JOHN GAMADES: “GIVING BACK BASED ON WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO HIM”

Devotional writer Oswald Chambers observed, “A need does not constitute a call” He meant that awareness of a need doesn’t necessarily mean God is calling us to meet that need. However, often when He meets a need in our lives, that leads to His call for us to serve others in similar ways

This has been the case for John Gamades, owner of OrangeBall Creative, a marketing company in Minneapolis Fellow believers gathered around him as he was going through two high-stress times in his life – the end of a marriage and the start-up of his business Their prayers, encouragement and counsel kept him on track emotionally and spiritually, and now he’s striving to offer the same support for other men

At his church, Gamades is leading men ’ s Bible studies He also has written a book entitled, WAR: A Tactical Guide for Christian Men, in which he writes about challenges men are facing on what he views as a spiritual battlefield

A third component of his ministry – in which he is both contributor and beneficiary – is his Trusted Advisor Forum (TAF), a CBMC group he had been introduced to about nine years ago by David Meyers, a friend who was attending the same church

Meyers (now President of CBMC) had been a Forum member for years and knew of its value firsthand Gamades recalled, “David came up to me at church and said, ‘You’ve just launched a new agency, and as a small business owner you’ll need some guys around you to keep you on track'

Gamades had no idea how much impact that group would have in his life “The men God has planted in my circle have been there for me whenever I needed them, personally as well as spiritually,” he said. “When I was going through a divorce, my Forum group gathered around me They encouraged me and helped me stay on course so I would not go off the deep end"

“Today, my best friends have come from that group One of them calls me every Friday morning so we can hold each other accountable, check up on each other, and to pray for one another”

Part of Gamades’ motivation for leading the men ’ s Bible studies and for writing his book have come from what he’s learned and experienced while participating in the monthly Forum meetings

“I’ve discovered that each man thinks he’s the only one that doesn’t have his life together Now, at the age of 47, I’m working with 20 and 30-year-olds who are going through challenges daily that I’ve been through I’m able to share understanding and insights I wish I’d had when I was their age ”

In WAR, Gamades asserts there are three kinds of men: those who have no idea they’re on a spiritual battlefield; those who realize they’re in a battle but don’t know how to fight; and those who know they’re on a battlefield and are winning some battles – but not all His desire is to help other men understand the battles they’re fighting

“The men God has planted in my circle have been there for me whenever I needed them, personally as well as spiritually,”

“They need to understand their enemy, Satan, the one Jesus said in John 10:10 has come to steal and to kill and to destroy They also need to know the tactics and weapons God has given us to fight back And lastly, they need a group of men around them to support them, as my Forum group has done for me They need to know they’re not in the fight alone”

His 12-member TAF group has become a highlight each month as they gather for several hours to study and discuss the Scriptures, hear from one another about the business and personal issues they are confronting, and offer their unique perspectives, all grounded in their faith in Jesus Christ

“Every month, leading up to the Friday we ’ re having our meeting, I always get very busy, and it would be so easy for me to make an excuse not to go, ” Gamades said “But when I go, God always shows up – without fail It’s one of the most valuable times of the entire month, those hours I spend with those guys"

“Invariably, the one hosting the meeting leaves with a completely new way of looking at what’s in front of him The level of wisdom and counsel I get from the group is incredible, both professionally and personally It helps to remove the sense of isolation you can get from being a Christian in the workplace”

Now remarried and the father of two 16-year-old twins, Gamades strives to incorporate biblical values he has learned through his TAF group as a husband and father, as well as a business leader

He and his team at OrangeBall Creative have adopted six core values, including “Right not easy ” that he said “has grown out of my Forum involvement There are times when living out ‘right not easy ’ definitely isn’t easy – the pressure of having to make difficult decisions But if we ’ re committed to it, how do we handle situations when tempted to compromise? It has been a great help to see how other guys live and run their businesses"

“Without the Forum group, I’d just be trying to grind it out on my own But I’ve learned that as a business leader and owner, I’m not responsible for the results I show up and do my part, of course, but I can let go of my need to make things happen – trusting God will bring about the right outcome”

The first chapter of 2 Corinthians speaks of “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” Without question, Gamades is seeing that truth played out in his life

“The Lord has given me a heart for men, and the young guys I see in our studies are hungry It’s a joy to share with them what God has been teaching me And I’ve found my clients are very open to what I have to say about my faith There’s a lie Satan feeds us that people don’t want to hear it Presented the right way, I’ve found, people are very eager to hear about the difference Jesus can make in a person ’ s life”