Dream Small

Have you heard the song, Dream Small by Josh Wilson? I absolutely love it, add my pregnancy hormones and I sometimes cry when it comes on the radio. Dream Small Video

Here are the lyrics:

It's a momma singing songs about the Lord

It's a daddy spending family time the world said he cannot afford

These simple moments change the world

It's a pastor at a tiny little Church

Forty years of loving on the broken and the hurt

These simple moments change the world

Dream small

Don't bother like you've gotta do it all

Just let Jesus use you where you are

One day at a time

Live well

Loving God and others as yourself

Find little ways where only you can help

With His great love

A tiny rock can make a giant fall

Dream small

It's visiting the widow down the street

Or dancing on a Friday with your friend with special needs

These simple moments change the world

Of course, there's nothing wrong with bigger dreams

Just don't miss the minutes on your way, your bigger things, no

'Cause these simple moments change the world

So dream small

Don't bother like you've gotta do it all

Just let Jesus use you where you are

One day at a time

Live well

Loving God and others as yourself

Find little ways where only you can help

With His great love

A tiny rock can make a giant fall

So dream small

Keep loving, keep serving

Keep listening, keep learning

Keep praying, keep hoping

Keep seeking, keep searching

Out of these small things and watch them grow bigger

The God who does all things makes oceans... from rivers

So dream small

Don't bother like you've gotta do it all

Just let Jesus use you where you are

One day at a time

Live well

Loving God and others as yourself

Find little ways where only you can help

With His great love

A tiny rock can make a giant fall

Yeah, five loaves and two fish can feed them all

So dream small

Dream small

The first few times I heard the song, I just hummed along, but then I started to pay attention to the lyrics, and they hit home. For some time now I have struggled with am I doing enough, am I enough. Am I doing everything I need to do for the Kingdom. And my pregnancy probably has not helped. I have had plans to go back to school and finish my degree. I have struggled with the fact that I have yet to write a book and be "published." But then I took this song to heart. And started talking to God. Those things I struggled with were MY ambitions, MY dreams. Those are not bad things, but had I really considered God. Had I sought His will in my plans. Then yesterday, the following verse was referenced twice.

 



The first time I heard it was while I was driving to pick up my kids from their summer care. I listen to Pastor Nathan Cothen out of Beaumont, TX. He is head pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Beaumont. And Monday through Friday, 4-4:30 p.m. I am blessed to hear him preach on my radio, FM 100.7

His message yesterday was about our motives, "Are you living your life in an effort to be somebody, or in a way that desires to serve somebody?" And in the sermon he came to the scripture above, and it was like I hit a brick wall. It is so simple. We all have a part, and we need to be in God's word, in prayer, and in study to know what it is we need to be doing.

Last night was Wednesday night service, and normally our Associate Pastor Jon is the one who gives a message, but his father, our Lead Pastor, Dr. Redmond, gave the message. And he gave a phenomenal message out of the book of Acts.

Take a moment, and read Acts 3:1-12 (provided below in the NASB translation):

Healing the Lame Beggar
3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. 2 And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. 4 But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!” 5 And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” 7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter’s Second Sermon
11 While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. 12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?
He titled his sermon, Do What You Can. And he shared a story about a few conversations he had with a gentleman who is active in the church, who serves. And the man he talked to you was very humble, and he stated he and his wife do what they can. And that is so impactful. If we all, with what resources we are stewards over, just do what we can - the impact would be magnified greatly.

And now I am not struggling like I was on if I am doing enough for the Kingdom. This is my ministry, this is my calling:

Be a mother.
Be a wife.
Be a daughter/in-love.
Be an assistant.
Be a blogger.

Those are my tasks from God. Do I need to finish my degree, no, my on the job experience has better trained me than any of the classes I have ever taken. If money and time allow, one day I will complete it. But doing so won't complete me. In regards to being "published," well, I am, here. I am self-published. And I still have ideas for a few books, and maybe that is where God will direct me one day. But right now, I need to focus on being obedient to Him with this blog, and writing when He tells me to do so. And raising three children, as the Bible instructs in Ephesians 6:4 (NASB) will take plenty of time, prayer, and dedication: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

And this really has hit home to my heart lately as my Connection Group has been doing a study on the book of 2 Corinthians. And having grown up in the church, I have always heard of the Apostle Paul, and always thought of him as Superstar going around that region and creating churches and winning souls. But the truth is, yes he was creating churches, sharing the gospel, and winning souls to the Kingdom, he was a very humble man. In fact, the church at Corinth was upset that Paul wasn't more of a Super Apostle.

