Stop, drop & write. It’s #FiveMinuteFriday ! <—–Click to Tweet this
Where a beautiful crowd spends five minutes all writing on the same topic and then sharing ’em over here.
How to Join:
Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here.
Featured Five Minute Friday:
And every week I’ll pick a post that caught my eye and share it down there in my side bar – see where it says “Featured Five Minute Friday”? Yea -that could be you! Hop on over and visit some folk who make fireworks in just five minutes. They inspire me.
What They’re Saying:
I also have some Five Minute Friday stories from participants I love to share each week – I can never get over the community that has grown up over a five minute writing exercise. You all are the special sauce. Got a FMF story you want to share with us? Email me.
This one’s from Nikki and I’m stealing it and sharing it instead of five minutes from me today because I love so much how it highlights the heart of this community. How you all encourage and connect with one another? It’s got eternity written all over it in just five minutes.
So, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:::
Join…
Take it away, Nikki…
GO
I was a lurker. I even lurked on the old unlurker page! For nearly two years, I read Lisa-Jo’s blog regularly, never commenting. Five Minute Fridays were my favorite for I was always amazed at how anyone could be brave enough to write raw let alone succeed at pouring their hearts out so vividly.
Then last November, I found myself blogging. And I remember distinctly telling God I would do this for Him with one stipulation: I wasn’t going to do 5 Min Fridays.
That lasted 2 weeks.
Want to know what He’s shown me? Five minutes is plenty of time to share enough of our story to encourage another. It’s enough to prove we’re all a work in progress. Why not hold each other up along the way?
Plus I needed to get over myself.
Fridays are my time to let go and let God shine through my mess. And I continue to be overwhelmed at how He manages to use my ramblings for His glory.
As a lurker, I read all about it but never experienced it: Community. Let me tell you, there truly is community shared here, five minutes at a time. As a new blogger, Fridays were always the one day a week I could rely on receiving comments — the love language to any blogger. And my cup would fill up enough to give me courage for the week ahead.
I have met so many kindred bloggers through this link up and have formed true friendships as a result. Every week, on Thursday evenings, I meet with some of this community on Twitter. We have a mini date night, encouraging each other as we wait for Friday to begin (You can, too, just send me a tweet!).
STOP
OK, show us what you got! {Subscribers, you can just click here to come over and play along}
You truly are the hostess with the mostest, Lisa-Jo! Oh what God can do through all of us here when we simply show up with hearts wide open! Thank you so much for providing the space to do just that. I’ll never get over it. Because you’re right. It’s got eternity written all over it…
Nikki! Girl! You just have no idea! I am beyond humbled and honored that you included me as your kindred! I just love our date nights. I’m so mad at my phone right now for not dinging at me tonight and I missed everything!
Missed you last night, Mary Beth! To think…this is the very place I met you and now we have date nights! ;)
You all and your pre-FiveMinuteFriday date give me the happies :)
Wow. WOW! You bless me again and again- This was fabulous, Nikki! Love your heart for others, and I am beyond blessed to call you friend!! I am SO grateful for you, for this community, for the way God has brought our stories together…. Amazing. Love you! XXOO
I’m so grateful, too! And since I’m all about confessing stuff today, I used to lurk you, too, Kris! Look what I was missing out on — you!
Woo hoo! Way to go Nikki! I LOVE IT! So glad that you’re not lurking anymore and that you’re writing…I know I can always count on a good read when I see your face or name on something. :D I wondered when I saw the name if that was the same Nikki I knew and it WAS! How cool! Blessings to you friend! :)
You are way too kind, Mindy. And that’s only ONE of the reasons I love you!
Yay Nikki!
So great to see you starring here. I feel like I’ve been getting to know you through your thoughtful and generous comments – you are a real ‘community maker’, wherever you travel.
Blessings!
An travelling time zones to commune with you is something I look forward to doing every Friday, Tanya. What an encouragement you are — thank you!
Love it! Thanks Nikki for joining in with this post. I think that is kinda how most of us joined Lisa Jo.
Renee, you just made me feel normal. What a gift — thank you!
Thanks, Nikki! I’m a new blogger and totally agree that comments are my love language! Just trying to get my husband to understand. ;)
Aislinn, you’re a new blogger?!? I can’t believe it, it flows so freely from you. So thrilled to meet you today!
Join
When I was little I always wanted to be a part of something bigger. The neighborhood kids playing ANYTHING on the street. The clubs at school. The arts and crafts group over the summer. I just wanted to BELONG to something, because I never felt I belonged at home.
