Familiar-Five Minute Friday

The end of thanksgiving weekend is here and I am finally settling down to post. I hope everyone had a blessed time. I wasn't sure what to post tonight as I had not given much thought to our prompt, "familiar", but came up with something. I hope you are encouraged and blessed.

familiar....

defined as "well known from long or close association"

I have not seen or heard him in weeks, possibly more than a month now

But I know him when I hear him

His boisterous high pitched tweet resonates 

I look for even a splash of his bright red, plumage

He amazes me

He reminds me of how we can and should hear our King

Spending enough time, quieting ourselves, looking and listening

His voice can carry above all others, but only if time has been spent

A wife who hears her husband chuckle, knows what's behind his laugh

A mother knows her baby

STOP

John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (NASB)

To see what others are familiar with check out www.fiveminutefriday.com

Excuse-Five Minute Friday

I could go a couple of different ways with this week's prompt, but after catching up on some long overdo items, I realized what it meant for me.

excuse

/ik skyoos/- noun

a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense

What's my excuse? I threw the mail in a pile and let it set there for weeks, perhaps even a month. I finally got to it tonight.

The deadline for sending a Christmas gift to the children I sponsor through Compassion International was October 31st. It will be in the mail tomorrow.

I opened letters from my sponsored children and conviction fell as I read not once, but twice, how one of them always prays for me and that my job will go well. 

Work has been tough. I can use all the prayer I can get. I was humbled because I'm not good at praying for others on a regular basis. I know I have no excuse. Here was someone on the other side of the world doing so for me and I really needed it. God bless, Rini!

STOP

Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you." (NIV)

To see what others are doing with this week's prompt, check out www.fiveminutefriday.com

Silence- Five Minute Friday

This week's prompt surprised me. It is gift we rarely find in our culture of constant noise.  I hope all are encouraged to work harder to find the time to cherish this gift. We all need it.

silence........

the absence of sound

hard to find

perhaps in the wee hours of the night

or before dawn

something somewhere is always buzzing, 

humming, zooming, ticking

my thoughts can be so loud sometimes

they'll swirl inside my head like glitter in a jar

I can't always get them to settle, but when I do

ah! the energy settles, the silence seeps in

peace can come

if only I could silence more in my head

deadlines, schedules, hurts, and ho hums

dump, settle in silence

sift through the nuggets worth keeping

away with the nonsense

gift of silence, secure, surround 

STOP

1 Kings 19:12-13 "And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (NIV)

To see how others are finding silence check out www.fiveminutefriday.com

To help you unplug more check out Pico Iyer's book and a Ted Talk on, "The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere"

https://www.ted.com/talks/pico_iyer_the_art_of_stillness

Need- Five Minute Friday

I wrote this one out in my journal last night, but am just getting to posting it now. This week was easy! No mulling over needed. A few of my needs were met in community last night.

need....

I needed that! It hit the spot. 

Seeing most of my students' families come together, 

sharing food from their countries was AWESOME! 

No feuds. No terrorism. 

Just coming together to break bread. 

Sharing a space and moment in time. 

Children laughing and playing. 

Learning the beauty of community. 

Seeing a slice of heaven. 

Five or six countries were represented. 

Different ages, different tongues, different faces. 

One mind. Share. Eat. Relax. Enjoy.

Children lead us.

Leave our struggles and differences on the side.

Come together. 

Don't give up coming together.

We need it.

STOP

Psalm 133:1 "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity." (NIV)

Revelation 7:9 "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." (NIV)

To see what other need and how they get it check out www.fiveminutefriday.com