DawnCheré Wilkerson

If there’s one thing Lead Pastor DawnCheré Wilkerson loves to do, it’s remind people of God’s faithfulness. Over the years, she’s witnessed that divine faithfulness up close as she and her husband, Rich, founded VOUS Church in Miami, Florida, and watched it grow into a thriving, multi-location congregation that continues to attract all kinds of people who are hungry for God. She’s also experienced God’s unwavering kindness through her battle with infertility. Through eight years of waiting, struggling and rejoicing, God taught her lessons that she now shares in her new book, “Slow Burn: The Work and Wonder of the Wait.”

Join us now for a touching conversation with DawnCheré about home and family, how reflecting on the past can empower us for the present and how daily surrender is the key to a triumphant waiting season. You’ll also discover how journaling keeps her heart fixed on God and the books and apps she’s loving right now.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

The meals we enjoy are about so much more than the food we eat. So how does a “go-to” meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?

I am a Louisiana girl, originally from Shreveport, LA. I’m the second of seven kids and the daughter of a pastor and football coach. I got married 19 years ago and moved to Miami as a newlywed, leaving my tight-knit family and church community.

You can take the girl out of Louisiana, but you can’t take Louisiana out of the girl. My favorite meal is a boil. Crawfish, shrimp, crab legs — and don’t forget the potatoes and corn. Load up the spice, and let me make my homemade sauce. Every Cajun has their “sauce” that they whip up, whether at home or in a restaurant. We don’t eat anything without sauce.

When I moved to Miami, I would drive to a local dive bar to eat crawfish. But now, two of my brothers have moved to Miami, and we throw crawfish boils at the house. It was one of the kindest things God has ever done to give me family in Miami. My brothers Dakota and Dee are great men and two of my best friends.

Miami is full of so many beautiful cultures and cuisines that inspire and delight me. And now, it also has some Louisiana love from yours truly. I’m teaching my kids how to peel crawfish the way my dad taught me. They sit next to me in the backyard at the picnic table peeling seafood, and we eat till our mouths are on fire — and then we eat some more. We sit outside for hours, talking and telling memories with my brothers and their families. And for a minute, I can swear I’m back in Louisiana where it all began.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity do you love engaging in that also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?

I don’t think there’s anything more relaxing to me than sitting in front of a bonfire. I guess it’s because I have been doing it my entire life. Since I was a little girl, I have sat and stared for hours at the blazing flame while telling stories, laughing and singing favorite songs as someone plays the guitar.

Something about the fire captivates my attention and causes me to reflect as I enjoy its warmth. It feels like time stops, or perhaps it feels like I travel in time. I remember so many memories made around other fires over the course of my life. I always do the same thing: stare at the fire and think of all the other fires I have sat in front of throughout the years. After football games in high school, then college campouts, holiday bonfires, family vacation bonfires, birthday bonfires and a million in between. Too many to count. I loved every one of them, and I have to say I appreciated them then — I soaked up the moment and knew that time would change.

I think of what life was like then. What I was happy about, worried about and who I was in that season. It feels deeply grounding to realize how much has changed, and yet God’s love has remained the same. I have said goodbye to so many seasons, yet God has proven his faithfulness again and again. The mystery of the flame reminds me of the mystery of his Spirit and how the current moment we hold is truly precious.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness; every human too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you confront its power head-on?

My kids often sit in church with me and color. I love to create dots in a journal for them to connect — when the dots are connected, they spell simple phrases like “Jesus loves Wyatt.” Sometimes my son gets tired of waiting for me to create the dots so he can then quickly connect them. He often asks if he can just have a coloring book instead with the lines already created, easy to just color in.

I find the same temptation in my own life. “The steps of a righteous woman are ordered of God” (Ps. 37:23, paraphrased). Yet often I get tired of waiting for God to create each dot, and I just want a template or pattern. Patterns repeat. Yet God’s destiny for us doesn’t mindlessly repeat. Rather, as we seek him, it is revealed.

Life has changed a lot for me over the years, and I can easily find myself trying to return to a blueprint that worked in a former season instead of realizing God is doing a new thing. It’s easy for me to mindlessly revert to a past mindset instead of trusting that the Potter is shaping my life in an unprecedented way. I am always challenged not to be conformed to the patterns of the world but to allow God to renew my mind and transform every part of my life.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?

I gave birth to my fourth child and also wrote my first book this year. The book is titled “Slow Burn: The Work and Wonder of the Wait.” It has been a labor of love to say the least and a message I have carried for a lifetime. After eight years of walking through infertility, God has done so much in our marriage and family. We have seen miracles. It has been a slow burn of the faithfulness of God as we brought our daily surrender to him. Countless journals hold my Jesus prayers, tear-stained wrestles with God and affectionate adoration in the wait. As I wrote my book, I reflected on the faithfulness of God through so many seasons of waiting.

