M3 - Merge Ministry Mostly
A behind-the-scenes look at camp and ministry leadership, told with humor and heart. This podcast offers honest conversations about Christian leadership in student and children’s ministry—sharing real wins, mistakes, growth moments, and the everyday joys and challenges of serving. With plenty of laughs and genuine passion, it’s where Christian leadership meets youth camp chaos—real, relatable, and rooted in purpose.
M3 - Merge Ministry Mostly
Socks, Clapping, and Nuggets
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How do you put on your socks and shoes? Do you clap when movies end? Are boneless wings just chicken nuggets? We are back and solving all the world’s problems on this week’s episode of M3. If you have a topic idea, need help with something you are facing, or want to let us know if you agree or disagree with us then send us an email at mergeministries12@gmail.com.
Welcome back to another week of M3 Podcast. We're coming live from the M3 Podcast studio. Studio, baby, at the way church. In the beautiful, bustling Smith Station, Alabama.
SPEAKER_00Before we jump into all this stuff, uh, there are some people who are local Smith Stationites, however you say that, that if if I say I'm going to Smith Station, I just say Smith's. Correct. And people begin upset about that. They do. And I don't know why. Station. I was like, I'm going out to Smith's. Or it's it's over in Smith's. And they're like, Smith, what's Smith? I don't even say it's Smith. I just say Smith. Right. Yeah. People be getting upset about that. They do.
SPEAKER_01This it's their hometown. You can't disrespect the metropolis of Smith's station. So we are back. Uh, if you're doing us for the first time, I am Daniel Cook. I am Luke. Luke. So I didn't I say my last name. Yeah, I don't know. Your name, your last name carries more weight than any other last name. Smith's Smith's or Smith Station or Phoenix City, either one. There you go. So we are I'm a youth pastor, Luke's children's pastor. We are just coming to talk about things, life, give our opinions, which we have found out that not everybody agrees with our opinions.
SPEAKER_00A lot of people do not agree with our opinions.
SPEAKER_01So here's the thing with opinions.
SPEAKER_00But the only ones that actually get airtime are the ones that actually send in an email. That's right. I have several people at church come up, like, how you how do you not like Star Wars? I'm like, if you want us talk about it, send us an email.
SPEAKER_01But opinions are just that. They're opinions. Like you can't judge us or you can't hate on us because we have opinions. Even if you disagree with us or agree disagree with me, it seems to be the thing.
SPEAKER_00It's okay.
SPEAKER_01So this last we we got another email. Yeah. This person does not like our opinions.
SPEAKER_00Not one. Almost to the fact that we're wrong for even having a it was it was slightly, and I genuinely love this individual. It was a little bit of a personal attack, too, not just uh like our opinion was wrong.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think there's some other things that are driving some of these thoughts. I think he really wants to be on the show. I we need to bring him on, and because we haven't brought him on, I think there's a little bit of bitterness in his heart that he needs to go to Jesus about.
SPEAKER_00I think we should bring him on.
SPEAKER_01We will eventually, but not if he's gonna act like this.
SPEAKER_00Let's get his opinion on things.
SPEAKER_01So we're not gonna read all of it because it just kind of goes in into him being um an angry elf. So he'll I'll read a line or two from mine because he addressed us individually, he did, and then he uh decided to talk about both of us. So my let's see, I'll start with this. I understand that you love arguing for the sake of arguing, it's in your nature. I'm glad he knows me so well that he could tell what's in my nature.
SPEAKER_00While he may not, that that is pretty accurate. I will give him that.
SPEAKER_01I think to some extent, that's probably not a bad way to be. Be watchful and keep your guard up. I just think how exhausting it is to literally disagree on everything, like it's my opinion. Like, that's that's not exhausting to me because it's my opinion. Like, I'm not coming up with these, like I have to think about it. Like, oh, I need to put some thought into am I gonna disagree or how can I disagree with this?
SPEAKER_00Or on on this regard, you you do this in conversations sometimes, but it's not like you're saying, How can I make the most people mad with my opinion or my take? Right, you're just giving your opinion. I just give my opinion, although in a conversation, you will do that. I will.
SPEAKER_01There will be times I will say things just to say things because I like to see people's reaction. But like if it comes down to last week, is a hot dog a hot dog? Who cares? Like, who cares if I think it is or it ain't? Like, wow, there's bigger things in life. All right, so then Deluke said that Daniel is wearing off on you. Uh, please be vigilant to how quickly approaching being a Debbie Downer and just a person that disagrees with everyone. Be the encourager I know you are, brother.
SPEAKER_00That is uh a term that I've had several people uh say about me. That you're I'm an encourager.
SPEAKER_01You're an encourager?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, are you? I don't know that I encourage you a lot.
SPEAKER_01No, I was about to say, where's that at? I don't I don't see that part of you.
SPEAKER_00Maybe there is a part of this that's right.
SPEAKER_01Uh then he talks about your attention span. Uh my critique is if you can't pay attention long enough to watch the movie because you can't follow it. Now I don't know if that's attention spin. I think that's your intelligence that he just took a shot at. Just say that and leave it at that.
SPEAKER_00So to that, I would say I watch a lot of movies. I watch a lot of TV shows. If it was better, I'd watch it.
SPEAKER_01So I've noticed, and Abby has said this. Um, also, I don't I don't get why we make movies like two and a half hours. Like that seems to be the so the other day we were trying to figure out something to watch, and some on Netflix said movies under an hour and a half. And I was like, that's like if you can't tell a story in under an hour and a half, you're just adding a whole bunch of stuff. We went and saw um Project Hail Mary. Yeah, we said it before that movie could have been done in 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_00So I was listening to the radio on my way uh over here, and um I can't think of the dude's name. What's the guy who played in Top Gun? Uh Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise. I mean, he's one of the biggest guys out there. I don't forget his name. Tom Cruise. He announces that I think it's next week they're doing uh back in the theaters, they're gonna do Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick is gonna be playing. And so the guy asked the lady on the radio show, how how many times are you gonna see it? Because apparently she loves Top Gun. And uh she was like, Well, I mean, that's four and a half hours I gotta commit to. She was like, I'll probably do it once. And it got me thinking, like, yeah, why are these so daggum long? Which I mean, they're good. Those those two in particular, they're good movies, like I enjoyed it, but that is it is a lot of time that is that we we you gotta carve out to sit there and watch something.
SPEAKER_01So there again, we're being downers, I guess, because we don't like movies that are long. Um, so then he goes on to address both of us. He genuinely believes that uh when we get together, we like and enjoy to see how many people we can make mad. If you're getting mad over if we think certain things is a sport or we think a certain restaurant is overrated or underrated, if you're genuinely getting mad because I don't like Olive Garden, that's that's not on me.
SPEAKER_00Like I I have an opinion about it, just proves that you don't care about family. Because Olive Garden treats you like family. If you don't like them, you don't like family.
SPEAKER_01I I reckon so. So yeah, so he uh started then talking about cartoons. I don't know, my kids aren't old enough to watch or too old and they don't watch cartoons anymore. So he says he does not have church hurt, he has podcast hurt.
SPEAKER_00So once again, that line got me now. I was cracking up at that point.
SPEAKER_01I think it goes back to he's just a little angry that he's not been on the podcast yet. I think that's his podcast hurt. Could be, could be. So here's the thing we will soon get guests on the show.
SPEAKER_00Hold on, we gotta you gotta say his name. We said we was gonna say.
SPEAKER_01Well, I will, but but we're looking to bring people on, but right now we are still working at this, and our little box over here only has two microphones.
SPEAKER_00We only got two mics.
SPEAKER_01So once we like grow a little bit more, upgrade our system, we will have people on, and then you can come on and tell us in person.
SPEAKER_00Although a couple weeks ago it was pretty popping, pretty popping pie.
SPEAKER_01So so anyway, we'll get to that. We did so um this individual who wrote this email, once again, another family member tied in.
SPEAKER_00But this time, this time my family member was hating on both of us.
SPEAKER_01He was hating on both of them.
SPEAKER_00And in for your credit, it wasn't just hating on you.
SPEAKER_01That's true. And this individual is the board president of merge, Justin Williams, and on here, Harding Builders LLC. So if you need if you need a house, a house to get built, holler at your boy by by a grumpy builder or project manager who don't like if you have opinions um that are different than his, I guess.
SPEAKER_00He's probably not gonna like that project manager tag there.
SPEAKER_01I don't know what is the co-owner, yeah. He's the owner of the governor.
SPEAKER_00They uh they're they're together, they're together. They own it together.
SPEAKER_01So, yeah, so Justin Williams, thanks for your uplifting email. Sorry, we have differing opinions than what you have, but their opinions, so yeah. So lately on the podcast, we'll move along from that. We have seen a spike in viewership or listenership by now. Last week would have been the first week you could see us on. We have a YouTube channel and we uploaded the video to YouTube. This will be on there as well. Yeah, but we host through, I guess it's host, uh Buzz Sprout. Yeah, Buzz Sprout, and it tells us kind of the viewers and all that stuff. The past two weeks, we have seen a spike in listeners. So thank you to those listening.
SPEAKER_00Shout out to you guys, yes, and it tells you cities because if y'all don't listen, then we're just really dumb sitting in a in a room talking to one. Um when we could do that on the phone, right?
SPEAKER_01Or not record us sitting here talking. Uh, but it tells you put where people are from, like there's people from Ohio and Washington and Pennsylvania, and like all over Fitz, Smith Station, Opalaca, Montgomery. We got uh pretty good listening podcast up there in Montgomery. Uh, but it also tells you countries. Oh like we have like went to Japan.
SPEAKER_00Um popping, yeah.
SPEAKER_01We were like Indonesia, I think, or India was one of them too. Like it was crazy. Like, I'm like, people across the the world are hearing my voice. Here's my craziness.
SPEAKER_00Is it uh are these like bots or are these real people? I don't know.
SPEAKER_01I haven't figured that out yet because it says a majority of people are listening on a web browser, which seems odd. Different. Like I don't know, I don't understand, hadn't looked into it to see like what that really means.
SPEAKER_00But um, Chadomania is on there as well. Yeah, you got Canada, the UK, Vietnam, India. We be time, Myanmar, Myanmar.
SPEAKER_01It'd be funny to pull up a map and see if we could come close to finding uh Myanmar. All right, so we're gonna continue. We couldn't find India or Indian Indonesia, none of them, any of that. So we're gonna continue with just topics. Uh once again, sorry uh if you are not a fan of our opinions. Um, but we're probably gonna differ at least on some of these things, and that's okay. We still love you, and we still want to hear your info.
SPEAKER_00And we want to hear what you I said info, I meant input. Input, right? And we at the end of the day's okay if you think we're dumb. Like we're cool with it. Right, we're gonna read it, but we we're cool with it.
SPEAKER_01We we we love Jesus, uh, and that's the most important thing. We don't differ on that, right? So, as uh this actually it didn't happen to me, but it made me think of this. The older I get, the I've never been flexible. So the other day I was going to put on my uh socks and shoes, and I guess I was struggling. And Abby looked at me and she was like, Uh, you having trouble? I was like, I I'm not as flexible as I used to be. She was like, You can't bend over to put your shoe on because I was pulling my leg up to try to put my sock on or something.
SPEAKER_00You're like setting your leg up on your knee.
SPEAKER_01Right, yeah, and that takes a lot of work.
SPEAKER_00Um so I saw something. Are you doing this standing up or sitting down?
SPEAKER_01Sitting down, okay. Yeah, standing up. That ain't happening.
SPEAKER_00So when you balance is also off.
SPEAKER_01Correct. Um, when you put your socks and shoes on, do you sock, shoe, sock, shoe, or sock, sock, shoe, shoe?
SPEAKER_00I feel like that try not to be a Debbie Downer, but putting sock, shoe, sock, shoe feels like the dumbest thing you can do. Maybe it is a little Debbie Downer. Who does if you do that? I genuinely want to know how does that work? You put you so you standing there all awkward with a shoe on and a and a naked foot? Yeah, you got sock, shoe, and then you're like, now you gotta start all the way over. Yeah, you you do that?
SPEAKER_01No, I put my socks on, then I put my shoes on.
SPEAKER_00Look, I'm I'm I'm open to learn uh new things. I really am. If you put on your sock and then your shoe, like you put your left sock on, your left shoe, then you do your right sock and your right shoe. I just want to know why. Enlighten me. What like what would be the point? I I I don't know why I feel so strongly on this. It just feels it does feel it just don't feel right.
SPEAKER_01It does, it does feel a little uh different, but um well, so do you this is also a conversation I've heard for a while.
SPEAKER_00People be asking this question, but I don't know anybody that actually does the whole do you tie your shoes? Like do you like are used? I typically stay tied, man. Okay. Well, I was just wondering if he I actually had to tie these shoes today because that's my my friend who uh sometimes can be a Debbie Downer gave me some really good information on uh cleaning your your tennis shoes. And so I had cleaned up my tennis shoe. Look how pretty they are. Look at it's white at the bottom, isn't that crazy? I was gonna say they're black. They're but they were getting great. Uh so so in the process, they they came untied, and so I had to tie them this morning. But so did you I tie them loose is that way I can get my foot in next time without so did you sock sock shoe tie, shoe tie? No, no, sock sock, shoe, shoe, tie, tie, tie. I ain't even gonna lie to you. Reading this uh earlier, I was there going, is this a is this a riddle or is this like a tongue twister? Shock shoe shock shoe shoot. Shock shoe, shock shoe, shock shoe. I don't know how to do that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so most of the time I I don't tie my shoe, they stay tied. So if I I'm trying to think if I did have to tie my shoe, I think I do sock, sock, shoe, tie, shoe, tie.
SPEAKER_00Because you don't want to have to pull your foot back up again once you've already got it.
SPEAKER_01Or get my shoe back up to me. So fair, fair.
SPEAKER_00So sock, sock, shoe, shoe. Speaking of flexibility, uh, I ain't never been flexible. I got big legs and they're tight as a mug. I've had back problems, and it's all because my hamstrings are tight. I know the solution to fixing my tight back and when my type my back hurts. I know how to how to correct this, and it's not a momentary correction, like it's something that I gotta do every single day if I want this to be fixed. Yeah, I'm not stretching, bro. Yeah, that's too much. My first year at Merge, me and Matt Law were in a room together, and so he takes a shower, and then I go take a shower. And uh, when I come out of the shower, my man's like stretching, and like I'm like, what isn't he doing? So I just get into bed and I'm like, bro, what are you doing? He was like, Man, I'm getting old. I I gotta I gotta stretch so I can stay loose. He said, We, you know, we're gonna play kickball tomorrow, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that. I'm like, so which at the time I ain't have a lot of issues, you know. Like I'm I'm good, I was young and all that. Now I'm 32 and things are uh tightening up, tightening up a little bit more than I than they used to. But I used to be forced to stretch. Yeah, you know, before I ever practice, and I I was stretching, but not on my own time. Yeah, I've I've never been flexible. Um there was about a two-month period that I was extremely flexible. I could put like this part of my this part of my of my uh wrist on the ground. Uh because I took a ballet class in in college. They called it sport stretching. Now that's what was on my transcript.
SPEAKER_01That's fair.
SPEAKER_00When I got in there, it was uh the ballet teacher. Nice and we legit did ballet. You're flexible though. I was very flexible.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I have started uh getting to the age, if you're at the those of y'all at the kickball thing the other night, um, I tend to get hurt now playing kickball. But I was talking to Luke about it the other day, and I said, I am not being one of those 45-year-old men, which I'm gonna be 44 in a couple weeks, but have to go stretch before I play kickball. I just I'm just not doing it. I'll just come up with another position that I can I'll just play first base. Yeah, and I don't have to ride.
SPEAKER_00That's what that's what I learned playing uh church softball. Uh I used to play shortstop, then I played outfield and uh I play on this particular team, and they're like, hey, you're playing third. And I'm like, I never played third really, but I will, you know. And as I got out there, I'm like, hey, it's a lot less running. This is amazing. Well, especially when you're on the third base dugout, bro. You ain't gotta run nowhere. That's right. True that. And uh I hit the ball hard, so I I try not to run much anyway. In a home run, you ain't gotta run. Hey, you something you just said made me think of this. This isn't on our on our list. Uh so put put you on the spot here. Uh, do you know my birthday? Yes. Why do you know my birthday? Because I just lied.
SPEAKER_03No.
SPEAKER_00I was thinking June? Yeah, I was thinking if you did know it, I know why you know it. Because me and BJ have the same birthday. But June 7th just we talked about it. It's close, June 17th. Seventh. See how it's close. Yeah, I don't know your birthday.
SPEAKER_01Uh does that hurt your feelings? Do you know the month? Well, obviously, you should know the month. It's been a couple weeks in May. I did know it was in May. You should. You know my password and part of my password to everything. I probably shouldn't say that all right.
SPEAKER_00No, you probably shouldn't say that out loud. So, are you offended? I don't know your birthday. No. Okay. Our secretary's birthday was on Wednesday. And so I get into the office, and Miss Kathy, who's our secretary, has got several ladies sitting in there with her. There's a cake and whatever. And so I walk in, I'm like, hey, how y'all doing? You know, just chatting up, talking. It's not super uncommon for these ladies, these particular ladies that are there to be hanging out with Miss Kathy. And uh they were like, Do you not know what day it is? And I'm like, No, no, they're like, It's Kathy's birthday. And I'm like, Oh, happy birthday. I can't believe you don't know her birthday. And I'm like, Isaac or youth pastor standing right there, and I'm like, Did you know her birthday? He was like, No. I said, Do you know my birthday? She's he's like, No. I said, I don't know his birthday. I was like, I don't, I don't think it's a thing with guys. Like, yeah, if I when I find out it's your birthday, I'll probably say, Hey bro, happy birthday. But if I didn't, you wouldn't be like, How dare you not tell me happy birthday?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I wouldn't. I don't I wouldn't care. I think I got over my offended of forgetting birthdays, people forgetting my birthdays when me and Abby started dating. Uh, she forgot my birthday.
SPEAKER_00So growing up, birthdays were like a huge thing for us either. So yeah, my view of birthdays okay, you're you're older. We you eat what you want, mama asks you, hey, what you want for dinner tonight? She cooks it. We have a cake, eat some ice cream. Birthday. That's right.
SPEAKER_01So the next this thing, if you do this, and I Debbie Downer, whatever you want to call it. I do not understand people who do this. We're gonna skip down. Do you clap when a plane lands or when a movie is over at the theater?
SPEAKER_00So it fully depends on who I'm with. Nice. Because there are some people in my life like you that they can't stand it. And so I'm starting it, baby. Like if we land that plane and I look around, I'm like, oh yeah, yeah. Woohoo! And see if everybody will start clapping. Oh yeah, I'm all about it. If if I'm with certain people that don't like it, I don't care either way. It don't really bother me if people do. But at the same time, I do kind of feel like it's a little dumb, but I it genuinely don't don't matter to me. Yeah, I don't, I don't. It's a thing. People be doing it. But why?
SPEAKER_01Why? Why do you clap? Okay, let's let's the plane. Okay, you could be clapping and hope that the pilot hears you and you're telling him thank you, which I still think like that's their job. Clap when you go leave the doctor's office and they go, hey, this happened, and you clap or a surgery, you don't like clap for everybody on your way out the door.
SPEAKER_00Hey, I'm alive.
SPEAKER_01That's what's what it is when you land a plane.
SPEAKER_00Like you did it.
SPEAKER_03We did not.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_01So a movie. If you clap at a movie, are you clapping for the people who were in there with you that they behaved that you that you live through the movie? Like, hey, we made it. Like, who are you clapping for?
SPEAKER_00You're clapping at the the joy of the movie. See, see, why we gotta have happy endings. We ain't got a happy ending. We ain't clapping, maybe.
SPEAKER_01But the people that the people that made the movie, the people that are in the movie, they ain't there, they don't hear you clapping. They ain't got a clue. So I don't I don't understand. I don't understand.
SPEAKER_00So I genuinely I don't understand it either. It just that ain't one of those things that really bothers me. And I know sometimes I can be a petty individual. And if it bothers other people, then I might do it. Just like we told the story about you putting the mayonnaise on my hand. I thought it was better, so I licked it. Uh I like it's I uh people get mad sometimes when you do pranks on them. It's like you you feel dumb, whatever, and like whatever. And I it's it's funny, you know what I mean? Like it's funny. So, like, why why wouldn't you? Sometimes seeing people get frustrated over something that's kind of silly is funny, so I do it.
SPEAKER_01I wouldn't get frustrated, I just would look at you like, why are you clapping? Why are you clapping?
SPEAKER_00Like, anyway, I I don't get it being a thing, but it definitely is.
SPEAKER_01It is a thing, I don't understand it. Like I just don't understand it. Do you wet your toothbrush before or after applying the toothpaste?
SPEAKER_00I remember having this conversation with the youth group one time, and apparently they thought this was the weirdest thing ever. It probably is going to be. I just I do both. I wet my toothbrush, I put toothpaste on it, then I wet the toothpaste. I don't see how that's super weird. It's over over wetiness. Right. I don't so I don't like for the toothpaste. If the toothpaste isn't like if you don't wet the toothpaste, sometimes it'll like stick to your teeth, and then you gotta like scrub it off of there.
SPEAKER_01You're already brushing anyway, but so then what's the point of wetting the toothbrush before the toothpaste if the issue is the toothpaste? Oh, yeah, bristles because actually the harder the bristles would clean your teeth better because it's more rigid. I mean, I use I use a hard butt. So you're not loosening the bristles? I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_00You know one of them things you always say about me is I'm extra. It's just another one of them things, brother. I don't know what to tell you.
SPEAKER_01So I just uh save water and save the planet. I put toothpaste and then put it on the water. I don't wet the toothbrush prior to do you leave the water running while you're brushing your teeth?
SPEAKER_00No, I do. And I remember growing up, like in school, they're like, turn the water off when you brush your teeth. I'm like, that's like five cents on the water bill. Come on, man.
SPEAKER_01I ain't saving no water. I don't do it to save water. It's just uh I turn it on with the toothbrush, turn it off, brush my teeth, turn it on, rinse, turn it off. Just a habit. I just leave running. So let's jump into a the a church question. Okay, okay. Should churches, so especially in the south, if you're listening uh in Indonesia, this is Indonesia may not apply, or if you're like we go out with Colby and soccer, we've traveled a lot out west and north, there are not as many churches as in the south, which that's why we're the Bible, but whatever. So should churches that are and we can figure out a number if we want to, smaller churches in a town, should they have to combine because they are smaller, and if you combine them, then it would make a bigger church that could do, and there's a lot of things they got to be the same belief, yeah, denomination, um, all those kind of things. Yes, we could pick all that apart, but should these smaller churches that are in a city have to combine to make one church instead of having a bunch of small churches?
SPEAKER_00So phrasing it have to, like being forced to feels like they're cause we're causing more of a problem.
