From Grief to Glory: Worship, Faith, and Following God’s Voice with Reina Rose

In this episode of Hope Unlocked, host Kristin Kurtz welcomes worship leader and singer-songwriter Reina Rose of Crowns of Glory. Reina shares her powerful testimony of following God’s voice, building a worship team from a prophetic word, and navigating deep grief through music and faith. From Northern California to the nations, hear how God opened doors, brought beauty from ashes, and used her voice to shift atmospheres. A must-listen for creatives, worshipers, and those stepping out in bold faith. 

Reina's Contact Info:

Website - crowncreativity.com/musici

Instagram

Reina's Book:

Sin Tastes Good: Nourishing Your Soul in an Empty Calorie World

🎙️Hope Unlocked Listener Exclusive! Feeling stirred but not sure what to do next? Book a 45-minute Holy Spirit-led 1:1 coaching session w/ Hope Unlocked host Kristin Kurtz, founder of New Wings Coaching. This powerful conversation will help you move from stirred to activated—with peace, clarity, & a Spirit-led next step. Book your call HERE now–special pricing to listeners!

Chapters

• 0:16 Welcome to Hope Unlocked
• 2:39 Divine Calling to Sacramento
• 10:58 Walking Through Faith and Pain
• 17:59 Music as Ministry and Calling
• 29:01 Behind the Scenes of Worship Music
• 41:52 Creating Songs from Seeds of Tears
• 52:13 Finding Your Quiet Space

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:16

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching. I help and empower wildhearted and adventurous women of faith feeling caged and stuck, unlock their true purpose and potential, break free from limitations and thrive with confidence, courage and hope. If you're curious to learn more about coaching with me, head to newwingscoachingnet and be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together.

Speaker 2: 0:47

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope for your soul. Please help me welcome my new friend, Raina Rose, to the show. I'm so excited to have her here today. We've actually had some time prior to us hitting record to get to know each other better, and it's always so fun to meet a new friend who feels like a kindred spirit. So give a little shout out to Julie for the connection. And, Raina, would you be open to just telling us a little bit about yourself before we get into your story?

Speaker 1: 1:19

Sure, I always freeze up. What do you want to know? I'm a musician. We're starting to do a lot of concerts with my band, crowns of Glory, mostly in NorCal, but we've been doing out in Nevada and various areas as well. I was telling you before the show there's a possible opportunity to play in Africa, but I'm not sure we'll do it. So, yeah, right now I'm focused on homesteading and music, which, funny enough, has been a prayer that I like. Literally had some passwords set to the prayer of like home and music.

Speaker 2: 1:58

Home and music. So that was literally your password and now you're like you're unlocked into this now, yeah, and my husband suggested that. He's like you know if you need to change your password and now you're like you it's.

Speaker 1: 2:04

You're unlocked into this now, yeah, and my husband suggested that. He's like you. Know, if you need to change your password all the time, then you just make it your prayer oh, I love that. Oh, my goodness that's such a good idea, I'm gonna have to take that now and now that which prayers have moved on. I can say that because it's not the password anyway like my husband says, sharing passwords is like sharing toothbrushes, because he's an IP guy that's a good one.

Speaker 2: 2:29

I love that well, crowns of glory. So I want to know more. Names are really important to me and I'm sure maybe for some of the listeners out there as well. But, crowns of glory, tell us a little bit more about the name of your band and how long have you guys been together.

Speaker 1: 2:54

So, um, where do I start? I'll, I'll, I will rewind back to that story that I didn't tell you before we um came on the air. We're saving it, right, yeah? So, uh, just after the pandemic, I went to a worship leader conference which, um, sometimes I'm like, how did I even get there? Cc winan was literally leading the worship on the first night of the worship leader conference like that's what level of conference it was, and, um, most of the worship leaders there were like huge churches and things, and and I was just kind of an individual and the Lord said go.

Speaker 2: 3:26

And so.

Speaker 1: 3:27

I was there and I was tired and I was jet lagged and I was like Lord, I feel like leaving but I'm going to stay as an act of faith. So Cece Winans leading the worship, and she just almost steps out of the way and the Holy Spirit moves so strong that I hear in my spirit nearly audibly go up to SAC and build them a worship team. And so I knew of one church in the Sacramento area and I was like, okay, that's a little strange.

Speaker 1: 3:55

The next day of the conference there's teachers from all over the world. My teacher's like, hi, I'm from Sacramento. And I was like I think I'm moving there. The Lord told me last night and then the next day of the conference someone asked me where I lived and I was like I think I'm moving there. The Lord told me last night and then the next day of the conference someone asked me where I lived and I was like you know, I was living in France and all over the world. Now I'm kind of between these three areas and I mentioned Sacramento. He says Sacramento is standing out the most. You're going to do this, this and this speaks a whole prophetic word over me about Sacramento. So next day conference ends and I call the pastors of that church, who I've only met twice, because they came right around COVID and I said I think the Lord wants me to build you a worship team and they said that's exactly what we've been praying for. The Lord said not to hire anyone because he'd send the person.

Speaker 2: 4:41

What was the timeline on that for them?

Speaker 1: 4:43

what that?

Speaker 2: 4:44

what was the like, the timeline, the wait for them for that?

Speaker 1: 4:48

um. So I went to the conference in July. I called them while I was there and I moved up there at the end of August. I just packed my little two-seater convertible with like keyboards and guitars and as much clothes as I could pack in there and took off. At that point I didn't know if they were going to pay me anything, really, where I was going to live and how that was going to work out. I just knew the Lord said go. He confirmed it three times I'm going before I can change my mind.

