You May Say I am a Dreamer

August 24, 2015 · By ·

I have been able to recall my dreams every other night. It started when I prayed, “God, please filter out those dreams that are not from you, and speak to me through dreams.”

Usually I know when the dreams are from God, is when I wake up immediately after the dream ends, and that’s when I jot it down in my dream journal.

Yes. I have started keeping a journal to jot down all of my dreams, and dreams and visions are part of my spiritual walk with God.

So why do people dream?

Since most of the readers reading this post tend to lean towards logical and rational answers. I went to google ‘Why do people dream?’ and ended up on this post. Even researchers cannot agree on the reasons why we dream but there are plenty of theories. Some say that dreams have physical, mental, emotional or spiritual reasons and some think that is just a result of a big meal.

So then, articles that reveal how scientific discoveries were made, as a result of a sleeping dream will befuddle the most logical minds. Mendeleev found the solution to the Periodic Table, August Kekule discovered the structure of the Benzene and Aromatic Chemistry, Rene Descartes discovered the Scientific method, Albert Einstein discovered the principle of relativity after having a vivid dream.

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Many people will say that they do not dream. But the reality is we dream every night, as dreaming occurs at the end of every sleep cycle. Just that most cannot remember their dreams.

There are different sources of dreams, some are from your soul, some can be from God and some can be from the devil or the demonic realm (Yes I do believe in the Devil, if there is a God, there is the Devil or Satan. Just like when there light, there will be darkness).

There are many ways to identify the source of the dream, some of the key ways are;

1) Voice of the soul or flesh – dream will be self seeking, promoting your personal ego, self exalting and full of insecurity and fear

2) Voice of God – dream will be righteous, loving, full of mercy, humble, without condemnation, truth (will agree with scriptures in the Bible), life giving and encouraging

3) Voice of satan – condemning, twists concept from scriptures of the bible, leads people away from righteousness, appealing to the flesh, brings death, destruction and fear

 

My Thoughts on Dreams

I do believe that the examples of dreams that I have mentioned above about scientific discoveries through dreams are from God, as God is a creative creator.

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Although I am certain that the ego of a ‘self-made’ man or woman will beg to differ.

I will not be likely inventing something brilliant after discovering something in a dream, however my dreams seems to have been focused on fulfilling a different purpose.

I have had dreams of a predictive nature, or with information that I would not have an ability to know on my own.

I dreamt that I will be separated physically with my hb the week before he told me about his interview with the current company held overseas. Through this dream, I was prepared by God on the outcome, that the family will be separated geographically or a season. This dream also confirmed that hb’s move was according to God’s will.

And last year, I had a dream of an old friend whom I have not spoken to for some time. In the dream, I was revealed symbolic parallels that she has a physical ailment at a specific part of her body. I contacted her to ask her about it, and she was shocked that I knew about it and we met to pray for her healing together.

Since I started being serious about understanding what is God saying through my dreams. I have been having dreams with revelatory insight on a personal situation or about specific people. All which I have sought God about on the interpretation.

Some people attribute this to intuition, but I don’t, as I don’t think my intuition is so brilliant to start with. My conviction towards dreams is this, I believe God speaks to individuals through dreams and visions, by drawing parallels in everyday life. Dreams are often filled with symbolisms, like parables.

All of us are created to have fellowship with God, to learn to hear His voice and experience Him. God longs to speak to us and for us to know Him, not just know about Him! And showing us pictures through dreams and visions are just one of His ways.

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As for those who are Christians reading this and getting slightly riled up by this post, “This woman is into new age practices or she is misleading people into the ways of God!” or there will be some who might say, “The Holy Spirit gifting have cease to exist and this is strange fire.”

Take note that dreams or visions is an area that if you are not interested to read the Word of God daily or spend time in prayer, and spend the time to seek the Lord for interpretation to the dreams, this is not for you. You will be better off listening to what your Pastors in church tell you every Sunday.

We may not be the modern day Daniel or Joseph, but I believe that when we seek God consistently and go into the deeper things of God, God will speak to each of us personally about our lives and possibly even on things to come.

Job 33:14-18

For God may speak in one way, or in another, 

Yet man does not perceive it.

