Jason Vana: Becoming a Better Man

Opening the Door →

Photo Credit: Wee Keat Chin (Creative Commons)

As Christians, we use that phrase way too much.

It’s become almost cliche.

Whenever we don’t know what to do, whenever it seems that the obstacle is too difficult, whenever there’s someplace we want to be but don’t know how to get there, we end up waiting on God to open that door.

Waiting on God to open a door is equivalent to us doing nothing.

Yes, we need to wait on God’s timing. Yes, there are certain doors only He can open. Yes, we need to wait on Him to open those doors.

That doesn’t mean we sit around and wait for our dream to fall out of the sky on a silver platter.

Continue Reading…

Opening the Door →

Photo Credit: Wee Keat Chin (Creative Commons)

As Christians, we use that phrase way too much.

It’s become almost cliche.

Whenever we don’t know what to do, whenever it seems that the obstacle is too difficult, whenever there’s someplace we want to be but don’t know how to get there, we end up waiting on God to open that door.

Waiting on God to open a door is equivalent to us doing nothing.

Yes, we need to wait on God’s timing. Yes, there are certain doors only He can open. Yes, we need to wait on Him to open those doors.

That doesn’t mean we sit around and wait for our dream to fall out of the sky on a silver platter.

Continue Reading…

The Power of Resurrection →

Photo Credit: Matt Litt (Creative Commons)

I sat there in the dark, reflecting on what my life had become.

The passion I once had for ministry was gone. The desire to see young people around the world impacted for Christ almost non-existant.

Life had taken its toll on me.

I had been working a low-paying, demeaning job for almost three years. I sat there, day in and day out doing the work a college student used to do - and would get paid more for if they decided to work at Taco Bell. I applied for better positions within the company, only to be rejected…and required to train those who took the jobs I didn’t get.

My finances were shot. Surprisingly, it’s near impossible to live on $800 a month. My credit card debt, which used to be non-existent, was climbing. And it urked me. It was either go into debt, or starve. I chose the former.

Every month it was getting harder and harder to pay the bills - and I knew it was only a matter of time before I couldn’t pay my mortgage anymore.

Why am I still here?
Why am I trying to fight through this mess?
I’m not from this area. I have no ties here.
If God really wants me to keep doing ministry here, He needs to fork over the money. Or I’m out of here. And out of ministry. For good.

I curled back up on the bed as the depression set in.

Nothing’s ever going to change. My life will be like this forever - alone, miserable, and broke.

I needed a resurrection.

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I have some crazy dreams…

Last night I dreamt about red solo cups, and had the red solo cup song in my head when I woke up. Everyone was drinking out of these red wonders, and would spontaneously burst out into song for no reason. I now there was more to it, I just don’t remember now after being up early for my workout.

I just remember waking up and thinking it was crazy.

Called to Someone →

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.

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Count the Cost →

Dreams don’t come easy.

They require hard work, dedication and a laser focus on your goal. They take planning and striving and evaluation. They will steal your time and energy and resources. They require early mornings, late nights and a lot of your free time. They are hard task managers, never taking a day off for vacation or holidays. They will push you to your breaking point, give the illusion that they will never happen and sap every bit of your mental, emotional and physical energy. They will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, from excited to frustrated to the verge of giving up and back again.

Dreams demand a lot.

It’s why so many are unfulfilled.

READ MORE…

Count the Cost →

Dreams don’t come easy.

They require hard work, dedication and a laser focus on your goal. They take planning and striving and evaluation. They will steal your time and energy and resources. They require early mornings, late nights and a lot of your free time. They are hard task managers, never taking a day off for vacation or holidays. They will push you to your breaking point, give the illusion that they will never happen and sap every bit of your mental, emotional and physical energy. They will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, from excited to frustrated to the verge of giving up and back again.

Dreams demand a lot.

It’s why so many are unfulfilled.

READ MORE…

The Practical Side of Dreaming →

Last week, we looked at pursuing our dreams.

I wrote about how it’s important to take time to dream.
We discussed the act of rediscovering the gifts and passions that form our dream.
We even talked about the time it takes for a dream to form.

We love talking about our dreams.

It’s easy to sit behind a computer screen and write about these big ideals we have for our lives. We like to share our dreams with friends and family and coworkers. We get a sense of satisfaction talking about what we want to do with our lives.

There’s no work involved in sharing a dream.
No risk, either.

But sharing our ideals and thoughts and desires doesn’t bring our dream any closer to reality.

All the encouragement and insight and inspiration in the world won’t write that book, or secure that dream job, or start that nonprofit, or plant that church, or build your own business. Conferences and speakers and blog posts can spark the idea and get you inspired, but they won’t achieve your dream for you.

In order to bring your dream into reality, you have to get practical: