The Connection Corner

Strong in Every Storm

Isaiah 43:2 — When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

It was one of those mornings when I felt heavy long before the sun had fully risen.

I carried my worries like a weight across my shoulders. Responsibilities piled high. Problems without clear answers crowded my mind.

I turned to my Bible out of habit and hope, even though my thoughts were tangled and the words blurred. Still, I kept reading. That day, I found myself drawn into the story of Jesus on the boat with His disciples when the storm hit.

The scene played out clearly in my mind. The wind screamed across the water. Waves crashed hard against the wooden sides of the boat. The danger was real—enough to sink them.

And there, right in the middle of it all, Jesus was sleeping.

He was not absent or unaware of the storm. He was simply resting.

When the disciples woke Him, He did not join their panic. Instead, He asked a simple question: “Where is your faith?”

Those words struck me deeply. I knew the end of that story—how Jesus calmed the storm—but it felt like God was asking the same question to my anxious heart that day.

I closed the Book and stayed still for a moment. A truth swelled up inside me:

God is strong.

Not just strong in a distant, “back then” kind of way. He is strong here and now, with authority over the storms that press in around me.

More than that, He is not standing on the shore watching from afar. He is in my boat with me embodying peace.

And if you are wondering, no, the storm around me has not broken yet. The answers I want are still somewhere beyond the horizon, but I know I am not facing it alone.

If you can relate, I hope you will take courage with me. The waves are no match for Him.

September 11, 2025/by David Hall

Keeping it Together-ish

Daily Devotional, Heart of the Artist

Nahum 1:7 – The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.

Am I a bad parent? I don’t know. Are you?

We all ask questions like that. Maybe not about parenting specifically, but about whatever we do. Some obsess about it. Just check Facebook.

Maybe they have a point. Odds are, you’re holed up in your favorite safe space—think bathroom—reading this right now. You’re well aware you’re needed in the next room to break up a family quarrel, and yes, reading in the bathroom could be interpreted as avoidance.

But this is your time. It’s sacred.

You’re enjoying your own little spa moment, sitting in an empty bathtub, one hand holding your phone, the other buried in the bag of M&M’s no one else in the house knows about.

But this isn’t what you would call wasting time. People don’t waste time anymore. We’ve renamed it. We call it recharging, resetting or decompressing. Whatever it is, you won’t beat yourself up about it. You’ve earned a few minutes of alone time.

Now, what was the question again? Ah, yes … Am I a bad parent?

Well, I’m not always the best role model. One time I told my son to behave like a man, so he took a nap on the couch. I’m not proud of that. Does that make me a bad parent? I don’t know.

But am I a good parent? I mean, my kids have most of their teeth. They’ve never shown up at school in their underwear—okay, once. But they were homeschooled, so no real harm done.

Let’s be honest: every generation of caregivers has found ways to check out to get some “fresh air.” So…Dad, Mom, teacher, coach…there’s nothing villainous about a needing to get away. The heroic thing is that you keep returning.

Parenting—like many callings in life—is about faithfulness. Half the battle is just showing up. So engage. Retreat. Recharge. Return. Engage again. Just keep being present.

And most importantly, we know where the M&M’s are.

— Tim Hawkins

Tim Hawkins will be at First West on October 9.

For information, go to our EVENTS PAGE!

September 10, 2025/by David Hall

Tiny Mouse, Big God

Daily Devotional, Lauren Kitchens-Steward

Matthew 6:26 – “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”

The kids and I found a baby mouse once. It was so small it would not have filled a teaspoon. Now, if you know me, you know exactly what happened next. I am a big-time animal rescuer.

You might ask, “Why in the world would you want to keep a mouse alive?”

Well, I will tell you why. I love all of God’s creatures. Every single one. I see an animal on the road, and it buckles me every single time.

We got to work straight away. I rubbed its belly with a warm Q-tip, tucked it in a basket with a towel and heating pad, and fed it kitten milk every two to three hours. I even turned to my friends on Facebook for advice. That is how I learned you can use a small paint brush for feeding (less chance of it choking that way).

But despite all of it, the baby passed away anyway. I will not lie. That hurt. This was the second mouse we lost in few months. There was even a baby bunny in the yard not long ago.

I am tired of death. Sometimes I am just so ready for Jesus to return so nothing else has to die.

It was never supposed to be like this. Back in the garden, Adam named them all saying, “you are a tiger” and “you are a mouse” and none of them knew what death was.

That day will come again. God knows every ache that we feel in our chest, and I know He is righting every wrong.

I mean it.

Because I know there’s no way I’m better than God at anything.

If I can be over here giving Q-Tip belly rubs and paint brush dinners to a rodent, then I know God is infinitely better than that.

If He cares for the sparrow—and yes, the baby mouse—then I know He cares for me.

And that is what gets me through today.

September 9, 2025/by Lauren Kitchens-Steward