The Connection Corner

A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.

Love In the Diaper Aisle

1 Peter 1:22 — You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

The first time I ran into my pastor in public, I was pushing a shopping cart through Walmart like a madman.

I had a short list and was moving as fast as only a dad with a newborn can.

Sarah and I had just welcomed our baby girl, Reese.

Those first days were wonderful and exhausting, and suddenly, I had a profound interest in the price of diapers.

Then I looked up from my list and saw my pastor.

He lit up and asked how we were doing. Then he asked about the little one, too.

And he listened.

He acted like I was the most important person in the room.

We said goodbye, and I went home to the usual newborn festivities:

Bottles.

Diapers.

Crying.

Repeat.

Then my phone buzzed.

It was an Apple Pay notification from my pastor.

In the comments, he had written, “Hey David, it was great to see you. Congrats on your sweet girl. Love y’all!”

And underneath the message was a fifty-dollar gift.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

Fifty dollars goes a long way.

But that’s not what touched me the most.

It was that he didn’t have to send it.

He had already stopped.

He had already listened.

He had already filled my cup with care.

But he thought about us after we walked away.

And that meant something.

Boy, oh boy, that’s something.

Scripture tells us to love one another deeply, from the heart.

And that’s what I experienced that day.

Love that noticed.

Love that remembered.

Love that went the extra mile when it didn’t have to.

Sometimes love looks remarkably ordinary.

It looks like stopping in the frozen-food aisle at Walmart.

It looks like asking someone how they’re really doing.

It looks like remembering their name, checking in later, bringing dinner, sending a text, or simply letting someone know, “I’m thinking about you.”

But I want to encourage you today:

Don’t let love stop at the moment.

If someone crosses your path, pay attention.

If someone tells you they’re struggling, remember.

If someone needs encouragement, take the extra step.

Because a little bit of love can have remarkable power to say:

You are seen.
You are loved.
And you don’t have to carry this alone.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Can you remember a time when someone showed you unexpected love or kindness? What did that simple act mean to you?
Who is someone God may be putting on your heart today that you could encourage with one small act of love?
Do you tend to let moments of connection end when the conversation ends, or do you look for ways to follow up and continue showing care?
What does “love each other deeply with all your heart” look like in your relationships right now?
Is there someone in your life who needs to hear, “You are seen. You are loved. You don’t have to carry this alone”? What could you do to help them know it?

QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY

Who can I love a little more deeply today—not just with my words, but with one intentional act of kindness?

October 8, 2026/by David Hall

Smoke in the Kitchen

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

1 Peter 4:8 — Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Are you a pumpkin spice and everything nice kind of person?

I’ll admit it.

I am.

But it’s not the lattes for me.

When it comes to pumpkin, I’m more like the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin cookies.

Pumpkin muffins.

If there’s a recipe that pumpkin can go in, I’m liable to try it.

So when I invited some friends over, I decided I was going to make one of my famous pumpkin pies.

And y’all, I had the whole thing planned.

Good food.

Good company.

A beautiful pie coming out of the oven.

Except there was one little problem.

I forgot about the pie.

We got to talking, laughing, and catching up on life, and before long, I started to smell…

Burnt crust.

That pie had gone from pumpkin spice to charcoal.

I was so embarrassed.

But do you know what?

My friends didn’t care.

They laughed about it and told me that none of them needed a perfect pie.

They came because they wanted to spend time with me.

And that put me in tears.

Because I put so much pressure on myself to say the right thing, serve the right food, and make all the right impressions.

Meanwhile, the people I love were just grateful to be standing in my kitchen…

Smoke and all.

And maybe that’s what good friends do.

They don’t make your mistakes bigger than they are.

They don’t let one failure overshadow the whole evening.

They give you grace.

They just love you.

And that makes me think about 1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

That kind of love doesn’t mean pretending mistakes don’t matter.

It means we don’t keep score.

We don’t hold every failure over someone’s head.

We make room for grace.

And I think we all need a little more love like that this fall.

Maybe we could give ourselves—and each other—a little more room for imperfect moments.

So burn the pie.

Say the wrong thing.

Forget something important.

Get pumpkin everywhere, if you will.

And then…

love people well.

Because when love is around the table, there’s room for grace, too.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Where do you put pressure on yourself to be perfect instead of simply being present with the people you love?
Who is someone who has given you grace when you messed up? What did their response mean to you?
Is there someone whose mistakes you may be holding onto a little too tightly? What would it look like to give them more grace?
What would change in your relationships if you stopped keeping score of every offense and chose to love people more earnestly?
Where do you need to receive grace for yourself instead of continuing to punish yourself for something that went wrong?

QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY

Where can I choose grace today instead of keeping score?

October 7, 2026/by Tammi Arender

The Sound Of Perseverance

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

Galatians 6:9 — “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Have you ever been told “no” so many times that you start believing it?

Well, don’t give up.

Before Lainey Wilson became a country music superstar, she heard “no” a lot.

In fact, she auditioned for The Voice seven different times.

Seven.

And she never even made it to the blind auditions.

But she kept going.

She kept writing songs. She kept performing. She kept knocking on doors.

And eventually, the girl who couldn’t get past the audition process became a country music superstar.

That’s quite a story.

But I think there’s something important we can miss if we only look at the ending.

Sometimes we look back at a story like Lainey’s and think, “Well, of course she kept going. Look how it turned out.”

But she didn’t know that.

She couldn’t see the ending.

She just knew she wasn’t finished.

And that’s where this gets personal.

Maybe you’ve been praying about something for a long time.

Maybe you’ve heard “no” more times than you can count.

Maybe you’re doing the right things, staying faithful, loving people, praying, serving—and still wondering if anything is actually happening.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Notice what Paul doesn’t say.

He doesn’t say you’ll see the harvest immediately.

He says “at just the right time.”

God sees what you can’t see yet.

So keep showing up.

Keep praying.

Keep doing the good things God has put in front of you.

You may not be able to see what He’s doing yet, but don’t mistake a season without visible results for a season without purpose.

Something can be growing long before you can see it.

So, friend, if you’re tired today, take a breath.

You have a lot going for you.

Keep sowing.

Keep trusting.

Keep doing good.

And whatever you do…

Don’t give up.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Where in your life are you tempted to give up because you haven’t seen the results you hoped for?
Have you ever looked back and realized that something God was doing took much longer than you expected? What did you learn from that season?
What “no” have you heard so many times that you’ve started believing it defines what is possible for you?
What good thing is God asking you to keep doing even though you can’t see the harvest yet?
What would it look like for you to keep trusting God’s timing instead of measuring His faithfulness by what you can see today?