Category Archives: Awesome

SELFISH

“Dreaming and walking down the road to awesome is not inherently selfish” – Jon Acuff

Is it wrong to want to publish an award-winning blog or to write a New York Times best-selling book? In a word: No. If you have been called by God to do something, it is never selfish to desire to be wildly successful at it! God has called you to a task, a mission, with a purpose for you. God wants you to be wildly successful.

Let’s make sure we are clear though. You have to desire that success for His glory. His glory alone. For many of us (myself included) this brings up the question of how to combine “wildly successful for God’s glory” with “wildly successful for my income and for my family”. It can sometimes be difficult for us to come to terms with success. Satan does some of his best work when he twists our success into pride. He also does some of his best work when he takes our success and plants rapidly growing seeds of guilt in our psyche.

I was brought up with the guidelines that I was to work hard at my job, do my best, don’t rock the boat, and collect the pay check. These things are all good. But why have these ideas become purveyors of guilt, and why have they put in us a fear of asking for something better? Is asking for a raise a selfish act if you’ve been a loyal, hard-working employee? Is it wrong to desire a job you truly enjoy?

I’m trying to walk down a road that will bring me to my personal “awesome”. Fear sometimes tells me to stop dreaming and stop walking down the road. No more. I am going to walk down the “road to awesome” with a purpose and a goal. I will walk and dream with intent. I’d like to invite you along for the walk. Join me.

What dream have you put aside because fear has told you to “do the right thing”?

If you want to see how some other people are being “selfish”, check out my friends at FrankenStart.

The Most Important 15 Minutes

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As a follow-up to my previous post about my renewed passion for Young Life, here is a description of the impact Young Life had on my brother in the Summer of 1987.

(Originally posted on the Castaway Young Life 50th Anniversary Celebration FB Page, used with permission.)

Life Change Happens At Castaway

Chris Theule-VanDam

Western Great Lakes Regional Director

My connection to Castaway started in the summer of 1987. It was the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school. My Young Life leader, Steve “Wink” Winkle (Wink was also my cross country coach and English teacher) took myself, my twin brother, Rick, and a group of 15 total guys and our leaders to camp. We all crammed into Helm which at that time was in the middle of the Galleon, and had no windows. It was during that initial Castaway experience that I sat on the center of the outdoor basketball court during the 15 minutes of silence, and gave my life to Christ, as best as I knew how. Since then I have returned to Castaway over and over. First, as a Work Crew kid in 1989 (dining hall), then on Summer Staff in 1994 (maintenance with John Stowers – and I still use the screwdriver he gave us). I also have led kids in cabins at least 15 times, along with attending leader weekends, work weeks, and having multiple summer assignments. All in all, I once figured out that I have spent a year of my life at Castaway (and I’ve never lived in Minnesota). The way God has shaped me into a follower of Jesus has been continually been impacted by my time serving and being served at Castaway. Every time I am there and another 15 minutes of silence occurs, I work to get back to the same spot I sat in 1987. It is a holy place. It will be a joy to celebrate Castaway’s 50 years this Labor Day Weekend. Please join us! http://castaway.younglife.org/Pages/50th%20Anniversary.aspx

Once again, if you like to donate to Young Life RIGHT NOW, follow this link: http://www.younglife.org/Giving/

Passion

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I’ve discovered my passion. I think. As I’ve been working through the loss of a job, and then starting work again two months later at a different company, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what my “true passion” really is.

When I was much younger, I would have told you my passion was for golf. I distinctly remember having a conversation with my wife within the first year or two of marriage (20th anniversary coming up in December) that I could make it in professional golf if I had the opportunity to spend the majority of my day practicing and playing. Uh huh. Right. Thankfully she took the position of the wise person in our new marriage. While I know even now that I can be a much better golfer, I also know that I do not (never did) have the game of a pro.

So almost two decades later, what is my passion? Very simple. The para-church organization Young Life.

If you don’t know about Young Life, who they are and what they do, here’s a quote and a link to the “About” page on their website.

“Young Life brings the good news of Jesus Christ into the lives of adolescents with an approach that is respectful of who kids are and hopeful about who they can be.”

Link: http://www.younglife.org/AboutYoungLife/

I have been involved with Young Life since I was in the 10th grade in 1986-87. I was a club kid and camper (Castaway and Wilderness Ranch) in high school. Since then I have been involved through fundraising committees (golf outings), personal financial giving, volunteering, and most importantly as the proud supporter of my twin brother.

My twin brother, Chris Theule-VanDam, is currently the Regional Director for Young Life’s Western Great Lakes Region. Where I was a participant in Young Life, Chris became fully engaged. He discovered his passion for life in Young Life. He caught the vision of what it truly meant to be involved in a “relational ministry”. Chris went to college with the intent of entering youth ministry. He was a leader in local Young Life groups near his college. He became a Young Life Church Partner when he graduated. He was instrumental in growing a specific geographic area from having a small Young Life presence, to having a huge presence. What began as a small ministry in a few schools, turned into a large enough ministry that it needed a full time Area Director. The local organizing committees (kind of like a board of trustees) asked him to take the position. He was perfect for it. He is also a perfect fit, as well as uniquely prepared and called, to be the current Regional Director for the Western Great Lakes Region.

How does this relate to my passion for Young Life?

I knew early on in college that I did not have the gift for relational ministry that God blessed my brother with. Once I graduated from college, and was working, I told people that while Chris was in ministry, I was working to be the financial support for him and his colleagues. I had a talent for asking people for money. For selling. Selling people on the mission of Young Life and encouraging them to donate money was my plan.

For the past 18-20 years that has been my plan. And while I’ve always held to the plan, I don’t believe I’ve been very successful at it. I allowed “life” to get in the way. The time has come for this to change. Young Life is still my passion. I wholeheartedly believe in the mission of Young Life. I also believe that people like my brother should not have to spend so much time drumming up financial support for themselves. Young Life Staff is responsible for raising their own support. It is time for me to step up and remove that burden from some of them. I don’t have the personal resources to fully fund even one staff member. I do however have the God given talent to find the right people to join together in fully funding many staff members.

God woke me up to my passion a week or so ago. My new job has returned to me 20-25 hours a week of time to spend with my family and on my passion for Young Life. Over the next few weeks I will continue to write about Young Life. I will spend time directing my planning towards new and creative ways to help fund Young Life Staff.

I look forward to sharing this new (renewed) passion with you.

**If you’d like to give to Young Life RIGHT NOW, click this link: http://www.younglife.org/Giving/