82. Obedience is the Success with Shomoneik Brown

Welcome to Disrupting Burnout - a podcast where we beat burnout so that you can love your career again! Have you been hearing that still, small voice telling you that it’s time to make a change in your life? Are you ready to be obedient and trust that God has a better thing for you?

This week on Disrupting Burnout, I’m joined by another Woman Who Defines Disruption, Shomoneik Brown. Shomoneik was an educator of 18 years in the South Carolina Public school system until 2022 when she decided to take a leap of faith and pursue her passion of singing and becoming the Kidz City Director for Forward City Church. 

In this episode, Shomoneik shares her testimony on how obedience to God became her success. 

It’s Time To Disrupt Burnout:

04:00 - From Education To Executing God’s Plan

10:35 - How Prayer Heeds Preparation

16:30 - When God says go

28:15 - The Power Of An Earnest Prayer

36:30 - Promotion Comes From God

42:40 - Finding Freedom In God

Obedience is the Success Takeaways
●      “I am a child of God. He is the love of my life.” - Shomoneik Brown 

●      “I am a vessel to be used by God.” - Shomoneik Brown

●      “Obedience is obedience and obedience is success.” - Shomoneik Brown

●      “You need to get people in your life who know you love you and really hear from God as well and push you.” - Shomoneik Brown  

●      “There’s death in transition.” - Shomoneik Brown 

●      “It was in learning who God created me to be, where I found my freedom.” - Shomoneik Brown

●      “Freedom is being a slave to God.” - Shomoneik Brown     

●      “It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you do have to obey.” - Shomoneik Brown  

Connect With Shomoneik Brown
Instagram: @Shomoneik | https://www.instagram.com/shomoneik/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648642385 

Forward City Music: @forwardcitymusic | https://www.instagram.com/forwardcitymusic/

 
Connect with Dr. PBJ

 ●               To connect with Dr. PBJ, go topatricebucknerjackson.com

●               Follow Dr. PBJ on IG@drpatricebucknerjackson for#aspoonfulofpbj.

●               Need a dynamic transformational speaker?  Dr. PBJ is ready to serve.  Check outDr. PBJ Speaks | https://www.patricebucknerjackson.com/speaking

●               Support The Show |https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lovepbj?locale.x=en_US 

Transcript

0:00

No such thing as a small step small obedience or big one. Obedience is obedience and obedience is success. Hey friends, it is PBJ. Again, welcome back to disrupting burnout. You're this series of women who disrupt or who define disruption. Let me tell you something, I hope that you are set on fire. I hope that something is turning on the inside of you that won't leave you alone. Until you continue to go deeper into purpose. That's this goal that you become uneasy with good enough that you become uneasy with fine that you become uneasy with just because this is always what I've done, and that you get so on fire about what you were created to do, y'all today, I have a special treat. And this is an I'm trying not to cry. Let me hold myself together. Today, I have the opportunity to introduce you all, not just to a woman on fire, not just a woman who has so much power. But this is family. I'm introducing you all to my family member Shomoneik Brown, Yall, Shomoneik and I grew up together in the church, in the youth choir, cheering together in high school. Listen, when you talk about energy and bring it Oh, you're about to find that only when you are about to find out. And when I look at what God is doing in her life, it does not surprise me at all. It doesn't surprise me because what he's manifesting now is the same way she showed up on the youth choir. The same way she showed up as a cheerleader. She is the same woman. But this power is magnified. So it is my honor. It's my honor to introduce you all to my cousin to my cousin Shomoneik Brown. Welcome to disrupting burnout cousin. Oh my goodness, thank you so much. And we can't both be boohoo crying. It's just not gonna work. We cry, we cry. It is what it is over here it is over here. But this is just a moment is a moment that I just want to stop and honor God because who knew? Wow. He did. The only one we knew Yeah, he knew. He knew he knew. All right. So so let's get into it. Let's get into it right now. Let's start by telling the people who you are. I am a child of God. I am his daughter. He is the love of my life. I get the awesome privilege to work with him. In this thing called life. I am a wife to William Brown. He is also the love of my life. We have two beautiful daughters, Jada and Caitlin they are 10 and eight. And I am just a vessel to be used by God. Whatever he tells me to do I do it. If it's singing I sing. If it's speaking, I speak if it's encouraging. I encourage people if it's to make somebody laugh, be silly. I do it. I'm just a vessel being used by him. Yeah, that's me. Oh my goodness, listen, I need to get into your story because I know so many folks who listen to this podcasts are educators, not just educators. Everybody's welcome. But I know the majority of my audience is educators because that's who we are. And I also know that after 18 years of being an educator, you just took a huge leap. So tell us the story. Tell us how you got to 18 years and what is happening right now. That's so good. Um, growing up, I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. My mom was a teacher. I would see her preparing things and I'm just like, I want to do that I was a teacher's pet. You needed something. I was the person to go get it. I'm a talker. I like to talk and I was like, I could get paid to talk. Sign me up like this is it. And so I went to school, went to USC Aiken got my bachelor's degree in education, elementary education, got my master's degree from Walden University. And I was teaching I I mean, you're living out the purpose that I thought then that that's where God had me. I mean, I loved it. Anytime anybody asked me like, What did you do? I'm an educator. I'm a teacher. I mean, I was, like, proud of it. I get to pour into kids every single day, I get to teach them something. And I see it when that light goes off. It's like, they got it. And it made me feel so good, right. So I'm teaching teaching, I actually taught at the same school, East Aiken School of the Arts taught there. I did my internship there. And then I ended up teaching there. And then I ended up in the room that I did my internship with. So it was like a full circle, taught second grade, third grade. And then it was September of 2022. Last year, God just gently tapped me on my shoulder and was like, Hey, this is your last year teaching. Oh, but that is what we this. This is what we do. What do you mean? Is this my last year teaching? What is it my last year, December is in my last year, June. And I found this out about myself. Whenever I asked specific questions like that I already know the answer. I just don't want to know the answer. Because why would I ask? Is it December or June? You know, usually you they end up this is your last year you think June because the year ends the school year ends in June. So I'll come to find out. It's December. He wants me to take this leap. And I'm like, Lord, okay, hold on. Yes, yes. Yeah, hold on, hold on plane gotta slow down. Because, yes, kamikaze real quick, because there's somebody listening right now. Oh, who was feeling that tap on the shoulder? Hearing that whisper. And they're just showing it away? Because that doesn't make sense. Why doesn't make this, this is who I am. That's it. This is who I am, like, everything in my life led up to this. And I'm doing the thing that I always thought and I love it. Right? Like it's one thing when things start to fall apart. Mine is a thing where it's all out of order. That's a little easy to say, I need to do something different because this, but it real grown, when you walk around, walk away from the thing that's working. It's real. It's another level. When God taps you on the shoulder and says give back to me that I gave to you and can go trust me to have a better thing for you. You trust me because this is the thing about God. He don't just like all of a sudden out of the blue. give you this. Right. He is preparing me the whole entire time to be able to make that step. And I had to get I had to give him a yes. I had to. And the thing about it is my yes happened in September. But the movement and everything didn't