2009 » SteveDennie.com - Miscellaneous inconsequential musings from Steve Dennie

Atheists to the Rescue (Thank God)

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Steve
Posted in This or That

If Pam and I get raptured, what happens to Jordi and Molly? How can I enjoy eternity knowing that my cats–my KIDS–are trapped in our house with limited food and water?

But God has provided. To the rescue: Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA. This service, run entirely by atheists, is committed to caring for left-behind pets. The website says:

You’ve committed your life to Jesus. You know you’re saved. But when the Rapture comes, what’s to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.

We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you’ve received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.

We are currently active in 22 states. Our representatives have been screened to ensure that they are atheists, animal lovers, are moral / ethical with no criminal background, have the ability and desire to rescue your pet and the means to retrieve them and ensure their care for your pet’s natural life.

The cost: $110 for the first pet, $15 for each additional pet at the same residence. This is good for ten years. If the rapture doesn’t occur within ten years, they keep your money. And being atheists, they are quite confident of keeping it.

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A Church is More than Sunday Morning

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Steve
Posted in Anchor Church

Tim Stevens, executive pastor of Granger Community Church, wrote a blog post called “A Crowd is Not a Church.” It included this paragraph:

For some reason, people who have attended church for many years will come to a weekend service and believe they have visited our church. I tell people all the time: The weekend is not the church. It is a crowd. We are doing everything we can to draw the biggest crowd we can–and then turn it into a church.

It’s easy to pass quick judgments on a church. I do it when I visit a different church:

“They weren’t very friendly. Nobody talked to us.”
“I didn’t get much out of the message. It’s a superficial church.”

I suppose people do that with Anchor. Maybe they have an unusually good experience on that one visit. Or maybe it’s a disappointing (but not typical) experience, and they decide Anchor isn’t for them.

But as Stevens says, what happens on Sunday morning is only a glimpse. It’s a crowd, not the church. I’m glad that Anchor is a whole lot more than a weekly crowd.

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Cyber Attacks

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Steve
Posted in World Events

Tonite, 60 Minutes did a superb extended segment on cyber-terrorism–the ability to use the internet to inflict damage on the United States (and other countries). For instance, take out the electrical grid, or cause a collapse of the economic system. We’ve integrated the internet into so many vital parts of American life, and that offers many opportunities for geeky meddling.

In his excellent book “The Inheritance,” David Sanger finished with three chapters (14-16) in a section he called “The Three Vulnerabilities.” These were scary chapters, showing how vulnerable we are to three specific types of attacks: nuclear, biological, and cyber. Chapter 16 was about cyber-attacks.

Sanger reveals incidents from the Bush years that most of us haven’t heard about. His opening chapter tells about our success in penetrating Iran’s internet system to learn nuclear secrets. We also altered data and databases on a computer used by Al Qaeda operatives, which helped lure them into a trap. When it comes to cyber stuff, nobody’s better than the USA.

In cyberwar, Sanger points out, “Attackers have almost all of the advantages. They get to pick from thousands of possible attacks. Defenders have to protect against everything, including attacks they can’t imagine.”

Interestingly, while the Chinese are the second-most sophisicated when it comes to cyber-attacks (the US is the best), they are considered somewhat deterred. “If the cash registers at Wal-Mart flip off, it’s only a matter of time before China’s exports take a hit. If the markets freeze up, it’s going to be hard for the Chinese finance ministry to sell off their American treasury bills.”

So if they damage our economy, they damage their own. That’s the one positive aspect of being so indebted to the Chinese. An official told Sanger that they aren’t worried too much about the Chinese. “They’re deterred. It’s the rest of the world I worry about.”

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For Your Sunday Afternoon Football Viewing Pleasure

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Steve
Posted in General silliness

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Round and Round I Go

Posted on November 7, 2009 by Steve
Posted in It's My Life

Ran a mile Tuesday, 1.25 on Thursday, and 1.5 today. Ankle doing fine. Fingers crossed.

Not that I’m tearing up the track. This morning, one gal who was running lapped me around five times. The more I ran, the more it seemed that:

I was running slower and slower.
She was speeding up.
Both of the above.

I’m quite sure Point 1 was true. She lapped me, a fellow runner, more often than I lapped the people who
were just walking (including that lady who talked on her cellphone the
whole time). Pride, fortunately, is something I leave at the door when I enter the Y.

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A Non-Sweetie Scams IHOP for Breakfast

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Steve
Posted in It's My Life

I have griped about being called “sweetie” and “honey” by waitresses and even at the McDonald’s drive-thru. But today, Pam got called “sweetie” twice–once by the nurse at the doctor’s office, the other at IHOP.

Pam’s checkup went fine, following her surgery for a frozen shoulder on Wednesday. Just need to keep exercising that shoulder, and mostly-full motion should return eventually.

We then went to IHOP for breakfast. I’m pretty positive I saw a woman pull a scam on the restaurant.

The heavy-set woman at the next booth complained that it took too long for her food to come. She wouldn’t be able to eat it there, and would be late for work. Plus, even while waiting, she said, she couldn’t drink the coffee, because it was way too strong, undrinkable. She would need a box to take her food, and would like a pitcher of coffee to take home–which wouldn’t be the same, she said, because she would have to put it in the refrigerator.

The woman manager was very professional and courteous. I’m pretty sure she gave her the breakfast free, and maybe even threw in a $5 gift card (I couldn’t tell for sure). I suspect the manager knew they were getting scammed, but what could she do? It would only cost the restaurant a few bucks to make the lady happy and get her out of there.

