Mission 50/50

Thursday, 16 February 2012 08:20 Written by ojbravo

We’ve all heard the statement so many times (and even uttered it a few times ourselves):  “I just want to know God’s Will for my life…” – followed by a resolute pledge to immediately execute His instructions, if we knew them – “so I could just move forward and do it!” Fortunate for us, God has already told us all (very plainly) what His Will is for each of our lives: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Read More...

Great Teachers Create Great Students

Monday, 26 September 2011 11:52 Written by ojbravo

I was recently asked the following question: “If 80% of our nation’s public secondary schools are failing, and of those failing schools only about 10% of the parents are committed to improving the situation, then aside from public boarding schools, what other strategies are left if those schools really want to make immediate improvements? In short, how do educators at failing schools get so many non-participating parents to help their children succeed?” Here was my answer: When a person seeks to create social change, their expectation must be that the process will be ̶ Read More...

deepStream Guatemala

Thursday, 18 August 2011 21:23 Written by ojbravo

This is someone’s house…   Hidden away in the mountains over looking Guatemala City, there sits small village called Buena Vista (meaning “good view”). At just over 7,000ft in elevation, the air is cool and the streets are incredibly steep. A little over three years ago, you would have found the majority of the “homes” had outer walls made of adobe mud, tree branches strung together, and a patchwork of corrugated tin sheets (referred to as “laminas”). The floors were dirt, the roofs leaked, there is no electricity, no running water, the ba Read More...

My Thanksgiving List

Wednesday, 24 November 2010 12:55 Written by ojbravo

A wise person once said:  ”Happiness isn’t having what you want, but wanting what you have.” Often times, I think we spend too much time focusing on the things we don’t have rather than enjoying, appreciating, and sharing the the things we do have.  In my understanding, God doesn’t bless us just so that we can be blessed…  God blesses us so that we can bless others with our gifts.  From that perspective, I’d like to share with you some of the many, many blessings that I’m thankful for this holiday season in an effort to focus on the plethora Read More...

The Original Super Hero

Sunday, 07 November 2010 11:49 Written by ojbravo

While speaking to a group of high school students on a mission trip in Costa Rica, I posed this question to the group:  ”According to American Society, what defines a REAL MAN?” Immediately, hands shot up and the students (both guys and girls) started shouting answers like “a nice car”, “a big house”, “a boat”, “muscles”, “money”, “a good job”, “fame”, and of course “a guy who hooks up with lots of girls”.  Though these students were part of a group that was building houses for poor p Read More...

Does Jesus Hate Gay People?

Thursday, 05 August 2010 12:03 Written by ojbravo

One of the most controversial issues in American Society today is the the issue of Gay Marriage.  Generally, the media characterizes the debate as Republican vs. Democrat, Conservative vs. Liberal, and Christian vs. Non-Christian. Unfortunately, like most all generalizations, the lines are just not that clear cut… As a “follower of Jesus Christ”, I tend to be automatically labeled as a “Gay-Hating-Right-Wing-Conservative-Christian”, even though that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Quite candidly, it saddens / angers me to see people who claim to foll Read More...

Definition of Family

Tuesday, 03 August 2010 12:06 Written by ojbravo

There is no greater blessing than “family”.  Why?  Because a REAL FAMILY is the only place that the unconditional (agape) love of God exists. Real families come in all shapes and sizes…  Large, small, fat, conservative, loud, many kids, no kids, biological, social, etc.  But one thing that all Real Families have in common is that 100% guarantee of love and acceptance for all its members.  Now, I know that many people reading these first few words will be moved by thoughts of their own families.  And at the same time, I know that even more people will be asking the ques Read More...

Husbands: Love Your Wives

Tuesday, 13 July 2010 11:55 Written by ojbravo

One of the most misused verses in the entire Bible comes to us from the Book of Ephesians, Chapter 5:22-24…Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. For centuries, I believe these three short verses have been used to oppress the women of cultures all around the world.  Even now, I can imagine the men reading this beginning to puff up their chests and grunt like “Tim Read More...

Project 50 / 50

Tuesday, 06 July 2010 12:47 Written by ojbravo

Several years ago, while contemplating the idea of leaving my successful corporate career to pursuit a life of service in the mission field / non-profit business sector, I found myself running into the same circular argument over and over again:  Do I want to help others because it makes me feel good, or do I help others because they simply need help (and it’s what God called us all to do – Love your neighbor)?  Was I wanting to do the right thing, for the wrong reason? If I wanted to serve others because it made me feel good, then my motivation was of selfish ambition and perso Read More...

Got A Better Story (Letter to Donald Miller)

Tuesday, 08 June 2010 12:50 Written by ojbravo

Dear Mr. Miller, My name is Omar Jesus Bravo and I am writing you to say thanks…  For inspiring me to “get a better story”, follow Jesus Christ whole-heartedly, and live a “page-turner” life! It all started in February of 2007 when I saw you speak at the Fusion / Right Now Conference in Orlando, Florida.  At the time, I was working as an Account Manager at a Fortune 100 Company, I had a six-figure salary, and I was a year removed from my divorce.  Money, materialism, and the American Dream had been my Lord for quite sometime (which was a huge contributor to m Read More...

