The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Media Ministries, Inc.
101 N. 2nd Street, Suite 200
West Monroe, LA 71291
Office Phone: (318) 387-1230
Studio Line/Text Line: (318) 651-8870
Mailing Address:
PO Box 3265
Monroe, LA 71210

Trusting God on the Road Ahead
Daily Devotional, Heart of the Artist, Stories About SongsYou’d be surprised how much thinking a man can get done behind the wheel of a sausage delivery truck.
All day long, rumbling across southeast Texas, I’d pass pine trees, small-town diners, and gas stations that sold boiled peanuts. I’d be wondering things like, “What’s next?” and “Am I out of my mind?”
It’s not the kind of pondering that comes with a side of confidence. No, this was the “Did I just ruin my life?” kind. I had quit my youth pastor job, sold half of what I owned, and crammed my wife and three kids into a single-wide trailer so I could haul my guitar around Texas and sing songs I’d written.
Nobody in Buna, Texas, where I’m from, had ever called that a solid business plan.
And truth be told, I didn’t know how to be a “professional musician.” I only knew I had to step out in faith.
I started with two rules for writing songs. Rule one: they had to line up with Scripture—no exceptions. If God didn’t say it, I didn’t want to sing it. Rule two: the songs had to be honest. If I hadn’t lived it, I couldn’t write it.
That meant some songs had to wait their turn, because there are lessons you can’t write until you’ve bled through it yourself.
Night after night, I’d play to small crowds in church gyms and fellowship halls. Sometimes folks would come up after and say, “That song… it’s like you knew what I was going through.” And I’d think, “Friend, you don’t know how much I needed to hear it too.”
Years later, my life looks different—bigger venues, more miles, more people. But the passion and the drive haven’t changed a lick from those sausage truck days.
Turns out, God doesn’t need us to see the whole road before we start driving.
He just asks us to be faithful where we are. So, choose to be faithful with what God has given you. Somewhere down the line, you’ll look back and realize—He’s been faithful the whole way.
— Micah Tyler
Lyrics:
You know I really tried so hard
But I couldn’t make the waters part
Didn’t matter how many times that I had said it
You know I couldn’t save myself
It had to be someone else
And there’s only one who’s getting all of the credit
God did it
Who put the breath in my lungs
Who calls us daughters and sons
All praise goes to just one
God did it, God did it
Who raised me up from that grave
Who’s always making a way
Let me hear the whole church say
God did it, God did it
You can blame it on amazing grace
I could count about a million ways
That I’m not who I was and I don’t regret it
And now you know I’m walking free
Since heaven got a hold of me
It’s the moment my life changed
How could I forget it
God did it
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For all He has done
New mercy each morning
Rewriting my story
To God be the glory
For all He has done
Counting on God a Latte
Daily Devotional, Tammi ArenderIt was just spilled coffee.
Just a brown splash stain on a dress that wasn’t new and wasn’t even my favorite. But there I stood, blinking fast, tears mixing with the moisture from my coffee cup that’s now staining the fabric.
It wasn’t the coffee that got to me. It was that this was “one more thing.”
These days, I’ve turned into a clumsy, uncoordinated mess. I trip over nothing. I drop phones, books, and water bottles. Cups seem to leap from my hands before I even know I’ve lost my grip.
I read once that older folks become more prone to this. Something about damaged nerve endings that don’t send the right messages to the brain.
The balance and coordination that once happened without thinking now require effort.
I used to be steady. Steady as she goes. I could tie my shoes without leaning against anything. I could walk across the room without wondering if the floor would feel different under my feet.
My feet have always been my foundation. Without a good foundation, nothing else works the way it should.
And yet… the coffee in my lap reminded me of my only real foundation. My only steady thing. Jesus.
I wish aging didn’t come with so many humbling reminders of what I can’t do anymore. But maybe those reminders aren’t the worst thing. Maybe they’re the reason I keep leaning harder on Him.
I know someday I’ll walk without effort again. One day I’ll get a new body in Heaven, one with the balance of an Olympic gymnast. My steps will be sure, and my hands will hold things without slipping.
Until then, I’ll keep sipping my coffee and holding on to the One who never lets me down. And I invite you to, too.
God’s Goodness All Around
Daily Devotional, Sarah HallWhen I turned eight, my mom hosted a sleepover that, to my little heart, felt like the event of the year.
We didn’t have decorations or matching pajamas or a color-coded plan. What we had was a popcorn bowl the size of a sink and sleeping bags piled so high you couldn’t even see the carpet.
We stayed up way too late giggling and ate mountains of popcorn. Someone tried to braid hair. Someone else turned a flashlight into a spotlight and declared it was time for a talent show—one that ended in thunderous applause and absolutely zero talent.
I laughed so hard my face hurt.
And my mom? She stayed in the background, quietly watching like we were her favorite show… one she already knew by heart but still wanted to rewatch.
She kept the popcorn coming, refolded blankets we knocked over, and never once told us to quiet down. Not even when we absolutely should have. She just wanted us to enjoy it.
It’s one of my favorite memories. Not because it was extravagant, but because it wasn’t. It was simple and full. Joyful and messy. It’s the kind of memory that sinks deep into your bones and keeps resurfacing when you need it most.
Back then, I didn’t have the words for it. But I see it clearly now: my mom wasn’t just throwing a party. She was giving us a place to belong. A space to be kids.
Looking back, I think God does that too.
He shows up in rooms we almost overlook, in laughter that bubbles up unexpectedly, and in the people who keep refilling our bowls, folding our blankets, and loving us without making a fuss.
So, if He has felt far away lately, do not wait for it to look like something grand. It might already be here.
You can see His goodness all around. It is there in the presence of someone who loves you, the noise of good company, or the touch of sticky hands passing a bowl of popcorn.
God’s goodness is not distant. He is near.