Guest: Levi Cook (the most athletic staff member *according to him*)

This week we are joined by Levi Cook. He attended Merge as a kid and now serving on staff. We talk about his roles at Merge, what he would rather win, and him singing in the shower. If you have questions, comments, or input please email us at mergeministries12@gmail.com and let us know about them. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:06

What is up merge ministries? How are we doing today?

SPEAKER_01 0:11

By the way, we're recording, and that is going on the podcast. Welcome in to another week of merge ministry. Mostly I about messed that up already. Merge Ministry 12. I'm Daniel. And I'm Luke. And this week we are joined by the one and only. Who calls himself an athlete, Levi Cook.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

That is me. Yeah. One and only athlete of the Cook family.

SPEAKER_03 0:45

So this is our one and only of the Cook family. I think you're forgetting about somebody.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

This is our second uh interviewee. I don't know. Yeah, we're the interviewer, you're the interviewee. Last week, double us more. We were joined by Justin Williams. Today we get Levi Cook. AKA Johnny. AKA Johnny or Justin, you know, just depends on whichever. Mr. President. However, however that works for you. So today we will have conversations with Levi, who we'll start off with he wrote in and didn't realize that he was giving himself a shout-out that it would be known.

SPEAKER_03 1:28

The man said, shout out Levi Cook. Like he wasn't Levi Cook. I want to know what were you thinking?

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Thought it was going to be like anonymous. Like I didn't like sign the consent form for my email to be read. Like I thought it was gonna be like anonymous.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Like you don't have to sign it. We told you on the front of you, but I you listened to the podcast. We said we're gonna read it. Plus I skipped that episode. Your email is your name. Well, correct, but I thought like I don't know actually. You went on to like the subnet and put a mask on it so that nobody would know. Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

So did you sign the papers before you came in today? I did. And so we have your consent to put you on the podcast and use your paper. Let us know afterwards. If he says something stupid. Your name. I didn't consent to this. Image and likeness. We we have consent to use that. And I owe my I'm getting paid. You're getting paid. Better be at least. You're sponsored by Margaritaville?

SPEAKER_02 2:24

It needs to be sponsored by Jax. They've got some good breakfast.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Yeah, we went to uh Jax and they have burritos. Two for $5.99. So how big? Like if you see, oh, it's two for $5.99. Yeah, what would you think?

SPEAKER_03 2:39

That's probably gonna be kind of small.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Yeah, I would think kind of small too. Those things are probably about yes, they were huge, and I went, I can't, I'm gonna eat both of those. I got one of the car. Yeah, we still have an extra one.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

They were spotly like thick burritos.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

They were big. So if you're looking for breakfast burrito, Jack's two for $5.99. You can get sausage or bacon. It has eggs, hash browns, and gravy. Uh yeah, it's got gravy in it. It's got gravy in it too. That does sound good. Yes, it was craziness. Do you get sausage or bacon? Both. Both. So we are getting close to Camp Leva has been on how many years have you been on staff with us?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

I don't know. Three? No. What grade are you in? Three. Yeah, three. No, four. What grade are you in? I've been on four. Because I've been red, green, yellow, and then this year's uh secret.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

That's what I like. Seventh grade, eighth grade, ninth grade. What grade are you going into?

SPEAKER_01 3:41

You only been three.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Uh-huh. I've been through I've been four. Because my first year I was red with Grant. My second year I was green. My third year I was yellow. And then this year will be my fourth year.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

Seventh grade? Eighth grade, ninth grade. Tenth grade. You're going into man.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

We've mought. So your first year of camp, obviously you were second grade, third grade. Where were we? Were we still at Hargis? No. We were at Shako. You always been at Shako. I have. So you don't know the the beginning days.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

I've heard the stories though.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Do you like do you like camp better as a camper or staff? Staff.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

So staff. Oh real. Why? I don't know them kickball games, man. No, but uh I don't know, it's just more fun because I'm more I always have more freedom, but like I get to do more and I like being a part of things.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

So even now as we do kids camp and youth camp, so you're staff at kids camp, you attend youth camp. So you're saying you have more fun at you enjoy kids camp better because you were on staff.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

I don't know. I probably like youth camp better just because I get a like win in all the games. I get actually play like Rick and stuff, so then I go win and then like last year, you know, shout out Spitz, back-to-back uh youth lean leader winner.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

So uh, you know, I go and win and so you but you didn't win the first year.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

No.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Uh Spitz won two years. But you did not win.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

But I won last year, so it counts. So it counts.

SPEAKER_03 5:25

You know, he just kind of contradicted himself as of what makes the camp great. And it's pretty much wherever he is. Like this is pretty much what he really meant. Wherever I am is what makes camp the best. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

So this year at camp, you will you have a whole bunch of new parts. You were in most services. Have you started learning your stuff?

