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
What bothers us?
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Today we look at things that bother us that probably shouldn’t. Join and see if what bothers us, bothers you. You can always email in at mergeministries12@gmail.com to let us know what you agree with or disagree with. More than that let us know what bothers you!
Welcome back to another week of M3 Merge Ministry mostly. We're back to a two-man crew today. Two man crew, baby. I'm Daniel. I'm Luke. And I'm not sick, but probably like it.
SPEAKER_02I was just about to say, bro, you sound sick.
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, so I do apologize on the front end of what this may sound like. But it's just been, you know, crud's going around. It sure is. And I'm I got it.
SPEAKER_02But I feel like I live with it. So that's true.
SPEAKER_00That's fair. Story of my life. That's it. The children's pastor at the church uh wasn't there Sunday because she wasn't feeling well. So I taught the kids.
SPEAKER_03Oh.
SPEAKER_00First time in a while, I've taught kids on a Sunday morning.
SPEAKER_02Nostalgic for you?
SPEAKER_00It was. Um, and then I got sick. So I guess you know, teachers go back to school when they're around kids, they get sick. I was around kids this Sunday, and since then haven't felt been sick.
SPEAKER_03All right.
SPEAKER_00But it's I mean, it's not like fever and all that, it's just crud.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So I may cough a little bit more, I may sniffle like Luke a little bit more.
SPEAKER_02Um you you can hear it, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_00You can hear it in your voice. Uh so like I said, we're back to two-man, two-man crew today. Uh, no, no guests. We will do our high school college football picks. Uh, so we as you know by now, we record this early.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So at the moment, we don't even know how we did last week in our picks.
SPEAKER_02So it when we finished recording last week, we walked through my dad's office, which is literally right across the the wall here, and uh he was going, I was listening to y'all, and I've been thinking, how's this gonna work? He said, when this comes out, y'all y'all ain't gonna know what the answers are. He said, Plus, when y'all record the next podcast, you still ain't gonna know what the results are.
SPEAKER_00So we're going to update it on Instagram. There we go. Maybe on the Monday after the picks.
SPEAKER_02Okay, that makes sense.
SPEAKER_00We'll put it on Instagram. We won't really know how we're doing, and just like some of these games, we don't really know the team's record. Right. Central will play tomorrow night when we're recording this, they play on Thursday night. So right now, Central's one and one. By the time you hear this, Central could be two and one or one and two because they got a game tomorrow.
SPEAKER_02Let's not talk about it.
SPEAKER_00So, anyway, so we will, if you want to know how we're doing, uh, whether you want to or not, we're gonna put it on Instagram. We're gonna put it there, baby.
SPEAKER_02Like it or not.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so we will put it out there. Uh, so these games will be happening when you're listening to this this weekend. Uh, when we're picking this next weekend. That's right. So we'll roll through them. Looks like we're in agreement on most of these this week. Uh so Saturday, or no, it won't, it'll be Friday. Uh Central at Opalika.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Did you watch them play Hoover? I did not. So I didn't catch all of it. I caught really the middle, uh maybe middle of the third quarter to the to the fourth quarter. Um their their quarterback is is I mean, he he's pretty good. Really? He's not like I wouldn't say he's like a dog, you know what I mean? But he he he runs the ball pretty well. Um it didn't work out for them when they uh were second and one, and uh they ran the same read option three plays in a row. It didn't work out for them. But uh the he he he makes some good decisions, and I don't know how well he throws the ball down the field, yeah, which might be good for us. Yes. So uh I think I mean Central has notoriously been good at stopping the run game. Right. I mean, there's there's times, you know, where you got a back that's just a dog and you know, you got some big linemen, but most even with that, most of the time, we do well against the run. So he's secondary tends to get us. I still got central man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so obalika's on this this this high because they went to the state championship last year. Right. Central benefited from it two years before they were the three seed. Central was the three seed last year. Obalika was the three-seed. So on the side of the bracket that Central was on, right, they played Thompson the game before the championship. Which was the state championship game. Right. Obalaika benefited, they were paired up with Mobile and Huntsville. Yeah. So they think that they are back, that they are they're here to stay at the top. I don't think so. I don't think they get brought back down to reality, and I think Central handles it pretty well.
SPEAKER_02I think you understand what I meant, just to clarify those of you thinking you're an idiot. Uh, when I say that was the state championship game, the state championship game is supposed to be the two best teams in the state of Alabama in that you know division uh that that play. And so the two best teams was Central and Thompson. Right. No offense to Opalica, but it showed from the results on the scoreboard.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yes, true that. So we both have Central there. Next up, Smiths.
SPEAKER_02This was my we'll go to Jag. This was one of my one of my four wins I picked for Smith Station. So you're still you're staying with it? I'm staying with it.
SPEAKER_00So I I can't go against my original picks, you know? Yeah, I don't know what my original pick was, but it don't matter. I have Jag winning. Like I saw a little bit of the Smiths game when they played Northside, and then I think last week or their second game, I think they might have got beat by Percy Julian.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I don't I don't see them beating Jag. It was what, 24-21, something like that? I think so.
SPEAKER_02I don't know a lot closer than it was Northside.
SPEAKER_00It was, but I think Smith may um continue to to struggle this year. So I have Jag over Smith.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um the next up, don't really know anything about the second Glenwood versus St. Paul.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I have no idea who St. Paul is. Me either. They have, I think they lost their first game. Glenwood, as of now, has won their games. Um, so I I didn't know. I don't know who St. Paul is, so I went with Glenwood.
