sit there and make you feel in control.
And that’s exactly why they’re so easy to love more than the things that actually matter.
In the Bible, when Solomon looked at everything he had built and accumulated (and he was the wisest and richest man that ever lived) he called it meaningless… a chasing after the wind.
Because stuff can be impressive, but it can’t love you back. Your phone won’t pray for you. Your car won’t sit with you when your heart is breaking. Only people can do that.
And more importantly, only God can. He can fill those deep places in your soul that keep reaching for something more.
Because nothing in this world—no possession, status, or achievement—was ever designed to carry the weight of your heart.
So, this is my hope…that your love would overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in the good stuff. Live for the things that really matter so you can live wisely until Jesus comes back.
You were never meant to love things more than people, or anything more than the God who loved you first. Today there’s an invitation to loosen your grip on what can’t love you back, and to turn your heart toward the One who can. Let your love land where it was always meant to—on people and on the God who loved you first.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT