The Connection Corner

The Power of a Rugged Cross

Daily Devotional, David Hall, Stories About Songs

Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The church was packed, but, on that stage, George Bennard stood alone.

They hadn’t come to hear the gospel. They’d come to laugh at it.

He left that revival early, the mocking still ringing in his ears. That night, holed up in a small Michigan room with nothing but his Bible and a broken spirit, George begged God for clarity. Not success. Not comfort. This hurt, and he just needed something true to stand on.

What came was a vision—not with his eyes, but with his soul. He saw Jesus on the cross.

Not shining. Bleeding.

“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame…”

And George wept. The world called it shame. But for him, it was love. Love that bled for mockers and missionaries alike.

“And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.”

He stopped asking God to change the crowd. He asked to be changed instead. He set down his need for recognition and picked up the weight of a message the world might always reject.

“So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down…”

The lyrics came fast after that. He scribbled them on torn paper with trembling hands. Weeks later, the hymn began to spread like fire. But George never pointed to himself—only to the old rugged cross.

It’s easy to forget what the cross really means. We polish it, display it, wear it. But for George, it was the turning point. The reason he kept going when everything in him wanted to quit.

Maybe today you feel tired of doing the right thing. Maybe you’re discouraged, mocked, or just wondering if any of this still matters. Let George’s story remind you:

Jesus is worth it. His love is worth your time, your trust, and your whole life.

So, cling to the cross. Lay your trophies down. Hold fast to what matters most because the world may never understand…

But someday, you’ll exchange it for a crown.

Lyrics

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame,
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

CHORUS
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Lyrics and Music: George Bennard

June 22, 2025/by David Hall

Rock Solid Living

Daily Devotional, David Hall

Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

“Let’s build a sandcastle.”

That is all it takes.

It is never a casual beach game. Something in me flips like a switch. Competition surges through my veins, and I dive all in. I scope the sand like an architect with a clipboard. I draft imaginary blueprints. I haul buckets like I’m getting paid, and I recruit my nephews like they are interns on my first big project.

They’re all in… for maybe five minutes. Then the waves call their names, or a football lands nearby, and they’re off doing something more important.

But I’m not done. I stay, head down, determined to see this thing through. I shape towers and carve windows, fully invested in this fortress that, deep down, I know won’t last.

Eventually, I call them back. They come running. One pauses, impressed. The other grins, and in one gleeful sprint, he plows through it like a battering ram in swim trunks.

The whole thing collapses in seconds, and right there, with wet sand on my knees and grit in my teeth, I feel it.

This is exactly what life feels like sometimes. You build something you’re proud of. You hope it will last forever, but then something hits. And it falls apart.

That castle was always going to fall…because it was built on sand.

And so is anything I build that is not grounded in something solid. My plans. My peace. My sense of worth. If they are not anchored to something unshakable, it is just a matter of time.

But when Jesus said to build on the rock, He meant it. That rock is not religion, not performance, just Him. It is His truth, His way, and His words.

That is the only foundation I have found that holds.

And it is never too late to rebuild on something that lasts.

June 21, 2025/by David Hall

Do Not Give Up Yet

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall, Stories About Songs

Romans 12:12 — Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She texted me out of the blue.

“Can you pray for me?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “of course,” and then I called her.

The conversation was short. Her voice was guarded, but something in it cracked just enough for light to sneak through. We prayed. She thanked me, and we hung up.

And when I sat back in the silence, I felt it. Something had shifted. Just a little. God was doing something.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

That night, I slipped down to my knees for what must have been the hundredth time. I prayed again: for her healing, for her heart, for the wreckage in her past to stop defining her future. I asked God to help her trust Him again.

Because what good would it do if I gave up now?

When I see her again, I have to blink hard to fight back tears. A lump forms fast in my throat, but I still check in on her like I always do. Gently.

This relationship used to be easy. Sweet, even. But that feels like a lifetime ago. And there they are again, those invisible walls she’s learned to stack like bricks, one cold, polite answer at a time. I pray silently.

God, will You make this better again? Please.

That night, with my heart aching, I almost gave into disappointment. I scrolled my phone, trying to outrun my feelings, but there it was again, that familiar nudge in my spirit to pray. It was the kind that won’t let me stay comfortable.

So, I dropped to my knees again. I wept, and God met me there. Again.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He reminded me of that brave text last night, that prayer call, and that softening in her voice. He’s not done with her.

And suddenly, that was enough.

So, friends, what I am learning is don’t stop praying. Let your knees hit the floor a thousand times if they need to. Keep trusting that beyond what your eyes can see, God is moving mountains in the hearts of those you love.

Because hope isn’t just a feeling. It’s a decision that sounds like this.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Lyrics:

What’s your impossible
Your “I need a miracle”
What’s got you barely hanging by a single thread
What looks so hopeless now
What weighs down your heart with doubt
You beg for a breakthrough but no sign of breakthrough yet

When you’ve cried and you’ve cried til your tears run dry
The answer won’t come and you don’t know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time

Don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus name
Keep on pounding on heaven’s door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying

He’s close to the brokenhearted
Saves those who are crushed in spirit
The Alpha and Omega knows how your story ends

When you’ve cried and you’ve cried til your tears run dry
The answer won’t come and you don’t know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time
Oh, do it one more time

And don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus name
Keep on pounding on heaven’s door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying

(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh, don’t stop praying
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh (Oh)

Don’t stop praying for the prodigal
Don’t stop praying for the miracle
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

Don’t stop praying that addictions end
Don’t stop praying for deliverance
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

Oh, don’t stop praying for the sickness healed
Don’t stop praying for His power revealed
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

No, don’t stop praying for the kingdom come
Don’t stop praying that his will be done
Hallelujah, hallelujah and amen

Don’t stop praying
Don’t stop calling on Jesus name
Keep on pounding on heaven’s door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don’t stop believing
‘Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying
So, don’t stop praying

(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Oh, don’t stop praying
(Don’t stop don’t stop praying)
Don’t you give up now (Oh)
No, don’t stop praying

Music by Matthew West performing “Don’t Stop Praying”
(C) 2024 Provident Label Group LLC, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
#MatthewWest #ChristianMusic #DontStopPraying

June 20, 2025/by Sarah Hall