I just want to welcome everybody that is listening throughout all the social media.
Today is a very special day. We have two very important people for us. Today, we're going
to be speaking about something that sometimes we don't talk about it. And we're going to
be talking and I'm going to be making some questions on how is the life behind the scenes
for every py. So today, we have with us, Mauri Sandoval, Steven Sandoval. Welcome, guys.
How are you?
Doing good.
Doing great. Just ate.
How was your food, man?
It was good.
So for those that maybe don't know, they are under the ministry. They work in the ministry.
They are involved in ministry. They are in everything that they could be involved in.
I just want to ask you some questions. How's life behind the scenes for a peaky, for a
pastor's kid?
Mauri.
So, well, more than anything, we took the responsibility as pastor's kids to just support
our parents. And that's been kind of a process, just learning how to do that the right way.
It's something that is very tedious at times because even though your parents are your
parents, you also have to understand that they're your pastors. So that line of not
crossing like disrespecting or because you're familiar with it because you're your family,
you need to be able to cut that out of your life and see them as your pastors as well.
Being in ministry has been a blessing for both of us. We grew up in ministry. We grew
up doing video and audio and production. So, thank God we've been very involved with many
ministries. And more than anything, it's beautiful to see how God connects different churches
and different ministries together. And as pastor's kids, I feel like we have a grace
that allows us to connect with people a lot easier rather than someone who isn't a pastor's
kid. It's just a little bit different because obviously who our dad is, but it's also a
lot of pressure at times because people put expectations on us to live up to a certain
standard and sometimes that can be very uncomfortable and we sometimes don't like that. And you
just got to get used to it and just deal with it. But Steve, do you have anything to add
on to that?
No, yeah. It's basically the same thing. It was a hard process. I don't know if it was
for you, but for me, it was a hard process to get used to in terms of being an example.
Even when we were really young, like a lot younger, there's what now I'm 21, you're
what, 24?
24.
So, like even being like 15, we were being put as examples.
Wow.
That's hard.
Even when like pastor wasn't a pastor because he was the leader in the area. So, just being
in that position was something that not a lot of people go through. So, it was just a hard
process to figure out how to go through and how to properly manage that and like stick
to those expectations.
Let me ask you something in the practical. How do you make sure that you're not crossing
the line with your parents? How do you make sure that you're not familiar to them? How
do you know, I guess what I'm trying to know is how do you know when is that speaking and
when is pastor speaking?
Well, more than anything, I would like to answer this by saying like a lot of people think,
oh, at home, he's dad and here he's pastor. It's not really like that.
Explain that, please.
With my dad, it's very different. He's always thinking about church, right? And that's not
a bad thing. I'm just saying like he's always thinking of how to expand the kingdom of God.
So, his mentality is always, oh, you can do this, we can do that. And then he always relies
on us a lot. So, we always see that like mutual respect in the sense of I trust you. You know,
that trust of, so, and I trust you. Can you help me with this? So, that's where I would
say like me personally, where I see like I can't cross that line because he's my boss,
but he's also my dad. So, I don't, I look at it as okay, I have all these responsibilities,
but I don't want to let him down. And also in the spiritual aspect, I receive from him
because I recognize what he carries and what God has given him. So, I don't want to disrespect
that or bad or how do you say like manage it wrong, you know, Steve?
I agree. But one thing I do want to say, it's not like he's not our dad everywhere. Like
if you're around him or around us, anytime, even at church, he's still our dad. He's still
messing with us. He's a very loving person. He's always loving on us. And like at home
here, a lot of people that work with us and see us daily see it daily. And I think that
also shines through us. But like what Mauricio was saying, I think it's a thing of us acknowledging
and like recognizing that when he's pastor, we allow that to be ministered into us, you
know, like we let that happen. We allow it in our hearts more than being like, this is
my dad and I'm not going to take that. Or I don't want to listen to that or something
like that, which shouldn't be an idea in any sense. But like being able to tell the difference
between dad and pastor, I think it's just sometimes could be on the subject and sometimes
it's just, you can tell when pastors being pastor and pastors being dad, but either way,
go for a very loving.
Can you tell me like in a specific time that maybe it was like super hard for you to try
to understand or, or trying to put a balance, something maybe a specific or during any type
of situation or any specific year? I don't know.
Do you want to go first?
So we'll keep the trend of you going first.
