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
Guest: Colby Cook
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This week we are joined by another camper turned staffer, Colby Cook. She is part of the dancers at camp who led the Kids Camp in motions during services. She shares her thoughts on college, travel sports, and Merge. If you would like to contact us for any reason you can do so at mergeministries12@gmail.com.
Welcome back to another week of M3 Podcast. Merge Ministry Mostly. I'm Daniel. And I'm Luke. And we are back for another week. Uh we have a special guest interview. So special. We'll get to you in a minute. Be quiet. Okay.
SPEAKER_02We're she obviously doesn't watch the podcast. She's not.
SPEAKER_03When you hear this, we're recording this a little bit early. We will be uh less than a week out from camp when this posts. Uh so if you want to support merge, you can do that through our webpage, merge-ministry.com. You can send donations. Our Amazon list got fulfilled. Thank you if you were part of the people who made that possible. Um, but also there's a possibility if you would like to come see camp. We invite you up uh for you to come and explore camp for a day. Disney to let us know that you're coming so we can make the arrangements uh to make sure that we're looking out for you. But if you would like to come see what merge really is, see it for a day, you can come up. We recommend for kids camp Tuesday, gives you a full day. Also, that's when we kind of do a little bit of a salvation push during the messages or at night service, so it's really cool uh to be a part of that. Um if you have comments, thoughts, questions, merge ministries12 at gmail.com. You can reach out to us and let us know. We have no comments, no emails. Lame.
SPEAKER_06Nobody likes y'all.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You you clearly don't.
SPEAKER_06We're we're starting to that's why I didn't email y'all. You definitely do.
SPEAKER_03So the voice that you are hearing that is a hater already, the one, the only she fits in with a lot of the comments. That's true. Colby Cook. Uh she would be my middle child, um, getting ready to join the college ranks and head off to college in less than a month, three weeks? What would be three weeks?
SPEAKER_06Uh I counted yesterday. Yeah. I'll be home at home for 16 more days.
SPEAKER_0316 more days. Yeah. Does that mean like when you're at camp? Are you counting those days at home? No. Like I'll be at home. You're gonna be in my house for 16 more days.
SPEAKER_05Yep.
SPEAKER_03The countdown is on. So tell everybody where you're going.
SPEAKER_02Water in your eyes right now.
SPEAKER_03Tell everybody where you're going, what you're doing. Uh tell a little bit about yourself. You don't have a problem doing that, probably.
SPEAKER_06Uh yes, I do. Um, I am going to Lipscomb. It is in Tennessee. I'm going to play soccer, and yeah, don't know what my major is going to be.
SPEAKER_02What did you want to do with your life yet?
SPEAKER_06No. Why do people expect you to know that at 18 years old? That's what I wanted to. I might go be like a dietitian.
SPEAKER_02I had I had all that figured out, and then I changed my major four times. And I want to call me to ministry. Yeah. You don't have to have it figured out.
SPEAKER_03So Lipscomb, why lipscom?
SPEAKER_06Um, well, the coach that was there, not there anymore, but he made it very clear that he's recruiting me as a me and not like as a soccer player, and my worth is not found in soccer, and that is not my identity. That's just what I do. And then we went on a visit, and the culture was very loving Jesus.
SPEAKER_03Loving Jesus. Sweet. Yeah, I like to hear that you love Jesus.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, not necessarily uh what's big on a lot of uh 18-year-olds' lists.
SPEAKER_03So we went for did you tell everybody where this college was? I said in Tennessee. What part of Tennessee?
SPEAKER_06Nashville, baby.
SPEAKER_03Did that have anything to do with your decision?
SPEAKER_06Absolutely not. I do not partake in those actions.
SPEAKER_03It did have something to do with it. You didn't.
SPEAKER_06Okay, I did want something to do. I didn't want to be in the middle of nowhere.
SPEAKER_03Like so it had something to do with it, but not just you were going for the the Nashville experience, right?
SPEAKER_01That's also good to hear.
SPEAKER_03That's true too. Uh so go ahead.
SPEAKER_02I I would side note. Side note. Uh Kobe's gonna tell you the truth. She ain't just saying that because her daddy's sitting right here. Kobe tell you like me.
SPEAKER_03That's fair. Um we might be a little wild there. Uh if you so you're going to do soccer in high school, you played um flag football as well. I did. Uh didn't go the college route for flag football.
SPEAKER_02No, but was that an option?
SPEAKER_06Uh if I wanted it to be, yeah. Like people DM'd me all the time and like Coach had people ask about me, but like he was like, Oh, she's gonna play soccer. So they never reached out because I was already going for soccer.
SPEAKER_02So if you didn't set against against it, or you just set on soccer?
SPEAKER_06I'm not set against it at all.
SPEAKER_03Like, if that's down the road, maybe possibly if you didn't play soccer or flag football, what would you do?
SPEAKER_06Basketball. 1000% basketball.
SPEAKER_03Basketball.
SPEAKER_01Were you good?
SPEAKER_06I was so good at basketball. So I broke my finger eyes.
SPEAKER_03So we played you played in upward. I did. From whenever you could play it upward till how old were you when we can't?
SPEAKER_02No, sixth grade.
SPEAKER_03Was it sixth grade?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, that's when I stopped playing, I think. Because I was at PCIS when I played on Swag's team.
SPEAKER_03Uh so yeah, so we played rec league a couple years.
SPEAKER_06Yep. I was so good I had to be on an all boys team. So dad.
SPEAKER_03They didn't have girls.
SPEAKER_06They did actually.
SPEAKER_03Did they?
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I don't remember.
SPEAKER_02Whatever. What about you ever try out at PCIS for teams?
SPEAKER_06No, because I knew like I was gonna have to drop it anyway. Oh because of soccer, so I was like, I'll just not.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So if you didn't play basketball, soccer, or flag football, what would you do?