When Pam and I left, the lady was still sitting there, eating from her box, taking her time. Apparently not concerned about being late for work.

The IHOP staff, I noticed, did not call her “sweetie.”

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I Must Be Missing Something

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Steve
Posted in This or That

I was on a Christian site, called Women of the Harvest, looking for an article they published by one of our missionaries. In trying to access their articles, I was taken to a page telling me:

“Our website is secure for your privacy. To access the
Women of the Harvest resources, you will need to become a registered user.“

So let me get this straight. If their website was NOT secure, but open to anyone, I could freely read their content and nobody need know I was even there. But because their website IS secure, I must give up private information about myself in order to protect my privacy.

CNN doesn’t require that I register. Is that a liberal conspiracy to undermine my privacy?

Perhaps my church should require people to register before they can view such information as service times, ministries, etc. You know–to protect their privacy.

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Kroger: Leave My Grocery Store Alone

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Steve
Posted in It's My Life

Kroger is doing it again. They own the Scott’s grocery store chain in Fort Wayne–bought it a few years ago. That included the Scott’s on Illinois Road, where Pam and I shop. It immediately went a little downhill, service-wise, but not too badly. Still a good store.

I know that store real well. I can find things. I have it down. Ask me where something is, and I can tell you.

Went there today…and they’re MOVING EVERYTHING AROUND. This is like the third time since they took over. Why would they do that? Why? Why do they insist on injecting so much tension into my grocery-shopping experience? Is not American life difficult enough without the uncertainties inherent in rearranging the store? My beloved grocery store, once a comfort zone, will now become a mystery. Again.

I imagine some corporate dead-ender did a consumer-behavior study, complete with hidden cameras and eye-tracking and who knows what else, and the conclusion was: we need to move stuff to a different location. Put the paper goods where the pickles were. Move the cereal two aisles over. Put the coffee next to the flour. Consumer-behavior studies give detailed ramifications.

When I went through the checkout line today, the checker, talking points memorized, was assuring people, “It’ll be a good change. You’ll like it when it’s done.”

No, it won’t be a good change. Because in another year, just after I once again figure out where everything is, some corporate guy will do another consumer-behavior study, and it’ll show that things still aren’t in the right place. The cereal is still on the wrong aisle, and flour and coffee just don’t work together. You’ll determine that this “good change” is actually all wrong, that it is mortally flawed. And you’ll move things around again.

Just quit it, okay? The store is fine the way it is.

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We are the Champions

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Steve
Posted in Sports

So the Yankees pulled it off! My team won!

I’m guessing ratings were pretty good this year. I didn’t watch the Series last year, because I didn’t care. But when the Yankees are in it, it’s more interesting. No, it’s not fair. But that’s the way it is. People like me watched every game this year, only because the Yankees–a collection of talented multi-multi millionaires–was contending.

I dug out an old, blurry Little League photo of me in my Yankees uniform. That would have been after my 4th grade year. Skinny little runt, wasn’t I?

In the Paxtonia league (thus the “P” on the cap), in the east suburbs of Harrisburg, Pa., we had the A and B teams, which played other leagues. And then there was the pony league, which consisted of four teams: Yankees, Dodgers, Tigers, Phillies. We played amongst ourselves. I was on the Yankees, and we won the league. (The next year, I made the B team, and the A team the year after that.)

I only remember two other members of that Yankees team: Jeff Kline and Scott Clark. They alternated between pitcher and catcher. I played shortstop. Must have had some other decent players, but I can’t remember them.

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Of Running, Korean Christians, and the Taliban

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Steve
Posted in Religion in General

I ventured back into running tonite. Did a mile at the Y. In July, I had worked myself up to four miles, but the stubborn stress fracture above my right ankle reminded me that it had not yet gone away, despite periods of respite from pain. So, I gave up my new-found interest in running, determining not to run until the beginning of November. At the least. Longer, if I still felt a hint of anything lingering.

So I did just a mile tonite, and I’m pooped out. But I’m sure I can work back up to a few miles fairly quickly. Hopefully I won’t wake up in the morning with pain in my ankle and the realization I should have abstained longer.

While stretching, doing crunches, running, then lifting some weights, I listened to a sermon by Francis Chan. I love listening to his messages. Chan speaks with humor, authenticity, and insights I’ve not heard before. And “Living Courageously” was the best I’ve heard so far.

Chan told about the 23 Korean church workers kidnapped by the Taliban several years ago. Two of them were executed before the group was released. Chan was able to spend a couple hours with one of those Koreans. The man told how the Taliban took everything they had with them…except for one Bible, which one of the men carried in his back pocket. That Christian man tore the Bible into 23 pieces and distributed a piece to each Korean, so that everyone had part of God’s Word. The Taliban then divided the Koreans into groups of three and took them to different locations, where they remained until their eventual release.

The man told Chan what had happened since the group’s return to Seoul. He said occasionally, a member of that group would come up to him and say, “Don’t you wish we were back in Afghanistan?” Why? Because never before, and never since, had they felt so close to God. In that desperate situation, they were sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, and doing exactly what the Lord required of them.

As I chugged along the track, I had goosebumps.

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Yearly Archives: 2009

Atheists to the Rescue (Thank God)

A Church is More than Sunday Morning

Cyber Attacks

For Your Sunday Afternoon Football Viewing Pleasure

Round and Round I Go

A Non-Sweetie Scams IHOP for Breakfast

I Must Be Missing Something

Kroger: Leave My Grocery Store Alone

We are the Champions

Of Running, Korean Christians, and the Taliban

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