We often think waiting is relegated to a season of life. But in our eight-year journey of infertility, God got hold of my heart with the revelation that waiting is not a season — waiting is life. The question is: will you live in the wait? There is work and wonder right here and now if we open our hearts to the One who stands at the door and knocks. Jesus is here with you. Will you let him in?

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

Inspiration is a mysterious thing, and for me, it has to do with words. Words light me up. Words are an invitation to dig deeper and discover more. In college, I had an English professor who made me fall in love with the process of writing. And I had another professor who made our class keep a journal for the entire semester.

I actually did what I had never done before that year — I finished a journal. I had always started a few pages and then lost interest — only to buy a new one the next year that I also wouldn’t complete. Completing a journal to the last page built my confidence and became a discipline and sacred space in my life. A place to hear and remember the whispers of the Spirit. My prayers find a permanent place in this slow burn as I take the time to write out what I’m processing with God. It reminds me that I don’t have to babble but can simply ask God like the Good Father he is for wisdom, discernment, guidance and direction. He is waiting for us to invite him in and let him take the lead.

My journals are proof of my slow-burn journey of following Jesus over the years and the ordinary moments my heart has been set ablaze by his supernatural presence.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?

We moved to a different neighborhood several years ago with a long walking path that immediately became our favorite family activity. When I step outside, I’m free of all the usual distractions in my house that steal me away, like laundry, dishes and the neverending to-do list, not to mention my comfy couch. I put away my phone and listen to the wind moving across the trees, and the inner conversation in my heart is suddenly at the forefront.

I love praying while surrounded by nature. The trees in our neighborhood are sprawling and arch over the path as the sun shines through the branches onto my path. I sense the largeness of God and don’t feel confined by my circumstances. I’m reminded that I’m not alone and given the opportunity once again to acknowledge the presence of God so he will guide my path. It’s easy to feel stuck. When I walk, I realize I’m making progress, whether my eyes can see it or not. My prayers are heard, and God is faithful.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what resources stand out to you? What changed reality and your heart?

My husband’s grandfather was a faithful pastor, husband and father. I am thankful to have many memories with him before he went to heaven. He often counseled individuals in his office and was known for taking a book from his office shelf that he thought might benefit the person and giving it to them before the meeting concluded. I have always loved that, and I want to do the same. There’s nothing like reading a book and suddenly feeling encouraged, inspired or challenged.

“A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” by Eugene Peterson is one of my favorite books to share. Simple yet profound truth on every page. The first time I read it, I knew I would return to it again and again. I have always loved the Psalms, and the way Peterson brings depth and meaning to our everyday moments lights my heart on fire. I love the way God is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives. The disciplines of following Jesus are rich and life giving. We never grow out of these disciplines — we grow into them.

We all have things we cling to to survive or even thrive in our fast-paced, techno-driven world. How have you been successful in harnessing technology to aid in your spiritual growth?

I’d love to say I am very technologically savvy, but I prefer books and paper. Technology that aids my spiritual growth would be the ability to play worship music on my phone.

But I’ve also found a wonderful tool as a parent, and that is the Abide app. My four kids (ages 7 years, 5 years, 3 years and 4 months) love the stories for children. It’s really beautiful to see the way they embrace the stories told and always want to listen in the car or before bed. Specifically, my kids love the Skyship Dreamer series on the Abide app. It is a story paired with Scripture and prayer.

I’m incredibly grateful for this resource, especially in a season when bedtime can be hectic with a baby. After we have our bedtime routine, my kids will ask for it to be put on repeat so that even if they have a hard time falling asleep, they are not afraid and don’t feel alone. Very grateful!

QUESTION #8: dream

God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

Writing my first book has been a dream come true. Digging through journals kept over the last 20 years lit my heart up with a revelation of the faithfulness of God within the writing process. It’s been his story all along. I look forward to taking this message of “discovering the wonder and work in the wait” to hearts that are longing for encouragement and hope. I have never written a book before, and I can’t wait to be able to have conversations with friends and strangers as they digest “Slow Burn.”

It’s been such a private, personal journey thus far as I have worked for the last few years to bring each chapter and line together. Now it’s released, and that is a completely different experience that I am excited to journey. I am looking forward to the discussions around each chapter and taking what is on paper and declaring the goodness of God aloud.

My story is not over, but there’s so much to thank God for right here in the middle. I don’t want to rush ahead to what’s next — I want to fully engage with this moment and give God praise for his faithfulness in the slow burn.

Waiting is one of the hardest yet most common experiences in the Christian life. There are numerous times when we will be waiting on God to direct us, provide for us, speak to us, comfort us or heal us.

When we’re experiencing the pain of those moments, it may feel like we don’t want to remember them. But recalling the hard times of life — whether through journaling our thoughts or recording our prayers — gives us a fresh appreciation for how God has come through and reminds us of his unwavering faithfulness.

As the psalmist says, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Ps. 77:11,12, ESV).