The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
The Treasure You Can’t SeeSeptember 19, 2026 - 9:00 am
Healing the Hidden HurtSeptember 18, 2026 - 7:00 am
Stop Second GuessingSeptember 17, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Hot Water TestSeptember 16, 2026 - 7:00 am
Don’t Rehearse The RegretSeptember 15, 2026 - 7:00 am
Look Up, It’s Not OverSeptember 14, 2026 - 7:00 am
Come As You AreSeptember 13, 2026 - 7:00 am
Leave Hope Wherever You GoSeptember 12, 2026 - 7:00 am
United We Still StandSeptember 11, 2026 - 7:00 am
Jesus Cares About That TooSeptember 10, 2026 - 7:00 am
HEART OF THE ARTIST
The Secret to Being BlessedSeptember 6, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Hardest HallelujahAugust 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
Meet Me in the ValleyAugust 9, 2026 - 7:00 am
Holding on Through HeartbreakJuly 5, 2026 - 7:00 am
Faith That Falls ForwardJune 18, 2026 - 7:00 am
STORIES ABOUT SONGS
- Come As You AreSeptember 13, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Hardest HallelujahAugust 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Fight Nobody SeesAugust 23, 2026 - 7:00 am
One Way Through the ChaosJuly 26, 2026 - 7:00 am
The Gospel Still Changes EverythingJuly 12, 2026 - 7:00 am
Stories About Songs
- Come As You AreSeptember 13, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Hardest HallelujahAugust 30, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Fight Nobody SeesAugust 23, 2026 - 7:00 am
- One Way Through the ChaosJuly 26, 2026 - 7:00 am
- The Gospel Still Changes EverythingJuly 12, 2026 - 7:00 am
Love and a Cup of Cocoa
Brenda Price, Daily DevotionalWe just love our teachers. Don’t you. They work so hard. They are so awesome. I say that often—but sometimes, I meet someone who reminds me exactly why I mean it.
There is a teacher I know who started noticing one of her sixth graders lingering in the hallway after school. Every day, she would see him there—quiet, backpack hanging off one shoulder, tracing circles on the tile with his shoe while the building emptied.
At first, she figured he was just killing time. But then she learned his mother worked late, leaving him with nowhere to go, no snacks, and no one to help with homework.
It would have been easy to send him to the office or tell him to wait outside. But she did something small that turned out to be extraordinary. She opened her classroom, made a mug of hot cocoa from her own kitchen, and invited him in. They sat side by side, working through math problems that once felt impossible to him.
Soon, the word spread.
Two kids became five. Five became a dozen. Parents started dropping off snacks. Local businesses sent supplies. And the laughter of children began spilling out into the hallway where silence used to be.
That empty room transformed into a safe place for students to learn, belong, and feel loved. They called it the Homework and Hot Chocolate Club.
I watched that story unfold and thought, “This is what love looks like in motion. It is not grand or complicated. It starts with a single open door, and a simple ‘you can hang out here.’”
It reminds me of the verse in Romans 12, “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
That’s exactly what this teacher did. She didn’t wait for a program or a plan. She just opened her hands to what God placed right in front of her.
And it leaves me asking myself—what if the simplest way to show love is to offer what is already in our hands, trusting God to turn a cup of cocoa into someone else’s miracle?
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Beauty That Does Not Fade
Daily Devotional, Tammi ArenderI am steering my cart down that aisle—you know the one. The aisle that always catches your eye no matter how focused you think you are. For me, it’s the skincare section.
It’s Black Friday, and sure, I should be looking for the next gift on my list right now. But there’s something about this aisle.
I lean over and pick up a box that claims to lift, smooth, and firm—basically a miracle in moisturizer form. I laugh under my breath. “I’ve got more serums than sense,” I tell myself.
Still, I reread the label.
The truth is, I’ve been struggling with this whole “gravity” thing, and every new product feels like a promise to win back what time has taken. Honestly, I could probably pay a car note with what I’ve spent chasing that fountain of youth.
But then, quietly, something in me resists. I’ve been praying about this—about learning to age gracefully, about not letting the mirror dictate my peace. And right there, I realize I don’t need it.
So, for the first time in a long time, I put the box back. Just like that. It seems small, but it feels like a big victory.
As I push my cart toward the next aisle, I think about how all of this—the sales, the shimmer, and the temporary glow—fades so fast. God’s promises are better. They don’t peel or expire. They hold true and stand the test of time.
And maybe that’s the reminder I needed most today: that “not one of all the good promises the Lord made has failed” (Joshua 21:45).
Every word He has spoken stands. So while the world may chase what fades, let’s hold onto the real beauty is found in contentment and trust. Because if I know one thing is true, God’s promises will never run out.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Thankful for the Long Road
Daily Devotional, Sarah HallThe road out of town stretches ahead, lined with pines that never seem to end.
My husband drives steady. One hand rests on the wheel, the other taps to a song playing on the radio. I glance back at our baby girl, sound asleep in her car seat. We’re headed to his parents’ house for Thanksgiving lunch.
It’s not a long drive—forty-five minutes or so. But as the miles wind on, my thoughts take an unexpected detour down memory lane.
Growing up in a blended family, this was all I knew—lunch at one house, supper at another, pie somewhere in between. There was always a plan scribbled on the back of an envelope, and by the end of the day, I felt like I’d run a marathon fueled by turkey and dressing.
It started in Monroe, wound through Crowville, looped back through Calhoun, and somehow we’d make it home before bedtime.
It used to wear me out. But now? It just makes me grateful.
The trees flash by—gold, red, fading green. Somewhere, a cousin is smoking a turkey. Somewhere else, a table is being set by grandparents with plastic plates and old stories. I can almost smell the ham roasting in the oven, the sweet potatoes bubbling under toasted marshmallows, and the sound of laughter spilling through screen doors.
Back then, I never stopped long enough to see it. I only saw the hurry. But now, I see the love underneath the rush. Parents, step-parents, and kin just wanted us close. They opened their doors even when we could only stay a little while.
They still do.
No pressure. No guilt. Just warmth.
Though we’re pulled in a million directions, they make room in their hearts for our crazy schedule—because they understand.
I smile, watching the road twist ahead of us. This long, winding road called life is filled with people God has placed along the way—people to love, and who love us back in their own imperfect, beautiful ways. It hits me how blessed I am.
And maybe that’s what gratitude really is—seeing the fingerprints of God in the middle of our everyday miles. Just like the psalmist tells us, God places His hand of blessing all along our lives. He goes before us and follows behind. It is too wonderful and too great to even understand. (Psalm 139:5–6)
So, wherever the road takes you this Thanksgiving—whether it’s across town or just across the table—I want to encourage you to do one thing today. Try to notice the many blessings along the way.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT