Monthly Archives: September 2011

Garage Sale

By shellyhuey | Uncategorized , Victory Update

A neighbor had his garage open on Saturday. It was literally filled to the ceiling with boxes. He had created a narrow walkway down the middle, so he could get to the back. I was amazed at his accumulation of CLUTTER. Things his kids NO LONGER WANTED or USED. Things he had as COLLECTIONS. Things his wife kept as MOMENTOS. It was all stuff from the past.

I asked him how often he goes in that garage. He said “Usually I avoid going in there, even though its organized. I forget what box I put something in, and it’s a pain figuring out where it is.” He added “But I can’t get rid of anything in there, its too overwhelming to deal with.”

Our MINDS are like that neighbors garage. The storage bin of our life.

Have you allowed Jesus to enter the garage of your MIND?
Have you carefully boxed up thoughts you NO LONGER WANT or USE?

Thoughts of suicide, depression, anger, frustration?

Have you placed doubt and unbelief into the container of MOMENTOS?
Have you taken your COLLECTIONS of past sins and stored them away?

Stop digging back into the boxes of the past.
Stop searching for answers to problems that have been packed away in storage.
Stop trying to figure out everything that has been already dealt with and put away.

Open up that garage door for Jesus to come in and clean out the CLUTTER of your mind.

He was there when you carefully filled those boxes of doubt and unbelief.
He was there when you packed up all your collections of sin.
He was there when you stacked up the containers of pain.

And He TOOK AWAY those storage boxes…and FORGOT about all of it!

So have a garage sale today with Jesus.

Haul out that junk that’s accumulated in your mind.

Box it up and hand it over to Him.

Afterall, He already paid for all of it. With His life.

He will haul it away. FOREVER. GONE. Psalm 103:12

But…He is going to move some NEW boxes into your garage.

In fact, He has even labeled them for you.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self Control. Gal 5:22,23

And the cool thing about these boxes is they are already full.

You have complete access to them.

And they are NEVER empty

PRAY FOR: The timing of public announcements for Craig running in 2012. Private announcements were made towards the very end of last week and will continue this week.

PRAY FOR: South Bay Day of Repentance. We are in the process of confirming the date. We also are putting together materials for pastors/churches/organizations to use to inform the people. We want this event to unify the church for the cause of Jesus Christ.

PRAY FOR: Continued guidance for Craig, Shelly and Evan as they seek the Lord for His vision for their team of warriors. (Business, Gov’t, Education and Church leaders)

Sincerely,

Shelly Huey

Geared Up

By shellyhuey | Uncategorized , Victory Update

One of our kids has a classic car, a ’63 Corvair. It’s really a pretty cool ride. It runs pretty good…most of the time.

The car is really designed for cruising around the town, off-roading would be DANGEROUS.  It wouldn’t do well going up big hills. It really needs to stay in safe places. But he loves that car, and he will do what it takes to keep it going.

Recently, he has had some problems with the car. He was on one of the Los Angeles freeways and the car just decided to stop. Then a few days ago his car died in our driveway and that beautiful classic just sat there UNUSED.

He checked under the hood and saw that everything was connected and hooked up. But, he recognized the car was still in gear. He knew that the car wouldn’t START in gear, it had to be in neutral.

So he GOT OUT and pushed that car. As it was rolling down our driveway, he JUMPED into the drivers seat, and jammed it out of gear and into NEUTRAL. Then the engine FIRED UP.

What’s your ride like with Jesus?

Pretty cool? Runs pretty good? Most of the time?
Are you designed for “just cruising around the town” stuff?
Are you afraid to go to “DANGEROUS” places with Jesus?
Are you convinced that Jesus is not capable of going up the hills of your life?

Do you think Jesus can’t USE you because you’ve had some problems or actual “breakdowns”?
Maybe you are stranded on the freeway of your life.
Maybe you have just had enough of life and have decided to stop.
Maybe you feel like you can’t even get out of the driveway every morning.

You have the connections and the hookups.
You know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. You go to church, you go to bible study, you even pray… A LOT.

So the question is…Are You in Stuck in Gear and Not Able to Start?

You were designed for amazing things. Ephesians 3:20
You were designed for dangerous things. Ephesians 6:14
You were designed to be more than a conqueror. Romans 8:37

So… GET OUT of the drivers seat of your ride with Jesus.
Let Him JUMP into that spot. He’s the One and Only professional driver.
He loves you so much…He will do what it takes to keep you going.
He wants to be able to DRIVE your ride to places it’s never been.

Neutral is a spot where Jesus wants your control to rest in HIM.
Neutral is a position where Jesus can demonstrate His power through YOU.
And guess what? Your engine will be FIRED UP once again.