happen until December, early January. So he was he was. Yeah, even in that time. He's preparing me. He's showing me I don't just say okay, God, I'm gonna go quick. That's it. Like, you can't just hear from God. And just, sometimes you have to ask for clarification like, Okay, I hear you say this. Tell me what to do next. Yes, I agree. Tell me what to do next. Because I want to do your will. But I want to do it your way. Oh my gosh, okay. Oh, okay. Hold on to things. When he gives us something. Yes. The face to weight. The face to be obedient, because just because he gave it to you today, doesn't mean it's today's word. That's it. He'll give you a word today. That's for six months a year. He's preparing you for that. But so often we jump off the cliff I trust you got going he like wait, you really don't trust me because I didn't even like I didn't give you instructions yet. No, I didn't tell you how to build it. You don't know what an ark has never rained before. Before. So I've given you I've given you the command but I have instructions specific, specific, specific instructions for your step. If you will slow down and listen. So when Meet me this because I know that people are leaning in and they want to know what happened. We're not there yet. Talk to me about what he did to prepare you to say yes. Because I know that before you got to that point of him tapping you on the shoulder, there was some spiritual work. There was some there, there's always there's always some transformation, some some shifting some inside stuff that he's doing to prepare you for the tap on the shoulder. So can you talk to us about that? Well, that's so good. Yes. So it, it started, I believe it started two years before two or three years before. And it's funny that I'm now like, in a prayer closet, like it started in my prayer closet. It started with my first lady, Pastor Jackie Greene. She said, you know, where do you guys pray? What do you go meet with him, and I didn't have a specific place. So I took that and I ran with it. I took all of the stuff out of my closet, I created my own prayer closet, and I would meet with God. Every morning, I still do to this day, every morning, five o'clock. It's me and him. before anybody gets up before anybody needs why, for mommy, or anything, it's to me and God time. And in that time, he was breaking off things that I put on myself. Identity, that's why I introduced myself as I'm a child of God, I'm a daughter of God, I am not just, I'm not just a teacher. That's something that gave me it's, it's who I am. But it's not who I am. Right. Yeah. So in that process, he was just taking off layers of who I thought I was, who my family thought I was, my friends thought I was. And he was really teaching me who he says I am. Come right, through reading the Word through praying, sharpening my hearing skills, because they were I didn't believe I could hear from God. When I didn't believe I could hear from him. And just spending time with him. It was things in my life that was popping up and I'm like, oh, okay, God, is that he will confirm. That's me. And then there were some things that were popping up on my techno sound like my Daddy, that don't sound like my father. And yeah, that wasn't him. So it started in my closet. Literally, and little step by step. Testing out, okay, I want you to do this. Okay, well, I'm gonna do this. And I stepped down on the goal. Okay, okay. We could it was it was Baby steps. Baby steps. That's the key. Yes. Because we feel like we have to do, go do miraculous things. Go with a big leap. Go do something impressive. And guys, like no, no, no. What I want you to do. I had another episode that's coming soon. And she called it one millimeter movement. Oh, one millimeter is a smallest measure on a ruler, one millimeter movement you talk about? It started with prayer. And I just I have this book that I'm working through right now. It's called pray first by Chris Hodges. Talks about setting a time place, having a prayer routine. These are things that don't seem deep enough to be significant, right? Like we feel like we have to do the big thing. But literally, can you set a time to meet with God? Can you identify a sanctified place where you will meet with him? If you will put yourself in position you will learn to hear it? Yeah, well, we haven't we haven't anticipated hearing him. I expect to hear you because I have a place and we have a time and I'm going to be there and I'm going to have that atmosphere right. I expect that you have something to say to me, so I'm gonna act like I expect you. Yes. Obedience is obedience. Same no such thing is a small step small obedience or big one. Obedience is obedience and obedience is success. Ooh, whether that or it doesn't it doesn't matter. Your obedience is a success. You obeyed. Wait a minute. Y'all I promise you we're gonna tell you the rest of the story. Oh, no. Oh, median is success. Yes, I got that from my first like Yeah, oh, yeah, let's look this one up. All right now the other book permission, please get it promote, free, you need to get this book you need to get. But obedience is the success let's talk about. So that means I release the outcome. Yes, I release the outcome, I release the result I release, because sometimes we are our obedience is based on what we feel like it's gonna have that, after all obey if what I expect it's going to come out obey if I'll get to the target or the goal that I have in my mind. But that's not obedience that's manipulation. Obedience is the success is Oh, okay. Yes. All right. So God is working with you two or three years before and your prayer closet. You're teaching loving the baby's doing what you do loving your teen, everything about it. You're in this space, you basically grew up professionally. They're like, I know they love you. I know they love you. So let's talk about the moment that you had to start telling people what God told you. Yeah, that was tough. As started with my best friends, so because I knew, Okay. I might not get too much resistance there. Like I was building it up. I was like, Oh, I think this is and this is