In 1996, I read an address by C.S. Lewis, spoken at a youth leadership conference in 1945, and it gave me the idea to create a site on the World Wide Web that would be a help to people using or designing computers and programs.

Since the late 1970s, I've worked with many kinds of computers: selling them, designing simple hardware and software, and integrating them into powerful systems, primarily for use in mechanical engineering.

My faith has helped me do this work, so it was only natural that I should attempt to use technology to express my faith. Since Jesus commanded me to love my neighbor, it seemed reasonable to give what I had: the ability to solve problems and explain technology.

My main web site (http://www.whitestonejournal.com) is titled "The Rushmans: Christianity and UNIX." And in the beginning, it was mostly about UNIX, a computer operating system. I enjoy writing short, useful programs, so I put a few of these on the site. Lists of helpful links and definitions of some lesser-known technologies followed soon after. People surfing the Web found the site and began to send comments and questions. I posted some of the questions and my answers. I enjoy solving problems and these kept me in practice. It also gave me more experience, which helped with my "day job."

Just as it was coming together, something changed. The home page had the usual personal information about my family and faith, so a reader sent e-mail requesting my "testimony," the more detailed story of how I became a Christian. I added it to the site.

Then someone else wrote requesting a description of Christianity for an online magazine. I posted it as well. About this time, our family became friends with another couple who encouraged me to write, especially on matters of faith.

I had already been helping with faith-formation classes in our parish, and found it easy to expand my notes from talks into pages for our Web site. Soon, I wasn't writing any new technical pages and there were dozens of pages on faith.

Many of these pages were poems and meditations, so I collected them into a section of the site called "Higher Ground" (http://www.rushman.org/higher/). I put in some nice background graphics and tried to make it look better than my usual black-on-white motif. It contains my most intense writing, the poems and prayers closest to my heart. I've added a few from other writers, too, because they have special meaning for me.

I get about 10 e-mail responses per week on average, mostly expressing appreciation or asking for spiritual advice. I always answer e-mails, provided the return address works. About 20,000 people visit the site every month. This is not a large number by Internet standards, but I have a modest view of success. The whole experience is a surprise.

I've never felt any personal conflict between technology and faith. Technology has helped me share my faith with more than 300,000 people so far, and provided the financial means for supporting a beautiful family. As a Christian, I believe Jesus Christ is the author of every good thing, including electricity, silicon and light. On the Internet, I try to use these things in a way pleasing to him.

If you want to tell your story and have it posted here email it to me.

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