The name, 95FIVE, came from an experience that Franklin had years ago on Mt. St. Helens, the famous volcanic mountain in the state of Washington.  You can read the full story in our book, Conflict Character and Influence:  Pleasing God Through Building Effective Relationships.  He visited the mountain with a friend ten years after it erupted.  What was intended to be a pleasant day hike turned into near disaster when he got lost on his way back down the slope.

 

It was near nightfall when he got to the base of the mountain but way off course from where he started, in spite of his compass readings.  By the time darkness came, he was lost without a flashlight, warm clothing, or matches.  It was his experience as a hiker, God’s protection, and the honking of the car horn that Franklin was able to make it back to the truck and join his relieved friend.

 

They were confused why Franklin got off course in spite of using a compass and being an experienced hiker.  The next day they asked some locals about it and were told that several people got lost in the same area every year.  The reason why was because a hidden deposit of iron ore would cause compasses to register false readings and lead hikers the wrong way.  It now made sense.

 

Days later, Franklin and his friend, a professional cartographer, took the same hike and measured where they ended up at the foot of the mountain from where the truck was waiting before.  They found that Franklin ended up five degrees off course because of those iron ore deposits.

 

When Franklin and Brent discussed the story a few years before launching this ministry, they found that the false compass reading that could have led Franklin to serious danger was a useful metaphor for how so many individuals suffer needless pain and chaos in their lives.  As a symbolic measurement, they demonstrate how a person can be just five degrees off course in their lives and cause potentially great damage to the 95% of their lives that they are effective in.  Just 5% ineffectiveness can ruin the 95% that is going well.

 

That was when 95FIVE was born.  

 

Franklin and Brent also believe that our lives are made up of relationships we have with others.  From our home relationships to the ones we have at work, or our friends and fellow church members, our lives consist of our relationships, the most important one being the one we have with God.  Almost everything that happens to us, or challenges us, has some kind of effect on others, especially those most important to us.

 

Relationship skills are key to effective Christian living.  We are obedient disciples when we build relationships according to God’s principles.  The good news is that His word, the Bible, teaches solid relationship skills.  

 

95FIVE takes these powerful principles and communicates them in a fresh way to demonstrate how significantly our lives and faith can improve if we learn and practice them.  That is the heart of Franklin’s and Brent’s ministry.

 

If you are struggling with even one of your relationships, or are looking for a deeper purpose in your Christian walk, check out The People Process in the products drop down.  You will learn how to manage your pressures, how your beliefs affect your influence on others, lots of relationship skills, and much more.