Category Archives: Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday blog posts

Observant: Epic Event and a Water Droplet

Snow blanketed the landscape with deep, powdery white flakes. This was not the typical crusty flurries that barely make a snowman, but perfectly delicate snow so fluffy and light that it beckoned you to step out and play. The trepidation about a significant winter event melted away by a sense of wonder at the beauty of this rare snowfall. The air was filled with the crisp scent of fresh snow.

Birds swirled and swooped, forming a collective. A round of robins landed in the backyard. An echo of mockingbirds congregate on the limbs of an old River Birch tree out front. A conclave of cardinals sat along the fence row, as a cloud of blackbirds landed in the trees behind the fence.

It was a sight that piqued my curiosity- birds gathering in unusual clusters. Yet, they seemed to be ignoring the scattered birdseed. Why? The snow-covered ground was devoid of food, a rare sight indeed. It was as unusual as a fifteen-inch snowfall for hungry birds not to eat. This was fascinating to watch. Clueless as to why the birds waited, the answer came suddenly.

From the window, I watch a robin swoop in to catch a water droplet from an icicle in mid-flight. The birds were thirsty.

With their usual water sources frozen, birds migrated in flocks, searching for water. As I filled water trays and scattered them around the yard, I saw a bigger picture of nature’s workings. A simple solution to the problem was provided. Still, it was a rare moment to witness the shared struggle for survival in the face of adversity. The birds drank, ate, and then disappeared.

Even though I was clueless at first, God was not. Seeing a bird catch a water droplet in mid-air was fantastic and incredible. But more importantly, it was my clue to see the bigger picture.

Still, cold,
 frozen white
 icicle glistening.

 Droplets drip
 amid a frozen field,
Nature’s water fountain.

Sunrise

America feels as though she is in the darkness of night. A kind of darkness that you cannot not see your own hand. A darkness that envelopes the soul. It was like the evening began to set in the sixties, trying to encroach on fundamental freedom to worship. God is dead, love the sinner, not the sin, it’s a love affair, live together and try marriage out first, God doesn’t care who you marry, it would be better not to bring a child into this world, etc…

And we sit dumbfounded by today’s hateful rhetoric.

But it is always darkest before the dawn. Think of the pilgrims going through that first winter when so many died. Think of George Washington battling alongside our fathers and mothers because they knew tyranny. Think of Andrew Jackson, who refused to start the Federal Reserve Bank, and President Kennedy, who tried to shut it down and keep the gold standard. Both were shot. Think of President Trump, whom many tried to silence but could not.

Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

This first sliver of light on the horizon breaking dawn is like a bird’s first-morning song. It rings out for all to hear, shattering the languid tones of despair and dispelling the cloak of darkness. Jesus’ song rings in one’s heart and brings a deep breath of God’s Spirit.

Psalm 18: 33 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Thou hast given me a shield of Thy salvation, and Thy right hand upholds me. And Thy gentleness, makes me great. Thou dost enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.

Ps 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

Ps: 121: I will lift up my eyes to the mountains from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip.

By God’s Design

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

When your soul has lost the fear of God’s design, you travel the road of fools.

When your soul’s meaningful purpose is lost, you search for your significance.

When you separate your soul from your heart, you fall into depths of despair.

When your soul is empty, you fill it with things.

When your soul yearns for love, you sacrifice your character.

But . . .

When your soul listens for the whisper of God, you discern the words of the fool.

When your soul is filled with meaning, you find your purpose.

When your soul is linked to Jesus, you are filled with understanding.

When your soul is full, you pour out God’s wondrous love.

When your soul is loved, you stand your ground.

Truth-

Jesus is the solid rock, immovable and perfect.

God’s design is for you to know HIM.

A simple fix

God established Israel for his love for man. America was established on man’s love for God. The 10 commandments are the basis for our laws. The Constitution was written not to be fixed but to ensure the progression of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all men. ‘Men’ as a term is a generic term for humanity. To say we need to fix our nation is incorrect, we are a nation becoming…. God transforms man’s heart, and the nation is healed.

It is such a simple fix but so hard to grasp when a heart is set against God.

Not so simple to fix when a nation’s heart is set against God.

Imagine by R Bronte Brown

Haiku: Winter folds a tree- into a counterfeit death – Gray, bony, lifeless.

Photo by R Bronte Brown, Petite Jean Mtn

Sitting on the back porch swing, high in the Ozark Mountains, I feel the last remnants of the cool morning breeze wafting in. The deciduous trees that blanket the rolling hills vibrate with vibrant colors. White clouds hang in the pale blue sky, hinting at rain in their underbelly. Tree limbs sway gently in the wind, and leaves rustle momentarily before falling silent.

A red-headed woodpecker glides past, wings outstretched as it easily navigates the air currents. With slight turns among the branches, it soon disappears from view. Birds sing their early morning melodies, hidden from sight. From the clouds above, shaded areas dot the mountainside, providing a cool retreat from the day’s heat. As nature dances in the wind, life thrives in the warmth of the sunlight.

Yet, amidst this bountiful backdrop of life stands a stark contrast: a giant dead stick, gray, bony, and lifeless. Its haggard branches extend outward, out of place, and exposed. This lifeless form yearns for the dead of winter, embodying a facade of counterfeit death.

A Christian should not wish for a counterfeit life to hide behind when there is so much more to life. Discernment’s gift removes the hindrances by digging deep roots, growing in knowledge and understanding, and letting gratitude overflow.

