Latest / The Erica Show / G105s Best Influencer Joins The Erica Show - Ahnesti Allen

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G105s Best Influencer Joins The Erica Show - Ahnesti Allen · The Erica Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's going on y'all is the Erica Show. I'm so excited.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Do you want to Five's Best Influencer. There was this
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: big campaign, a bracket online and we have Honesty Alan
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: in studio. She is our winner for Best Influencer for
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six. Amazing. I've had a chance to meet
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: you a few times at events and stuff, and I
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: was like, Oh, she's so great and she's faith based,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: which is just incredible, the honesty Alan in the house.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: You are a faith based storyteller, content creator doing all
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the things. Who left your job to do this full time?
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: You're a mother and we got a lot to dive into.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Oh yes, so tell us your story, like starting the
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: content creation and becoming an influencer. Was it during COVID?
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: Was it after COVID? Because a lot of people say
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: during covids, weren't started COVID?
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: For sure. I started my YouTube channel during COVID. I
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: was just, you know, young, with nothing to do, and
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: so I was recording. I was putting out like two
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: or three videos a week, but it was still locked
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: down like I was in the house, and that started
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: to take a hold on me. And then I was pregnant,
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: with my son, and so I wasn't really into the
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: content creating thing anymore. And then about let's see twenty
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: twenty two, I would put out a video here there.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: But it wasn't until about June last year that I
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: started posting short form and I just rolled with it.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: It wasn't all faith.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: They say short for me. You were just saying like
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: the ninety second like.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: TI time Instagram. So I was doing that and I
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: was just putting stuff up there and then people were like, oh, wait,
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: we kind of like you. I'm like, wait, I like
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: you guys too, because I was just talking about my
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: experiences in the Kingdom. Like I wasn't looking to preach
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: to anybody. I'm like, look, this is what I'm struggling with,
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: and yeah, I have a good day.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: You were working a job and before you even became
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: a content creator. Did you quit before you had your
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: son or after after?
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: So I have my son in twenty twenty one. I
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: didn't quit my job until January of this year. So
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: this is all very recent, okay.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it blew up, which is amazing it.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I trusted the Lord. I was like, look, I
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: feel like you're telling me to move so I'm gonna move.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: But uh, he definitely was good to me in that time.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: He kept me always at well. People would always ask
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: me like, are you paying your bills? How are you
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: doing this? I was like, look, God is keeping me.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Don't ask me any more questions, Just ask him.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: You're probably in an environment where you have been, in
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: an environment where it's not as many people of faith
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: kind of tiptoe around it in a way, but you're
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: also trying to listen to God. How did you clearly
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: hear him. I'm doing a book called Experiencing God Now,
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: and I'm trying to learn how to clearly take away
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: the noise to hear what he says when he says
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: something like jump he is.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: He's so kind and he speaks to you in a
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: language that only you would understand. So I was just
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: desperate one day and I really didn't have the capacity
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: to open my Bible. But I was on YouTube and
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: there was this young lady that was like, if you're
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: waiting for him to tell you again to do what
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: he already told you, Like, you're gonna be waiting. And
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: I don't even remember what the rest of the video
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: was about, but I'm like Oh my god.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: It's like act now, is what you're saying. Act now.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: I think I put in my two weeks maybe the
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: next day.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: That is amazing.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: You know what. Actually I hear you. I hear you.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: So it didn't take long.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: But you had a young son who was probably a
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: couple of years old at the time.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so see he's four, he's four now, so
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: earlier this year he was four, and I, of course,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: you have to do the responsible thing and think, well,
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: how am I gonna pay my bills? And how God
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: doesn't work like that. I didn't need to know how.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: He was just like, I'm gonna do it. Trust I'm
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: gonna do it, and I'll take care of you. And
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: he did.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: Did you struggle after you quit and have stress moments
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: because you always have to go back every day to
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: revisit like, God's got this guy, because we slipt right now,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: we have these earthly mindset or whatever, we don't see
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: what he knows. So how did you pull yourself back
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: to Okay? God you got this? Like on days that
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: you struggled, it.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Was all about remembering the promises of God, which is
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: really hard. But I had to remember that my ways
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: are not his ways, Like how I think it's gonna
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: get done. When I think it's gonna get done, it
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: doesn't work like that. So there were days where I
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: was like, oh, oh God, do you see the rent
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: is coming? You see the lifebuilt? God? Like, can you
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: help me? And he did? He did. It would be
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: like a random check here or I forgot I did
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: that brand deal or a new brand deal would come.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: He had it covered. So I think holding on to
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: his promise was important and remembering his character.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Have you always had faith? This is later more recent
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: where you discovered your beliefs more recent?
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: It was twenty twenty three I started my walk with Christ.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: I grew up in a household where we knew God
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: and we would, you know, talk about him ever so often,
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: but nobody was really seeking. So twenty twenty three, I
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: feel like that was my lowest point and I was like,
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: I have to do something. I don't want to ever
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: experience days like this again. So I was like, well,
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: I met these people who go to a church, so
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: maybe I'll try that. And it was the most beautiful
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: thing I've ever done. It was like wait, I'm doing this,
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: But I think it was more powerful because I didn't
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: grow up in church, so this was something that I
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: was choosing as an adult. And of course the warfare
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: came after that because the devil didn't like that. He
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: didn't like that. He was like, who is this and
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: why does she feel so powerful all of a sudden,
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: So of course there were trials and tribulations, but he
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: kept me through it all so I could even be
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: here in front of you talking about it. So it's
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: a blessing.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: Now when you say you hit like I guess at
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: rock bottom, Like are you a lot? Can you say
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: like where you were? I know you were, you know,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: going through having a child, you're single that.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: It was just feeling like none of the decisions of
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: mine up to that point were my own, Like I
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: used to internalize everything. It's like, well, this is my fault,
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: this is my fault. But twenty twenty three was the
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: year I was like, well, actually they had a pardon
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: that they had a part of that, and I became
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: so angry and I was like, actually, I don't even
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: know if I want to live anymore, Like I just it.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: You realize that having children is not enough. People say, oh,
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna be better for my kids. You have to
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: be better for yourself, because at that moment I recognized
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: having my son wasn't enough to keep me here. So
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: God and You.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Really did contemplate that, right.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: It was kind of strange because people always think about
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: like how am I going to do this? I didn't
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: actually think about the act. It was just even God
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: met me there, because all of a sudden it was like, well,
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: the power of the tongue says, if I keep saying
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: I don't want to be here, I don't want to
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: be here, I won't be right. And so that's that's
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: kind of as far as I thought about it. But
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: it only lasted. I think it lasted maybe forty five minutes,
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: and I was like, I can never think like this again.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: What changes? So then I think a month later I
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: finally started looking into the church. And then a month
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: after that I finally went to the church, or you
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: go to church. I was at one love Christian Church
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: in Durham, but now I'm at Baptist Grove. I love
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Baptist Grove.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know Baptist Grove. I've part of them.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: They are the best. It's like I have this thing
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: where I'm always nervous going into new places because I
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: always go by myself. But I actually had a friend
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: that I met a month prior and this was her church,
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: and they're so warm, like they have life groups. They
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: have a system to where it's like you're coming into
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: this bigger body, but you're not gonna be by yourself.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: Like we had a rooted group where everybody who entered
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: the church around the same time all came together and
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: we had dinner together. Like it was so nice. It's
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: like that family. It's really nice.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: So I attend summer. That's great, Like, that's a great
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: plan for a new church commers, because sometimes you do
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: feel alone, you know, absolutely, especially like in our household.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: My husband's not as big on faith he was, but
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: he's kind of slipped over the years whereas I'm growing
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: and so I go a lot by myself with the kids,
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: and so it's good to have people.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, they have it for all age groups like
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: the little idyoty babies, and then they have the senior ministry.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: There's something for everyone, and that's what I needed in
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: a body. So I was really appreciative to have stumbled
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: up in that church.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: So fast forward. Obviously God's in charge. He handles all
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: of it. He carries us through even our hardest days.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: So now you're doing brand deals, Like how did that
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: all come about? They start seeing your videos, how do
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: you decipher like which ones fit the brand? Because I
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: mean people can throw a lot of stuff at you.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel I like to work with brands that
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: I already liked, Like my first I think my first
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: big brand deal was with Church's Chicken. Yeah, and it
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: was because I created a video earlier this year. It
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: was like my you know, typical trip to churches.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: I think I saw that you were biting the heck
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: out of that.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: She was so good. I'm like, yes, that is one
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: of my favorite places to go to. So I started
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: this like internet relationship with Church's Chicken and I was like, well, actually,
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: who could I reach out to if I want to
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: work with somebody? So they gave me the email and
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: then that was in January. So in March they reached
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: back out to me, and I was like, this is great.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: I like creating authentic content. I could just be myself.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: They didn't have too many restrictions outside of like you know,
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: basic creator rules, right, and it was great.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Now, I like the one thing as I've watched your videos.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: I like that you're not trying to be I would
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: say a Bible beater, Like you really are your authentic self,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: which is very relatable to a lot of non believers
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: because they look at you and they're like, well, she's
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: like cool, like she's real, Like uh, she's not just
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: in there, you know, doing Bible readings twenty four seven,
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Like you incorporate it into your day to day life
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: for sure. Have you ever had people from the church
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: say that was too much on that video?
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: Not so much, well my church, no, but I have
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: had like dms and comments like, oh, you're mocking God,
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: You're making fun of God. I'm like, do y'all not
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: know God had a sense of humor? Like really read
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: your book and it's so it's so uh, what's the
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: word I want to use. It's sad because we are
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: all in the church, we are all His children. And
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: then you have people rebuking each other publicly where believers
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: and non believers like can see it, and it's it's like,
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: we don't want people to think that this is what
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: the faith is. So my content is digestible to anybody
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: who is new or perhaps a seasoned saint, Like it's
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: something that people can understand and relate to. And everybody
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: doesn't like that. They want me to speak only the
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: word from the Word, But I'm like, this is what
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: God put on my heart to say. So who are
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: you to tell me that I shouldn't say that?
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: Who are other faith based creators like Tabitha Brown I
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: think is incredible. Who are other influencers that you follow
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: to inspire goodness?
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: There's so many that I've been able to connect with.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: There's like Joshua Anthony or Biah Knight, Jalika Joshua, Like,
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: there's just so many different creators who I've actually had
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: the pleasure to connect with. And I look at them.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Like this, this.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Is a community that I never expected to have. Ye
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: Like it's been more of wise counsel as well, Like
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: if ever I had to speak with one of them,
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: they would pick up the phone. Like it's not just
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: internet stuff. It's not so much me being a consumer
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: of their content anymore. It's like this is a real
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: like friendship. Yeah, so that was nice.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Your ministry you're also doing like you did a Sunday dinner.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: You're doing a lot of stuff. How did that all begin?
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: So I had a journal. I started journaling around the
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: time I started following christ and I remember in about November,
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: I randomly rose, like November either October November of twenty
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: twenty three. I wrote, I am a Christian content creator.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: I wrote, I have a ministry called the Shop. And
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: this was after I had done an esterfast and attended
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: a conference. Wait fast esterfast is three days, no food,
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: no water.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: Okay, so all right? Which is that is so amazing
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: not only fasting for God but also for kill your
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: body and get bad sales out, Like there's so much there.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: Fast thing is more than just food, and I've learned
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: that over time. It's like it's a heart posture. You
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: definitely have to talk to him being the word, like
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: you're feeding yourself with the word, otherwise you're just dieting.
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: So right, I had done that fast and I wrote
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: that out and then I did the fast again October
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: of last year, and God led me back to my journal.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: I was like, okay, where are we going back to
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: my journal? And I saw that I spoke about my
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: ministry three years ago, so I was like, oh, this
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: is what you want. So that was in October. I
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: had my first event November first, that was Faith in
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: the Fall. It was a nice fellowship gathering. I was
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: so nervous, Like I'm so nervous when I do anything
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: in this space because I really care and I just
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: wanted to be beautiful. So that was what was that.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Like I said, November first, the turnout was pretty great.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: I sold out my tickets of course, like maybe fifty
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: percent of people showed up. It was beautiful. So that
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: started it. And then it was hard balancing my ministry
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: stuff with my personal brand. So I'm trying to push
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: them together as much as I can because it's really
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: one and the ministry stuff makes me much happier than
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: trying to go get this brand deal and that one
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: and that one is Like I feel like the day
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: that I can really balance both, it'll be pretty pretty wonderful.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Where do you see yourself going with all of this? Obviously,
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: you know, like there's so many influencers and you're like
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: a rare breed because there's not as many. Well maybe
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: there are, but not the way you do it. There's
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: not as many, you know, influencers that keep it so
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: down to earth and real. So what do you see
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: yourself like, what have you been writing in your journal
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: for the next couple of years.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I've been going back to the basics because though
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: it's easy to talk about, you know, wanting a certain
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: amount of money, there's a level of peace that I
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: want first, because I don't think the money or the
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: brands will ever do it for me if I feel
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: the way that I do. Sometimes, like I always tell folks,
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: I'm like, yeah, I'm in front of this camera, but
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: I am afraid to be seen because it's like, what
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: do you see when you see me? And I think
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: that doesn't so much matter as much as it does
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: for me to be confident in myself seeing myself as
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: God sees me. So in the next couple of years,
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: I'm hoping, as I'm getting a grasp on that I
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: will be on more panels doing what I love the most,
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: which is talking about the Word of God and how
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: He has changed my life. I do hope to be
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: at more events with more local creators. Right I'm actually
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: supposed to be doing like comedy shows with one of
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: the creators that is cool, like he we've talked about
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: it a couple of times, so that's gonna be fun.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: And I just want to do what I love, Like
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: I don't want to do things just because it's a paycheck.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: Though you know I'm doing this full time. That chit
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: does help, but I want to do what I love.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: So I struggle with trying to control the outcome or
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: what's next to myself and let go, Like God, how
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: do you balance that?
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: Oftentimes I have to seek wise counsel like my homegirls, homeboys,
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: So I'm like, look, this is what I'm doing. So
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: they have to pour back into me, like you know,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: you can lay this at his feet, right, Like you
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: can let this go because you don't have the power
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: to do this on your own. There's going to be
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: kinks that God has to iron out for you, but
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: you have to give it to him first. So I
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: tend to seek wise counsel and like friends and family,
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: that's how I stay grounded.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: And then as far as knowing the Bible, because you
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: didn't grow up I know you came from a faith
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: based household, but you didn't really go to church. Like
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: when did you start diving into scripture or learning the Bible? Well,
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: because for me, I'm learning it. I've been a Christian
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: my whole life. I didn't start reading the Bible until
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: like a year ago, and I was like, where was I.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: Most of us are biblically illiterate, Like we don't there's
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: a lot that we don't understand. That's why it's so
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: important that we pray before we start reading. I didn't
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: start reading until the beginning of my walk in twenty
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: twenty three, but I was just reading to read, not
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: reading to understand. And I think we're so intimidated by
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: it the naturally we think we have to get it
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: on the first go, So we're just reading and reading.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: But God really wants us to slow down. There's words
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: that you hear all the time and don't even know
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: the real definition of, like worship, Like do we really
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: know what worship is?
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: Like some people think it's just singing the song and
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: it's not. So there's times where I will have my
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: laptop and one version of the Bible and another. I'm like,
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna understand this because I feel like there's somethink
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: in this text that I need and I might not
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: get it now. But most recently I had to talk
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: with a friend who was seeking wise counsel, and I
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: brought up a scripture that I didn't even really understand myself,
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: but God led me to it. I was like, that's
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: what this means. Yeah, like growth with Christ isn't linear.
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: Everybody's not going to know everything. He's the only one
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: that knows everything. So it's nice to have a patient
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: God because he's not expecting that from us. He doesn't
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: want us to know everything. He's like, I'm going to
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: show you what you need when you need it. Otherwise,
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: you know, take your time.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: And then as far as your son, like does he
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: already understand? Oh yeah, you know, because if you have
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: little kids, it's a process. Like some of them under
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: My son understands he's ten now, but my daughter is like,
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: I don't know what time about.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: He's funny. He says his like morning prayers and he'll
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: go God is so good. God is so great. We
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: praise him. The devil is bad so and he knows
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: when he gets upset or when he gets in trouble,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: I'm like, go pray. So one time he got in
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: trouble and I didn't even say anything. He said, when
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: I get home, I'm going to go in my room
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: and pray to God.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: That's incredible, though. I saw where somebody had said videos
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: you've you've heard over the years like you're a bad
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: mom and stuff, And obviously God's in control of our
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: reputation because it's his reputation, it's not you know, we
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: have to humble ourselves. Sure, how do you overcome like
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: if somebody says that to you, Because to me, that
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: would hurt the most because that's my biggest job.
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: It's almost it does because you want you immediately want
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: to believe it and internalize it because it's like, why
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: would somebody say something so purerful to you if it
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: wasn't true? But looking at my track record, I think
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: everybody is so concerned with being good at something, like
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: naturally if we're if we hear we're not good at something,
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: we get defensive. But I use it as a time
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: to reflect and when I'm done, it's like, I'm not
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: a bad mom. I'm a learning mom. Like, sure that
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: wasn't right, but to you, like you may not have
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: done that, But what if that's what God told me
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: to do? What if that's what God has called me
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: to do? What if this is how it's supposed to
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: be in my household? It's not one size fits all.
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: So Also, my first thought was, like, who said that
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: to her? Let me go talk to.
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: Them, you know, just just folks, very few of course,
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: but you know, misery loves company. And that's when I knew.
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: I'm like you, you're just projecting you. You don't think
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: I'm a bad mom. You don't think I'm a bad person.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: You just want something to say in this moment. And
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: the God and me, didn't you know, allow me to
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: put hands on that person? You know, Yeah, that's that's
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: that's the hard part.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: Keep you I hear that.
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: That's what I'm like. People really think, like just because
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: I'm a lovely Christian girl, and they say it all
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: the time. They're like, you're supposed to be a Christian,
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: aren't you a Christian? Yeah, I'm not God.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: Though I can throw hands, i can get angry quick.
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: They're like, look, I'm from the South side of the Kingdom,
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: please yeah. And then some folks go, I'm saved, not soft,
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: like you know it's and it's not a flex of
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: any sort, Like oh, I still got that in me
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: because I don't. But it's like, hey, you're testing me,
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: letting you know I'm still a person in the flesh,
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: my spirit, is high than my flesh. But right now
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: all you see is my flesh, not my spirit. So
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: I tend to I tend to walk away a lot
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: like when I when dealing with anger, being being more
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: firm though, because sometimes I've been known to like walk
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: away and not say anything and be avoidant. But it's like, no,
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: you need to understand what I feel in this moment.
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: Now I'm going to remove myself.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Right Okay, Yeah, that's very wise. I like that is
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: where from originally?
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: So I'm from North Carolina.
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: I moved to Atlanta, Georgia for a little bit, then Florida,
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: but I came back up here in twenty seventeen.
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: What part are you from Raleigh? Okay, you're from Raleigh.
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: I'm a Durhamite, so that's why I'm in d No. Okay, yeah,
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: Bull City. Where can everybody follow you? And what can
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: you share with everybody that you would like for the
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: world to know that's listening to this, where they can
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: learn from you?
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: Okay. My Instagram is Honesty dot a, so it's a
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: H N E S T I dot a. And then
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: for my ministry, it is the Stranger's House of Prayer
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: spelt just as it's said. And one thing I want
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: to leave with everyone is that no matter what season
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: you're in, no matter how covered you believe yourself to be,
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: or how much knowledge you have, you cannot do anything
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: outside of God. He is the final stamp of approval.
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: He is the boss, the manager, the co worker. But
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: also he's your friend, and he wants the best for you, genuinely.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: So when things aren't going right, don't forget that there
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: is a devil in hell that is going against you
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: twenty four hours a day because he has nothing better
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: to do. But God will keep you.
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: Is there any books or anything that you would recommend
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: for people to learn from?
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: What is it? I want to get the author's thing too.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: I keep it in my purse. Yes, it's called The
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: Fight by John White. It's a practical handbook for Christian living.
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: Ten out like that, okay, Yeah, And it's not one
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: of those You don't have to read it like page
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: one five and keep going. You can hop around, use
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: the context and go from there. Really come and get
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: you need.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: Honesty, Allen. She'll be at some of our events. She
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: was just with us for Jason Derulo. Of course, like
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: we have events, you can meet honesty. She's amazing. You've
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: got this beautiful aura about you. So again, give your
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: social handles one more time.
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: It's honesty A. So it's a h N E. S
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: T I dot A. And then the ministry page is
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: the Stranger's House of Prayer