Bible Students

this episode we have special guest David Diaz the dean of men at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Twin Peaks California today David’s going to talk about what discipleship looks like for him as the Student Life coordinator for men on campus and how he lives Life as a great commissioned Christian while living on campus with the guys and also how he represents Christ to non-believers so David why don’t you begin by talking about your background a little bit and just where you’re coming from yeah thanks job and well I grew up in the church uh but it wasn’t until I was 21 that the Lord broke my heart and uh called me to live alive entirely for him and um so I I left College I started working uh first as a as a professional sky diver for two years uh where the Lord grew a lot of just a personal relationship with him um in in just in a work a secular work environment then uh he called me to get more prepared for the ministry so he called me to Bible College and I went to car Chapel Bible College in Mora California where it was and I studied there in person for two years after that I had some opportunities to serve in different parts of the world uh first it was Austria then it was Spain um I I was also blessed by just the Lord giving me opportunity to travel uh places like Israel and and being there for for some period of time um after that they hired me here back in the Bible College as as a de of men so I have been working here for the last almost two years and yeah I’m currently here yeah that’s awesome um so you attended the M campus for 2 years um were you like a dorm Steward or an intern during that time at all yeah uh I was a dorm Steward and I also had the opportunity to be a TA teacher assistant that was awesome getting to learn like and get to know a lot of pastors and uh I think that grew me a lot and I was also an intern about one semester as a media intern I didn’t know anything about media they just put me there because they needed someone and it was a very Growing Experience uh I learned almost everything from YouTube um but it was great it was just a just a good opportunity to serve and to be stretch uh so yeah definitely um what what was your experience with being a dorm Steward you know I think that stting is well I I want I say first that I I was really looking forward to that because I I have always like teaching since I was was young um in skydiving that was my job I was teaching skydiving um and when I became a a Believer and and learning Bible I was like this is a perfect combination of two things that I love right like teaching the Bible and and uh just yeah those those two passions Bible and teaching right um so and just helping people right like being there for people and thorm stting is that like just uh um being there for for the needs of of the guys right and um so it was a blessing I I was blessed by just the people that God put in my room um the the ways that they grew me and the the ways that I was able to help them uh just I think what I one of the things I learned the most is just importance of of love right of of of loving them rightly and um trying to nothing from selfish ambition kind of um did I do mistakes yes I did many but U but yeah it was it was just a sweet time definitely you mentioned going to Israel was that just a part of a tour or were you there for the campus I was there for the campus I did a semester there at bible college few months in Israel yeah tell me about that how how was that that was good I think that I I actually was able to go with one of the the people I disciple uh this guy when I was at thorm Stewart uh this guy from Colorado he he was a young believer and he asked me to disciple him I that was exactly what I was praying for so he We Had A year-long discipleship uh where I just you know poured into to him and taught him everything I knew um and he was it became a very very good friendship and I was able to go with him also to Israel so it was just good I had a lot of learning a lot of good time with friends um and just seeing a lot of the places where you know you have been reading in scripture and and just being able to see them in person it definitely kind of changes a of how you read how you read the new test the Bible and uh and yeah yeah he was you know a lot of growth there and yeah it was awesome yeah um so tell me a little bit more about your time in the church so um volunteering or or working or something like that you mentioned that you that yeah so uh it was I think anyone who has gone to Bible College can say how it’s it’s hard to commit to a church sadly because all your friends are like sons of a pastor and they have all different churches and a lot of times you go here and there so that was I I think that was the biggest challenge in Bible College uh to just be part of the local church and and be there but I was able to what what I was doing in Spain I did a p internship in in Spain where I was you know there just in the church serving the church um every almost daily and and definitely that was that was good to learn how to be part of just said the one of the team the leadership team of the church um and committing there um but but I would say that uh the sweetest time that I had in the church was actually before Bible College where um where I was just a a faithful member let’s say uh someone who was just going serving in their un scene and and just being there to be poured in and and being discipled by by the pastor uh so yeah I think that’s that’s the thing that’s the best thing you can do at all and any time just being part of the local church serving Faithfully there and loving the people there and love you know letting them serve you also definitely and then uh you me you just mentioned a pastoral internship in Spain tell me about that what what was that yeah so that the the the former president of the Bible College uh his name is Dave Shirley he he contacted me with his Pastor in Spain U rap RAF Elman and and he he was able to just serve under him for uh it was it was not long it was almost a semester long in in back in 2021 and basically what I learned a lot it was just how like just being seeing all the needs that the a local church has and and kind of being part of the decisions there and um seeing how the pastor served uh the congregation you know and just being a helper alongside him and just seeing how how to do how to that mhm yeah so it seems like all your time at the local church and well and at the church in Spain and at the Bible college has prepared you pretty well for this job so tell me what what has this job been like for the last two years yeah U well I I’m say I love it I love I love I love my job by the grace of God he has given me a job that I love and um since I came to Bible College my first semester I I saw this job and you know the de of men just something that like like a so like a cool thing to do you know like not in a yeah just I would say just in a in a being paid for uh just being there for people and talking with people loving them like I was like what a blessing um so it was just an answer to prayer from like the last almost five years um so yeah being here is what I do basically is just seeing the the needs of that the guys have on campus and and seeing how to fulfill those needs um you know serving them in in the ways that they need uh a lot of it is just practicality you know how like to put them how to organize the rooms right how to how me stores we need how many uh how many things we need for the events you know things very practical and also just discipleship things how um we meet weekly with the dorm stewards and just saying how how are they doing what are their needs uh any problems that they’re struggling with um when when students have just a problem with just personal or academics even and how to how to counsel them through that and so a lot of the work that I Do I Do It alongside an in um that is a of Ben intern and we we try to just you know be aware of of what guys are going through and just seeing how we can be there for them yeah so I believe you’ve had four dean of men interns throughout your two years here is that correct yeah mhm um and you’ve had dozens of of male dorm stewards um what does that look like for you to for you to be living life with those four interns throughout the past 2 years and the the dozens of of dorm STS yeah um definitely there’s it’s some thorm stores are very let’s say very easy to deal with some thorm stores are not as easy to deal with uh thankfully I have my interns uh have all all have been friends so that has been good and and just just a blessing to work alongside with them I think what I at least I tried to do is to focus my attention mainly on them the interns uh because they will be the ones who are able to focus more on the dorm STS and and and the guys uh so what what I have tried to do is just to spend a lot of time with the with my entrance in in not only in the Practical things but also just in Fellowship know just going out to e and going doing activities together and I think that’s a lot of the discipleship good discipleship is uh is developing in just the the normal daily life and seeing how how another Christian does Simple Life so so yeah that has been kind of my goal with the inurance um and with arm STS the relationship is not as close because of time as you said like normally we have around 10 DM STS per semester so it’s very hard to have a close relationship with each of them but but our goal is always to at least be aware of where they are weekly and and how can we you know counsel them we definitely and I know that as a part of your job you’ve taught Chapel you’ve hosted uh Proverbs readings um you’ve like you were saying you’ve met up with with lots of guys who’s going and doing fun activities or eating food um can you can you tell me about that like hosting events and um I know that you host events with the dorm stewards at least in the beginning of the semester um what what is that like yeah actually that’s one of my favorite part of the jobs I think so um teaching chapels have as I mentioned earlier I love teaching the Bible so that has been an amazing opportunity to continue developing that gift and one of the things that I have enjoy the most is the one of the semesters did a teaching workshop where the guys that felt called to teach were part of the worship and we we went through the book of Colossians together and we had around 20 guys teaching the book of Colossians so we went through all the book and each of them taught around like three or four verses each uh so so that was amazing I think just being able to host that even when I haven’t teach the the workship let’s say a lot of times it was just being the host of a a setting where people can teach and people can like hear from each other and and developing Fellowship around the world I think that’s kind of my main goal on those groups that is not hear like no let’s get together hear me out I’m going to be your teacher just hear what I said and do what I say no but it’s like let’s come together as men with one goal that is you know to know God and and how can we together as a council of men uh see scripture read script scripture and see and try to unpack it together um and and you you always I think surprise of like sometimes people that you would never think that I don’t know they have an Insight of this suddenly you know by the Holy Spirit they they say something that is just given by the Lord and and and we all learn from it so yeah that has been that has been amazing just to have Fellowship around the word um with brothers and and developing friendship and developing a relationship with the Lord yeah definitely so looking back over your whole your whole career here and before in the church as an intern um even uh doing skydiving what are some lessons the Lord has taught you through all that about representing Christ to non-believers and living life with Believers yeah I think going back for I think my earliest years in you know following the Lord that was when I was in a secular job I look at that I think as one of the sweetest years where my whole like Focus was just to spend time with the Lord like and and you know what I mean when you just get broken by the Lord and and then you get saved and and for the first like months you just want want to know to tell everybody about Jesus and just want to be with him at all times and and having a secular job where I didn’t have people to talk about the Lord it definitely led me to just trying to be more alone with the Lord and and that was just such a sweet thing that sadly when you’re in Ministry a lot of times you leave behind and because you think sometimes that the time that you’re taking in the word preparing a sermon or being in yeah leading one of these groups that that in some somehow takes the the the time the personal time with the Lord um so my advice is never let Ministry take that time um in prayer and and spending time in the word uh so my advice my biggest advice is develop a habit from the beginning right now today of taking time in the morning I I would say 15 minutes is not enough like I would always say know like put at least like an hour I would of of just being in in Fellowship of you and the Lord um reading scripture and praying and I think that is that is everything I would say just developing a good prayer life and reading scripture as much as you can letting the word reach in you uh dwell in you richly those two things are I think are at the basis of everything you know being being reminded of the Gospel so um yeah that that I think is the only advice that I could give of spend time in the word spend time in prayer daily and everything comes from there like never put something else above that whether you’re in Ministry or not um because Ministry doesn’t satisfy so yeah that’s my that’s my advice yeah um through your time in Ministry what have you found that just doesn’t work um in terms of discipling other people I think what I have and I this is actually a very fresh lesson uh sadly after so so many years but it is um not praying before giving an advice I think a lot of times we are full by thinking oh I have gone through that God has teached me through I don’t know my my years on on that issue or or or these years on Ministry or because I I know this situation I have seen this situation before or I have just read this in scripture I know how to give advice on this right and and the has for advis or you know that in disciple ship you know Council and we are fast to give the advice we hear and then immediately we say oh yeah you should do this or that or I recommend this and that before coming to the Lord and asking okay Lord what what do you want out of this you know like what what do you want me to tell this guy and and that’s where I have seen like just a lot of error in my advice um even though the advice might not be wrong because it’s still biblical Maybe wasn’t the time to give it maybe maybe I should have emphasized something different maybe I should just have waited and so so I think that’s that’s what it doesn’t work not to pray you know to to go with the inertia of yesterday to think that what you have experienced what you have learned is what is going to keep you moving and and that’s I think the greatest mistake that I have done is no it’s it’s daily today Lord like give me today your daily bread my daily bread give it to me today uh tell me how to disciple today tell me what advice I need to you today uh and before every meeting just just praying okay Lord you you teach us you you counsel us you give the advice on in this specific meeting um because not doing that is a lot of times will lead to even if it doesn’t lead to disaster it would lead to un knock down unfruitfulness definitely um what challenges have you faced with uh orchestrating meetups so you’re scheduling things with with people with the interns with dorm stewards with students um what challenges have you faced um just with bringing that together and in the moment are there are there things that are unhelpful um yeah yeah I think one of the things that I have learned of things that are helpful is is to think that you need to solve every issue right to say yes to every to everyone and even though some you can come from a good desire of like wanting to help and being available it it ends up just overbooking and then you don’t have time and then you need to then you need to decide appoint people by saying oh never mind I won’t have time right um so I think what the challenges is just knowing when to say no and knowing what to prioritize a lot of times people tell us what we should prioritize but it’s not the right things to prioritize um so the challenge that I have and and I learned that especially here and in my work in in Austria that is is a similar job because because he leading a a summer of service team um that is if it’s not urgent if he can wait a lot of times you need to say no deal with the thing that is urgent then come back to it and trusting that the Lord will take care of the person meanwhile and not thinking that you’re the Savior that needs to solve that person like solve the issue right there right uh so yeah and then just prioritizing the people I’m discipling prioritizing the entrance and then letting other issues trusting that Lord the Lord will handle those and that I don’t I’m not I’m not the Savior you know I’m not the one who needs to fix every issue yeah MH have you felt it uh difficult or kind of freeing to uh delegate responsibility for uh for dorm Stewarts to your interns yeah that’s that’s I think both uh to be honest it was very difficult at first and it’s still difficult I don’t want to say oh yeah I’m pass that no like it’s still difficult but I think at first it was so much more uh I come from I have OCD and I come from a family where my dad is just a good he’s he’s good at what he does and and he tends to do everything because he knows that he you know the typical like the saying that if you want something to don’t good like or right do it yourself right so he he has that mindset a lot and I used to have that very grain whereas like I knew that if I needed to do like if something needed to be done I I should just do it so it was almost impossible to delegate I was like I would kind of delegate but then get frustrated and then do it myself that that’s what I did a lot uh so it has been that process where the Lord has just give like remind me of like hey like this is not your ministry this is not on me like and and I need to trust others as people