Speaker 2: 5:20

Oh, my goodness, I love this. So go is like a big word for me, okay, and maybe for others. You know Abraham was to the go as well, not knowing, like when you said it was like he didn't really know where he was going, but he, he went, right, yeah. So tell us a little bit more about like. I know that there's many of us in this position either have, like, followed the go, or maybe they're in a place of stepping into the go, or they know that they're gonna go, which is a rhyme and that's fun. But tell us a little bit more about that experience. Was this maybe one of the first times that you took a big leap of faith? Or, um, like, what was that experience like for you?

Speaker 1: 6:05

Cause it's a huge shift right, the second time I've taken a leap of faith where God just like, move somewhere you've never lived and, um, go on, uh, and I talked to you a little bit about the first time where I moved to Houston and this whole like job, where I got paid to travel the world, uh, worked out, and I talk about that in my book, which I think you're going to put in the show notes. So, um, we don't need to go in that, but um, so yeah, I moved up to NorCal and I moved in with some people to start from the church. Uh, and that first bit I was telling you before, you know, just some things were not working out in that particularly living situation and I was. I like to literally go into my closet and pray sometimes. And I was in the closet like Lord, you can just take me now, like through my book or whatever, but I'm good, like, just take me. Life is hard here on earth and I'm ready to be in heaven with you. And then, as I told you, like, I read about many prophets who had prayed the same thing to the Lord and the Lord continued to use them. So, praise God, he did not answer that prayer. I'm thankful that you're here to tell your story. Yeah, and so I mean. But from then on, like the Lord brought in about a new living situation which was wonderful. I actually just had a dream about those people last night and they were just like second pair of grandparents to me.

Speaker 1: 7:35

And you know, my husband ended up walking into the church a few months after I got there and he's just an incredible man of God who loves the word. And then, within a month or so of me getting there, or less like right away, that teacher who actually lived like an hour away in the Sacramento area. He was doing a worship leader meetup and starting this really cool thing and I got to help set that up. And I remember driving home from it one day and the Lord's like I brought you to Northern California because this is where Culture. You have Bethel, you have Thrive, like you have multiple Christian music labels here just in Northern California, and I didn't ever think about that when I moved here.

Speaker 1: 8:34

And then from that worship leader meetup I played them a song I had written the night before. I was like hey, just sharing this, I've just wrote it. And my now guitar player is like that's so amazing. Will you come jam that at my church with me after a worship leader meetup sometime. It's like I said, sure, I thought we were going to sit in the pews and jam on the song. This church had an entire music studio in it, bigger than any studio I'd ever recorded in before, and I had recorded in LA and Toronto and France everywhere Biggest studio. We record like two songs that day and this band just kind of forms around me organically. And then you know, next thing I know we're recording a song. Next thing I know we're out playing in Reno or in the Bay Area, you know, and just getting amazing feedback that the Lord's doing stuff through what we're doing. And you know, I think the best thing is like I didn't try to make that happen, just the Lord made it all come through.

Speaker 1: 9:29

Yeah, say that again, that I didn't try to make it happen and the Lord just made it come through.

Speaker 2: 9:34

Yeah, I mean like, pull out, you look at you know you had a place to live, you you got a husband, got a band. I mean what more can you ask for?

Speaker 1: 10:23

Yeah, and we were talking earlier, god blessed us with an amazing home, like just promised land flowing with milk and honey.

Speaker 1: 10:31

Just we could never have done on our own.

Speaker 1: 10:32

And the Lord, the Lord, just has gone before us and made crooked places straight and, like we've talked about before, that it doesn't mean when you take the leap of faith everything works out immediately, but like he tests us and proves us and we go through the hard things and he also blesses us. He is the Father who gives good gifts and I think some people kind of I don't know, they're like well, sometimes, god's gifts, you know, maybe just we don't think they're good. I don't know if they're like well, sometimes, god's gifts, you know, maybe just we don't think they're good. I'm like no, he says like if you know not to give your child a stone if he asks for a loaf of bread or not to give him a snake if he asks for fish. Like God knows even more of the desires of your heart and especially like when you bring those desires of your heart in alignment with his will and what he wants. Like he blesses his children with good gifts and, like we talked about before, it doesn't mean bad things aren't going to happen.

Speaker 1: 11:26

We and I told you like we've had seven deaths in the last two years um including a couple of miscarriages, but but at the same time, like, yes, bad things are happening and I'm so ready for people to stop dying around us would be really wonderful for Jesus. But I just see the blessings that he gives and I focus on those and I just praise him all the time, you know, and I think we forget to give God the credit sometimes when we walk into these blessings.

Speaker 2: 12:00

Yes, well, could you? You know, maybe somebody who's listening today who has walked through a lot recently, and I know there are a lot of people who have been walking through a lot and I love how you know we were talking a little bit about how, you know, in the storm Jesus was. He was just chilling, right. So how do you stay in that posture of even though the storm is happening, like people are maybe wondering, cause you, you do, you exude joy Like you are. You truly exude like the fruits of the spirit. So I want to just let you know that. I'm sure others are catching that. But how do you stay in that place of joy through the pain? How do you stay in that place of joy through the pain? How do you stay in that place of hope and not get hopeless, hopeless right.