SPEAKER_02I went with Glenwood too. I just I'm with you. I don't really know.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, the Glenwood, I did look at their schedule coming up. They do after the St. Paul game, they get into the Montgomery Catholics and the St. Michaels and McGill Tulins. So yeah, they're it we'll see. Uh Calvary is off this this week. They are. Uh they won an overtime thriller uh a couple weeks ago. Thriller in Manila. So they won by one point. Yep. Um, but they're off, so we had to pick somebody else, which we won't always pick the same four schools, Central Smith and Glenwood, probably. But we got Russell County at Weetumpka. Don't know anything about really either of these two either. Yeah. I know a little bit about Russell County because I know some of the people there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But this is just a shot in the dark.
SPEAKER_02I got I got Russell County. They they had a very good season last year, made it to the playoffs, was contenders, honestly. Um and I the the coach that's there, uh, why can't I think of his name? Griggs Griggs Griggs, yeah. He was there with Dubos at Central. Yeah. And you know, left. I think he went to Pence and anyways. I I think he has a pretty good program. He runs a pretty good program. And I watching watching some of their games last year, defensively, they they seem to be pretty stout. Yeah. Uh offensively, I think is where they you know struggled to score at times. Yeah. Uh, I don't know anything about this year, though. The their their defensive coordinator was I don't know if he's defensive coordinator. One of their defensive coaches, I think he's their defensive coordinator, was my defensive coordinator at shorter. Okay. That's really cool, nostalgic going back and speaking to the team at breakfast and stuff. Uh I I got I got Roscount. So which also makes sense why their defense was stout.
SPEAKER_00You know what I mean? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh I have We Tumpka. Um just because well, I went and looked, they won their what I saw first two games uh big. I originally had um well, no, I have who plays We Tumpka? Smith plays We Tumpka. Okay, yeah. I had Smith beating We Tumpka. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But seeing that now you're gonna end up changing their mind.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm gonna end up changing their mind. That's more, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um from what I remember of you know how some schools like central defensively, secondary tends to be in, you know, struggle. We Tumpka is a a bit of a country town, kind of like Russell County, right? It's kind of like SEAL. Uh and so them boys is they physical. Yeah, like that's what they're kind of known for. So I don't know. It'd probably be tough in them trenches.
SPEAKER_00So We Tumpka won their first game against Andalusia 19 to zero. Then they beat Talasi 42 to 16. Um, so based off of those, which I know nothing about Andalusia or Talasey, but 42-16 seems pretty impressive. I know Talisea has a pretty good wrestling program. Okay. Well, I don't know if that helps you. So I went uh we tumbled in that one. Um we only differ in one of the college games. Yeah. So we may go through these somewhat quickly. Uh, we have Alabama uh four right now, and this is according to chat because they don't have the lines out on this, but I said if they were to play today, what would you have it at? Chat GBT has Alabama at a 14 and a half point favorite over Kentucky. Interesting. Who do you take? Always, and this is straight. This ain't against a spread. Yeah, so I I wanna I want to win more than I want to pick against Alabama. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I don't know if that's what you did last week, though.
SPEAKER_00Last week, like the first game of the year.
SPEAKER_02He's close enough. Uh we'll we'll figure it out. It's not gonna be close enough because it's Carolina. But my point is, all right, yeah. After that one, you're like, you're giving me a victory, you can't keep doing that.
SPEAKER_00That was on principle last week. Yeah, um, now I'm off of principle. I have Alabama beating Kentucky. Yeah, makes sense. We'll come down to the one we did we'll come back to that one because that's the one Auburn is according to chat 17 and a half point favorite over Southern Myths. Does Auburn Auburn and have a good game, maybe hopefully against uh Baylor? And which they had already played this by the time you're hearing this, so we would know that for sure. But does Auburn Auburn us and or do they take care of business this year?
SPEAKER_02Man, I think they're gonna take care of business. You think so? I just want to believe it, to be honest with you. On principle. On principle, I'm going Auburn. I got Auburn too. I I tend to I like Golish or Gaelish, whatever his name is. Gaelish? I think it's Gaulish. Golish? I think. I don't know what he's like the words he chooses. Uh, because unlike a lot of the Auburn guys in the past, the clean cut, you know, he don't he don't do that. He'll he'll let some words fly. But I I I tend to like him as a as a maybe maybe he'll be so I was it before what's the guy's coach before?
SPEAKER_00Uh freeze.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like, no emotions on the sideline. Yeah, like just kind of stood there, and if a bad call happened, he just like like I don't want a coach that whines every single thing.
SPEAKER_02Brother, what we have had will be whiniest coaches since Tupperville.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but you need one that that when they need to say something, you want to see them say something, yeah, but you don't want every flag for the coach to be over there whining or just like often no man's like so we'll see. I believe chewing somebody out, I'm with that, right?
SPEAKER_02You know what I mean? Even even if you go back to what was the Chiswick and what was the Malzon, like they both they they were intense and they would holler and they'd get after it, but they also whined. Yeah, and I would rather them be like Nick Saban. Yeah, he don't make excuses, right? He he tells tells it like it is and he'll get on somebody's butt, but that's it. Yeah, so we'll see. I remember that interviewer they asked him by um him and uh Lane Kiffin arguing on the sideline. He said that wasn't no argument, that's called a butt chewing. We need some of those, yeah. We do.
SPEAKER_00Um, next up, Oklahoma at Michigan. Michigan's uh one and a half point favorite, which just basically means they got a little bit of points for home field advantage. I think you get three points for playing at home off the top. So being a one and a half point favorite, I think that's really considered kind of a push.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So does Oklahoma go into the big house?
