MANILA, PHILIPPINES—While on a recent Nashville to Manila flight, I couldn’t stop thinking about Victory‘’s 30th anniversary. As memory after memory flooded my mind, my face reacted accordingly. A smile. A chuckle. A tear. So many memories. Some painful, but mostly good.
Here are thirty random memories from the first thirty years of Victory in the Philippines. Each memory could be a blog or a book by itself.
Smile. Laugh. Cry. Enjoy.
1. UNIVERSITY BELT. Where it all started. The harvest was plentiful, but the workers were few, so we stayed awhile.
2. ADMIRAL HOTEL. Our first “home” in Manila and Victory’s first baptismal tank (a.k.a. hotel swimming pool).
3. ROCK SEMINAR. “I won’t take no prisoners won’t spare no lives, nobody’s putting up a fight, I got my bell I’m gonna take you to hell, I’m gonna get ya Satan get ya. . . Hell’s bells. . .” Some of us decided to “put up a fight” for the souls of Filipino students.
4. TANDEM BASEMENT. The ugliest, stinkiest, and hottest church facility ever, but that did not stop hundreds of students from hearing the Gospel at our underground “Concrete Cathedral.”
5. MENDIOLA BRIDGE. Proof that Filipino students have been #RadicalSince1984. There is nothing quit like hearing gunfire and breathing teargas while preaching in the middle of a student riot. Good times. (Hey, that was before I had kids.)
6. BUKO JUICE. Along with mangoes and chicken adobo, this is the real reason we stayed.
7. PEOPLE POWER. Changed a nation and inspired the world.
8. MAKATI MED. Three of my best memories happened at a hospital in April 1986, July 1988, and February 1990.
9. FAMILY FIRST. “Noah built an ark to save his family,” and in saving his family, he saved the world. This is how we roll at Victory.
10. RIZAL MEMORIAL. Deborah and I spent countless hours melting in the summer sun, watching our sons compete against the best tennis players from all over the Philippines. Great memories, but we are glad we no longer have to endure the traffic and the heat.
11. ANSON ARCADE. This was our first attempt at being a multi-site church way back in 1986. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing and we have no idea why all those people kept showing up. The building no longer exists, but the memories and friendships will last forever. So many lives were transformed by the gospel, and we met many of our closest friends at Anson Arcade.
12. ASIAN INVASION. Filipino cross-cultural missionaries are literally all over the world today because of these conferences.
13. VICTORY FIRE. When blogs and church websites were made of paper.
14. SAMBANG GABI. Victory’s twist on a Filipino Christmas tradition. I hate waking up before the sun, but for the sake of puto bumbong and bibingka, I did it anyway, but only once a year.
15. STAR COMPLEX. Standing room only crowds of Christian transfers and church hoppers forced us to get serious about reaching the lost through small group discipleship.
16. VALLE VERDE. Where our sons grew up and where we had the best neighbors on the planet, including a “cracked head.”
17. TALENTS INC. Amazing things happen when artists realize their talents come from God and exist for his honor.
18. THE ROCK. This is where we got really serious about equipping leaders for church planting and world missions.
19. EDSA TRAFFIC. Purgatory on wheels.
20. BROWN OUTS. Bad memories. No comment.
21. CAMPUS MINISTRY. Preparing students for life, and preparing students to lead.
22. PURPLE BOOK. Almost one million in print in twenty-five languages. Who would have guessed?
23. FORT BONIFACIO. Home sweet home. When we moved to Ft B, there were five buildings. Twelve years later, well, let’s just say progress happened.
24. REAL LIFE. Honoring God by serving the poor and empowering their dreams through educational assistance, character development, and community service.
25. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. Identification. Instruction. Impartation. Internship.
26. NATURAL DISASTERS. I am proud of the way Victory people respond every time a typhoon or flood pounds a city.
27. RADICAL LOVE. God’s radical love demonstrated on the cross demands a radical response. (Radical Love album release soon!)
28. HONOR GOD. The ultimate motive for all we do.
29. MAKE DISCIPLES. This is what Victory is all about. Engaging culture and community. Establishing biblical foundations. Equipping believers to minister. Empowering disciples to make disciples.
30. EVERY NATION. This is where we are called to honor God and make disciples.
If some of these phrases mean nothing to you, simply ask a Victory old-timer and you’ll hear great stories.