has have trusted me also right so I think one of the things that has helped me a lot in that process of just delegating is understanding and and and trusting that that there will be mistakes and they’re okay as I I have made many mistakes and God has solved them and God has redeemed them and God has restored me right and they same with the people I’m delegating stuff like thorm stories will messed up yeah but that’s okay that’s why we’re here that’s why you know we are in a community where God will use to restore us and redeem our mistakes the same with the intern so I think thankful y not that I pass that like I’m still working through that but the Lord has I would say yeah the Lord has been merciful and breaking some of that in me that to now be like okay like I I’ll give these task to you know the thorm STS or the interns and and trust that it will work out and even if they do a mistake or they do it wrong maybe that’s exactly what the Lord wanted and how he wanted to do it right um and just letting God be the one who’s doing the work and not trying to do it myself for sure and another important part of your job is discipline on campus um what are some challenges that have come with that um maybe challenges with um restoring an individual like what you’re talking about um or just um personal grief over that how do you how do you do that yeah I think this semester has been very challenging that I every year I take around one to three guys that I disciple for a year and I commit to them and I try to give myself to them and this semester I needed to dismiss one of them for disciplinary issues and it’s exactly what you’re saying is someone that I loved that I care for so much and that I did not want him to leave at all like I wanted into to stay but because we’re in a school that we need to follow you know our own house uh guidelines housing guidelines and all of these needing to dismiss him is definitely something very hard to do but I think what I have learned is just trusting that the Lord has brought discipline as a means of his grace and that he will use it for good and and not trying to to to solve that in in a way that can show partiality or that is going to eventually affect the person more by letting him get his own way right and and one of well with your question also I think that that the hardest thing in discipline is not to take the decision in the flesh right whether that if if someone did something very wrong and I just want to like kick him out because of you know the the the severity of his sin let’s say but or or the opposite of saying I don’t want to kick someone out because of you know I love him or something but to trust okay Lord like what do you want to do in this situation um and and the hard thing is is just to to not act until we have prayed and we believe that God has given us the direction to take in that specific situation and not just try to go with like okay we used to deal with these things like this we’re just going to deal it works we’re just going to do it as it was it’s like no what does God want to do with this specific situation how like what does God want us to do you how how much discipline how much grace let’s say um yeah how to deal with it like in in in waiting and and not just in in rationality like human rationality um yeah that has been the the hardest thing uh but I have seen that is also the the best thing yeah and yeah yeah uh what are your relationships like and where do your departments cross over with the Dina women and with the COO yeah well we are under let’s say this that is’s now the director of the school uh he’s yeah we we we all try to work on in a team um so he’s the director the woman and myself and even though we have a lot of things that we we will do just you know kind of in the moment or in our own time when it comes to like I would say not even big decisions but even some kind of um yeah just almost all like to be honest almost every decision that we do we try to take it as a team so even if only evolves guys or only evolves girls a lot of times we talk about it as a team like the director team myself to to know and see if we’re not missing anything because a lot of times I can be looking at it just from a very male perspective that I need that female perspective and the same uh vice versa right A lot of times the de of woman will look at it in a more let’s say emotional way or compassionate way that naturally she’s she’s she looks at that and she needs the the more like male perspective like rational kind of like look at this like black and white kind of thing um so yeah I think that it the the job is very much yeah like connected with with them and there’s few things that I do just by myself I would say so yeah do you guys ever uh bring your departments together the uh male and female departments you guys meet up um with you guys and your interns or do you guys ever coordinate stuff yeah we actually the dorm stward meeting we have it always all of us like the female and male dorm stewards uh we we have those meetings together the interns the same we also weekly meet uh the den of woman the den of woman intern and my intern and myself we meet the four of us uh weekly to talk about you know situations and and even just about our like personal life in to be to grow as a team and and we also have a weekly group uh Home Group uh Psalms group that we we’re going through the Psalms and some of the guys that I meet up with they they’re teaching a p uh every week so so yeah I think we do a lot of things together and especially for for the guys and the girls to to have relationships that are just like in in in a brother and sister uh relationship and and grow from each other mhm definitely well I don’t have any more questions do you have anything else you’d like to say no just um know thanking you and um yeah I again I would emphasize my advice to everyone is spend time in prayer spend time in the word and never neglect those two things never neglect also the local church um being the local church and I think those three things are are the base the Cornerstone you know Jesus Christ for everything else in life so yeah thank you for this time thank you very much David thanks Jacob