Tag: vision

See the Dream to Seize it: Week 8 in Sow the Seeds & Seize the Dream Free Creative Course #MondayMotivation #SeizetheDream

Published on by Candice Coates1 Comment

Your vision is your ability to see clearly . . . while your dream is what you are focusing your clarity upon.

Hello Creatives and welcome to Week 8 of Sow the Seeds & Seize the Dream 12-Week Creative Course.

This week’s module is designed to help you see the Dream that you are on the journey to make a reality.

You might be thinking, ‘hey, what is the difference between seeing my dream and capturing my vision?’. Here is the simple answer.

Your vision is your ability to see clearly the direction you want to go while your dream is what you are focusing your clarity upon.

In Module 4, we asked ourselves the questions that led us to clearer vision; why are we on this creative journey aiming for this creative goal. We created our “Vision Affirmations.”

In Module 5, we took things a step further by bringing focus to the direction we are headed. We looked up artists or writers, designers or athletes (whatever your creative goal dictated) and we made our “Creative Statement,” which is the voice or sound we what to share with others through our creativity.  (Stay tuned for my Creative Statment and the Artist that inspire me in a later article.)

Continuing with those you admire: “CREATIVE STATEMENT GUIDE”

  • Select 3 to 7 artist, writers, or people within the creative field you admire.
  • Describe the feeling that their work evokes in you.
  • Taking the list of descriptions, compile one, solid, creative statement.
  • Using this “Creative Statement,” Select one piece (be it a recipe, architectural rendering, short story, painting) that you think best embodies the statement you’ve created.

In Module 6, we took stock of what we had on hand and compiled our creative arsenal.

Now, if you haven’t created your “Creative Statement,” or found the piece that best embodies that, no worries. There is still time. Remember, to work this journey at the pace that is best suited for you. But do hold yourself accountable so you don’t lose momentum.

Also, if you find that there isn’t one piece of work that captures the statement you’ve complied, no worries there either. You can always create your own!

WHAT IS IT TO DREAM?

Dream: A dream is compiled of images, a state of mind, and a cherished ideal or aspiration.

In this creative course, vision is the lens and to dream is the beginning action.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO DREAM

Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. ~Habakkuk 2:2-3

Dreaming requires concentrated thought. It requires you to take the time and allow your ‘vision’ to be seen in a way that is specific, so much so that you can repeat the dream over and over again.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous speech, said: “I have a dream.” What I believe about that statement is that he took the time to be specific about his dream, and then he took the time to meditate upon it over and over again. By so doing, he was able to bring that dream to pass.

The Prophet Habakkuk had been given a dream and with that dream, he was instructed to write it down.

We, too, have to take the ideal image that we have for our goal, meditate on it often, and by all means, write it down!

CREATIVE FAITH IN ACTION

  • Look at your Creative Statement from Module 4. Begin to see in your mind (Dream) the ideal expression of what that would. Example: Are you seeing a series of romantic novellas? Are you seeing a series of paintings? Whatever it is, allow that dream to grow and do not hinder it.
  • Now, whatever you are seeing, WRITE IT DOWN! (Especially if you are feeling timid about what you are dreaming up, you must write it down so that you don’t psych yourself out about it.)
  • Create a Vision Board if writing is not what you need to do, or do both.
  • Continue to study the Creatives that inspired your “Creative Statement”. Refine things as the need arrives. The more you dream that more clarity you will have.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS

ADDITIONAL READING

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS

  • What does it mean to dream to you?
  • Are there any dreams that you’ve had in the past that you’ve given up on? Why?
  • What do you think God has to say about your dream(s)? Why do you feel that way?
  • What advice about taking hold of your dream would you give to a friend or your younger self?

Please share your wisdom and advice in the comments below.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THIS 12 WEEK JOURNEY, SEE Gearing Up to Prepare for Your Creative Success: Seeds We Sow

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Paving the Way to Success Intro to DIBDC!: Week 7 of Sow the Seeds & Seize the Dream FREE CREATIVE COURSE #MondayMotivation #SeizetheDream #CreativeMotivation

Published on by Candice Coates1 Comment

Hello Creatives and welcome to Week 7 of Sow the Seeds & Seize the Dream 12-Week Creative Course.

I am super excited about this middle ground of our creative journey as it is the place where we start sowing the seeds that we have collected over the past six weeks.

If you are just now joining this creative course, no worries! Take your time, but I urge you to start from the beginning. Each step until now is crucial to the cultivation of your creativity.

INTRO: DIBDC!

This week we are going to prepare ourselves to really dig deep into DIBDC!. For over a year now, DIBDC! has been my closing salute for most of my post. For the following final five weeks of Sow the Seeds & Seize the Dream, we are going to dig into each point of DIBDC!, applying the principles we’ve learned from previous weeks.

WHAT IS DIBDC!: Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

  • DREAM: Taking the ‘Vision’ we have declared, we are going to streamline it even further, making it bigger, while keeping it uniquely fashioned for who we are as creatives.
  • IMAGINE: Pragmatically see the limitations that lay ahead and learn how to grow beyond them.
  • BELIEVE: Talk yourself into it! Learn how to apply your faith to the creative calling that you have.
  • DO: (This is different from the previous ‘Do’) Learn how to get your hand’s dirty and begin to sow!
  • CONQUER!: Learn the steps to not only initiate your vision and dream but to conquer your goals through planned follow-through.

IN PREPARATION: 

Again, if you haven’t already, take the time to go back and read the previous week’s modules and answer the questions. These will help you to bring your creative vision into focus. Links to each module are below:

Intro: Gearing Up for the Journey

Week 1: Divorcing Perfectionism

Week 2: Building Memorials

Week 3: Establishing: Vision, Voice, Doing Intro

Week 4: Capturing Your Vision

Week 5: Tuning Your Creative Voice

Week 6: Do The Groundwork

MUSIC INTERLUDE:

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS:

  • What have you learned over the previous weeks that has helped you most in your creative growth?
  • Why do you think that is?
  • What encouragement can you give to others on the path to creative success?

Please share your wisdom and advice in the comments below.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THIS 12 WEEK JOURNEY, SEE Gearing Up to Prepare for Your Creative Success: Seeds We Sow

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Capturing Your Vision: Week 4 in Free Creative Course #SeizetheDream #Goals #MondayMotivation #CreativeMotivation

Published on by Candice Coates6 Comments

Welcome to Week 4 of Sow Seeds & Seize the Dream FREE 12-Week Creative Journey Course!

I hope you took the time to go over your journals, process and meditate over the answers that you gave to the previous week’s questions. Taking the occasional look in the rear-view mirrors of ours as we traverse our creative roads, enables us to stay fully engaged in the traveling process.

When we take the glance backward, we are able to be assured of our progress even as we move ahead. We are also reminded of why we set out in the first place.

Having little to no knowledge of your destination, flying by the seat of your pants, if you will, only leads to devastation at the most, and at the least, disappointment.

The week’s Module is all about harnessing your VISION. In order to go ‘somewhere,’ we have to have a destination in mind.

We’ve all heard the cliche story of having an open plan ticket, just being able to show up at the airport and just fly anywhere in the world. While that concept sounds great, the excitement and the thrill of the journey is minimized by the lack of ‘knowledge’ in regard to where you are headed.

Having little to no knowledge of your destination, flying by the seat of your pants, if you will, only leads to devastation at the most, and at the least, disappointment.

pexels-photo-352902But when we have taken the time to research our desired destination, make a plan/vision for the place we are headed, no matter the hiccups that may come along the way, we are still able to enjoy and get the most out of our journey’s because we prepared ourselves for the inevitable ‘what-ifs’ that come along in life. We are also able to avoid many pitfalls as well.

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISION AND KNOWLEDGE

To have KNOWLEDGE is to have a level of understanding and practical information about what you are about to do. It is a necessary item in your Creative Tool Box, used to best create a viable plan for your VISION which is the desired goal and destination for your journey.

The book of Proverbs gives us a very sobering warning about a world without vision. It tells us that people run unrestrained without vision. Some translations say the people perish. Think what happens when a river runs unrestrained. Devastation and sorrow are left in its wake. (Proverbs 29:18)

The Book of Hosea tells us the people perish for lack of knowledge as well (Hosea 4:6).

