"OUR LIONNESS"
My name is Nichole Venita Petty, my family and close friends call me “Nickie”; but I am most commonly known as the “Lioness”; the leader and visionary of a profound group of young women respectfully known as L.I.V.E. (Living In Victory Endlessly).
I turned 33 years old in November 2006; however most would never know it! I was born in Los Angeles, California and lived there until my family relocated to the West Covina area where I lived until the age of 15 when my family moved to Alta Loma; more commonly known as “Rancho Cucamonga”. I have been blessed to have come from a home where both parents were saved and in active ministry. My parents were everything from Sunday school teachers to Ushers, to key-note speakers at various retreats and conferences.
They were and continue to be excellent examples and testimonies of what stability and what a Christ-centered life holds. I have 1 brother named Jason. Jason is known to most as “Propaganda” a Hip-Hop Artist in the trend setting group called The Tunnel Rats. When Jason isn’t “Hip-Hoppin’” you will find him teaching at a Charter High School in Pomona California, gracing others with the gift of his poetry, or doing what Jason does best; painting his next “masterpiece”!
My story is not that of one that
is commonly found these days. I DO NOT come from a dysfunctional family
overrun with drugs, alcoholism, and other such lustful addictions; however
don’t be deceived into thinking our my life doesn’t have its share of those
things. I am by no means perfect; I simply come from a family full
victories and testimonies of God’s great love and forgiveness!
From the age of 3 to the age of 9 I had severe epilepsy. Most Physicians said I would never be a fully functional woman; until the day a Pediatrician named Dr. Holden introduced my parents to the “Chief Physician” Jesus Christ! God used my illness and Dr. Holden to lead my parents to Christ and the testimony in that is I am WHOLE, HEALTHY and HEALED!
I have been through many ups and downs but the one thing that has been sure in my life is GOD and DANCE! I have danced all of my life. In the 7th grade at age 13; I was I introduced to a different style of dance—“Praise Dance”. I was apart of a dance ministry called “Sweet Fragrance”. The leaders and other dancers inspired my walk with the Lord and gave me a personal place wherein I could HONOR God my way! I continued with Sweet Fragrance for many years until one day the mantle was passed I found where I was once student I had become teacher!
God honored me in 2001 with 4 beautiful young women who loved dance but more importantly loved God and Worship. Thus LIVE was born (you can read LIVE’s story in our “History”). There are no greater passions I have than God, my family, and “MY GIRLS”; and there is NO GREATER FREEDOM I feel than when I am dancing and showing others by example what it means to Live In Victory Endlessly!