Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Download/Upload (11/17/11)
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TITLE: How Phishing Changed My Eternity | Previous Challenge Entry
By annie keys
11/28/11 -
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Looking around my basement office, I popped another antacid into my mouth; this chronic heaviness in my chest has to lighten up! My eyes focus on boxes of manuals, note pads and hard drives. What WILL I do with all these accumulated evidences of my former life; my geekdom? I still can’t believe that within one week, I’ve gone from asking, “What would Stephen Wozniak aka, Woz, do”, to “What would Jesus do?”
Oddly, it was my geekiness that led me to Christ. Thinking back, it had to be God’s mercy and not merely my lust for thrills and, of course, easy money. That night that I’d hacked into the big church downtown, phishing for names and addresses to sell to spammers, I had no idea that, as I was uploading passwords and requests for access, God was downloading the conviction of the Holy Spirit into my heart.
Wow, who knew God’s Spirit hung out at church, after hours? As soon as I gained entry to the church server, it was like I was greeted by a higher intellect. Weird, that voice in my heart, “I know what you’re looking for, not thrills, but peace.” I’d grabbed my geek pad with all my notes and logs and stuck it under my jacket so God wouldn’t see what I’d been doing.
Reaching for another antacid tablet, I rubbed my aching shoulder and noticed that I was feeling a bit lightheaded. Acknowledging how quickly my life had changed this week, no wonder I was feeling so exhausted! Every night, I’d come home from work, run to my basement office and returned to the big church’s web site. No need for hacking, everything was easily available, no laws needed to be broken.
One of the tools on the site was an interactive Bible study course. I’d chosen, “Who Is Jesus”. The more I read, the more I understood. Finally, I’d ended up, study course completed, saying the sinner’s prayer. Wow. And now, here I sit, erasing 3270 emulation in order to make space for my new God stuff.
LOL, my geek buddies couldn’t believe it when I told them I’d traded a web master for THE master; as in master of the universe. I read the text box that popped up, “Are you SURE you want to do this?” Rubbing my eyeballs, I take a deep breath and upload a prayer to my new master, and clicked, “YES.”
So far, I’ve downloaded a concordance, a book on Bible customs, New Testament Survey, a study on I and II Kings and a book on prayer as a relationship. I’d never known that Bible study could be so –so---intellectually stimulating; crazy, that! Man alive, I need to turn the AC down, I’m sweating like a roast pig and this darn indigestion is making me feel like Japan’s K computer is sitting on my chest.
Some of my geek stuff will be useful, like my membership to Sharefile that allows me to upload, download and share large files from anywhere, about anything. I’ve heard that the larger seminaries would allow me to download volumes of literature; after I’ve paid a fee, of course. No more hacking for me, everything on the up from now on. I’m a new creature, a geek for God now.
“OWL!” I reach for my iphone and gasp, “911”, then, as the electronic voice responds I wheeze, “He-heart att--attack, hel---p me.”
The tall red headed paramedic nodded toward the PC on the cluttered desk, “Well, looks like this dude downloaded religion before he croaked, that’s the newest Bible software he was installing on his PC.”
The EMT finished tucking the loose clothing into the body bag before he spoke, “I hope that you’re right, it’s hard for these geek types to give their intellect over to God.” He pulled the zipper closed on the bag, shut the door to the hearse and slid into the driver’s seat, humming, "Amazing Grace". (word count 736)
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It was creative and fit the topic well and flowed to a satisfying ending, albeit a body bag! Good job.