Welcome to the Victory Blog

Like most children growing up in America, I was raised in a single parent home with my mom and sister. My mother was a very hard worker. She made sure we had everything we needed, and lots of times, what we wanted. Because she was a small business owner, she was away from home a lot, and that enabled my sister and me to do what we wanted.

One night, when my sister and I were home alone, I was getting ready for bed but was still engaged in the TV. I was flipping through the channels and happened to come across something very sexual. I had never seen what was before my eyes. I was shocked and knew it was bad, but at the same time, I was intrigued. I continued watching for a couple more minutes until I realized my sister was still in the house. I was 8 years old when my innocence was lost, and at that very moment, the spirit of confusion took root. After that instance, every now and then when I was home alone, I would flip to that channel.

As I entered into middle school, I knew something wasn’t right within because, even though I liked boys and they liked me, there was something in me that gravitated towards girls. I ‘knew’ it was bad, so I never told anyone. When I got into high school, I had a boyfriend, cheered and was very popular, but that thing was still there and I didn’t know why. I would still look at pornography every once in a while from a family member’s stash. I couldn’t see myself telling anyone because I felt guilt and shame. When I went off to college, I began to have a carefree attitude, because most of the men I knew liked the idea of two beautiful women being together…I was actually proud of it. And, even though I had a boyfriend, it still didn’t matter. He wasn’t happy about it and made sure I knew he was disgusted. I was still into pornography every so often.

When I came to Atlanta in 2005 to pursue dance, the Lord met me here. When I surrendered my life to Christ, I asked Him to deliver me from the pornography and homosexuality. I had an encounter with God where He totally set me free!! Every now and then, the enemy will attack me in dreams with situations dealing with both subjects, but I rebuke them. And when he tries to enter into my mind with thoughts, I have to take them captive. It has been an amazing experience and journey of healing and deliverance for me. God is truly restoring back to me my lost innocence and purity. It’s amazing that my earthly father gave me the name Angel Catrice because it literally means Pure Messenger of God. Now I understand why I have been given that name and can identify with it fully. ~ Angel W.

WE Part 2: Starting Right

Nothing excites me more than to talk about this marvelous thing called family. Why? Because Jesus is in the center of family. He created it. And, he created us to not only grow up in a family, but to start new families of our own. Yet, a lot of people aren’t getting married and building families because of fear, insecurity, immaturity or because they’ve been burned in the past. When they look around, they often see a lot of bad examples – marriages that didn’t start right – leading to a lot of pain, hardship and even divorce. When we don’t start right, we spend most of the rest of our lives playing catch up.

As a result, a lot of singles avoid getting married. So many people have bought into the idea that maybe they’re just not supposed to be married…not because that’s really the case but because no one helped them get ready. That’s messed up. And frankly, we have a lot of messed up people in our church…and that’s great! This is the best place for them. There are no perfect people here. The church is here to help people get free and healed and to grow up in the Lord.

God told me when I was 23, that there were things he couldn’t do in and through me unless I got married. And I have to say that despite how much I enjoyed my single life – it was a lot of fun – now that I’ve been married for 27 years, there’s nothing greater in the earth than to find the right person, get married to them and have the kind of marriage God intended me to have! I’m so thankful that Colleen and I were blessed to have people around us that helped us start right. We want to extend that blessing to you. And, while this may be addressed primarily to singles, if you’re married, you can also benefit greatly by applying these principles in your marriage now!

