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Every now and again, I get to swap stories with others who get my ministry life experience. I’ve been a pastor’s kid my whole life. I’ve grown up in the church. I love God and I love His people. But I’d be lying if I didn’t also say that ministry isn’t always easy. So it’s kind of cool when I get to chat with someone who has lived this ministry life as well and has their own story and lessons learned to share too.

DawnCheré Wilkerson is in the thick of it. Not only does she have church girl experience, but she is intimately involved in ministry alongside her husband right now. In addition, after an eight-year journey of fertility treatments, she is a mother of three young children, all under the age of four. In order to balance the journey of ministry and motherhood, DawnCheré is doing what most of us learn to do – continually reassess what is needed in the moment, get a strong understanding of her calendar, operate with clarity of her responsibilities, and give herself grace as she needs to so she can flex. We girls have to know when it is time to pause and when it is time to push! 

But let’s be honest here. Even as I’ve learned how to flex with the ever-changing realities of life, one thing hasn’t changed. Being in ministry can be tough. Ministry will call you to a level of vulnerability that can even be hurtful at times. As a pastor’s daughter myself, I know what it is to have so many people over time come in and out of your life for various reasons. I so appreciated my conversation with DawnCheré as she honestly confessed how she has made some changes in her life and in her home to be diligent in protecting the life-flow of her heart and those she loves amidst their ministry to others.

Even as she serves God’s people, DawnCheré wants to prioritize the pursuit of the voice of God for herself. She wants the many rushing waters of His words to silence all the other voices around her. She wants to be a conduit to the flow of life given by the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39) and to make sure that what flows from her to others is the stream of life and honor that comes from the Holy Spirit rather than the stream of fear, worry, or doubt that comes from the things of this world.

It can be so hard to carve out space to make room for the voice of God amidst the noise of this world, but our ability to do this is how we ensure that we are moving to the rhythm of God’s plan for us. I’m relearning as of late how important it is to carve our spaces in my life to hear God’s voice and also operate in the gifting He gives me to use. DawnCheré and I talked about this as she is a songwriter and grew up as a part of a musical family. Not only did she remind me of how important creativity is in God’s economy and should be in the church, but she also talked about how she makes room in her life to create and honor the gift of God in her.    

Whatever our struggle, whether it be infertility or vulnerability or creativity, DawnCheré encourages us to remember how much God loves us and that He knows us more than we will ever know ourselves. We can try in vain to find our identity using tools of the world to learn more about ourselves. We can also try to keep moving the goalpost to fulfill our insatiable hunger for the things of this world. But we will only know true fulfillment when we run to the Father who’s love defines us.

Highlights from Today’s Episode

  • Verbalizing Honor
  • Learning to Lead
  • Protecting your Life-Flow
  • Valuing Creativity
  • Identifying with God’s Love

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Let’s Talk!

  1. DawnCheré spoke a lot about verbalizing honor to others.   How can we be intentional about doing that in our day to day lives?  How do you feel when others honor you with their words?
  2. If you and I examine our hearts, would we be able to say that it overflows with life from the Spirit or worry from the world?
  3. Do you find yourself trying to find your identity in worldly things or in the knowledge of God’s love of you?

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How to Listen to The Podcast

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