“Shellie Coon, I hate to bother you.”
“You’re not bothering me, Papa. What’s up?”
The use of my childhood name, combined with the reluctance I heard in Papa’s voice told me he had computer problems. I’m no computer expert, but you’ll never convince Papa of that. He thinks I’m Billie Ruth Gates. My suspicion was correct. Papa immediately began describing the funny things his computer was doing. I couldn’t help wondering if it had anything to do with the night I called to warn him about the Conficker Worm.
“I’m sorry for calling so late,” I told him that night, “I meant to do this earlier. You need to turn your computer off until I make sure your firewalls and all are secure from the Conficker Worm. Phil and I had laughed ourselves silly at Papa’s response. “Well, baby," Papa said, "I’m not getting back up. That worm will just have to eat its way through the whole thing.”
Papa's next comment brought me back to the present. “I’m thinking this may have something to do with that McGuffie thing,” he said. It may sound like Papa had jumped to McGruff the crime dog, but I knew he was referring to his security software.
“Is it up to date?” I asked.
“What’s that?”
“Your anti-virus program—”
“Well, now, I don’t know…”
The short of this story is that Papa’s issues were so serious his desktop had to go to the computer hospital, but I’m going to skip tracks here to make a larger point. It occurs to me that as believers, we have an enemy that’s always trying to breach our defenses. Folks, the devil will bombard us with as much fear and negativity as we’re willing to absorb. The good news is that we’ve been given the Word of God to protect us from his attacks. God’s word can identify and deal with these threats to your peace of mind immediately. However, just like Papa’s anti-virus program, it needs to be properly installed with regular updates. So, tell me, are you protected?
~Shellie
The Second Installment of the Locker Room is here--
*My very good friend, Rhonda Perry, and I have created a segment called "The Locker Room" for our church. Each short skit teaches a Biblical truth that is discussed in a brief teaching session that wraps the whole idea up.
Click here for the first video clip in the series called "Rhonda's Locker Unveiled".
Click here for the second video clip in the series called "Shellie's Game Plan."
If you've stumbled onto my porch through an Internet search, I'd like to invite you to join us at All Things Southern where we celebrate the charm and heritage of the South. While you're there you can subscribe to my FREE weekly emag, find a list of the stations carrying the “All Things Southern Radio Show”, listen to an audio clip, watch my latest TV porch chat, shop online, register for my monthly give-a-way…and much more! Oh, and I'll be there if you want to chat. See 'ya there! ~Shellie
