No Internet for a Month! Are You Nuts? (article)

Article 24 of 26 from the Ponder This - 2005 series

June 2005 – NO INTERNET FOR A MONTH! ARE YOU NUTS? by Ray Pritchard Maybe I am. After thinking about it, and after a few nudges from my loved ones, I’ve decided to go Internet-free for the next month. Believe me, this isn’t an easy thing to do. I’m an Internet junkie. Next to riding my bike, surfing the Net is the best part of my day. A year ago, a friend in New York told Marlene, “The Internet was made for people like your husband.”� Totally true. I think the Internet is the single best discovery since the invention of the Moon Pie. (If you don’t what a Moon Pie is, look it up on the Internet.) What did we ever do before Google? Or Yahoo? Or eBay? Or Amazon.com? Or weblogs? I could wax eloquent for hours about the glories of the weblog. If I were a poet like, well, like … I can’t think of any poets right now, so I’ll just say Mike Ditka and let it go at that, I would write a sonnet in praise of the weblog. Is there anything more beautiful than reading a weblog? Okay, that’s a little bit over the top, but you get the point. For the last two and a half years, I’ve been keeping a daily weblog on our church websit”which I am certain all good Calvary people visit every single day. Since May of last year, I’ve kept a second weblog on the Crosswalk.com website. Those two ventures have allowed me the privilege of speaking to a vast audience scattered around the world. Last week during a radio interview with Pat Williams of the Orlando Magic, he asked me if the impact of the Internet is more positive or negative. You can argue both ways. I think it’s been more positive. If you are wise in your use of time and if you have an Internet filter (absolutely essential to protect yourself), the Internet is a wonderful tool for learning, personal growth, and as a way to connect with family and friends in many places. I’ve been extremely pleased with the way our church has embraced this new technology. I hope we will do much more on the Internet in the future. So why am I taking a break for a month? I have decided to go Internet-free for a few weeks so that I can concentrate on some projects that need to get done. I love that part of my ministry, but there are times when you need to pull back so you can focus on the other things that need more attention. In particular, I have a writing project on the Apostles’ Creed that is overdue. Plus, we have boys coming and going to and from China, plus other personal and ministry commitments that will keep my plate very full for the next few weeks. So I’m going Internet-free for a few weeks. Not to worry, I’ll be back online before too long.