Author Archive

Hacked…again…

Author: Chris

Oct 26

So,

There was supposed to be a new episode of the Life on Fire podcast posted on Sunday.  We had recorded it Friday but, were busy and finally had some time to post it on Sunday.

It was then when I discovered that our site had been compromised, AGAIN.  This was extremely off-putting and frustrating to me, simply because I had been through this before and had changed all of our passwords to hyper-secure, complex, muti-character type passwords the last time that this happened.  Not only that, but, I checked my own machine for any key-loggers or viruses that  might transmit the passwords to an unseen foe.

This time took 4 days to correct the issue.

I really don’t understand how this could have happened again considering that I always do my security patches right when they come out.

At this point, I think we are going to be moving this website to a new host.  It isn’t that this host hasn’t been good to us, and doesn’t offer a fair price or anything like that.  They have been somewhat helpful when these events have happened.

However, it is very unsettling to me that I have now twice had to re-build all 3 of the sites I host here, each time being a series of days worth of work.  I can’t find any fault with the way that we operate the site, considering we apply patches when they come out and have made extremely secure passwords for all accounts.

I will be performing the move later tonight, and nobody should notice the difference, save for a new post letting everyone know the move has been completed.  The host we are switching to has gotten great reviews, offers great pricing and also has an affiliate program too, which might allow us to defray the costs of hosting.  Not that it is expensive but, anything helps in this enconomy.

Anyway, look for episode 74 to be posted in the next 30 minutes or so.  We truly apologize for the delay in posting the episode and hope that the move later tonight will prevent any further problems in the future.

God Bless,

Chris

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Filed under: Site Updates/News

Vines

Author: Chris

Aug 20

Yesterday, I decided to work on removing some vines from our backyard.  They have been there since we purchased the house, and while we did make some minimal effort to remove them in the past, they had clearly overtaken the trees and soccer kickboard in the yard.

There is a method I use to remove vines and pricker bushes.  You get as near to the base of the vines as you can, cut the main branch and then cut the secondary branches off the main branch.

Then comes the fun/hard part, the pulling.  The problem with vines is that they get tangled in each other and in any trees they have climbed.  They also choke the life out of said trees, which means often when you remove the vines, dead tree branches come down with them.

But, this isn’t the most important part.  Sure, once you have removed the vines, your yard looks better but, you may still have another problem if you wait a few seasons.

Vines tend to have an expansive root system, which, if left unattended, will eventually cause new branches to form.  Eventually, the yard is overtaken once again and a person will have another hard few hours of work ahead of them.

The only way to get rid of the vines permanently is to kill the roots.  This can’t be done with standard weed killer, but has to be done with a special herbicide used only for vines.  One must cut the vine’s branches as close to the ground as possible and then apply a few drops of the special poison to the stumps.  This kills the vine down to the roots.

The whole process got me to thinking.  Vines are a good representation of sin in our lives.  If we ignore them, pretty soon any spiritual life in us is choked off and dies.  The only way to get rid of them is to undergo the purifying removal process of Reconciliation.  However, that isn’t enough.  One must also be constantly vigilant and be aware of what leads them to sin.  That is the root.

The Holy Spirit gives us the strength and graces after Confession to spot these “near occasions” or root causes of sin.  Sometimes sin is caused by a source of anxiety and frustration that leads one away from their primary vocation as a spouse, parent, single person, ordained minister or religious.  This in turn leads one inwardly, which leads to the temptations that lead to sin.

Last week, I realized that I hadn’t been to Reconciliation in 2 months!  I made a point of going, and now, my spiritual backyard is much better looking.  I still have some vine sprouts but, try to address them quickly and I am doing some reading on marriage and family in order to help me to stay on course.

One other thing I reflected upon was Christ’s parable of the man who sows good seed and an enemy comes and sows weeds.  If the weeds are pulled out, the good plants would come with them.  In this case, removing the “weeds” might be painful and take what used to be thriving branches, now dead, with them.  However, pruning and tending is part of any good backyard or garden maintenance and is for the better in the end.

How is your spiritual backyard looking?  Are vines choking off the very life of the beautiful flowers and trees?  Are new vines sprouting where old ones used to be?  Get to Reconciliation, clean them out and be vigilant in order to take out the roots.  Concupiscence will always lead us away from God but, if we are vigilant, we can help to avoid the roots of temptation and sin.

God Bless,

Chris

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Filed under: Bible Reflections | Tagged as: , , , ,

The Antisec Movement: Good or Evil?

Author: Chris

Jun 28

Hello Everyone,

First off, someone out there employed some kind of PHP-based attack against our website.  Basically, they found a way to gain access to the code on one of our pages or configuration files and modified it to direct to a virus of some sort.  Luckily, this also generated a PHP error, which tipped us off to a problem.  This has since been corrected and we apologize if anyone was infected.  To the individual who did this, well played, sir.  However, I do not appreciate the setback. [UPDATE: Still having issues with this, working on a plan to correct]

Anyway, that was not the main topic of this post…

The general public tends to be oblivious of critical computer-related security news.  It is only important to them if it directly causes problems for them.  For example, when the Playstation Network was down for almost a month because of a security breech, everyone cared, but, when a potential social movement has been started by hackers/hacktivists online, nobody seems to be any the wiser.

About a week ago the hacker group LulzSec, which has since been disbanded, and the hacker group Anonymous teamed up to start a movement called Anti-Sec or the Anti-Security Movement.  The goal is to basically un-earth corruption in governments, businesses and in the security industry in order to expose these dark deeds to the people of the world so that justice might be served.

I will say that this announcement immediately prompted me to change a vast majority of my passwords to more secure ones, and so that I wasn’t using the same password on multiple websites.  I would highly suggest that anyone reading this do the same.  An example of a secure password might be something like “a7X2!4T”.  Notice it contains upper and lowercase letters, numbers and at least one special character.  Yes, it is harder to remember but, it is also harder to guess.

That aside, I was intrigued.  I wonder, what is the level of morality on these hackers’s efforts.  One one side, two wrongs never make a right and stealing/breaking and entering is definitely wrong.

On the other side, there are many governments, companies and organizations who are committing crimes against the people they should be serving and getting away with it for an extended period of time.

Some of the recent information releases from the AntiSec movement have revealed things like the DOD discussing a vaccine to turn off the so-called “God-gene” which is what inspires religious belief and fanaticism.  There have also been breaks into a security consulting firm HB Gary, which revealed plans to use emails, text messages and other activities to try to root out “extremists” without notification to anyone.  Basically privacy being intruded upon.

So the fundamental question becomes, is finding out this information pointing toward the common good or not?  I for one, don’t like the idea of a vaccine to “cure” me of my religious belief, even if not designed to be implemented on me.  I also don’t like the idea that my emails and communications could be read or listened into without my consent.

Granted, some of these things have been going on for a while, and there hasn’t really been too much public outcry, after all, giving up some liberty and privacy for the sake of security is ok, right?  I’m not always sure about that.

I will say this, I think that taking down websites and releasing users’ information for their paypal, AOL, Gmail and Amazon accounts is not exposing corruption.  it does expose people for not being security minded and for using easy passwords but, there are moral ways to do this.

However, when there are releases of databases from government and security organizations clearly pointing towards something sinister, I can’t help but think that we should know about this.  I can’t help but think that there are some bigger things out there being hidden from us.  While, I am not a conspiracy theorist, I can say that I think that personal privacy is quickly dying and that there are some links of corruption and conspiracy between some companies and certain governments.  I also think that any of these activities which are illegal should be brought to light and that the people committing said crimes should be punished.

Now, again, the moral issue comes into play.  Is stealing right? No.  Is a company or government misleading its citizens or exploiting them right either? No.  Which is the greater evil?

