Relevant Messages from Pastor John David
...a unique voice.
My name is John David Delgado. I was born to Mary Jane Delgado and Damaso Adolfo Delgado in Houston, TX. My mother was a native of Oklahoma and my father was from La Paz, Bolivia. My first 8 years were spent in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. I moved back to the United States when my parents divorced. My brother and two sisters along with my mother went to live in Houston, Texas with my grandmother in her two bedroom apartment. I was too young to understand the reasons for the divorce. I didn’t understand the pain my mother was going through after years of my fathers abuse and multiple infidelities. All I knew is that our parents were divorcing and that we were struggling financially. Anger and bitterness began to grow in my heart.
One day while I was in New York City, I remember being asked by a girl in Grand Central Station a few questions on my “Philosophy of life.” She asked me, “What do you think the biggest problem in the world is today?” I answered, “That’s easy - world governments!” She asked me (taking notes), “Do you have a solution for this problem?” I answered, ‘That’s easy also, create a one world government!” She asked me, “What do you think a person has to do to go to heaven?” I responded, “Easy again - nothing! Everybody is going to make it back to god after we learn what we need to learn through the process of reincarnation.” She then shared the story of Christ to me. I walked away from that conversation saddened, “How can such a pretty young lady be so deceived with such a dumb religion as Christianity.
Six months later, I went back to Houston and started attending community college.A student asked me to answer some questions, so I did. “What do you think the biggest problem in the world is?” he asked. I said, “Wait a minute! Are you guys following me? I spoke with one of you people six months ago in New York City!” I began meeting with these Christians every day. I debated them about the nature of God and man, the meaning of life and eternity!
One day while reading the Bible, I read 1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I had to ask my Christian friends. “Are you saying I can KNOW I HAVE eternal life NOW?” “Yep,” they responded. “How can anybody be sure? Doesn't it depend on how good or bad we are?” My friend from the campus ministry explained again to me, “No it depends on what we do with Christ.” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me.” When you trust in Christ you are believing that he died for your sins to pay the price that you could never pay, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus!”
I trusted in Christ that night. My life was forever changed. I learned to love God and love others with His love. I forgave my parents for their divorce and was able to love them unconditionally. I started devouring the Bible. I started sharing Christ with others on campus. If the message of the Bible was true, I had to tell everybody! I followed Jesus in obedience in baptism and was committed to sharing the gospel with as many people as I could and making disciples of all the nations. That was 1988, and I have been following Jesus ever since. I reasoned, “If He gave His life for me to save me for an eternity, there is nothing I could ever do to repay Him. His cause is the only one worth giving my life to.”
Thanks!
Before I knew the Lord, my heart was disposed to helping people. I loved the idea of personal growth and helping people in life. I think the divorce of my parents and the challenge of having an alcoholic mother wired me to be a helper to others. When I got saved as a part of the campus ministry, I was sold out to Jesus. After my first reading of the New Testament I reasoned - There is no greater thing I could do with my life than to serve Christ and the world by evangelizing the lost and making disciples who make disciples. I knew that serving the Lord was my call as a lifestyle and career. I committed to serve Christ full time the rest of my life. I was a campus missionary for 11 years. Later I transitioned from campus missionary to working at a local church. That calling to the pastorate was affirmed in my heart and by others when I was ordained by the deacon board at Del Sol Church en El Paso in 2001.
My top three spiritual gifts are Teaching, Leadership and Evangelism. I love teaching the Bible and helping others understand and apply it. I love building up others and mentoring them so they can mentor others. I love sharing the good news with people far from Christ and seeing them find hope and new life. That drive is what made me do campus ministry, then youth pastor, then small groups pastor and eventually senior pastor for the past 13 years.
My Personal mission statement is that I am:
* Committed to my personal walk with God and guarding my heart.
* Committed to my family as my first ministry
* Committed to relational transformational team leadership.
* Committed to missional living.
* Committed to mentoring and multiplication.
* Committed to city and global impact.
* I am committed to not repeating my mistakes.
* I believe that healthy people in safe relationships guided by intentional systems and specific habits can produce AWESOME results!
I desire to be used of God with all of the gifts and talents that He has given me for the GREATEST possible impact for His glory and the greatest good I have to offer.I believe being a Senior Pastor of a healthy expression of the body of Christ is a perfect way for me to live out my personal Mission.
THANKS
1. A Visionary Leader - in the guidance of the Holy Spirit working with the top level leaders of the Church, the Senior Pastor facilitates the Vision and Direction of the Church. Vision is vital for moving the organization forward and mobilizing the church family towards missional behaviors that help the church fulfill the great commandment and commission. - Proverbs 29:18, Jeremiah 29:11
2. An Exponential Servant Leader - As Senior Pastor, a servant leadership culture starts at the top. Coaching emotionally healthy leaders who can train others and move with the vision is vital. Empowering servant leadership in the Senior Pastor position allows other leaders to lead and yet maintains an eye on the vision to keep team alignment and support. A servant leader is humble, creating a cooperative humble leadership culture that allows people to be flawed and yet growing. Leading with a view to the potential in those being led creates exponential possibilities. As the Senior Pastor sees the potential in others and sees his role as helping them develop that potential, the Church always has a new generation of leaders being developed. A culture of multiplication, gift and talents based delegation is not just to be seen in the life of the Senior Pastor, but rather to become the culture of all leadership in the church at all levels. Servant leadership in the Senior Pastor is discipleship being modeled from the top down. - Mark 9:35, John 12:26; Philippians 2:6-8
3. Christ-Centered Biblically Grounded Communication - From the pulpit to staff meetings, strategic meetings, planning and organizing for the future of the Church - the Pastor leads the way in keeping the work of the Church centered on Christ and His Word. The values, mission, purpose of the church get lost when leadership strays from the resurrected Jesus and His revealed word as found in the canon of Scripture. The Senior Pastor, working with the senior teams must strive to keep the word of God central. It is the word of God that speaks truth to the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. The very existence and purpose of the church is grounded in the word of God. Luke 11:28; Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 4:4
4. (Bonus Role) - Prayerful Dependence - Colossians 4:2;Matthew 21:22; James 5:16
THANKS!
The simple answer to your question is BOUNDARIES! I have found that the needs of ministry are never ending. My security and identity is found in Christ, not in how many people I help… My family is my actual first ministry. I married my wife, not the Church. My son can go to different churches, but he only has one father.
Expectations of the church and family need to be clearly communicated up front so there is no misunderstanding. I schedule calendaring and planning meetings with my wife. We plan weekly family activities, monthly retreats, date nights and align our family schedule with my church schedule.
I usually take Fridays and Saturdays as my off days. This allows me to keep a weekly Friday Night family meal and “sabbath” to honor God and pray over and bless each other. Our weekly time grounds our family - reminding us that each week is a gift from God. We usually have a time of gratitude - I want my son to grow up grateful and not bitter. We remember how good God has been to us. Our family day “sabbath” also helps remind my family of our need for rest and faith. We will never “get it all done”. There will always be more to do. Giving ourselves a day to rest is a gift from God to us and reminds us to trust, obey and remember the Lord our God.
I have my secretary screen and schedule requests to meet with me from the church. Unless it is a life or death situation, I schedule hospital visits, and counseling sessions. I also delegate many of these things to active deacons and elders of the church.I have a personal habit tracker that I use weekly to pray with my wife regularly, and play/be with my son regularly.
THANKS!
The Bible tells me to guard my heart and to be on guard for myself. I take my emotional health and inner life seriously. I know my weaknesses and have to make no provision for the flesh. So I have a two fold approach to maintain my walk with the Lord.INPUT Management.
I have a morning devotional/planning/prep time where I try to focus my life on a few things. I spend some time spiritually reading scripture and meditating. I pray for my day looking at my calendar and putting things before the Lord. I also usually listen to a leadership podcast and take notes.
I end the day with prayers with my son.I take time to listen for the Lord. When I am driving I have times of silence to think about things and pray. During my sermon prep times I am listening for the Lord as well as studying for the message.I journal thoughts and activities to remind myself what God has been doing in my life.
DISTRACTION management.
I seek to avoid things (media, entertainment, etc.) that take away from my relationship with the Lord. I try to keep my morning routine because it allows me to focus on my positive inputs and connection with the Lord to stay focused. I delete apps from my phone if they become distractions. I try to slow down to try to “be” with God more than “do” for God. I want my being to drive my doing…
Much of my walk with the Lord is connected to small daily habits that I have picked up throughout the years of my walk with the Lord. Friday night dinner with my family includes prayers and blessings over each other and the presence of the Lord. My morning and evening rituals include prayer and scripture. My daily work includes prayers and Bible Study. I view my job with the Church not as a business transaction as “Pastor” but as a personal relationship asking the Lord to guide my work to impact the people whom I minister to for my Lord’s kingdom.
In my younger days as a believer on campus ministry, my devotions and quiet times were routines and “have to’s”. The disciplines were not guided by a heart desperate, but a heart obedient. God loves obedience, but a humble and contrite heart He will not despise. In that I say - if I miss my disciplines now I FEEL THE LOSS. It pains my heart to stray. So I find it easier to keep my spiritual disciplines than to not. My journaling has allowed me to see this joy made full. In my lists above, I don’t move in legalistic “have-to” but a heartfelt pursuit of the One who had pursued me my whole life.
THANKS!
