Aslan

A couple of times in the last few months I have found myself thinking of Aslan so I decided to re-read the whole Chronicles of Narnia series. It had been years since I last read it but the books transcend time and were again pure magic when I read them. Because of that Aslan remained in the back of my mind and the link between Him and Jesus being the Lion of Judah perculated away slowly in my mind. I thought of the childrens relationship with Aslan in the books and that easy friendship that existed between them and Him and my relationship with Jesus and the friendship I have with Him and I wanted to capture that in some way. So I ended up doing two artworks featuring Him from that perspective, I hope you like them.

Aslan – not tame, but kind

In my secret garden

 

 

get that dream outta your head!

“Dream Book” series post 1

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”. Eleanor Roosevelt

Every one of us has dreams. It may be of overseas travel, that new car, a home of our own or seeting up in business for yourself. Most of those dreams are within our potential to fulfil but so often they stay trapped in our head in the ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ box. We need to bring that dream from our brain and heart into something tangible otherwise it will stay a dream. Creating a dream book is a great way to take that first step towards seeing that dream become a realty. In your dream book you can think as big as you want. In this stage don’t reign in your imagination or begin to get too specific with the finer details – they will come later in the planning and strategy phase.

Dream books are great also for planning a family holiday – get the kids involved; or you can make a dream book as a couple – holiday or ministry dreams – working together on it brings a sense of ownership and team.

Creating a dream book 

• Find a book or folder (loose leaf is best so pages can be rearranged). Gather pictures and words to illustrate your thoughts. Make it fun and attractive. Put your personality into it, just like your journal.
• Use as many of your senses as you can, pour your heart out onto paper. Record yourself speaking about your dream. Sew or embroider something for your book. Use photos
• Write down ideas as they come to mind; where, when, who with, ideas about training etc. Record websites that inspire you in your dream and visit them often.
•  Dream books can be about anything, have multiple dream books on different dreams. These are not just the secret longings of a trapped imagination – they are your dreams and they stand in danger of being lost or eroded by the busyness of daily living.
• Look at your dream book often, let it inspire your thoughts and prayer life. Keep the fires of hope and faith alive knowing that God will give you the desires of your heart.

“Your imagination is the God given human capacity to construct and enter into mental pictures of divine reality. We are able to inhabit the mental pictures we create and thence anticipate the delight of finally entering the greater reality to which they correspond.” Alister McGrath

In the next entry I’ll look at what you can do after you’ve made your dream book, what are some of the things you can do to make your dream your reality.