I’m Joe Class III, a storyteller and nonprofit story consultant in Missouri.

I write about what I notice. Sometimes it’s fiction, complete stories with characters who feel real. Sometimes it’s personal essays about faith, loss, running, and rebuilding. Sometimes it’s a five-minute observation about a moment that revealed something true.

I’ve been an ultra runner for eight years, a consultant helping nonprofits tell better stories, and someone who’s learned that grace shows up in ordinary places if you pay attention.

Five Minute Observations started as a way to capture those moments: the barista who remembers your order, the conversation that shifts everything, the choice you make when nobody’s watching. Not every piece takes five minutes to read anymore, but they all come from the same place: active storytelling that finds meaning in what’s already there.

I’m married to Alissa, father to Joey, Bella, Ramsie, and Judah, and the proud owner of a golden doodle named Pretzel June. I used to be part of a church community that broke, and I’m still working out what faith looks like outside of that.

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Thanks for being here.

Joe III