In order to start right we need to:

1. Settle the Who’s No. 1? issue. Is Jesus number one in your life, or are you, or someone/thing else? When he’s number one, every relationship you’re in works! When Jesus is number one in you’re life, you’ll marry someone whose number one is Jesus. This is how God wants us to start.
2. Decide to Grow Up! I believe the reason many people are single today is immaturity – as if there are a lot of teenagers in 30- or 40-year-old bodies. It’s time to put away childish things. If you want to determine whether you’re mature or not, answer these questions (or have someone close to you answer them):
   • Do I have a servant’s heart?
   • Do I have my body under control?
   • Do I understand how to handle God’s money?
   • Do I know how to resolve conflict?
   • Do I understand commitment?
3. Shift from a dating mentality to courting mentality. The goal of dating is to get together physically and emotionally – commitment has nothing to do with it; marriage has nothing to do with it. When they stop meeting those needs, we just dump them and go on to the next one. Courtship, on the other hand, starts with accountability, functions with authenticity, focuses on spiritual compatibility and is a way to hear God speaking.

Download, listen to or watch this entire message online here.

I recently graduated from college and entered the job market at a time when work was seemingly scarce and the economic turmoil was all around. It seems that my lack of experience prevented me from getting work experience necessary to get a job on top of the lack of jobs in an already “bad” economy. But God’s economy and vision for my employment was very different from the world’s predictions. I trusted Him to bless my job searches, and one Sunday, Pastor Dennis prayed over us to find jobs.

After a mere three or four months of looking for a job I managed to find one despite the opinions of market experts, my lack of experience, and the apparently hopeless situation. You see, God, my expert, said I will get a job, I already have the skills for it, and told me my situation was not hopeless.

I got an interview at a place that did work completely unrelated to my college training. I figured it was a long shot but I went in with an attitude of confidence because I knew God had something in store for me. Despite not having the worldly credentials for my position God saw fit to grant favor. Something happened in that interview room and God intervened on my behalf.

For all logical reasons, I shouldn’t have the job He has blessed me with. I am unqualified on several counts but the management decided to give me 90 days to see if I was the right fit. Those 90 days are not even up and I have been promoted 4 times. Is that God or what? I like where I work and begin my first day in my newly promoted position in a few hours. I’m really excited about what He has done and where He will take me from here.

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? - Matthew 6:26

Remember, God has a plan that no economic forecaster or manager can understand. Won’t you trust Him with your job search and finances? Surrender your fears and embrace His peace so that you may find great success walking in the bounty of His love. ~ Jesús P.

Beginning in 2006, for the first time in the history of our nation, single adults now outnumber married adults. In our culture, the idea of family is increasingly coming under attack. The rates of birth outside of marriage, divorce, children living in single parent homes, child abuse, teen suicide are all on the rise and have increased dramatically in the last 40 years. All of these things and more – most societal ills, in fact – can be directly linked to the erosion of family in our nation. Indicative of this is the fact that up to 80% of children raised in Christian homes turn away from Christ by 12th grade. Clearly, something has been missing in the church in regards to teaching about family. If we don’t address this and get a hold of God’s word on families, we’re going to miss God’s purpose and call for our generations.

There’s nothing that tears the heart more than a broken family. Our heart is for restoration. No matter what has happened, or what poor decisions have been made previously, God wants to redeem and restore and heal our brokenness, including our families. The reason a lot of people are having trouble in their relationships, both with other people and with God, is because they don’t understand God’s purpose for family. God designed the family for three things:

1. To be a reflection of His nature. God’s nature is unconditional love. Marriage is a reflection of the intimate relationship God created us to have with him. How we relate to God is reflected in our relationship with our spouses. That relationship should reflect God’s nature. The marriage should reflect Christ: “I love you, no matter how bad you are, no matter how many times you’ve blown it. I’m going to keep loving you. I’ll never leave you or forsake you and will give my life for you.”
2. To be an extension of His authority. God created us to live on a higher order than animals – they have no conscience. They live solely by instinct. God didn’t create us to have sex whenever we feel like it outside of marriage. We are to rise above the order of animals. We are to have rule over our flesh, not the other way around. We are NOT just another kind of animal. When you get married, then sexual things become holy – the marriage bed is undefiled. Sex is good…in marriage. When a married couple comes together, they become a powerful force to conquer the enemy. The devil knows this, which is why he works so hard to disrupt marriages and bring division and destruction.
3. To preserve the culture of the kingdom. One of the best ways we can change the earth is to have kids, raise them up in the right way and empower them to change the world. We need to come together as husbands and wives and be fruitful and multiply and raise up godly children to perpetuate and preserve the culture of the kingdom. Satan also knows this, and so, works hard to get us to either avoid having kids or to destroy them, either emotionally, spiritually, physically, or even through abortion.