SPEAKER_02 5:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

That's a lot. That doesn't sound like the truth.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

I don't I don't think Levi got the credit that he deserved last year. Levi Levi picked the theme last year. I did too. And that is fair. And picked a lot of like not necessarily the teaching material, but the direction for teaching. Right. He came up with with all that. I thought that was pretty cool. It was. He that was his.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

I was on stage just about every night doing something. I was a mountain one night. It was a mountain. It was like a mountain. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

So are you uh comfortable on stage?

SPEAKER_02 6:28

We finna find out because mic'ed up this year.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Yeah, usually when you're on stage, it hasn't had a lot of I haven't spoken.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

I haven't spoken at all.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

For me, you just held a sign.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

Yeah I said only got in a wheelbarrow one year.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

I did. Only words I said on stage is I'm a mountain.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

This year I'm mic'd up. I got lines. I got a lot of lines. You do have a lot of money. You do have a lot of lines. But like being on stage, I don't really care. But we finna find out if I'm an actor.

SPEAKER_03 7:02

So you've done like a lot of plays and stuff in school and things like that.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

No. Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

I think we're gonna we know if you're gonna be an actor. Actors probably not.

SPEAKER_02 7:14

I feel like I could teach the gospel. I'm a speaker, I'm a speaker. Oh yeah? Yeah. Oh well. Just not this year. Maybe next year. We can make it well. I might. I'll think about it part. I mean, I gotta dance. I do gotta dance this year. I gotta dance. I gotta s act. I don't know what else I gotta do. I just know I gotta dance and act. Dance and act.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

The dancing thing was new last year, which um some people may look at that and go, you're a guy and you dance.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

As a children's pastor, I was all for the idea because here's what I knew. I knew Levi is gonna be Levi. Right? So letting the boys that are there see he's a cool teenager. Whoa, whoa. In their perspective. Okay. They don't know him, you know, from their perspective. He's a cool teenager that's a dude that he plays, he does the rec stuff, like it it's something he's someone that they would look up to, and he's doing the dances and he's being himself. Right. Right? He's not being extra whatever, just doing him. If you look at him and you look at the girls, he don't necessarily do it quite like they do. He looks, you know, he it I I enjoyed the the boys that are there being able to see, you know, Levi up there doing the dances and enjoying himself. And um, you know, I you got a lot of dudes that get sixth grade and they're like, this, you know, this is lame, and you know, uh putting their ar folding their arms and not like participating. Right. And seeing that, you know, this is a way for us to worship the Lord and enjoy ourselves and have fun. Like it was it was it was a great thing, I think, to be implemented.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

But also in that you have men out in the crowd that's also doing the motions, which I think is great being somebody was talking the other day about men in children's ministry. Like there's not enough men serving in children's ministry because they're kids and whatever, but like for a kid to see a teenager uh or being a man doing those things that it's okay to do those things, I think speaks speaks a lot um to a kid.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

So I'm not trying to be a hater, but right seeing a man, seeing a teenage uh young man being manly and still dancing and participating and I love it. Yeah, you're manly. So here's your question.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

Would you rather win color team of the week, or would you rather win all the staff games? Ooh. That is a good question. That's a good thing.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

You can win color teams, but your team's gonna lose at kickball, you're gonna lose at volleyball, you're gonna Nah, just being me like knowing I'm gonna trash talk and I'm gonna do all the things I do while I play, and then losing, and then having to hear about it the rest of the week, I couldn't do it. My color team could lose. I'm not gonna love forget them churches that are there.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

So on Tuesday, we will let everybody know color teams and who the captains are. So when the church that you're the captain of finds out that you don't care about color, they lose so you can win.

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Also, color games are red because I feel like with the costumes and performance my teams put on every year, and we still have yet to win.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

So uh sounds like some leadership is what it sounds like to me.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Yeah, but you don't you don't just win because you have a costume. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

My we make it a point that my team goes it tells other teams good job, even if we just lost really bad in Tug of War.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

So y'all don't want to be able to do it.

SPEAKER_03 11:01

We still go television. So they're just trying to get the the the white star. The white star. I was like, what was the color of the white white star and upward? Oh the Christ-like star, baby.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

Yeah, that's what that's what it's about, man.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

Sportsmanship and showing the Lord's love, even if it I am it is drawing a blank uh of of the guy's name. Who ran upward uh at Flint Sharp. When I played upward, Flint Sharp was my coach. He never gave me the white star. In the last game, he told me, I need you to chill out this game because you haven't gotten the white star yet. And I'm like, yes, sir. So they throw me out of the game. And when we're done, he's like, You still can't get the white star. Like, what are you doing? He threw you, they you got thrown out of an upward game. Yeah, there might have been a fight that happened. Oh, dude. It's upward. Somebody should push me, man. What did you expect?