PRAY FOR: The timing of public announcements for Craig running in 2012. Private announcements were made towards the very end of last week and will continue this week.

PRAY FOR: South Bay Day of Repentance. We are in the process of confirming the date. We also are putting together materials for pastors/churches/organizations to use to inform the people. We want this event to unify the church for the cause of Jesus Christ.

PRAY FOR: Continued guidance for Craig, Shelly and Evan as they seek the Lord for His vision for their team of warriors. (Business, Gov’t, Education and Church leaders)

You can read this entry and any other previous prayer update in our archives at www.victoryupdates.com.

Sincerely,

Shelly Huey

Dirty White

By shellyhuey | Prayer Update , Uncategorized

Someone told me once that white cars are easier to take care of, because they don’t “show dirt” as much as others.  They lied.
After being gone two weeks, my white car was filthy.  It was left outside in our driveway.  It was covered with a layer of DIRT, leaves and even bird poop.
It must have been windy.  I couldn’t think of anything else that would stir up such a mess.
Funny thing was, right before I left, I had the car washed, waxed and detailed.  They did such a great job, I could see my reflection.  Now I couldn’t even see that my car was white.  DISGUSTED by how it looked, I grabbed our hose and sprayed it down.  Quickly the dirt SLID OFF.  The leaves ROLLED away. But the bird poop still stuck.
Recognizing this was turning into a bigger wash job, I took a rag and started scrubbing at that stubborn STUCK bird poop.

Someone told me once that they don’t go to church because “Christians” there are hypocrites.  And it made me think of my dirty white car.
Sometimes people that really KNOW us usually see the DIRT that has accumulated on our lives.
And they are DISGUSTED by how we LOOK.

So…church, where do you park your heart?
Is it left outside in the driveway of the world?
Getting bombarded with hate, anger and fear?
Do you allow your heart to get STUCK by things that fly over your life and dump on it?
My guess is your life is a lot like mine.  Sometimes it’s just a whirlwind.
And we forget to get our heart washed, waxed by the professional detailer, Jesus.

You see because Jesus loves you so much, He wants you to be clean before Him.
And when you receive Him as your Savior, He washes those sins away, not once but forever.  (1 John 1:9)
Jesus didn’t die and shed His blood for you to continue to walk around with dirt covering your white garments.
He died so that you would be a reflection of Him.
And for that reflection to shine through you.

So you might need to get hosed off with His love.
You might need to get sprayed down with His forgiveness.
You might have to let Him take out a rag and scrub off those STUCK places on your heart.
And one thing I know for sure… If you allow Him to detail your heart…
The dirt of your life will SLIDE OFF.
The leaves of sin will ROLL away.

And the people that really KNOW you will see a difference in your LOOK.
They might not be able to quite put their finger on it.
But be ready, because they might want what you got.
And they might want to come to church.

What do you think? Email me @ shellynotw@gmail.com

PRAY FOR: Craig and Shelly are in the final stages of their decision regarding running in 2012.  Confirmations have taken place recently.  Expect an announcement soon.

PRAY FOR:  South Bay Day of Repentance.  We are rescheduling the date to allow more time for preparation. Shooting for October. We anticipate many churches being involved.

PRAY FOR: Craig , Shelly and Evan to have wisdom and discernment.  We are building a team of warriors. Gov’t, Business, School, and Church leaders to intercede on the behalf of the South Bay and surrounding area.

I need your input. Please email me shellynotw@gmail.com

Blind Windows

By shellyhuey | Uncategorized , Victory Update

Depending on the length of the flight and my mood, I usually prefer to sit in an aisle seat. Not trapped, I can GET OUT of my seat anytime I want. But there is a trade off. And sometimes I am next to a window. Trust me, I have seen a lot of unbelievable things looking outside the window of a plane.

Last Saturday we flew over the Swiss Alps. The beauty took my breath away. Majestic. POWERFUL displays of creation. Craig didn’t see it, because he was in the aisle seat. He kept leaning over to try and catch a glimpse. But all he could see was the flat horizon and occasional big clouds. As I was overjoyed with awe, he sat there, seat belted in. Beyond frustrated. He was in the wrong position to grab that amazing view.

When we passed the Alps, the sun was so bright, almost blinding. I noticed that pretty much everyone was pulling down their window blinds. The whole cabin that once was filled with daylight became dark. People were starting to go to sleep. Even though it was daytime.

What flight are you on with your relationship with Jesus?
Is it a short hop?
Is it a cross country flight with lots of stops?
Or is it an intercontinental nonstop journey of a lifetime that crosses the time zones of eternity?

Maybe you are in an aisle seat right now with Jesus. You are sitting there because you know that you can GET OUT anytime that you want. You don’t want to feel trapped. But because of where you are seated, you have lost your amazing view.
Maybe your flight with Jesus is just a big flat long horizon. Routine. Dull. Boring.
Maybe your flight with Jesus is full of occasional big clouds. Anxiety. Fear. Depression.
Maybe on your flight with Jesus your neck aches because you keep trying to catch a glimpse of His majesty.

And you sit there, seat belted in. Beyond frustrated.

Yes, you can choose to close the blinds, to cover the windows of your soul.
Jesus allows us to stop His bright, penetrating, everlasting light anytime we want. The problem is that too many of us have done that.
A church that was once filled with the Holy Spirit, no longer is.
A family that was once united in the love of Christ is now divorced.
A life that was once “on fire for God” is a cold, alone ember.
And a lot of those flights with Jesus are just short hops.

So allow Jesus to turn off the “seatbelt” sign in the cabin of your life.
And Get in that window seat. Get in that right position with the Lord.
Ask Him to unstrap you from the constraints of your limited view of life.
Ask Him to show you how beautiful the landscape of your life is to Him.
Ask Him to take your breath away as He uses YOU as a POWERFUL display of His creation.
Jump on board that intercontinental nonstop flight with Jesus.
It’s a journey of a lifetime. You will be overjoyed with awe.
Jesus is waiting for you. He just needs your boarding pass.
And I think it’s a window seat.

PRAY FOR: Craig and Shelly as they finalize their decision of whether or not to run in 2012.

PRAY FOR: Vision and direction for Craig, Shelly and Evan as they put together a team of warriors (pastors, business, education and gov’t leaders).

PRAY FOR: Design and format for future website highlighting outreach events that churches throughout the South Bay can participate in.

I need your input. Please email me shellynotw@gmail.com

Genuine Fakes

By shellyhuey | Uncategorized , Victory Update

You don’t have to travel far to find counterfeit products.
Every big city in the world has them. Sometimes counterfeit products are in stores. Sometimes people are selling them on the streets. You can even find counterfeit products online. There is a huge demand for them. Pretty much everyone wants something that LOOKS like the real thing. Especially if that product is a DESIGNER brand. Because designer brands COST a lot and have superior value.
But… if you look CLOSELY, and KNOW what to look for, you can spot a fake..

Back in 1988 I bought a “gold and diamond” Rolex in Korea.
It looked so real, I had to buy it.

I bargained with the guy and paid $10. About a month after I came home, it stopped

running. It needed a new battery. So I went to the local jeweler. I purposely dressed nice. I looked the part. I proudly showed him my watch. I was nervous because I thought for sure he would see that it was a fake.
But he didn’t . He was very excited to see that Rolex. He said he never sees them.

Because he doesn’t have any in his store. So he really didn’t know what they look like. He was FOOLED.
I was stoked, because I recognized that my fake watch really looked real. That was 23 years ago. I still have that Rolex. It’s not “gold” anymore. It really looks fake. If I showed a jeweler today, he would laugh. And I would be the fool.

Unfortunately, you don’t have to travel far to find COUNTERFEIT Christians.
Every big city in the world has them. They are in the store, on the streets and even in the

church. There is a huge demand for counterfeit Christians. Religion pretty much gives what people want. Something that LOOKS like the real thing.

So what brand of Christianity have you bought into?
Did you fall for something “so real” you had to buy it?
Did you count the COST of your decision?
Was it a cheap decision, or did YOU bargain with God and tell him YOU will follow him on YOUR conditions?
Do you “dress the part” of “Christian” and proudly “show up” to church or bible study? But secretly hope no one sees that you are a fake?

Are you in a church that you can easily FOOL people? Because they have never really SEEN a REAL Christian? Maybe REAL Jesus followers don’t attend there.

Don’t be fooled. Jesus is the REAL deal. The price He paid to have YOU accept Him as the REAL deal, was with His blood, His life. That cost is priceless.
He is the ONE and ONLY way to God. Everything else is Counterfeits. Cheap imitations. And like my fake Rolex, the counterfeits fade. Because they’re not real.
And unlike the amusement of a jeweler seeing my fake Rolex today, God is not laughing.

God can spot a FAKE.

Because He is the ultimate DESIGNER.

And He designed you for amazing things.
Not cheap things. Not copied things. But costly things.

He knew everything about you before you were completed in the womb.
And you were not second hand materials.
Not put together haphazardly. Designed for something special.

