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You're one of the huge number of people who spend time on the Internet, you already know what a cool place it can be. Not only can the 'Net help you with your homework, it can help you with your social life, too. You can make friends with people who share your interests and get the opinions of people who think differently than you. And there's something really cool about "meeting" people without seeing them. You get to know people for who they are. It doesn't matter what they look like, how they dress or what color their skin is.

You probably also know there are some dangers out there in cyberspace. You've heard the stories of people running away to meet some chat-room buddy, only to find out their "buddy" is a seriously scary person wanting to take advantage of a trusting teenager. And you're probably aware of the pornography and adult material that's pretty easy to find on the 'Net.

But what about your faith?
Maybe you've never really thought about the way your faith and your computer relate to each other. After all, you use your computer for a thousand different things, most of which are pretty neutral on the good-bad scale. And while it's obvious that signing on to a pornographic Web site is just plain wrong, it's not so clear how a Christian's use of the Intern et can be different than that of a non-Christian.

But think about this: As Christians, we know that everything we do, from the big deals to the small stuff, needs to reflect God's glory. The Bible says, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Yes, God even cares about the time we spend on the Internet. So do you need to give up chat rooms, e-mail and cool contests to be a good Christian? Of course not. But what you can do is think through a few issues to make sure your surfing fits in with your faith.

Cyber Friendships
One of the biggest problems with the Internet is the huge amount of time people spend surfing. Sure, all those Web sites are one of the best things about the 'Net. You could easily spend a day, a week, a month clicking around to chat rooms, home pages and newsgroups and still not hit them all. It can be pretty addicting.

Even if you just hang out in chat rooms meeting new friends, it's easy to get hooked. All those interesting people, exchanging ideas, getting to know each other. It's like being at a big party where everyone wants to talk.

The trouble starts when you'd rather spend time on the 'Net than with flesh and blood friends. God wants us to be in relationships with other people. He created us to be together, not alone (Genesis 2:18). And despite the feeling of "community" you might get from a chat room, in reality, you're still sitting in a room, by yourself, typing on a keyboard.

To find out if you're spending an unhealthy amount of time with your cyberfriends, ask yourself a couple of questions: "Do I say no when my friends want to get together, just so I can spend time online?" "During the week, do I spend more time online than doing anything else, like talking to people, being in school or sleeping?" If you said yes to either of these, it's time to talk to your parents, your youth pastor, or a good friend who can help you reduce the amount of time you spend online.

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