Blog

When I Consider Your Heavens…

Posted on by lainamunoz

G-d has taught me a lot since my 18th year here on earth. But what He does for me still blows my mind and makes it hard to do anything but praise.

May I always sing Your praise

Enjoy this #ThinkBackThursday

23 July 2009

As much as I want to tell you how excited I am about You… I must admit that I feel inadequate to sing most of the time. I start praying and I feel like I’m stopped abruptly with thoughts of “you’re not worthy to praise Him. Nothing you could offer would repay”
While that is completely true, it seems as though you still accept everything I have to say to you. Why you take time to listen? Shoot, I’ll never know.

Psalms 8.3-5
“When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.”

Shoot guys, did you catch that? G-d made us right under heavenly beings… like… you got G-d and Jesus and the trinity…. Heavenly beings… Then us?
Seriously? Why?

All I know is G-d is good…. and if that’s how He says it’s going down, you better take it and run with it.

I guess my mind is just blown right now so I’m not sure if you needed to read this… but I needed to write it.

((Hey, maybe someday when you really need it… it’ll be sitting here.

Why I Want To Be A Writer

Posted on by lainamunoz

Writing has always been a way of processing for me, I get to think through whats going on with my life and download it honestly to my paper without too much harsh judgement (though I’m a pretty bad critic when I’m reading my own stuff). But there is a huge difference between writing and being a writer.

I’m still learning how to be a writer (and then the adventure is to be a GOOD WRITER) but some of the reasons I’m even trying is that:

1) I’m 24 – which is pretty much the peak of all wisdom and opinions. You have learned a lot by this age and have the boldness to share what you’ve learnt but lack the stupidity of when you were 18 and just didn’t know the appropriate times to share your wealth of wisdom. In reality though, I am probably the most aware of how much I have to wake up and tell G-d that I need Him because I don’t know what I’m doing without him. But I DO think we have pretty good opinions.

2) I’m going to be old some day – I was riding home on the bus from the city and saw this beautiful old woman in a dark blue coat sitting there. She had a bandage on the back of her hand and was carefully putting on her black leather gloves. She didn’t seem like she could be bothered with anything going on or the traffic that we were sitting in and all I could think about is if she was a writer. If she was some classy old woman who had loads of stories that she was just dying to share or if she didn’t think too often about leaving her history with the world that she was closer to leaving than myself. All I know is that I looked at her and saw some classy old lady who I desperately wished was a writer. So, instead I’m going to be a writer. And by the time I’m her age my goal is to write more books than Joyce Meyer 🙂 wishful thinking.

3) I love reading – leaders are readers. I have had many books shape the way I have seen Christianity, Christ, The Bible, Adventure, Love and the Warrior heart within us (see below for a list of books that I think are awesome). These books have molded me into a sharper thinker and a thankful human being. They’ve pushed me to grow and expand my way of thinking and brought me closer to the heartbeat of Jesus. I want to give the same feeling of finishing a book and being called to an adventure so I’m probably going to keep writing and praying that G-d does something with that.

4) It’s what I want to do – it’s pretty simple guys. I’ve wanted to write a book for a while. Gotta start somewhere.

But, I suppose finally it has to do with the fact that it’s who I was created to be. G-d knew from the beginning that I’d love words and books and I think through that He gave me a strong conviction with words. I like to keep silent unless I have something I need to say and I like to think through that something if I think I should really say it. The largest compliment my heart can receive is that I communicate well. And the biggest accomplishment I plan on achieving in the next three years is graduation college and signing my first printed book to give my parents for Christmas.

Find what you love to do. These were just my thoughts for the day.

((Laina’s list of awesome books that she thinks is awesome))
Scouting the Divine – Margaret Feinberg
The Barbarian Way; Artisan Soul; Uprising; Soul Cravings – Erwin Raphel McMannus (probably my favourite author)
Closer Still – Scott Evans
Radical – David Platt
The Sacred Romance; Epic – John Eldredge
In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day – Mark Batterson
Outliers: The Story of Success – Malcom Gladwell
((These are just a very few))

Hillsong Conference 2015

Posted on by lainamunoz

I won’t go until You bless me.

Coming soon


pardon me while I bump out and process. 

It’s hard to talk about anything other than this last week, there is so much to think through and process and just meditate on. So… a few blips that I learned this week:

  • Pastor Brian – “There is power in our words, when we confess the great things G-d has done and what He is going to do – things happen. Faith has a tone and a sound so confess good, speak life.” Have conviction in your words “Does G-d give you His spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Galatians 3:5
    What are you confessing? What am I confession? What am I believing for? I’m believing that G-d will do what He said He would and surprise me and take care of me and provide when I don’t know how and do unusual miracles and heal my heart. What am I confessing? I’ll take Joseph Princes’ words and say, “I am the righteousness of G-d through Christ Jesus” and reminding myself that I have worth and that I serve a G-d of abundance so not only do I have enough, I have more than enough. He sees me as more than enough. If you aren’t speaking life, change your confession. Is my confession the same of Christ?
    “Line up your confession with the Word of G-d”
  • Pastor Someone-Who-Spoke-At-Conference – “Until you get comfortable with silence you will never hear the voice of G-d… Stop waiting for a voice and start looking for a verse”
    I’ve known these thoughts for a while, it’s just becoming even more apparent that my season is going to need some serious alone and focused time. Time disconnected and silent before G-d. He has things to tell me. Do I ever disconnect long enough?

    I heard this as I was walking through the hallway at conference turning in attendance and getting my second breakfast, I missed that morning session but was still praying that G-d would say something to me. He told me that I need to learn the silence, which is terrifying for me and something that He’s brought up with me before I just still suck at it. It’s just becoming more and more obvious that I need to sit and wait and sit more.

    Just sit

  • Pastor Joseph Prince – “G-d is not unrighteous to forget your hard work and labor of love”

    that was just good. G-d sees you. He hasn’t forgotten about you.

Honestly, G-d just keeps uprooting stuff in my life to clean out and reminding me of passions that I’ve had longer than I realized and promises He’s made that I can’t let go of. Conference was long and rewarding and tiring and beautifully refreshing. I think it was another one of those times I wish I could just sit down with each of you and a cup of coffee at Shades of Brown in Tulsa, Oklahoma and ramble. And the other half of me is still trying to understand what G-d is doing. Le Sigh.

((Thank you Jesus for this opportunity to love people and learn more about you

Responsible

Posted on by lainamunoz

Pardon my hardly edited post… we are in the end of Hillsong Conference for this year and I need to get to bed… but I’m still reminded of commitments that I’ve made and a calling I have. So enjoy this old writing on this fine #ThinkBackThursday

I am responsible for my own actions and I will be judged according to the choices I make. In two days, it marks the 1 year of when I started the 30 day challenge and I’ve often thought of writing different things to finish but never got around to it. Sometimes the hardest thing is finishing. But even before you finish, taking responsibility for the things you were supposed to or committed to do.
My creativity, my art (if only for G-d to teach me, and even if you get nothing out of me publicly posting it) is to write and in 365 days I’ve put up 28 pieces. 29 if you count this one I’m writing. I don’t feel a need to apologize to you because I never promised you that I’d write. I feel like for one of the few times my life I’ve realized the importance of telling G-d “I blew it” I made a commitment to be better by tracking growth and letting Him inspire me and I let myself get to busy.
So, if this has nothing to do with you and this is all, “my bad” why post it?
Accountability. Encouragement. Correction.
My responsibility is to own my mistakes and confess them, though I’ve only sinned against myself and G-d by breaking a commitment it is now (because you’ve read this) your responsibility (or option depending on how much you care I suppose) to pray for me.

James.5
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Maybe you don’t think there is much to pray for. You don’t want to go to G-d with one of those, “uh, help Laina… Um finish her posts? Cause I guess she wants to”
But it’s not about that. In the little things we develop habits. Breaking a commitment here and there turns into a lifestyle. I wish I would finally commit to exercising on a consistent basis, to budgeting and making a priority of saving, to writing songs, writing thoughts, to letting G-d change me constantly to be more like him, to thanking Him for his mercies and everything He’s given me.
I’m a spoiled girl.

Sigh

Mind you, a lot of these posts are me thinking out loud. And to be taken “general” by the public. I guess what I’m saying is don’t try to become my accountability partner just because you read this. I’m more guarded and wise then to let just anyone pour into me or know everything about me. But. I guess if you can find something in here that makes sense to you, great. If I’m just posting this to own my…. lack of responsibility. Then let it be. Let me grow and if you think fit to bring me before the creator in prayer. I’d appreciate it.

Me, Myself, Martha and Mary

Posted on by lainamunoz

Real Talk

It’s always Real Talk

I swear I re-write these like a billion times.

I have such a Martha heart sometimes. I don’t believe by any means that we are saved by works, or by what we accomplish but I sure keep myself busy instead of sitting at the Fathers feet sometimes. I always think it’s a novel idea to sit and listen but then struggle with feeling lazy. It’s one of the many mindset changes I’ve been praying for this semester in school… To not have the attitude of Martha who was upset when her sister wasn’t just as busy ‘doing’ as she was. I don’t want to live distracted. I couldn’t imagine that getting to the end of your life could be worse than not even realizing you didn’t live because you were busy being distracted.

I want to worship and commune with Jesus – I’m just highly distractible and move around way too much and phone way too much and mindlessly interwebs way too much.

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

I had a day at home over this week and realized how much time I had to just sit with Jesus, and I was really excited about it. I thought to myself, “dang, I can get so much reading and writing and revelating (not a real word) done today! How awesome will that be?!” and then I cleaned the kitchen, and my room, and vacuumed and watched YouTube. We all get busy either from jobs or from life but we don’t all have to get cluttered. You know, the unnecessary amounts of things that we do that aren’t entirely productive. I’ve always been like that though, too busy to think clearly. It’s slowing down and breathing that I’m not good at.

Hillsong Conferences’ theme is “Speak: We’re Listening” which couldn’t be more seasonal for me. So naturally I’m expecting a lot. But a large part of this for me is going to be learning how to sit at Jesus’ feet and take in and listen to what he is saying. I think it’s really easy to get distracted with the preparations and at that, the things that really do HAVE to get done. But what is better? What is needed?

Just one thing. 

Mary chose what was better. There is nothing else. There is no time more valuably and costly spent than time with Jesus. Not only that, but Jesus told Martha that it wouldn’t be taken away from her. All the time she used wasn’t wasted and it wasn’t going to be removed. It wasn’t a lack in her life but it was the best decision she could have made. Time with G-d can’t come back void. I believe I’ve written about that before or if I haven’t now I have. If you’ve had a RealTalkTuesday with me lately I’m sure I’ve preached that to you. It’s something I absolutely need to hold onto right now. Even when I don’t see or feel the change I need to believe it.

((Honestly, I just have a lot to learn.))

//Your Position Is Replaceable, You Are Not\\

Posted on by lainamunoz

I’ve had the wonderful journey of working in the food and service industry for 9 years out of my life. In the time that I worked I can honestly remember calling into work twice when I was really sick, I probably showed up way too many times when I was too sick to be working and any other time I couldn’t work I would get my shift covered. There was a small part of me when I left my first job that wanted the place to fall to the ground (cue Taylor Swift “Bad Blood” in the background). I wanted to think I was the reason that establishment was standing or that maybe they would miss me when I’m gone. I’ve had a lot of moments in my life when I have the humbling realization that I’m not the stuff.

I’m actually just me.

But me can be pretty great.

You see, in food service a lot of us think we are the reason the shift runs smoothly, which is comical now that I’ve been on the scheduling side of things as well. Working in section “B” on a Friday night shift doesn’t mean you’re the best at what you do, it honestly means you are a body and there needs to be a body, somebody, anybody in that section. And if you never came along somebody would be in that spot.

I was recently chatting with someone about leadership here at Hillsong International LEADERSHIP College and what I found was this: Anyone can fill a role. This is awesome. I’m actually so thankful. One of the mornings I was scheduled for serving at Sisterhood I was really sick, like get up and walk around and feel like I was going to lose everything I even thought about eating the day before so I called who I needed to call to let them know their star host wouldn’t be there (if you haven’t figured out my snark yet please understand I don’t think I’m actually the best host there is.

Actually, I still haven’t figured out what I’m doing))

I then slept in my bed for the rest of the afternoon.

While it is a tad inconvenient to not have the people you planned to be there turn up – there is still a fix. You shift people and fill the roles and make it work. I don’t have to turn up to anything; my role is replaceable, however I am not. It isn’t a matter of me doing the task assigned, it’s a matter of my person, my heart, what I’ve walked through, what I have to give that is uniquely mine and if I don’t turn up and rock out my roll then I will never cross paths with the people G-d might be wanting me to speak to or receive something from. He might have someone that needs to be loved the way I understand how to give love, He may need me to give my smile to someone who is having a bad day or my heart to someone who needs whatever it is G-d has placed over me. I might need that message for this season or week. I may be blessed tremendously by serving the wonderful women of Sisterhood (that always happens without fail).

Positions and leadership come and go but my character and heart are the things I’m allowing to fill those rolls. I’ve been challenged over and over by G-d this semester to do well with what is in my hands now. Why is this so important? Because He placed  (Whatever I have the opportunity to do) IN MY HANDS. No one else owns the little hands that I do and they are attached to no one else’s body. Which means no one else’s mind can control the things I play, write, hold, break or build.

What I’ve walked through has formed who I am and G-d has refined that person, and is STILL refining that person. No one else can offer what I can and no one else can offer what YOU can. You have an impact and a light that you carry that is uniquely yours. I don’t know HOW G-d created all the different people that there are or the insane dynamic of characters there are but shoot, He did a great job. I always take a look at my house and the amazing women I live with… we are SO different but all have something to contribute to one another and to the people we surround ourselves with. No one else can add any more or less than what they have. If it wasn’t Krysia or Evelin or Reema living in the rooms that they do then another body would fill that position… but it wouldn’t be THEM.

Whatever role you do or don’t have,

whatever team you lead or serve on,

whoever you are trying to be.

Be you, be there. No one else can.

Scrabit : Art

Posted on by lainamunoz

October 2010- what a day today has been… please enjoy this #ThinkBackThursday

“Most artists can’t draw, but all artists can see.” – Roy Simmons

“Go and tell this people: “‘Listen hard, but you aren’t going to get it; look hard, but you won’t catch on.’ Make these people blockheads, with fingers in their ears and blindfolds on their eyes, So they won’t see a thing, won’t hear a word, So they won’t have a clue about what’s going on and, yes, so they won’t turn around and be made whole.”
                  -Isaiah 6.9-10

It seems like G-d might have wanted us to understand something here: Art isn’t just about ability; it’s about seeing what needs to change and creating something that can make a difference. G-d’s art is to make us whole through giving us the vision to see what needs to change.

I was reading a delightfully short book by Seth Godin called Graceful where he took a full section to talk about Art. He defines art as this: “Art is anything that’s creative, passionate and personal… Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient.”

G-d’s art is revealed in the everyday continuation of what He started long ago. Genesis 1.1 “First this: G-d created the Heavens and Earth – all you see, all you don’t see”

G-d was the original creator and the only one by which we may LEARN what He wants to do with our lives. The beauty of His art is that there is still life yet to be revealed. Some things in creation we are still waiting on, there are things and colors in heaven that we still haven’t experienced – and I cannot wait. He set the heavens in place, His majesty is seen in all there is and He holds my heart and molds in everyday into something reflecting Him.

G-d is a passionate G-d, He is a compassionate G-d, a G-d who thinks about us and has purpose for us.

He is a wonderful, powerful master who sees us in the state we are in and calls us His.

He is a personal G-d who cared so much about the people He created that He sent His one perfect thing He had left – His son so that He might be reunited with us.

I can’t help but think through a few things…

1.   Are you letting G-d’s art CHANGE you? When was the last time you admired the sunrise or sunset and couldn’t focus cause the presence of G-d was so thick through your thoughts that you broke out in praise with your entire being?

2.   Are you letting G-d direct your art that He has for you? Some of you have read these posts and thought, “oh that’s nice, but I don’t have art to give”… how selfish. You have a gift that only you can give, you have an art that only you can perfect FOR HIM and you don’t care enough to search it out? Maybe it doesn’t look like messy hands from painting, or like a keyboard to type stories into. Maybe it looks like buying a bag of food a day and driving until you see someone who might need it? Maybe it looks like having a conversation everyday in which you remind someone of how much they mean to you? Possibly you could take 30 days to spend time getting better at listening to G-d? Maybe G-d has given you a heart for missions but you’re in a different season where you can’t leave yet – What if you were to passionately pray for a different location or people group for 30 days? What if you were to check up on the area to see what G-d was doing with your prayers?

“The more people you change, the more you change them, the more effective your art is… If there is no change, there is no art. IF no one experiences it, there can be no change.” –Graceful

((What has changed around you lately?

((((Have you inspired the change?

Dead Man, Wake

Posted on by lainamunoz

I wrote this sometime around 18 years old – The majority of it is scripture and what the Word was speaking to me at the time. I hope you enjoy the read!

You know those portions of scripture that stand out and slap you in the face SEVERAL times before they finally decide to sit down?

G-d word – His scripture is:

“G-d-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness,

(O.K. children, lets finish the sentence)

so that the man of G-d may be thoroughly equipped for every GOOD WORK.”

(2 Timothy 3.16-17) Don’t you dare take that out of context.
Now that we have that down…

(I’ll just go ahead and say this, if you’re not willing to SEARCH the scriptures and read it with an open mind to G-d… don’t even bother to continue to read. I’d be insulted for my G-d’s sake if you kept reading.)

John 11.1-44
“The Death of Lazarus
1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.

(WHOLE DIFFERENT SCRABIT I COULD GET ON)

3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
7Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?”
9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”
11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

((I have to know that I can only be joyful when your faith in G-d is dependant on Him and not on anything that I could do. I have to know that G-d is higher than me in ALL ways, and that for you to have a personal relationship with Him is far more important than you thinking that I’m ANYTHING in the kingdom. I am broken and frayed; I am an ever-reaching human who will only ever strive to see my full potential. I only by G-d’s grace and mercy am able to see the light of each passing day, and given opportunities in those days to see the glory of G-d work through someone like me. I DON’T understand a G-d who loves me that much that He would allow me to take apart of His plan. But In G-d I Trust and In G-d I WILL Live.))

16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Jesus Comforts the Sisters
17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.18Bethany was less than two miles[a] from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?“

((Sometimes we have to ask ourselves… “Do you believe your Bible?” Legitimately, what are you looking for when you check off your chapter-a-day? What do you expect G-d to open your eyes to as you read? What are you seeking? Are you seeking or is it just your Christian-Cookie-Count that you need to keep up?))

((Jesus said,, “I AM”))

27“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ,[b] the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
28And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

((G-d, be our teacher. YHVH be our guide when we don’t know which way to go… Martha realized who she was with, she told Mary that the TEACHER IS HERE AND IS ASKING FOR YOU… Mary got up quickly and went to Him! G-d is looking for people to equip, He wants to see His children respond quickly to Him and listen to His instructions… When the teacher is looking for YOU will you go out and meet Him? Will you find exactly what He needs you to do and put actions to what you KNOW He is asking of you?)) ((This is about where the scripture decided it wasn’t done with me yet… G-d is looking for me… G-d is looking for you. Will you respond?))

30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34“Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35Jesus wept.

((Jesus was moved to such compassion over His dead friend that He cried. The savior of the world wept over His friend that He knew had to go through death. “G-d has a deep, emotional and sympathetic love for you and others” – Firebible note 11.35))

36Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.

((Jesus was moved to the place where Lazarus was laid… His compassion led Him to the place where others left him for dead. Jesus came to my tomb… Jesus wept when I had to die (spiritually) because I simply wouldn’t believe. I didn’t understand, or didn’t care. I let myself become sick and for the glory of G-d, His timing came perfect. He showed His compassion and power through the resurrection of Lazarus… He came to the tomb where everyone else just claimed he had no life left inside of him. Jesus was deeply moved, for me, and came to my tomb when no one else believed I had anything to live for.))

It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39“Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?“

((No, just… WOW))

41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out,

((Is G-d calling the dead out of you? All of the times that you just want someone to believe in you, He is there calling you out of the place where no one else was willing to go. Truth is all of us are dead in some way or another. All of us have come to the brink of utter ruin, but only then do we see the master coming to where we were laid and given up on by men. Only there will we see the King of all kings come and weep before us because He so wants us to be alive. G-d so desperately wants us to be actively pursuing His will for our lives because it is greater than anything we could imagine. YHVH, you own us. Only you can call us from the dead and give us new life… Take off the grave clothes and let us go))

his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

((What are the old things that are covering you? Take off your grave clothes and lets see this new life G-d has called us to. Let us truly understand His compassion over us, His love over us, His calling over us. G-d, be in us, work through us FOR YOUR GLORY… if it’s not You, G-d, we don’t want it. Set us free with a new spirit. Call us out of the grave… YHVH even if it has been days, weeks, months, years that we have wasted in the grave… Let us be new.

Let us be yours. G-d, have compassion over your kids…

“Take back the years the enemy’s stolen…”

…A Little Bit Louder Now

Posted on by lainamunoz

Sometimes I think that we are deafening our culture with our silence. We ignore when G-d asks us to speak because we discredit the people we think need to hear it. We think they wont listen because so many times before, they haven’t. But when we refuse to try anymore we refuse their chance of change – in OUR silence we rob them of that opportunity. We are cowards when we were called to be kings. We doubt people when we are told to forgive. We belittle the power of passion and love and the effectiveness of G-d’s Holy Word.

Why? Because we want to justify ourselves out of the risk of rejection—no one wants to hurt themselves so we refuse to take up the pain of others. For what? Our comfort? Image? Pride?

I’ve heard that “silence is golden” but when there is so much gold around it loses its value. The gold becomes more of a wall that is in the way rather than a single brick. That one brick may be the one person who took the time to listen to someone who was hurting and then offered help.

In our silence may we listen – but, the silence can’t last forever.

The value of silence has gone down and now G-d is looking for people bold enough to speak up and once more call those who are hurting back to Him.

“Come back to G-d, your G-d. And here’s why: G-d is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot. This most patient G-d, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.” Joel 2.13 (MSG)

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread (and peanut butter and bananas and honey)

Posted on by lainamunoz

I was very recently asked my opinion on the “10 year plan” which at this point in my life is comical because my plans always change. Always. But they asked me, so now I’ll share my thoughts.

I’ve always been a ‘planner’ type and loved carving out those 5 and 10 year plans when I was younger. I’m sure if I remember correctly my 7th grade year would have looked something like this:

·      I want to be a Junior High Pastor (Grade 6-8)

·      I want to be a Christian Music Artist

·      I want to be an assistant to a youth pastor

·      I want a puppy

·      Be a racecar driver

  ((All Of The THINGS))

Contemporary music artist… this is fun, lets fast forward a bit to my 5-10 year plan at around 17 years old:

·      I want a Bachelors Degree in Business Management

·      I want to write a book

·      I want to be a worship leader/in a band 

·      I want to work at a church

·      Be a racecar driver

 

Now, have any of these ended the way I thought they would?

Absolutely not.

My “Junior High Pastor” experience was formed into 7 years of leading WIRED (The Monday after school fellowship/message/game event for 6, 7 and 8th graders between me being 15-21 years old. My “Christian Music” experience was lived out in writing songs and helping to lead at youth, college ministry and various house churches; and continues here in Aussie. I ended up being Assistant to the Youth Pastor and got a puppy so I did that right!                                                                

((madpropsLaina))

            My “Bachelors in Business Management” was learned at Chili’s in Broken Arrow and Pryor, Oklahoma by actually BEING a manager. My writing and publishing has increased to a consistent weekly process for the last 12ish weeks and I have a goal set to outline my book soon. My racecar driving ended up looking like more speeding tickets than I can count or care to remember. 

            My last 10 year plan started with my management position at Chili’s – I had every intention of working management for 5ish years (between 21-26) then move to Ireland and be able to pay for three years of theology school AND travel a year on top of that (I was going to save a LOT of money in those 5 years). I honestly was never expecting to end up cutting that short by 3 ½ years to move to Australia –

 Like, flip. What?! I live in Australia.

What is incredible is that all these dreams I’ve been given and desires I have had were lived out in such a way that they were all far greater that I could have imagined. They WEREN’T what I was expecting but as I’m living through my planned out days realizing how foolish black ink can really be I see that 5/10 year plans kind of suck.

            I function better in “I like this, I enjoy doing this, I’m going to take the open doors that are in line with this thought and direction” I think it’s good to set achievable goals and things you’d like to accomplish and give timelines and due dates, but to say “I’m going to be living here with this job and this much responsibility on my plate and this much free time and this much income” well, that (for me) isn’t practical.

            It doesn’t make sense. Maybe it works for some people but I pretty much have an agreement with G-d whenever I fill out a week of my planner than whatever He wants and whenever He wants to interrupt with whatever He wants me to do or say or path to take – He has permission to alter my schedule. I’ve just had far too many plans fail because they weren’t big enough.

            You see, I was raised in a culture of abundance and G-d has done entirely too much for me. The potential fall here is to see the abundance and somehow assume it’s deserved. At this point we pervert it and it becomes EXCESS. This has been one of the more difficult mindsets to break in my life if we are being totally honest. I am learning and training myself to realize that I have been given enough for today. My blessings and abilities are there to be used in my waking and before I go to sleep. I have EVERYTHING that I NEED so why would I let ANYTHING that is sitting in my hands to use – just sit.

I was given today my daily bread but what happens when I see the bread and think, “Yeah, naturally there is bread because I need it, I’ve earned this bread… so on top of this bread I think I should have some peanut butter and bananas as well. After all if I could have provided the bread than somehow I can make these delicious toppings happen as well” But you see, this is where we start to view our gifts and talents as excess… we see it as something earned and more than we need. What if we believed that G-d answered our prayers for daily bread and then we looked at our blessings and counted them as that instead of looking at all we have and seeing the ‘cherry on top’ mentality?

Your ice cream is sweet enough.

Recently in a pout-fest with my housemate via texting I was wondering what on earth I was doing here. She graciously reminded me,

“You prayed for this, you paid for this and now you are here. Isn’t that enough? Even if you never know isn’t this answered prayer enough?”

I’ve gotten to do everything I’ve ever wanted to do it just hasn’t always looked the same. I got here by doing well with what I was handed; and it is my daily prayer that I continue to see everything I have as daily bread. As something to be used today because tomorrow I’m going to need more and it might not look the same.

Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”

So, do what you will… but good luck with that.

I hope I live in a way that sees my blessings as abundance and something to be used, I’ve been given a lot and my heart has had loads of fulfillment in the seasons I’ve walked through. But, it was only there to build upon and not to see as “Oh check out my awesome toast that I bought”. Get over yourself.

but also, I love you all.