All posts tagged: vision

The Purpose in the Process: Part 3 of Power in the Process

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“Anything good will often require a good amount of time.” ~Candice Coates Scripture: I Samuel 17:24-40 (I encourage you to read I Samuel 17 in entirety.) In I Samuel 17, we find the Children of Israel in the Valley of Elah, stationed there for forty days in fear. Why? Because the champion of the Philistine army, Goliath, has come to defy them. “Send me your best warrior!” He says. “If he kills me, we will be your servants, but if I kill him, you will be our servants.” Standing nine feet tall and likely weighing near a complete ton, it is understandable why the Israelites would see this giant and camp out in fear. Who could match his strength? Who could possibly bring him down? No one has the courage to do so…except one–David, the son of Jesse. Ironically, David was likely no more than seventeen years old and was a trained…shepherd, not a warrior. But he was a master of faith in the God if Israel and the world. David was also a poet and inventor of new musical instruments, instruments …

The Posture of Pursuit: Pt 2 of Pursuit of Passion

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Faith. Fear. Worry. Wisdom. All four cups are set before us to drink from as we traverse our pathway of pursuit of passion, but which cups are we choosing to drink from? The question seems simple enough and the answer even simpler. What is our posture in prayer as we pursue our passion? If prayer, seeking the wisdom of God, is not our foundation we are already off to a bad start. Christ Himself blessed us with the truth that apart from Him we could do nothing, and sharing with Him in all things is done through prayers of faith (JOHN 15:5). Prayer. It is more than just a religious act of acknowledging a Power greater than yourself. For the Redeemed, prayer is, or rather should be, an authentic conversation with our Beloved Father, Friend, and Savior, Christ Jesus. The Word ensures us that “…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (JAMES 5:16) We who have accepted the free gift of salvation through the finished work of Christ Jesus ARE now the righteousness of God …

Candice Coates: Creative in Action

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It is the pleasure of ICFTS, to the glory of God our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we get to embark on this new journey, Creatives in Action, or CNA, where we get to share the stories of Creatives in Christ who are pursuing their vision and dream to the glory of God! We are starting this journey off with Candice Coates, the Founder and Creative Voice behind ICFTS, with the help of Rachael Ritchey, who has graciously blessed us by conducting this interview. Anywhere you see RR, know that is Rachael speaking as CC is Candice. INTRODUCING CANDICE COATES: A CREATIVE IN ACTION Bio: Candice Coates, is the Founding Creative Voice of “I came for the soup…”. Born and raised in central Ohio, Candice has always had a love for telling a story, and learning the stories of others, not only those of fiction but of truth. She is a fiction and non-fiction author, as well as a visual artist, and jewelry designer. She began her walk with the Lord as a small child and has developed …

Discovering that Less truly is More: Part 2

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Planting seeds would be a mess if we dug one hole, threw in every seed we had and hoped for the best. Sometimes we think that the more we have the better off we will be., or the more we do the more successful we are. Fortunately, and I mean, fortunately, that isn’t the case. In most things in life, less truly is more. I am a person who does believe in the art of multi-tasking. If you provide childcare like I do at times, then this is a necessary art form. But in cases of being creative in general and pursuing your vision, doing one thing or very few things at a time will often reap better results and a heartier harvest. Some studies have shown in the case of online shops that ten is the magic number. When people are given too many items, they feel overwhelmed and will drift off to something else without actually buying anything even if they liked many things. ‘Less’ affords people the chance to be decisive without being …

Do You Have What It Takes?: Realizing You Were Made For Your Dream

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You are not sure when the moment began, what the catalyst for its birth was. You more often than not cannot formulate the words to describe it, but you have a dream. One day, out of nowhere, the realization that you had a vision for your life that did not mirror where you currently stand, revealed itself with awesome clarity and with that clarity came…a touch of fear. Do you have what it takes to make this thing happen? Here is the answer, no, you don’t, not on your own. But here is the good news, Christ never intended for you to do it alone, but to do it with Him as your anchor and guide. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”~John 15:5 NKJV The beauty of your dream, your call, your vision, is that it didn’t come out of nowhere. If you’ve sought the Lord, prayed over this vision and have gained the assurance that this seed …