I can’t answer that.  However, I can say that I can’t help but support the Anti-Sec movement on some level, even if simply from an observation standpoint.

I must also point out that this doesn’t only apply to the American Government.  There are many countries that we take for granted, such as Brazil, Zimbabwe and countries in the Middle East that are exceedingly corrupt and commit serious crimes against their own people, including genocide and removing those who speak out against the government.  Our military forces are not big enough or strong enough to battle on behalf of those people and neither are they.  Perhaps getting some information out might inspire the people of the world to stand up against some objective evils being committed.  I don’t know.

In the end, I will be a silent observer and supporter.  I don’t support anything that does further harm to the average person, nor anything that does illegitimate harm to someone’s reputation, even if they are a politician or CEO.  However, if there is real evidence of crimes against the people of the world, I hope and pray that justice will be served because of said evidence.

So, to Anonymous, whoever you guys are, I support you to that extent, and hope that just maybe your actions might inspire some legitimate change for the better, both for the United States and the World.

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Filed under: Faith, Media, Technology

A Vision of the Mass

Author: Chris

Jun 20

Yesterday at Mass, God blessed me with an idea/vision of what is really going on at Mass to share with others.  So, I am finally getting a chance to write it down for the world to see.

Imagine the following:

You enter into your parish Church for your Sunday obligation.  You are tired because you didn’t sleep well the night before and really could care less about being here.  But, today is different.

As the opening song begins, the walls of the building begin to disappear.  You notice as you look around you there are people, of every race, color and creed stretching far as the eye can see.  You can see dead relatives smiling and looking with anticipation as the High Priest enters into the Sanctuary.

The alter sits at the center of this vast area, above and behind the alter is a bright light, too bright to look at but, still, not burning your eyes.  A beautiful woman, clothed in while is sitting in a place of honor in the front pew, and the High Priest smiles at her as he walks by.

The Mass begins with the opening prayer.  This would seem normal to you, except that everyone around you understands what is being spoken, even those from other regions of the globe!

Then the Gloria starts.  Up until this point, you hadn’t noticed the angels.  Angels that had been there all along, singing praises to God, now raised their voices all the louder to the High Priest and the light above and behind the alter.  The sound is so powerful, so awe inspiring, that it brings you to tears and inspires you to join in the praise of the Lord.

The high priest is seated and the readings begin.  They are read by volunteers from several nations, each speaking in their native tongue, but, all understanding.

The psalms are lead by a Cherubim and all sing aloud in response.  The Alleluia before the Gospel, again causes the angels to sing in such a manner that is unfathomable to mortal ears, yet you hear it none the less.

Then the High Priest speaks.  He preaches the Gospel in a way you have never heard before.  He speaks with authority and unflinching integrity.  You have never seen a priest like Him before, nor will you, for He is the Priest of priests, from whom all priesthood stems from.

The High Priest proceeds to explain the Gospel and other readings.  You can’t help but feel like He is speaking about your very life, directly to you.  Clearly, He couldn’t be, after all, there are billions around you.  But, somehow, the message applies directly to some of your greatest struggles, and you come away from the homily, knowing that God is with you in those struggles.

After the homily, all the members gathered arise and as one voice declare their statement of belief, in the Trinity, the Church and the Resurrection.  You are struck by the sheer amount of people surrounding you, professing the same belief as you.  You have never felt so connected, and feel that you will never be alone in your beliefs.

The community then joins in prayer for one another, and for those who couldn’t be present.  There are those who’s attraction to sin prevents them from taking place in the celebration.

The High Priest begins the Eucharistic prayer and the sacrifice is prepared.  The Priest offers Himself, and is joined and surrounded by every priest who is or who was, con-celebrating the Mass.  After all, their priesthood is His and they all in one voice pray together.

This leads to the grandest and loudest angelic proclamation of all.  For, this proclamation is what the angels sing day and night, and for one moment, the entire world of believers is united in their song of praise.