In a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falls upon men,

While slumbering on their beds,

Then He opens the ears of men, 

And seals their instruction.

In order to turn man from his deed, 

And conceal pride from man,

He keeps back his soul from the Pit,

And his life from perishing by the sword. 

Read here for a previous post on a prophetic dream that I had. I might continue about dreams and interpretation of dreams in upcoming posts, will see how the Holy Spirit leads. 

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Like Life, Art doesn’t need to be perfect.

July 22, 2015 · By ·

Life seems to have shifted gears, and I am back into a slow moving, but contemplative period in my life.

Well I am generally contemplative most of the time :) but this slow pace have put me in this mood to jot down my thoughts on paper, and use these thoughts and feelings constructively by trying to create something with them.

That’s how I started doodling in my sketchbooks.

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That’s the boy’s sketchbook, not mine. My sketchbooks have black boring looking covers.

I bought some sketchbooks more than a year ago, when I took some watercolour painting classes. Where I spent most of my time during class painting different types of fruit. The technique which I was taught, but never got the hang of, was realism, i.e., draw and paint realistic looking fruits.

Oh boy, fruit is just about the toughest things I have ever tried painting.

That experience likely created the inertia of not picking up the brush for the next 10 months, until 2 weeks ago. I was motivated by a comment that the boy said to me, “Mom, I haven’t seen you use these brushes for a very long time,” which got me thinking why I am not painting at all.

It was due to the technical difficulty of painting these fruits that got me fearful, fearful of painting hideous-looking fruits or things.

Growing up, I had this disease of perfectionism that when I start on something, I have to be good at it. If not, I just have the attitude that any endeavour will be a total waste of time, and I shouldn’t have started doing it in the first place.

This has to be a result of growing up in a society that grades people on performance that has created this subtle fear in me, that if I can’t make it look good, achieve a certain level of success, or close to perfection, I should not even waste my time trying.

Most of us have been taught, either directly or indirectly, that what we create or do, does not bring us any returns, either through financial or recognition, that it is a useless thing to pursue with our time.

It was only when it finally dawned on me that I don’t have to create anything perfect or anything close to beautiful, or even consider developing a career out of it. And my focus on this endeavour should be to enjoy the process of doodling my thoughts through pictures and words on paper.

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I am enjoying the process of drawing and painting that I started illustrating bible verses. Verses or specific topics that I am led to read and study, which I can continue meditating the meaning as I illustrate the pictures for the verse.

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Blots, wonky looking drawings, crooked lines and all. I just need to embrace the imperfections in Art!

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I am inculcating the same attitude in the little boy and I love these drawings he did of some animals.

When he saw me drawing on the the sketchbook, he said that he wanted to do the same. When he first started on his own sketchbook, he asked for my help to draw the outlines of the animals that he was attempting to draw.

I refused to help him and told him that if I draw the outlines for him, it will not be considered his work anymore. I told him that it really doesn’t matter that the artwork isn’t perfect, what matters is that he created it himself.

These animals are in odd shapes, but they have so much character with their little imperfections.

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There is this saying ‘Practice makes Perfect.’ I have to toss out this saying, as I don’t intend to be perfect with drawing and painting. However, ‘Practice’ will be the key foundation to experiment with new ideas, learn from the mistakes, and to hone the skills that I intend to develop.

One of the best advice that I have read before is that, ‘It is not the quest to achieve one perfect goal or piece of work that matters, it’s the skills that you develop from doing a volume of work. Focus on the repetitions that lead to the place.’

So I have started with drawing and painting in my Sketchbook at least 3x a week.

So do excuse the visual mess, as I continue to flood my IG account with my wonky looking pictures.

Brave quote90

illustration by Lisa Congdon 

Here for more posts on this blog on Art and Learning Art
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June 2015 – Of Plane Rides and Reunions

July 1, 2015 · By ·

June was a month of airplane rides and reunions.

For someone who detest taking planes, it was quite a feat that the boy and I took the plane a total of 6 times last month.

 

Manila

This is my 3rd trip to Manila in 1.5 years, and I like the city and the convenience of where dh’s apartment is located. But I haven’t changed my mind about not moving there even for the short term. It’s a liveable city, however it can get rather dull for a 8 year old.

