Devotions from our Pastor
Welcome to DOWC! I’m Pastor Chilo, and I’m honored to serve alongside my wife, Pastor Jessica, as we lead this incredible community. Our hearts are devoted to building a church where everyone, no matter their background or life story, can find a place to belong, grow in their relationship with Jesus, and be uplifted.​I’m passionate about sharing words of wisdom, hope, and encouragement that speak to the everyday challenges we all face. With a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Leadership and an MBA focusing on leadership, my vision is clear: to see the kingdom of God grow in both depth and reach, impacting lives in a profound way.​At DOWC, we believe in doing life together. We cherish the relationships we build, walking side by side with people from all walks of life. Whether you’re looking for spiritual growth, meaningful connections, or simply a place to feel at home, you’ll find it here. Pastor Jessica and I are thrilled to lead this church, and we’re eager to connect with you, hear your story, and journey together in faith. We believe that in community, we find strength, support, and the true essence of God’s love. Welcome to DOWC—where you belong.
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Pastor Chilo
But God...
August 19, 2024
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This past week, the Holy Spirit taught us from Romans 5:8 (NLT), where He reveals, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
What a powerful message for us! Yes, He loves us even when we did not acknowledge Him, when we ignored Him, when we desired other things, when we were more interested in our own selfish desires, and when we looked to other things for help. Even then, He loved us. And Jesus still died for us!
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But I want us to focus on a little phrase in this powerful declaration: “But God...”
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This little phrase is the difference between what we know and what God knows, what we can do versus what God can do, and what we can accomplish on our own versus what we can accomplish with God. Yes, we were sinners, but God still loved us intensely, significantly, and substantially.
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So, did this great love end at salvation? Absolutely not! Now, whenever we face hardships, we can declare, “But God!” If illness or disease comes against us, we can declare, “BUT GOD! He is a God of healing!” If troubles and tribulations come against us, we can declare, “But GOD! He is a God of peace and joy!” If loneliness, despair, or depression tries to come against us, we can declare, “BUT GOD! He is a God of power, love, and a sound mind!”
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“But God” is a declaration of our faith against the wiles of the devil, against the heartache found in this world, and even against our own shortcomings. God will be glorified.
Remember, Christian, to declare your faith consistently… “BUT GOD!”
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Pastor Chilo
WELCOME
August 30, 2024
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Last week we talked about clearing our spiritual lives from all the trash that this world, ourselves, and the enemy of our souls pollutes us with.
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Our main scripture…
Psalm 68:19-20 (NASB)
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. Selah
20 God is to us a God of salvation; and to God the Lord belong ways of escape from death.
…teaches us that the Lord is the One who bears our burdens daily and “is our salvation” and that only to Him belong the ways of “escape from death.”
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To make this relevant to our lives, we used the analogy of cleaning a parking lot and making it welcoming to guests. When neglect takes place on a parking lot, this same parking lot becomes unwelcoming and unappealing to visitors through a process called “secondary ecological succession”. This succession happens when dirt, vegetation, and trash start to collect on something that was created for a different purpose.
A parking lot was created for cars to park on so that people can get to wherever it is they are going. If it is unwelcoming, then the cars that would otherwise park there will look for a better place to park and visit.
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It is the same spiritually. If we allow things to grow on us that don’t belong in us spiritually and what we were created for, Holy Spirit, as well as people, will not visit with us. Things like loneliness, bitterness, hate, bad attitudes, and other such unattractive, anti-Christian, attitudes will tell people they are not welcomed here.
Now, the parking lot did not look that polluted at first glance because the trash was spread out over the entire area of the parking lot, but when it was swept up and collected into piles, the result was six bags full of trash. Likewise, the trash in our spiritual lives might not seem like much, but collectively, it amounts to much more than what we are willing to admit.
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It is time that we clean up our spiritual lives and throw out everything that does not belong there. If we can do this, we will be more attractive and more inviting to not just those looking for truth, but also for Holy spirit to visit with us.
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-Pastor Chilo