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might, Heaven and earth are full of Your Glory, Hosanna in the Highest”…

The High Priest then outstretches his arms, facing His Father, the great light behind the alter.  He then sacrifices Himself for all present, the woman in the front pew has tears of pride, joy and sorrow in her eyes, for she is His mother.

The High Priest’s Body begins to glow as he lifts bread and a chalice of wine, in turn towards the heavens and the congregation.

“This is my body, This is my blood”

As these words are spoken the glow envelops the bread and wine, and they are no longer bread and wine.  They are Him, they have become His Body, His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity all in one.  They are, the divine food ridding all of hunger and the divine drink ridding all of thirst.

The entire congregation cries Amen as the High Priest completes the offering.  Then, all join in the very prayer that He handed down to the nations, a prayer He gave when asked how we should pray.

The congregation then re-assert to the High Priest that all the kingdom, all the glory and all the honor belong to the Father, flowing through the High Priest and the Holy Spirit, for we are nothing without them.

The High Priest then breathes on the crowd and wishes them peace.  A single dove floats down from the light and flies forward towards you.  As it does, a fire flames out from its tail feathers, and as the dove circles, the fire encompasses all, for He is the Holy Spirit and brings the peace of God the Father and God the Son to all.

The congregation then greet each other and offer signs of peace.  Every nation on earth, reaching out to one another in a single peaceful moment, almost as if there was no division amongst them.

Then comes the greatest moment of the celebration, the feast.  Each person, knowing full well what the High Priest is calling then to receive, declares their unworthiness before the Lord.  Yet, He invites them still.

As you receive the Eucharist and declare that it is, in truth, the Body of Christ, you feel the light and presence of the Lord, the High Priest, Christ Himself, within you, transforming you and making you more like Him.

The High Priest smiles at you as you bow to him in full reverence.  It is almost as if He is saying “well done, my good and faithful servant”.

Everyone returns to their pews and kneel, praying in thanksgiving, for the Gift which they have been given.

The High Priest stands, as does the congregation, and all participate in the final prayer of sending, the Lord encouraging all to bring Him out into the world.

As the final song is sung, the High Priest exits and you began to look around you.  You simply see your home parish and the people you know and Break Bread with every Sunday.  But, very few seem to be aware of what you have just seen, in fact, many seem like they had not ever really been there in the first place.

You begin to make your way out of the building, knowing that you CAN’T be the only one to have experienced this,  You walk up to the priest and tell him how amazing the celebration was.  He smiles at you and says, “thank you, but it was not me, but the Spirit and the priesthood of the Lord that make this Mass what it is.”  You can’t help but notice a slight twinkle in his eye as he speaks with you.  He knows!

So you walk away from the Mass, a changed person.  You now feel the strength of the Lord in you and decide to work to amend your ways and to be a sign of God for those around you.  You will gladly give anything to experience what you saw, and experienced this day again.  But, you will experience it, every time you enter into the Catholic Church for Mass, and for all eternity thereafter, for, there is only one Mass, and only one High Priest, who is Christ the Lord.

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Filed under: Faith

A Bye-Gone Era

Author: Chris

Apr 19

I think that there is something missing in today’s world.  Real men.

If you look at eras like the 1920s-1950s, men were much different.  They wore suits and hats if they had office jobs, putting the hats on whenever they were outside and taking them off inside.

The hat was an extension of the man, and his respect and leadership.  For example, men would tip their hats to women, open doors for women and get chairs for women.

People today might consider this old-fashioned or chauvinistic.  How dare a man call a woman “miss” or “ma’am”?  How dare a man hold a woman on a pedestal?  How dare a man be the leader of his family when clearly a woman knows best?

To be honest with everyone, I think this impression is wrong.  Sure, there were some men who whistled at girls as they walked by as a sign that they were attracted to them.  There were also some men who took this too far and would slap a woman’s behind.  However, I believe that overall, the men from these eras were true leaders and real men.