So be REAL church. Stop hiding behind your fake imitations. Confess your sins to each

other. Come clean from buying into LOOKING like you have it together. Lord knows we don’t.

PRAY FOR: Craig and Shelly as they continue to fast and pray for the decision to Run in

2012.

PRAY FOR: Pastors, Leaders, Teachers, Elders, Parents, Students and Children in the church to recognize that the world wants to SEE the REAL Jesus Christ in their life, not fake imitations.

PRAY FOR: South Bay Day of Repentance, OCT 11, 6-8pm Good Community Church in Torrance

Sincerely,

Shelly Huey

Blown Up

By shellyhuey | Uncategorized , Victory Update

Last week we were in Croatia.  We were only there for one day, so we decided to take a RISK and hire the first taxi driver we found that spoke English.
We wanted a private tour guide.  Sure there were things that we wanted to see…that tourists typically see…
But we really wanted a unique experience.  We wanted individual attention from an expert, from someone who LIVES there, KNOWS the people and RECOGNIZES our need to see special things on this journey.

Well, we got that person.  Not only did he show us the typical tourist sights, he also went out of his way to take us to some places I’m sure most tourists NEVER GO.
As we were driving and getting to know him, he said “I’ve just got to show you some amazing things.”
Of course we were curious.  And a little nervous.   But we were ALREADY on the trip, so we AGREED TO his guidance.

We drove down a bumpy road towards the ocean.  The views were spectacular. The beach was amazing. Then he rounded a corner and started to describe the area we were approaching.
“These hotels here are five star resorts, with world class dining.”  Then we meandered into a resort style community.
Palm tree lined streets. Incredible landscaping…all overgrown.
Magnificent hotels with exquisite architecture…bombed.
This was a warzone 15 years ago.
Windows were blasted out. Bomb blasts scarred walls. Roofs were missing. Walls were torn down. Rubble piles littered the street.

We sat in silence.  We just stared horrified.
What irony seeing war torn devastation resting right next to pristine beaches.
The locals were on the beach laughing and playing in the ocean, oblivious to the nightmare that had taken place right next to them.
Yet it was so obvious to us.

Maybe you have experienced a nightmare in your life.  Maybe recently.  Maybe years ago.
You have felt like the walls holding you up have been blasted into rubble.
Maybe your heart has been torn apart by violent winds that have ripped it open, leaving it exposed like those roofless hotels.
Maybe you have experienced something so gut wrenching that you feel like missiles have torpedoed their way through your very being.
So you sit in silence. You just stare horrified.

Well, I know someone that wants to be your private tour guide.  Jesus.  You see, He really is an expert.
He not only KNOWS YOU.  He RECOGNIZES your need to SEE special things in this journey.
He has chosen to take YOU to places that some people NEVER GO.

You might think that He knows nothing about your nightmare.  Well, He does.  Because He was there in it, with YOU all the time.  You see, He LIVED it with you.
But today you may feel like you are still driving down that bumpy road.

Like that private tour guide, Jesus says to you… “I’ve got to show you some amazing things!” Because He loves YOU so much, He wants YOU to have individual attention. He wants YOU to have an unique experience.  He wants YOU to take the risk.

You might be curious. You might be nervous. Because you are pretty blown up.
But YOU are a risk-taker.   Besides, you are on the trip ALREADY.  And you just need to agree to HIS guidance.
So ask Jesus to help you clean up the rubble in your life.
Ask Jesus to help rebuild and erect the walls of your faith.
Ask Jesus to cement over and repair the holes that have torn apart your heart.
Ask Jesus to remove the overgrown landscaping of bitterness and anger that have clogged the paths of sanity in your thoughts.

Why? Because Jesus designed YOU as a magnificent five-star masterpiece.
And like the locals on that pristine beach, Jesus wants YOU to laugh and play in the ocean of His love.
Best yet, when others watch YOU recover from your nightmare, they will stand in awe…knowing it was only a supernatural work of Almighty God that could heal YOU.

How has Jesus healed you? Email me @ Shellynotw@gmail.com

PRAY FOR:  Continued guidance and vision for Craig and Shelly as they seek God for direction in running in 2012 and our ability to build a solid team of visionaries, pastors and leaders.

PRAY FOR:  Pastors, leaders and Christians in this District to UNIFY for the cause of Jesus Christ.  A fresh wind, fresh fire of the Holy Spirit to cause individuals to repent and be revived.

PRAY FOR:  Community leaders in education, business and government to be willing to engage in a Day of Repentance for their city.  We want to see transformation in the marketplace for Jesus Christ.

You can read this entry and any other previous prayer update in our archives at www.victoryupdates.com.

Sincerely,

Shelly Huey