important. You need to get people and you need to get people in your life. Who know you love you and really hear from God as well and push you, right? Because the two my two best friends. They literally took the same step years before me. So they will I just I watched I'm like, oh, okay, and God bless them and God kept okay. It made it easier for my Yes. It made it easier for my guests. So I started with them. They were like, Yes, let's go, let's go. They were really excited. I said I started with them. But I actually started with my husband like, and that was a steal. Because I'm making good money. I've been teaching 18 years with a master's degree you do the math. It wasn't, you know, they say you don't get paid, but 18 years and a master's degree. It's a thing. So I asked him, I'm like, Hey, so God says this is my last. And we joke about it before I was like, You know what, I'm just go ahead. And I just just go ahead and just, you know, just not teach, what do you think? And he's like, No, absolutely not. You need a job. But this time was different. And I think it was, I came differently. Like, I came with a knowing like this is it. So he was like, okay, so I started telling, I told my colleagues that I work with my team, my third grade team first. And, you know, they were like, no, don't leave. But we got to know each other so well, I don't even consider them colleagues. They're really family. We got to know each other so well. They knew. And one of the ladies, she was like I knew it. When you walked in the first day of school. I knew. I knew this was your last year like I knew it. So it was hard. There was a lot of tears. I had some pushback from others. Like what are you doing? I can't believe you're going to up and leave these kids like, Don't you care about them? What about the parents? These kids are in your class for a reason. Why are you leaving? Like all of the things valid points? Yeah, points. But I was like, I have to obey. Understand it. I know you don't understand it. But I have to obey. And God was just like, do you fit in? I wouldn't bet to go like yeah, you know. I mean, I love these kids. This is like my favorite class of all times a parents I have a different relationship with them. I got a good report. Like, everything is like really beautiful. And he was like, You don't think I can do that with somebody else? Excuse me, I literally had to sit my pride down and I was the I was even like, you know, I'm one of the African American teachers and, and they need to see, you know, someone of their culture and, and you know, and he was just like, Yeah, I'm God. I got it. I got oh my gosh. Oh, okay, I'm gonna try not to stop you every time but so much so much. You said in several of my transitions God got me to the point because the hardest part where the people, right? Because when you're really good at what you do people want you to stay there and I'm going to come up with people, not bad people is human doesn't make sense. It's not logical. You are so good at this. Why would you walk away, but your heart knows there's more. You know, you know there's more. And I've learned the hard way if you overstay your welcome. And it won't serve them. Don't overstay your don't overstay your season, don't jump out to court and don't stay too long. Because what was good before would no longer be good because you're out of alignment and you're out of place. Right? And exactly what you said, If God is telling me to go, that means he's assigned somebody else here. And if I stay in the way if I stay in disobedience, I am in the way, so I need to obey I need to move. Because if he's calling me here, he's called somebody else here. And I have to get out of the spot. Okay. Let me go back because I know you're gonna tell us I know you want to, but let me let me go back. Because when I was when I told my dear Edward, that the Lord said that it was time for me to delete. First of all, he's like, okay, and he just kept Okay. Okay. And then I came home. I said, Dave, I wrote a letter. He was like, hold on, that went way, man. We need to talk. I didn't turn it in. But I want you to know, I wrote a letter to the real but here's, here's what I've learned. It wasn't up to me to convince him. That was it wasn't up to me to convince him. I said, what I believe God was saying. God said, leave it alone. Leave it alone. I didn't bring it up. I didn't pound him with it. I didn't keep talking about it. I said what I said, I said, what God and I left it alone. And my husband will tell you, he came to me. Wow, remember timeframe. But he came back. And there was a night that God didn't allow him to sleep. him to a sermon that he wrote several years ago that he never preached. He never preached, but he wrote this sermon. And he went back and found it in his phone. And by doing this sermon, God, God spoke to him. I didn't have to convince him. It was not my place. And I didn't put my letter in until God told him. That's good. I knew in my spirit, but I waited. I wound it. And when he was clear, he was clear, clear. I mean, he became he became the one like, Let's go my way, man, when the person I'm like, who I can't breathe. It's all good. And then the last one I want to highlight is your friends. Don't underestimate who God will connect you to come on and not connected you to those friends. He knew what path each of you were on fat and knew their testimony would encourage you when your time came. You were not created to do life alone. We're not We're not created to walk through this thing alone. And not just with your spouse. Yes, ma'am. But you need unity. Absolutely. Unity that understands and speaks your language. You need a space that you can go that you don't have to explain yourself that you don't have to give all the backdrop before you say the thing. But they get it just by being men who know they get it and then walking through this before you that was all Providence like that. That was all God's will. It was on purpose because he Allah How'd you to see it before he had you do it. He's always working behind the scenes, always working behind the scenes shout out to Mellie and