It wasn’t until getting into all sorts of bad groups, that i realized that the longing was deeper than a group of people that i wanted to belong to. Even after marriage it was sometimes really lonely, especially with my husband traveling and times i was home with 3 kids under 3 (or within 3 years) and no adult voices to pat me on the back and say it’s ok. you’re doing a good job.
a few years ago i began to ask God to help be content with the alone-ness. and He showed my my greater desire to “join” in community. i needed assurances that I belonged to Him. I mattered there, and that’s all that mattered.
now I LOVE fellowship- don’t get me wrong, but it’s frosting on the cake. my community is a body of Christ- adn I love them/it – but it’s in the quiet that I feel more JOINED in – with Him. Unconditionally. I have HIS words of affirmation and correction. His love. His patience to draw deep from. and I’m never alone.
I’m so grateful that i didn’t waste (um..not right word)…
STOP
Oh loved this Marina – so honest and true and who doesn’t love a good lesson based on frosting. :)
I am so loving this Five Minute Friday. It is like a virtual stretch each week. You obviously flowed better in your five minutes than I did. I found myself recalling past memories that I was not ready to share but they did give me some future blog ideas. Thank you for hosting this.
The linked up posts this week are awesome. Now…back to reading.
I know, right? They’re filling up my friendship tank.
I love this Nikki! Especially this line “Fridays are my time to let go and let God shine through my mess.” Thank you for sharing this Lisa-Jo :) I am about to start my 5 minutes.
Love Five Minute Fridays! Thank you so much!
Woohoo! Good to see you here as the guest post, Nikki…linked to you in my post today. Love to you :) Thanks, Lisa-Jo, for hosting a great party!
Nikki…look at you girl…from lurker to leader…love what you all do on Thurs. nights…so sweet. I too was a lurker for a long time…I am glad I joined in…still a bit of a stretch for me…but a good stretch.blessings to you…
Thanks too lisa jo for being such a wonderful host.
I thank God for this first ever Friday that He gave me time and courage to join this multitude of happy writers, writing on prompt. Timidity is not of God.
Thanks also to Lisa Jo and to all the wonderful people comprising this. I humbly show my face to you today.
Blessings.
Nikki and Lisa-Jo, I am just so grateful for these Thursday nights and Fridays together. I love how we are called out to become our truest selves, and that we need each other to encourage each other on, to do it! Thank you for your honesty, as always, Nikki. And Lisa-Jo, you continue to show us how our words, our blogs, are for community — for inclusion — not competition. Bless you, both!
This was my first time and I swear I read that opening 3 times and didn’t “get” that the prompt was “join”. *face palm* I thought it was the question “how will you encourage others?”
Well how’s that for “not worrying about mistakes”? teeheehee
I love Nikki. I am so glad she joined this community.
Thank you for hosting five minute friday and for today’s prompt, Lisa-Jo! You have NO idea how much it spoke to me–I haven’t written on my blog since July 6 but yesterday’s prompt encouraged me it’s never to late to JOIN back in!
I’ve been going through different things this summer, and I believed I needed to take a break, but after reading this weeks post (and several others linked up) I’ve realized it’s because of writing–yours, the entire community, and even my own–that I’ve been privilege to meet, know and become a part of such a beautiful, uplifting community! It took courage for me to post after so long–(it’s funny how after six weeks I feel as nervous to press publish as I did at the very beginning of blogging!), but by God’s grace I’m going to keep writing, and keep posting so that through sharing my journey with others they can have a chance to share their journey with me.
Thank you again!
Rachel
I just have to send you a big thank you! The 5 Minute Friday writing event brings people together in a way that I didn’t think was possible. You truly understand this online platform and God has used your talents within this media to connect so many. You Go Girl!
Nikki I never realised that I could become part of a community when I started blogging. A community of bloggers has helped me so much more than I ever expected, a new world has opened up for me especially needed due to having a small social world and limited outside activity due to chronic illness. I too watched the 5min Friday scared to try it and this is my only second attempt but I am glad I have given it a go and will continue to do so. I actually enjoy seeing what I will come up with in those 5mins.
I’ve been participating in FMF for several weeks and I look forward to it every week. I really enjoy seeing where the prompt will take me, and of course taking time to see where others have gone with the same word.
This weeks prompt has brought so many new faces to my blog and I’m so thankful to meet everyone of these lovely ladies. Like so many others I didn’t realize how powerful the blogging community is. Everyday I am delighted and inspired by the things I learn and the opportunity I have to share and connect with others.
Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful forum.
Nikki, right now, I’m totally where you were back then. All of my favorite bloggers participate in 5 minute Friday and I read in awe. Sometimes I even wonder to myself, “Did she really not edit at all, cause that’s really good!?” I’m always encouraged by their posts and I often tell myself I’ll never do it on my own blog…but, can I just tell you how many times in recent weeks I’ve thought…maybe I should give it a try. :) I’m praying over it. I have a feeling you’ll see me joining in on this fun soon.
if i have just signed up but I really would appreciate to see a specific letter (Lorelei Lee’s) is there some place i’m able to possibly see it or obtain a copy somehow?
Hello! I’m at work surfing around your blog
from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your
blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the outstanding
work!