I’ve spent some time this morning looking over my papers from bible college at North Central University. Below is a piece from my creative writing class. You’ll see it’s satire, so please don’t call me a heretic. Enjoy!
As I look down at my G4 PowerBook, I can’t help but want to spread the good news! You don’t have to continue your life of errors and reboots… a man named Steve Jobs came to give you the Mac. To obtain this Mac, you must go and use PCs no more.
It was February 22nd, 2005 that I gave my heart for technology to Steve Jobs. I will remember always that day as my technical birthday. I have not been the same since. I am called to a higher purpose, that of sharing this newfound computer salvation. When I see others, computing in a world of trouble and heartache, I cannot help but share my testimony and what I have come out of. Some reject my offering while others see the “light” (of the apple logo) and know they must not resist any longer. I feel right now that I am supposed to share my testimony with you, may it encourage you to take a closer look at your own computer life…
I was just like you. I visited the Mac periodically while in school. I was not impressed. It was all so confusing and boring. I was used to two buttons on my mouse… they only had one. I was used to the Start button… nowhere to be seen. I was used to a grey box… now they were green or other strange colors. They were different and I didn’t like it one bit. I promised myself that I would never use one again, never say never. It wasn’t but one year later and Steve Jobs had gotten a hold of me. My roommate was a convert with a mission, a mission to convert others. He didn’t come right out and inform me of my inferiority, but instead built a friendship with me. He would make subtle comments about the dead-end road I was on. Looking back, I realize that he was quite methodical about his mission with me. His first attempts to convert me were through his offer to help me select an MP3 player. “Nothing’s better than an ipod”, he would say. Blinded by my Windows experience, I no idea where he was leading me. Once I had tasted of the Apple experience, with that white box of joy, I was consumed. I knew that I needed more. My computer started to bug me more than ever before. With every error or failed disc, the realization of my desperate situation came to life. I would sit frustrated with my computer, while my roommate would be basking in the “light” (of the Apple logo). I saw my need for a change and couldn’t take it any longer… I ended the internal battle for the higher road. I asked Him for help… “I no longer want to live this life of errors and reboots, but I want to give my computer life to Mac.” I’m not saying that this was easy. All my friends and family were still on the other side, using Windows. It was difficult to share my newfound decision to change my ways. I didn’t want to make them feel as though I was now better, but at the same time I wanted them to realize the impact that it’s had on my life. When I look back on what I used to deal with, I can’t help but say, “Thank you Steve Jobs! Thank you for giving me the Mac!”
I am only one year into my walk with the Mac, but I have already changed my life so much. I look at all the mundane tasks differently. I now love to check my email and I even love to empty my trash; please excuse my Macintoshese… I believe that you call it the recycling bin.
Even though I am a baby Mac user, I feel that it’s my duty to do coffee shop evangelism. I just take my new laptop and sit in coffee shops and surf the Internet. Just the presence of this machine draws people to look deep into their computing experience and find that they are not living up their potential. It’s fun for a while… when it first comes out of the box it’s great, but only a year later the errors begin and the plethora of shortcuts on the bottom right begin to take their toll on the machine. When people come to see the Mac, they are taken back by how clean and smooth the overall operation is. I simply sit back and tell them, “It’s not me, it’s Steve Jobs.” I always give Him the credit.
I also try to reach out to those closest to me. I have routinely commented to my friends and family that I no longer struggle with my computer, but my computer actually works for me. This idea almost seems too good to be true to many of them. Thankfully, my efforts have not been fruitless… I have seen numerous of my friends convert and buy a Mac. Although I still have many friends using Windows, I have seen many of them buy ipods and I can’t help but think what’s next. I know that overtime Steve Jobs will work in their lives and drastically change their computing experience, just as He did for me.
I also have other evangelism efforts that I use to help people come know what Steve Jobs has to offer, but none are better than changing the homepage on their web browser to www.apple.com. I find that this forces them to face the reality of their situation everyday. Many of them have no idea how to change it back, which feeds their human desire for simplicity; something only Macs offer.
Mac is continuously trying to make itself more appealing to the average Windows user, without sacrificing its values. This is a task that only Steve Jobs could handle. The most recent news is that they are switching from PowerPC chips to Intel, a transition that will make their services a little more contemporary. I wonder how the longtime Mac users and younger generation of ipod converts (like myself) will get along. I trust that Steve Jobs will guide us on our track of computing in the next decade. This is going to a very difficult transition, but I put my trust in Him… won’t you?