Speaker 1: 12:45

Yeah, I think one of the things is, you know, the Lord says to ask, to ask for those fruits of the Spirit, and that's something I mean since I was. I mean I was saved when I was 12. When I was 12. And I mean like I was my the cops and my mom showed up two minutes before I got on a bus with I didn't know it at the time, but she was a prostitute's daughter and we were going to Huntington Beach where her mom was. Again, I didn't know the details behind it, but I was running away from home and I nearly got on that bus like within two minutes, and then part of my punishment was actually to have to go to these youth group surf trip, which I liked surfing. So that part was cool, but I did. I was like I don't want to hang out with these dorky church kids, but um, but I got saved in that time and, um, I remember just praying to the Lord, even at like 12 years old, like make me a woman after your own heart, like David was a man after your own heart, like, make me that.

Speaker 1: 13:50

And I have a song that we play at shows called Lord Show Me. I wrote when I was 18. And it's just like show me this woman that you want me to be Like. Make me this, that's my prayer. This woman that you want me to be like, make me this, that's my prayer. Make me exude the fruits of the spirit because it's you made me in your image. But when I fall into my own fleshly person, I'm not that and I know it. And so I think, just asking you know, those who ask shall receive. And like make me a person who has peace that surpasses all understanding. Lord, make me that.

Speaker 1: 14:25

And we have to be careful. I actually used to have a group of friends that we would joke sort of a joke but we really followed through. If you pray patience for me, you owe me flowers because I'm going to get the trial that develops patience. You know, oh, yes, trial that develops patience, you know, oh, yes. So I mean I think you also have to want it enough to go through those trials. Like I'm sitting on the other side of a lot of trials you know we talked about my, my brother, dying and various things. Like I'm sitting on the other side of them at 41 years old, but at 25 and 35 and 38, you know I was still going through many of it and there will be more trials to come as the Lord takes me to new levels and I think we have to be willing to go through the trials and we have to want those fruits enough. We have to want to pass the gauntlet to become the warrior you know.

Speaker 2: 15:22

Exactly. Yeah, well, it reminded me of. There's a verse that I have really been focusing on quite a bit, because I've I've been going through, you know, several trials and things that were unexpected this year. Right Cause we all do, and James one, two, it's counted. All joy my brothers make trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Speaker 1: 15:56

So, yes, that was one of my favorite verses growing up, but I don't know why and, yes, that was one of my favorite verses growing up but I don't know why. And when people would ask me how I was doing and I actually was having a really crummy day I would say I'm developing perseverance, even as like a young girl, this is what you're focusing on.

Speaker 1: 16:13

I don't know why, because I really was pretty adverse to like welcoming any pain or suffering into my life. But there was something about James 1, 2 through 3 that like was on my wall and I loved that verse for some. You know, I think I would. I did go through a lot. There was a reason I was running away from home when I was that age. You know, I went through a lot of pain and different things. But yeah, and I can remember as early as I don't know, maybe 16 or 17,. You know you don't want to be the person who's like yeah, I'm fine, I'm good when you're not developing perseverance.

Speaker 2: 16:51

That's so good. Oh my gosh, I love it. Well, I guess this definitely is a verse that is on point for you and I know it is for others who are listening today, because we do have a choice. We can choose joy, even though it's not easy. I've been even reminded of. There's a song from Stephanie Gretzinger Dance Upon Disappointment is part of. I think it's Steady Hard is the song, I believe, but there's part of it says you know, dance upon the disappointment and to dance and you know, just do the thing that you know the enemy hates when you're in the word. The enemy hates when you're worshiping and dancing and joyful, despite right.

Speaker 1: 17:30

Yeah, I mean, the word tells us that. You know there's a season for everything. Solomon tells us. And the word also tells us, you know, to when you're sorrowful to pray and when you're joyful to praise. You know there's a time for everything. I was telling you before the show.

Speaker 1: 17:45

You know, with all these, the first person that passed in 2023 was my husband's mom, and then my best friend jumped off a bridge she had already done it once and she finished it.

Speaker 1: 18:01

And then I had an uncle and a great uncle, and then my stepmom died at 59 last year, you know, and I was just like it's too much, and I was just weeping in my husband's arms.

Speaker 1: 18:14

And we lost two babies this year in pregnancy, you know.

Speaker 1: 18:17

And so, like I was just like it's too much and I was just wailing and weeping and I think there is, you know, there's a time for mourning and there's time for weeping. We can't skip that and skip right to the praise, just like we can't skip the gauntlet and just be the warrior, but we can't remain in the gauntlet either. That will wear us down and never become a warrior, and we can't remain in our weeping, um, or we'll just become this depressed person who never does anything and we'll never get to. You know the turning our morning into dancing, turning ashes into beauty. You know we have to allow God to take the morning into dancing, but you can't skip the morning. That means, I think, we're in a society that's very uncomfortable with grief, very uncomfortable with messy unless it's like Instagram messy where we've already come out the other side and we're so great and we have to remember that there is a time for weeping and there's a time for joy, and neither of those times are to be our entire life exactly exactly how.

Speaker 2: 19:27

How have you? How have you walked through grief? Because I know that definitely has been. Like you said, it's not something that in our society is really I don't know. There's there just isn't a lot of. There's resources, right. But you know, when I had a couple miscarriages right after I was saved, I did, I skipped over it and I was actually in an inner healing session years ago and somebody had asked like, did you grieve these babies? And I said no, yeah, did you grieve these babies? And I said no, yeah. So it's it's interesting you'd bring that up because I wonder if, um, those listening have have maybe skipped over that process. I'm wondering what that looks like for you.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Um, yeah, I mean. So we actually have a song that we play at certain events.

