My wife, Pam and I raised 3 children and here’s something you may not know about me. I was in student ministry, serving Jr. High and High School students, for almost 30 years before coming to Faith Mission. Both raising kids and student ministry were very rewarding and of course, came with their challenges. But nothing like parenting and student ministry today. I can’t imagine taking a bus load of kids to camp, each one with a cell phone. I’m so glad I didn’t have to decide what age was appropriate for my children to have a phone or a social media account.
We have all heard and experienced the dangers and pitfalls of the internet and social media. It is a totally different world than the one I grew up in.
But the World Wide Web does have its advantages. It amazes me how connected we are with just a click of a tab. The possibilities for evangelism and discipleship alone boggle my mind. You can find out anything you need to know about a church or a ministry.
We have seen the advantages of connectivity right here at our shelters. One of the men who graduated from our New Beginnings Program found us all the way from New Orleans by typing in addiction recovery programs. He called the number, talked to our director and was on the bus the next day.
All our clients can benefit from online courses for everything from driver’s licenses to food handler’s certification. Almost all job applications are done online now. I’m afraid this generation is going to forget how to write on actual paper with an actual pen.
The most recent example of how God can use the internet happened just last year. Andrea was at the end of her road. While in jail on drug related charges, she heard someone talking about a relative who had graduated from the New Beginnings Program at Faith Refuge. When she was released, she remembered that conversation. She repeatedly typed “Faith Refuge” into her phone, opening and closing the search when something nudged her, urging her to face a truth she had been avoiding. She reached out with a sense of divine guidance, ready to explore who she was meant to be in God’s eyes. This simple act marked the beginning of a personal transformation.
There is certainly a lot of harmful, evil things out there on the web, but our God can use whatever He chooses to find us.
