Hope Mangiafico (00:00)
Well, it's a different conversation because it was a... We just haven't ever had an episode like this before. It's kind of like format, you know?
Nikki Humphrey (00:14)
Yeah.
And I felt like...
I didn't really get a lot of downloads for this.
Hope Mangiafico (00:26)
Well, I don't know, but that's like, we supposed to be cut? Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (00:28)
No, I don't think
so.
And so I felt like I didn't say a lot, but I'm like, there wasn't much to say because everybody's experience with community is going to be different. So if we say too much, then the listener or the person watching is going to compare themselves to what we're saying. And we don't want to be the roadmap. So it like...
Hope Mangiafico (00:49)
Right, I agree.
Nikki Humphrey (00:58)
I wasn't really being led by the spirit, but I was like spirit led when answering my questions. And so it was a totally different format than what we're used to. I'm used to just being like, I'm a vessel lord, just like pour out of me. And I was just like, this is really different.
Hope Mangiafico (01:03)
Correct.
Yeah.
Yeah, and it almost felt like, least again, speaking on my behalf, like this like tension because it's different and, and we're used to a certain thing. So you're in this tension of change almost where it's like, and there was only three questions. So it wasn't very long. And, and something else that I'm thinking of as you were sharing that, which may be something we can talk about, ⁓ his response to me.
was so weighty and good and comforting for me. And then when I read it out loud, I'm like, hold on, it's not great, but it was so good for me.
Nikki Humphrey (01:52)
Hmm?
Hope Mangiafico (02:00)
to emphasize the compliment you're saying is like, was so good for me.
Nikki Humphrey (02:03)
What the f-
too.
Like, it's so good to me. But I didn't care like, anybody else thinks because it was so good to me. And it gave me such clarity of like, what I'm doing, or what should I be doing, or how can I do it better? You know, and that's like, one point I wanted to say something and basically, God was like, be quiet. Like, it's not, it's, you don't need to emphasize what you just talked about.
Hope Mangiafico (02:27)
Mm-hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (02:35)
And I was just like, you're right. You're right. It isn't more words, you know, because I don't want to convince somebody of like what I was given. Because like you just said, Hope, like that was for you. Yours is for you. Mine was for me. You were tickled. I was tickled. And that's all that matters. Like nobody else needs to understand it. Although I could understand you because yours, because I know you. that's like, doesn't that just
Hope Mangiafico (03:01)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (03:04)
fit so well for Hope in this season right now. Doesn't mean
Hope Mangiafico (03:05)
Yeah. Right. Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (03:11)
that's not gonna shake the dice in like a week or two and be like, well, that was fun, wasn't it? Here we go.
Hope Mangiafico (03:17)
Right.
mean, seriously though, I mean, at any given moment, things could change and not even to say that again, being on your toes, but like, again, you know me so well, and I'm in the middle of applying for a couple of different jobs. Gosh knows one of them will have me on that community like I've never done before.
literally. ⁓ And so we'll see what happens. But right now it's like what God was like telling you like, hey, wait, don't don't emphasize, don't don't continue talking, because that's what I'm notorious for. And that's what I shared in my response is like, I tend to fill voids. And what's the root of that? I'm not there yet of you know, whatever, but I do know that if God tells me sit, be present.
Okay, that's what he's telling me. That's what I'm gonna do. And if he wants to reveal anything else in that process of me obeying my role, I'm here for it.
Nikki Humphrey (04:14)
And I think that's what's so interesting about me, like last Monday, then this Monday, went to church for the worship and prayer, whatever you wanted to do, journal, talk to God.
He put me there and there's people all around me, but he didn't tell me to move.
Hope Mangiafico (04:32)
Mm, yeah, right.
Nikki Humphrey (04:33)
And so
that's what I was trying to stress. Like I could be in a whole room of people who little Nikki wants to help because they're looking pretty broken, right? Or they're crying or whatever. Give them the tissue or do you know, all the things and not once so far has God asked me to move.
And because he knew I needed that time with him because that time is precious and I don't really get that. This Monday, this past Monday, somebody came to me, but I wasn't the one going up.
Hope Mangiafico (04:58)
All right.
Yeah, well, and that goes back to what I believe is, ⁓ God will speak to each person differently about a definition of community, but the way he defined how I needed to hear it was like, is that opportunity where someone is blessed, you know? So like this week, you got blessed by someone. Another week, you may go bless someone else.
Nikki Humphrey (05:31)
Hmm. ⁓
Hope Mangiafico (05:34)
And I feel like historically I define community as this, again, the understanding part, always mutual, constantly, peep, peep.
Like I had such a twisted definition. Again, maybe from wounds, you know, it's just like, I literally, that's how I saw it.
Nikki Humphrey (05:53)
feel like
it's like that hey girl culture, that tribe culture. Like you need your tribe, you need your girls, we're going and we're doing. And I think we're so inundated with that for like, I don't know, don't you feel like it was like a 10 year period where that was like, you're moving with your girl tribe and this and yeah. But that's not what it's all about.
Hope Mangiafico (06:10)
Yeah.
Right. Yeah. Yeah, that was very heavy. And so then you have this expectation. Like, as you're saying that, like a tribe, you go everywhere together. You're always in this grouping everywhere all the time. ⁓ And maybe that is partly how...
Nikki Humphrey (06:28)
Mm-hmm. Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (06:36)
my distortion happened, you know, I'm sure there's been many open doors and opportunities where it got distorted. ⁓ But it really, it really was distorted and made me feel so alone. ⁓ And even like going to our episode about like, ⁓ why don't I belong? We talked more in that episode about like how we aren't meant to blend in with the world or, know, yeah, I just belong in the world.
But I believe I gave darkness the opportunity to make me feel that way everywhere I went, even when I was supposed to be somewhere because of that distortion. ⁓ And, you know, I could be upset by that of like missed opportunities, but I'm so glad that God gave me.
the opportunity to go through these questions, ask him. They're very short questions, in my opinion, they're so direct. And so that means they're efficient, right? And it cleans up a mess that maybe has been made for 30 some odd years and can clean it up like that. If we take it to heart, like you had mentioned in the episode, like, do we want it to become heart knowledge? And I do. I do.
Nikki Humphrey (07:51)
Yeah.
That's what I was shocked at my responses. Cause I'm usually lengthy and everything like the journal entries in here, like they're deep, taking up a lot of page and ink. But these ones, I was just like, do, do, done. Like, and I was like, okay, I'm not going to question it. Not even going to question it. Not going to add fluff. You know, I'm not going to tweak it. Cause then I'm
Hope Mangiafico (07:58)
⁓ me too.
Girl, I know, I hear ya.
Nikki Humphrey (08:24)
thinking that my response is better than what God imparted to me.
Hope Mangiafico (08:28)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Yeah, I hear that.
Well, you know, in our normal journaling too, we ask our questions what they usually are related to us trying to figure out little Nicky, little hoe problems, big Nicky, big hoe problems, what's the root, you know, like. Yeah, exactly.
Nikki Humphrey (08:47)
One question leads to another question. And then you write down
a word and you're like, well, what does this word mean?
Hope Mangiafico (08:52)
Yeah,
exactly. Exactly. And, you know, if we were to present something like that, it would have been out of season, I believe, because, you know, Britt had mentioned this in her episode where we interviewed her is she loves community because she believes that we all can hear from God. And so therefore, everyone is a vessel to have God communicate to her. And I think that was a really beautiful
⁓ illustration of that truth, but still so few people understand and have practiced enough, whether it's fear or just a busy life or noise, you know? So you want to keep it simple because God meets us in all of it.
Nikki Humphrey (09:39)
And if you would have gave us three pages on each thing, how could we remember that? And you'd be like, well, what's my assignment exactly?
Hope Mangiafico (09:44)
right.
Correct and these were supposed
to be like exact statements. Like what is this definition?
And wouldn't it be like God, and that's what I thought was really cool, was like you could Google community and get like a Webster definition. Doesn't mean that's wrong, but God is so personable that he will define it for each of us. And that goes back to like the Bible being the living word. He is the living word. And so that definition can evolve and change for you. And I just think that's so cool. That tickles me.
Nikki Humphrey (10:10)
Yeah.
I think so too. Yeah. Yeah.
Cause I don't know how long I'm going to be in this, but I'm going to just be obedient the time I have in it.
Hope Mangiafico (10:33)
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Obedience is a beautiful thing. ⁓ And with a joyful heart with where he has you and removing comparison.
I feel that. Hmm. Well, that was fun.