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Anyway.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

I mean, it's upward, so it ain't like they it was a whole thing. Like they were like, you sit down, you can't play the rest of the game. Like, no, no, that's the thing.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

They definitely threw you out there. It was chia. I mean saying it wasn't like uh you're out of here.

SPEAKER_03 12:18

Like it was just like you gotta sit down. But yeah, they I didn't get to play anymore. And he was disappointed in me.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

I could see that. I don't know, I just couldn't, yeah, I couldn't lose staff games. Just couldn't happen.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

And so what if we set the teams to where you lose staff games and color games this year?

SPEAKER_02 12:35

It's probably gonna happen. I mean I'll take my wood kick my way of the year. It could happen. You know, somehow me, me, you, and Kobe got on the same team and uh wasn't really fair for the other guys. Yeah, it wasn't.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

When you pick the teams, it kinda happens that way. No, but no, it was fair teams because we're actually fair. It was because we did the months and odd months. Kobe's January, um May, and you're November. So it actually was. I'll have to re I'll have to remember that next time. I can guarantee you it won't be that again.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Wait, what day's your birthday?

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Uh the 14th.

SPEAKER_03 13:12

Here's what I don't understand your odd days, but you're doing last year at Merge when we played kickball, we rigged it to where it was me, you, and Johnny, Levi, Colby, I know, was on the other team. I can't remember who else was. We lost. I didn't lose. Yeah, we were we had by far the best team, and then we ended up losing.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Was I on your team?

SPEAKER_03 13:38

Yes. Did we? No, I wasn't. I don't remember. I got injured that year.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

I was not on your team. I didn't lose. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:45

I thought you were on our team. No, because I played you then you were on Joe's team. I wasn't Joe's team won. Remember, I came down late because I had to help them figure out something with a sound and stuff, and she was upset that me, you and Johnny were all on the same team. And then we somehow lost.

SPEAKER_02 14:01

I was playing, I was playing up the middle, and you uh kicked me one and I popped it up myself and you told me you hate me.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

That wasn't last year. Harsh words. Anyways. Um that was this past weekend. No, that's when we were doing trick plays, the three of us. Be daddy cool.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Alright, so let's get to know you a little bit. Uh, do you have any hidden talents?

SPEAKER_02 14:22

I'm really good at every sport ever.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

If that's the truth, I wouldn't be hidden.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

That ain't hidden. Something people don't know about. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 14:31

I mean So if he does have hidden talents, they're hidden to him. They're hidden to him.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

I'm just good at everything, I think.

SPEAKER_03 14:38

Oh my G's. Really? You can't like blow a bubble like we learned last week. I cannot blow a bubble in my toe.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

That was actually pretty cool though. I witnessed that happen in real life. That was wild. Yes, that was. What would be a hidden talent I have? I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 14:56

Something you're good at that people just don't know. Not eating hot dogs.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yeah, we had a hot dog eating contest at church a couple weeks ago. Tragic. You were not good at that? Soggy bread is not to do.

SPEAKER_03 15:10

First hot dog. I feel like every time I've watched that, that would make me want to throw up. First hot dog, I ripped in half, dipped in the water, put in my mouth, almost threw up on the phone. Oh, I'm with you. The texture of a soggy bread is really good.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

We looked it up. Joey Chestnut ate 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes, I think it was. We had a team of probably 10, 15 people. They ate 20 in about 20 minutes. And this dude's eating 70 and 10, and I'm like, y'all gotta.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

I think that team only had two people eating. It's me and some other kid eating hot dogs. Nobody else would eat. I mean Joe eat. They didn't even finish 20. Yeah, we did.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

What's it?

SPEAKER_02 15:46

They the team that won ate like 24. We we ate 20.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Yeah, the person who ate the most, one person ate, I think it was like eight.

unknown 15:53

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

And like 20 minutes. I ate seven.

SPEAKER_03 15:55

See, I'm saying uh, you know, there's uh the challenges at some like ball fields, you get a drink and a hot dog every inning. And I'm like, that'd be easy. And then it's like, dang, that's nine hot dogs. I don't know if I can eat nine hot dogs that's true. Like with the bread, like I might could eat.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Well, and that's the thing, they could have but not one person could ate all the bread, and the other person could ate the meat.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

Um I'm not a I'm not a fan of your son, like be honest with you. I'm not. Me and Levi are not cool. Yes, we are. Best floods. Uh continue, sir. On with the chlorophyll.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Uh, any guilty pleasures. You even know what that is. Don't know what that means.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

I know I heard the guilty pleasure songs, but not like guilty pleasures. Oh, that's a song.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

What would be your guilty pleasure song?

