JOHN GAMADES: “GIVING BACK BASED ON WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO HIM”
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evotional 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.'
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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,”