You can be a real man and not be a womanizer.  I think this is where society has gone wrong.

There is pornography and psuedo-pornography all over the place.  You want to try and talk about a man’s man being degrading to women!?  Take a look at society as a whole now adays.  THAT is degrading to women.

Some people cringe at the idea of the classic sit-coms, where the man comes home after a hard day’s work, and his wife is waiting for him, dinner prepared, their children sitting around the table etc.

However, in real life, if I had a job in which I worked normal hours, these scenes could easily be my life.  Tanya has made the choice to stay home as a mom, knowing that this is what is best for Linus and our family.  So, if I worked a 9-5 job, I would probably come home, Tanya would be cooking dinner and Linus would be running to the door to see me.

We’d eat dinner as a family, I’d clear the table and/or do the dishes and then spend some time alone with Linus so that Tanya could have some alone time after a long day of taking care of him.

Or, Tanya and I would have a relative take Linus so we could go to a church function.

The fact is, there is nothing wrong with this lifestyle.  There is nothing wrong with a man being the leader of his household but, not lording it over people either.

It would be one thing if I expected my wife to be in a pretty dress to serve me dinner, to bring me my slippers and a pipe, etc.  But, that isn’t the way I see things.

Rather, I think that men should be the workers and should have a certain level of respect given to them in that role.  This doesn’t mean a kingly respect, just a healthy respect.

On the flip side, men SHOULD put their wives and women on a pedestal.  Not in a base, crude sexual way like today’s society does, but in an honest respectful way.  Only a woman can bring forth new life, only a woman can be the very symbol of what nurturing is, and only a woman could be likened to the bride of Christ that is His church.

I honestly want to start holding myself to this standard.  I don’t like suits and ties, by any means, however, the fact is, every hero has a uniform and so does every leader.  That should be my uniform.

Men of those eras, men not afraid to be men, wore suits as a sign of their role and hats as an extension of themselves and their role.

I’ve talked to Tanya about getting a nice fedora hat to wear.  She wonders why something like that would have such a meaning to me and why it wouldn’t be a waste of money.  The fact is, it is a reminder to me.

It would be a reminder to hold myself to a higher standard as a man.  I am truly thinking of going back to the suit, hat and tie mentality because honestly, it reminds me of what being a man is about.

Being a man is about working hard for your family, or, if you don’t have a family, working hard to get to a point where you are financially able to hold your own and to prepare for a future.  Being a man is about being a leader, and understanding that being a good leader means knowing when to get the advice of your first-in-command, your spouse, your wife and knowing that she is just as important, if not more important than making decisions on your own.  Being a man is being willing to stand for something, regardless of the consequences.  Being a real man is to mirror Christ to others everyday through one’s words and actions.  Being a real man is giving it all and never looking back.

This is who I want to be, a loving husband, a caring father and a hard worker.  I want to be what a man should be, not the neutered sniveling slobs that we men have become.

I want my uniform.  I want my suit and hat in order to remind me every day of who it is that I am supposed to be.  I would wear them proudly and hopefully eventually inspire other men to do the same.

I am a man, and I will not apologize for it.  Sure, I can be rough around the edges and I am by no means perfect, but, I should not allow myself to be subdued, or to let my morals and initiative slip.  I should not need to be afraid to hold women, especially my wife, in the highest possible regard, including holding doors and all of that.

My roughness is always helped by the nurturing and smoothness that is my wife.  I could not live without Tanya and her willingness to put up with some of the more stupid things that I do.  However, she does respect me, and I respect her.  There is only one person who is a greater foundation of who I am than my wife, and that is our Lord Jesus.

So, yes, I want my uniform.  I want my hat and I want to be a real man.  No, it isn’t about the uniform, it is about what it represents and who God really call us men to be.  It’s time for us to bring back the real men, and not the watered down, sniveling cowards that we have become.  Christ was not afraid to be who he was at his very core, so why should we be?

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