Motivational

Nike

Posted on by lainamunoz

Please enjoy this #ThinkBackThursday from 2011! It was composed in regards to a writing project that I had started and took my sweet time finishing. Whilst forgetting what the timeline even looked like for my project I had to remind myself that sometimes it isn’t about passion, it’s about consistency and commitment. It’s about doing it anyway and following through… It’s about just doing it.

I’ve thought a lot about writing over these few weeks (month or so) and I’m finding that while thinking about things is nice, it takes effort to do them. For me right now – it takes getting over myself because I don’t want to write at this point. It’s been a long season; a very long season. I don’t want to learn even though I still am everyday, I don’t want to realize all the areas where I’m wrong.

I’m just a stubborn human who is fighting constantly against everything that I am.

What I’m finding is that G-d is there, even when I don’t think He is or when I don’t want Him to be. He is an awesome G-d who protects me and loves me deeply… It is for Him that I started this project and for Him that I will finish. For His honor and nothing for myself.

This isn’t much but it’s a start. It’s a day. It’s a step.

In time I will finish my task, I will end my day, and I will complete my journey.

                        But I have to start somewhere.

For The Love Of G-d

Posted on by lainamunoz

Think Back Thursday –  sometimes I absolutely love remembering how simple things got to me.

“For the love of G-d, Live.”

This phrase has been stuck with me for a while now because it was going to be the next thing I was going to write about; but that’s all I had. It’s simple and I kept trying to add my own ‘ness to it. But, there is nothing to add… Please just understand it.

All for the love of G-d, the love that we have that is to G-d, the love that isn’t about us but about HIS kingdom… begin to live. No longer let yourself be satisfied with just dying for the Father’s will, but also LIVE. You, friend, have been given life and you we’re expected to do something with it. If you weren’t then you wouldn’t be here.

Please find the daily chances to show a love that is forgiving, a love that is accepting of people’s hurt, a love that will move people to change, a love that is UNFAILING… a precious gift from a Savior to His people that sometimes we complicate. His love wasn’t meant to be confusing it was meant to be ours. And because HE knew we’d forget – He reminded us again and again that it would always be there because it always has been.

Shoot, I don’t deserve it but that statement alone is where we complicate it.

No, I don’t deserve it but He still chose it for me.

He Loves Us.

How He loves us so… And for this reason alone I’m inviting you to live; To make choices and follow up on people and give up yourself.

Something inside you is aching and screaming over and over, “For the Love of G-d, LIVE!”

What Is In A Name?

Posted on by lainamunoz

I have a lot of pride. I got a job when I was young and worked for about 46% of my life (which is gross to think about when you’re only 24) and did my best to ‘provide’ for my wants and needs (I thought I was providing, but I know I wouldn’t be alive without my parents). I carry pride in my friendships, I hold my close friends close (and think they’re cooler than you). I carry pride in my little sister who is absolutely irreplaceable and unmatchable in competition for my affection and attention. She’s the most intelligent and beautiful and talented little person I have ever known and she gives the BEST hugs. I carry pride in my goals that I’ve set for myself, which I’m often humbled by, because lets be honest, sometimes I over schedule and don’t complete things (sometimes I suck at keeping commitments).

Lastly, I carry pride in my name. I suppose really it isn’t MY name, but it is my family name. It’s Muñoz and it means: “on a hill”; my first name [Elaina (I just rocked some of your worlds)] means: “light”

((My name means: “light on a hill”, freak yeah!))

Way to go mom and dad!

After I finalized my divorce, changing my name back was a huge deal for me. I couldn’t wait to be apart of my father’s family again. It wasn’t as if I no longer belonged when my name was different but there is something about a legal, outward label that means I am apart of something bigger than me. I wanted to be re-associated with my father and my father’s family. I wanted to belong to the family that I grew up with. Changing my name back on Facebook sent me into a small gut-dropping panic because some people didn’t even know that my ex and I had even had our first fight (I lied a lot to a lot of people between my 21st birthday and my 22nd. I was asked, “how’s married life?” enough to make my head spin) so I waited until I left for a three week holiday to Ireland to visit my best friend. It was a birthday/vacation gift to myself.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1:4-5

 It’s almost as if we have this duel citizenship with our earthly families and the Kingdom family. He CHOSE us from the beginning of the world before I had a chance to screw up royally, and even knowing all the things I was going to do, HE adopted me. He looked at me and decided that I was allowed to have His name. Not only was I allowed – but also He fought for me to have His name. A name that is higher than anything and everything, that means more than “light on a hill” (Don’t get me wrong, my parents did awesome and my name is sick as). I was given a name by my heavenly Father that has power over the grave AND all of my sins. I have been given a name that looks past my talents and blessings as well as my shortcomings. He not only chose us, but it was all in accordance to His pleasure and will… what?!

He wanted to.

The name of Jesus means: Savior. It means defender, it means deliverer, it means guardian, it means hero, it means liberator, it means rescuer, and it means that I NEEDED HIM. What is in my name is a belonging to the King of Kings and the one who is over all things. My name means that I have an inheritance of eternity and authority at my right hand.

The thing is, that I actually didn’t have to go back and change my name to Muñoz again. I could have left it the way it was so that I didn’t have to go through with the process of sitting at the social security office, the DMV, all of anywhere that I had a bill to be paid, anything social media – but I CHOSE to. I had to choose to take up my name again and allow myself to realize that I belonged.

Jesus is a gentlemen. I’ve always believed that because I’ve always found it to be true in my life. He isn’t barging in and taking my heart captive by force. He is waiting to be sought out and waiting for the permission to make you apart of His family. I don’t know too much that there is to know about adoption but I know that once the child is old enough to understand, they can say no to the adoption. Once we come to an age of understanding we have the ability (and many do) say no to the name of Christ Jesus… and what a painful decision that is.

I choose today to take pride in my name that was given to me at the highest cost. 

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1

That we would be called Your own. G-d, I’m not worthy of it but I will accept it. I’m not the best representation but I have a Bible full of ‘less thans’ who have made a way for me to believe. If you can use anything Lord, You can use me.

We All Struggle With Forward Motion

Posted on by lainamunoz

To be salt and light in the world//

to bring life to the dead in heart//

and see things change//

to be less so you can be more//

This is our POSITION Lord.

That many would serve You and know Your glory through the way we live. That we live consumed.

This is our DESIRE G-d.

To follow Your call and move mountains. To move when You tell us and stand when You command.

This is our RESPONSE Jesus.

To draw close to You when our emotions and circumstances are trashed. To seek You BEFORE we don’t see another way.

This is our MOVEMENT Father.

To be broken beyond the point of repair so that something new HAS to happen for us to continue.

This is our CHANGE.

I charge you to be different, to CHANGE. To not let another day pass that you see things as hopeless. But, to grow up, go on and be responsible for the MOVEMENT that is taking place. That your actions might be pure and what has been stirring inside of you would move from being your opinion to your action. That what you feel inside would move from being your thoughts to your RESPONSE. Let your passions arise and don’t be afraid of your DESIRE. Fellow warrior, what is a pain on your heart for your classmates, co-workers, family, and friends has been placed by the living G-d. He NEEDS you to rise and take your stand on who you are (who are you?). Let your POSITION on the outside reflect that which has been placed on your heart. G-d is ready and waiting. Lets get there friends. Go on.

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and GO ON to maturity, not laying AGAIN the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in G-d,”

– Hebrews 6:1

17 February 2010

26 March 2014

I love reading old writings because it’s almost a personal history book. I get to think back and remember the points in my life where I was passionate, where I was deeply hurt, the adventures I was blessed enough to go on and the people I was fortunate enough to meet. Recently I was talking with a flatmate about journaling and I remembered that I brought one of my journals along the way to Australia with me. I flipped through the beginning of it remembering Ireland in 2010, how close my friends got and how we truly got to see the Acts church lived out. We ate breakfast together and did devotionals around the table and we served together. I got to fast forward in my journal to the three week tour that I was blessed to be apart of: traveling with our worship team and drama team to Wisconsin and New York to do ministry. Again, I saw my friends get closer to form this family that (at the time) had no idea what was coming. I got to record Reggie’s words of wisdom when he told us this group would never be the same again, and it never has been.

I continued reading to find the day I got engaged. I found the journey of almost breaking off the engagement and the marriage and the divorce. The back 30% of my journal is walking through being alone. At this point Hine pointed something out that again solidified my passion for writing. She explained that G-d knew the season I was about to walk into which is cool that He allowed the front half of my journal to be filled with some of my most memorable and life changing travels that I’ve been on yet. He knew that I’d take a bit scattered hit to writing and that the few times I would sit long enough to get my heart out would be filled with depression and pain. He prepared me before even though I didn’t recognize it until 4 years later in a simple conversation about journaling.

I learned a few things from glancing over those writings:

  • I got to see how much G-d has done in the last 4 years of my life.
  • I saw my prayers answered as He drew near to me.
  • I remembered to pray over my little traveling family as we are and have been ALL over the world since that point.
  • I found a chunk of G-ds faithfulness that I didn’t let myself see

  • I got to place point my growth, knowing that I haven’t started over again but I have (by G-d’s grace) GONE ON from immaturity.

I had no idea that when I was writing these words (about a year before I got married) that I would be giving myself a mandate to continue in Christ. To let my actions move me forward and not sit where I’ve been. G-d was preparing me then, He is with me now. What a wonderful thing to look back and be challenged and realize you’re not where you’ve been.

Move Forward

G-d never left me

Scrabit: Confidence

Posted on by lainamunoz

G-d, thank you for my housemates; You have blessing, provision and healing in store for them. You have favor, a calling and a complete plan for their lives – May I always pray over them in faith, watch in expectation and encourage them in love.

Amen. Let it be.

Jesus, change us this week open our eyes and hearts to new moments with You. Help us to give more than we knew we had in us and learn what we didn’t think we needed to know. You are powerful, holy and refining and my excitement is through the roof with what we will look like after two weeks of intense serving and seeking. Lord, bring a beauty that comes from walking with You. Bring a G-d-radiance that shows others we have been marked; that we have sat in Your presence. I am so excited that I don’t know what to expect, but take my expectation and blow it out of the water. Do what You do. Turn up and change us. Help us love You more.

 

Bible Thoughts:

“because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:5-6 (NIV)

My source of confidence comes from my Father in heaven ((and HIS goodness and faithfulness)). He has plans and I get to be apart. This confidence comes from spending time with Him and in His word. THIS Confidence says that He has a plan and even in the seasons I feel forgotten I can hold onto the promise that HE WILL CARRY ON THE GOOD WORK IN ME UNTIL COMPLETION. This isn’t just for my ideas of where I want to be, but this is a journey He will take me on until the day of Christ Jesus. G-d will move me forward and complete good work(s) in me, in my roommates, my friends and family until He comes back.

Praise Him. What good things He can do.

More Jesus Time:

“This is the confidence we have in approaching G-d: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” – 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

So alongside this confidence conversation…

Lord, when I bring my requests before You – You answer them. You answer me. Your word tells me so. You have perfect in Your plans and I want in. I want to be apart and I can have confidence in You that because of Your words – I will be.

Why pray if you aren’t going to believe that it will come to pass? And where does doubt come from anyway?

                       Old Age.

“If you have faith and do not doubt… you can say to this mountain, “Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)

G-d, I’ve asked you to show up. I’ve asked you for hearts healed and mindsets changed and I believe You hear me. I know You see me and love me so now all I can do is praise You for what You will do and leave my expectations with You (Psalms 5:3). Teach me to speak Your word over my life and walk into the callings You have for me. Teach me how to love people with all of me. Guide my conversations and fill them with GRACE for I have been shown much. Lord, Create in me a mind that is productive and give me new revelations to give. I want to keep writing and keep commitments and watch You grow me and change me. I have a dream that LORD willing will come to pass but I need Your creativity. I NEED YOU.

((If you don’t show, I’m screwed.)) 

Why are my prayers important? *Because the Lord hears my prayers. Why do I pray for my housemates? *Because I get to live out the change with them. It’s a faith builder. I speak live and love into and over them and get to see a harvest of the Lords strength and ultimate plan come forth out of their lives. Some concluding thoughts: If you aren’t praying for your roommates, why the heck not? If you aren’t bringing some expectation to your days, why are you wasting your time living them? That sounds wicked boring… I’ve been there. If you aren’t approaching G-d with confidence then what happened where you stopped seeing Him as faithful? as just? as forgiving? as holy?

I never know who will actually read these or when they will read it or what season they will read it in. But I do pray every time that when and if you do come across this that it will be just what you need. Something to challenge you to expand your faith and draw you to the creators heart. But, these are only words. 

G-d, let me be useful. Let me be open to learning what you need me to and even more than that, let me share what I know with those around me.