SPEAKER_06I don't know. Like another sport or just like in general?
SPEAKER_03In general, like what would your life what would it be?
SPEAKER_06I don't know. That's actually a good question. I think about that every day. Like if I wasn't an athlete, what would my life look like? Because that's literally my whole life.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Is an athlete.
SPEAKER_03And you haven't figured it out yet?
SPEAKER_06What?
SPEAKER_03You said you think about it every day, but you ain't come up with a lot of it.
SPEAKER_06No, like what would my life look like if I didn't play a sport?
SPEAKER_00Like everyone knows and then you just move on. Yeah, I just like I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.
SPEAKER_06I am because like soccer ends in four years. Probably.
SPEAKER_03Realistically, or five.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, if they pass that law.
SPEAKER_03I think they did.
SPEAKER_06Did they actually?
SPEAKER_03I think so.
SPEAKER_02What's the law?
SPEAKER_06Might want to that's you change your eligibility from four years to five years.
SPEAKER_03So but you did they pass that JUCO law though? I don't know. But they take out like the medical red shirts and red shirt year, they take that away, and everybody gets five years. Period. Period. And you get to transfer once without punishment. So I think that's I like that part of that. I think that's the case. I'm not real sure. But anyway, great.
SPEAKER_02Um, so there's one problem with like some some people take advantage of the five years and go get your graduate degree and that kind of stuff. Right. But if you're good and you play as a freshman, that opportunity is not afforded to you. You don't need to do that.
SPEAKER_03Correct. So we're gonna get into uh some more personal, no, I guess they've already been personal, but some more questions. First of all, have you listened to the podcast?
SPEAKER_06Uh I listened to the beginning ones.
SPEAKER_03Like I've listened to what it wasn't good enough to you.
SPEAKER_02It was like, all right, all they do is talk about murders. I'm out.
SPEAKER_06No, I listened up until like when I was talking about hot dogs. Is a hot dog a sandwich?
SPEAKER_03Is it okay?
SPEAKER_06Is it a taco a sandwich?
SPEAKER_03That you didn't answer the question.
SPEAKER_06Okay, but that's that's honestly the thing.
SPEAKER_03Yes or no.
SPEAKER_06It's in its own category.
SPEAKER_03A hot dog assembly.
SPEAKER_06It's in its own category.
SPEAKER_03Of what?
SPEAKER_06Its own thing. Like it's by itself.
SPEAKER_03I love her. Definition of sandwich and hot dog, they're the same. So how are they?
SPEAKER_06Okay, yes, technically speaking, yes, it is. So yes, but no, it's in its own category because is a taco a sandwich? Right.
SPEAKER_03So I'm totally with her. We said that.
SPEAKER_06We thought about the taco is not a sandwich.
SPEAKER_03If you would have listened last week, you would have known we discussed that.
SPEAKER_02By definition, it's a sandwich. I'm not gonna call it that.
SPEAKER_06Like a taco is Mexican food, a sandwich is American food. There's like Italian! Okay, but like it's not it's not in Mexican food. Like a taco is Mexican food.
SPEAKER_03You can go to uh any taco restaurant and get a sandwich.
SPEAKER_02They also have chicken fingers.
SPEAKER_06That's like El Vaquero.
SPEAKER_03They do have Elvaquero has chicken wings that are pretty good. Anyway, um we'll get to some of those questions in a minute. Do you have any guilty pleasures?
SPEAKER_06What does that mean?
SPEAKER_03That's like she don't.
SPEAKER_06I don't know what that means.
SPEAKER_03Like something you like that you're unashamed of. Like it's kind of a weird like thing, but it's something you like and you don't care. Like people may think it's weird or that you any like not that I know of. All right. Do you um probably not?
SPEAKER_06I mean, okay, but I'm not gonna be able to answer that because like I don't think it's weird to me if I like it.
SPEAKER_02Well, it's but it's not to you, it's from others. Well, other people might think this is weird that you would enjoy this. Like something you like that's out of the blue out of the nail. I really like to get uh go to the nail salon and get my nails done. I would think for you that's a guilty pleasure because you don't present yourself as like, oh, I want to get my nails done.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I don't know.
SPEAKER_03So something like that or like uh somebody you like artist-wise, you like to listen to as your jam that other people look at and kind of are like that don't fit the mold type thing.
SPEAKER_06No, not really.
SPEAKER_03All right, um I don't know. This is off to a great start. Fantastic.
SPEAKER_06Um you should have gave me these questions early.
SPEAKER_03I asked you. We ain't giving them nobody. We didn't. So, what reality show do you think you'd be the best fit for?
SPEAKER_06Uh Survivor.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, she'd kill Survivor.
SPEAKER_02She'd kill Survivor. Of all the people we've interviewed that would want to say Survivor, she'd be the only one. You'd kill Survivor.
SPEAKER_06I couldn't do like no leg day and ship.
SPEAKER_02Although I don't know about that. She would get some enemies.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you might get it.
SPEAKER_02You gotta form those alliances and stuff so that they don't vote you off. They might she might cause honey.
SPEAKER_06I'm finna do what I need to do to keep myself alive. I don't care if you like me or not.
SPEAKER_03You're not dying. You're just getting voted off.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, but like yeah, but still.
SPEAKER_03Okay. I don't know. Uh we've figured out you haven't listened to the podcast.
SPEAKER_06Okay, I listened up into no no, no, no, no, no, no. I listened up into like when I was going to soccer before the cruise. I listened to the O's and then I went on the cruise and I haven't been out of soccer, so like I've not had the time to listen to the podcast for 40 minutes.
SPEAKER_03Man, unbelievable.
SPEAKER_06Uh well, this is Okay, I am a hardworking woman.
SPEAKER_02Two of her favorite people are sitting in this room that do this podcast. No, no, no. This is this is really why I can't listen to it.
SPEAKER_06Okay, because your friend ruins it for you because he edits these stupid videos on the couch with his headphones in, and he just laughs at himself the whole time. I cannot watch it after he does that every week. And then he'll be laughing, like and he'll look at you to see if you're looking at him because he's laughing at himself.
SPEAKER_03It's funny. No, that you that should encourage you to look to go watch it.
SPEAKER_06No, because he sat there one day and he played it. He was like, This is so funny. And when y'all was talking about like the little ducks walking in the line at camp. I was like, This is not funny to me. I don't find this funny.
SPEAKER_03Just right here at camp this year, and you see those people walk by. Probably uh so one of the questions we've asked everyone that's come in, is water wet?
SPEAKER_06Water's not wet. Water makes you wet. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03There you go. We agree, so there's really no debate on that.
SPEAKER_06Period.
SPEAKER_03Do you eat ketchup on breakfast items?
SPEAKER_06Not unless it's like tater tots.
SPEAKER_03That's what I'm talking about. Which is not a breakfast item.
SPEAKER_02Hash browns, tater tots, like that's all. No, no, no. Yes, huh?
SPEAKER_06Because I can't, they'd be selling some tater tots in the morning.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You go to Burger King and get breakfast, they give you their hash browns are tater tots.
SPEAKER_03Yes. No, no, no. When you majority of people in the world. It doesn't matter. That's a good thing. Tater tots breakfast for lunch and dinner. No.
SPEAKER_02So only it's a breakfast item.
SPEAKER_03So eggs are a dinner item.
SPEAKER_02It's whatever, whenever you make it.
SPEAKER_03No.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, because you put eggs and rice. Rice is a dinner item.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but eggs is a dinner item, not a breakfast item.
SPEAKER_02No, it's universal.
SPEAKER_03It's universal.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's universal. You can use it at any time. That's just like ketchup. It's universal. You can use it at any time.
SPEAKER_03Nobody eats it.
SPEAKER_02It's good at breakfast, it's good as lunch. It's not. It's good at dinner.
SPEAKER_06Okay, if you want to say you put it on like your McDonald's hash brown, okay, you can put ketchup on that. But I wouldn't put it on like a Waffle House hash brown.
SPEAKER_02Oh, for sure, yes.
SPEAKER_06No. What's the difference?
SPEAKER_02That is true. It's just like tater tots. I feel like it's easier to like how it's sliced.
SPEAKER_06But I feel like it's easier to like dip a tater tot in there. Not like if you put ketchup on your hash browns, it's like soup. You don't ever like ketchup soup.
SPEAKER_02You don't ever put ketchup on your french fries just all the way on it, not dip it?
SPEAKER_06No, I dip it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, so that's just you, a you problem. That ain't the ketchup's problem.
SPEAKER_06Okay, but I still don't do that.
SPEAKER_02So do you So only tater browns? Can your food not touch?
SPEAKER_06I would prefer it not to. I mean, it can. I just don't like when like the juices run together and it makes everything soggy. That is that's nasty.
SPEAKER_02I don't know how hot are these hash browns if you're turning your hash browns into soup.
SPEAKER_06But like you like flip it over, like mix it up.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, with the cheese and the ketchup on top. Mix it all together. Delicious no, no, no, so okay, what if you got a little bowl? You squirt the ketchup in a little bowl and then you dip those hash browns from waffles. Okay, maybe.
SPEAKER_06Maybe that's what I'm saying. But like those are like skinny, like you can't dip those. So with your fork, you can't.
SPEAKER_03So the question stick. Do you put ketchup on breakfast breakfast items? The answer is no, you put ketchup on hash browns.
SPEAKER_02That's your definition.
SPEAKER_03Tater tots.
SPEAKER_06On tater tots.
SPEAKER_03Tater tots, not breakfast items. Okay. Uh glad we got that settled.
SPEAKER_02Although, never mind.
SPEAKER_03On with the chloride. What?
SPEAKER_06No, nothing. I was gonna say maybe sometimes, depending on the egg. When if you ever put ketchup on your egg, that but syrup is better, so I'll do syrup.
SPEAKER_03I definitely agree. But you've never, I've never seen you put ketchup on an egg.
SPEAKER_06It depends. No, I don't put it on there. I just dip it in the ketchup. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Takes away the flavor. Takes away the flavor of the egg because then all you taste is ketchup.
SPEAKER_02Trent said if you have bad eggs, it makes bad eggs taste good.
SPEAKER_03No, it makes bad eggs taste like ketchup.
SPEAKER_02Which is delicious. So wow.
SPEAKER_06Ketchup's not delicious. For sure. It just adds flavor. I wouldn't say it's delicious.
SPEAKER_03Okay, what is the flavor of ketchup?
SPEAKER_06Tomato.
SPEAKER_03And high fructose corn syrup. So when we eat eggs, we're adding the flavor of tomatoes to our eggs.
SPEAKER_02I guess.
SPEAKER_03That sounds dull.
SPEAKER_02Liquid tomatoes. Tomatoes. Liquid tomatoes and high sugar.
SPEAKER_03Yummy. The amount of sugar that is in ketchup is outrageous. Is it actually? From what I've heard. Yeah, it's a lot.
SPEAKER_02So like and there's like Heinz. Shout out to Heinz. Heinz is the best. There is no like there is no other ketchup that I want. I eat others, but what is another ketchup brand? Hunts. There's several others. And then so like Joa has gotten lately to where we're eating better, you know, eating less like preservatives and that kind of thing. So Heinz has lots of scorching.
SPEAKER_03So I looked it up. And the first line here don't mean anything to me. Four grams of sugar per tablespoon. I'm like, well, how much is a gram? In a full bottle, 20 ounces, there's roughly two-thirds cup of sugar and ketchup. So in a ketchup bottle, two-thirds cup is sugar.
SPEAKER_02Well, my point was they make ketchup that doesn't have fruitose corn syrup in it, and it pretty much tastes like tomato soup. Like I'm not wanting to put tomato soup on my edge. Like, I'm with you. I don't know what the molecular structure is being changed of these tomatoes and Heinz ketchup, but whatever it is, it's delicious. Nice.
SPEAKER_03Um biggest unpopular opinion.
SPEAKER_06Unpopular?
SPEAKER_03Unpopular opinion.
SPEAKER_06Pizza is disgusting.
SPEAKER_02There's always one that you're like, and that's me.
SPEAKER_06100% that's me.
SPEAKER_02We gotta get something else.
SPEAKER_03Do you eat spaghetti?
SPEAKER_06No. I eat the noodles and the bread.
SPEAKER_03But do you eat lasagna? No. Do you dip your well that's a little bit different? Cheese steak and marinara sauce.
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_02So it's no red sauce. No, I don't like the red sauce.
SPEAKER_06But she likes red, white pasta. Right. That kind of stuff. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, because you'll eat you'll eat pizza.
SPEAKER_02Did you eat Joe's tortellini thing?
SPEAKER_06I'll eat pizza if it's like buffalo chicken pizza.
SPEAKER_02Without with no red sauce.
SPEAKER_06Or like I'll use like cheese sticks. Cheesy bread.
SPEAKER_02As long as you're universal across the board, you can't say I don't eat pizza and then you don't eat spaghetti and I'm out. If that's your brand you want to stick with, go for it. And it's bad for you. Okay. Very much in my partner.
SPEAKER_06It's just like when you get the piece of pizza, it is literally wet from the grease. And you put that in your body? No.
SPEAKER_02If you can put a napkin on a piece of pizza, have you ever seen pizza people and pull off in a pizza wet and get them the napkin and dab off the grease before they eat it?
SPEAKER_06Yes.
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_06That's terrible for you. How do you eat that?
SPEAKER_02I've definitely seen that take part. You can do that with just about anything. I've never done it in my life.
SPEAKER_03Do you eat fried chicken?
SPEAKER_06Yes.
SPEAKER_04Terrible.
SPEAKER_02Sometimes.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's real bad for you. Terrible.
SPEAKER_02Pick a lane.
SPEAKER_06I eat fried chicken like tenders.
SPEAKER_03But you don't not eat a big thing.
SPEAKER_06Like when I go to Chick-fil-A, I get grilled nuggets.
SPEAKER_02It just happens to be fat. It's also bad for you. You're not not eating a big one.
SPEAKER_06I just won't like look at something and just like eat a whole pan of grease. No, thank you. That's what pizza is.
SPEAKER_03It's like that looks delicious. Delicious.
SPEAKER_02Any other take a bite and it starts running down your cheek.
SPEAKER_03Oh no.
SPEAKER_04Absolutely not.
SPEAKER_03Any other unpopular opinion?
SPEAKER_06Um, Caitlin Clark is not good. Angel Reese not good. Wow.
SPEAKER_03Wow. Wow. One of those is very unpopular opinion. Caitlin Clark, not good.
SPEAKER_06She's good, but I just think she's overrated. I think they're both overrated. So it's less opinion and more of a no, Angel Reese is terrible.
SPEAKER_03That I agree.
SPEAKER_06And her attitude is horrible.
SPEAKER_03I don't follow her enough to know her attitude, but watching a basketball game, like, she it's pretty bad.
SPEAKER_02Do you remember I I can't remember what talk show it was, uh, but Serena Williams is on there and they're like hyping her up. Obviously she's a very good, but they're hyping her up that she could beat dudes. And she's like, No, I can't. She's like the you know, lowest ranked, whatever the lowest ranked player is in the men's. He would smoke me because they hit it so much harder. I can't. There's no way. Female soccer played, you know, male soccer like young, way younger and the boys. Girls and boys are very different, especially when it comes to athletics. Right. And watching the women's basketball, like I enjoyed watching Central when I was in school, like watching the girls' basketball play, but I knew them. Right. You know what I mean? They were friends that are out there playing. But being so far removed and watching the girls' basketball, it's like I don't some of these professionals, man, I don't that's an unpopular opinion, I'm sure, but they're not great. No, they're not. Yeah, I'm not a good basketball player, so I'm like not, I don't I I can't be a very good judge of it. But I mean when you see good basketball, it's very right. It's obvious. Right, right. Well, some of the girls I think I can put a team together.
SPEAKER_03Now Caitlin Clark can shoot it. Like there's no doubt she's changed women's basketball. Yeah. Angel Reese, uh, I'm with you on that.
SPEAKER_06I just also think she's just overhyped.
SPEAKER_02So the next question is what is overrated? And that would be a good idea.
SPEAKER_03Well, I guess you think Caitlin Clark's overrated.
SPEAKER_06Um Like, yes, she's good, but no.
SPEAKER_03And I don't follow women's basketball. And I never have, but I would say in like the top three ever to play women's basketball, she's good. I would think she's gonna end up in probably the top three.
SPEAKER_06Maybe it's just like her personality and her attitude don't like it. She's just very like she knows she's good, so she cares off like whatever. Like chillax.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I can see that.
unknownMaybe.
SPEAKER_03Okay. So other than uh Caitlin Clark away from sports. Okay. Something that's overrated.
SPEAKER_06Overrated?
SPEAKER_03Overrated.
SPEAKER_06Movies.
SPEAKER_03Hey. What's the last movie you watched? And you watch some, don't I? Like you said. I watched. You go up in, you're like gonna watch movies with us, but then you'll go up in your room and watch.
SPEAKER_06I don't watch movies. I watch like shows. Like I'm on I'm watching a Farmer Wants a Wife. Because Grayson told me to watch it, but like it's not a movie, it's like 30 minutes long. It's like a YouTube video.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so what's the last movie you watch? You what?
SPEAKER_02What about a girl that might be on it?
SPEAKER_03Really? Yeah.