For me, for me, it was whenever I see people that are going to hurt my parents. And I don't
want to overstep because I see how much love they have, or I see people that are going
to have their own agenda. You get me? And it's going to hurt them. And I've seen them
hurt a lot, you know, because it happens as a pastor and people who take advantage of
them. So for me, it's a thing where I had to learn how to bite my tongue and just let
God show them. Because if it's me telling them, I don't want it to be me, my flesh.
I want it to be, you know what God, if this is what I see and I perceive, I rather pray
about it than go tell them. Obviously, there's moments where I'm like, Hey, Dad, like straight
up, I see this. But there's moments where I'm like, I don't want to say nothing. I'm
just going to let God show him. And surely enough, God will show him, you know, whether
it's in a good way or in a bad way. But I think that's a way that like, at least for
me, I've been tested because I, there's moments where you want to speak up about things and
there's moments when to do it and when not to do it. And I think learning how to when
to hold your tongue and when not to speak is very important because it can be a good
moment. It can be a bad moment. My dad's a human.
Yeah. And it's hard. I bet it's hard for you guys because you have the, all the trust
and all the, you know, you are the son. So you can technically can talk about anything
at any time. But this is what you're saying. I think it brings a lot of direction to many
piques are listening because since there are in the position of being sons, they think
they could maybe talk or say anything at any time. So it's really good way to say it.
Knowing when to speak and how to speak is very important. And knowing that whenever you're
speaking about someone, it shouldn't be out of all, because I don't like this person.
It has to be out of, okay, what's happening? Like is, do they have malice in their heart?
Are they here to hurt my dad or my family or the ministry? Or is it just because, you
know, not the guy in the person, you have to be able to perceive that and communicate
and hold your, put your feelings aside and be like, God, what is, what am I, what are
you speaking to me? Are you showing me like, is this person going to hurt my parents or
is it me just assuming things? So that's where, at least for me, I'm like very, okay, you
know what, I'm going to wait. And what I usually do when I feel that way, I start praying. I'm
like, God, show me. And then shortly enough, God shows me. Well, the majority of the time
he shows me, okay, this person, you know, has a pure heart or this person's here with
an agenda or they're here to hurt or they want to, you know, whatever the case may be.
Stephen, I don't know if you're... Yeah, even like in like a personal aspect, sometimes,
like you were saying, like it gets kind of hard to tell what's happening or who's speaking
in that sense. Like if you come with a problem and you're like, Hey, dad, but then he turns
into a pastor and tries to pastor instead of like just be dad in that moment. But I think
there again, it's just a thing of understanding like I need this and I need to accept this
and there's wisdom coming out either way. That's good. You know, and actually like taking
that wisdom because like at the end of the day, he can tell me whatever he wants, what
it's my decision on if I take it or not, or if I take an action, whatever he says. That's
good. You know, so I think that's also something that needs to be like looked at and completely
understood that it's still our choice to say yes or to say no to whatever they're giving.
Yeah. Let me ask you something. What do you do when you don't agree? But like let's just
with something that he just be wrong. Like what do you do when you just hate it? The
funny thing is not disagree. You hate it. The funny thing is something's going on. I'm
always right. I'm always the one when we talk about stuff that like kind of brings the logical
side of like, okay, but can we do this? But then this happens. But then what would this
happen? I was going to say that. Yeah. Steven's a very logical person. So he thinks, okay,
the easiest way to fix is like this. I'm more of a, I try to put my place in, I try to put
myself in that position of like understanding my dad. And like, so I guess it balances out
because whenever we don't like something, like 90% of the time we agree that we don't
like it. So you guys agree? We agree and we bring it to him. We come up with a solution
for it too. So it's not like we're just like, thank you. We don't like this. It's like,
this is what I think potentially could be some options. Correct. And more than just
one. And that's one thing that my dad's, we've always done with my dad is like, okay, if
we don't agree with something, we have to have a solution for it. Yeah. Very good. Like if
that, okay, let's say he wants to, I don't know an example, he wants to do an event
somewhere, but it's going to be a hard place to do it. Or there's not enough people supporting
us as an example, you know, okay, dad, look, instead of doing it here, let's try it over
here. Or instead of doing this, let's do this, like bringing in a different perspective
and a different option. And that's something that like, I really thank God because my dad
has that confidence on us to where he listens to us. And he takes our advice. Which I was
about to say, it's also really nice because he genuinely takes our opinion and like the
way that we see things, because we don't just see things in like a ministry aspect, because
we both work in the production side, right? Yeah. So it's not just like, okay, we're going
to go to this building, okay, but how would this building work for the event? How will
everything work out for, you know? So that's like other things that we bring to the table
that he sometimes he doesn't think about. Yeah. But it's good because then we're all
communicating and we're all getting it to where it needs to be. That's good. That's
another thing too. I think that we've done a pretty decent job of having the same heart
as our dad. That's something that a lot of pastors kids don't have is that's beautiful.