Crystal like, always working behind the scenes. He just he just God, God be God. And I tell him I was like God he got in life. He's Greg. Hey, Fred, I'm just popping in to let you know that I have just a handful of openings on my calendar over the next three months for one on one coaching clients. If you are an accomplished woman, who has found that you've lost your fire over time, if you have been successful doing all the things, but you just want to love your work. Again, if you're really good at what you do, but you know that there is more than you need to reach out. Go to connect with pbj.com Sign up for a connect call. We'll jump on real quick. I just need to make sure you're a good candidate for my coaching program. And if so we'll dig in together and I'll walk this journey with you. All right, y'all reach out connect with Pb de.com. I look forward to speaking with you. Hello, my name is Ashley. And I have the privilege of experiencing Dr. PBJ as one of my coaches in a business accelerator program for women called purpose to platform. And Dr. PBJ actually served as our subject matter expert and our mindset Coach Drew throughout the program. And she brought over 30 years of experience in academia. Her professional training is amazing, her experience is very relevant. And she's an applicable and we are so fortunate to benefit from her being our mindset coach, Dr. PBJ is compassionate, and very skilled in creating safe spaces for and creating safe spaces I'll leave it at I'll leave it at that. And she's also very skilled in walking her clients through transformation, you will have a transformative experience if you work with Dr. PBJ. She worked with our cohort and literally most of us were, I would say in the caterpillar stage, when we came in, there were many things that we needed to develop many things that we needed clarity on and support in. And she walked us through this transformative experience. She took us through the cocoon stage and ultimately helped us to build resilience, confidence, self acceptance, and build us up to be the butterflies that we are and that we need to be to succeed in business. And so if you're looking for a coach who's relatable, who is compassionate, authentic, authentic, effective, and ultimately transformative, then you found the right woman and Dr. PBJ. Thank you Alright, keep going. Let's keep going. So 80 years, September, God says tap, tap, tap, tap into Melbourne. He didn't say what to move on to is my understanding. He just said, let's just say that. He said it's time for you to leave. He didn't say that. This is what you're gonna do. Okay, that's yes. I am a very type a person. I like to plan. I like things in order. Okay, I'm going to do this first, then I'm going to do this then I'm going to do this and this just took me by like I might wait, okay, all right. It's my last year. Okay. So what am I going to do? Here I go planning, okay. So I'm going to sub I'll be a substitute. I can go to different schools touch different key, you know, like, you know, I can get, you know, all of that I can do all of that. And then he was like, No, your last year teaching. I was like, okay, so I was like, God, it was a real earnest prayer. Honestly, I was just like, Okay, Lord. So by this time, I was singing We came out with our first album, Fort City Music shadow. We came up with Yes, we did a live recording. And so I'm thinking oh, we bought Okay, okay, guys, so that's what it's gonna be right? No, okay. So I'm like, Well, Lord, if you could just you ever do that if you could just prayer if you couldn't just help us out? All right, here's what here's what my desire is. I would love to do something that would take my 18 years of teaching experience is flexible. So when we do go to places like Africa and different places to see that I don't have you know, it's flexible. I don't have to find subs are fine. You know, all the things that you have to do. If you You have to take a leave. I was like, you know, if it could be that I'll be mighty grateful. The very next week. Very next week, I'm at church, do what I do. And I'm approached by a pastor of the church. And she says, Hey, can I talk to you for a minute? And I'm like, Oh, whatever. I always do that what I do. So she's like, Yeah, hypothetically speaking, what would you say? If, um, we have you be like our kids, city director. We just got pause right there. I said, Oh, well, what? What is that? What does that what does that it's just like, you know, so that we can use your 18 years of experience. And we can, it's flexible. So if you guys need to go someplace, you can literally saying the things that I prayed in my prayer closet, me and Jesus, as it literally said, it both got chills at the same time. I'm like, I literally just prayed this prayer last week. And even with that, I said, Let me pray on it. And let me talk to my husband about it. And you'll see, because at this time, I'm still working, I'm still a teacher, I'm still full time. And they're asking for this. And I'm like, Oh, this is a lot. This is a lot more. And so I go home, I'm like, Hey, this is what Long story short, God is like, this is it. This is what I have for you. In this season. I am taking you from the education system. And I am placing you here in my church, to do what you've been doing for 18 years and to help those now learn about me. Public education, I couldn't do that. I couldn't teach them about him. Now I'm able to help our volunteers, pour the love of Jesus teach Jesus to the babies to our kids. And I was just like, God, he just he literally blew my mind. And even with that, but we're getting this stuff ready. I'm still working, I'm still doing the last instruction that he gave me. I'm getting steady doing it. I'm teaching I'm showing up on time, I'm still doing everything to the best of my ability. I write the letter. I write the letter, I turn it in. And they're like, Well, I just want you to know, we can't let you you're under contract. So we have to find a replacement. Before we can actually let you go. They're not gonna let you go with the words. They're not gonna let you go. That was the