SPEAKER_02To be honest with you, I haven't really looked a lot of a lot, a lot at other SEC schools besides the ones we typically focus on. Uh Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, a little bit of LSU because of Lane Kiffin and all that. I don't, I don't really know with this pick. I just want the SEC to win, and I want Oklahoma to beat Michigan, and I don't like Michigan. I don't know if that helps at all. This is not a I've done my research, I've watched their teams and blah, blah, blah.
SPEAKER_00You're just a SEC homer on this one.
SPEAKER_02I'm an SEC homer on this one.
SPEAKER_00That's fair. I think Oklahoma, from what I have heard about them and what they had last year, I think their defense is gonna be solid. Yeah. I think offensively, I think they had some things to figure out whatn't great all the time last year. Um, but I think Oklahoma goes into Michigan and surprises them. If this point spread stays, pulls off the upset, which I think Oklahoma's ranked higher than Michigan too. So then the big game of the weekend, Ohio State at Texas. Last year, Arch Manning did not have a good game. That was the his Heisman hopes are done, they were short, overhyped, everything like this kid can't play football. Uh, obviously, he got things back together. Right now, Texas is a one and a half point favorite, which they're at home. So, same thing. You get a little bit of a home field uh cushion there. So I have Texas coming out and beating Ohio State. Mr. SEC, like I'm going completely against completely against everything I just said.
SPEAKER_02I do not want Ohio State to win, and I want Texas to win, and I want Arch Manning to be the man. I just I just want him to. I just don't think Texas is what everybody thinks they are. Really? I would be I would be perfectly pleased to be wrong. Yeah. This isn't like uh I'm picking East Carolina over Bama. You know what I mean? It's not that kind of a principle. However, I I want to be wrong on this one. I want you to to to beat me here.
SPEAKER_00Well, I think Texas, I do think they obviously I think offense have got better. Um don't really know a whole lot about either one of them. I don't know who who's coming back for a hostate other than is it Jeremiah Smith? Julian Saiyan, I think's quarterback.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But if Texas is what they're supposed to be, I think the SEC defense shows up.
SPEAKER_02I'm excited to see Arch Manning throw some passes to Cam Coleman.
SPEAKER_00I hope Cam does well. I as an Auburn fan. I hated to see him go, but if he was truly getting the money that they said he was getting, why would you not? Right. Right. As loyal as much as an Auburn fan as I am, if I was playing at Auburn and somebody came up and Auburn was giving me two million and this other school was giving me like $10 million, like I love you, but like I got I got to go.
SPEAKER_02So I was I was listening to um this is this happened a long time ago. I think I was in high school when this happened. Uh but when Bear Bryant died, and no, he was not Bear Bryant died, they had a memorial while I was in high school. He died way before I was in high school. I'm sorry. Uh they had a memorial thing like remembering, and that's why I was remembering the coaches leaving to go to. My point was when Bear Bryant died, and they were talking about his impact and legacy and all that stuff when um at this little memorial thing, they would say that when players would get drafted from Alabama and they would get these contracts. Obviously, back then it wasn't a stupid amount of money like it is today. Right. Bear Bryant would get on the fall and call these GMs and the owners of these NFL football teams that it is a business. And he would say, They've got a family, they got this, they got this, he needs this as the contract. And they're like, Yes, sir, coach. And I they give it to him. One they're talking about the respect that Bear Bryant had and all that stuff. But my point is, uh, in what we're talking about, like this isn't just about playing on the field. You can you can have the conversation all you want to, the NIL is ridiculous and it's changed the sports and blah blah blah. It's there and it's real and it is what it is, right? Like it's the reality that we're living in. And you're gonna fault this man for changing his entire family's life. Right. Two million dollars is a lot of money, but 10's even more than that, right? So, like you're gonna you're gonna bash this man for saying uh why would I not do this?
SPEAKER_00You know, it's not the college athletes' fault that the NIL situation is what it is, right? Like they're benefiting from it, and yes, you can loyalty and all that other stuff, but all that's gone, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's with the NIL stuff, it's gone, and you can't you've got to change your mindset because you it's not changing and it's not lethal.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, be mad at your school for not spending more money, right? If that's the that's that's the reality of it. Like the whole people hating on Lane Kiffin, they're doing which is crazy to me. You can go play in the NFL and then come back to college. Wow. But Lane Kiffin, I mean, if the rule is there, like you can be like Dabo, stand on principal, and this is our team, and this is who we have. You can do that, yeah, and maybe that works, but you also can't hate on the people. They're not doing anything wrong, right? They're doing living inside the bubble that we've created.
SPEAKER_02And if this creates rule change, I think that's the right decision. I mean, I think that's the right direction. There ain't a rule against that. You know what I mean? Like you you can you you can think it's wrong all you want to until they come out and tell you you can't do this.
SPEAKER_00And what's crazy, which I don't know a whole lot about it, the courts are making decisions that's affecting college football. Like you get somebody, a judge in Auburn, who's a big Auburn fan, right, to say, Yeah, this this is works because it's a favorite in Auburn.
SPEAKER_02Like, how are they making decisions that's when all this crap came out with Alabama and the dude that was in the G League or Euro League or whatever with basketball? When all this came out with March Madison, I'm I I I think me and you had the conversation. I was like, this is going to spill over into every other thing. You're gonna have guys that were playing for three years and declared for the MLB draft, and they're gonna not get what they thought they were gonna get and they're gonna come back. It's right here, it's happening. These guys are rookies in the NFL, went through training camp, yeah, didn't get the money they want. It wasn't just one of them got cut, but the other guy, which is somewhere like he's he made the team, right? And it was like, Well, I'm not gonna play, I'm gonna go back to college, and it they're doing it. Like, for one, do I like it and do I think that that's how it should be? I don't, right.
