What separates Mani from the rest is that she has learned to go beyond her flaws, and not let them hold her back.<\/em><\/p>\n Chief Editor~ Ricky Jean<\/em><\/p>\n Alessandra: Tell me about yourself (Where did you grow up, stage in life, working, going to school, are you from DFW originally?)<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>I\u2019m twenty years old. I\u2019m originally from St. Louis Missouri. I grew up in a Christian home, although I really didn\u2019t know God, and my mom and I were very inconsistent in the church. I never even really opened my Bible, but I did want to know more about God. In high school I joined JROTC and I also danced. I\u2019m a very ambitious person and I love to grow. I like leading people, and being able to inspire them.<\/p>\n I think that\u2019s something God has always put on my heart. I also went through a couple of rough patches during that time; I went through depression, and at one point I attempted to commit suicide. But thankfully, God was able to bring me out of that, and I was able to live through it. Now I can share my story with others. Once I got out of high school I became an entrepreneur. I loved the lifestyle, but it was honestly too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although it was still amazing, because I was able to develop myself as a leader, and I think the main thing God was teaching me as an entrepreneur was perseverance. No matter what was thrown at me, no matter how many times I failed or fell on my face, and no matter how many times people said no to me, or no matter how many times my mom tried to bash me\u2013 I never gave up.<\/p>\n Once I came into the Kingdom I already knew what it would take to be a disciple, because of what I learned about perseverance through those hard times. I love to cook, I love content (social media), that\u2019s actually one of the ways I want to show God working through my life. I want people to be able to see God through me. I want them to see me as a true disciple, so they can be encouraged to study the Bible and get baptized.<\/p>\n I am currently taking online classes for financial literacy, and my kingdom dream is to eventually become a Women\u2019s Ministry Leader. I love how we can truly impact someone\u2019s life. I thought I was doing that in the Business field, but here (DFWICC) in God\u2019s Kingdom you can use the Bible to inspire real change. That\u2019s actually why I think God brought me here, it\u2019s for me to be able to serve him in those ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n I was baptized on October 20th, 2021. Since then I\u2019ve been able to change and grow so much. Now I can acknowledge all the flaws in my life as well, and see where God wants me to grow more. Everyday I\u2019m learning more about myself, and how to be more like Jesus.<\/p>\n Alessandra: What are some of your Hobbies and\/or something you would consider unique about yourself?<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>I have a natural tendency for leading; but I definitely know I have to grow more in my character, in order to grow, and obtain the Godly characteristics of a true leader. But I love to dance, I love to cook, I love music, and I love nature! If anyone wants to take me somewhere it better be in nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n I also love learning. I love being a student, whether it\u2019s dance or ministry, I just love being a student. I love reading too. I love books that can teach me (Non-Fiction, Graphic Novels, etc.), and the reason I really love books is, because they can take me to a whole different world. Especially the Bible.<\/p>\n Alessandra: Tell me how you were met\/invited to church?<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>Actually some of my friends from the Entrepreneur business ended up leaving that lifestyle to put God first. I started wondering about what they were doing that I wasn\u2019t, because I always thought I was putting God first. Eventually, I came out to a midweek (DFWICC) and I loved it. Although, I was very hesitant at first, eventually I was able to let my guard down.\u00a0<\/p>\n I came to the conclusion that the disciples were showing true genuine love, it\u2019s not like a facade.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Alessandra: Describe your relationship with God prior to studying the Bible, and how it has changed?<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>To put it in one word it was very shallow. I had one foot in, and one foot out (lukewarm). I would only pray to God during bad times, but then I started growing more towards loving God. But the biggest thing that helped me change as a disciple was knowing his word. Just learning about his purpose for me, how much he loves us. I take joy in the fact that we\u2019re no longer living for ourselves, but for him.<\/p>\n I think another big change was me putting him at the center of all aspects of my life, because at first, I would only surrender in one or two areas of my life, while still holding on to certain ones. But when I got baptized, I started to constantly think about God. It was never like that. As a disciple I was able to grasp the fact that without him I am nothing.<\/p>\n Now I see God as my husband, my best friend, I see him as someone I can talk to. He understands where I\u2019m coming from, but at the end of the day, he will always tell me what\u2019s right. I\u2019m much happier now too.<\/p>\n Alessandra: What is something you do in your spiritual journey that has helped strengthen your relationship with God?<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>My Quiet Times and prayer. That\u2019s something I would never do, to actually sit down and read the Bible. And say \u201cOk. What is God trying to teach me? What can I learn here?\u201d I think just knowing the Bible is paramount, and reading it as often as I do now, I get to learn so much. Prayer is important too, because it allows me to communicate with God, and pray for what\u2019s on my heart and be open with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n I used to isolate myself, and I used to run away from God versus running towards him. Now another thing that helps, is constantly being in Bible studies. It helps keep me on my toes. It always reminds me to go back to the basic principles, and make sure I\u2019m living my life according to God.<\/p>\n Alessandra: Which Bible Story or Book relates to you the most and why?<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>Proverbs and Job. I lean towards Job a little more, not only because it\u2019s one of the five books of Wisdom, but also because I\u2019m fascinated with the story of Job. He got stripped of everything, and no matter what, he was still faithful to God. There was a point and time where he was angry and bitter about the whole thing. I relate to him so much, because the year before I got baptized God stripped me of everything.<\/p>\n I had nothing left. I finally came to the realization that all of it was for him to finally get my attention. He knew I wasn’t focused on him. Job\u2019s story reminds me to depend on God, and to constantly go to him, and to always hold on to my faith. I should always ask him for what\u2019s on my heart, and be open with him because he already knows.<\/p>\n I also like the book of Proverbs because I feel like it’s \u201cThe\u201d book of wisdom. I love how Solomon describes wisdom as a woman, but most importantly, I love all the golden nuggets you can find throughout the book. They are really straight forward, and they basically just teach you right from wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alessandra: What do you love about the Kingdom?<\/b><\/p>\n Mani: <\/b>You can achieve true growth in the Kingdom. It\u2019s not about financial growth, or just growth in some areas of our lives. But you\u2019re truly able to transform yourself from the inside out. Even though we\u2019re sinners, but we are saved sinners. Every day we are trying to get better; and we are calling ourselves to a higher standard, versus where we were in the world.<\/p>\n Here, I have so much security in God, and I really am growing, and I\u2019m able to get to the deeper roots of my heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Garden of Beauty While many of us will try to hide our scars for fear of embarrassment, it is a thing of beauty when we learn to embrace them. What separates Mani from the rest is that she has learned to go beyond her flaws, and not let them hold her back. Chief Editor~ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":36388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-fullwidth.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-post"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tribechurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_5654-225x300.jpg\")
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