word that was their words, but God work is different. And long story short, December is the time where we they have like graduations, right? So first year, teachers are graduating in December and looking for work for January. There was one candidate that interviewed and she is now she's taking my place. Miss Shay that she's taking my place that he's taking. They found a replacement quick, quicker than I thought I was like, oh, okay, I'll have to February. Okay, cool. I can breathe a little bit. No, it was within two weeks. They were like yeah, okay, we found someone I'm like how long God I will do it to you. Oh. Yeah. But yeah, they found a replacement. She was able to come with me during my last week and observe I was able to get basically give her the reins like talk to her about the kids like this. This little Johnny, little Johnny likes this, you know, kind of thing. Here's what I do. Here's how I set up my plans, all of the things. He literally had her in place to just take my place. So yeah, it was a it was a scary, easy transition. Because he doesn't miss a detail at all. He doesn't he doesn't miss a detail. Right. So before he called you out, even as he was calling you out before you wrote the letter, right? He already had you like you, you went to Africa with Forest City and you all performed with fellas, like there was already evidence. There was already evidence of what he was doing before he officially released you. Like he didn't wait until you wrote the letter. He didn't wait until you have fully transitioned out. There was already evidence of a new season. Oh, yeah. And in that space, if we're not careful, we'll get frustrated because those seasons don't seem to fit. Like I want to go to a Forest City but now I need somebody to cover my classroom. Well, I'm going for this amount of time and and I'm a mom and I'm a wife and it doesn't seem to fit in. If you're not aware that you're in transition. You're not aware error of the transition, it can cause frustration and confusion and the enemy will try to make you feel like something is wrong, or that you've done something wrong. Or maybe the place that you work is wrong, because you don't realize, but if you stop for a moment, and just realize, okay, I'm in transition, I don't know what you're doing God, but it's something new is coming in that doesn't quite align with what I've been doing. So I trust you. I'm in transition, if you recognize it, and transition can be a tough place because there's a lot of pressure. Pressure that comes when you're in transition, you feel like the walls are closing in on you and say, there's death. You have to heal that old thing to accept that new thing is death and when you didn't when there's death, there's there's grieving that you go through and I grieved. I grieved. Yeah. And this wasn't like a well, okay. It was like, I grieved because it was a death. It was a what, who I saw myself as now. It's something brand new. Like, yeah, yeah, it was rough. Let's talk about grief. Let's talk about the grieving. Because you don't understand, right? You don't know that. When you're leaving something that is good and that you love truly. Yes, you need to allow yourself to grieve you. I remember, I remember August 21. We were preparing to move our students in right, it was freshmen move in. I was there like five o'clock in the morning, because we got to set everything up and get ready. And I pulled into my parking space into class. Because I knew that was my last one. I hadn't. I hadn't told anybody I hadn't said anything. But I knew that was my last freshman moving. I knew it. It didn't make any sense. But I just knew it and under sat there in my car, and I wept. And I cried. And as I told my student leaders that I was leaving. And as I told my staff that I was leaving, I just cracked because I love these people. Yeah, we don't understand. It doesn't feel like love. It doesn't feel like love to them. Yeah. But thank you, just like you just said, that thing that you love most. You still have you still teach and babies. Still, you still teach them babies. So we often feel like God is making us start all over. We often feel like God is making us throw away all the things. I've been doing this for 18 years, and I got to start over. That's like this is not a start over. This is the next level promotion. I'm literally, literally this is promotion. You've been faithful over a few days, you've been faithful over 18 years. I can trust you with this. Oh, I just felt that. I just felt that. I just felt that what is the Scripture helped me because and promotion doesn't come from the east of the West is that description, I'm gonna have a look at it. But here's the thing, we expect promotion to get the traditional sense. Come on, we stay in a frustrated place because we're waiting on people to tell if we're good enough to tap us on the shoulder to give us a seat at the table to give us the promotion. But promotion comes from God. Period, elevation comes from God. And even if it comes through your traditional structure, the people that you give it literally, the people didn't give it to you is promotion comes from God. Right. So you're promoted. So now you go ahead with that promotion, like I felt and I was telling him I was telling everybody I was like, I feel like I'm being promoted, but everything around me is not like my salary promoted in a in a more responsibility with less than what I'm used to making, but all at the same time. I feel within everything that I know I feel like I am owed it. Like what a privilege In an honor to be chosen as someone that you can trust to be over this ministry that is near and dear to your heart, like, that is promotion. He promoted me. And I'm telling you, we lack nothing. Say that? Nothing because that was the biggest concern. I was just like, Lord, we just bought a new house to two years ago of 1000 square foot house. Beautiful love it. Right? I'm like, Lord, am I gonna have to give up my he said, You won't feel a thing. You won't feel it. You won't feel it. And let me just share with you. We have not literally my husband, they offered him a