Category Archives: Five Minute Friday

The worst thing to fake in life is being a Christian. It is not because of name-calling, being dishonest with others and yourself, or for personal gain. It is just because we will all stand before the judgment seat one day. Jesus is the only one who can redeem us/you.

Ultimately, the one thing you cannot fake is your salvation. It is freely given, and the Holy Spirit calls us to accept or reject God’s gift. The heavenly Father is the judge, and when His Son says I died for you, your sins are wiped away, never to be remembered.
Salvation is genuine or not. God’s truth reveals our sins, and Jesus’ blood wipes our sins clean.

Plague by doubt, belief wavers. A clearer vision may be needed.

Once as a child, I saw a star travel across the sky. I rushed in to tell my parents, but it was gone when I came back outside. They didn’t believe me. It was a traveling star, a sign. I was only six, but I believe in that star. I saw it. As an adult, I saw the movie October Sky. It was then I realized what I actually saw was a satellite.

Once in college, I believe God called me to a year’s service with Campus Crusade for Christ. That summer, I raised financial support all summer and still fell short. I missed the early training, but I still believe I was called. I kept on. I called on the last day to say I did not meet my goal. I was sorely disappointed. I still believed I was called, but I doubted. She told me I had till twelve o’clock, even though I felt it was over. I continued to call. Yes, as you can imagine, I reached my goal by twelve and spent the year overseas serving the Lord with Campus Crusade for Christ.

Have you ever felt that you were not on God’s to-do list? I have. Have you believed wholeheartedly in the wrong thing for years? I have.

Have an answer for you about doubt? I do not. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. How that is true is for each of us to discover.

Faith can be likened to a train with an engine and a caboose. Putting your energy/belief in God and His Word is like putting your energy/ fuel (the coal) into the train engine, and it moves forward. If you place your energy (the coal) into the caboose, your feelings, and not God’s Word, the train doesn’t move. Feelings wobble, constantly change, hurl you forward or hold you back. Emotions should not take the lead; they can spiral you out of control if you weigh yourself with them. We have free will by which we balance head and heart and life.

by RL Brown

We are each designed with strengths, talents, and weaknesses. Some things are only possible to achieve with a lot of effort. We can develop our abilities for God's glory or self-edification. 

The story of the three servants illustrates how our capabilities can be multiplied to honor God and grow in that talent tenfold. But if our fear of God is void of love, honor, and respect, we can misuse our talents and spend them on ourselves. (Many Christian artists whose talents developed in the church have turned their efforts to focus on the world.) 

I'm still discovering hidden talents that I allowed self-doubt to steal. I am working on developing and honing talents that may not be my strongest area. But the takeaway is that God will bless my efforts by acknowledging Him, especially if I'm willing to give him the glory. 

It not just receiving but also a matter of discovering who God has created me to be. I pray that God will guide us in developing our skills and talents and we continue to discover how God has wonderfully designed each of us. 


Psalms  139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Luke 19:11-27
International Children’s Bible
A Story About Three Servants
11 Jesus traveled closer to Jerusalem. Some of the people thought that God’s kingdom would appear soon. 12 Jesus knew that the people thought this, so he told them this story: “A very important man was preparing to go to a country far away to be made a king. Then he planned to return home and rule his people. 13 So the man called ten of his servants together. He gave a bag of money[a] to each servant. He said, ‘Do business with this money till I get back.’ 14 But the people in the kingdom hated the man. So they sent a group to follow him and say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king!’

15 “But the man became king. When he came home, he said, ‘Call those servants who have my money. I want to know how much they earned with it.’

16 “The first servant came and said, ‘Sir, I earned ten bags of money with the one bag you gave me!’ 17 The king said to the servant, ‘Fine! You are a good servant. I see that I can trust you with small things. So now I will let you rule over ten of my cities.’

18 “The second servant said, ‘Sir, with your one bag of money I earned five bags!’ 19 The king said to this servant, ‘You can rule over five cities.’

20 “Then another servant came in. The servant said to the king, ‘Sir, here is your bag of money. I wrapped it in a piece of cloth and hid it. 21 I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You even take money that you didn’t earn and gather food that you didn’t plant.’ 22 Then the king said to the servant, ‘You evil servant! I will use your own words to condemn you. You said that I am a hard man. You said that I even take money that I didn’t earn and gather food that I didn’t plant. 23 If that is true, then you should have put my money in the bank. Then, when I came back, my money would have earned some interest.’

A lesson in kindness/ ideas for teachers and counselors

With school in session, teachers in addition to the daily curriculum begin the year with a focus on kindness to establish boundaries for behavior.

Kindness ripples as it cuts through meanness.

‘Each little thing we do goes out into the world touching more and more people. Each thing we do can be kind, mean, or just a missed opportunity. The one certainty is that kindness can rip through meanness.  Kindness interjected at any moment diminishes the ripple of negativity.’ R. L. Brown

As a counselor, I used two books to compare kindness: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deeds by Emily Pearson

Every act of KINDNESS creates a ripple.

What will you do to start a ripple of kindness in your classroom, at home, or among your peers?

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindness-Ripples-Forward-4365997

Other Books:
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
Kindness is Cool Mrs. Ruler by Margery Cuyler
How Full is Your Bucket? By Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer

Nothing new under the sun, not so-
Every day there is something new-
life!
My son with his son 
My daughter (in-law) with her son. 
Love growing by leaps and bounds. 

Long before God established the church (not worship), He established the family. The family is the basic unit of our society. Security, warmth, and safety are tied up in a bundle(s) of love.

I need never forget that I am a hypocrite by nature. I tend to consider the things I approve of as moral and the things I disapprove of as immoral. When I do, I become a law unto myself.

I am NOT a law unto myself, nor is any other person. God’s moral standards exist out of myself. God’s moral law for man is explained in the Bible. And I need to know what is righteous and unrighteous, not by what I deem or others deem suitable. The moral law is not in man’s opinion or whim for the day.

I need a moral standard outside of myself. God declares what is true, what is honorable, what is pure…(Phil 4:8).

The one thing that I can count on is being a hypocrite. But it doesn’t matter what I think. God’s Word established a moral standard by which man will be judged- not anyone’s opinion or orientation. I cast my hypocrisy at the feet of the cross, confess, repent and believe Jesus. One’s belief about Jesus will determine where one spends eternity.

Man’s standards will not judge us. Therefore, let us never forget who is holy.