Chris Grainger 0:02

Welcome to The Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders. God intends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, this is your fun Friday member spotlight. We're going to get right into it. But the scripture of the week this week has been in the book of Colossians, chapter one, looked at two verses this week, 28 and 29. It says, He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature to Christ. To this end, I strenuously contend with all energy. Christ so powerfully works in me. So fellas, I took some time I unpacked them verses in our spiritual kickoff episode. Go back to Shoe Bay B2 back in your podcast feed. You'll find them right there. Again, spiritual kickoff guys, we do it Monday through Friday at the Lion Within Us. It's called the Daily SKO. We'd love for you to join us. If you join and you're in the Continental U.S., we even got a free gift we'd like to mail you. But guys, it's a great way to get plugged in to an awesome group of men.

Welcome And Weekly Scripture

Chris Grainger 0:57

We've got several thousand strong now. It's crazy what God's been doing. And so, guys, go check it out at the linewithin.us. Click on that daily SKO and pop right in there. Okay. So, guys, this is this is gonna be a fun one. This is our probably our youngest member of the mastermind. And uh I am so pumped and excited to welcome in Pablo Munoz. Pablo, welcome in today, buddy.

Pablo Muñoz 1:17

Yeah, hi. Um, I'm Pablo Munoz, and I'm excited to be here today. It's been an honor to be here on this podcast with Chris, and thank the Lord I fell on the line with him because it has been very impactful on my life and it's answered a lot of my prayers.

Chris Grainger 1:34

Amen, Pablo. Well, tell tell our listeners, man, a little bit about you, particularly your faith journey. So where you're from and all that type of stuff.

Pablo Muñoz 1:42

So I'm from Hemet, California. Hemet, it's a uh a very small city in California. It's a valley surrounded by mountains everywhere, and it's a really small city, and I've been here basically my whole life, and

Pablo’s Life Before Faith

Pablo Muñoz 2:00

I haven't really explored much of the world. And being here growing up, I had never known about God, never known about Jesus. So you know how life can be without knowing the Lord and Savior. I was very lost. Um more so when I came into high school, I was very lost because I always looked up to people. I always wanted to be like the people who are around me because I didn't know who I wanted to be myself. So that's one thing I'd do a lot. I'd rely on others so I can be more like them instead of me finding trying to be my own man. And you know how that goes. I had a lot of bad influences around my life, and coming out of high school, just I just came down the very, very downward spiral. I remember senior year, second semester. Um, I played sports and I had this dream of going D1 in football, you know, but since I was hanging around these people, like I wasn't living that D1 lifestyle, I wasn't training every day, I wasn't taking care of my body, I was worried about girls, I was worried about going to the parties and stuff, and it just threw those D1 dreams out the window, and it just left me with um, what am I gonna do now? Graduating high school, and I just kicked I just went deeper into the rabbit hole of just doing what I was doing for the longest time, and I I remember I was so lost and I had no purpose and I wasn't sure what to do, and I was running out of road to walk on, and um it's when uh one of my friends, his name's Frankie Alvarez, he he told me about the Bible, and I remember my Frankie Alv my friend Frankie Alvarez. He was he was actually a very big smoker, you know, and out of nowhere I remember him just he was just not smoking at all, and he said it's because um he he met Jesus. He's a Christian now. Um his girlfriend's Christian, and his girlfriend had broke up to with him, and he told Frank, her his girlfriend told Frankie, hey, if you want to love me, you gotta love Jesus. And I seen Frankie striving to love Jesus and he quit smoking. And I seen a big change in his life, and I was like, I want that. I want to change my life, find a purpose in myself. And that's when he told me, hey man, you gotta read the Bible. It's not about going to church. You gotta read your scripture and live the life that the scriptures tell you to live. So I started, I remember I I was in uh one of my classes in my community college, and I opened up the book of Proverbs, and one of the first verses, uh, the beginning of knowledge is to fear God. I remember that

