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
When Grief Keeps Going
Daily Devotional, Tammi ArenderThe air felt thick the moment I stepped out of the car in Start, Louisiana. I came expecting a small-town 5K, but the town had practically doubled in size.
Cars lined the road. People gathered in clusters. And I kept hearing one name—Hillary—spoken like everyone knew her.
That’s when the story started to come into focus. There is a pastor here—Jeff Thomas. He runs to support St. Jude. You see, his daughter, Hillary, died at five months old. She was on her way there for treatment, but she didn’t make it.
And somehow… Pastor Jeff kept running.
Not away from it—but straight through it. For her and for other families.
I saw Pastor Jeff out there running to remember his daughter and help other families. And all around him were others—locals, visitors, and strangers—moving in that same direction.
By the time it was over, I knew this was sacred.
It was about what happens when someone decides to keep going—and entrusts the ache to God. You see, we all carry things. Some of them heavy. Some of them unresolved. But there is a way to keep moving forward. Not by pretending it doesn’t hurt, and not by letting grief define the story, but by holding firmly to the word of God and continuing to live with hope.
And maybe that looks like one more step today. One step toward giving the hard things to a good God who can help you carry them.
And trusting that even now… none of it is in vain.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
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Paddleboards and Praise
Daily Devotional, Heart of the Artist, Stories About SongsIt wasn’t a stage. It wasn’t a writing room.
It was water.
During the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, Chris Tomlin found himself in Montana, sitting alone on a paddleboard in the middle of a still lake at sunset. No noise. No crowd. Just water and silence.
And on that lake, something unsettled him—in a good way.
He became deeply aware of how small he was… and how vast God is.
Not in a crushing way. In a clarifying way.
He had spent years writing songs of deliverance—songs people cling to when they need rescue, grace, and mercy. And those songs matter. Deeply.
But out there on the water, something else was rising.
A different kind of worship song. It was not one that sounded like “God, come through for me,” but “God, you are holy.”
The kind that echoes what’s already been sung long before any of us arrived:
There in that awe-inspiring setting, Chris was reminded of the book of Revelation, where believers from every nation worship before God’s throne crying out, “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God Almighty… for you alone are holy.” He also thought about the angels surrounding God’s throne declaring, “Holy, holy, holy.”
That’s where Holy Forever was born—out of stillness, not striving.
It holds both sides of worship we often separate: the God who rescues us, and the God who stands far above us. Because we need both the God who meets us in our mess, and the same God who reminds us He was never overwhelmed by it at all.
And maybe that’s what your soul needs today—not just rescue, but reverence.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Lyrics:
A thousand generations falling down in worship
To sing the song of ages to the Lamb
And all who’ve gone before us and all who will believe
Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb
Your name is the highest
Your name is the greatest
Your name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions
All powers and positions
Your name stands above them all
And the angels cry, Holy
All creation cries, Holy
You are lifted high, Holy
Holy forever
If you’ve been forgiven and if you’ve been redeemed
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
If you walk in freedom and if you bear His name
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
We’ll sing the song forever and amen
Hear your people sing, Holy
To the King of Kings, Holy
You will always be, Holy
Holy forever
You will always be, Holy
Holy forever
Honey for the Heart
Brenda Price, Daily DevotionalI almost didn’t say anything. She looked polished. She looked confident, like the kind of woman who didn’t need anything from anyone, especially not from me.
But all week long, her name kept coming to mind—in the grocery store, during my quiet time, while folding laundry. When a name won’t leave you alone, it’s often not random—it’s an invitation to respond.
So when I saw her slipping out of church alone, I felt that quiet nudge saying, “Tell her.”
So I did.
I said to her, “I’ve been praying for you. God brought you to mind this week, and I just wanted you to know that you’re not forgotten.”
She smiled politely. She said, “Thank you,” and that was it. But as I watched her walk away, I saw something shift, like her shoulders softened a little—like someone had finally looked past the perfect hair and the smart heels and saw her.
Like a kind word had landed deeper than it sounded, settling in like sweetness where something had once been sour. The right words, offered at the right time, can taste like honey. They reach places we’ll never fully see, bringing comfort, healing, and hope to weary hearts.
That’s why we’re called to encourage each other and carry each other’s burdens. We never know what a small obedience will do, but sometimes the smallest words can speak the loudest love. A simple, obedient act of encouragement can lighten someone’s unseen burdens and quietly reflect Christ’s love.
So when that name comes to mind again, don’t ignore it. Lean into the nudge. Your small act of encouragement may become the very thing God uses to bring healing to someone who desperately needs it.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT