The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
286 - 5-Minute Mentoring: Are Your Dreams Dead?
“A dream without a plan is just a wish.” - Katherine Paterson, author
Do you ever feel like the dreams that you hold so dearly in your heart are just never, ever going to come to pass? That no matter how hard you work, things just aren’t panning out the way you want them to?
When this happens, it’s easy to give up, to downgrade our dream to just a wish - because we don’t have a plan, to use Katherine Paterson’s metaphor. But here’s the thing - God has a plan for ALL our dreams! He has architected our lives so carefully and beautifully… but on His schedule, not ours! We may not always understand God’s timing, but we must have faith in His promise - that He has a divine design for our lives and that He’s working all things together for our good!
The perspective shift that comes when you begin to respond to and encounter the Word of the Lord is exactly what led me to start the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program. When God called me to raise up an army of artists to reveal His glory, I had no idea what His plan was for this dream - and I never could’ve dreamed on that night in 2009 that He would’ve taken me on this particular journey. He sure is full of surprises!
If you’re searching for a perspective shift, to more clearly understand God’s plan for your dreams and your art, I hope you’ll join us for the Artist Rise Up Masterclass + Art Challenge! The first of the 5 masterclass sessions starts on September 20th, but we’re already having a blast in the private Facebook group, where participants are sharing their stories and their art with folks from all over the world!
The Masterclass + Art Challenge is free, but you do need to register at the link below so we can send you all the details!
Artist Rise Up Masterclass + Art Challenge
https://www.artistriseup.com
Hope to see you there, and remember...you were Created to Thrive!
Connect with me online:
https://www.matttommeymentoring.com
https://www.instagram.com/thethrivingchristianartist
https://www.facebook.com/thethrivingchristianartist
https://www.youtube.com/mjtommey to watch the podcast on YouTube!
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Do you ever feel like the dreams that are in your heart are just dead, like they're never, ever going to come to pass? Believe me, I feel you. I've been there before. I know that frustration. But I also know that God has another plan, even when it doesn't seem like it. He's working all things together for your good. We're going to talk about that today here on 5-Minute Mentoring.
UNKNOWN:5-Minute Mentoring
SPEAKER_00:Have you ever wanted to have someone in your life who you could ask real questions about your art, your business, and even your walk with the Lord? Well, that's exactly what we do every Friday here on 5-Minute Mentoring, where I answer one question from one of my awesome podcast listeners in order to help you start really thriving as the artist you know God created you to be. Well, hey, my friend, I'm so glad that you are here with me today on 5-Minute Mentoring. You know, one of the things that is just normal to the human condition is going through seasons in our life where we feel like these dreams and these passions that we've had are just never going to come to pass. And it's frustrating. It can be disheartening. It can be unmotivating. It can be really, really difficult to deal with. And the fact is simple. Most people simply give up when they deal with those kind of things. Instead of doing what scripture says, the righteous fall seven times and get back up. Instead of getting back up, most people just sit down. They think the dream is dead. They just kind of settle for living a life that everybody else is living, getting the same thing that everybody else has got and never really stepping into the fullness of what God has promised them. And I can't think of a sadder life because God designed you with a divine design. He designed you with that passion and that desire, that burning inside of you. But it can be frustrating when we don't see that actually happening. You know, I think about the man at the pool of Bethesda. I mean, gosh, what was that, John 5? I think about him sitting there for years and for years and for years, hoping that that somebody would come by and help him get in the water so that he could get healed. And then one day, Jesus came by and looked at him and said, do you want to be healed? And he said, heck yeah, I want to be healed. And in one moment, one encounter, boom, Jesus said, well, you know, come on, get up, walk, take up your mat, walk. And he was completely healed. I think about the fishermen who I really, the disciples in the New Testament who were out fishing all night, striving, doing the only thing they knew how to do, doing the best they could. How many times have you prayed that? God, I'm doing the best I know how to do. And all of a sudden Jesus walks up on the beach in all of his simplicity and he says, hey guys, throw the net on the other side. And of course they were offended because they're like, what do you mean throw the net on the other side? We've been doing this like 20 years, we know how to fish. And by the way, we've been doing this all night and it's not work. And yet they chose to trust the word of the Lord. And as they did, guess what? Doing the very same thing, they had a different result. Friend, listen, I don't always understand the timing of God. I know that you don't either, but I do know this. When you begin to respond to the word of the Lord, when you begin to have an encounter in his presence, life changes. Your perspective changes. And I want to invite you to a perspective-changing event, a life-changing event called Artists Rise Up. It's absolutely free. It's a five-part masterclass and art challenge that we're doing right here on Facebook. You know, back in 2009, God called me to raise up an army of artists all over the world. And I've spent my life doing that since then. And this is one of those times during the year that we gather literally thousands upon thousands of artists in just about every creative medium. Artists who love Jesus, artists who are beginners and emerging artists and high hobbyists and pro artists and everywhere in between doing just about everything creatively you can imagine, all coming together to bring our dreams, to bring the hopes, to bring the desires that are in our heart. Just kind of like the little boy with the fish and the loaves and say, Jesus, could you use this? Jesus, could you change my perspective on what I've been doing my whole life? Jesus, could you give me a new reality in my life and my art? So I'm not here striving by myself anymore, but I'm entering into your story. I'm entering into the story of the kingdom. I'm entering into this army of artists that you're raising up so that my life can matter. My life can make a difference. My life can be used as a conduit of transformation. Listen, if that's your heart's desire, and I bet it is because that's why you're listening to this podcast probably, I want to invite you. Become a part of the Artist Rise Up Masterclass. It's absolutely free. It's going to be a couple of weeks of great teaching, great interaction with other artists. We're giving away prizes for goodness sake. I mean, come on. We're giving away laptop and iPad and other really great stuff. And we want you to be there, not only to receive, but also to give You may have a word of encouragement. You may have something that somebody else needs along their journey and vice versa. You may never be the same when you come and be a part of Artist Rise Up. Every year we see God do incredible, incredible things through these couple of weeks. And I just believe that God's inviting you right now to be a part of that as well. So join us. You can find out all the details right here in the show notes. Click on that link. Register. It's absolutely free, but registration is required so that we can send you all the updates of what's going on through the challenge as well as the printable workbook that you're going to get for the challenge as well. It's going to be a really, really great time, and I hope that you will be a part. Listen, you don't have to live feeling like those dreams are dead. You can step into everything that God's got for you, and nothing would bring me greater pleasure than to be able to help you walk that road this year during Artist Rise Up. Hey, my friend, thanks for being with me, and remember, until next time, you were created to thrive. All right, bye.