SPEAKER_01At the same time, I would prefer my my team coaching to be like Dabbo, right?
SPEAKER_02But I say no, it's a rule against it, and how these line with you, how the NCAA says the uh attorney general of Louisiana says you can do that, or this random right uh judge says you can do it. What that means. Well, you can't say you say Luke Wilson in Phoenix City said you can do it, so we're gonna do it. Like that I I my my name don't mean nothing to NCAA.
SPEAKER_00Right. Well, you could if the schools take it take a stand like they did with the Swirsby thing. Yeah, like he was gambled, like there was somebody that was like, Oh, he can still play. Well, then the Big Ten and people started getting together, I think it was Big Ten, maybe it was Big 12, whichever one they're in. The schools got together and was like, We're not playing them. Like, if this is okay for a kid to do, and like we're all just coming together and saying, No, we're not gonna play them, and then it got overturned. Well, I don't know if it got overturned. He then decided, well, I'm just gonna go to the NFL. So they took a stand right and it fixed it because money talks. Right. So, transition to today's episode.
SPEAKER_02The the thing we came up with was before we get into today, let me tell you about what happened to me yesterday. So, you know, my wife has a Toyota and under the warranty, you go to Toyota to get all the oil change and all that stuff done, right? To keep the warranty. So I go to Calvary, leave my truck, get her car, go to Toyota. And from previous experiences, how do you think that went? Probably not very well. It sucks. So I was there for two and a half hours before they ever pulled her car in to get the oil change. But the whole time they're telling me we're we're a little behind, but we're we're we're getting getting close. Nah, I they didn't say we're getting close to pulling your car in. In my mind, from what they're telling me, I thought it's already been in there. So then they say, you know, we're wrapping up, we're finishing up. Well, they had the codes wrong. So it wasn't my car that was in there. So two and a half hours go by, and they say they walk up to me and say, We just got you pulled in. And I'm like, You mean like to a parking spot for me to leave? He's like, No, I was like, You mean to get my oil chain? He's like, Yes. I'm like, what are you talking about? Like, inwardly extremely frustrated. I'm trying to be a kind human on the outside. Right. Uh, but anyways, regardless of all that, takes me three hours. I brought my book bag so I could do some work. Left it in my truck. So I'm literally sitting there with just my phone, and it's already at like 40%. So it ends up dying. Anyways, long story short, the plan was I was gonna go get Joe's oil change, come back, pick up Juju, take her to gymnastics. Joe was gonna go home, get dinner ready, and then by time Juju got home, the boys would have eaten, gotten dressed, we go to football practice. Football practice is at six o'clock. I get back to the school at five. I turn out of Calvary, which is on Moon Road. Right. My brakes go out. No shot. My brakes like do not work. So I'm like, oh crap, what do I do? Light turns yellow, and I'm like, I can't stop anyway. So then the next red light is where you turn right to get back on J.R. Allen and or you can keep straight and go like anyway. So I'm in the right lane, two cars at the red light. I'm like, what do I do? So I go in between the car and that little sign. I don't know how I missed the sign. I'm driving on the grass past them, go up, people are honking at me. I'm like, ain't nothing I can do, baby. So I'm going up the hill. I'm like, Well, I don't want to stop on the hill. So I go up the hill, and then that's where the merge is to get really on J.R. Allen. Right. And I'm like, Well, I don't really want to stop here because people are flying by. So then I'm like, where do I go? So I got off on the exit going back to veterans, you know, like a circle from where I just was. And uh I pull over on the side of the road. I'm like, Well, what the heck do I do now? Uh it starts to get to where it's gonna stop and it starts rolling back. So I have to slam it in park so I'm not moving anymore. Literally, I have no brakes. So ended up calling tow truck, uh, takes me to uh I'll tell you off there who whose house I took it to so he could fix my brakes. Literally that day, call him. I'm sitting at Toyota, like, hey man, I need to get my brakes done. Can you can you do it? He's like, Yeah, bring it by whenever I'll get it done. Like, great. So then I call him back. I was like, uh, change of plans, brakes went out on me. Can I drop this truck at your house? He's like, Yeah, perfect. So come to find out, uh, you know how it's got a little metal when you get to a certain point on your brake pads. Well, apparently I ignored all that. My brake pads fell out.
SPEAKER_04No, there were no brakes on the side of the road.
SPEAKER_02Yes, so that was what had happened. They they uh it hit, I guess, a certain spot, and then they came out of it. So I have no my rotors, one of my rotors shot, anyways. My point of telling you this one was just a funny, funny, stupid story. Luke's an idiot. The other thing was uh I've been talking to children's ministry and in our my Sunday school class about evaluating our life and recognizing where God is speaking and moving and being able to recognize him in our in our life. And crappy day. You know, sat there for three hours, then I missed football practice, all of this stuff. Uh the head coach for Macon's team texts us while I'm sitting on the side of the road. It's like, hey guys, I'm dealing with something with family. Can one of y'all um run practice? And I'm like, Well, I would, but I'm sitting on the side of the road right now. I can't mean so we ended up having to cancel practice, anyways. Um, it's easy for us to elevate ourselves in so many other aspects of our life. We're watching the Lily World Series and I'm at a wedding reception. I walk by one table and we're winning. I walk by the next table and we're losing. And what do I say? Oh, I need to go back over there. Like, like I have anything to do with this game, you know. Uh, so like we we find ourselves in these scenarios, but yet God's speaking to us and we we miss it. Yeah, and uh or or God orchestrates circumstances in our life and we don't recognize that it's not the stupid people at Toyota that kept me there this long. It was the Lord not allowing my daughter to be in the car with me when my brakes go out. And I'm thinking about where I was, who what was you know, what the the scenario was where the other cars were and all this. If I'm taking her to gymnastics, I'm on that same road, but I'm in the left lane. My brakes go out, and there was a car directly behind me that's having to go really slow because I'm not going fast. If I'm in the left lane and they're beside me, who knows? I I wreck. You know what I mean? I'm there's no there's a median on the left, there's nowhere for me to go. If if I'm able to get around them, you know what I'm saying? It's like it it would have ended badly, even if it wasn't catastrophic, you know, and just this horrible tragedy, either way, even if it was just a fender bender, it's still like uh an airbag's probably coming out, and my daughter would probably be like, has airbags, it does, man. It does. You're a hater. So with all that, it's like I I get home after, you know, I'm not I'm not super excited about how my day went. And then the Lord kind of shared that with me. It's like, you know, uh maybe it was him holding up the car at Toyota so that she missed gymnastics, he didn't go, like there's no chance. I got Joe's car, it's nowhere for her to go. Uh, I wouldn't let her drive my truck for one, but two, I had the keys with me, so no shot for her to be able to leave. Uh, but just again, just being able to recognize God being at work around us, and you know, we kind of changed my perspective from being mad about what had happened to me that day to it was that's pretty cool. Not not a bad thing at all.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's been times that we I mean you go somewhere and you get held up or somebody's running late or whatever, and then on your way to wherever you were going, there was a wreck. Yeah, and I always wonder like, was that guy protecting us? Like I got mad because we were late and I was wanting to be there, yeah. But if we would have left when I wanted to, yeah, there's a very good chance we're in the middle of that. Right.
SPEAKER_02So and it's one of those scenarios that like there's also a chance that literally nothing happened, right? You know what I mean? There's a chance that the brake pads don't fall out and we're perfectly fine, you know. So like it not to like overly spiritualize stuff, because I think we do that sometimes as well, but uh more likely, you know, like what I'm what I'm thinking, and what I I know the Lord shared with me with that is that you know, I uh sometimes we're frustrated and we we put it off on other people. Man, God's like, I stopped that from happening. You know, I made you sit there for three hours, not them. I know what's happening down the road, you idiot. Well, I don't know if God called you an idiot, but I feel like he does me.
SPEAKER_00All things work for the good of those who love him. Like you can't walk through life and just look at as everything is dumb luck, yeah, which I don't think everything is just dumb luck. Like I do now, I don't think God is like moving every small piece in our path, but I do think at times that when God is moving, like God does move for us and in favor of us, and we don't know. Like you'll never know if that really was, right? But you could look at it as hey, that's dumb luck, or hey God, this happened and yeah, thanks. Like that's why I can wear it. Maybe maybe it's not, but I trust that you are who you are.
SPEAKER_02Until he changes my mind on that, and I'm going with it.
SPEAKER_00Well, and then that changes your outlook on other things. Like next time something happens, you get frustrated at the car place, right? Like you then realize maybe there's a bigger story and a bigger picture going on that I don't see, and it just helps us to be more aware and open to that.
SPEAKER_02So back to being frustrated.
SPEAKER_00So looking at the list of stuff we have here, this is probably gonna be a two-parter um thing because there's some things on here.
SPEAKER_02Um I I before we get into this, I feel like I tend to have a more positive outlook on life. You know what I mean? Like I don't I don't feel like I'm a Debbie Downer, that I'm negative about all the stuff, uh, you know, everything. But it was really easy to come up with things that aggravate me about life. Some of these things are things that shouldn't bother me, but they bother the crap out of me.
SPEAKER_00So the the idea is things that shouldn't bother you that do, or things that get on your nerves. So I kind of felt good at first because I Abby and Levi were in the living room, and I was like, this is what we're talking about in the podcast. What are some things that y'all think bother me that shouldn't?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And to begin with, they were a little slow at coming up with stuff.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I was like, okay, well, maybe maybe things are are looking pretty good for me. Then this list got built up, baby. And then we started talking, and they were like, Yeah, you should add that one, or yeah, you do that. So the first one, my uh wife Abby, she said, You're starting to turn into your an old man. She's like, that commercial where you turn into your parents, the first one, she's like, That sounds just like that commercial, and you're doing it. So things that shouldn't bother me that do, and I I it shouldn't. I've noticed lately whenever I go to Publix or Walmart or really anywhere, I pay attention or my focus is on who's parking in the handicapped parking places. I was at Walmart the other day. Some lady like flies past me, pulls into a handicapped parking place, gets out of the car, hurries into the Walmart, and it's a worker. And I'm sitting here going, Oh, what? Like, one, she works here, two, she don't look like she's handicapped, she's gonna park in this spot and go to work for eight hours. And then there's an old lady that needs it. And then there were two old men walking by her car like they parked somewhere else. Which, and here's the thing, and I know, I know, I don't know what it takes to get a handicapped sticker. No, I don't know, and just because somebody may not look necessarily handicapped does not mean that they're not.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_00So I'm not gonna go up to them and go, No, no, no, hey ma'am, hey sir, like you don't look like you're handicapped. What are you doing? Right, like they very well could be, yeah, but in my mind, I look and go, they shouldn't be doing that. They don't they don't look like they need that, so why are they parking there? And I'm not doing anything about it, yeah. I'm not the handicapped police, but lately I've looked and I was like, like, like young people, sometimes young, which that makes it even worse, I guess, for me. Yeah, because I'm like, You're young. Like, what are you doing? Like, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So I I was uh I seeing this, I remembered I saw a video, I think it was on like an Instagram reel, and this guy has the same take as you. And in the comments, they're roasting him. This lady is like, I've got a child who you know is handicapped and it's hard to get them out of the car, and blah, blah, blah. And sometimes, because I have the sticker, if I'm in a rush, I'll park in the handicapped spot and I don't have her with me. And then people are like, You're who we're talking about. It's not when you have a handicapped. If you get a handicapped child out of your car, nobody's mad at you. It's when you get out and you've got the sticker, but you ain't handicapped.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's no reason for you to be doing that. I do know someone whose parent has the sticker. Yeah. They drive the same car that the parent does sometimes, or they sometimes get the sticker out and they use it. So I know that there are some people that take advantage of it, but I do also know that there are some people that need it that might not look like they do. Right. So yeah, that's mine. That's mine. It's a thing. That's the one Abby was like, you sound like you're turning into an old man. I was like, well, I don't know. I mean, maybe.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. There's some things on this list that I look at and I'm like, this frustrates me, but I know I I like do the same thing. Or or there's other things that I do that are similar to this that I know bothers other people. Smacking is something I just can't deal with. Like I hate it. And when I especially if it's like my kids, if I hear them smacking, or my my niece and nephews, you know, they live right next to me. They're up at the house all the time. You know, kids are swapping back and forth all the time. And I tell them, you keep smacking, I'm gonna smack you. And they know that this ain't one of just you know, my funny sayings. Like, I'm I'm gonna smack you for real. Quit.
