Stories. Enjoy!

  • Start Here

    New to Five Minute Observations? Welcome. I’m Joe Class III, and I write stories and essays about what I notice, the encounters that reveal something true, and the moments that stick with you after they’re gone. If you’re just getting started, these three pieces will give you a sense of what this space is about:…

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  • Why?

    You’ve tried to fill it in. That space inside you. You’ve tried. We all have. And every once in a while, when you aren’t looking, something comes close. Close enough to stop you. Close enough to make you wonder. That’s when it starts.

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  • Smile, Nod, Wave

    The smile, nod, wave. It’s not always arrogance. Sometimes it’s armor.

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  • A Broken Key Saves Lives

    Outside the gates, fifty villagers are chanting, waiting for us to come out. But half the key is broken in the lock. We’re trapped.

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  • Mile Forty-One

    The race has one job. It wants to find the bottom of you.

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  • One theme this week. I just needed five minutes to see it.

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  • God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. You’ve probably heard that. The harder question is whether you, like me, are ready to believe it. We’re not worthy. That’s the honest starting point. Not false humility, not a performance, just the plain truth most of us carry around quietly. And yet, somehow, that’s not…

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  • Go First

    I’ve been thinking about a four word sentence that we’ve all heard, and a one word response that might be more dangerous than we realize.

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  • The Table

    We used to gather at the table without thinking about it. Now we have to choose it. What changed? Everything. What matters? Still the people.

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  • The Syllabus

    Grief deserves more than a syllabus.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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