They don't understand the vision that God placed in their father or in their mother's
heart. So I think a pastor's kid who has the same heart as their parents is more effective
than a pastor's kid who more effective, how more effective as support as shoulders, because
I do believe that being a family is very important in ministry and it's very, it's different.
You know, whenever you go to a church and the pastor's kid's not involved or he most
majority of the time pastors kids are the worst kids in the church. I know. Right. They're
the worst kids. I brought you guys because I know something that we need to speak and
you guys are such an example in what you do and you need to, in everything that you do,
because I know that you do it with, with all your heart and you can tell when people are
just doing their jobs and when you love what you're doing, when your heart is involved.
So that's something that I really admire from both of you. And I think that we have so much
to learn from that. And you have so much to impart into P case for this generation, because
there's so much confusion. Let me ask you something and you can be, you can be honest.
Nobody's watching. Are you calling to ministry?
Yeah, it's a first. Yeah.
Okay. Yeah.
100%.
Yeah.
100%.
What happens? No. Let me go back. Do you think every pastor kid, it's called to do ministry?
No. I don't think so. I, I believe that everyone has their own purpose. If your dad's a pastor,
that doesn't mean you have to be just like him.
I agree.
And that's, and that's, and that's, and that's one of the majority of the reasons why a lot
of pastors kids leave church.
Because they, they put that false expectation or people around them or even expectation
on them.
Sometimes the pastor does it unconsciously.
Yeah.
And then they start lifting them up and thinking, okay, I want my kid to be just like me.
Correct.
But to me, that's one of the worst things you can do because what you do is you constrict
him.
You, one thing that my dad has always done with us since we were little, he always told
us, if you don't want to go to church, you don't have to go to church.
Since the age of what? 10, 12 years old.
If my grandparents were at home and I can stay home with my grandparents, he'd be like,
if you don't want to go stay.
That's something that he's never forced us to go anywhere.
Right?
He's never forced us to do anything. He's never asked us to help out with media. He
never asked us to help out with production. It was something that we saw. There was a
gap and we stepped into it and God gave us the grace and then over time, he gave us the
passion to do it.
And I thank God because that's where I feel like we found our purpose in the sense of,
yeah, supporting my parents, doing all these things, but also it's God given because it
was a gap, but it's a hard gap to be in. You get me?
It's really hard and especially being a pastor's kid and like the way I said with the expectations.
Those false expectations that a lot of pastor's kids have, that's why they go into drugs.
That's why they start having sex at a young age where they leave the church or they go
away for many years and go to college and go crazy and then they come back and then
it's because they put those false expectations and then they reject the calling of God in
their life because they say, why don't I want to be like my dad and myself?
And that's one thing that my dad has always taught us is like, you are yourself. You have
your own calling and you don't have to be like me. He's never put that pressure on us.
And he's even told us, he's like, you're you. Like Stephen, for example, you know, Stephen
is very unique.
He's very different.
I was going to ask you that. That was my next question. In one minute, can you tell me how
do you deal with being yourself and versus what people demand or how you should?
It's going to be funny.
I love it.
I love it. I love just being myself because like I've been told before the way I dress
or the way the way that like my images are very respectful to my parents. But the Lord
said to come as you are. And that's just the way I am. I believe in just being myself.
And the Lord wants to see me. He doesn't want to see a mask. He doesn't want to see a fashion
show. So that's why I'm I have my beanie on, have my jacket on. I'm in sweats. I'm just
easy.
You are who you are. And that's who you are. And that's what you show.
Maudi, tell me one. What do you do when you just want to get get out of everything? When
you just want to leave? Because sometimes we have those moments. But what do you do?
How do you calm yourself?
So how do you deal that pressure?
I have not quit.
So how do I put this? I'm a very social person with certain people. And I have a very like
tight friend group. I'm not saying it's a click. I'm saying it's a friend group. How
I have people that I trust and I can be myself with you. Yeah, me.
Or I don't feel like they're judging me or I don't feel like they're they're being them
so like, like I can't be myself with them.
You're Maudi's, you know, Maudi's on the wilds.
