Professional Bio

Omar Jesus Bravo graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering (Class of 2002). During his time at SCU, he spent three years working at IBM (Silicon Valley Lab) as a Software Engineering Co-op, he served as the President of Nu Alpha Kappa (NAK), a non-traditional latino fraternity, and was involved with both on and off campus community service organizations.

Immediately after graduation, Omar accepted a position with Texas Instruments in their Technical Sales Training Program and relocated to Dallas, TX. After completing the 18-month training program in Dallas, he was deployed to the TI Field Sales Office in St. Petersburg, FL where he served as the Distribution Business Manager for the Florida Territory, responsible for $45M+ revenue / year.

On January 1st, of 2008, after six years with the company, Omar resigned his corporate post at TI in order to explore different career paths. For the next 26 months, Omar volunteered as an International Missionary in India, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico, he and his wife served as adjunct Pottery Instructors on Princess Cruiselines while sailing through the waters of the Caribbean, Panama Canal, and Alaska’s Inside Passage, and he co-founded and facilitated a Young Professionals Community Ministry at his local church. During this time, Omar also founded Bravo-DelaPaz, a Digital Marketing & Web Development Firm focused on promoting small / medium sized businesses.

In January of 2010, Omar returned to Tampa Bay and accepted a position as a Web Development Instructor at the Pinellas Technical Education Center in Clearwater, FL  where he instructed a program of 65+ web development students.  Most recently (Feb. 2014), Omar relocated to his hometown of Layton, UT to serve as the Digitial Media Design Instructor at the Davis Applied Technology College where he teaches Web Design & Development, Graphic Design, and Small Business Digital Marketing.

Faith Story

I am an unashamed follower of Jesus Christ. Not because I read about Him in a book or because somebody told me about Him, but because I experience His Power, His Grace, and His Love every single day.

In regards to the topic of becoming a “Follower of Jesus Christ”, many people often cite that they “found” Jesus… Such was not the case for me. I didn’t have to “find” Jesus. I have always known where Jesus was: Right where I put Him, in the proverbial “back seat”.

For the first 26 years of my life, I attended Catholic Mass nearly every Sunday, I served as an Alter Boy and I completed all of my Sacraments (Confession, Communion, Confirmation, & Marriage) according to the law. I even graduated from a Jesuit University! But all the while, I had my hands firmly on the “steering wheel” of my life while Jesus quietly advised directions from the “back seat”. Sometimes I would follow His directions, and other times I had the “stereo” of the world turned too loud to hear anything He was saying. For the most part, I consistently thought I was on the right track. That is, until my marriage ended in divorce, due to my veering off course, into a self-centered purpose and lifestyle.

It was at this time that I truly realized that I was not fit for the “driver’s” seat. On February 6, 2006, during a BSF Meeting at First United Methodist Church in Downtown St. Petersburg, I begged Jesus to forgive me for all that I had done and to please take control of my life. (He immediately said “yes” to both requests.)

Ever since then, my priorities and life’s purpose have truly come into focus. No longer do I make decisions alone, but more so with the constant guidance and discernment of Christ. And as my philosophies and theologies have changed, so too have my actions… Since surrendering my life to Jesus Christ, I have become (or should I say “am still becoming”) the man that I was created to be: A man who “Inspires, Empowers, and Engages the World I live in for the Glory of God.”

Bravo-DelaPaz

My parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the mid-1900s.  In Mexico, the tradition is that a child’s surname is comprised of their father’s last name followed by their mother’s maiden name.  As such, my full name is Omar Jesus Bravo de la Paz.

In Spanish, Bravo translates to “brave & wild” while de la Paz translates directly to “of the Peace”…  Brave & Wild of the Peace.  Pretty cool last name, if you ask me.  I’m obviously biased, though.

Biased or not, this very powerful (combined) surname will only last for one generation, unlike a traditional last name that is passed down from generation to generation.  (i.e. My children will take my last name of Bravo and their mother’s maiden name of Duncan).  So, in order to keep this name alive in honor of my father, my mother, and all of my siblings who also have this surname, I’ve decided to name my life ministry Bravo-DelaPaz.

Trinity Logo

The Bravo-DelaPaz Logo (referred to as the “Trinity”) is comprised of three geometrically identical brush-stroke shapes combined together in an overlapping triangle.

The Trinity Symbol as a whole is meant to represent the the “Holy Trinity” with the three brush strokes representing the community of 1) God the Father, 2) Jesus Christ the Son and 3) The Holy Spirit.

Individually and from an artistic standpoint, the individual brush strokes can be interpreted as many things (including, but not limited to): Feathers, Flames, Chile Peppers, Brush Strokes, Rhino Horns, Thorns, etc.

The Rhino Crash

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 imagine something that large moving in concert as a group, plowing ahead at thirty miles an hour with no idea what’s at thirty-one feet? You would think that they would be far too timid to pick up full steam, that their inability to see far enough ahead would paralyze them to immobility. But with that horn pointing the way, rhinos run forward full steam ahead without apprehension, which leads us to their name. Rhinos moving together at full speed are known as a ‘Crash’. Even when they’re just hanging around enjoying the watershed, they’re called a ‘crash’ because of their potential.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, how beautiful would it be if we could become the human version of the rhino crash. The future is uncertain, but we need to move toward it with confidence in our faith. Rather than just talking about it, The Crash requires that we put our Faith into Action.

For Faith Without Action Is Dead. (James 2:17)