A Friend’s Change Sparks Curiosity

Pablo Muñoz 5:05

first verse I've ever read, and the way it made me feel, the way it opened up my eyes. It was amazing. Praise the Lord. And just from there, I was slowly reading more scriptures every day. It like sparked a hunger for me to get inside, go back to church. Because at this time I was very I didn't have a church to go to. I didn't know how church worked because I was raised Catholic growing up, but my family would rarely go to church. Right. So I'd only know what mass was, but I wasn't I didn't know how Christian church worked. And so so I just read scriptures and it's crazy. Um, it was summer of 2025, like last year, I had this coworker and he invited me to his church, and then I went to his church on a Sunday, and I remember that's the first time someone had ever prayed for me in a way, and the the way it made me feel, I just felt so like light. Uh that's like a lot, I felt a bunch of relief. Like I felt like I started to find my footing on the ground, and after that, I got more involved in church. I started living more by scripture, more discipline. And um I have a girlfriend at the time. Right now, I do have a girlfriend, I love her, and her name's Kayla Barenstein. And um I I was with her before I met Jesus Christ, and our relationship wasn't the best, but now our relationship has God in the center of it. And just in all of my relationships with friends and family, knowing Jesus has impacted them. You know, I've learned to love with a bigger heart, and I've learned to forgive with a bigger heart, and I found my purpose, you know. I um I'm currently working two jobs, and I've always wanted to help people. So I found myself in a having a marketing business. Right now, I'm running my marketing business, and ultimately my goal was to quit my job and go all into this marketing business. But as of recently, I think I've heard my calling. Okay, I think I was called to evangelize or be a pastor, I'm not sure. But I think that's my calling because and the way I received this revelation is um I will it was uh actually two weeks ago. I was um I woke up getting ready for work, but I just felt maybe it was the Holy Spirit was telling me, don't go to work today, Pablo. Stay home. You know, and so I just stayed home and I was watching my I was as I was making my breakfast, I was watching this uh podcast with uh I forgot the other man's name, but do you know of Michael Anthony Phillip or Philip Anthony Michel? I was watching the podcast and he was just talking about the persecutions in Nigeria and how it's going. And I remember how it made my heart pound really, really fast, you know, because he was talking about how being a Christian, you might be killed for your faith. And it just, it was just I remember how

Finding Church And New Discipline

Pablo Muñoz 8:18

it made my I've never felt my heart pound like that. And then he said, like, don't let the fear paralyze you. And uh the relief I felt, and I started praying, and then I felt God directing me and saying to me, Hey, there's people out there who need your help, who need to know Christ. These are the end times you need to tell people about Jesus Christ. And yeah, like um, I prayed even more, and um I decided to go to Bible college because I think that's my purpose to serve in the end times and tell people about Jesus Christ. So I've I recently visited a Bible college last week and it went great. And I think Bible college is the first step into this um path I want to take now. And yeah, it's just been great. Um, but yeah, just some of my testimony, Jesus Christ gave me purpose, which is something I've looked for in my whole life. And not only that, he's put amazing men in my life, good influences in my life to follow now, who who could who are great examples to me. And I'm just so happy, so rejoiceful for everything he's done.

Chris Grainger 9:36

How old are you right now, Pablo? I'm 20 years old. Alright, so you're 20 years old. You feel like you got an answer, a call from God on what your purpose is, and now you're walking that out. Pablo, here's a secret. There they're guys twice, three times as old as you, and they don't know their purpose because they haven't submitted their will to to to Jesus, but you have, brother. And yeah, it's gonna be exciting to watch you in this journey. It's gonna be so exciting.

Pablo Muñoz 10:04

Yeah, that uh I learned it. I'm I'm super glad I learned it at uh in early age to fully surrender, surrender your full will to God, and what what the output of that is amazing. It's it's the best thing ever.

Chris Grainger 10:22

Now, as a 20-year-old, I am curious, selfishly, how did you even find a lion man? Like, how did you get connected with us?

Pablo Muñoz 10:30

So, um, I like when I was um always searching for like more ways to put my surround myself with God like men other than church because I was still here in Hemet, and there's like the people here, it's hard to find like a group, a community who are just Christ-centered, fully surrender to Christ. It's hard to find good influence out here, and I wanted a I just wanted more, and I was on the Bible lap, and then I I remember I see the line within, and then I signed up and I joined one of the Bible studies, and I remember all the men there. I was like, man, this is just what I've been looking for. Like, there's men, I mean, these men are miles away, but still, like, I can still learn a lot from these men, and it'd be great to surround myself with all these men. And I just remembered how the prayer requests. I've never seen something like the prayer requests on anything, and how how like when you request a prayer, like all the brothers just rally around you and just pray for you. It's just great, and that's how I found the line within just by searching for a community where I can surround myself with men like you, Chris.

Chris Grainger 11:48

Amen, bro. And you're right, Pablo, on that prayer request, man. When guys put a prayer request in now, it's pretty much instantaneous. I mean, it's multiple guys jumping on it, praying over it. We and I just got off our weekly prayer call where guys are showing up and they're just being real. That's none of this

A Calling Toward Evangelism

Chris Grainger 12:07

unspoken prayer needs. It's like, no, here's what it's this is what's going on in my life, and and I need you guys to pray over it. So man, it's so incredible. Uh, and the fact that you found it, you took action, you leaned in, and then you took a step further, you jumped into a mastermind. So, like, what in the world was going on in your mind? Why do you think you wanted that mastermind and actually to make that investment as a 20-year-old young man? Why why'd you want to do that?

Pablo Muñoz 12:31

So, the reason I wanted to do that is like I said, like, I want, I want I want if I know I'm gonna be around more men, more men who who follow Christ and who are devoted, I'll do anything to get in that room with those men. And when I when I heard when Steven told me about it, he was all like, Well, yeah, this mastermind is um, you know, a lot of followers of Jesus Christ are hearing this um call, and we talk about your problems, and then we find a solution to your problems, and just off of that, I was ready to join. Like, I was all like, I'm not, I don't really mind how much the investment is, but I'm I'm so ready to join. And in this mastermind, I'm surrounded by we was three men, now it's two, but these two men, they're like they're they're on fire for the Lord. Steven is on fire, and the other brothers on fire, and what happens here is uh like recently I I told them, hey, I think I have a calling, and I'm not sure. I think my the first step is Bible college, and we talked it over, and they helped me, and we came up with the game plan, which was reach out to a couple different institutions, see what it's like, see what the intuition is, and go on a visit. I did as is, and now I have a a lot of options where I'd be considering the go. So very helpful to mastermind it is. Yeah. Praise the God, man.

Chris Grainger 14:11

That is so awesome. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. And you're one of you're in one of our startup masterminds, so eventually it will get to seven guys, and it's gonna be that many more guys pouring into you. And uh by the time this podcast comes out, we'll probably have that group folk. We got a couple guys that I'm actually talking with over the next week that are interested in your group. So man, it's been great. But for you, what do you think has been the most challenging part of the mastermind so far?

Pablo Muñoz 14:41

The most challenging part of the mastermind is um one of the most is kind of like since I'm very young, and when these men come with their their um their struggles and their problems, it's a little hard for me to to kind of like throw in an idea, like a solution for them. Sure. But one thing, yeah, one thing I really do is just dive into scripture and kind of pray about it while I'm there, just kind of praying my head, like Holy Spirit, like what what can I tell this man right here to help him out? You know, because the way I view the vast mind as well is not so I can just get out of it, but just so I it's also putting me in a position where I can help someone, and I love helping people. And if I could help a brother out, it

Discovering The Lion Within Us

Pablo Muñoz 15:36

it mean the world to me, like I'd feel so great.

Chris Grainger 15:39

Man, that's so awesome, Pablo. You're you're you're you're doing all the right things, right? You're taking all the steps and your growth, your discipleship journey is just it's it's on such a rapid path that many your age will just not experience because they're not taking it as intentional as you are. And what so far, what do you think the impact on your walk of Christ has been with you know, since you've came to the lion and started leaning in? I'm just curious how we have it, it may not be much at all, but I'm super interested in understanding from your persp purview, what has the impact been for you in your discipleship journey?

Pablo Muñoz 16:16

Well, in my um the impact in my discipleship journey is um I've been living my life more disciplined. Every um step I I walk down on the daily, it has more intention to it, you know. Um especially from learning from the brothers in the mastermind how kind of how they live their lives. Because I want to live my life like like in the way Steven does. Like I see Stephen and he's a man dedicated to the Lord. He's always praying, he's fully surrendered. And I want to live my life like Steven does, and it's impacted me in a way where now I which I've learned this from the brothers. Every day I wake up now, I I jump into my scriptures. You know, like I I yeah, it hurts to not start a day off with the scriptures. And one thing that I actually learned from you, Chris, and um you were talking about to let the scriptures dwell in you. And you know, I never I never knew about that. I never but I jumped into I think it was a SKO, and you were talking about let the scriptures dwell in you. And now and no learning that I try to memorize my scriptures as best as I can, you know, because there are time there comes times where you're there's there's struggle times, and if you don't have your sword on you, you can have your sword memorized, and right. That's one thing that's helped out very much.

Chris Grainger 17:52

Amen, brother. And Pablo, there may be, you know, listeners right now to the show. I'm hopeful that you're gonna share this out with some of your friends at your age. And so maybe for the guy listening who's younger, you know, it's not he thought the lion was set up more for guys, you know, 30, 40, 50 years old. And and maybe they're on the fence, they haven't taken a chance to look at our daily SKO or Lion's Den or put in an application for the mastermind. What would be your message to that guy to take a step? Maybe not all the steps you've taken, but a step with the lion. What would be your encouragement to it?

Pablo Muñoz 18:32

Um it'd be it'd be your this this is the if you're looking for any type of guidance or any type of good influence in your life, any type of uh leaders you want to look up to, good leaders, uh especially in the world we live in where there's a lot of false leaders, and it's easy to be misdirected, misinformed. But the line within is uh one of your best options to join in. Just it could especially as a young man, it could mold you into a very great Christ-like men. And my don't waste your time and join as soon as you can. I'm not saying that just to promote the line with them, but because it's it's going to be life-changing being around all these men, all these good influences.

Chris Grainger 19:35

Well, thank you for sharing that message, Pablo. And and and I tell you what, buddy, you may not know it, but you're making the older guys, you're sharpening them as well. So just keep leaning into it. I mean, you're doing a phenomenal job and so honored to have you with us, buddy. Anything else you'd like to share before we hop to the last items, Pablo?

Pablo Muñoz 19:54

Um, that was it. Just praise the Lord and

Why He Joined The Mastermind

Pablo Muñoz 19:58

thank the Lord for just allowing us to be here right now and allowing, allowing me to find the line within. I'm just very happy.

Chris Grainger 20:07

Yeah, amen. Awesome, brother. Awesome. Well, guys, uh Pablo, we got a book of the week, is actually called Growing Up, ironically. Okay, how to be a Disciple, Who Makes Disciples, and that's what you're gonna do, buddy. I mean, uh, Pastor Robbie Gatley wrote that one out. Uh, I just recorded with him. You're actually this episode is gonna be right after his, and he's got a big church in Tennessee. Uh, it's called Long Hollow. I highly recommend if you're looking for more pastors to follow, check out that Long Hollow Church. And then this is one of the books that he released. But uh I love I love listening to Pastor Robbie. I've learned a lot from him over the years. So uh that's another resource you can put in your banking for you guys listening, do the same. Uh I do have a couple of dad jokes for you. Even though you're not a dad, Pablo, we maybe one day you will be, and uh you can appreciate some good jokes. I'm curious which ones land best for you, okay? If you want, if you if you're ready, man, I'm gonna run them by you, okay?

Pablo Muñoz 21:03

Yeah, I'm ready.

Chris Grainger 21:05

All right, all right. So the first one is I don't get why bakers, you know, people who bake for a living, uh, why they aren't wealthier, Pablo. You you know why? No, I don't. Well, because they make so much dough. Oh my gosh. So yeah, I know it's terrible. It's a terrible joke. All right. So our the second one, Pablo, is how do flat earthers travel? You know, people who believe that the earth is flat, how do they travel? Do you know? I am not sure. All right, well, they do it on a plane. On plane. So that's a that's a math joke now. So that's just for you engineers out there. So anyway, Pablo, did either one of them land for you or do we hit 0 for two on this one? I think you hit 0 for 2 on this one. I didn't I didn't really get that's okay, bro. That's okay. Okay, so guys, hey, sometimes we strike out. Pablo, I'll tell you what, take these dad jokes to your dad and see what he says, okay? And then and then that's how you'll vote, okay? So be sure to do that. That first joke is I don't get why bakers aren't wealthier, they make so much dough. And then the second one is how do flat earthers travel and that's on a plane. The question of the week, guys, is where are you softening truth to avoid offending others? Guys, we can't soften the truth. Pablo will tell you it's a lion. We don't soften anything. We're not reading the Bible with the highlighter and a pair of scissors. The word says what the word says. We're gonna stand on the word because the word of God is living, brief, living, and breathing. It's immovable. It's gonna obviously it's gonna cut us like a two-edged sword, but we need to be ready for that, and that's what's gonna make us stronger men. So, Pablo, anything else you like to share today, my friend? Thank you so much for coming on.

Pablo Muñoz 22:50

Nothing much, Chris. Thank you so much for having me on this podcast. I'm I'm glad I'm glad to share my testimony to other people so they may be inspired to fully surrender as well. It's the best decision you can make in your life.

Chris Grainger 23:05

Got that right, brother. You got that right. Well, Pablo, this has been an honor. Guys, go to the linewithin.us. That's how you can connect with us. Pablo mentioned he found us on the Bible app. So I'm constantly putting plans on the Bible app, fellas. Those I'm just a guy plans are out there. We're gonna have some new platforms that we're gonna be sharing that content on here soon. We're not ready to talk about it yet, but you'll you'll be hearing about that here hopefully later in the in the next couple months on the podcast. So, guys, just be on the be on the lookouts for that. Uh, the the daily SKO, the lion's den, and the leadership mastermind, those things are set up, fellas. They're rocking and rolling. So if you'd like to be in a group like Pablo, connect with us, put in an application,

Growth Through Scripture And Brotherhood

Chris Grainger 23:43

and we'll go from there. So, guys, have a great day. Thanks for hanging out with me and Pablo today. Subscribe if you don't mind, share, share this one out. Particularly you guys out there who are mentoring some younger men. What a great episode to share with your with the Timothy's in your life, the people that you're mentoring. Because I mean, talk about an inspiration. Pablo's it. So, Pablo, thank you again. It's been an honor, brother. Thank you guys for listening. Just remember to uh keep keep leaning in and doing what God's calling you to do. And at the end of the day, keep unleashing the lion within. If you're like me, you don't need another book just sitting around collecting dust. What I enjoy is something to help guide me when my feet hit the ground in the mornings. And that is why we put together unleashing the lion within. It has honest stories, scripture you can apply, and simple steps to help you lead at home, at work, and everywhere in between. So if you've been feeling stuck or scattered lately, you may find this resource encouraging. Read a few pages. Take one step and watch what God does with your obedience. Hey, and if reading's tough for you right now, no problem. The book is also available in audible version. So you can listen on the go. So if this sounds interesting, check out the lionwithin.us slash book or search for unleashing the lion within directly on Amazon. So there's no pressure here, just a resource that many guys are finding helpful. So grab the format that fits and take your next step.