SPEAKER_02 16:47

Baby by Justin Bieber.

SPEAKER_03 16:49

Okay, I could see that.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

So time to time you can hear uh Justin Bieber over here singing in the shower. Does he sing baby in the shower? So he'll take shower downstairs most of the time. And uh so the living rooms, it's the living room, kitchen, a little bit of a hallway, and then the bathroom. And they're many nights.

SPEAKER_02 17:14

I wouldn't say many, it's like once a week. I just like really tired, so I just need some music. Yeah. I probably ain't heard of them, but there's a band called Old Sixty, it's pretty good. Old Sixty? Old O L E. Old 60. Yeah. They're a lot of music, are they? It's like it's country, but it's like sadder country. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:37

I've heard of them.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

Really? Next D is the best song. They're like Micah sad music, but country.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Not like Micah sad music. Not like Luno.

SPEAKER_03 17:47

She's singing like somebody girl may play. That's from the wedding singer. That was not an actual song, but I want to die. Anyway, it's great. It's Adam Sandler, but Adam Sandler? They're they're like a more chill version, I guess, of like old Dominion. It's like that kind of vibe. Like there was a country group from a younger version of Old Dominion.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Old Dominion, old, old country group that won new artist of the year at the AMC's, the red stripes or something like that. Yeah, those guys. I think they're from Alabama. They are. They're from maybe Mobile area. I don't remember. What reality show do you think you'd best be a fit for?

SPEAKER_02 18:43

The Bachelor.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Oh my goodness. Why? Because you're always single?

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Oh, Gabby, Gabby. Uh nah. I don't know. Probably. I don't know. I don't really watch reality TV. I feel like I hope you don't watch The Bachelor.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

I feel like uh Dancing with the Stars. Yeah, that would be more you. That's you.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

Mass Singer. No. That's reality TV?

SPEAKER_03 19:10

Uh uh. I thought reality TV was like real life like a competition show, yeah. I'm probably good at Survivor. That's a competition show too.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

But it's reality. That's real, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

I'd say that's when I look at reality TV shows. I got a tab right here. Mass Singer is on there. I don't know what American Idol. That you could be the new William, what's his name? William Chung. Hung. William Hung. Yeah, that could be you.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

I'm good. I think my shower concerts are enough. Let me just send the recording out of it. Actually, somebody did do that before. Well, it wasn't a shower concert. No, whoa. No. I mean that's what I'm wondering. What the heck? It was some girl babysitting, and somebody recorded her singing, and then she like went viral.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

Oh, with the chlorophyll. It's twice. We done got in the awkward spot.

SPEAKER_02 20:01

Let's speak of shower. It's water wet.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Water wet.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Yes. Water is 100% wet. Because there's only you're either wet or you're dry. There's no in between. I mean you can be moist. But you're either wet or you're either wet or you're dry. But water ain't dry, so water is either wet or it's nothing. It has to be wet because it ain't dry. I disagree. What is it then?

SPEAKER_03 20:33

Water makes things wet.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

So what is water? Water is water. Is it dry? No, water is water. So what is is the table dry or wet?

SPEAKER_03 20:42

The table is a different substance than water is.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

You don't look at syrup and you think, oh, syrup's wet. Nah.

SPEAKER_03 20:49

It's sticky. Is ice wet?

SPEAKER_02 20:52

No, when ice melts and turns into water, then it's wet.

SPEAKER_03 20:55

Okay, but if you grab a piece of ice. It's not wet. It's not? No. Your finger is. But it's made of water.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

How's it?

SPEAKER_03 21:01

Not ice is not water is wet. But if you grab a piece of ice, like if you grab a piece of ice, your hand is going to be wet.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

If you grab it with your finger, because when you grab the water, when you grab the ice, the body heat radiates off of your hand and melts ice and then it turns into water, which makes your hand wet.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

So therefore, water.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

The water itself is wet.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

It's not wet.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Yes, it is. Water makes things wet.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

So water is wet. Water is wet. And ice is made of water, but ice is not wet.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

No, because when you grab ice, the w it melts. Here he goes, contradicting himself again. I guess so. Which I know. Alright, well, I can't.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

I had a ninth grade football coach that when he would ask like the the question and the answers obviously yes. He would say, Is water wet? Grits gross? Hog love slop? What and I was like, first of all, water is indeed not wet. Grits are also not grits. Gross. So you're making the assumption that the answer is yes to all these things. I I'm you're wrong on the first two. Hogs do love slop though. So I'll give you that one. But water's not wet. Grits are indeed not gross. Water's wet. Hogs love slop. But ice ain't. He would also give you two pennies until you put it in a in your pocket so you can have some sense.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

That's fair.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

But we're wearing football pants, so there's no pocket to put your pennies in.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

What is your biggest unpopular opinion?