Speaker 1: 20:18

It's called please remember me me and it's a song I wrote for my friend, travis hatch, when I was 18. Um, he was doing like motocross and after the motocross they were just kind of cruising out in the desert or whatever and he flipped over his handlebars, it ruptured his spleen and he died on the way to the hospital. He called his parents and said, hey, I'm fine, just want to let you know I'm on my way to the hospital. But he died and that was like one of the first friends you know and I'm. Not many people have lost a, you know, a close friend that's your same age, at 18. Like usually, you take a few years before that happens. And then it was my brother I sang it at that best friend that jumped off the bridge.

Speaker 1: 21:05

I sang it at her funeral and so I mean through song and we've talked about how powerful songs are in healing and directing and even prophetically, songs can lead you. Places is so powerful about being a worship leader. I tell my band all the time that you know the Lord sent the worshipers out in front of the battle. They were the first ones to go through that. The Lord is with you Again, making those crooked places straight, paving the ways, and he put the worshipers up front, that music, and so I think there are times also that I'm. There's no music, it's just weeping, you know. But from that place, like the seeds of those tears create the songs you know, there's another one, called Reaching Out, that we play at a lot of shows.

Speaker 1: 22:01

The Lord, show Me One, or I mean the please remember me, is not specifically to the Lord, it's more about remembering your loved one, but reaching out talks about. Like you know, lord, you catch every tear in your bottle and my heart and my song is reaching out to you, whether I'm in the heights or in the low, like my heart and my song is reaching out to you and, um, you know, that was again from the seeds of tears that I'm just like, lord, you catch every tear in your bottle and I'm gonna write songs about it and I'm gonna praise you even though I'm in so much pain and you wrote this when you're 18.

Speaker 1: 22:43

I wrote that when I was probably like 31. But yeah, so I've been writing songs since I was like eight. You know you were eight. Yeah, we're still singing ones that I've written since I was 18, but I think I've lost most of the ones that were from like eight years old. But I remember sitting on a bench. At like eight years old I had moved to States, I had this friend named Anathia and we would sing Ace of Base songs and like write our own music. I saw the sign.

Speaker 2: 23:15

I remember.

Speaker 1: 23:18

You know, like those picnic benches at like a park. We would be like standing on top of the picnic benches with our arms in the air, like I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, like if anybody having a concert. Oh my gosh, we had a huge concert.

Speaker 2: 23:35

I love this how did you like, was your family musical? Like, how did you let's go back, like yeah, back to how this all began?

Speaker 1: 23:45

um, so you got to see my uh grandmother's piano that was behind me in the video earlier. And um, so she, I was telling you the story. She taught in a tiny little town of 800 people in um southeast southwest, in um Southeast Southwest Kansas and um near Dodge city, if people know where Dodge city is. And uh, from that tiny town of 800 people, her piano students, two of them went to come onto Carnegie hall to play at Carnegie hall in New York. Um, my dad and his brothers they are all played piano, french horn and the.

Speaker 1: 24:23

The funny, a funny story from my dad growing up was um, him and his brothers were playing football and uh, just kind of like uh, without gear and stuff. They were just out in a field playing football together and my dad ran into my, into his brother to catch the ball and his brothers oh, my brother, my dad's teeth went through his lip, into his brother's head and my grandma's driving them to the hospital not saying are you okay, how are you doing? She, because my dad's teeth were through his lip. He's like she goes, you're never gonna be able to play french horn ever again.

Speaker 1: 24:59

Oh, my goodness, that's what she was upset about. He did. He ended up like getting a special mouthpiece and then he healed and he was fine. It just went to say, like how important she went to like the women's Mississippi college for music or university of music, I can't remember. Music was very important to her, so it's like in the blood. My dad definitely had us like playing a keyboard at home when I was young and I picked up guitar at 15 and started writing songs like okay on guitar, um, so yeah, it's, it's uh, at least on my dad's side been pretty musical.

Speaker 2: 25:39

Yeah and the singing. The singing aspect was that I don't know. I just I love hearing people sing. I like my sister sings, I love singing.

Speaker 1: 25:51

I just don't have, like I'm not a professional right get another opinion because I had a family member, and I won't say which one, just to respect all family members um, tell me when I was younger that my voice was nasally, and that followed me, did it? I mean prop, actually I was in an inner healing sozo, uh thing too to where it was then. That was just four years ago. They were like your voice isn't nasally at all, but I had this fear that I might sound nasally because of this voice in my head from an old, you know, from words, yeah, and so I think you know, maybe one person might've said that. But get a few, and especially, we can all train our vocals to a certain level.

Speaker 2: 26:54

Sure and make a joyful noise anyway. Oh, I do, I. I do just see me in my car, in the shower, in my house. So did you like, did you have any training, or did you, um, just start singing and like, how did how did this evolve to a point where you're in a band now? People, yeah, and I've been in.

Speaker 1: 27:07

Some music has been. I call it the isaac. I have put on the altar more than once for the lord, like where I've gone close to professional and then like just sacrificed that isaac and various things um throughout the years. But my mom said that when I was a little toddler, just barely starting to walk, and if she would like lose me in the store she would just follow the singing until she found me.

Speaker 2: 27:31

Oh, so sweet.

Speaker 1: 27:35

And I've had certain coaching before. Sharia Biswinet was the worship leader at our church in Calvary Chapel, capo Beach, when I was young, and she is oh goodness what's his name? It's, it's leaving me.

Speaker 2: 28:01

There's a certain vocal coach.

Speaker 1: 28:02

Hmm, coach Prince, I have a name filing cabinet yeah, um, seth riggs, that's right, she was trained directly under seth riggs, and seth riggs is like the vocal coach of prince and um, lionel, richie and just like all these huge names, and so she was a direct student of his and I did take lessons from her whenever I could.

