FMF – Secret

Well, hello there.  It’s only been a month.  I’ve been so busy that my little bitty blog kind of gets ignored.  I’m sorry about that.

So I’m jumping back in to writing with Five Minute Friday.  I’ll write on the prompt tonight and then tomorrow, I’ll try to write a catch up post.  A lot has happened in a month.

So Five Minute Friday is hosted over at the Five Minute Friday blog.  She gives us a one word prompt that we all write on for 5 minutes at a time, no editing.  Then you go back to her blog, you link up and you comment on the post ahead of you.  Let me think…  I think that’s all of the important things.  Link, prompt, blog, comment… Yep, that’s it.

Today’s prompt is SECRET.

And GO:

I have a secret.  I have a huge sweet tooth.  Of course, that’s probably obvious if you’ve ever met me.  My size sort of gives it away.  But I love candy.

I have a secret.  I love to take pictures of people.  I’m not that great at it, but I love doing it.  I’ve been taking pictures for what feels like a long time.  It’s fun to see where I used to be, and where I’m coming up to.

I have a secret.  I watch R-rated movies sometimes.  The language is rough, and there’s a lot of unnecessary violence usually.  But sometimes there is a good story buried in there.

I have a secret.  I have always wanted to be a writer.  But I’ve never had anyone tell me my writing is good.  I have a dreadful fear of green ink because of the editing an English teacher did.

I have a secret.  I fight depression.  It’s more than just feeling “sad” at times.  It can be an overwhelming crushing weight on my soul.  I often have to remind myself of why I am still around and why I still choose to live.

I have a secret.  I am a sinner.  My sin doesn’t look like your sin.  That’s because it’s my sin.  I will own what I have done wrong.  I confess it before God.

And because He loves me, He forgives me.  Not because of anything I did, but because of who He is.  He is the Lord of all.  He sent Jesus to take my punishment.  And Jesus paid that price.  And then he rose up out of that grave.

And that’s not a secret.  That is something I will shout from the rooftops.  Jesus loves me and I love him!  Thank you Jesus. Thank you.

STOP

Hugs,
Melinda

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

 

 

 

FMF – Motivate

This post is the first FMF of the new year.  This is Five Minute Friday, a flash mob of writers who gets together every week to write for five minutes at a time on a given one word prompt.  For more information, join us over here.  This week’s prompt is Motivate.  

GO:

It’s a new year.  It’s a fresh start and a new beginning and a clean slate.  (Thanks Mollie.)  It’s time to find your motivation and start anew.

So what motivates you?  Is it money?  Power?  Fame?  (I’m gonna live forever.)

Or better yet, why do you need a fresh start?  Clean Slate?  What mistakes or problems or traumas happened in 2017 that makes you desire a fresh start in 2018?  For me, the last two weeks have been rough.  I’ve been sick for over a month, my dogs got into a huge fight, and I lost my great uncle on Dec 31.  I want a new beginning.

What motivates you? Is it family?  Is it love?

Or is it God?

I think my biggest mistake this past year is in allowing myself to draw away from a relationship with our heavenly Father.  I find myself missing that, missing Him.  But He didn’t move, I did.

So my motivation for 2018 is to draw close to God.  To not shirk away from being His child, and to be brave in Him.

For years, my favorite Bible verse has been “whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.”  (Colossians 3:17)  This year, I will try to focus on that, to focus on Him.

Because He is my motivation.

STOP

May the new year find you blessed with a clean slate.
Hugs,
Melinda

 

FMF – Silence

Hello.  It’s time for another edition of Five Minute Friday.  That weekly occurrence where we all join up over here and get a one word prompt.  Then we write on that prompt for 5 minutes, no editing.

And then you get to back and read everyone else’s writings.  It’s really interesting to see how some writing is similar and how some is different.  Regardless, it is one of the best things I’ve ever taken part in.

Today’s word is Silence.  And GO:

It’s early morning.  The dogs woke me up.  It’s so quiet this early.  It’s alright because I was getting up anyway.

I’m tired.  I’m sore.  The kids have gone to school and to work and I’m sitting here reveling in the silence of it all.  It’s not that they are loud.  It’s that I can hear myself now.

It’s in the silence that things are brought to the forefront of my mind.  Like how I haven’t made time for God this year.  How I have been so busy that I haven’t taken time.

Like how my word of the year is supposed to be prayer, and I feel as though I have failed miserably on that front.

Maybe I should take that time, instead of looking at Facebook and playing quirky dragon games on my phone, I should use the silence in a different way.  Maybe I should take advantage and pray.  And read and study.  I seem to concentrate so much better in the silence.

God is everything to me.  He has given me everything in my life and taught me many lessons along the way.  And all he asks is for me to give him the glory.  I will use my silent moments to learn to spend time with him again.  STOP

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

1 Kings 19:11-13a

Until next time, may you find focus in the silence.
Hugs,
Melinda

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

FMF – Need

So it’s the first time I’ve written in several months.  I NEED to write.  I need to put words on paper and feelings into my words.  I need to connect with my friends, my blog readers, my fellow writers.  I need to be a mom, a worker, a student, a friend, a Christian.

We have a lot of needs as humans.  But for me, I struggle with needing balance.  I need to work and I need to play.  And I need to rest.

I’m going to visit my sister this weekend.  She’s having a baby shower.  I get to be a hostess.  I need to hug my little sister and rub her pregnant belly and give her many different things.  I love her so very much.  I need her to stay healthy and strong and to stay my sister.

What does God need from us?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

And with that, my time is up.

This post was part of Five Minute Friday, a weekly link up where a group of writers get together and write on a given prompt.  Join us here and then read other people’s words.  It’s fun.

Hugs,
Melinda

FMF – Try

I’m joining up with Kate and the authors (yes, it does sound like a band name, Marie) over at Five Minute Friday.  Today’s word of inspiration is Try.

GO

I feel like I’m trying too hard and not accomplishing anything.  There’s a poem called “Try, Try Again.”  And it fits in with the old joke, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, practice, practice!”

I don’t know what I’m trying to do.  I don’t know why I’m trying so hard.  But I feel like I’ve been running for days and with no break in sight.

But is it too much to try?  I think my tag on this post is going to be ramblings.  I’m not sure what I’m even talking about anymore.  Maybe I’m trying too hard.  lol

But I do know that I have to try, no matter what, because my life verse is “Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.”  (Colossians 3:17, NIV)  I always try my hardest, my best.  Because I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for God and His glory.  That’s what I do.  I try my best.

So I will continue to try, I will continue to run, and I will continue to do my very best.  Because God wants me to.  And in the end, that’s all that matters.  Right?

Hugs,
Melinda