SPEAKER_00I can't deal with it.
SPEAKER_02Can't deal with it.
SPEAKER_00See, my kids are older now. There will be times that they they smack, and I'm like, dude, really? Like we should be past this. Yeah. So we're kind of past that stage of life, but sometimes the food's gonna be.
SPEAKER_02I don't know, man. Levi eats like a daggum animal.
SPEAKER_00He does. He he gets food all over the place, but he don't typically make noise. He looks he just looks gross. He does, he looks gross.
SPEAKER_02When we was in that waffle house a couple a couple weeks ago, uh, I was like, surely he's he's doing this on purpose. Has to be like there's no way he ate a waffle in like five bites. He looks like a dog on a chipmunk with a waffle, it's soft. Like, how do you look like a chipmunk eating a waffle?
SPEAKER_00He's gonna say it's his diabetes, and he don't get to eat sugary food very much.
SPEAKER_02So when he does, he blames everything on that diabetes.
SPEAKER_00So my second thing kind of goes along with the smacking, the sound of people eating ice. Yeah, you're an ice eater. Not much, not much. Uh-uh.
SPEAKER_02Okay. I thought you oh, maybe it's like a road trip thing. Is that what you said?
SPEAKER_00Maybe so, like when I am driving, I do have a tendency to chew on things, yeah. Like straw or pin top or something. I don't know. It's weird. I thought uh anyways, I don't know why I thought so. It's a thing, like I I don't know. Uh people in my house do it. Colby's bad about it. Like when she's not she's not home anymore, but when she was, like she would fill up a water bottle and just kill the ice. I'm sitting across the room and she's like, You can't eat ice like quiet.
SPEAKER_04Stop.
SPEAKER_00Like, if I want to be the real old man, it's ruining your teeth. I could use that as an excuse. But I'm just sitting there and I'm going, Oh, please, please hurry up and stop.
SPEAKER_02It's it's like it was it Captain Crunch. Yeah, there's several cereals that are like that you can't eat quietly. It is it's awful.
SPEAKER_00Well, and that's another thing, like loud eating, loud eating. Like if somebody's sitting, which Levi says I eat popcorn loud. I don't know. Like, I don't smack, I don't know how you eat popcorn loud, but like chips or cereal, like somebody, and they're not smacking, but it's just and I'm like, oh my geez, just please please banana, please hurry up and eat it and be done with it.
SPEAKER_02I'm with you. It drives me nuts. If I don't know the person, I'm not gonna say anything. I gotta have an actual it's not like the handicapped thing. It's not like I'm I'm with my kids, I will say something, but I'm not gonna me and you are eating, and what you're eating is loud. I'm not gonna ask you to eat it quieter, right? I'm just gonna hope you eat it faster. That's right. Uh, another thing that I didn't realize that bothers me until I'm trying to think on these things. But when you're like in a crowd and there's slow walkers, people are moving slow in front of you. But most of the time when it's like this, there's there's a limited amount of space. Right. And if somebody's walking slow and and there's plenty of space, it don't bother me. I'm just gonna go around you, like it's no big deal. I'm not going to allow that to be aggravating. But when I can't get around you, it drives me but bananas because there's nothing you can do. Nothing you're walking and you're like and you look for little gaps. I want to like pick them up and move them to the side and walk past them. Like it's oh, it's so frustrating.
SPEAKER_00You try to find a gap, but with us, there was always too many people.
SPEAKER_02Too many people to find a gap. I can, but y'all gonna be gone.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, me and Colby are fast walkers. Yeah, Abby is not, so like we'll be walking, and it's really like in a big like you're saying, in a big crowd, you're leaving a game or going through the airport or something. So like we dart and we hit the hit the holes, and Abby's like five minutes behind us. She's just walking.
SPEAKER_02Joe's the same way, and then we'll I'm like waiting on her, you know. We get to a point where it's like, okay, I gotta wait now. And uh she gets there, she's like, You feel good about how fast you got here? Like, but driving, we're the opposites, like it don't bother me to like I'm gonna go just a little bit over the speed limit. Joe will be zooming, yeah, zooming, and she's so mad about the cars in front of her, and I'm just like, look, you either can or can't get over. I don't know, it's different walking than it is driving.