Free Milk (Living Together Before Marriage)

Sunday, 06 June 2010 12:21 Written by ojbravo

“Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”I’ve heard this phrase a thousand times, as I’m sure you have too… Always from males, in reference to females, with regards to sex and marriage.  From a business perspective, the statement makes perfect sense.  Even so, I don’t think I’ve ever met a female who is a fan of this statement.  Why do you think that is?At first glance, I believe females detest this statement (despite it’s business logic) because it promotes a lack of marital commitment from males, and no female wishes to be taken Read More...

Attitude & Perspective

Wednesday, 02 June 2010 11:53 Written by ojbravo

Positive or Negative, your attitude is 100% contagious.  Just think about it:  Have you ever been around someone who had a really negative attitude?  And didn’t that person seem to just bring a bad vibe into every social circle they entered into?  Likewise, have you ever been around someone with a positive attitude?  Not an artificial, ignorance-is-bliss attitude, but a genuine, optimistic, hopeful attitude…  And what was your experience?  In general, I have found that society is so absolutely apathetic (nobody cares!) that when someone with passion and hope walks in, people Read More...

The Super Hero In You

Tuesday, 25 May 2010 12:20 Written by ojbravo

The flagship article of Real Men Defined is The Original Super Hero as it is displayed on the homepage.  Thus, as Jesus Christ is the Original Super Hero, it only makes sense that we each have a Super Hero inside of us…  Right?Again, Jesus is a Super Hero, we have the Holy Spirit in us, thus we have a Super Hero in us.  I.e. We are (at least) part Super Hero…  Right?I apologize if I’m being redundant here, but though I believe the logic is easy to follow, I question whether or not many of us actually believe that we are really part Super Hero.  After all, the world and Read More...

Believing vs. Following

Monday, 17 May 2010 11:57 Written by ojbravo

For the first 26 years of my life, I was a believer in Jesus Christ.  I went to church every Sunday, I completed all of my sacraments (having grown up in the Catholic church), and I even spoke to God regularly (but mostly, if not entirely, when I was in need of something)…  There was no doubt in my mind that God did exist.  I had excepted Him as my “Savior”, but in no way, shape, or form was He my “Lord”.Then, on February 06, 2006, I was at a service where I heard a man give the following scenario:  [He said] “Imagine that after you die you go the gates Read More...

Stop Going To Church

Monday, 10 May 2010 12:02 Written by ojbravo

A close friend of mine once told me “Sunday Morning Service is like a Pep-Rally for the Big Game of Life that takes place Monday thru Saturday”. I couldn’t agree with this more…  For “church” is not something that happens on “Sunday Morning”. Neither is “church” a building, a ceremony, nor an event. The “church” is the “people”. And without the people (followers of Jesus Christ), there is no church.  That said, if all you do is “go to church” on Sunday mornings, I ask that you stop. That’s Read More...

Under Armour Boxer Briefs

Saturday, 17 April 2010 12:53 Written by ojbravo

In general, I believe we are to be good stewards of our financial blessings and not waste money. That said, I have always believed that there are three things that you should not “cut corners” on when purchasing (if at all possible): Shoes, a Mattress (bed), and a Car.  If you don’t have the best home stereo, the nicest lawn mower, or the greatest microwave, you might notice a slight inconvenience in your life from time to time. But, if you have crappy shoes or a worn out mattress, I guarantee you that your back will remind you of this fact every single day when you wake up Read More...

John 3:17 – Jesus Saves

Monday, 12 April 2010 11:59 Written by ojbravo

It seems that the most quoted, most popular, and most celebrated verse in the Bible is John 3:16… “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” So popular is this verse that it can often be found being held up by screaming football fans in the stands of the NFL. But as wonderful as the message of the John 3:16 is, I believe that the Good News of the Gospel is left incomplete and lacking the full glory of it’s intended context if it stands alone, separated from 3:17… “Fo Read More...

The Rhino Crash

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 12:05 Written by ojbravo

The following was adapted from the book “The Barbarian Way” by Erwin McManus: It’s a swarm of bees and a colony of ants. A pod of whales, a school of fish, a flock of birds. But wait, they get better: A pride of lions, an ambush of tigers, a committee of buzzards, and a flamboyant of flamingos… “But my favorite of all is the group designation for rhinos. You see, rhinos can run thirty miles an hour, which is pretty fast when you consider how much weight they’re pulling. Just one problem with this phenomenon. Rhinos can see only thirty feet in front of them. Can you im Read More...

Where Have All The Real Men Gone?

Monday, 22 March 2010 12:49 Written by ojbravo

There is a stereotype in American Society that Men have gotten soft. Gone are the days of generations pasts, where “Father Knows Best” and “Ward Cleaver” stood tall. The prominent male figures in present media are known more for their athletic triumphs and off-the-field antics than they are for their values and integrity. If it’s not cheating on the field (steroids in baseball anyone?) then it’s cheating off the field (see Kobe Bryant / Tiger Woods). But let’s not just single out the Professional Athletes… Our politicians have had their fair sha Read More...