Baster son.
Yeah, you get me? Like I never, you know, I never do anything stupid. But but what I'm
trying to say is like with my friends, I'm able to be myself, you know, I'm very big on
guns and hunting and stuff like that. So I like to do that. I also have my other friends
that I go out with and I go eat. Like, I want to say this like the nicest way, but like
I have my friends that I like, that's part of my escape. You get me? And sometimes I
go, you know, hunt or I go spend the night at my friend's house. That's but with my friends,
they all go to church. I don't have a lot of friends outside of church. They all go to
church. So we have the same morals, the same values, the same values, everything. So that's
at least for me, my escape also prayer. Prayer is very important. Having a lifestyle prayer
is hard. Even as a Pazzer skin, I, I admire my dad for waking up at four in the morning
and that's very hard for me. I pray mainly at night or on my own, you know, but that's,
you know, that's my way of escape. Stephen, I'm pretty sure you have a, I do the shower
tactic, bro.
Shower or video game.
Can you please share that? I mean, not, not as specific.
I'm talking about the prayer, the prayer, praying in the shower. Stephen prays in the
shower. Stephen has this thing where he, he's funny because I used to get scared whenever
he would take a shower because he would shut off the lights.
I shower with the lights off.
And with worship. But he does it now too. He does it now too. I started like four years
ago because it's, it's very calming to not have to like see everything around you and
you could just get in what you need to do.
That's a little creepy.
No, it's nice. It's relaxing.
But he plays worship. We play worship. We leave it like on top of like the, the sink
on our phone and we're just, that's my time. I'm alone.
I'm not going to bother you.
I mean, I have like a little like window. There's a little bit like,
Oh, there you go.
Somebody watching you can that and also view games.
Yeah.
My escape. That's, that's my outlet.
Stephen can play video games for a while, but it's his way of like de-stressing.
Yeah.
And with this question, when this question I'm going to end with a purpose, are you saved
because your dad is a pastor?
Oh no. That's a great question.
No, I'm safe because I chose to be saved because I chose to accept Christ.
And that's something that I chose at a young age and Stephen can probably have the same
or some answer.
Yeah. I think one thing growing up as a pastor's kid is like you, this is going to sound weird.
You can't deny God because of the things that you see happen at church.
That's so good.
You know what I mean?
Yes, that's so good.
Like you see it happen and you, you can't be like, that wasn't real.
It's frustrating. Yeah.
That, that was fake. No, you can't, you can't be like that.
So I think that pushed me to be like, yeah, this is for real.
I need to, I need to step into that.
So.
That's amazing.
I want to thank you guys for taking this moment.
I think there's a lot of PKs watching or listening to us right now.
And I think it's very important that they have some specific tips that you guys gave.
Is there something else that you would like to share for this future generation of PKs?
Something and advice, something that would lead them to longevity?
I think something that's not even just for PKs, but for everyone in general is to just
give it to God and not be afraid to do that.
I think that's something like, doesn't matter what it is, even the smallest thing.
That's definitely something that I had to learn stepping into like new, new things was
learning to not do it in myself and ask God for strength and have him support me.
That for sure has helped me just stay focused, stay intact, stay doing what I'm doing, stay
passionate for what I'm doing for sure.
And that's amazing.
I would want to add on to that.
I have a lot of PKs out there that think that their purpose is tied to their parents.
It's not always like that.
I know a great example is the Gamboa brothers who are in upper room.
Their dad is also a pastor.
Their dad also has a church, but they're not in their dad's church.
They're in upper room and they're lifting up a ministry of worship and you get me like
they're not with their dad.
They were at one moment and then now they're not, but they're in their purpose.
So a great example for me is Ronald Maldonado.
I see how much he supports his dad, how much he loves his dad and that's one example that
I've always taken is like, you know what?
I see what he's doing and that's an example for me.
And we have a beautiful relationship with him and that's at least something that I would
say is like always look up as a PK, look up to the right people because people are going
to let you down, but that doesn't mean that you have to judge them.
You get me?
You have to look up to like surround yourself with people that you can grow with and they
can help you guide you in the right direction.
So that's something very important.
It doesn't even have to be in your church.
Yeah.
It doesn't have to be in your church.
It can be people outside your church or friends or another pastor, but keeping people around
you that carry the Holy Spirit.
I think that's very important.
That's very good.
Thank you guys.
Thank you everyone.
Stay connected.
We have more for you next time.
God bless you.
God bless you guys.