And you know, all this brings me peace. I need to do what I can with the resources the LORD has given me. And if I do what I am supposed to, that is enough. There is beauty in realizing my mission field is my family, my connection group, my readers. And if I do what I can, that is what God wants.

FAMILY: Growth

As of today, June 27th, I am 24 1/2 weeks pregnant.Less than 16 weeks until I get to meet our gift from God. Now, I have been quiet, even absent for a while. Everything has been going well, but with my husbands training schedule, I have been parenting solo most evenings, so once the kiddos are asleep, I rest. I pretty much veg out, and deal with my braxton hicks contractions.

Life has been good for our family, immediate and extended.

Mother's Day was glorious. We gathered at my in-love's house, our little unit, my brother/sister in love and their son, and my sil's parents. Church was good that morning, and we were all ready for some time together. My sil who lives 10 hours away texted me at one point when we were all gathered, to make sure we weren't eating yet. Notified her steaks were not even yet on the grill. 

Not even 10 minutes later she starts a Facetime conversation with my mil. Nothing out of the normal with this, since they live so far away, we cannot spend every holiday together, and the wonders of technology allow us to see each other in real time. It's beautiful!

As we are all waving/saying "hi" their youngest starts shouting, "I'm going to be a BIG brother!" It took a few yells for it to register with us. So yes, the Midland crew is growing to 5, due in January. We were all happy, hugging, and just overall excited by the extra growth in the family. Our bundle was a surprise, and now we weren't going to be the only ones sleep deprived but blessed.

A little while later lunch was ready and my middle bil said he wanted to lead the prayer. Nothing abnormal, we gather in the kitchen, hold hands and he begins. He then said, "And Lord, we pray for healthy pregnancy's for J (me), L (midland), and L(his wife).....I scream, her mother screams, kids looked confused, my mother in love looks dazed, and my husband says we broke his ear drum.

We never said Amen on that prayer.

But, the conclusion is, all three of us Shuman wives are pregnant.

I am due mid October

Middle SIL is due end of November, start of December

Farthest away SIL is due start to mid January

Our clan is going from 13 to 16, 5 grandchildren to 8!

Oh, and because time has flown since Mother's Day, 2 of us know what we are having.

The original granchild crew is this:

Boy - 6 year old - Midland Crew

Girl - 5 year old - Mine

Boy - 4 year old- Midland Crew

Boy - 3 year old - Mine

Boy - 3 year old - Middle Shuman Crew

My daughter has been the only girl in the group. Let me tell you, she was determined that we were having a girl. Unfortunately the ultrasound did not reveal that, nor did the silly string on the 1st Saturday in June. When it finally dawned on her that the blue meant a brother she flat out cried for 15 minutes.

The next weekend, after church, the kids and I drove up to see the Middle Shuman Crew at my sil's parents house. They did blood work to find out sooner if their son would get a brother or a daughter. WE arrive, and the cake is cut, because none of us are patient, and while we were there for lunch, the gender was the main reason for gathering. We saw blue icing, and hey, Shuman's make boys, no real surprise. But, my brother in law had a cannon, and he didn't shoot it off right away. And then he did.

PINK!

And all of us were confused....did this mean twins, a boy and a girl....or was the cake a decoy.

My sil reassured that twins were not in her oven, but in fact a little girl was. My daughter is now happy that at least she will have a girl cousin, since my husband and I disappointed her in making her yet another brother. 

My husband and I did have a name picked out for our next little boy, and in the week between I tried teaching both kids. Stone learned the baby's name quickly, he loved/s the fact that he gets a brother. Abigail didn't seem interested in learning it. But once she found out her aunt was having a girl, she magically learned the name.

Our little boy, due in less than 4 months, will be Ari Matthew Shuman. Ari means lion. Matthew means gift from God. And that he absolutely is. Once Fall hits, our lives, all of our lives, will never be the same with these three new little blessings. A girl name has yet to be decided for my first ever niece! And the Midland Crew will not know for a few more weeks what their #3 will be.

SERMON

I recently was introduced to Pastor Morris. Please listen to this great sermon by him. Iwas suggested to me by a co-worker. Her and I both realized we had missed a part of the resurrection story. Had you realized this?


Dominion Sermon - Pastor Morris