Speaker 1: 28:25

They were well over $100 even then, and it's funny because I would be leading the worship team that the Lord asked me to come up here and build, and I'm like you know, I pay someone $120 an hour to tell me where my voice sucks, and so I know that you're not asking for this, but if you're willing to you know, receive constructive criticism, let me know, cause it's different when you're not asking or paying for it, like when you pay for it, you're like okay, I need to improve this, I need to do that, I'm investing in this, and that's one thing I teach my, my band and anyone who will listen really like investing our talents.

Speaker 1: 29:07

It's something that's been on my heart for several years now, and like the parable of the talents though you know, talents were an increment of money in that story invest finances, time, energy into our talents, whether that's voice or guitar. My drummer's really great about getting lessons and making sure he's always improving. If we're not investing in our talents, the opportunities God would have given us will go to the one who did just like the parable of the talents.

Speaker 1: 29:41

The one who had 10 already is going to get the one Just like the parable of the talents.

Speaker 2: 29:47

The one who had 10 already is going to get the one from the one who didn't invest Absolutely, and that I mean that crosses over really into anything that gives in right.

Speaker 1: 29:53

Yeah, like if the Lord's giving us a gift in something we can't just think like, oh, I'm so gifted. Yes, right, you've got to invest that gift. If you don't invest that gift, the opportunities the Lord would have given you in that area will go to someone who did invest.

Speaker 2: 30:09

Right, wow, well, and over time I know you said you laid this down, you know, kind of like Isaac, was that challenging? Because I can imagine, as you know, for me, like we all have different things that we're anointed in, right, so I would imagine that this your anointings and, from what I gather from you, you're multi-cautionate as well um, what was that like to you know? Was it a period of time that you just weren't, you know, out there singing kind of more in the hidden places?

Speaker 1: 30:39

would you say, yeah, I think so what happened for me was that, you know, I went to a certain level and the person handling a lot of that, who was a Christian, claim.

Speaker 1: 30:53

I don't know his walk, you know, just wasn't showing up like a Christian and wasn't even showing up sometimes and seemed to be maybe under the influence of things. And I was was like you know what, if you can't manage your life, you can't manage my career and I'm going to just walk away from all of this. And, um, I, yeah, I just I was like Lord, if all you want me to do is like be a small cog in the worship teams of wherever you send me, I'll do that. You know, and for a while I wasn't even on't even on worship teams. After I moved, I was on a worship team in Monaco helping lead that, and then when.

Speaker 1: 31:28

I moved back to the States COVID ended up hitting shortly after and things, and I hadn't really established a home base to do that at. But I think it was good, because there's always that pull. I think, as a creative person and as a musician and someone who is the type of kid who would give a concert on top of a bench in the park, you know, um, there's that pull to be famous or be um shining in your own light in a way, and I think, through the sacrificing the Isaacs, god killed that to a certain extent. You know, and there's still.

Speaker 1: 32:14

I'll have to be in the middle of worship sometimes and say get behind me, satan. If I hear that, like, oh, aren't they going to think your voice is so good or think your voice is so bad, or any of that? I'm like get behind me, satan. This isn't even about my voice and it is about my voice in some ways, but it isn't about what people think about it or what I think about it, or how good I, how complimented I could be, and there's a fine line in that. I once had someone tell me that my voice is so beautiful. They just stopped singing because they wanted to just hear me sing and I was so upset that I was like no, I want you to be praising the Lord. And then a friend of mine her name is Mercedes Dolce and she just has a voice of an angel and I had that same experience where I just stopped singing because I wanted to hear her. It was so, it was angelic.

Speaker 1: 33:10

And so yes, like there is that. Yes, when you have a trained, beautiful, clear voice, you can lead people into his presence in a way that they just want to bask in that, and sometimes that might not even be uttering the words from their mouth for that moment, and that's okay, and then you know. So there's just a balance. I think you know there was a time where I'm like, no, no, it's not about me, you shouldn't you need to be worshiping. But then the Lord gave me the experience with a friend of mine and I was like, oh my gosh, I just want to bask in the beauty of your praise to the Lord.

Speaker 2: 33:47

Yes, well it's. I'm almost hearing like you're, almost. You're like trail guides, right Cause I feel like I'm a trail guide in a different way, but you're you're a trail guide in a in a different way to lead people to the throne room, right, yeah, Through your voice.

Speaker 2: 34:03

And I always find it so fascinating because I love worship music so much. I love just, I'm listening most of the day, honestly, and I often I went to, actually went to the one of the Bethel music concerts last week and I mean it just like takes you in whenever I'm in like a corporate worship event and even with myself, right, but there's definitely certain songs and people and the lyrics that it's basically it's kind of out of this world, wouldn't you say.

Speaker 1: 34:43

Absolutely. And you know, a lot of times we get hired to do like a big Christian festival or someone's vision night for their church. You know, it's usually kind of like a bigger and a very important event that they're hiring us to come in for. And we talked earlier about like how the Lord told you to get combat boots, because there is a battle going on and a lot of times maybe there'll be a lot of new believers or non-believers coming to these events. And so, as I think about, you know, the worshipers leading the battle, that we are preparing the way for this battle to be won, and when I you know, when we get feedback from pastors saying, you know this, many people gave their lives to the Lord last night and I really think it was the songs that you chose and the words that you said in between it, which is, you know, the Holy Spirit leading those words.

