Dan DeMatte, co-founder and executive director of Damascus Catholic Mission Campus in Knox County, has written his third book, Dream Bigger: A 21-Day Journey to Unlock God’s Dream for Your Life. 

The book is a three-week meditation to help Catholics connect to and live out the dreams God puts within them, no matter how seemingly impossible they might be. 

“Remember,” DeMatte writes in the book’s closing letter, “it was God who put these dreams on your heart, and it’s the devil who wants to stop you from pursuing them.

“Pursue the dreams He gives you – but, most of all, pursue His Heart. I promise you, in the depths of His Heart, in the depths of prayer, you will discover the greatest adventure and the greatest mystery you could ever imagine.”

The 37-year-old husband and father writes with a warmth for his readers that emulates God’s love for them. “You’re not just a number to (God). You’re not just a nameless slave working in His vineyard: no, you are a son, you are a daughter, and He knows the number of hairs on your head. His plan for your life is both personal and positive! He has a good plan because He is a good Father.”


Dream Bigger is meant to be used a prayer journal over  three weeks, which are titled All In, Intimacy with God and Bold Steps of Faith. Each day begins with a five- to six-page meditation, and then readers can respond to personal prompts through contemplation, writing and prayer. 

When asked why he chose this format, DeMatte said, “So often, we read books that inspire us, but our lives aren’t changed by them. This book is aimed at helping you not only be inspired, but take concrete action to transform your dream into reality.”

DeMatte makes it clear, however, that we must discern whether a certain dream is worth chasing. “I’ve seen people pursue dreams that seem holy on the surface, but these ultimately become a source of brokenness in their families,” he said. 

“(We) need to make sure we are dreaming with God and not dreaming for ourselves – because while dreams have the ability to pull greatness out of us, they also have the ability to ruin us. Egocentric dreams can cause division in families and marriages.”

After going through the first day’s meditation, readers might initially be turned off by what seem like harsh and drastic words from DeMatte: “If you want to live a life of significance, prepare yourself for the cross.” 

Later, in the same meditation, he writes, “To be a Christian means you throw away your life … into the trash. Then, and only then, can you discover the Father’s dream for your life.”

DeMatte makes it clear, however, that throwing one’s life away in a biblical sense is an easy choice once someone has felt the Father’s love. He cites Jesus’ words in Matthew 13 in which He compares the kingdom of heaven to a man who finds treasure in a field, covers it up and then joyfully goes and sells all that he has  to buy the field. 

“(Notice) his joy,” DeMatte writes. “He knows he is getting something of so much more value than he is giving that it is not only worthwhile to sell everything but a joy to do so. 

“The decision to give everything is easy, so easy that the man sells everything he owns with joy! Here’s the deal: if the message of throwing your life away for the Kingdom and giving everything is hard for you … it’s because you have not tasted the goodness of the Lord.”

Instead of a set of instructions on how to pursue a dream or goal, Dream Bigger is more of a guide for discovering one’s unique, God-given purpose through contemplation and prayer.

DeMatte emphasizes the need to abide in Christ  to accomplish anything significant. “Abiding in Jesus is deeper than working for Him and following Him. Abiding involves an intimate relationship, one in which you dwell in the very essence of the other.”

DeMatte lives in Bexley with his wife, Amber, who co-authored another book with him, Three Secrets to Holiness in Marriage: A 33-Day Self-Guided Retreat for Catholic Couples. They and their four children attend Columbus St. Catharine Church. 

Dream Bigger is available through Sophia Institute Press (sophiainstitute.com) and Amazon.