YWAM Information Technology - Is programming from the devil? ;-) - Comments

Is programming from the devil

willis — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 13:39:09 +0000

yep... uhm.. no,

okay, it's hard and as a functional application consultant I am convinced that it also needs a special gift to program!

Willis
Application Consultant / Information Specialist
http://www.linkedin.com/in/willis

From Mercy Ministry to IT

alex.costa — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 21:44:00 +0000

Very interesting post. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. I just thought I would share from the the other side, from non-technical into technical. I joined YWAM in 95 to work with Mercy Ministries, I was working with deaf children and training, I had no computer skills at the time but suddenly I started to get involved with IT. Now I work with IT full time in YWAM from pc maintenance and networking to some web programming. I really saw God guiding me through my learning and I can see on my everyday the importance of IT in 21st century missions, we acctually have a lot of catching up to do as a mission. My heart is still in Mercy Ministries and I long to see better communication so YWAM can share the huge amount of experience it has in this area. I believe that what I'm doing is very relevant for missions today, my focus is not IT/Communications but on the empowering of others. When I see better processing of applications, information sharing, YWAM teachings freely available as podcasts, experiences from across the globe being shared instatly, interaction between ministries I'm reminded that what we (in IT) are doing is helping to impact lives.
Maybe because I come from a non-IT/Programming background I strougle less with this.

Walk don't hop

R.Blevins — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:55:57 +0000

Since I'm the one who you're quoting, I thought I'd weigh in on it as well ;-)

This is a long story, but I'll try and cut it short. A year-and-a-half ago, God told me to leave the Communications department here at Heidebeek (Holland). He wanted me to move out of my comfort zone and develop the worship leading side of me. So I moved into the Worship Department and the Staff Care and Development Department here at Heidebeek to develop some other giftings.

This whole last year, though while making some strides in the areas of worship and even teaching on worship, I have been frustrated in the area of IT and web development. I was struggling with knowing that I am called as a worship leader/teacher and thinking I had to lay down web development/programming/IT altogether.

Finally, a couple of months ago, I was asked to come and help Jeff Fountain with the YWAM Europe websites (ywam.eu, hfe.org) and God said, "Go for it!" It has been in the last couple of months that I realized He wants me to do both.

I'll share one of the words here that people had for me, which may help some of you as well.

Someone saw a picture of two legs, like standing on two different things and keeping balance. I had seen myself swinging back and forth between the two things, and a wise woman of God here commented that that's how you walk: swinging back and forth, first one leg and then the other. Otherwise you call it hopping and walking is much less tiring than hopping.

I'm still struggling, too with the two seemingly disparate sides of who God has made me to be.

Is programming from the devil? ;-)

tofirius — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:18:27 +0000

That's what my friend in Holland thought who is on staff with YWAM there. Although I never thought that myself, I have always struggled with the concept that programming isn't really a ministry... it's just my "day job". It seems that it's not the truth & that God is calling us who are programmers to use that skill for His kingdom. Computers in God's kingdom? What? I don't know... but it seems there may be something to that. When I was at CRIT in Harpenden, England back in May, Chong Ho spoke about his passion to see God raise up IT Missionaries... & just like the jet airplane was the revolution for missions back in the 60's, so IT is going to revolutionize missions even further now in the 21st century.

You see, my friend in Holland & I share a commonality... we're both web programmers & we're both worship leaders. It seems this is not an anomaly, either. Another YWAM friend in Sweden is the same way, as is another fellow I know in England. I don't feel like this is a coincidence. It may be that leading worship & programming are tied together in more ways than just mathematical.

For a long time, just like my friend in Holland, I've struggled with the idea that I'm called to be a worship leader, but programming is just "something I can do when I'm not leading worship... my true passion is worship leading, but programming is just a side thing to get me through the days."

I really would be interested to know if anyone has any thoughts on this subject. You don't have to be a worship leader & a programmer to reply to this, either. But maybe as a programmer you've struggled with this. If so, has God shown you something about this?