What this goes to show is that in order to be a success and to prosper in your life and goals you must have a vision and gainful knowledge.  You must take the time to use knowledge to set your course for your vision if you have any promise of achieving your desired destination (See Luke 14:28-32).

THE GIFT OF VISION

If you are wondering at this point if you even have a vision let alone the knowledge to pursue it, take heart! You absolutely do.

Proverbs 29:13 tells us that our Heavenly Father created all of us, rich and poor, with sight or vision. Ultimately, the choice to develop or discover our vision is up to us. But we all have them.

MAPPING OUT YOUR VISION

As mentioned in the Module titled Establishing (Read through the previous article for more detailed explanations of each step) there are 4 Ways steps we must take to map out our Vision and create a wise strategy for our creative journey.

  • Who we are: Before you set out, you must be confident in who you are. Obstacles will challenge you, try to push you into calling into question who you are and what you are doing. Being fully established in WHO you are will act as a shield against these assaults against your confidence.
  • Where we are: Acknowledging your current position, as well as the skills and tools you currently have on hand, will better prepare you for what you can begin to do now in order to start your creative process.
  • Where we are going: Having a destination in mind will enable you to properly prepare for what lies ahead. Don’t start out with an open ‘ticket’ and just dive without knowing how far you may have to fall. Set your course and plan accordingly. Do your research.
  • Declare WHY you are going to that destination in the first place: What is is that you are seeking in this place you have decided to journey? This is where you ‘declare’ your vision.
    • I am going _________________________ because I want ____________________________.

CREATIVE FAITH IN ACTION

(If you haven’t already answered these questions, now is a great time to do so)

  • What is it that you are seeking to do?/Why are you moved to do it?: WRITE THIS DOWN AND PLACE IT IN YOUR CREATIVE WORK SPACE.
  • Write down an affirmation about who you are using scriptures that resonate with you and build your confidence.
    • Keep this affirmation in your Creative Space
    • Read it out loud and Meditate on its truth daily

SCRIPTURE FOCUS

ADDITIONAL READING

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS

  • How has the process of trying to accomplish your goals without a clear vision or proper knowledge hindered you?
  • What have been some factors that have pushed you to start “building” your dream without the proper vision, knowledge or preparation?
  • What is your definition of Vision
  • What are some creative resources you have found that have helped you along your creative journey?
  • What are some things you would advise other Creatives to keep in mind while they are pursuing their Vision

Please share your wisdom and advice in the comments below.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THIS 12 WEEK JOURNEY, SEE Gearing Up to Prepare for Your Creative Success: Seeds We Sow

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Intermission Week: Creative Catch-up Week #SeizetheDream #CreativeEncouragement #MotivationMonday

Published on by Candice Coates5 Comments

Hello there Creatives! I hope you have found the last few weeks of this course to be encouraging, introspective, as well as motivating.

This week I would like to give others who are new to this content the chance to catch up before we continue with the journey. Just like marathon runners, we all need a water break.

Take this Intermission Week to:

  • Look back on what you’ve learned and discovered thus far about your creativity
  • Gain a greater idea of where you want to take your creativity
  • Answer the course questions from previous weeks if you haven’t had the chance to already.

Previous Week’s Journal Questions:

INTRO WEEK: Gearing up for the Journey

  • What steps have you taken to walk into your creative dreams thus far?
  • What were/are some things that were/are holding you back?
  • What advice would you share with others who have struggled to take hold of or regain their footing in conquering their dreams and goals?

WEEK 1:  Divorcing Perfectionism

  • How have you defined perfection?
  • How has your definition affected your creativity?
  • What advice would you share with others who have struggled to take hold of or regain their footing in conquering their dreams and goals?

WEEK 2: Building Memorials

  • What memorials do you have that have helped you take the steps toward your Creative Dream & Vision?
  • How have past victories hindered or enabled you in your creative growth?
  • What advice would you share with others who have struggled to take hold of or regain their footing in conquering their dreams and goals?

WEEK 3: Establishing

Again, take this week to let your creative mind wind down, refresh, and focus. I will see you next week with the Creative Module for “Vision.”