SPEAKER_06There was a girl from LaGrange, apparently.
SPEAKER_03You probably can't leak that information because people listen to her podcast.
SPEAKER_06No one, he didn't say the girl's name.
SPEAKER_03No, I'm just saying, like I was going to say, but you can't know anybody. Um I'm glad you said that. So what's that's last movie you watched? Movie movie you watched that you can think of.
SPEAKER_06I don't remember.
SPEAKER_02Is there a movie that you're like, okay, I don't like movies, but this was a good movie.
SPEAKER_06The Sand Lot's a good movie.
SPEAKER_02That is a good movie. Classic. Yeah. And it's also not super long. Exactly. Is that your biggest beef with movies?
SPEAKER_06Yes. I can't sit still that long. But like the new movies that are made are just way too long.
SPEAKER_02That's true.
SPEAKER_06They're like almost like three hours long. How who's got that much time in the day to sit and watch a three-hour-long movie?
SPEAKER_03Is that your beef with movies as well? Yes. They're extremely too long.
SPEAKER_06Like they're just like played out too long.
SPEAKER_03I do watch movies. We watched all the screams because Scream 7 was coming out. We watched all of them.
SPEAKER_02Did you go watch it?
SPEAKER_03I watched it on my TV yet. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh. Was it any good?
SPEAKER_03No.
SPEAKER_02If it were not for your wife, would you watch movies?
SPEAKER_03I would. You would watch shows. Now I would watch. I mean, like when a movie's coming out, like when the Avengers movies came out, like if it's something that is interesting, I'll go watch a movie. Yeah. I do have a problem when they hit like two, two and a half hours. Like I'm sitting there going, You could have cut that out. Yeah, I'm not as against it. I'll sit down and watch them. We watch movies at home.
SPEAKER_06I'm not like they just make me sleepy, then I want to go to sleep. I'm not even watching it anymore. What's the point?
SPEAKER_03The real long ones, they they get to me. They get you. Um I love movies.
SPEAKER_02Makes me feel like a kid. What's the last movie?
SPEAKER_06Have you seen the Toy Story 5 movie? I haven't yet. I've heard it's a good movie.
SPEAKER_02Uh there was like four different families today leaving VBS going to watch Toy Story 5.
SPEAKER_03What's the um plot? Like what's it about? Literally no clue. Yeah, I haven't looked into it.
SPEAKER_06Grayson said it's about um like kids these days, like they're all on iPads and not playing with toys anymore. It's like to take the electronics away and like go play with toys.
SPEAKER_02I actually did actually learn that yesterday because my dad asked, Hey, can I take these kids to go see Toy Story 5? And I was like, I don't know, man. And then my sister said that's what the it was supposed to be about.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I don't know.
SPEAKER_03I always hating on kids with Toy Story.
SPEAKER_02I mean like iPads, iPad kids, iPad kids. So unbelievable. My father-in-law is a wonderful human being, and he's when it's like when he's done, he's sitting in the chair and typically something's on. But these days my kids go and like they take over the TV. And so he's just sitting there with his iPad, his i scrolls, and he'll he looks at different things. Sometimes he's shopping, you know, for something for his motorcycle or whatever, sometimes he's just chilling on Facebook like old people do. It happens.
SPEAKER_06Hey, Facebook is great.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, sometimes it can be. Joe uh comes in the other day and says, Oh, look, I have an iPad dad. He didn't like that. He said, I think now quick, stood up. He's like, What are we doing?
SPEAKER_01I'm just gonna do something. No, no, no, iPad dad.
SPEAKER_03Is something, in your opinion, underrated?
SPEAKER_06Um, rice cakes.
SPEAKER_03Ugh. Caramel ones.
SPEAKER_06They're so good. And the chocolate ones. And dad's like, they taste like cordboard.
SPEAKER_02I got roasted for saying caramel rice cakes were my favorite snack. I mean, they're gas. They're gas. So good. I don't know what that means, but it's so good.
SPEAKER_03Now, if you take a caramel rice cake and put peanut butter on it, then it's better.
SPEAKER_06Dad, you put peanut butter on literally anything and you're like, oh my god, this is so good. You're a peanut butter guy.
SPEAKER_02I've learned that over the years as well. So I even put your own game about something else. I think we may have had a conversation, not publicly, about this, but you take a cinnamon roll and put some cheese on it. Not like shredded cheese, but like a square piece of cheese. Put a mug in a microwave.
SPEAKER_06A cinnamon roll with cheese.
SPEAKER_02I am telling you. I oh my goodness is so good. Look, there's a lot of things in life that seem gross. Yeah. And then you try it and you're like, wouldn't they've ever put this combination together? Delicious. Uh-uh. Honey bun, most like those kinds of cakes like that. With cheese. Those cheese on that bad boy. Yeah, I don't know if I've got a cheap. But I tried to cheese like a square slice, you know, American single baby. Government cheese. Yeah, government cheese. Delicious.
SPEAKER_03So we gotta get to merge here in a minute because we get hated on. Um, but we did at one point, not sure if you you heard it or not, we talked about travel sports. And I did hear that. I did hear that. Unpopular opinion was that travel sports is not the devil. So you have played at the highest level for soccer in travel. Uh you travel we would travel to practice twice a week to Birmingham. Then the team you were on took us from Florida, Miami to Seattle, Washington, been to New York, and a lot of places in between. All over the place. So being someone who has played at that level, being with someone who loves Jesus, what is your thoughts on travel sports and your advice to people that do it? Like, you did it, like how some people hate it, some people think it's killing the church.
SPEAKER_06So you're asking, like, what's my opinion with travel sports and like church?
