We close out the week with an email from an anonymous listener, a young man who writes

in to ask of this, Pastor John, I would consider myself addicted to the internet.

Not to internet pornography, not to video games.

I'm addicted to email and Twitter and blogs, and much of what I'm addicted to is solid

gospel-centered content and articles that are genuinely interesting and thoughtful and

edifying.

I think I may be overdoing it because my attention seems to be taken off the people

around me and making a detrimental impact on my relationships.

Is this a problem?

If so, how would you correct me and what spiritual forces are at play in my heart?

And do you have any strategies to help me with this?

My first thought when I hear that question is that I want to encourage us, I think, to

almost suspend or at least minimize our use of the word addiction.

I don't mean there's no such thing, but I think it would be helpful if we began to use

some other more explicit sentences or words.

Here's what I mean.

If I were this person, I would say, say this.

I read Twitter, Facebook, blogs, news, or whatever, to sinful excess.

Whatever the activity is, I should say, I'm involved in this to sinful excess.

Secondly, let's say I am drawn to do this with an intensity of desire that is out of proportion,

perhaps sinfully out of proportion to the value of what I'm reading and the value of

other things.

...