new job at he works at Savannah River site, they offered him a new job. More more pay all of this, right. So I was like, oh my god, this is God. Two days before he's supposed to take that new job, his old job, offered him more pay a step paying for his student loans, paying for him to go to school. Literally the amount that we would lack from me, leaving my job I'm talking about to the dollar was the thing that he gave my husband. Let me tell me, god, yes, exceedingly abundantly above all, because you just wanted to replace a salary. You didn't worry about an amount and guys like, I got you better. Here's the amount plus the school plus the loans, plus the freedom plus the flexibility plus the working on the kingdom plus the freedom to go traveling. I got literally, literally, and it's just getting started. Listen, I started. This ain't even a kid. We are just getting started. Can you talk to us a little bit about freedom? Yeah, what that looks like and what that feels like? Because comfort is not necessarily free. No, it's not the same thing. Comfort is not necessarily peace is not the same thing. Talk to us about freedom. Man, me freedom we have we have a relationship was not free was bound. Try to be people Oh, you're so loud yourself. And I'm like, Okay, well, let me just try to not be who God created me to be just to fit in. So I don't feel awkward or weird. But it was in me learning who God called me to be where I found my freedom. We had this pastor calm a couple of weeks ago, Pastor Manny, and he was talking about freedom isn't you being free to do whatever it is you want to do? Freedom is being a slave to God. Talk say more, say more. Can you let the people breathe in and then say more? Go ahead. Go ahead. It's about being a slave to God. And that is the real freedom with God knows exactly who he's called you to be. He knows exactly what he wants you to do. And when you are in his will, that is freedom. And it's the safest place you could ever be. The safest place you could ever be is in the will of God. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That is freedom to me. And it's a choice for me now. I can choose to be free or I can choose to be bound. And it's an everyday kind of thing. It's not like I got my free you know, that's it. That's it. No, I have to choose every day to be free. Every day I have to choose I am going to be who God has called me to be. If it makes somebody uncomfortable, good. I'm not going to spit in the face of my god and try to be something else that he did not create me to be. It's too much work first of all. Energy is pressure. It's work and it's pressure you are performing. Yeah, who are performing and you know what our bodies feel it. So we got sicknesses. We got pain. We got disease because we are performing, trying to show up at something that we're not our mind is overwhelmed. It cannot be Free, our soul is overwhelmed. Our heart is open. Because performing is too much work. He said, My yoke is easy. My burden is light. So yes, there's a yoke, right? That's the slave part. Yes, there's a yoke, but the yoke fits me. It fits perfectly. It's who I am. Yes. Literally when I show up, this is what you get. This is what you get whether whether you're singing or you're teaching the babies, are you leading that staff or you are mommy, Mommying or Wifing or whatever you doing? This is who you get, because this is who he made me to be. I don't have to have multiple personalities. I'm just, I'm just Shomoneik. I'm just the Shomoneik God called me to be I don't have to be this thing for this person. This thing for this person, this thing for this person, I could just be me. And when I show up, the the me that God created me to be when I show up, he shows us that again, say that again. When I show up, he shows up that I the me that He created me to be when I show up, he shows up. And that's the power you bring in the room. That's why we lay down low self esteem. We lay down imposter syndrome. We lay down people pleasing, we lay down doubt. And we walk in with the power that has been given unto us from the Create. I'm showing up confident not because I'm cocky, not because I'm prideful. But I'm responsible for the oil that I carry. I'm responsible. Yeah. I'm responsible to share I was I'm writing this book y'all Pray, pray, pray. Right. I promise you. I'm going to declare it this book is coming out this year. Yeah, well, luckily, this book will be published this year. And I just recently wrote and I was writing in in tears, because it's not something that I've ever said before. It just flowed through me as I was writing. And I was writing about what purpose is and it is literally the reflection of your father in you it is your spiritual DNA is how you look like him is how you look like him. So when you show up in the fullness of your purpose, your brilliance, it is you looking like your father. It is who you are. And freedom choosing the yoke taking up my cross is allowing him to shine forth with no restriction. Who cousin All right, we could talk we got so much to catch up on but we gotta let people go. But before we go, there's something else that you're doing here lately that God has allowed you to do on the social medias. There's something else that you're doing. So tell me about Saturday's with Shazam, how you got there. And the vision that God has given you. In Saturday's with Sean is literally the randomness thing I've ever done. was literally, one day I was sitting in my prayer closet. And I was like, oh, somebody could actually glean from it. I'm actually learning God as a teacher, right? Like, in the past, I've learned him as father, I've learned him as a friend. And now we're in this season of me learning him as teacher. And he was just like, I want you to teach what I'm teaching you. Whatever I share with don't hold it for yourself. Like there are other people that are waiting to hear. Or and their freedom is is locked up in what you have to say so big. And so I was like, oh, okay, so I did two in one day, right? That's like, okay, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna record two. And then I'm just gonna post it on social media. And that's it. And he was like, No, I don't want you to pre record. I want you run that week. Whenever I speak to you. I want you to share. I don't want you to make it anything bigger than what I just want you to obey. It doesn't have to be this. It doesn't have to be this. So I'm basically literally every Saturday two o'clock. I'm just sharing with my viewers. What God has shared with me during that week so it's fresh. Everything is fresh. In this bill I'm doing I have no idea where it's going. I have no idea like how Do you how was going to look in the next? I don't even know what the next I don't know if I'm going to do it for a year to you I don't even know I'm literally just out here walking with him. That's That's what Saturdays was Sean is. You don't get it all you don't you go get you might get some singing you you'll get the word for sure and what he's teaching me that's literally all it is, oh, it's so good. So it's so good. Because what God is telling us to do, you don't have to do 10 million things. We're releasing perfection, that spirit of perfectionism. The scripture that tells us to be perfect needs to be mature. Come on shore, it does not mean to be without error. And God is calling us just to walk. Just walk with him to his walk with Him. And He will do the rest. You don't have to have all the things do all the things. Most people will say I need a website and I needed this and I need a camera and I need a light and it goes like you don't need that. Do you have a phone? Well, I mean, what? What would you have in your hand? What? You've got to make me run? No, you got to make me slat run right now. Work because your language come off. What do you have in your hand? What do you have in your house? That's all ever all you need is all you have is all you need. That's it. Go do what I'm telling you to do. Just do. So listen, y'all listen. Me and my cousin might go scream or run or whatever. Like, because if if if we can really tell y'all the whole story, come on. Like if we can really tell y'all the whole story, like I've told y'all about Crocketville, I've told you, I told you about Crocketville. If we could tell you the whole story, I really don't have time. We'll don't have time to tell you the whole story. We don't have time to tell you all the things. Because there's more. There's so many talent, testimonies, so many testimonies that have built to this place. We're just getting started. Let's get started. Getting Started, and we're just getting started. So my prayer is that you will hear this testimony, Revelations 12. And 11 says we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of the test ROI testimony. I need you to hear this testimony so that your heart can be free to open. Yeah, you don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to know the outcome. You don't have to know how it's gonna work out. If you have a word. That's all you need. That's all you need. Because our father's trustworthy 100 pieces worth worthy cousin is there anything else you want to share with us? I think we've covered it. The one thing I do want to say is you spoke to it, like you see people doing things and you're like wow, they have all this freedom they have all this but let me tell you, you just you just have to start like you don't know the things that we struggle with. And we and we come out here and we do this like The Saturdays with Shom It was literally a just start everything that you said I went to God about okay, well I need a website. Well, I need this I need and he was like you use what you have in your hand. I use my phone. Me me my phone in Canva that's it. It doesn't. It doesn't have to be perfect. But you do have to obey. Period. Period. That's it. That's it. How can people connect with you how can they hear more what's going on with Forward City just give the update? Because I know they I know they want to follow your journey. I know they want to hear from you. So tell them absolutely well. I have Facebook Shomoneik Brown, Instagram, my handle is Shomoneik and you can also follow Forward City Music or our church Forward City the for w w RDWDWD. City. We will be coming out with a new album we did a live recording on New Year's Eve. And the album will be out April 7. So oh excited about that. God has blessed me with the opportunity to bless him through song and it's been a dream of mine that is, it was a hidden dream. It was a hidden dream. And he uncovered it and just like this is this is it. So he's such a loving, loving, loving father he never forgets. And every single word that he speaks will come to pass. It will. No matter the time. Oh, I can go on, but I won't. But yeah, that's where you can find me. I could go on to because as you're saying that like I remember you and Wade Hampton High School Gospel Choir, like, I remember you and St. John Baptist church youth choir. So this none of this surprises me. Beautiful. None of this is a surprise. God knew then. Yes. He didn't know then he knew now. Amen. All right, we got to stop, listen, all of her contact information will be in the show notes. I want you all to follow Shomoneik, follow Saturdays with Shom, get this encouragement, take this journey. Because sometimes you need to see it before you do it. Come on. Sometimes you need to see somebody else do it. Watch their journey and it prepares your heart. It starts to tell the soil of your heart to prepare you for what God has for you. Don't be PBJ there's already one that's taken care of. Don't be shiny. There's already one that's taken care of. But you have a brilliance. You have a purpose. You have a peculiar, unique, innate thing that God created you to do like nobody else. Nobody can do it like you. So you know. You have to show up. Because nobody can do your thing like you. And we just want to be examples and testimonies to you. That you can trust God. He is trustworthy. He is trust worthy. You can trust Him and you can obey and obedience is the success. Yes. As always, you know that you are powerful. You are significant. And you are so deeply loved. so deeply. Love always PBJ bio