Speaker 1: 35:36

Or I told you earlier about like one place that kind of seemed like they were just not going to worship at all, like dry. The room was dry and by the end of it they were on their feet worshiping and, um, one of the organizers wrote me back like you know, hey, that that was fire and we, like everybody wants you back, and not that they want us back, but but they want that experience of being led into his presence and the the darkness being pushed back. You know that particular group. You know there was. It was like recovery and stuff like that, and I think there was a lot of people in there that like wanted recovery but we're not even there yet.

Speaker 1: 36:15

And to have that darkness pushed back and to be in in a place of worship they're like bring them back.

Speaker 1: 36:24

We want that again and again it's it's being prepared for where God's going to send you, and so it's it's about where God calls you to. And again, like you said, that could be anything, not necessarily music, music's my thing, but whatever your thing is that the Lord calls you and you get prepared for that and that. And like when I'm having the band practice, you know I'm like singing the lyrics as I'm biking on my bike at home, like to be able to sing these things while I'm out of breath. You know I'm having the band practice, so that by the time we are our last practice before a show, we're just rehearsing. By the time we are our last practice before a show, we're just rehearsing like we've got it because we need to be prepared for that battle and then know that it's not us. You know that the Lord is winning the battle.

Speaker 2: 37:17

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 37:21

And that we're just saying yes to whatever our part is Like. If we need to be Moses keeping our hands in the air, we have an Aaron and a her on each side. You know, keeping our hands up, like whatever it is, that needs to be our part for the Lord to do what he needs to do.

Speaker 2: 37:32

Wow, well, I have kind of just a maybe a random question for you, and maybe others have have wondered this before and I haven't Googled it or anything, so maybe I it was just saved for you today. Those ear things what is the purpose of that? Is there actually something coming through there? Oh yeah, Tell me all about that.

Speaker 1: 37:57

Have you ever been to a concert and you see those floor wedges that are giving music back to the musicians? No, okay. So there's like some old schools, they have these floor monitors and a lot of churches still have that. We actually bring our own in-air monitors now because a lot of the big churches like I sing at Bayside out here sometimes and they have it Jesus Culture, bethel all of them are going to have full-on tracks in their ears, which at first is really hard to get used to. So in your ears you've got a full-on radio station going on and it has the metronome, so you hear. We also call it the click and it goes tick tock, tick tock. So especially in these big churches, sometimes you're playing with 12 musicians and you're especially in these big churches.

Speaker 1: 38:44

Sometimes you're playing with 12 musicians and you're not. You all haven't all played before together. Yeah, I've always wondered about that. Yeah, like these big churches, when I, when I, sing at bayside, you show up a couple hours early, you run through the set once and then you play. You've and you've maybe never sang with these people before wow, so everyone needs to be on track.

Speaker 1: 39:04

So you've got tracks which is basically like the karaoke version of the song in a way, um, and then you've got the metronome going click, click, click, click, click, click in your ears so that everyone's on and nobody's like have you ever heard a band where they're just like not quite together?

Speaker 2: 39:20

there isn't like. You don't have that because because everyone's on a click.

Speaker 1: 39:31

Oh, they're all, they're clicky, yeah. But I have to tell you, one time I was singing something like super slow, like who am I that the highest king would? Well, you know. And so there was a problem with the tech. And the front of the house is talking to the person running the tech and they're like the password to the computer is five, eight, six, four, three, and I'm like would welcome me.

Speaker 1: 39:51

And it's in my ears going make sure you put it in this way and I'm just trying to keep the song. You know, super slow and all of this is happening and nobody else in the audience knows it, you know, oh, but we just have to keep going, but we have. Yeah, there's a lot of technology these days and at first it was so hard to get used to because I was so used to more of a live band kind of setting where you have no tracks. Um, and some friends of mine, when I first went and sang for Bayside, they had seen me sing with live bands and I'm all over the stage, my band.

Speaker 1: 40:28

So when I was young, one of my PE teachers told me girls don't sweat, they glow. And I told her then I'm glowing like a pig. My band always jokes like I am glowing like a pig by the end of every show because I am all over that stage doing whatever it takes to just bring people into the presence. You know, I'm like, yes, if I have a corded microphone, that's like actually the cord goes into the stage. It is all tangled up by the end of the set. Oh, this is a great visual. Yeah, I'm just like I can't stay still, even when I just lead worship, like me, and a guitar, I'm all over the place.

Speaker 2: 41:09

I love it. And so, yeah, I had a point, Thank you. Well, thank you for you know kind of cluing me into all that, because I mean, when I'm watching you know churches and different you know videos, it's just like how do they do this? Do they practice for a long time, or is it just this?

Speaker 1: 41:36

And so everyone can. The nice thing is, if everybody has the track, everyone can practice to the track, and the track also tells you, like verse two, three, four, and then you go into the verse and, and sometimes, though, the track says chorus two, three, four, five, six, and then you need to go in on the six. But if you have the tracks in advance, everyone can practice to the track. They're practicing to the same thing, and then they come on and they're all together.

Speaker 1: 42:00

When I first started with bayside, though, I didn't have the tracks and I just got thrown up onto the stage and my friends who were used to seeing me all over the stage I was literally just sitting there, kind of tick, tocking back and forth with my body to try to stay on the click, and like just petrified face, and they're coming up to the stage with little heart hands and they're going, smile, smile, and I was just like so trying to stay with all this technology that I wasn't used to. And now that I'm used to it, though, I actually can worship more because, having those guide rails on, I know exactly where I'm going and so I can just be in worship because I don't have to worry about. Is the chorus coming next or is the bridge? The guide tells me and I've practiced it enough times where I know exactly where we're going that's incredible.