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Boy, oh boy, do I have some.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Getting on some of the mergers. Were you talking about some of them we talked about, or if you got one, you know, that we missed?

SPEAKER_02 22:43

Unpopular opinion. SGA shouldn't win MVP. He's not a good basketball player at all.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Is he up, friend? Did he already won?

SPEAKER_02 22:54

He's back to bat.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

He won it again?

SPEAKER_02 22:57

I thought Wendell and Yana didn't win it, but he didn't. And SGA really won it again?

SPEAKER_03 23:03

Who's SGA?

SPEAKER_02 23:05

You know, terrible basketball player.

SPEAKER_03 23:08

What does SGA stand for?

SPEAKER_02 23:09

Shea Gilgis Alexander. I think that's how you say his name.

SPEAKER_03 23:12

I've never even heard of this fella.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

I believe I was hating on him today. We had a conversation earlier about how. I don't know. Unpopular opinion.

unknown 23:24

Jack.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

Here's an unpopular opinion.

SPEAKER_03 23:27

I don't like basketball.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

What's going on?

SPEAKER_03 23:31

It happens.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

I don't like watching. I don't like watching NBA. I don't watch really any basketball until March Madness. College.

SPEAKER_02 23:39

College sports are better than pro sports.

SPEAKER_03 23:42

I agree with that. I agree with that. I like the NFL, but not as much as college. Yeah. That's about all. I mean, I watch MLB. Not baseball. I watch MLB more than I watch college baseball. But it's the games are so long. They are. If it wasn't so long, I'd probably watch it more. I did see the other day, I think it was the Royals catcher. Back-to-back pitches he challenged and won it on the back to back. So then that third pitch, you know that he throws the ball and the umpire looks down in his face like you're gonna challenge that one too.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

So how do you feel about the ABS system?

SPEAKER_03 24:21

Unpopular opinion or popular opinion? You think it's good or you think it's bad?

SPEAKER_02 24:27

I think it's good to an extent. I think it's good because like I think it's good for late game. Well, nah. I don't I don't like it because getting bad calls in baseball is just part of the game. Like it's been part of the game forever. And then you take that out of the game, like it's just what's the point?

SPEAKER_03 24:47

That's what they said when it came out like that with football, and it's drastically changed.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

You can do that like if you like run into first base, but getting called straight three on a pitch that's an inch off the plate to lose the game is just part of baseball.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Well, the thing with ABS system, like if the seam of the baseball touches the very outside. So 99% of the ball is outside the box. If a little bitty part, then it's a strike.

SPEAKER_02 25:25

I say at least a third of the baseball should be in the strike going.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Like some the good thing is it's fairly quick. It is pretty quick. It don't take a lot, but if you get a lot of them right, then that just it does to make it a little bit longer.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

Are they gonna start firing these umpires if they have like bad statistics? I've seen some that are like middle middle.

SPEAKER_01 25:46

Yeah, there's some that are missing very bad ones. Not really bad. Um would you be a fan of uh complete ABS system calling balls and strikes and no umpire?

SPEAKER_02 25:56

Man, at this point, why don't you? I mean, if you're gonna give them a chance to challenge it, just put them back there anyway.

SPEAKER_03 26:01

I wouldn't like it, but I do see them going to that, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Yeah, they probably will.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

Because I I don't like the challenge deal at all. No. Like I think you just suck it up like you said, how to deal with it. Right. Who who cares?

SPEAKER_01 26:13

Like pull suck it up and and deal with it. I guess that's the thing. Like baseball, you get unless it's the third strike, you get another pitch coming. Like football, you miss a play and it's a touchdown, like you're not guaranteed that that same thing's gonna happen. I mean, you're not guaranteed that they're gonna throw the same pitch, but like a a strike or a ball don't uh most of the time drastically change the game. Yeah. So um What's that?

SPEAKER_03 26:42

How many how many games have been won or lost on the last play? A lot. Yeah, right. But it's still a minority of of the how how the games. Yeah. So like you you also play two thousand games in baseball. Like you play so many games that one game is not going to be the determining factor until you're at the very end. Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

You know, like maybe an unpopular opinion, I think it's probably a popular opinion. Major league baseball season is too long. No, 162 games, that is really stupid. That is way too long. Uh, do you have any overrated or underrated opinions? Well, it's something that's overrated.

SPEAKER_02 27:24

Overrated? LeBron James. LeBron James.

SPEAKER_03 27:29

Uh we agreed with that. Yep. Overrated? Underrated. Or underrated. I don't know. Let me ask you this. We both, I mean, we all agreed with that. But statistically, is he overrated?