To listen to, watch or download this entire message, click here.

Dear Church Family:

I wanted to share my story of healing and answered prayer with other women who desire to become pregnant.

My husband Ardell and I have been members of Victory for over 10 years and shortly after our 5th wedding anniversary – over 6 years ago now – weprayed to the Lord to bless us with a child of our own together. Over the years, we remained faithful, serving in various ministries within the church, encouraging and praying for others, watching others go through courtship, marriage and birthing their own children, and still, although receiving blessings in other areas, we had no children of our own yet. We sought medical attention from doctors who labeled our condition as “unexplained infertility” because they could find nothing physically wrong with either of us that would prevent us from conceiving.

Then one day during a service, as Pastor Colleen prayed for healing for the congregation, she specifically mentioned healing for closed wombs and those women who desired to become pregnant. My husband and I opened our hearts to that prayer for ourselves and others and held on to the promise that we were both whole and perfect and would soon bring a child into this world. Later the same day, as we were preparing to head out to our cars, Pastor Colleen stopped us at the door and spoke a word over us to say that our prayer would be answered “soon.” Of course, this reinforced our faith and we continued to look forward to God’s blessing of a child of our own together. Knowing how much of a virtue patience is and also that God works in His own time frame not ours, our faith was still challenged when nearly two years passed and we were still awaiting his promised blessing.

Well, today I just wanted to testify and say that His timing is perfect and His word never fails; we are expecting our first child this coming April 24, 2010. This blessing from God did not require any man-made intervention, only prayer, faith, love and patience. I hope that others can be encouraged by our testimony to stand on God’s Word and on his promises. Our timing is not the same as the Lord’s, and no matter how long it may seem to take, always remember: He will never fail to deliver, and when he does, it is always right on time!

~ Ayanna W.

If you’re a regular attender at Victory, we’d love to have you share your story about what God is doing/has done in or through your life at VWC. Click here to submit your story.

This past weekend, it was a great pleasure to welcome another very good friend of ours to speak in our services, Pastor Stephan Christiansen, all the way from Oslo, Norway. He brought a message that was both good to hear, and challenging too…especially for most Americans. If you didn’t get a chance to hear the message, let me encourage you to watch or listen to it online.  It will stir you up in your spirit and get you thinking about stepping out in faith into the things God is calling you to.

For now, let me whet your appetite with a few of the things he said that stood out to me:

Who did Jesus give the great commission to? It was a group of simple fishermen; guys who prior to this hadn’t traveled more than 50 miles away from home. He called them to go places they hadn’t gone before and do things they’d never done before…to be pioneers. God is inviting us to do the same!

Pioneers…

• Are people who will go where others won’t
• Take big risks for the sake of the Gospel – risks that others won’t take
• Are rarely found with a remote control in their hands
• Understand that they can be in the deep will of God and still have very difficult circumstances
• See things others aren’t seeing
• Do things that others aren’t willing to do

And the list goes on, but I’ll stop for now. If you want to be on the cutting edge of what God is doing in our day, go listen to this message and take it to heart. Ask God to show you where and how he’s calling you to be a pioneer for his kingdom.

Hello Victory,

Some of you might remember me from my baptism. It was wonderful to see the Holy Spirit move the way it did that day. It is a day that I will never forget.

I want to personally thank all of you who even after two years since that event have come up to me to acknowledge you were there and ask me how I am doing. Thank you so much.

Since my coming to Christ, I have seen God’s mighty hand move in wonderful ways, not only in my personal life, but in the life of others as well. One of the ways he has moved in my life is by making a dream come true that I never even dreamt would be reality – he has brought into my life a young lady, whom I wed on March 26.

We were a part of each other’s life before I came to Christ. She was a Christian before I was, and she rejoiced when I became part of the family. We went through the With This Ring class, and were blessed by that counseling.

I’ve become a member of Celebrate Recovery and can see already the great work God is doing and is going to continue to do with this ministry at Victory. I highly recommend to anyone out there sitting in the pew, if you have a secret, do not let it hold you in bondage any longer. Celebrate Recovery is a safe and confidential place where God is setting people free.

I cannot end this without thanking Pastors Dennis and Colleen. The wisdom and knowledge that God has blessed you with has truly enriched and strengthened us as followers of Christ. Pastor Olin I hold dear to my heart and always feel blessed when we share a minute or two.

Again, thank you for your prayers, and I’ll keep you in mine.

Raul Diaz

If you’re a regular attender at Victory, we’d love to have you share your story about what God is doing/has done in or through your life at VWC. Click here to submit your story.

About 2,000 years ago, Jesus, the Son of God, was born, lived, died and then rose again, redeeming us from the curse of sin, and opening the door for restored relationship with God. Because of this, we all have the opportunity to come truly alive and turn our whole lives around.

A lot of people are living “dog food” lives…they’ve been settling for the dog food of this world, when all along they could be having the steak and potatoes of a new life. What does a new life look like? Well, when we receive Christ’s resurrection life, it gives us a new start. We are forgiven, made clean. Our old sinful self passes away and we become new. Our past no longer has any claim on us.

With that new start comes new purpose. We are a part of God’s plan to redeem and reconcile the world back to himself. Our lives are no longer simply focused on mere survival or even success; our new life is about significance.

Our new life is also characterized by a new love. We are new able to live in the love of the Father, and out of the overflow of his love, love others. We become able to love even those who seem to be unlovable…even our enemies. And this love has the power to change the world.

Which is the fourth characteristic of the new life – a new power. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and enthroned him above every other power at the right hand of the Father. It is the power that was poured out on the day of Pentecost – the power of the Holy Spirit – the power to heal, to set people free, to prophesy, to live the abundant life, etc. This power dwells in us!

Finally, in this new life, we have new grace. We can’t get our own lives together; we need God’s help. His grace empowers us to overcome sin. It enables us to stand before God without guilt, shame or fear. It doesn’t matter how “bad” we’ve been, Jesus took EVERY sin we’ve ever committed, and every sin we ever will commit, upon himself, and in its place, gave us freedom and forgiveness.

All this is ours – all we have to do is just receive this new life. Have you received it? If not, why not right now? Simply ask God and it’s yours. If you’ve never received it before, or if you’ve been running for a while, let me urge you to receive this new life right now. Start by praying this prayer:

Jesus, right now, as I examine my life, I repent of everything in my heart and in my life that’s gone against your will. I confess that you are Jesus Christ, the Lord and the savior of my life. And, I’m asking you, God, to come into my heart, drive out this darkness and replace it with your love. I believe that your were raised from the dead, and I believe that you are God. I accept you into my heart as my Lord and Savior, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I’ve been a member of a “traditional…church” since I was a young girl. As an adult, I live and work in a very diverse community. There were many times that I wanted to invite a friend or co-worker to church, but was hesitant because I didn’t know if they would feel comfortable.

When I attended the play (Your Final Destination), I was immediately in awe at that various cultures I saw represented. Immediately upon walking into the sanctuary, I knew in my heart that VWC was to be my new church home. That was a Wednesday and the following Sunday, I asked my 16-year-old if she wanted to join me, and she said, “Yes.”

We love and are excited about the opportunity to participate in international missions trips, local outreach opportunities and the chance to worship and serve the one true God with people from various cultures. This is what I imagine heaven to be like! ~ Veronica J.

If you’re a regular attender at Victory, we’d love to have you share your story about what God is doing/has done in or through your life at VWC. Click here to submit your story.