SPEAKER_01But but they're the same denomination. Let's just let's just say that.
SPEAKER_00But I I genuinely think yes, because I know why a lot of these churches have started. You know what I mean? We've talked about the whole church hurt thing, people get upset, they take their ball, they go home, and then they start another church. And like I I don't and and not all of them are started that way, you know. God reveals to people how you should start a church, and they do that, and it's and it's wonderful. Like, that's a great thing. But I also know, you know, there I don't think every church needs to be a mega church, you know. Like I don't think I don't think that's the solution to the problem. But if you got you know churches that are super small, you combine them things together, there's a strength in numbers. There's there's there's strength in a in a body of believers coming together in in communion with the Lord. So yeah, I think it would be a wonderful idea. I don't know what that number would look like. Uh saying they're like forcing people to do that sounds like this ain't gonna work again.
SPEAKER_01Uh but hypothetically, if you could get someone to go to all, let's say five churches of 20 people or less, yeah, and say, hey, this is where we're gonna do this, and it would be better. Yes. So my and I was thinking about it, and and I would think uh a determining factor, because most the time these five churches are in different communities, yeah. So if a church of let's just say 20, and that's not a magic number, and we're not hating on churches that are smaller churches, but if that church is ministering to that community, like if you were to take that church out of the community and the community would suffer, then they should stay. Right. Yeah, but if you take that church of 20 out of the community and the community, nothing changes, nothing changes, then yes, I think they should have to have to combine, or it would be beneficial for them to combine to bring resources together. Um, so I think it I think that would be a good determining thing. Like, are you a fake because we're all called churches are all we're different, yeah, but we're called to reach different people in different communities. And if you're doing that, no matter how big you are, because even if that, if you took it from the scale of would the community notice if that church did not exist, yeah, there's some big churches that you could take out of a community and they wouldn't nobody would notice that they wasn't there either.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I maybe we should start a uh uh what is it? Um consulting. Yeah. And we'll go to we'll go we'll come to your church and we'll tell you if you should stay or if you need to go to so we've we've had a similar uh a similar conversation, not not of like necessarily combining churches, but churches re combining their resources to impact the community.
SPEAKER_00Right. That's something that you know our my pastors kind of talked about a good bit. Like there's there's people that will come to our church that that need some help. And it's like, you know, a lot of a lot of people are asking for handouts, uh, but the the way we typically do it is it's it's the focus is let's not get you back in the same place. Like let me let's help you get a job, let's help you, you know, get get your your affairs in order that we can that you can flourish. And so like if there was a a place for us to come together, the churches come together to make something like that happen, we'd be impacting the community for sure. Right. And there's other like you're saying, there's there's churches that you know, small churches and big churches, that their reach is inside the doors and not outside those doors. So like the impact on that community. My dad's the mission statement at the way is uh impacting the community by teaching and training Jesus Christ, uh teaching and training individuals that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. The first part of that is impacting the community, like the the point of of the church is is for us to to grow to together in our relationship with Christ, and we do that by reaching the community and impacting the community that is around us. How people gonna want to come to faith in Jesus if there's no impact on your of your relationship with Jesus on people, right? I I think that would be a wonderful idea, brother. I think it's a good idea, but it goes back to the the thought we've I mean we've said it even in here before is that a lot of times churches don't play well together, they do not play well together.
SPEAKER_01So getting someone to leave their place to go to another, and there's tithes, and this is where my grandmother grew up, and I grew up, and all those things, but is that what the church is there for? Like is that why you're going, or is it because you're growing and the church is growing and reaching people and that kind of stuff? So we'll have to see if we can put a task force together to go to to go to churches and tell them if they uh need to stay or need to go.
SPEAKER_00I don't believe much of that would be received well.
SPEAKER_01Probably not, but bringing resources together, if you're new to the show, that's what merge is, and why merge is successful is because it is churches who have come together uh to support the ministry, and because of resources and abilities and talents and all that stuff, we are able to do this ministry. Um, and that's really the whole merge thing is merging together, churches coming together to make that happen. So it works and it can work and it should work. That's the way the church is designed, is for the people in the church to bring their talents and resources. So, why don't churches do that with each other?
SPEAKER_00We should get started on that.
SPEAKER_01Then we will merge church. Here we go. Uh start another one. So now let's get off of uh church stuff and the penny dilemma.
SPEAKER_00Oh goodness.
SPEAKER_01The penny dilemma. So I'm not really up to date about all this. I'm pretty sure they quit producing pennies, or they're going to quit producing pennies. Do you know? No, you don't know here. Ain't no economist. I can't remember if it they have already stopped or if they're going to stop. But they announced it that it was coming to the end. Well, as soon as they announced it, all businesses ran out of pennies. They're gone. Like all pennies vanished from the earth the moment they said, Hey, we're going to stop making them. There's still pennies in the world. Yeah. Why places of business act like they no longer have pennies?