SPEAKER_02 27:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:50

Like, do dude, statistically, is he at the bottom of the league? No. Or is he at the top? He's at the top, but so I'm uh the that I'm not I'm not asking, do you like him? That's not the question. I'm I'm only asking, does he prove himself year after year statistically, or or is he legitimately overrated? Because I'm I'm gonna say he's overrated because I don't like him as much as I like other people.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

So I don't I think I don't know. Statistically is he is still elite. Yeah, I don't know about that. I don't think so. It's getting worse. I don't think he's worth the money that he probably gets paid. I think he's now getting paid because who he is and which maybe like.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

I mean basketball, they make way more than anybody else does it, don't they? Yeah. So I mean for the Dodgers. Yeah, it's also stupid.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Well, they also got a smaller amount on the team and they're gonna be able to do it. The Dodgers, they that ain't fair. How do they have so much money? They pay like millions of dollars in luxury tax, like they get fined or whatever that is, and they just pay it. Like if you're winning.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

Oh, so they just say we're over, who cares?

SPEAKER_01 28:55

We'll pay we'll pay the we'll pay the fee or fine or luxury tax or whatever because we're over, and they just keep which they also Atani's contract, I think they're not really paying him his contract for like another five years. Like somehow they deferred it. And he's gonna so right now he's playing for almost nothing. Yeah. And they're putting that money in other people, which if you win championships, merchandise goes up, tickets go up, all that goes up. So you're making more money.

SPEAKER_03 29:23

So he he he making money. He good, he good.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Yeah, so um anything overrated, underrated?

SPEAKER_02 29:30

I don't think of.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

No?

SPEAKER_02 29:32

I don't know. It's that's a hard question to be put on the spot with.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

I mean, TV shows, movies, singers Stranger Things is overrated.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

So when we talked about this, you weren't sure where he felt.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

Yeah, you watched it, right?

SPEAKER_02 29:46

I watched all of it just because like, I mean, people told me the later seasons were the better ones, but like it wasn't.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

He just had to have something to talk about at school when everybody else was talking about it. He didn't want to be left out.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

That's all it was. No, it you just got out of school. He had a female girl he wanted to talk about it with. She was like, hey, this is good. You should watch this. No doubt. He watched it because it went down. Why why are you reading and why are you smiling so big?

SPEAKER_03 30:17

Hey man, it happens. We all know. Look, we ain't we were 200s once. We're married, bro.

SPEAKER_01 30:22

We watched Bromcom every now and then. I mean, it happens.

SPEAKER_02 30:26

Bromcoms are I never watched them because uh Adam Sandler's this I guess it'd be an unpopular opinion, but Adam Sandler's the best uh actor of all time.

SPEAKER_03 30:36

I honestly thought he was about to go the opposite direction with that. I was about to get mad. Like, I ain't gonna lie. I was about to get upset. He is uh the the goat for sure. 100%.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

But no, Stranger Things.

SPEAKER_03 30:50

So you you haven't seen The Wedding Singer? You're an Adam Sandler guy? You ain't seen The Wedding Singer? He's sheltered.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yeah, my dad's appropriate, yeah. My dad will I forget how old you are.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

My dad won't let me watch those movies yet. Yes. We do try to keep some of that stuff like later on down the road.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

We started watching, I think, The Water Boy, like as a family. And we were like, oh y'all can watch this, you can watch this. Like I remember there's like a scene or two that I'm gonna have to, you know, close your eyes or y'all go to what somewhere, or we just skip through it. Like, I knew there was a couple scenes, but I didn't realize it was the whole movie.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

I was like, what my what are my parents thinking? When I watch it, he let me watch it. It might have been, I don't know what how old I was, but yeah, I watched it and he had to skip a couple scenes. But also, Waterboy's probably the best movie of all time. Waterboy's a good movie. Of all time. No, no, no, no, no. Of all time. You can't name a better movie.

SPEAKER_03 31:54

I definitely can't remember. Titans is way better than Waterboy. Remember the Titans overrated? Move on.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Move on. Remember the Titans over the state. I was taking a great break.

SPEAKER_03 32:07

Move on. I was gonna let y'all have this conversation. I know who your son is. Remember the Titans like you. I'm not gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 32:13

Remember the Titans is not the best movie of all time. This is stupid. Just think about it. He you telling me you watch Remember the Titans. Move on.

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Go on to the next thing.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

You don't watch Move of the Titans and think the first time you watched it, you didn't know what was gonna happen. It was just like every other look every other football movie, the team, this, that, and the other.

SPEAKER_03 32:33

I quit listening to you two minutes ago. Move on, sir.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

All right. This is over. We we tried. So do you eat ketchup on breakfast items?

SPEAKER_02 32:43

I used to. I used to eat it with my eggs, but now I don't anymore. And like sometimes like So nothing ever.

SPEAKER_03 32:49

No.

SPEAKER_02 32:50

No, sometimes I'll like I'll get a ketchup packet and like put some on my hash brown and eat it, but like not regularly. So you put ketchup on breakfast items. Not regularly. So weird.

SPEAKER_03 33:05

That's weird, man. Here's my question. You also don't eat breakfast. That's very good. That's true. Why? Why do you care? It's just a conversation. You don't like it. Cool. But why why is it weird for him to put ketchup on his breakfast stuff?

SPEAKER_01 33:24

Because his mama does it, and that's where he gets it from, and it's weird. Putting syrup on eggs. You love her. I do. It's still weird. Putting ketchup uh syrup on eggs.

SPEAKER_03 33:34

So look, that's good. We are yeah, we we go out to this place, I think it's called Spankies out 80, and it's a restaurant. Oh, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Uh for clarifying.

SPEAKER_03 33:44

Appreciate you, Matt. I went with my mother and father-in-law and Johnny and all of our all of the kids. Yeah. I don't remember where Joe and Barrick were, but they weren't here. So we go eat, and um Graham gets the little breakfast sampler. So he's got all kinds of breakfast, and he asked me for some syrup, and they're like hating on him because he don't have pancakes. Why would you need syrup? And I was like, he wants to put them on his eggs. Who put syrup on their eggs? I was like, you should give it a shot. It is delicious.

SPEAKER_02 34:18

And bacon. Syrup on bacon. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:20

Yeah. That works too. Uh so let's get into merge thing. We're we're coming towards the end. Uh favorite merge memory.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Winning kickball. I don't think I've lost yet. And volleyball. I did lose in volleyball last year. Last year. We didn't really play volleyball. And the court's about yay big, and it's just but. But I'm probably the best athlete on the merge field at all times.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

He got very upset at volleyball last year. Did he? Yeah, I remember you had to calm him down a little bit. You were like, hey, you can chill out. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he does have a tendency to get a little bit of a head.

SPEAKER_01 34:56

He was getting a little heated. Gonna air it all out here. You're making me mad.

SPEAKER_02 35:00

Like you're playing with people who okay, understandable.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

Like, you gotta kind of like know your like if it was us three and three other guys on the other side, and like, sure.

SPEAKER_03 35:12

But and I'm not gonna go as far to say you're the best athlete out there, but I will say you hit the volleyball extremely hard. And knowing that, you are smacking the ball on these little girls that are out here just wanting to play and then celebrating and then trash talking the two little like yeah, it was you had to be reeled in a little bit. No, no, not not there. If you did that to me, you should trash talk me. Okay, if you smack it on Johnny, you should smack talk him. Like this should happen.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

And you shouldn't do that, like spike it on a girl. Yeah, you should have enough control not to do that. The quality.

SPEAKER_03 35:59

Okay, again, moving on.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

What about as a as a student when you use not like kid-wise?

SPEAKER_03 36:07

Yeah, what about a like a spiritual moment?

SPEAKER_02 36:08

What's the favorite favorite merge memory? I didn't really listen during services, I couldn't tell you. That's fair. Um I don't know. I remember one year I did something, and I got saved before kids' camp. Or like I didn't get saved at a camp. I got saved at one at a church one day. So like I I don't know, but one year I did something where like I had to go on the stage blindfolded, and then everybody was yelling or something, and then dad was talking, and I had to figure out where to go only by listening to him. Yeah, that was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

There was one memory you like to share or talk about. Um was when you got to singing the microphone. One year at kids' camp. I forgot about that. Who was the Doug?

SPEAKER_02 36:54

Mike, Mike, bro. Yeah, last day of camp, everybody's up front. I can't talk at this point. Every time I was a camper, even when I'm a staff, I wasn't. I'm about to say it hasn't changed. Yeah. I couldn't talk. I like barely because I was like, and he like held the microphone down. I don't remember what song we were singing, but then yeah, he let me sing, couldn't really hear it, but it was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

That was fun. So, any favorite merge memory outside of the kickball and the volleyball games as a staff?

SPEAKER_02 37:23

Uh fishbowl one year when I had to do the hippie pose.

SPEAKER_01 37:34

What about being on staff? It's in the games, like there's nothing fun part about in the room, like or before camp, or like um the relationships that are built. I don't say y'all need to go out just wait till we're bringing the taser this year. You'll have some. Excuse me.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

The Thomas A. whatever's Thomas A. Smith. Electrical rifles coming. Probably not. But no, I wasn't on stat. Well, I met Grant when I was a camper at Youth Camp. And then I invited him to come to kids camp. So I mean, I guess that's one of the relationships I gained from camp. Yeah. Was Grant. Correct.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Um Yeah, y'all need to No, I'm not gonna say that. Take a little more risk. Yeah. Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 38:27

Um anyways.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

Yeah, so we talked about being most off the rails we've got uh on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 38:38

So what are you most looking forward to this year? I know I don't even know why I asked kickballs. Kickball.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

I don't know. I like our color costumes this year. Have y'all settled on them? We settled on our blow up one. We still gotta figure out our non-blow up one. But color games, Christmas in July. How how hot are those blow ups out there in the middle of July? Really bad. Like last year I had to like take it off mid-color. Like when we weren't tug of war, I had to take it off. Like it was really bad.