An unencumbered mind can think clearly, look beyond the present moment, grasp reality, and recognize the pitfalls of empty philosophies. However, for this to happen, your mind must be clear and focused, looking beyond instant gratification to identify real dangers. Reason sharpens the mind; imagination allows you to see beyond what you know to distinguish subtle traps that may ensnare.

Freedom is the ability to think and imagine beyond yourself and act with forethought.

Jeremiah 17: 7-9 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is in the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green. And will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit. The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart and I test the mind…

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Fresh Voice:

In today’s world one’s voice can get caught up in many types of whirlwinds, instead of the stillness of God’s spirit. I am guilty of being politically stirred, seething over general and personal attacks over my Christian beliefs and taking offense at the vitriol of people who have a great disdain for the gospel. Jesus did say they hated him first.

I lived in a bubble where it’s okay to disagree as long as we were civil. But that bubble was a lie to lull me into a state of safety to think freedom to worship was intact, and a right to disagree was viable.

It is time for me to pop all bubble and breathe in the freshness of God’s Word. We are at war with this world but God said not to fret because of evildoers. Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass. Ps 37:1. This season seems long, I saw a need for change with Ross Perot. This verse is not a reason to step into another bubble but to gain a fresh perspective of the trouble times or season we live in. Intake the freshness of God’s Word daily to find rest for what troubles your soul. Be ready!

In the turmoil of the world’s wind, God says in Isaiah 30:15, “In repentance and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength. Is 30:15. (I’ll have to say this verse reminds me of Ben Carson.) I may not understand the turmoil of this world but I can gain a fresh new perspective daily with Jesus. Whatever type of season, it is God who prepares the heart for salvation.

January 15, 2021

Post By Dave Ramsey and An obvious point of view by Rhonda Brown

An obvious point of view : It was never about President Trump. It was about a stolen election, a constantly and consistently lying press, vitriol against the Constitution, and the right to keep this country based on Judea-Christian values. Without this plumb line, this country steers without a rudder. Never once did these elected officials seek the truth, nor the media search for the root of corruption. You think turning hollywood back on is going to lull the minds of Americans, not for the woke. I turned off cable a long time ago, I work to find viable news sources. I put my trust in you, Tom Cotton to speak up for us. Don’t let us down! How many people this summer died and had their lives destroyed by antifa, marxist press refusing to cover the violence, silence from elected officials and now you speak out. We, the people, have never tolerated violence, we want the truth revealed against obvious fraud in the election process and those guilty prosecuted.

Post by Dave Ramsey “This morning, I realized that everything is about to change. No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, lives are never going to be the same. I have been confused by the hostility of family and friends. I look at people I have known all my life so hate-filled that they agree with opinions they would never express as their own. I think that I may well have entered the Twilight Zone. You can’t justify this insanity. We have become a nation that has lost its collective mind. We see other countries going Socialist and collapsing, but it seems like a great plan to us. Somehow it’s un-American for the census to count how many Americans are in America. People who say there is no such thing as a gender are demanding a female President. Universities that advocate equality, discriminate against Asian-Americans in favor of African-Americans. Some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, and other people are not held responsible for what they are doing right now. Criminals are caught-and-released to hurt more people, but stopping them is bad because it’s a violation of THEIR rights. People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to people who have never been slaves. After legislating gender, if a dude pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him. It was cool for Joe Biden to “blackmail” the President of Ukraine, but it’s an impeachable offense if Donald Trump inquiries about it. People who have never been to college should pay the debts of college students who took out huge loans for their degrees. Immigrants with tuberculosis and polio are welcome, but you’d better be able to prove your dog is vaccinated. Irish doctors and German engineers who want to immigrate to the US must go through a rigorous vetting process, but any illiterate gang-bangers who jump the southern fence are welcomed.$5 billion for border security is too expensive, but $1.5 trillion for “free” health care is not. If you cheat to get into college you go to prison, but if you cheat to get into the country you go to college for free. And, pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes us “racists”! Nothing makes sense anymore, no values, no morals, no civility, and people are dying of a Chinese virus, but it is racist to refer to it as Chinese even though it began in China. We are clearly living in an upside-down world where right is wrong and wrong is right, where moral is immoral and immoral is moral, where good is evil and evil is good, where killing murderers is wrong, but killing innocent babies is right. Wake up America. The great unsinkable ship Titanic America has hit an iceberg is taking on water and sinking fast.”

Rhonda Brown: I will add in the 60’s and 70’s Christianity was attacked and dismissed on a scientific basis. Evolution Theory vs Creationism, just remember a theory is not fact. Today, we are told to throw science for non-genderism.

Without a plumb line for truth, we sail a rudderless ship. “Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of my people. I will spare them no longer.” Amos 7:8

Grateful

Gratefulness is a state of mind sometimes for me. By Jesus’s death on the cross and his resurrection, my salvation is secure. I’m totally accepted, approved of, and love by the heavenly Father. I’m grateful that God doesn’t give up on me even when I do. Faith even the size of a mustard seed can overcome mountains of self-doubt, loss of family, and associated pain. Faith breaks mountains and quietens the soul. The Father’s love provides light of understanding in the depth of darkness to help guide our way. To find significance and gratefulness, just the tiniest particle of faith is needed.
Even though Thanksgiving was with just my husband, no kids or grandkids to visit, I’m grateful for my family, for my church family and friends that every day add value to my life.
I’m new to blogging, new to setting up a blog site, new to creating a space inviting to visit. I will admit this site is not that inviting, yet. But to join the Five-minute Friday blog, I must have a site. This is my second attempt at creating a site. Hopefully, in the future, this site will reflect more of me. This is my first attempt at painting too! Gratefully for a talented instructor and a friend to encourage me to come along.
This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!