Life | Jason Vana

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Curators of Creation

March 13, 2012 in Life with 13 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Public Domain Images

We tend to have the idea that life in the Garden of Eden was pretty easy.

Many of us have the image that Adam and Eve just lounged around in paradise all day. They could eat all day, nap, pet a lion or two, snuggle with a lamb or a real-life teddy bear, walk around all day and just enjoy themselves. No work, no struggle, nothing to do but lay in the grass and watch the clouds, and have daily encounters with God.

They had no responsibilities, no purpose, no calling other than spending time with God. They didn’t struggle with identity issues or insecurity or working a job they hated. They didn’t have neighbors that drove them crazy, didn’t have to worry about money and never experienced pain.

Life was pretty easy for the original humans.
Or so we think.

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” – Genesis 2:15

God’s first command to Adam and Eve was not to avoid the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. His first command wasn’t a test of man’s obedience, nor a desire to keep man in the dark about evil. He didn’t charge man with worshiping Him, following Him or sharing the truth of Him with others.

God’s first command was for Adam to work and take care of creation.

Agents of Justice

March 8, 2012 in Church, Life with 18 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: James Madison University Be the Change Blog

If you’ve signed into any of your social media profiles this week, you have undoubtedly seen the name Joseph Kony.

According to The New York Times:

Kony is one of the most vilified rebel leaders on the planet. He stands accused of brainwashing countless children across northern Uganda, turning the girls into sex slaves and the boys into prepubescent killers.

His so-called Christian movement, the Lord’s Resistance Army, has terrorized villagers in at least four countries in central Africa for nearly 20 years, killing tens of thousands of people, burning down huts and hacking off lips.

He sits in the number one position of the International Criminal Court’s 2012 World’s Worst Criminals List for repeatedly abducting children and forcing them into prostitution, brutal abuse and murder. He has trained young boys to be killers, forcing them to kill their own families, disfiguring villagers and using them as human shields against arrest attempts.

As I watched the Invisible Children video about Kony, trying to raise awareness of his atrocities in an attempt to influence decision makers in our government to continue the search for him, I couldn’t help but ask:

Why have we allowed this to happen?

Getting to God

March 6, 2012 in Life, Living our Faith with 25 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Flickr user jaqian (Creative Commons)

Walk into any church, join any college ministry, become part of any youth group and you’ll hear very similar presentations of the gospel message:

Man sinned.
Man fell away from God.
Man deserves to go to Hell.
Jesus came and died to pay for our sin.
Jesus brought us back to God.
Put your faith in Christ and you go to Heaven.
Don’t put your faith in Christ and you go to Hell.

Our presentations aren’t usually that stripped down. They aren’t typically that blunt. We tend to pretty them up a bit, tailor them to our audience and pull off the emotions that might already be in the room.

We focus on finding healing from past rejections.
We talk about the restoration of failed dreams.
We tell people that eternal life begins with a single step.
We talk about the glories of heaven and the torments of hell.
We scare them with thoughts of car accidents, dying in their sleep and images of the hell that awaits them if they don’t make the right decision.

We say whatever it takes to convince people to accept Christ and avoid eternal punishment.
Because deep down, we believe the gospel is about keeping people out of Hell.

Called to Someone

March 4, 2012 in Life, Your Dream with 25 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Snoron Wallpapers

I spend a lot of time talking and writing about dreams.
It’s how I’m wired.

I love looking into the future and imagining how things could be. I am energized by new ideas and methods and projects. I enjoy (and believe I’m called to) finding potential in others and helping them achieve it. I thrive on helping others understand what they are called to do with their lives.

That act of dreaming and seeking and trying to understand one’s calling excites me.

It’s why I love working with high school and university students. They are in a season of life where they are asking the big questions: what am I supposed to do with my life? What is God trying to tell me? What is my calling? Life passion? Desire? What was I put on this earth to do?

They want to know their calling.
And spend a lot of time seeking it out.

Most of us do.

We want to know why God put us on this planet. We want to know what makes our lives special. We want to know our purpose, our passion, and the reason we were created.

We want to know the calling God placed upon us.

The Work of His Favor

March 2, 2012 in Life, Your Dream with 11 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Jordanhill School D&T Department (Creative Commons)

When I made favor my word for 2012, I had this idea that life would get easier.

People would stumble over themselves to support me in Ignite. Money would come pouring in for the Czech and Romania mission trips. My graphic design business would explode. I could walk into an interview and have a job thrown at me. I would put up a few status messages about my dreams and BAM, everything would be accomplished.

We tend to think having God’s favor means everything will magically fall into place.

A few prayers here and there, showing up in the right place at the right time, shaking hands with the right people and everything we’re asking for, everything we’re praying for, everything we desire to see happen will fall into our laps.

We think we can sit back, twiddle our thumbs and God would pour His blessings out on us.

God’s favor doesn’t really work that way.

Every man and woman in scripture who was said to have God’s favor, had to work. Hard.

Dealing with Stress

February 15, 2012 in Life with 16 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Stuart Pilbrow (Creative Commons)

Last week at our Ignite Monmouth gathering, one of our student leaders posed a question that challenged me:

What do you do when you’re stressed?

Answers ranged from playing video games, reading, eating chocolate to running, going for a walk, or curling up on your bed with a stuffed dog and crying (no, that one was not me). Some students punch their pillows. Others talk to friends. Some take time away and try to relax. Others listen to music. Some like to freak out, scream, and vent. Others, take a calmer approach.

We all have our methods of dealing with stress.