SPEAKER_01 39:09

It's got a fan in there.

SPEAKER_02 39:10

Yeah, I'm finna have to I'm gonna have to buy a neck fan this year to put it because it's bad. A neck fan. I had like puddles of sweat in my ankles. Like probably smelled really bad coming out of that costume.

SPEAKER_01 39:23

So, how'd you feel about the uh color fight, color war, flower war at youth camp last year?

SPEAKER_02 39:29

Uh I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it now. Grant Bowling, on the other hand, I don't know if he uh he enjoyed it too much. We're mid-play. I walk over there, I'm like, Grant, and like I'm gonna throw someone on. He's like, I can't breathe, like bent over, like he had a bowel full of flowers.

SPEAKER_03 39:47

Yeah, but it's probably an old thing, but it was a little hard to breathe in there, but I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

I had a great time. Oh wow, it's coming back in the world. And the pictures, the pictures I acquired from it.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Yeah, the pictures are good.

SPEAKER_02 39:57

But I'm looking I'm looking forward to my acting roles coming. Yeah, we are too first 2024. We are too. Yeah. Looking over the things I have to say and where and it's gonna be interesting to say the least. Yeah, you're pretty active.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

So yeah, she got a lot to do. Um, but that's the good thing with camp, you see, students, which he's my child, so he don't really have a choice, but kids who come through camp, then come on as staff, but then for youth camp, they still get to have their own camp. Um it's kind of a cool part of it to see that we've done this long enough. That just means Luke's getting old. So where these kids begin to do that. So if you ever are looking for something to be a part of, um make memories impact children's lives, also to have your own life challenged and stretched and all those good things. Uh consider joining us. Do what?

SPEAKER_02 40:52

And play some kickball.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

And play some kickball. We do have fun. We stay up late, we'll stay up like we've talked about, way after midnight. Get up very early the next morning. And it does sound probably not like a lot of fun. It is a lot of fun. But it really is a lot of fun. So if you love Jesus and you want to be a part of can the camp life, um, consider joining us. We have applications online, um, but also you could support the ministry by giving uh donates on merge dash ministries.com. Uh so that's kind of all we got for today. If you have thoughts, you want to critique Levi since he decided to write in to us. Hey, shout out me. Shout out me, boys. Merge Ministries12 at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_04 41:38

You can shout yourself out, too.

SPEAKER_01 41:39

Shout out yourself out, I guess, if you want to. Uh but we'd love to hear from you and uh support the ministry. Check us out on the website, Give Butters there, Venmo's also there too, that you can support. As we're moving closer to camp, uh, there are things we need to buy, purchase, and that kind of stuff. So, Levi, any what last words?

SPEAKER_02 42:00

No.

SPEAKER_01 42:04

Well, that sounds like a good way to clean it there. Enjoy your week, and we will see you next week. See you bye.

SPEAKER_03 42:13

Well, some families they kick it into kick it over the fence, which is a home run, and this guy that's not been playing the entire time is just sitting there watching, catches the ball, and then we decide, oh yeah, it's banana kickball. Not house rules. It was in the house rules. House rules, right? It was not shared until afterwards. I have the video.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

Some families sit around and blow bubbles off their tongue after dinner. Some families go and practice. I did it. Uh banana kickball after dinner. So nice. Well, that's all the time we have for today. Uh, thanks, Justin, for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 42:50

Hey, one more one more thing. Givebutter.com. We really appreciate all the support from all our people, but these visions and stuff we talked about. Givebutter.com. All this great stuff. Is it free? I wish it was free, but it's not. Okay, I'm done.

SPEAKER_01 43:10

Yeah, so merge-ministries.com is our website. On there, there's the donate tab, and it explains how you can donate. Give butter is one of those ways that you can donate. We also have a Venmo. You can mail in checks to our PO box. So there's a lot of ways that you can support the ministry. We would love your support. We do, we are getting close, like a month and a half from camp, be here before you know it. It's kind of scary, man. We are getting close. Uh so thanks again for joining us next week. We will also have another uh visitor uh with us that we will interview. Uh so hopefully you enjoyed this week. If not, um write us an email and include the board president on that because he's part of this. So please see me, bro. C Cow he did critique him in his thoughts, but anyway. So we hope you have a good week and we will see you next week. See you bye.