SPEAKER_03Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_06I think you have to have your priorities straight, like what you want, and I get I know that's hard for like a teenager or a child, like, but your most important thing is your relationship with the Lord, like sports comes second, and that's hard for people to understand. But I did it for 12 years of my life. Like, yes, I miss church in the fall every Sunday, all the time, and I traveled all the time, but your relationship with the Lord is way more than just church on Sundays or church on Wednesdays if you have practice, but also like it should be a priority. Hey, when I get out of church, or I'm gonna leave practice and I'm gonna make it a church on Wednesdays, and like your relationship with the Lord is way more than I'm going to church, a church service on Sundays. Like you can watch it, or like it's your own walk with the Lord, like you should be in your Bible more than just two days a week.
SPEAKER_02I agree. I agree. And what's you know it's one thing to say that, but it's another thing to have seen that practice in your life. Obviously, some people are gonna say, well, that's not fair, your dad's a pastor, so obviously you're gonna be there when you can be. But at the same time, it's not uh it the even if you were forced to be there, right, your desire was to grow in your walk with the Lord, so therefore that's what you would do anyway.
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_02I I you know, I there's with this conversation, you know, you had said in the beginning, you gotta have this priority. But it was also modeled right through the parents, and and that again, your dad's a pastor, so he's gotta be there. He missed some of those events that you missed church for, he was at church. But with that being said, uh I I think that's where we went back to the parents again when we were talking about this. Modeling that to then see it come to fruition with this is this is your opinion, not hey, this is what I want you to say. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_03Well and I think like what you're going with what you're saying, like the answer wasn't, and we didn't I didn't tell other questions and all that. It wasn't my dad's a pastor, so I had to be at church. Right. It was when I wasn't here, I was there. Like it was a choice of hers to do that. Like, yes, we had a hand in that of yes, you have to be there, but like in her mind and her answer, it wasn't. I just did this because it was my dad and they made me it was something that they wanted or she wanted to do.
SPEAKER_06Well, also like going to college, now you see it more, but like you can't have your faith based off of you or mom. Like, yes, you are a pastor, and like that is your job, but like my faith can't be based off your job or like what you do and like what you make me do. Like, I have to have it for myself, especially going to school. Like, I'm finna be on my own five hours away from home. Like, I'm gonna have to figure it out right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's real. Yep. Will you let your children play travel sports?
SPEAKER_06100%.
SPEAKER_03Will you make them?
SPEAKER_06Probably. I'm just the type of person I'm not finna. My kids are not finna be on athletic children, they're finna be in some sports. But also, like, travel ball is the highest level that you can get to to help you go play in college. And being a competitive person, like you're gonna play at the highest level and compete at the highest level that you can. So I'm gonna put them in there. They think they can not like it if they want to.
SPEAKER_03Pieces one, we're gonna mark this because you just said my children will be athletic.
SPEAKER_06I said much I do not want athletic children.
SPEAKER_02Don't marry an unathletic guy in love with someone who is not athletic. But but listen.
SPEAKER_06Whoever you marry, that's the really one choice in your life that you get. Out of everything. So, like, they're the father of your children, whatever, whatever. They can be not handsome. But I'm stuck, I'm stunning, I'm gonna pick it. You're gonna I'm gonna marry an athletic man. Like, I'm not gonna marry no narp. You could. What?
SPEAKER_03Whatever that means, but we might have to look that up before we let that slide.
SPEAKER_06Non-athletic regular person. Uh-oh.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna legitimate running through my head like that.
SPEAKER_06You know, I've never seen on social media like people like, oh, I'm an ARP now because I'm not I don't play no sports?
SPEAKER_02Uh no, I have not. We have different algorithms. Okay.
SPEAKER_03I reckon so. All right. So now we're gonna get into merge. How many years have you been involved with merge?
SPEAKER_06Uh come out of what second grade?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it would have been going, yeah. So what's that? Seven years old?
unknownSix, seven, eight, nine, ten.
SPEAKER_06Ten years.
SPEAKER_03Seven years old. You're 18.
SPEAKER_06Oh, well, I didn't know what age I was at in seventh grade. I mean second grade.
SPEAKER_02So you typically just for future reference, grade plus five is typically gonna get you right right there. Oh, okay. I don't have children out there.
SPEAKER_03So you I don't think kids. No, you didn't ever you never were with us.
SPEAKER_02I was just about to ask, was her first year as a camper or did it was uh she a tag along on those early years?
SPEAKER_03No, her first year. We didn't let our kids come until No, we had to stay at little mama's. Yeah, they until they were second grade and going into third, which that's uh we brought that age group when we went to camp. Yeah. They had to wait. Um, so whatever year that would have been, you were.
SPEAKER_06I remember dad and mom would get home from camp and they'd be like so tired and they had no voice, their voice was gone. And they're like, I can't take care of it all. I'm too tired.
SPEAKER_02Straight up last year, going two weeks, you know, back going to the camps back to back. We'd text my parents on the way home and say, Hey man, I'm getting these vlogs tomorrow. Give them another day.
SPEAKER_03If my math is right, your first year would have been around 2015. Um so we were already you never went prior to uh you never went to Shaco. Everything you know is Hargis and on. You got those backwards.
SPEAKER_06I knew Shaco.
SPEAKER_03She never went to Hargis.
SPEAKER_06No, I went to Hargis.
SPEAKER_03No, she did.
SPEAKER_06I did.
SPEAKER_03She didn't know Shaco is like when I was at the first church. Yeah. When we were student life. Right. When we started merge in 2012.
SPEAKER_02That's probably what you were trying to avoid saying. My bad.
SPEAKER_03Uh I do that a lot. I was trying to mean which one is a good one. So what's your earliest memory of merge? Yeah, that's good.
SPEAKER_06Jonah picking me up on the wreck field and dumping my head into the nastiest grass water there was ever and about to drown me, and I was flipping out because I couldn't breathe. And he thought it was so funny.
SPEAKER_03So we used to play a game.
SPEAKER_02That does sound like something he would do.