Speaker 2: 42:51

So when you see somebody who pops it out, I've wondered like what? Why are they popping it out? They're like I'm done with this thing. Do you know I'm talking about like they'll just, yes, I do so.

Speaker 1: 43:01

It's not great for your ears if you a. Oh, there was a remake of a movie that Lady Gaga was the star in, and I'm trying to think of what it was, but anyway, so you're not supposed to pop it out. It's really bad for your ears. I'm looking up now what the Lady Gaga movie Um, I'm looking up now Lady Gaga movie Um, oh, a Star is Born. So in A Star is Born.

Speaker 1: 43:30

That was part of his problem is he didn't want to use the in-ear monitors and he ended up losing his hearing because, um, and that's what, when I was recording in Toronto, um, I hadn't been doing shows or anything other than church yet.

Speaker 1: 43:44

And so they're like, it's really nice to have you singing, because a lot of these singers go and they perform at all these shows and it blows the hearing and they can't stay on key anymore. And so, like, as a singer, you want to protect your hearing almost as much as your voice, like they are just as important, and so a lot of times they'll pop that ear out because their sound mix isn't great, and like, actually yesterday we were at rehearsal and my sound mix was clipping, so, like when I get to a high note, it would kind of go in the microphone, and so I was singing a song really flat, and so I ended up popping the ear out, which again is not great for my hearing. That way I could hear my own voice. Or sometimes when you're on stage you can hear the house, like where the audience is hearing it. You can hear your own voice. Okay, yeah, so if your sound mix isn't great in there, sometimes people will pop it out, or sometimes people like to listen to the audience.

Speaker 1: 44:46

Um there, are really high quality ones that will help you listen to the audience also, but, um, those are like thousands of dollars fascinating.

Speaker 2: 44:56

So let's let's segue a little bit to what is like what was maybe one of the I'm hearing blooper like what was one of the most um, crazy, blooper-y, like moments that you've had in your singing career.

Speaker 1: 45:12

Oh goodness it's funny because, like, the visceral memory is coming up but not the actual thing. You know, I know that, like I've, I've absolutely had them and I've used them as examples to like my worship leaders to be like. You know, I did this the other day and I just kept going because there's not anything you could have done about it. Praise the Lord, they don't stick with me. That's so good. Like you know, that happened. We move on, yeah.

Speaker 1: 45:46

Well, I wanted you to share, like if you had something that kind of came top of mind, to just come to the point of like and yet you still kept going right, yeah, Something that stopped you from moving, oh, I can remember it was we were leading worship at the church that I came up here to build the worship teams for and uh, we had a couple of songs with like the oh stuff going on and I started singing like the totally wrong ohs like that were from a different song, and all the bands like looking at me trying to figure out how do we play, cause she's singing the wrong song. Oh, my goodness, and I just stopped it and I told the whole congregation I'm sorry.

Speaker 2: 46:30

I'm singing the wrong song.

Speaker 1: 46:31

Man doesn't know where to go and like let's do that again. And I think, just like just coming out with it like it's totally my fault, we're going to try that yeah and there's like trying to cover it up like oh, that's so good.

Speaker 2: 46:46

Wow, well, and you just if you guys have heard she's, she actually has sang for us a little bit. Um, what is your favorite song that you've written? Do you have a favorite? Can you, can you nail one down?

Speaker 1: 47:01

so I can say uh, uh, uh. One of the favorites among like people who've listened to a lot of songs is called half a heart, and that's not a christian song. It's actually a song about me break, getting a broken heart, but it's really like I don't know it's it's a good song, it just is. Um, I've done that.

Speaker 1: 47:22

I did that with some guys from Ghana even, and I took my kind of like countryish version of it and we put it to some Afro reggae pop which was super cool and we made it like almost like reggaeton of Africa type of sounds. And so we've taken these songs and honestly so all of my songs I write with my like basic five guitar chords that I know. Then my bands take some and make some. Just we do kind of like hard rock, christian music and they just take them and make them amazing. And so we have like what we call the smelly cat versions, which is how I wrote them, you know, like Phoebe smelly cat, and then we have the versions that we play and you know it's hard to pick. Maybe Lord Show Me the one that I mentioned earlier that I met I wrote at 18 because I felt I feel like maybe with all the songs. Really the Holy Spirit's just writing them. But I felt like at 18 I didn't even know what half the lyrics in that song really meant.

Speaker 2: 48:27

Like.

Speaker 1: 48:27

I. I wasn't mature enough in my faith to really I knew enough to say, yeah, god, show me how to be the woman you want me to be. But like the rest of it, I feel like I understand more and more, 20 something years later, you know, like in 18, 30, yeah, more than 20 years later like how old am I? It's like prophetic over your life for sure exactly, and I feel like maybe almost all my songs are, because sometimes, like you said, it's the seeds of those tears or seeds of some sort of like groaning prayer that my songs come from.

Speaker 1: 49:08

There's one, so Step Out is one we play at a lot of shows. It's one of those more upbeat songs that you can start the set with and like, get everybody clapping and stuff, and that one's about, you know, stepping into a faith that frees and finding all that we crave in Jesus, so that one's more like a beat. But most of them, you know, are some sort of groaning prayer, like you catch every tear in your bottle. Or there's another one that's like Lord, we say that we love you and we say that we trust you, but only you know if we really trust you. We say these things, but do we really understand how to surrender? Do we really understand how you're there for us?

Speaker 1: 49:53

And the song will be like that you're there always and then it's like you're so much greater than we and the band's going, you know, and it's like you're so much greater than we and the band's going, you know, and it's like you're so much greater than we could understand, so much more than we could comprehend, like we can't even grasp, lord, how great you are and um. So I can't pick a song. Like it's, it's in seasons, you know that one will be a favorite and the other will be, and sometimes I'm like, don't even like a song for a second. Oh, that one's not one of my best or something you know we can get critical of ourselves.

Speaker 2: 50:36

Of course I think everybody can right that's where it's like we need him. We need him in all the things that we do for sure. Well, what? What is on the horizon for you and the band Like?

Speaker 1: 50:53

what are you guys anticipating and dreaming over in all you're doing? You know that's something that we've been talking about a lot lately. I don't think we're going to do the Africa one. You know, if the Lord puts it on our hearts strongly to go, we will, but it hasn't seemed strong on our hearts right now.

Speaker 1: 51:10

I think we're really enjoying, you know, something that's within local flights or, you know, within the United States and maybe doing some more conferences where you can go and lead worship for the whole weekend for a conference, or the whole week, you know, because just seeing the transformation that can happen in the night when the Lord just prepares and we prepare our hearts so much going into these, again, it's not us, it's just us, um, clearing ourselves out to be that vessel and being able to watch the lord pour like this waterfall of blessing through this vessel. I know it's so incredible. So, yeah, maybe conferences, wherever the lord leads, you know, um, yeah, someone said the white house. One time I was like I'd be down, like I used to have a dream of singing at the white house and I'm like, if the lord opened that up, the lord, you know, the lord opens up some of my craziest dreams that I'm like you know you could, who knows?

Speaker 2: 52:19

I mean, from what I've heard about you so far, nothing's, nothing's impossible, and I want to say that over everybody else who's listening today too, Right.

Speaker 1: 52:29

Yeah, and that's one thing I want to mention real quick. Yeah, we talked about walking in miracles earlier. Yes, you know that first time you walk in a huge miracle of like a big leap of faith that the Lord asked you to take, and you listening, and of course it all seems like you did the wrong thing at first, but then you watching it like how the Lord opens doors no man could shut and just blesses you in crazy ways or blesses people through you. Each time you do that, it gets easier, it gets more familiar anyway. Maybe not easier, it might even be more challenging. It gets more familiar anyway. Maybe not easier, it might even be more challenging, but it gets like you're better trained for it and you know how to do it this time and you've got those combat boots and you know going up that rope. You've done a million times and you can go up that rope. That's even higher and even higher and even higher because you've done the short rope.

Speaker 2: 53:21

Yes, that's a whole word right there. Yeah, we could keep going. I might have to have you back again sometime.

Speaker 1: 53:29

I'd love that. I just have really loved our conversation. We probably talked for like an hour and a half or two before we did it's been so wonderful, amazing.

Speaker 2: 53:39

Well, if people are listening in and you know they know somebody, or even themselves who would like to have you, you know, come out at a conference or what have you, what would be the best way for them to get in touch with you, or just get in touch with you in?

Speaker 1: 53:54

general, which you can go to crowncreativitycom or reina-rosecom. They both go to the same spot. So we're crowns of glory and our LLC is crown creativity. I was telling you earlier, we do everything you know through the company. We tie their 10%, get the company it's presented and pay out the band members and I just speaking to, like my speaking is on there for my book and all that stuff as well, um, so yeah, reina-rosecom, it's r-e-i-n-a? Um. Or crown creativitycom, um, our, you know, social media is crown creativity band, um okay, yeah, awesome.

Speaker 2: 54:40

Well, I'll be sure to put all this information in the show notes as well, so you guys can head there if you didn't catch everything. It has been a joy to have you on today. As we close, I would love for you to just think of the one who's listening in and, if you think of anything else that you'd like, to speak over them. And then would you pray us out today? Sure.

Speaker 1: 55:02

For the one, yeah, sure for the one yeah. I would say find your quiet space. For me I literally like praying in the closet.

Speaker 1: 55:18

It's like a sensory deprivation, but maybe yours is nature, maybe whatever, where maybe you can get away from your phone, that still quiet place where you can actually hear the Lord's voice, because his voice is not in the thunder and it's not in the earthquake, it's not in those big screaming things, and we have to get quiet enough to hear the Lord. So I would really say for that one find the place for you that you're still and quiet enough to hear his voice, so that you can go to all these places that the Lord wants you to go, because he has amazing things for you, and all you have to do is listen and say yes.

Speaker 2: 55:55

And go.

Speaker 1: 55:57

So, Lord, we just pray for everyone, god, we pray for everyone under the sound of our voices, lord, that they would be blessed, indeed, that they would seek you and find you, as they seek you with all their hearts, god, and that they would step into a place of walking in miracles.

Speaker 1: 56:22

God, we pray for this world, lord, we pray for peace on earth and goodwill toward men. We pray for revival in our day, god, we pray for your church to rise up as your spotless bride, and we thank you that we can be a cog in that wheel, lord, that we can just be a small part of your body, whether we are the fingernail or the hand. God, that we get to be a part of this. We praise you, lord, for all that you're doing, for all the ways you're going before us and making crooked places straight. We praise you that, despite what may come, whatever trials and tribulations, we can look to your face, god, and we can remain in a peace that surpasses all understanding. We can have joy overflowing, and I pray this for everyone listening now, god, that they would be full of the fruits of your spirit that they would ask and receive In Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 2: 57:24

Amen, amen. Reina, thank you so much and thank you for being a brave voice who is setting others free. So I'm going to close with our anchoring verse for Hope, unlocked it's. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope, and that's Romans 15, 13. So cannot wait to have you on another time in the future. We will be back with another episode next week. Thanks, listeners, take care. Thank you.