SPEAKER_00I'm a hypocrite. Uh I'm with Joe on that one because that's my next one. Driving slow in the fast lane. Like, you're going to Atlanta.
SPEAKER_01Stupid.
SPEAKER_00Uh going to Atlanta, like anywhere we go, it could be to Birmingham on 280. Like, people get in the left lane. The left lane is not to go the speed limit. Yeah. Like, I'm not telling you you have to be going 85 miles an hour. Right. If the flow of traffic's going that fast in that lane, you should be going that fast. But people literally will get in the left lane and they'll go the speed limit or slower and never get over.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I'm not as bad about it now. I think I'm more afraid that somebody's gonna shoot me. Um, but there was a time that I would get up behind people and I'd flash my lights. Yeah, like, come on. Like, I don't the horn is for communication. Like, I think flashing your lights at somebody is a way to communicate in the car.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So if I get up behind you and you're going 65 and it's 70 miles an hour speed limit, like, how else am I gonna tell you? You need to get over. Like, so I'd be like, you fly up behind them and you flash your lights, and uh and I you are becoming an old man. Maybe, but I'm like, it's not, and another thing with driving, which it's terrible in Phoenix City, people who do not know how to use a median. Oh my gosh, dude.
SPEAKER_02Like that is that that is something that that bugs me. And and I what what is funny to me about my wife is she's very non-confrontational. She don't like she ain't getting out of the car, you know, to say something to nobody. She's yelling at them jokers like like she can hear them. And this brings up another side subject, uh, people yelling at the football game like like it matters, like they can hear them, like they're gonna change anything. It's not as stupid. But, anyways, yelling at people to go and get over and whatever. The only thing that causes me to audibly get upset is the median deal. Like, I it it's not it's not a difficult thing, it's not, and if you do it correctly, everyone can see, right?
SPEAKER_00If you don't do it correctly, neither one of us can see, and then they're mad, and like they're throwing their hands up because you're blocking their site. Yeah, like you're the idiot, you're the one that's in the wrong spot, and they're looking at me like I'm wrong, and I'm like, it makes sense. Like, if you pull around me, you can see the traffic, right? You can't see, like, there's nowhere for me to go.
SPEAKER_02The people behind you also mess this up a lot of times because they think if I can get in the median, so can you, and now they've blocked the entire this guy. From being able to go because I did it right. I came up here. Well, when you go past me, this person's blocked, but you're not supposed to be there anyway. Right. We don't, we shouldn't all be lined up right here. It's two go, then the next two go. Like that's how it works.
SPEAKER_00The one in front of Slim Chickens is terrible. Which is a little bit bigger, yeah. But then you get like three cars all sitting there, all trying to go a different way, and it's oh yeah, it's it's bad. But yeah, driving slow.
SPEAKER_02All three of them stacked up, all trying to turn left. That's the hardest part. You can go straight or you can turn left. Like that's it's wide there for this person to be able to turn around for you to be like it's two people still always need to be there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So uh yeah, but driving the more we drive and the more I see people I want to go, like that's not what this is. Like, this is the passing lane. And even sometimes I'll do it like we'll be going and down the road, but like I do try, even if I'm going faster than everybody else, I do still try to get over the right lane. Yeah, because there's gonna be somebody that's gonna go faster than me.
SPEAKER_02So one of Joe's cousins was telling us that Christmas last year, they live in Roswell, maybe anywhere, Villa Rica, that's where they live, not Roswell. Yeah, there's an R in there somewhere. They're coming down uh from there to come to Christmas, and she gets pulled over uh on the interstate going 75 on the interstate. Uh and the cop pulled her over because she wasn't keeping up with the flow of traffic. Oh wow, yeah. So everybody else, she's like, everybody else is flying. And see, when he pulls me over, she's like, I am ticked off. Like, are you kidding me? You're pulling me over for speeding when all these people are going 80. And he's like, This is a warning, keep up with the flow of traffic, you're going too slow. And she's like, I was going 75. And he was like, and you need to keep up with the flow of traffic. I was like, That's what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_00That's great until you find a cop that pulls you over and goes, Hey, you were going 80. Yeah, but I was keeping up with trap. Yeah, the speed limit's not 80.
SPEAKER_02So another thing that bothers me, and um I it's typically the older generation that does this, and I'm I don't if you see it, you read it, but I'm saying I don't want to say it because I feel like you're gonna do this to me. I can't stand when people reply K. So I heard the other day I would rather you just like the the thing instead of say K.
SPEAKER_00So K bugs the crap with K, somebody they said now thumbs up is passive aggressive. How? Because you're just thumbing it up and you're not like affirming it, maybe. Yeah, so now there's a thing that if you thumbs up something, it's passive aggressive, and people are offended by it. Along with that, the person that was talking said that they feel the same way about K, that it's passive aggressive, and why can't somebody put okay?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, this is a stupid take. Like this this is dumb that I feel the way that I feel, but I hate it, and I am what I am.
SPEAKER_00We're the replying with K.
SPEAKER_02Don't reply K.
SPEAKER_00So what if I say K? Like, what if you say something? I just go, K.
SPEAKER_02I'm going to hear okay. I can't read okay. Yeah, that is uh I remember one time me and Mitchell uh were meeting with Daddy and he sends out a message, hey y'all good for tomorrow. We both like the message. We show up and he's not here. And we're like, hey man, where you at? You on the way? And he was like, I'm on my way, but I didn't know y'all were coming. So I didn't get there at nine o'clock. And we were like, we like the message. And he was like, That don't mean nothing to me. I was like, Come on, man, give it a times. So liking the message, that thumbs up is I'm good. I'm gonna be there. Otherwise, I would have said I can't make it tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00So you don't have a problem with the thumbs up.
