Your podcast reminded me of this story.

I know a pastor in my town named Steve, who was leading an aging, conservative church. Way back in the day, his efforts to modernize the congregation met with resistance, especially his desire to incorporate multimedia into services. They had sound amplification, which everyone appreciated – especially the older congregants. However, when he proposed using a computer, projector, and screen during sermons, they only reluctantly agreed. Videos, movies, and soundbites were his vision; they were only willing to tolerate silent, still pictures.

One week, while preparing his sermon, Pastor Steve discovered a perfect audio file to close his message with a punch. He became determined that this would be the week to usher the congregation into the multimedia age.

At home, everything worked perfectly. On Sunday morning, he briefed the tech crew about the new multimedia element. But there was a hitch — the sound file wouldn’t play on the church’s computer. Although the PA system played Windows sound effects, the sermon’s crucial audio wouldn’t play.

They spent most of their pre-service time troubleshooting. Then, in a flash of inspiration, Pastor Steve realized his home computer had an internet connection and Winamp installed, unlike the church’s setup. With minutes to spare, he rushed home, copied Winamp to a jump drive, and hurried back to the church just as the service was starting. He handed the jump drive to the tech crew with instructions to install Winamp and play the audio on his cue.

With great fanfare, he built up the new multimedia element, promising a deeper spiritual experience and insight for all in attendance. At the crucial moment, he gave the cue. To everyone’s astonishment, the sound system announced:

“WWWWinamp! It really whips the Llama’s ass.”

Thank you for sharing Mark! . That was a wonderful story, and a great example of “Whipping Llamas” in the wild!