Falling Into A New Season: This Month at ICFTS

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Greetings, Fellow Creatives! October has fallen upon us with the promise of fiery coolers, crisp weather, and the sense of stillness, with Winter just a wind away. But I ask you, are we really stepping into a season of stillness as Autumn blankets us with fallen leaves and seals us in with the kiss of frost, and have we really ever? I would like to offer you another thought and view of this time of year. Fall, Autumn, is the time to bring in the harvest from seeds planted in prior months, but it is also a time to prepare the soil for the cycle of seasons to come. Although we joyfully celebrate what has been, we also lay the groundwork for the goodness that is to come, setting our eyes and hearts on the future that rest upon the horizon. This October at ICFTS, I (Candice) want to help you prepare your mind for the plans ahead. I want to help you renew your mind as you focus through the lens of Christ-centered faith …

Creatives in Action Coming Soon!!!

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What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word, ‘creative’? Do you, like many people, think of a person who spends hours slinging paint on canvas or sewing stories on elaborate quilts? Maybe a singer, like Celine Dion comes to mind, and you, like me think, Wow, she is so whimsical. “…being a Creative goes beyond, but certainly encompasses, the creative passions of the visional, musical, and written arts, but it does not exclude other forms of creativity.”   The most important question to ask here, is do you picture yourself when you hear the word creative? If not, let this be the day that this changes. What does it even mean to be creative anyway? First, let’s define what it means to create. Create: transitive verb 1: to bring into existence … God created the heaven and the earth.  —Genesis 1:1 (King James Version) 2a : to invest with a new form, office, or rank  She was created a lieutenant. b : to produce or bring about by a course of action or behavior  Her arrival created a terrible fuss.  …

Build it!: Faith for Creatives

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“Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.” ~Psalm 127:1-2  When the Lord has given you an idea to create, no matter the obstacles you may seem to face, create it. Build it! When your idea is not just a ‘good idea’ but a ‘God idea’ you can rest in confidence that no matter what, as long as you remain in faith, and diligence, keeping your eyes on Him and trusting him every step of the way then what you are building, what you are creating will reach its purposed end and be fruitful. The Lord’s purpose will be fulfilled (Isaiah 46:10-11) so take confidence in knowing that if He has placed a purpose in you, spoken a dream to you, He will bring it to pass. Just have faith, do your part through faith, and remember, always remember, to take your rest in …

The Requirement of Time: Faith Filled Encouragment for Creatives

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Anything good will often require a good amount of time.” ~Candice Coates Scripture: I Samuel 17:24-40 (I encourage you to read I Samuel 17 in entirety.) In I Samuel 17, we find the Children of Israel in the Valley of Elah, stationed there for forty days in fear. Why? Because the champion of the Philistine army, Goliath, has come to defy them. “Send me your best warrior!” He says. “If he kills me, we will be your servants, but if I kill him, you will be our servants.” Standing nine feet tall and likely weighing near a complete ton, it is understandable why the Israelites would see this giant and camp out in fear. Who could match his strength? Who could possibly bring him down? No one has the courage to do so…except one–David, the son of Jesse. Ironically, David was likely no more than seventeen years old and was a trained…shepherd, not a warrior. But he was a master of faith in the God if Israel and the world. David was also a poet and …

Worse Than Being Blind: A Quote by Helen Keller

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  Worse than being blind is to see and have no vision” ~Helen Keller Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no VISION the people PERISH…” To be able to see is one thing, to have a vision is another. Vision is the driving force that calls us to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Vision is the crown that causes us to press even in the face of repeated failure because it’s given you a hope for the future. To be a person who has lived and not simply existed, you must have a vision, a goal. Although vision and sight are different, they are not mutually exclusive. To maintain your vision you must keep it ever before you (Habakkuk 2:2) Put it down in the simplest of words as a reminder of what you are aiming for. It is very easy to allow the challenges of life to stifle our vision. In faith, in Yeshua Jesus, we are called to ‘renew’ or minds, that we not be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2.) To …