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
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We have so many issues it takes two weeks to cover them all. We continue with our expert level football picks then dive back into things that gets on our nerves. We also picked up some fan mail this week so we read that on air also. If you want your thoughts, comments, or questions read shoot us an email at mergeministries12@gmail.com
Welcome back to another week. M3 merge. No. M3 merge ministry mostly.
SPEAKER_01You had to look at the logo. How long have we been doing this?
SPEAKER_02Oh man, where did I miss that at?
SPEAKER_01Um have we gotten a rep up at all? I ain't even looked at it. No, you don't want to. We were doing so good.
SPEAKER_02We were doing so good. I don't know where those 100 people went. Um, but they are not there anymore. So for those of y'all now, I have been getting random, I have been getting people like companies that say, hey, we would love to be like I got something the other day from a guy who wants to who offered himself to be a person on the podcast. Oh, yeah. A guest.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And he's got a clothing brand, a Christian clothing brand. Yeah. So he used to be in ministry, yada yada. He went through the whole, they went through the whole spill. Then was like, we can give a discount to your people if they buy our stuff, and like we love to partner with y'all. And I was like, that's interesting.
SPEAKER_01Tell them to send us a box. We'll sh put it on there. If there's a good response, then we'll have them on. That's a good idea. Because outside of that, like I'm you know what I'm saying, I'm out. You know, but I mean I you gotta start somewhere with sponsorships. That's true. They could be our uh first sponsor, you know. We'd start doing them ad reads like you know the the actual uh professionals do.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, really. But then there's been other ones of hey, we've heard your stuff, we could package something together and help you promote it, which that is give us some money. Give me money. So that one I just kind of but the the one about the person wanting to could come on and give insight and talk about ministry.
SPEAKER_01And look, I don't have a lot of good ideas all the time. That was a good idea. You should send him that message. If you're listening, brother, we we send us some stuff. Yeah, we'll we'll show it, and then if people like it, we'll we'll have you on.
SPEAKER_02I was looking for the uh scene if I could find real quick that since we started talking about it, who it was. Um I don't know if I'll be able to pull it up.
SPEAKER_01Shameless plug, we go and put him put him out there?
SPEAKER_02I was going to I was while Daniel's looking to say I'm gonna go ahead and go ahead and do that.
SPEAKER_01My normal uh sorry for uh I'm real stopped up. Daniel was stopped up last week. You could tell by his voice, but you he didn't sniff a whole lot. I'm gonna take big deep breaths like that, and I'm gonna be sniffing. And so you just gotta suffer through this week, and I apologize.
SPEAKER_02So I I was a yes, he will, he's already been on a roll this morning. So it the the name of the place was Reach Missionware. R-E-A-C-H. Mission Dash Wear W-A-R-E. So if anybody wants to check them out, I don't mind mentioning it. You can check them out and see what you think. If you think it's uh something that you would wear or something that would be beneficial, let us know and then who knows. Uh but anyway, so we pushed posted their picks. Yeah, we're both eight and two. Eight and two, baby. Not too bad.
SPEAKER_01Uh probably not gonna go the same this week.
SPEAKER_02Uh I don't know. I don't think there's gonna be too too many different, but we'll see. Yeah. So we're gonna jump in. Um first up, we're gonna go through these fairly quick. We got an email this morning, actually. Oh, sweet. That we're gonna throw in. