Time for Five Minute Friday thoughts. I can’t wait to join my fellow writers at Kate’s place on Facebook at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com to share our pearls of wisdom or our pig’s ears and mix and mingle.

I’ve been sharing snippets taken from Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat. They are a testament to the value of the exercise. This week, I’ll share some perspective from Shelly. I hope she inspires you to check us out … and maybe join in?

“As I clicked through several FMF post on my blog, I realized how many people I met through the link ups and how important that bit of unedited writing was to hone the craft. I’m thankful for the opportunity to contribute both then and now for the way God used Five Minute Friday to shape my writing life. Who knew such a simple writing exercise at the end of a bust week could be so valuable!”

With that, the prompt has been revealed — PLAY — and the timer is set. So, it’s time to GO…

Sometimes, we take life too seriously. That was the one of the messages I worked on while preparing my sermon this week [yes, I’m filling in at West Fayette Presbyterian … please pray for me] . We seem saddled with expectations we can’t fill. We get frustrated [like Paul in Romans 7] and what shows up is a sour disposition. Gloom and doom.

Well, there’s good news. We’ve been saved! We should be the happiest people in the world. We should embrace life — all the time. We Christians should be celebrating constantly. We should let the joy of salvation shine through us because we know we’ve been liberated from the fear of life and the fear of death. And that joy should attract others to Christ by the fun there is being a Christian.

Or as Teresa of Avila prayed, “From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, spare us, O Lord.”

There is a time for solemness, yes, but there is also a time for levity and a time to just enjoy life, family and friends. There’s a time for rest and relaxation … and a time to play!

As children, we call this play time … letting loose, getting in the moment. Admittedly, I don’t do a lot of “playing” these days, but I do I celebrate every minute I’m given. STOP…

… In fact, I’ll be celebrating in a few weeks with my grandchildren as we embark on our yearly vacation. This year it’s camping in Indiana.

The joy is watching them splish and splash in the pool, jump and romp in the adventure park, look in awe as they witness new experiences, mix and mingle with their distant cousins.

You know, in a strange way, play time can be one of the greatest worship experiences available to us.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Worship is great on Sundays but it should remain in our hearts and manifest every day of the week!