All posts tagged: vision

Todd Polyniak: Creative in Action

Published by

Interview by Briana Lassiter What a privilege it was for me to interview prophetic artist Todd Polyniak this week! As I’m preparing this article and looking through the beautiful art he sent me to be featured, I’m reminded of how one piece of God-given art can touch many of us in drastically different ways to minister to us exactly as we need. Our Father knows each of us so personally, and He communicates with us in the exact way He knows we can receive from His heart to ours. I hope this interview encourages you to ask for and receive your own gifts of creativity. No matter where you are. Whether you think you’re gifted or not. We are His beloved children, and we are all His favorites. We are spoiled by His love and there’s nothing as a doting dad, that He wouldn’t give us if we ask. If after reading this interview you find yourself asking the Lord for more, as I have, why don’t you pray with me for a fresh release …

Vision in the Gap: The Crushing pt 2

Published by

The theme of ‘gaps’ has been swirling around my spirit for a few months now. At first, facing the gaps, acknowledging that they are indeed there and that there is a palpable distance in between myself and Christ is, at first, staggering, then confusing, and then later tempting. The temptation is not one of a negative sense, but it is one that drives my spirit into a desire for more, a thirst for more of Him; more closeness, more revelation, more outpouring. JUST. MORE! EXPLORING THE GAP Taking the first steps of faith to question the Lord about the gap, I found that the distance was and is an invitation for the more, the teaser reel to the grand adventure that awaits me, and all of us, if we will step forward in faith. The gap is created as a call to lay claim to what is already ours, to realize that we have victory over every fear, worry, circumstances, spirit, and mountain. But gap by stretching gap, the Lord calls us into communion and …

Turbulence of the Tongue: The Dangers of telling the Right Things to the Wrong People & 3 Ways to Preserve Your Dream

Published by

Relationships can be funny things especially when it comes to transition and vision. There is nothing more exhilarating than having a God-given vision, or be in the midst of transition and find that those closest to you are undergirding you with prayer and celebrating your transformation in faith and position. But sometimes we face those who are not so excited about our dreams and have the propensity to try to minimize our vision from beyond-the-moon status to smaller than a posted note. It hurts. But the truth is sometimes we, as the dreamers who accept the invitation of the Lord to walk with Him on the water, set ourselves and others up for failure when we share with them secrets and truths that we were never meant to share with them. EVERYONE WHO IS WITH YOU IS NOT MEANT TO GO “IN” WITH YOU Remember that whenever our Lord showed some of His most intimate and vulnerable displays of power, He did not bring along the 72, nor the 12 who followed Him. He only …

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

Published by

“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

Published by

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

Published by

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

Published by

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

Published by

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

Published by

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!!!

Published by

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.  …