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Establishing: Taking the Path to Vision, Voice, & Doing #SeizetheDream #MondayMotivation #CreativeEncouragment

Published on by Candice Coates4 Comments

*To see previous course encouragements see the Course Content Page.

Hello, again Friends! I am super excited to be diving into this part of the Sow Seeds & Seize the Dream Creative Course. My prayer is that the previous week’s assignments and questions have gotten your creative juices flowing as well as prompted you to take a deeper look into who you are as a Creative.

Discovering the courage to create, getting in touch with the core of our creative passion, requires us to go on a journey, not only through the mediums by which we choose to express our creativity, but also a continuous inward journey into our souls and identity.

One of the most important aspects of ‘travel’ preparation is to establish several things. To establish is to prove the truth of something by sound and certain facts.

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If you plan to take a trip out of the country, you must establish by proof, your identity, your place of citizenship, and declare why you are traveling into the territory you are headed.

In this Creative Journey, we are establishing:

  • Who we are
  • Where we are
  • Where we are going
  • and declaring why we are going to that destination in the first place

In this next phase of this course, and over the next three weeks, we are going to Establish our way through Vision, Voice, & Doing.

With any new adventure, one must not only explore the lay of the land but also establish who they are before they take the first step forward.

WHO YOU ARE:

Before the Lord God Yeshua Jesus took His journey into the wilderness (the place of new adventure), before He began His three-year ministry that would change the world for all eternity, He was established by the affirming Words from Father God.

He was affirmed by God that He is His Beloved Son in Who He is well pleased. (Rough paraphrasing of Matthew 3:16,17. In Matthew 4:1 He is then led into the wilderness or steps into His adventure)

I am a firm believer that whenever you start something new you must always remember your beginning because if you miss a step, find yourself facing discouragement, or forget the original directions, you can always refer back to the beginning.

This is what establishing one’s self is all about, leaving a breadcrumb back home, remembering who you are, and what your purpose is. Yeshua, being tried in the wilderness under an oppressive hand of doubt HAD to remember the beginning in the face of His trying. Through it all, He was established in His place in God, that He is His Beloved in whom He is well pleased.

This beginning is remembering who you are. You are a Creative with a vision and a seed, worthy of sowing, worthy of tending, and full of worthy fruit!

WHERE YOU ARE:

Where you are is at the beginning of a worthy journey. You are not where you want to be, but you are positioned to get to that place if, and only if, you are willing to commit to the process.

In short, whether you’ve been creating for many years, or you’ve just decided to answer the call to a creative dream that has been in your soul for decades, you are beginning with a clean slate from this moment on.

Remember who you are, but put your foot at the starting line, with the expectation of gaining something new as your grow.

WHERE YOU ARE GOING:

This is a question that only you can answer, and it is a great time to grab your journal and really ponder the answer (Below I will give you an example of how I’ve answered the question of where I am going.) Where you are going can only be determined by what you want, what your ultimate goal and purpose is.

DECLARING THE PURPOSE IN OUR DESTINATION:

Again, why are you taking this creative journey? What creative seeds are you determined to plant at this level of your creative growth?

VISION, VOICE, & DOING:

For me, ICFTS began as a means to recapture and reawaken my creative voice and muse. In so doing, I wanted to encourage others to do the same.

Who I was is who I have always been–a creative person. Where I was was in a place of stifling stillness, but eagerness to create. Where I was going was in a place of creative vulnerability by stretching my wings and showing all my creative processes, messes and all. My purpose was to take back my creative light and encourage others to shine as well.

I was made better able to do both of these things by declaring (putting into words) my Vision, Voice, & Doing. 

  • Vision: My vision is to grow and take advantage of artistic freedom. As an artist, I would like to harness a new level of artistic expression. I want my writing to flow easily from my imagination into typed or written words, without hindrance, and over thinking. I mostly just want to have fun with the process in general. As I discover these things and sample different avenues of expression I will share.
  • Voice: Even as I create with freedom, I want to do so with purpose. I want to discover the ‘voice’ of that purpose and speak it loud and clear.
  • Doing: I want ICFTS and my creative journey to be the catalyst for the creative and spiritual journeys and discoveries of others. I want to inspire my readers and watchers to create and grow, and inspire others to create and grow. I want to discover more of me and I want others to be inspired to discover more of themselves.

I put into words my Vision, Voice, & Doing, two years ago, and from I have definitely seen the fruits of my declaration.

CREATIVE FAITH IN ACTION:

Now it is your turn. Next week we are going to dig deeper into declaring Vision. Until then, in your journal, try to define and refine your declared vision.

  • What is it that you are seeking to do?
  • Why are you moved to do it?

SCRIPTURE FOCUS:

ADDITIONAL READING:

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS:

  • Please share your wisdom and advice in the comments below.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THIS 12 WEEK JOURNEY, SEE Gearing Up to Prepare for Your Creative Success: Seeds We Sow

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Divorcing Perfect: The First Step in Sowing Seeds for Creative Success #SeizetheDream #Goals #MondayMotivation

Published on by Candice Coates5 Comments

Welcome to Week 1 of “Sow the Seeds, Seize the Dream 12 Week Creative Course.” I have to say that more than anything I am super excited about embarking on this journey with you.

No matter what your creative goals are, I want to see you soar!

Taking the steps, harnessing the faith and courage to walk on the waters of our curious creativity, is a grand thing and certainly not one to be taken lightly.

This is a big deal. You, making the decision to find your creative voice, to try something outside of your comfort zone, but oh so impressed upon your heart with a million ‘what ifs’ is a big deal.

The reality is everything will be as good as it is meant to be in the stage of development that it is in.

Today we begin with a simple but necessary introduction to the path we are going to take. Like with any journey, it is important that one counts the cost and gets ready for the road ahead.

The biggest hurdle we as creatives must leap over (we as humans) is that of ‘Perfectionism.’

  • PERFECTIONISM: The inability to accept anything that is below the standard of perfection.

Today, I just want to talk to you about how crippling ‘perfectionism’ can be and give you a few steps to move beyond this so-called giant.

I remember for over a period of five years I had gathered a mouthwatering collection of art supply, from paints to pens, paper, canvases … you name it, I pretty much had it. All of it gathered to create glorious art, but all of it gathered little more than dust as the fear of making something less than perfect crippled my hands from moving.

For five years my creativity bottle-necked because I was afraid to mess up the cotton fibers of my papers. I was simply afraid, afraid my results would not match my original design, afraid I would fail, afraid I wouldn’t measure up to the expectations of others … simply afraid.

Can you relate to that?

Many of us have a dream but do nothing with it, not because we are careless, but because we have become overly careful. Many times this ‘care’ which is actually insecurity and worry is birthed the fear of not being good enough.

The reality is everything will be as good as it is meant to be in the stage of development that it is in.

As the book of Ecclesiastes 3:9-11 puts it: “What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

A five-year-old playing a mean tune of “Chopsticks” has done a fantastic job even though that song doesn’t compare in the minds of many to “Moonlight Sonata.” But if the five-year-old continues to try his or her hand at simplistic tunes until their muscles have learned to flow into something like “Jingle-Bells,” then there is hope that they will grow into pieces composed by Mozart and Beethoven.

This truth holds the same for ALL CREATIVES. We have to make peace with the truth that growing in our creativity is a messy business and will require some keys being played out of tune, some colors being poorly mixed, even some words being used out of context.

The mistakes are all a part of the growth process and actually, some things birthed out of imperfection have actually proven to be quite perfect. Here are a few examples:

  • Cream Cheese: Cream cheese was the IMPERFECT mistake made in 1872, created by American dairymen, William Lawrence of Chester, N.Y. In Mr. Lawrence’s attempt to create the French cheese called Neufchatel, he imperfectly, yet perfectly, created Cream Cheese which is a hit! I mean what is a bagel without cream cheese, and don’t get me started on cheesecake.
  • Ganache: I heard it on a Food show years ago that this chocolatey delight was created by a chef ‘accidentally’ and thusly, imperfectly knocking cream into some heated chocolate. In his attempt to create something else, this confection was invented.
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies: In 1938 American Chefs,  Ruth Graves Wakefield and Sue Brides imperfectly yet perfectly came up with just about every cookie lover’s dream. Now, according to some, the chef’s were attempting to create a chocolate cookie, believing that the chocolate chips would melt in the batter only to find that the did not, but no one is complaining over that!

The point of these delicious examples is that there are people the world and time over who have stepped out of their comfort zones to attempt something new to them only to be blessed by the results of their imperfection. (I used food examples to whet your creative appetites.) They had a dream and vision for something and what they ended up with, although imperfect by some standards, ended up being better than they had imagined. They didn’t just set out to be perfect they set out to take hold of their creative dreams.

Today, we have the same opportunity as the folks mentioned. We can step out, divorcing the fear of perfectionism, but raising our expectation for something good to happen in us and through us creatively over the next 12 weeks.

CREATIVE FAITH IN ACTION:

  • Commit to a new definition of perfection. Find perfection in the ‘completion’ of each creative step required to get you from dream to vision, not in the flawless result of what you currently view as perfect. (For each person, this will be different. What is needed for an amateur make-up artist to complete is not the same as an aspiring author. )
  • Commit to attempting your creative endeavor while embracing the glory of imperfection. As Zig Ziglar put it, “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly . . . until you can learn to do it well.” 
  • Commit to acknowledging the goodness in each effort you have made toward your dream and call it ‘good.’ As in the dawn of Creation, The Lord God, at the end of His daily efforts of Creation, He blessed His work and called it GOOD! Yes, He had a bigger picture in mind (end result) but He acknowledged the goodness in the steps He’d made toward that goal. We have to do the same.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS:

ADDITIONAL READING:

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS:

  • How have you defined perfection?
  • How has your definition affected your creativity?
  • What advice would you share with others who have struggled to take hold of or regain their footing in conquering their dreams and goals?

Please share your wisdom and advice in the comments below.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THIS 12 WEEK JOURNEY, SEE Gearing Up to Prepare for Your Creative Success: Seeds We Sow

(Also, get yourself a journal and write dow your thoughts. It will be great to see how far you’ve grown in the coming weeks!)

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Plan Big!: A Word of Creative Encouragement #MotivationMonday

Published on by Candice Coates6 Comments

When God is your partner, make your plans big!” ~ D.L Moody

Plan BIG!

You’d think that that exhortation would make every person who heard it celebrate with a motivated fire for action when in reality it makes a lot of people shrink back in fear and hide under the heavy blankets of safety and mediocrity.

Dreaming is not so much of an issue for most of us. But dreaming big . . . well, that has the power to not only knock the wind out of many of our sails but sink our boats completely.

Like me, I suppose you are wondering why that is. If we are honest with ourselves we would have to admit that insecurity and the scrutiny of others is what holds us back. The old ‘what will people think?’ phrase acts as the perfect glitch in our plans of action.

The very thought of failing in front of others, especially those who’ve minimalized our former dreams with the constant song of ‘you can’t,’ strikes us immobile. Them witnessing our former failed attempts doesn’t help either.

But is any of that really a reason to shrink our globally-sized visions down to something that only fills a shoebox? Are our past ‘failures’ really messages that we are not able to achieve the impossible?

I dare say NO!

If nothing else our past ‘failures’ are signs that we are indeed able to succeed? Why? Because even when we aimed for the moon and didn’t even leave the atmosphere, we still have the gumption to load up for another shot.

We are indeed meant to plan big, and along with that, we must rest in faith that every seeming malfunction has a glorious function for our good. We learn from every step we take. We are strengthened by every closed door. We can actually become better with ever affront against our determination.

Isaiah 54:2-4 says, “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.”

Dreaming BIG is a gift, a costly gift. It means we will have seasons and moments when we look foolish. It will require us to cast out our nets just one more time in faith even though we’ve been fishing all night and caught nothing. (Luke 5:3-7) But when Yeshua Jesus is directing our casting even when the progress looks minimal the process is optimal and so is the final outcome if we stick with it.

What we must realize is that the God of all Creation has big dreams and plans for each of us. When we trust Him as our Father we are then positioned by faith to prosper. (Jeremiah 29:11)  His thoughts for us are all GOOD and PRECIOUS  and they outnumber the stars and the sand (Psalm 139:17-18).

