Its easy to just see mobile ministry as an evangelical or missional practice. For many of us, the forwarding of traditions and behavior of the faith looks only like broadcasting, teaching, or proclaiming the faith. What about other avenues of ministry? For example, this illustration in James:
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27 ESV)
Looking at avenues of ministry beyond those normal streams can open us up to opportunities which might not be seen normally. As such, this story republished by Time of a homeless man who uses his mobile to be better able to blend into his surroundings, while trying to work out of that position, probably sheds light on a ministry avenue that merits a conversation or several:
…You could tell he was different the moment he walked in the coffee shop. It wasn’t his appearance. He looked presentable, if a little rough around the edges, clutching an old BlackBerry to his barrel chest. It was how he moved: warily, shoulders hunched over and eyes darting. The body language would read as suspicious, if not for the flicker of fear and apprehension in his eyes — as if he was scared of being noticed, vigilant to his surroundings and desperately trying to blend in at the same time.
He ordered a coffee, carefully counting out coins on the counter. He sat down at the table near me and pulled out his phone, just like nearly everyone else at the shop. He punched in a few numbers and began talking in a low voice, discreet but urgent. I was only a few seats away, but I couldn’t help but overhear his conversations.
Did someone have some cash jobs for him? Could he crash at a friend of a friend’s place? Could he get a ride out to the soup kitchen? After a few calls, it became clear: he was homeless. A homeless man with a smartphone…
Read the rest of A Homeless Man and His Blackberry at Time
Some years ago, a friend who was having some hard times stayed with me for a few weeks, and aside from lodging, the only thing that I could offer him was a mobile phone and a month of voice and data on a prepaid card. In a few weeks, he was able to attain both work and a new place to live. Not exactly like the situation above, but the Time story reminded me of that moment and how at times the mobile can be a knot on the rope to pulling up in life a bit. There’s a study being undertaken to even see the validity in such an approach. Even if in limited applications, this could be very good for some ministry moments.
Do you have stories like this were a mobile played a role in elevating someone out of a negative environment?