Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Five Minute Friday on Saturday. I was just mentioning to my daughters at dinner — a late dinner at that — I hadn’t written my Five Minute Friday assignment yet. In unison they chimed back, “Dad, you never write your Five Minute Friday post on Friday.”

Never is a strong word, although I’ll give them credit for recognizing I often miss the Friday part of Five Minute Friday. And that’s the truth.

Wait, that’s also the prompt this week … TRUTH.

We’ll get to that in a  few after our regularly scheduled advertisements about the mechanics of Five Minute Friday and a plug on it’s value from  Colleen.

You know the drill. I’ll post, link at Kate’s place (http://katemotaung.com/2017/05/18/five-minute-friday-truth/) and scan through the incredible work of my fellow writers. And, as I always say, you should try it as well — both writing and contributing or at least visiting the sites of this talented crew.

I’ve also been sharing other takes on the value of the exercise, taken from snippets found in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat as an added inducement to join in. Here’s Colleen’s take.

“The Five Minute Friday community has encouraged me to take up the pen when I thought I had no words; to seek friendship when I thought it was out of my reach; and to be brave when I was certain my courage was failing. This is not just a writing group, it is a sisterhood [and brotherhood] that constantly reminds me we are better together.”

So, there you have it. Five Minute Friday is so much more than just words. It’s friendship. It’s community. It’s empowerment.

The timer has been set, so I guess it’s time to let the neurons out to roam free. GO …

Truth. Such a simple word. And yet, how complicated we have made it.

Politically, truth is an oxymoron. Even in church settings, the truth does not always set us free. Our lives? Often poxed with more half truths than actual facts.

In politics, truth depends largely on your point of view. There are shades of truth designed to sway your thought — and votes. Sometimes, I think politicians wouldn’t know truth if it bit them in the proverbial behind. Lately, they have taken sides with letters behind their name and Ds and Rs have vowed to just not get along and parse each word to their own ends. Hardly truth.

Even in churches, often the truth from pulpits is weighted by the particular denominational bent. The words from the Bible are dissected until theologians and preachers do more harm than good in “explaining” the good news to the rest of us folks.

Ourselves? Don’t we often play the various … STOP

… shade game, protecting ourselves from ridicule or responsibility? Me included.

Truth. It’s a simple word that has been tainted by the flesh of an apple.

The truth is God reigns — not you, not me, not our churches and certainly not our secular and spiritual leaders. The truth is the Father sent His only Son Jesus to reconcile us and offer a bridge to eternal salvation. The truth is only through Jesus can we cross that bridge. The truth is the Spirit guides our way, pointing out the direction when we daily reach forks in the road, counseling as we consider options, whispering as we take our minute-by-minute steps.

It’s really just that simple. And that’s the truth.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: As long as there’s breath, there’s hope.