SPEAKER_00I literally yesterday was uh getting gas, and I think I got a drink and I just said put the rest on on this. And the guy says to me, I'm out of pennies. Which my point was I didn't want any change. I wanted the change to go to gas, you know. So uh I'm I'm sitting there thinking, like, how in the world are you actually out of pennies? Are you out of pennies or you just quit taking them? Right, like, because people now they just they just were like round up, or if you owe they owe you 27 cents, they'll just give you 25. Yeah, what I want my two cents. Or or give me give me 30. If you can't give me 20, 27, give me 30. Why are you still having three cents on stuff? And why not make it all round even numbers? You know what I mean? That makes a whole lot more sense if you ain't gonna take pennies.
SPEAKER_01That fair point. Why don't why haven't they just moved to everything ends in five or ten cents?
SPEAKER_00I was reading uh this a sign, I don't remember if it's like piggly wiggly. It was it was I don't know where it was, it was some store. I don't know. I was buying something. There's a thing explaining the change because there ain't no more pennies, but then it says in bold, but we will not go away from 97 cents or or whatever, like the uneven. Right.
SPEAKER_03I'm like, what why?
SPEAKER_00Why are you being I I'm not doing this, but then you ain't got no pennies to give me.
SPEAKER_01Like, well, I think what is this? My guess would be they're saying they're not changing from 97 because in everybody's mind the companies are just going, or I think in my mind, they're just gonna round it up, so then they're gonna make even more money because they want to say, Well, we're not gonna have pennies, so everything's just gonna get more expensive, right? Because if it's 97 cents, they're not gonna drop the price to 95. They're gonna raise it.
SPEAKER_00I read that totally different than you, apparently. See, that makes more sense. That's much more logical, you know. I was like, Well, I'm I'm reading it like let me tell you what we ain't gonna do.
SPEAKER_01And it could be so I don't I don't get the penny dilemma. I don't I don't know. I mean, I get it, sure.
SPEAKER_00We're not producing pennies anymore, but but the everything is the reason because it cost more than a cent to make the cent.
SPEAKER_01I believe so.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I don't know.
SPEAKER_01I don't either, but that's the thing. Like you go buy a gas station today, which gas is gas, it was $4.09. Like there's still pennies included in all the prices.
SPEAKER_00So if I go get one gallon of gas and I give you a five dollar bill, we ain't rounding it up. Nope.
SPEAKER_01Now the gas is already expensive and they're making a lot of money off of you. Now they're gonna make an extra penny off of you, or two pennies per gallon off of you. So that's the penny. I don't I don't get it. Like soon, it will, I guess maybe. I don't know. Will they ever just round everything to the five or the ten? Who knows?
SPEAKER_00Speak speaking of that. Sometimes they have it and they ask you, like, do you want your change? Will you say? Yes, me too. Yeah, I want them two pennies. Like, what I it's still money, it's still money. You know what I mean? And it's it's probably more on principle and Luke being petty than anything else. But I'm like, Yeah, you go dig in that registrar for about two cents.
SPEAKER_01They ask. Why are you asking? Yeah, like because you want the two cents too. Yeah, exactly. You want it that's why you're asking, because what you're hoping is that I say, Oh no, you keep that. Well, in their world, two cents at a gas station, two cents per person that comes in. I mean, that'd be over dollars, brother. That'd be yeah, but for me, yes, it may only be two cents. But when I take it home and I throw it in the jar with the other change, that two cent eventually ten years when you take that to the bank and cash it in.
SPEAKER_00I just made two dollars off of that. Thank you. Uh for VBS, we we don't do like a dollar amount when we do our um the kids, you know, bring in offering. We we weigh it. So we tell them, you know, bring in coins, and uh it's so funny. Like kids will bring in ten dollars worth of quarters, and it's it's not as much as ten dollars in pennies. The bank be hating us at uh at uh BBS time, boy. They're going to bank. I need fifty dollars in pennies. Oh no, and all we're doing, they're gonna they're gonna bring these coins in wrap. We're gonna unwrap them and then take them right back to the bank.
SPEAKER_01So we're running uh coming to the end. This last question will be uh should be a quick one, probably not. Boneless wings are just chicken nuggets. True or you answer first. 100%, they're just chicken nuggets, so they rolled in sauce. Like boneless wings are 100% chicken nuggets.
SPEAKER_00So here's my question What's wrong with that?