SPEAKER_02No, not at all. You're good with a thumbs up, which again sounds hypocritical and stupid for if this if they're the same. Well, why does one bother me and the other?
SPEAKER_00I don't see them as the same. I think uh that the thumbs up is saying cool. I mean, all right, I'm in. Right. I don't mind if you put K, like I don't I just do you know uh the the word tough is coming back.
SPEAKER_02Is it yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's back. Like I heard it a uh a couple weeks ago. I was like, okay, that's a thing. And it at least at Calvary, it's a thing. It is. I'm I was I was at Joa's in Joe's classroom yesterday setting up her podcast stuff. Her her computer friendly came in, so I was getting it set up for them, and uh they're making logos for their podcast. Like that's what their assignment was at the moment. And uh these little group of boys are like, Man, that's tough, dude. That's tough. I'm like, is tough a thing now? She's like, apparently it's coming out.
SPEAKER_00I want to say I've heard the boys say things probably more Lex than Levi, that something was tough or that car's tough, or something like that. So apparently it's making a comeback.
SPEAKER_02Was that uh is that an 80s thing or a 90s thing? I don't even know. I mean so if you don't know, then that's probably an 80s thing. Uh yeah, because you you were a kid in the 80s, but you know, there was something in the 90s.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I was born in '82. There was something else that came. Oh, I don't know if it's really Stonewash. Uh, we were in old navy and it kind of looked marble-y shirt. Yeah. And I looked at Abby, I was like, is Stonewash coming back? Because that used to be a thing too.
SPEAKER_03But anyway.
SPEAKER_00So we're gonna have to turn this into a two-parter because there are some other things that uh actually there are a lot of other things that aggravate us. Maybe we need to spend some more time with Jesus.
SPEAKER_02Uh the good thing is starting this the way that we did makes me feel a little bit convicted about my list. Right.
SPEAKER_00Well, and some of them like it aggravates me, but I don't go say something to people in the handicap line. I will flash my, I have flash my lights at people. I don't typically jump down people's throats.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, most of these things bother me. It only bothers me. It don't affect anybody else. Like, I've not told anybody. I I have told my father-in-law quit responding K to me. And you know what he does? K. He says K. Nice. Let's be for real. I did not tell my father-in-law that I told my mother-in-law. Can you tell him?
SPEAKER_00Can you please ask him to stop to the so a little insight into uh things that aggravate us now? You and after even next week, you'll hear more things that you can do if you want to aggravate us. Um it's not hard. Uh on a camp note, we are getting ready to open registration for 2027 camps. Sure enough. Uh, first of October, we have dates set. We're starting to send stuff out over the next month of uh prices as of now are staying the same. We don't see prices really changing this year. Uh dates are kids July 5th through 8th, teenagers July 22nd through the 25th. Uh so if you are out there and you are looking for a camp, we are getting ready to open kids camp. We'll fill up quickly. I will say that. In years past, that fills up fairly fast. Youth camp, we have a lot of space to grow, but I wouldn't wait around because it helps us in planning, but it also helps you get locked in so you can plan with your people. Um, so that stuff will be coming out. Also, a fundraiser banquet will be taking place in February. I think it's fourth or fifth. We'll get some more information about that. If you want to come hear the story and vision emerge um and be a part of supporting the ministry and partnering with us, that'll be a great thing to do there as well.
SPEAKER_02We we actually partnered with a company uh this year for during during camps to come shoot some footage. We've we've pieced some stuff together.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if we would partner. I think we paid them.
SPEAKER_02We paid them, but they love Jesus and they they they say we're partnering to tell the story of merge. So it is partnering. We did pay for it. We paid for it, but but we partner with this company, and I've I think they did an excellent job of telling the story. Yeah, I mean, obviously, we this is us. You we are what we are, we're not polished, you know, and they kind of helped us get a little more polished, you know. And uh I think it's uh it's an exciting, exciting thing seeing seeing the footage kind of come together.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah. So you'll see that soon. We'll roll all that out. Um, but we do have give butter. That's our online giving. If you want to give and support the ministry, you can do that. You can find that information on our website, merge-ministry.com. I almost made it the whole time without coughing. I was literally about to say, but I'm so proud of you. I felt it coming, and I was like, um, but also email us merge ministries12 at gmail.com if you have thoughts, comments, would like to hear our opinion on stuff or help with stuff, or just tell us, hey, we'll take that too.
SPEAKER_02We also we've given you a little bit of what aggravates us. What aggravates you? Yeah, what if we tell us what aggravates you? We may have it on here next week. Uh but email us, let us know uh how dumb our aggravation is.
SPEAKER_00If you and I do there's some churches that will like, all right, everybody get out your cameras and send this picture and comment because it boosts. Yeah, it does do that. So I kind of like the more people will comment on videos and the more people will help us get the word out. That does help, but I'm not gonna like everybody comment hi, just so uh boost things. But help us out. You can help us.
SPEAKER_02When we ask you to comment on here or like we don't say this every week, we we do say send us an email, we want to hear from you, but at the same time, these are this is one of those things we want to know your feedback. Like, we want to know if you think you're with us or if you're like, hey, that's a dumb reason to be angry.
SPEAKER_00And then let us know what your things are that bother you, so then we can tell you if we're with you. We agree for you, you're dumb. You're the dumb one. Well, uh, I hope you enjoyed the show, and we will be back next week to continue on the topic. Um, so until then, enjoy your week. See ya bye.
SPEAKER_04Oh, that was real bad. That was good.