But part of seeing these dreams come to pass rest in our willingness to dream big, plan even bigger and allow the Giver of Dreams Himself to guide us on the journey. (John 15:5) “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

There is nothing that is too big for Yeshua Jesus to do and when He is our partner there is NOTHING we cannot do! (Philippians 4:13)  But it requires us to believe in and on Him, and take great leaps of faith.

But then, that’s all it takes.

So dream, plan and do it BIG! He’s got your back.

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

*Revised from June 2016

The Bend: Flash Fiction Results of Monday’s Muse May 16th 2016

Published on by Candice Coates18 Comments

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The Bend: Flash Fiction

The road was still dark though the fog had cleared. Still they hadn’t seen another car for hours. The same lurching feeling that they’d felt in the fog returned but with a greater degree of clarity.

It had happened.

The shockwave that had rocked him to the ground several hours ago, the one that had left his ears bleeding and his sight spliced to a sickening double, had come at the exact time that he’d predicted.

“They should’ve listened to me,” His words trembled from his lips. White knuckles gripped his steering wheel as he rounded the bend. Tears blurred his vision again before trickling down his face.

His breath hitched. He hadn’t cried in years, not since his first  prediction. Kelley, his sister. He’d told her that her breaks would give out, said he’d seen it in a dream. They’d fought over the keys. He became enraged by fear, busted out her window as she fought to drive off.

She died. The car didn’t stop, just as he’d told her. He’d fought to save her life and all he could think about while he sat in a prison cell for his sister’s murder, was how her last thought of him was one of fear.

That hadn’t been his first prediction, not really. He’d had several up until then. They’d come at random, like pebbles sliding down a mountain face, the gentle warnings of an ominous danger just up ahead.

They started after his own recovery. A bad high mixed with a fall into an empty swimming pool with a rain slick bottom and a lovely jolt of electricity from a construction lamp falling on top of him.

The predictions began the moment he opened his eyes and just like they pebbles they grew weightier with their warning. The last was the shockwave that brought the fog.

No one listened then, having dubbed him a murderous lunatic junkie. How he wished they were all right about him. He wished he had been every slur they’d called him just to have the suffocating emptiness that had been strangling him for hours to lift away for good.

He pressed the gas and picked up speed. Maybe he shouldn’t have found cover from the shockwave. Maybe he should have done like everybody else and stayed above ground. Now alone, he thought that he should just end it all.

Who would he tell of what he’d witnessed? So far it was evident that there was no one left. A moan crawled up his throat and burst forth in a flood of more tears. He bit the back of his hand and let the speedometer climb higher and higher and higher until–

His wheels screamed to a halt and with the agility of a NASCAR driver, he managed to bring the car to a safe stop only several yards from the young woman standing at the side of the road.

THE END…?

*I love the way freewriting goes in whatever direction it pleases. This story kind of made me nervous in a what’s-about-to-happen kind of way. Other writer’s know what I mean by this. These are my results for Monday’s Muse Writing Prompt May 16th, 2016. If you are interested in seeing the original prompt and rules, and maybe even give it a writing try yourself, you can do so by following this LINK.

~Dream. Imagine. Believe. Do. CONQUER!

Worse Than Being Blind: A Quote by Helen Keller

Published on by Candice CoatesLeave a comment

 

Worse than being blind is to see and have no vision”

~Helen Keller

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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 renew is to “reestablish” to “repeat” to “give strength to” to “validate.”

Keep renewing,  reestablishing, repeating and strengthening until you see your vision come to pass, and when it does, get a new one.

The world will always tell you that you can’t. Others who’ve given up on their visions will attempt to push you to do the same. Just remember, you were given a vision for a reason.

You were called to do more than just ‘see’. You were created to live and that takes VISION! You’ve got one, don’t lose it.

~Dream. Image. Beleive. Do. CONQUER!

All In The Pieces: Piece It Together By Pastor Steven Furtick

Published on by Candice Coates1 Comment

Greetings! I just listened to this message and it rocked my world in such a good way. My prayer is that you will set aside a good 45 minutes and allow your heart to be encouraged as well. Yeshua Jesus Bless!

Piece It Together