SPEAKER_01Why do people act like a whole problem? Like, why not call them chicken nuggets? Why call them boneless wings? Who cares? No, no, no. They they differentiate because they didn't name them chicken nuggets. Why call them boneless wings? What does it matter? They did it for a reason. Why do people eat boneless wings? Because they want chicken nuggets and sauce. Yeah, so that's what they're gonna get.
SPEAKER_00So get say people don't want to fight through the bone, chicken nuggets and buffalo sauce, but it just doesn't roll off the tongue as well. Who cares what you call it? Then why do you they come up with a name for it? We go to a wing place. Are you getting bone in wings or boneless wings? I'm getting traditional, traditional bone and wings.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah. I'm not you're getting chicken nuggets.
SPEAKER_00I'm getting chicken nuggets rolled in some sauce because I don't like to work for my food. Then call it that. Who cares what you call it? I'll call it chicken nuggets rolled in sauce. Call a hot dog a sandwich. It's not a sandwich. 100% it is, 100% it's not.
SPEAKER_01But no, so you agree boneless wings are chicken nuggets. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00There you go.
SPEAKER_01Soft.
SPEAKER_00But but why is it a problem? That don't make no sense to me why it's a problem. People are like, oh, it's them ain't wings. Who cares? It's meat and it's rolling sauce. It's the same thing. Hey, plus you don't have to work for your food.
SPEAKER_01The question was not, does it make sense? The question is, are boneless wings chicken nuggets? Yeah, there you go. End of story. All right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but you saying it in a derogatory way, like it's a problem. Well, why is it a problem? Who cares if they're chicken nuggets?
SPEAKER_01It's just a question. Who cares if they're chicken nuggets? Hey, don't get defensive about your food. I'm getting defensive.
SPEAKER_00If you want to call it a boneless wing, chicken nuggets. I call it a boneless wing because that's what it's called. Just like when you go to order a hot dog, it ain't on the sandwich section.
SPEAKER_01So if I go to McDonald's and I want chicken nuggets, can I go to McDonald's and say, I want your 10-piece boneless wings with no sauce? No, because they don't have that. Yes, they do.
SPEAKER_00No, they don't.
SPEAKER_01You just said boneless wings are chicken nuggets. They have chicken nuggets, so they have boneless wings with no sauce. It matters what they call it. Why does it matter what they call it? My name's Luke, and that's what you call me. That's what you just said. It don't matter what you call it. Right. They call it boneless wings. So I can boneless boneless wings at McDonald's.
SPEAKER_00Because they don't have boneless wings. Because they have chicken nuggets.
SPEAKER_01Which are boneless wings are just chicken nuggets. That's what you said. That's what you said. Boneless wings are just chicken nuggets, so therefore they don't have chicken nuggets rolled in sauce. It's one of those um if then theories and math. They don't have chicken nuggets any sauce. So if boneless wings are just chicken nuggets, then chicken nuggets are just boneless wings with no sauce. If then, if this is true, then this is true. So I should be able to go to McDonald's and order boneless wings with no sauce.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they're gonna look at you like you're stupid because they don't have that. They just do chicken nuggets.
SPEAKER_01You just said boneless wings are chicken nuggets. So if they have chicken nuggets, then they have boneless wings. All right, so you don't get to make up your own names for stuff. I didn't. I didn't come up with this.
SPEAKER_00Yes, you did. I did not come up with boneless wings or this question. If you go to Buffalo Wild Wings and say, Can I get some chicken nuggets rolled in sauce? They're gonna say they will know what you're talking about. But you go to McDonald's and say, Let me get some dry boneless wings. Like they have chicken nuggets there, they don't even do sauce on they don't have wings. I quit listening to them. That's just dumb.
SPEAKER_01I don't listen. I'm I stopped listening about two minutes ago.
SPEAKER_00You're still talking.
SPEAKER_01So we thank you for joining us. Uh join in on the debate boneless wings, chicken nuggets, penny dilemma, all of those things. We'd love to hear your. Four thoughts. Uh merge ministry 12.
SPEAKER_00I want to know if you need calm. Sock shoe, sock shoe. I want to know why. That is that is let us know why.
SPEAKER_01That does seem unorthodox.
SPEAKER_00And if you clap when the plane lands and if you clap when the movie's over and you're genuine, like I'm clapping, not petty like me. I want to know the reasoning behind it. I'm cool with it either way. I just want to know. Like I'm curious.
SPEAKER_01So mergeministries12 at gmail.com. I think you can also comment on Spotify or other places.
SPEAKER_00Uh but I think we also have uh a button now on Spotify that you can click to email us.
SPEAKER_01I think so. So uh join us next week. We'll post this. Obviously, if you're watching this, you know it's on YouTube on Spotify as well. Uh so enjoy your week and we will see you next week. See ya bye.