Welcome to the Victory Blog

It was such a pleasure and a privilege to have John Maxwell, one of our dearest friends and long-term mentors, speak this past weekend as we continue our 20th Anniversary celebrations. The word he brought was, not surprisingly, excellent. I’m not going to repeat it all here, beyond the few key points which follow, so I strongly encourage you to watch it, listen to it and/or download it from our website. If you were there this weekend, you know this message is worth hearing again, and if you weren’t there… well… what are you waiting for?! You don’t want to miss this!

For now, here’s a small sample of his challenging, yet uplifting message:

• What we do on the outside is a result of who we are on the inside. Everything happens from the inside out
• When you’re better on the inside than you are on the outside, and when you’re bigger on the inside than you are on the outside, over time, your influence will be greater on the outside.
• Conversely, if we’re bigger and better on the outside than we are on the inside, our influence will become less on the outside.
• The first person you lead is not someone else, it’s yourself. If you wouldn’t follow yourself, why should anyone else?
• There are four basic levels of getting better on the inside than on the outside:
  1. The Give Me Stage
  2. The Use Me Stage
  3. The Search Me
  4. The Make Me Stage

If you want yourself as an individual, and Victory as a church body, to have increasing influence in our world, you need to get the truth of this message embedded in your spirit. Listen to it and meditate on it. And as John said in his message, if we’ll continue in this path, over the next 5-10 years, it’s going to be unbelievable what God is going to do through Victory. We haven’t seen anything yet!

KING OF GLORY, HAVE YOUR GLORY!

This was the theme that played out on July 26th, at Thirst, a special service dedicated to seeking the Lord through powerful prayer and purposeful praise and worship.

Even before the service began, the atmosphere was positively charged with excitement and anticipation. People young and old from all walks of life made their way into the sanctuary. This was not going to be a normal service – evidenced by the lively and talkative crowd. Expectation was in the air!

The service began with praise and worship. Voices and hands were lifted high, praising the Lord for His glory. As we worshiped in song, many followed the example of David and worshiped in dance. “David danced before the Lord with all his might…” (2 Samuel 6:14 NRSV).

We took time to send up special prayers to the Lord. Prayers for our children, teens and teachers. God is certainly raising up a generation that is on fire for Him, to prepare the world for His return! Praise the Lord!

We prayed over marriages, and Pastor Colleen prayed specifically for the wives – that they would take their place as women in their marriages and submit to their husbands.

Those called to the mission field were prayed for, as well as all of us as missionaries in our everyday lives – to our neighbor’s, co-workers and everyone with whom we come into contact.

A final prayer was given for all of the unemployed, specifically that they would receive jobs within the week ahead.

Through all of this praise, worship and prayer, we gathered as the body of Christ to seek the Lord. This was our thirst for the Lord, and we know that He is the only one who is able to quench our thirst!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6 NRSV).

- Alex Hogan

(Click on photos to see entire gallery.)

In case you haven’t heard, throughout the summer, Fusion, our 20-somethings ministry has left the building and is taking it to the streets, engaging the community as Jesus would! Just because they aren’t having formal services doesn’t mean they’re just kicking back for the summer. No, through Fusion small groups and social justice projects they’re sharing Jesus with our community in real and practical ways, reaching out to neighbors, helping people in need and shining the light of God’s love into dark places. Check out these video blog posts highlighting some of what God’s already been doing in and through them:

And that’s not all! Check out the Fusion Blog to see what else is has been going on.

Plus, the summer’s only half over! There’s a lot more to come!

Two and a half years and over fifty thousand dollars and we are finally debt free except for our mortgage. To some it might sound like no big deal, or to others it may seem like bragging, but to Torrey and me, it’s the most significant hurdle we have overcome, and it was only by the grace of God.

Three years ago, I was barely able to pay my bills, let alone tithe and give to others. I was 34 years old and had almost $25,000 in credit card debt. Not a proud moment in my life, but it’s the truth. When Torrey and I decided to get married we knew it had to be by God’s rules and not our own. That included our finances. What had to happen was a heart transformation that would put my total trust in God for his provision and blessing.

So I sold the car that I loved and started driving an older car that had belonged to my mother but was paid for. God put the idea on my heart to ask a dear friend if she minded a roommate until I got married five months later. I had never had a roommate before so this was new to me, but she immediately said, “Yes!!” I paid very little rent as Torrey and I saved to pay for our wedding in cash.

While we were engaged, Torrey and I attended the Crown Ministries (www.crown.org) class at Victory. (Click here for class registration and info.) This was more than a financial stewardship class. It was a heart-transforming lesson on what the Word of God says about how he desires for us to handle all that he has given us to manage; time, money, our jobs, future children, investments and so much more. This was the foundation.

First and foremost, we faithfully and cheerfully tithed and put ourselves on a budget and did not stray from it. We made sacrifices that were sometimes hard, but we never went without food, shelter or the basic needs. We sacrificed travel, entertainment, eating out, and new clothes and, sometimes, we ate peanut butter and jelly during the last week of the month when the food budget was gone. If something came up and it was not in the budget, we did not buy it.

But God was always there. We have had a lot of fun in these last few years. I have won tickets to concerts and sporting events, and people have given us tickets to events and blessed us in many ways. We were able to have people to our house to eat on many occasions. Our hearts’ desire was to go on a mission trip to Mexico, a first for both of us. We were left with only three weeks to try to raise the money and a few days before the trip, we were blessed with the exact amount we needed to go, plus a little spending money. We also found that things were going well for us. Our cars did not break down. We were not sick and things around the house were maintained and in good shape.

Now we are following the sound financial advice of Dave Ramsey from his book Total Money Makeover. This is a book that provides sound, common sense advice with a Christian value system. A theme in his book is “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” Our goal is to be “supernatural sowers” in God’s Kingdom, as my husband says!

We don’t know the plan that God has for our life yet, but we want to be ready to carry it out when we are called. Our journey so far has shown us that God is faithful, and being obedient to His calling reaps huge rewards for the greater good.

Amy and Torrey Edwards

We want to invite you to join us for 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting beginning January 2nd. If you’ve never fasted, now is the best time, as this is a joint venture! In the New Testament, Jesus made mention of when we fast – not if - telling us that this should be a regular discipline in our lives. Also, we encourage you to join us each Sunday evening at 6pm in V1 for a time of Corporate Prayer and Worship. When we fast and pray together, tremendous breakthrough is released, and we’re excited to see what God will be doing through this fast. Won’t you join us?

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In order to help you in this venture, we’ve compiled this information:

Types of Fasts - You may choose a “Daniel’s Fast” – a diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, or you can participate in a total fast, consisting of water only, or a liquid fast of fresh juices. Other ways to participate include fasting from television, radio, internet, or anything that you recognize as having control over your life. Fasting is something the entire family can participate in to varying degrees – each person in their own way.

About Fasting - It is much easier to fast while active. Fasting will cause hunger pangs initially, but you will get the energy you need from stored fat in the body. If you are under the care of a physician, please seek his/her advice regarding the level of participation that is best suited to your physical condition.

Why Fast? – Fasting is the most powerful spiritual discipline of all those discussed in the Bible. Through fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can transform your life and produce incredible results. Prayer alone is mighty, but when combined with fasting it produces a powerful force which hell cannot prevail against.

Filling Ourselves during a Fast - The secret to being filled with the Spirit of God is first to empty ourselves. Through fasting, we empty ourselves of food so that He can fill us. Food is man’s greatest carnal impulse. Fasting helps you to master this appetite. When you can control the strongest appetite, you can gain control of the other carnal appetites as well. Your appetite acts as a prayer alarm. Instead of eating to satisfy your cravings, you pray. This keeps you focused all day long. We replace pleasures of the flesh with spiritual pleasure. Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Taste is a trigger which sets off certain physical and mental reactions or connections. When you taste the Lord through fasting and prayer, it triggers various reactions in your heart.

Best Ways to Prepare Physically for the Fast – While hunger pangs and weakness can be expected, you need not dehydrate, faint or get sick while fasting. There are several ways to prepare yourself physically for a healthy fast:

Days before the Fast

1. Stop eating foods that are high in caffeine or sugar.
2. Begin drinking more water than usual.

Day before the Fast

1. Eat something small every two hours.
2. Avoid foods with caffeine or salt.
3. Drink plenty of water.

Final Meal before the Fast

1. Plan your final meal early enough in the afternoon so there’s no rush to finish before your fast begins.
2. The menu of this final meal should contain high carbohydrates and low salts.
3. Do not eat too much in the meal before the fast, but drink plenty of water

Good Advice for Ending Your Fast – After 30 days of fasting you may be tempted to “jump right back in” and eat some of the foods you’ve missed. However, it’s much better to ease back into your normal eating habits rather than suffer from an upset stomach by loading it with foods it’s not ready to digest. Here are some healthy ideas for ending your fast:

1. Begin with the simple B.R.A.T. diet recommended for upset stomachs – Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast
2. Begin with brothy soups and avoid heavy carbs and proteins
3. Eat something small and light every two hours and drink plenty of water

Here are some questions we have received about this fast and our answers to them:

Q. Can you provide us with the additional scriptures on fasting as well as the types of fast?

A. Here is a good online resource that lists all the major scriptures on fasting: http://www.dianedew.com/fasting.htm

Q. Are we supposed to fast continously for the 30 days or do we break at some point in the day for example after 6pm?

A. The direction of your individual fast is completely a personal decision between you and God. For the Victory 30-day Fasting and Prayer, there are no set rules regarding which types of fast you choose or how long you fast during the day. Many people choose to follow the Daniel Fast for 30 days or split their fast up into four separate weeks of different fasts such as water only, fruits, Daniel fast, etc. Some are being led to Media fasts or other types of fasts depending on what God is trying to do in their personal lives. The main objective is that as a church we are joined together in fasting and believing God for strength and blessing for our church, our families, our nation and our world this year.

Q. I am married, is sex allowed during the fast?

A. Regarding sex during a fast, as a married couple you are allowed to have sex during a fast unless both you and your spouse are in agreement to abstain for a certain period of time. Essentially, one spouse cannot call a sexual fast without the agreement of the other spouse. However, a sexual fast doesn’t necessarily have to coincide with other types of fasts.

Q. I was wonder if I may participate in the 30-day fast even though I’m not a member (yet)?

A. Absolutely, we welcome your participation and partnership with us in the season of fasting.\

Q. Do we have a daily Scripture or prayer focus? What about a booklet like we’ve had in past years?

A. No, we as a church did not feel directed by the Lord to limit our prayers to specific topics each day. Instead, let us encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to lead you according to His will. It’s amazing how the Lord harmonizes the prayers of His people when they are seeking Him. To get a sense of what is going on in the church as a body, let us also encourage you to take part in the Thirst services each Sunday evening at 6pm (if you’re not doing so already).

Our hearts were moved by the response to this weekend’s iCare Christmas Gift to the World offering. After seeing the video and learning more about the problem of modern day slavery and child sexual exploitation in Atlanta many of you were moved to tears and compelled to take action.

This Christmas as part of our iCare campaign and Christmas Gift to the World offering, we are partnering with three ministry organizations to make an impact on the problem of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking in our city.

First, prevention, through our support of Innocence Atlanta, we help raise awareness not only of the problem but of it’s root cause – the demand for sexual services. Innocence Atlanta focuses on raising awareness and shining a light into the darkness.

Second, intervention, through our support of Not For Sale, we help provide valuable resources to our local law enforcement community, churches and others who are focused on ending modern day slavery in our lifetimes. Not For Sale works closely with law enforcement to not only identify human trafficking rings in the local Atlanta are, but provide valuable evidence needed for the arrest, prosecution and imprisonment of the perpetrators.

Lastly, restoration, through our support of Wellspring Living, we help provide a new life, healing and hope for young women rescued from sexual slavery and exploitation. Wellspring works with the girls to give them a home, reconnect them with their families, restore their education and help them come into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you weren’t able to be there this past weekend, we encourage you to get involved. Watch the video below for more information:

We want to thank you for your prayer support and financial participation. Don’t forget to leave your comments!

By: Pastor Colleen Rouse

“We eat what we like.”  Remember that tagline?  It was used to promote Apple Jacks cereal.  I never liked that commercial because it featured adolescents with cocky attitudes of entitlement.   Yet, it seems to epitomize the American mentality; and, we are in the midst of an economic crisis because of it.

We have lived without restraint. Our ferocious appetites have ruled us and freedom has been a means of fulfilling vices.  We despise waiting for anything and thus have not learned to develop patience. If we like it, we go for it without question and mostly without the proper funds, all because we can.  Creditors have became our friends, telling us they are on our side.  They became our source of counsel as to the size of our homes and big screen TVs.  If they gave us permission, we treated ourselves because, after all, we deserve it.  We have been willing to risk it all for TVs and cars because we never dreamed that “it” would come.

Our forefathers were willing to risk it all as well.  They came here in search of precious liberty and independence, knowing it would not come without a price. They were willing to risk their lives to find a place where they could use this freedom to pursue the One they desired to serve with all their hearts, Jesus.  How we have drifted from this pure motive to use our freedom to serve ourselves. Paul, admonished us in Galatians 5:13 NIV “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”  The freedom that we have today has come from those who fought in wars, serving us in love.

We have been so proud of our independence and at the same time, we have lost our appreciation for it.  We don’t want to belong to anything or anyone so we forsake getting married and opt for living together. The dollar bill that says in God we trust has become the god in which we trust. We have been deceived.  Paul also said in Galatians 5:1 MSG “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”  The country that loves her freedom has come under the harness of debt. We belong to the bank and even the banks belong to someone else, mostly foreign nations.

In reality, the “bailout” we need is much greater than the tune of $700 billion.  Our bankrupt state is a result of spiritual bankruptcy. You might be thinking that I am making everything sound bleak and hopeless, but that is not the case.  In fact it is because of hope that I am willing to admit to our foolishness.  You might be thinking that you are not one of those I have described above.  Perhaps not, but this is a day when we must begin thinking corporately and not independently because all that leads to is what is being demonstrated in Washington, blame shifting.  There is a different shifting that can take place and it is not too late for our country. The shift I am referring to is a shift in pursuit, a RETURNING. Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”

The pilgrims who first landed here came with a great sense of purpose.  Our forefathers who drafted the constitution wrote down the vision God gave them for this nation.  We were meant to be a beacon not a blemish.  We were meant to use our freedom for helping others not for lavishing our own desires.  We must return to who we were called to be as a nation. We must return to our first love. We have built our houses on sand (credit) but we must build them on the Rock.  We must return to our first love.  We must be willing to refrain at times from “eating what we like” so we won’t have to stand in soup lines.

The beginning of the Declaration begins with the following, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Sometimes I wish that Jefferson would’ve left that last part out.  Let us pursue life with the same passion with which we have pursued happiness. Life is only found in Him.  We must return to our pursuit of HIM but we need help in finding our way.
We need something to clear away the confusion, dissention and lack of discernment.  We need leaders with pure motives and clear vision.  We as the Body of Christ need to break free of the hypnotic state we have been under.  We need a clarion call.

A clarion call is a powerful request for action or an irresistible mandate. It referred to a medieval trumpet and it is derived from the Latin word meaning clear.  We need true prophets to begin to open their mouths and speak truth and we must listen to what they say. I know that many of us may groan at this idea because we have heard many prophets declare many things. Some have been so audacious to declare that as long as we sent in our immediate pledge of $777, whatever they spoke would come true.  Those individuals will answer to God for their malpractice but that doesn’t mean there are not those who listen to God and have an authentic and specific assignment.  I believe that when they give the clarion call, it will be confirmed by the Spirit of Grace and Truth and rally us to prayer.  Rather than continuing to occupy the position of “wait and see” with the rest of this country we must take the somewhat different position of  “Wait on the Lord” and “See with eyes of revelation”.

I believe that the Lord is going to use the fivefold ministry gifts in unity once more to help us return to Him.  Let us begin to pray for the true leaders with righteous motives to be put in places of leadership in this nation and we will shine again.

Last week, we had the privilege of meeting a wonderful Victory couple, Bill & Patsy Reily. As Pastor Dennis was preparing his recent message, Honor Each Other, he wanted to interview Bill who, at 86, is our oldest member and still quite active in the life of the church.

We arranged the interview, calling Bill to see if he was available. He answered the phone and not only was he very happy and honored to hear from us, he was a joy to talk to and had a great sense of humor. After sidetracking us for a moment with his question, “How much are you going to pay?”, Bill laughed at the success of his own joke and collected the details of the interview in a joyous manner.

After meeting and getting to know Bill & Patsy on the day of the interview we were all struck by the couple’s ability to make every person they met feel as if they were the most important person in the room. The genuine love that they have for all of God’s people was evident and inspiring.

I guess there are always times in life when you meet people who make an significant impression on your life, Bill & Patsy are those people. It was a joy to spend some time with them and we are all honored to have them as part of our church.

As I close, I’ll leave you with an inspiring quote from Bill Reily, “It’s not a matter of age, if you’re not growing intellectually and spiritually and in concern for the world, you are in a sense already dead yourself whatever age – at 30 or 40 or whatever.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m inspired to do more and to keep doing until Jesus calls me home.

Below is the link to the video interview with Pastor Dennis & Bill Reily:

Pastor Dennis\’ Interview with Bill Reily