The Connection Corner

A Lesson Beyond the Classroom

Philippians 2:3 — “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

It was hard to get a read on Mr. O’Connor.

He was not mean, exactly; he was just tough. He was the kind of teacher who did not smile unless something was funny, and to him, most things were not.

He was a Vietnam veteran and a numbers guy. His math class was a no-nonsense zone. No one expected warmth from him, nor did he offer any.

“It drives me crazy when people say school should be fun,” he said. “It is nice if it could be, but you cannot make school fun.”

That about summed him up.

So, when senior Pat McGoldrick volunteered to help with a student blood drive and walked into Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, he was not thinking about Mr. O’Connor at all. But the second he mentioned that he went to St. Francis High School, all eyes lit up.

“Oh, you must know Jim O’Connor,” the nurses said. “Isn’t he just the best?”

Pat had to pause. Were they serious?

As far as he knew, “Jim O’Connor” and “the best” had never appeared in the same sentence. Something was clearly missing from his understanding, so he started asking questions.

That was when he found a plaque in the hospital that read, “Jim O’Connor, record blood donor.”

Not only that, but when he was not solving equations or terrifying freshmen, Mr. O’Connor spent three days a week in the hospital nursery. He fed, rocked, and comforted sick babies. He had done this for twenty years.

No one at school had a clue.

He had never been married. He had no children of his own, but you could tell he had fallen in love with those babies. They were his.

And now, Pat could see his math teacher in a whole new light.

“I have always respected him,” he said, “but now it is at a whole different level. I want to emulate him. He is the epitome of a man of service.”

Sometimes, you think you know a person, but you do not have the slightest idea.

Sometimes, you think you are learning calculus.

But the real lesson is love.

And that changes everything.

August 13, 2025/by Bri Dunn

From Frozen to Fearless

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

Deuteronomy 31:6 — “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.”

In elementary school, we held elections where students in the upper grades could run for class positions—president, treasurer, and the like. I was painfully shy, but for some reason, I wanted to be part of it.

I do not remember where the courage came from. I just remember wanting to try. I made a “Vote for Sarah” shirt. I wrote a speech. I practiced it until it felt natural. There was a spark in me—something new. A sense that I had something to say.

When my name was called, I walked to the front of the room and stood at the podium. I looked out at my classmates, took a deep breath, and froze.

My mind went blank. A few jumbled words came out as I turned red with embarrassment.

I felt like I had let myself down in front of everyone.

I carried that moment with me for years. I did not raise my hand in class. I avoided being called on. I assumed I was not meant to speak in front of people.

Then, years later, I sensed God asking me to share my story—the one where I met Jesus. With everything in me, I wanted to make Jesus more famous by sharing how he had saved me, but all I could think about was what might happen if I froze again.

But God kept gently reminding me that His Spirit is not limited by my strengths and weaknesses. If He was calling me, He would give me what I needed.

So, I said yes.

The nerves were still there. but something greater settled in. As I spoke, the fear shrank. Not because I had gotten stronger, but because I was no longer speaking alone.

Afterwards people came and told me how much they related to my story. I stood there, stunned by what God had done through me. Shy Sarah. This was never about how confident I was. It was about what God could do when I chose to be obedient.

So, if you are standing in front of something that makes you afraid but you know God is asking you to do it—say yes anyway. You never know how many people are waiting on the other side of your obedience.

August 12, 2025/by Sarah Hall

The Gift Hiding in Your Faith

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

2 Timothy 1:6 – “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

The day I discovered I could decorate cookies was the kind of day that you press your forehead to the window glass. Cold. Wet. Rainy.

I was little, and let me tell you, growing up, I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. Baking, cooking, anything involving an apron? That just wasn’t my scene. I was the girl with scraped knees and a dirt-smudged ball cap, more interested in climbing trees than learning how to simmer or sauté.

But that dreary day, stuck inside and restless, I found myself asking, “What can I do today?”

A few weeks before, I had met a woman who was an artist—but not the gallery kind. Her canvas was soft-baked sugar, and her paint was glossy royal icing. I remember her saying, “You don’t have to be Leonardo da Vinci to make something beautiful. You just need to enjoy the process.”

She must’ve seen the doubt in my eyes, because she followed it up with, “Come over sometime. I’ll show you.”

So that rainy afternoon, I took her up on it.

She set out the piping bags and cookies. I followed her lead, awkward at first, like I was writing with my left hand. But hour by hour, the icing began to turn into art. The cookies started to look like something someone might actually buy.

And more importantly, I felt… creative.

Turns out, God had tucked something inside me that I never knew was there. I had always assumed creativity was reserved for the artsy kids with glitter pens and sketchbooks. But here was me, the tomboy, squeezing swirls of color onto little edible canvases and loving it.

Now, I decorate and sell custom cookies through my little online business: Taste of Tallulah. It still amazes me to say it out loud. What started as a rainy day experiment was the start of a God given talent I never knew I had.

And I wonder—what might He have in store for you? Don’t talk yourself out of it.

You don’t need permission from the world to try something new. You don’t even need good weather. Just a little curiosity, a little courage—and maybe some powdered sugar.

August 11, 2025/by Tammi Arender