Emphasis Preaching Journal

It started off innocently enough, like any new hobby. Ed began "chatting" with people from all over the United States on the internet. He said that it was fun talking with so many different people. He would spend more and more time on his computer. Some people he chatted with only a couple of times while others he had regular conversations.

One of the people he met online was a woman who lived several states away. She openly shared her problems with Ed including her recent break up with her husband. This is where the trouble began. His hobby soon became an obsession.

Ed would stay up late into the night almost every night to chat with Rita. He sent her cards and eventually would send her gifts. They began talking on the telephone. They were planning to meet when Ed's wife discovered some emails between her husband and Rita.

She felt betrayed; her husband was spending too much time online "chatting" with this woman. The nature of their conversations had gone too far. One bad choice led to another. Fortunately, with the intervening of caring Christians, Ed was able to break off the relationship. It wasn't easy but it was the right thing to do. Today Ed thanks his friends for caring enough to stop him from what was becoming destructive behavior.