If I didn’t have a child, I would move over to stay with hb in a heartbeat, especially since I am not an outdoorsy sort of person and crafting can keep me occupied. But I would likely become introverted after being holed up in a house for too long, and hard not to put on weight, since international cuisine selections are good and affordable.

 

June1Photo taken at a Thai restaurant (Thai food in Manila is pretty good!) in Greenbelt Shopping Mall

 

One new thing that I discovered from this recent trip, is that Manila is a ‘pen and markers haven’, if you like to doodle or draw. There is a vast range of brands of pens and markers at their local bookstores. I suppose when the market is big, retailers can bring in a greater selection of merchandise. It just highlights why I hardly ever shop in Singapore anymore.

Being in Manila is really about enjoying family reunions, even if it means for only 2 weeks when I have to cook, clean, wash and iron like what a regular SAHM will do daily. Times like these, I am reminded how I am not cut out to be a SAHM, having to do all the chores at home continually, for months without feeling exhausted or eventually, resentful. I really 佩服 the resilience in fellow moms who have made the choice to do this for the long haul.

On the flight back to Singapore, we encountered the worse turbulence in the flight. The plane dipped at least 5s, plane tilted to the right at least 20 degrees. Food trays flew off the table, there were passengers with food remains on their face and clothes and everyone on board was visibly shaken. While it happened, the boy urgently exclaimed to me, “Mummy, pray!” And I did, and my thought at that moment was, “God, I am not done with what You have called me to do, I still have to go Jakarta!”

 

Jakarta

The boy and I only rested for a day in Singapore, before flying over to Jakarta the next day. Despite being shaken after the flight back from Manila, we were all ready to take on our next leg of the trip.

What do we do in Jakarta? I always tell people when they ask, that I am visiting friends. With each Jakarta trip. I get to have fellowship with friends, and get to know new friends.

The boy was thrilled to have gotten to know new friends from this trip and spent a day at Kidzania Jakarta with his friends.

June2

 

My trip to Jakarta is not like a typical mission trip, I don’t build houses, feed the poor or teach children. I share my personal testimony and I am always given the opportunity to teach and pray for individuals. There has been no open door for me to share my testimony in Singapore, but the door is wide open for me in this other country, so I go where God sends me to, usually to women fellowship groups.

I get so encouraged by the ladies that I meet as they have so much love for Christ and are so interested to talk about the things of God. It has been confirmed by a couple of bible teachers and pastors who visit Indonesia regularly that this country has been chosen by God to bring in revival for Asia.

I am so humbled that I am being led to this country for a specific call and assignment, and even more humbled when I receive personal messages from individuals like this who are edified and encouraged by my sharing. As messages like this always prove that it is not me, but His glory and ability works through me;

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The boy and I are planning some trips back to Jakarta for the later half of this year.

 

Phuket

Our Manila and Jakarta trips were planned for, but the Phuket trip was really last minute. Dh and I only decided to take a short family vacation to Phuket, and managed to get the air tickets and accommodation booked 2 days before we arrived at the resort.

Being a stickler for routines and schedules, to do something like that was rather free-ing, and it was a good concluding trip for the month.

Phuket was a reminiscing trip for dh and I. The last time that we stayed at this same resort; Angsana Laguna Phuket was in 2009, when Kyle was only 2 years old.

June holidays 2015 combi

June is a low season for Phuket and will be one of the best times to visit as there are less crowds. There are no queues for tables at breakfast and hotel facilities like the pool, in this case, all 300+ meters of the pool was only shared with 5-10 other hotel guests. The weather was perfect for all the 4 days we were there.

We transferred to a pool room after the 2nd day, and we were able to jump right into the pool from the room’s patio and spend the late mornings – late afternoons playing pool games or just leisurely swimming in the pool.

June3

The last time our family had a getaway together was in 2010, and in comparison to vacations needing long drives, dh and I have concluded that we really like laid-back holidays. Just basking in the sun, swimming and leisurely having our meals. So looks like it will be another resort to go to for the next family vacation :) Boracay? Or maybe Maldives?

This June was likely the most mobile (and exhausting) vacation month the boy and I have experienced so far, but I am thankful that we have been so blessed by quality of family time we spent together and been surrounded by the fellowship of friends.

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