Jason Vana | Igniting a Generation

A New Sense of Awe

January 27, 2012 in Reflection with 9 Comments

Photo Credit: Alive in the Word blog

The past few days, I’ve been reading through the book of Revelation.

It’s not in my top favorite books of the Bible.

I don’t turn to Revelation when I am having a bad day. I don’t study the book when I’m trying to get something from God. My first instinct isn’t to read about the world falling apart and the tribulation believers will face and all the doom and gloom and crazy metaphoric images that are found in the book of Revelation.

Maybe I’m just weird that way.

So when I finished reading Jude and turned the page to start reading Revelation, I wasn’t looking forward it.
I even thought about just skipping this book and starting back in Genesis.

But as I pushed past my initial hesitation, I’ve begun to see God in a whole new light.

Waiting on Us

January 25, 2012 in Living our Faith with 13 Comments

Photo Credit: Eirik Solheim (Creative Commons)

I am not a very patient person.

When I get an idea in my head, when I make a goal to accomplish something, when I feel God giving me a promise, I want it as soon as possible.

I don’t want to wait a few days to get my haircut.
I don’t like waiting for the book to come in the mail.
I don’t want to wait six more months until I can go to Czech.
I don’t like waiting until I’m at home to check my email (thank you iPhone!).
Sometimes, I don’t even like waiting the 30 minutes for a meal to cook.

I hate waiting for what I want.
And I know I’m not the only one.

We live in a microwave kind of world.

Deeper: In His Presence

January 24, 2012 in Deeper with 0 Comments

Photo Credit: Kevin Udy (Creative Commons)

Every Tuesday, I publish a Deeper devotion on the Ignite blog. It is meant to help encourage, strengthen and challenge you in your walk of faith. You can subscribe to receive these devotions in your email. Below is an excerpt from this week’s devotion:

“So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”
Genesis 4:16

There’s an interesting twist to the consequences of original sin buried towards the end of the story of Cain and Abel.

At this point in scripture, Adam and Eve have committed the first sin. They disobeyed God, ate of the fruit they were told not to eat, and found themselves kicked out of the garden they had called their home.

While they were in Eden, they had walked with God. They spoke with Him. They saw Him in all His glory, felt His presence and were able to reach out and touch Him in a tangible way. He dwelt with them, let them see a side of Himself that no one else has been able to see, and allowed them to stand in His presence.

When they sinned, they lost it all.

No Paradise.
No comfortable life.
No naming the animals.
And no walking in God’s presence.

At least, that’s what most of us believe.

But when you dig into the story of Cain and Abel, that belief is challenged.

Doing What is Right

January 23, 2012 in Living our Faith with 9 Comments

Taken in Stratford Upon Avon, England during my first trip to Europe.

Until just recently, I alway thought of God’s favor as something that was earned.

If you read your bible, if you prayed, if you spent time in worship, if you pushed past your sin, tried to be a better person, did everything correctly, tried your best not to make a mistake, stepped out in faith, acted courageously, had the goosebumps of God that come when you feel Him and did something crazy big for Him, then His favor would be upon you.

Getting God’s favor, receiving His blessing, having Him push obstacles out of the way and open doors we couldn’t open on our own was all dependent upon what we did.

It’s a prevalent teaching in the church. God’s favor comes to those who earn it.

But as I’ve been studying this idea of favor, as I’ve delved more into scripture, I’m realizing that favor is a gift.

Tearing Apart

January 20, 2012 in Life, Living our Faith with 20 Comments

Photo Credit: Marcel Oosterwijk (Creative Commons)

I’m a pretty sarcastic kind of guy.

Follow me on Twitter, watch my Facebook comments, interact with me in person and you’ll see how true that statement is. I’m always cracking jokes, always giving an ornery response, always teasing, over-exaggerating and trying to get a laugh. I make up nicknames based on something funny a friend said or did. I’ll tease about something that happened months ago. I joke around, give as much as I take and hand out empty, funny threats (like shaving off your eyebrows while you sleep).

It’s how I show I care.
In fact, it’s only when I stop teasing you that you have to worry.

My sarcasm is usually returned with the same level of teasing, sarcasm and joking around. It’s kind of how I got the nickname, grandpa. Those boys love to tease me.

But over the past few days, God has been challenging my use of sarcasm.

Capturing Your Dream

January 18, 2012 in Your Dream with 23 Comments

The current look of my dream wall.

I have a lot of dreams.

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, this doesn’t come as a surprise to you.

I have dreams of impacting more colleges. I have dreams about focusing on Ignite full time. I have dreams about traveling to new countries, meeting new people, and seeing God impact youth, young adults and university students around the world. I have dreams of orphanages and training centers and church plants. I have dreams about being out of debt, finally figuring out a way to have a decent income again and even writing a book…just to name a few.

Dreaming is easy for me.
Capturing those dreams and keeping them in front of me is not.