SPEAKER_03So we would play a game, and I thought it was a great game. You had a garbage can, and you were supposed to go and dip your head in it, and then run back to a bucket and ring. Squeeze your hair. Well, kids got like they're like, I'm not just putting my head in. I'm jumping in. So kids would jump into it. They're ringing out everything. Abby has a problem with this game because it's like ee germs. Colby apparently had a problem with the game. So Jonathan said, No, you don't. And dunk a whole head in there.
SPEAKER_06I thought I was gonna drown.
SPEAKER_02What's the difference in a trash can of water and a pool? Just the fact that it's a big thing.
SPEAKER_06Okay, the trash can, no, it literally like was covered in grass. Like the whole thing was full of grass.
SPEAKER_02Just saying.
SPEAKER_06So kids would be I don't get in the pool at camp.
SPEAKER_02Okay, that's what that was gonna be my question. After wreck, and everybody gets in a pool, like there's a film on top of the water.
SPEAKER_06There is Colby is not in that water, absolutely not.
SPEAKER_03And at Hargis, they didn't do like a skim test. You did have to do a swim test, but they were coming also, it was right after the morning, so everybody had the color stuff on. So it was powerful. It was disgusting. Hairspray, it was everything. Yeah, that's great. Yep. So now uh you were at kids camp. You obviously came to youth camp. You're also on staff at kids camp. So what do you like better the years or the times of being a camper or being on staff?
SPEAKER_06Um I probably say staff because when I was a kid, like I would see y'all all the time, like riding on golf carts, whatever, whatever. I'm like, oh, what is mom and dad doing? Whatever. But I think you just like enjoyed it more because you have like so much to do, I guess you could say. But I do enjoy being on staff probably better because I like to work. Like I like doing things. So I can't. I just do whatever. Dance, go to rack, go to whatever color games, clean up the field, set up for Christmas in July. Shout out.
SPEAKER_03It's coming. It is waiting on the snow machines to get here.
SPEAKER_06Hopefully that is nine like I did last year.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we gotta hope for better weather, but lately it's been raining every every day, every day. Um, what are you looking forward to the most this year? Or are you looking for like what are you looking forward to the most?
SPEAKER_06Gotta have something probably the services. Like hearing the children worship. Pretty great.
SPEAKER_02It does something to you. Yeah. It gets you. I don't know. I I think I have told this on the podcast before, but that first year hearing kids, I've heard 10,000 grown men in a conference singing. I've heard, you know, the mix I ain't never heard kids sing like that before, but I had to get behind the curtain.
SPEAKER_01I was like, I'm gonna lose it.
SPEAKER_02That was that was good. There is something about kids worshiping.
SPEAKER_03Yep. If you were to give advice, we do have some new staff members, but for people out in the world of our podcast, because there's like nationwide people listening who may want to come serve at merge.
SPEAKER_06Period.
SPEAKER_03What would your advice be to a staffer who may be coming for the first year or considering coming to merge?
SPEAKER_06Um, you'll probably hear that's a lot of work. It's fun, it's a lot though. But don't be afraid to like make friends. Like, I feel like that's what made camp fun is like all of our staff, even though we're from everywhere else, is very close. And like we leave camp like like we're siblings. So like don't be afraid to like be yourself. Sometimes don't be afraid to like be yourself, but also like have fun and enjoy it and like do what is asked, and you'll be fine. Good advice. Good advice. Good advice.
SPEAKER_03Do you have a favorite merge memory? We did your first memory. Do you have a favorite or a few favorites?
SPEAKER_06Probably getting baptized at camp, even though I got sick after that, but that's my favorite for sure.
SPEAKER_03So you got in that dirty lake water. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Well, all in my nose.
SPEAKER_03So this was That was a cool memory. Was it for me as well? Last year? Yeah. Was it last year? Yeah. So you want to give a brief, I don't know how much time we have here, but they can listen to your story. What uh tell a little bit about that.
SPEAKER_06Um well, I'm very hard-headed. So normally people are like, oh, I get saved, oh I'll get baptized. I did not do that. And I didn't, I wasn't baptized for a long time. And dad would ask me all the time, why don't you get baptized? I'm just like, Dad, I'm not ready. Like, I just I don't want to do it. Like, I just don't feel whatever. So then I've been praying about it, thinking about it. Went to camp. Luke was preaching, and he was like, Jesus died on the cross for you publicly. You should live your life publicly, like your faith publicly for him. And I was like, Oh well, yeah, I should. So I went to dad and I text him as like dad, I have something to tell you.
SPEAKER_01And normally that you don't know what that means when I never didn't, but I'm wondering where that's going.
SPEAKER_06And he was like, All right, and then at the end of night I told him, and then the next day he was like, Do you want to wait or do you want to get baptized at camp? But the camp people are like my second family. Like they are, they were at your first, the other church, um, been there for a long time, but and like my whole family was there, so I was like, I'll see what I can't.
SPEAKER_03Yep. So there are a few of those, which obviously with her being my child, that was the most special, but other staffers have kind of come to the same realization or a little different, maybe they got away from where they should have been and they wanted to be. We've uh Ty Smith was one.
SPEAKER_02Um got one coming up this year.
SPEAKER_03Or two coming up this year. Uh I want to say there was another one besides Ty. Um but I can't remember at the moment. So if that was you, I apologize. Um blinking too. But it's three times. Uh special to be able to to see the staff. Well I mean, we tell the story of one a man came as uh chaperon one year and got saved at kids' camp. Yeah. Now that individual is serving on staff and has been with us ever since. Um so it is cool to see that we are putting this on and we talked about it, didn't really talk about it, but it got mentioned last week that we put these camps on for the kids and the students. Um, but God has a plan for everybody that's there. Oh yeah. So to see that, and like you said, it's part of family to be able to celebrate with each other. Ty's family. They drove up. They drove up, brought Carson and uh I think some other family members came up uh because they knew that was camp was special to him and the place was special. Um and Ty's one of those, he's still he's coming back again this year, so uh he's bought in and loves merge and that's a cool thing.
SPEAKER_02And it's cool to see on on our end of it, like them going from okay, I'm I'm an eighth grader or ninth grader now, I can serve. They serve those four years and they're in college. So there's a slightly different role, but like now he's graduated and you know something everybody don't carry themselves. Like, you know, now we're looking at Ty like dude, we gotta give you some responsibility, right? Like you know, you've been here and you're obviously committed, and seeing the how how some of those students, you know, grow even in the ministry is is really cool to see.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so as you get older, you're I mean, you really don't have a choice, you're not going anywhere. That's right. Uh you're gonna be there forever. But what would you miss the most if you couldn't serve at merge? If something were to go on, schedule don't work, what would you miss the most?
SPEAKER_06The people. For sure. The people.
SPEAKER_02Campers or staff?
SPEAKER_06Staff. Well both. Like I I guess being a dancer, like a lot of the peek like kids know my face. Like when I go to work. I mean not work. Oh man. When I go to rec or like color games, they're like, oh cool be, cool be cool be. But like the relationships that you create at camp through the staff, like serving beside them for a week straight. Probably that.
SPEAKER_03It is. And I mean the we've talked about staff retention, I guess is the word. Uh we don't have a lot of staff turnover. And kids want to come back. And uh it got mentioned in one of our meetings the other day or other week that it kind of started as it didn't really kind of start, but when we first started out, we were doing camp for our kids, which you're not you're at that stage now. But now our kids, my kids well established. But it's now not like I'm doing camp for my kids, but my kids are with me doing camp for other kids, which is is I don't I don't want to rush my kids' childhood away uh by any means.
SPEAKER_02It feels like making them just turn ten is like, how is he ten? Doesn't make sense. But seeing that aspect of it is really exciting to me. Uh I don't I don't want to rush it away, but at the same time that watching you guys and watching your family and and so many others. Right. Oh yeah. Melissa and JD and Haley and anyway, so so many of them that get to do ministry with their family is uh I'm excited for that. Um with my family.
SPEAKER_03It's definitely cool. I mean, that's one of the things I look forward to, or one of the things that makes it special is I am leading merge, but I get to do that with my kids and my wife, and as a family that is something we do as we're serving people and everybody's bought in and there and all that stuff. So thinking of your child getting to be on staff, how many more years I gotta do this?
SPEAKER_02So he's in going into fifth grade this year. Okay. So he's got two more camp camps seasons, I guess. So in three years he'll be his he'll be in seventh grade and we'll serve. Brother.
SPEAKER_06You got two more behind him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but that's that and that boy going to first grade. He still ain't made it to camp yet.
SPEAKER_01Wowser.
SPEAKER_03But that will be cool the the next kind of the wave of the younger, because we had some staff who started with us, but now we've got some staff who who do have younger kids. So to see, because I never when it started, we never knew where it was gonna go, but to get to where I never thought we would do it this long to where my kids could then take a staff, and maybe by the time your kids become staff, one of my kids will take over.
SPEAKER_06Not not me. Your son. Your son. He'll be great at it.
SPEAKER_02He'll be great at it. So any uh I don't I don't know if I'm gonna let you go anywhere.
SPEAKER_03You keep calling me old. I'm starting to get a complex.
SPEAKER_06What you cannot even play a sport without hurting.
SPEAKER_03Um fragile.
SPEAKER_02Your role may shift, but you still gonna be big dog. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I hear you. Uh Kobe, any words of anything where we we gotta sign out here? Um anything you want to say, add, any comments?
SPEAKER_02Words of wisdom.
SPEAKER_03Words of wisdom.
SPEAKER_06What were my words of wisdom the other day? They're pretty good.
SPEAKER_03When?
SPEAKER_06I can't at church. What do you ask me about words of wisdom?
SPEAKER_02For them children. It was obviously memorable. For what children?
SPEAKER_06Basically, love Jesus, act yourself, be silly, because who cares?
SPEAKER_02Hey, I like that. That's fair. I didn't know I had a motto. I didn't gotta now.
SPEAKER_03Well, that's gonna wrap up the podcast. Uh couple of weeks. You'll hear this one, like I said, we'll be leading into camp. So we may have one more that you we're gonna try to get a podcast at camp. I don't know how well it will be or put out there.
SPEAKER_06And um everybody's gonna be falling asleep on the podcast. We don't sleep much at camp. We don't sleep much, but y'all can do it when y'all are up in the middle of the night. That's true. Before breakfast.
SPEAKER_03So you may hear this one, and then next week, the week after that, could be a camp. At camp, and we got some ideas and thoughts for that. So we'll see what happens, but pray for us as we go into camp. Support the ministry. Uh, we are a nonprofit. We are funded by individuals, a few churches, a few businesses are helping us along the way. We've got a lot of room for growth. So if you want to support the ministry and what's going on, check us out, merge dash ministry.com. Uh, if you have comments, thoughts, want to reach out to us or come see what camp is like. Merge ministries 12 at gmail.com. And we look forward to seeing you. We appreciate your prayers, your gifts, and able to make uh the next couple of weeks that we're going into. It'll be very busy. Year worth of planning is finally here, and it's going to be a lot of fun. Um, so thank you for all those that support the ministry. Colby, thanks for joining us. You're welcome. Good luck at college, good luck at camp dancing. Hope you got your stuff worked out and you already know your dances and all that.
SPEAKER_06I don't even know my songs, brother.
SPEAKER_03Fantastic. We're looking good. Sounds like we got work to do.
SPEAKER_06Uh, did y'all even make a list yet?
SPEAKER_03We have it. It's already out there. So uh thank you for joining us. It has been sent out.
SPEAKER_06Oh, not to the dancers.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we've got about y'all. Uh, thanks for joining us, and we look forward to being back with you again next week.
SPEAKER_07See ya bye.