Manny

I’ve always loved stories. Whether it be by book, movie, or word of mouth, stories have always intrigued me. I recently had the idea to go around and interview someone - anyone - with just the one question: Tell me a story. In a typical interview, I - the interviewer - would sit down with someone and ask them the carefully compiled list of questions I had planned out. While the questions may be good and the responses may be positive - the process leaves little imagination on the interviewees part. What if they have an amazing story to tell, but I steered the conversation in a completely different way and never learned about the thing they truly wanted to talk about? It’s a terrible thought. So, my idea. If you ask an open-ended question, you open up the possibility for any number of unique stories.

This is the story that I got.

---

Over the summer I went on a missions trip to Atlanta, Georgia to volunteer at the Dream Center. We worked on all sorts of different outreach services: feeding the homeless, picking up trash, hosting free garage sales, etc. Along with the outreach programs, we also had spiritual growth groups every morning. One morning, we had a sessions called Words of Life. Everyone in my group arranged their chairs in a circle facing the middle. In the middle sat one solitary chair. The exercise was simple. Someone would sit in the chair in the middle and anyone who felt called to speak would speak. They wouldn’t be just superficial compliments like “You’re pretty,” but deep, meaningful, heartfelt words. By the end, there wasn’t a dry eye. It was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. You get in the middle and think “No one is going to say anything about me,” and then they do. It’s very impacting. Not just when you’re in the middle, but when anyone is in the middle. Anyways, that’s not the point of this story… but it kind of is.

Words of Life was the session for the first day. On the second day, the Dream Center leader had us form another circle and told us we would be doing the exercise again, but with a stranger, and we weren’t allowed to ask them any questions or get to know them. This led to obvious confusion. How could we compliment and praise the person in the middle if we didn’t know who they were? The group leader assured us that in all his years of leading this exercise, no one had been at a loss of words yet. He then proceeded to tell us about the guest that he would soon bring to the middle of the circle: Manny.

Manny was a homeless man who used to live on the streets in Atlanta. He was the nicest guy in town - never did anything wrong, worked hard every day, always was the kindest person you’d ever meet. But one day, he was near a crime and was accused of something he didn’t do. No one stood up for him, no one tried to help him, and he was punished for something he didn't do and paid the penalty for those who were guilty.

The leader continued to tell Manny’s story, but I was still confused. Manny could be a great person, but I didn’t know him. How was I supposed to touch him, compliment him, if we didn't have a personal relationship?

“When Manny’s punishment was over, he came back to the same town that had persecuted him. That’s the crazy part - he came back to the people who judged him, put him in prison, and didn’t stand up for him. He went back to the streets, but he was never mad. He never confronted those who didn’t help him. He moved on and he lived his life with just as much joy and just as much happiness and character as he had before. Manny has does the exercise before, and it is his favorite part of the day. He loves it. In fact, Manny said "I feel like I see these people all the time, but they never talk to me. I just want them to talk to me.’”

We were still sitting in a circle. The leader had finished telling us Manny’s story and was about to bring him in. He walked over to the big double doors and reached out his hands to open them before he turned back around: “His nickname is Manny, but his real name is Emmanuel. Does anyone here know what that means in the Bible?”

“God with us.”

“Yes. You’re right.”

He turns towards the doors, opens them, and beckons Manny inside. After a few seconds, he closes the door and walks toward the middle of the circle alone. He looks at all of us as he says “This is Manny.”

In some of our heads, it’s starting to click that Manny isn’t a real, physical person. He symbolizes Jesus. He was crucified on the cross, no one stood up for him, and he came back anyways. The realization hits people at different times and you can see it on their faces. Some of them are confused and looking around while others looked shocked. The thought of “Holy crap. What am I going to say?” crossed my mind.

Oh my gosh. I’m going to start crying.

The leader brings the chair up to the first person and puts it right up against their knees. “This is my friend, Manny. You can say whatever you want to him. Don’t ask him questions. Once you’re done, you’re going to move the chair to the person sitting next to you, and we’re going to go around the circle. All the way around.”

It’s silent in the room.

Explaining it like this, it would seem like the situation would be so awkward. But it wasn’t. But when you’re there, you’re in the presence of something so above you that it doesn’t make any sense to not be completely enwrapped and focused in the moment.

It goes to the first person and everyone is already crying. The first person talks, and then the second, and the third. People are just thanking Him for saving them, forgiving them, blessing them, loving them. No one in that room had ever felt God more tangible, more there, more real. It is the most life changing moment I have ever experienced - and everyone else there felt the same way.

It went around the circle and finally came to me. And I… kind of froze. I’m sitting there and looking at this chair that has Manny sitting in it. And it’s all torn up, and it’s bumping against my knees, and I have no idea what to say. What do you say to the God who created the heavens and the earth and gave you the life that you have and the air that you breathe? How are you supposed to talk to that? I was starstruck. And then I regained myself. I began to thank Him for loving me when I didn’t love myself and giving my the life that I have. The chair moved on and eventually made it to my friend Ericsson. He was near the end and he said something that will stick with everyone in that room for a long time. He pulled the chair closer to him and stared at it for a few seconds. And then he said started talking.

The speaker told us they would be doing Words of Life with a stranger - and he was right. Because I’m talking to a stranger right now. I know you, Manny. I know you and I believe in you and I read your Word and I pray to you. But I have never done this before. I’ve never talked to you like you’re a person with feelings and thoughts.

And that hit all of us - because it was so true. All of us were talking to a stranger. All of us - when we pray - talk like he’s this unthinkable, far off into the distance, being that does these amazing and incredible things - which is true. But He’s so personal. And we forget that this great and glorious God that sits in the heavens - this unimaginable and unthinkable God - was thinking our name when He died on the cross. He was thinking of our face, and our souls.

The speaker came back into the room once we were all done and teary-eyed. He thanked us for talking with Manny. I hadn’t really thought of what we did as prayer until he pointed out that that was exactly what we were doing. We were doing exactly what we say we do every single day. All of us in that room were Christians, all of us in that room were on a missions trip and claim to pray every day. But none of us had ever done that. None of us had ever felt God’s spirit like that when we pray - at least I hadn’t. Which is so sad, because I pray all the time. But when you put a chair in front of me, like a person is sitting there, give him a name, a story, it’s so… personal. I can’t express it.

There was no music in the background that’s getting you all feely, no moving altar call, just dead silence - and a chair. But you don’t even need a chair. You can talk to Manny anywhere you are because He’s God. But we don’t. Earlier, the speaker said that this was Manny’s favorite part of the day because people talk to Him. They just simply talk. They don’t ignore Him, they acknowledge him. But that’s not the norm. We do ignore Him and we don’t acknowledge Him because… well, I don’t know why. But it’s very sad.

It was a life-changing experience. None of us will ever forget that - I definitely won’t. It hits me and convicts me every single time I think of it. I mean, when have I talked to God like that last? When was I bawling my eyes out because I couldn’t fathom His amazing beauty? When was the last time that I truly, truly appreciated what He’s done for me?

Ya know?

---

Interviewer: Emily Christine

Storyteller: Jill Groves