Whatever it takes.

Josh and I visited my parents church last week. It's the church I grew up in... the church where we had our first date (another story for another day)... where we got married.

The pastor had open heart surgery last week so an old favorite came to preach. His name? Ray Talley.

This guy is amazing.

You see, when Josh and I started going to a more contemporary church in a county full of traditional churches, we met a LOT of resistance.

I had people I had known my entire life ignore me in the grocery store. Say hello, ask if we were going to 'that' church, and turn and walk away.

Bam.

Good thing I place my faith in God and not people, or that would have seriously phased me.

But back to the story.

I really enjoyed the more current style of music and preaching that seemed to speak to my life a little more. It was the same Bible, same message, just different methods.

Same message, different method.

That was Mr. Talley's point.

Here's a paraphrase of part of his point:

Every Sunday morning, Charles Stanley stands up behind a podium at his church in Atlanta. He wears a dark suit, a white shirt, and a red tie. The choir may have just finished a beautiful song, and after he preaches, a hymn may be sung. And thousands of lives are touched by the Lord.

Across town is his son, Andy. He gets up every Sunday morning and may be wearing blue jeans and a tee-shirt. He has a band on stage that probably just finished a rock song. And he doesn't have a podium, just a stool and a table and his Bible. And thousands of lives are touched by the Lord.

Which one is right?

Wow.

Here was an older preacher saying exactly what I'd felt all along.

Same message, different method.

That doesn't mean one way is wrong and one way is right... what matters is that the message is the same. And that it's reaching people.

Look closely... it's Snoop reading 'How Good is Good Enough?" by Andy Stanley.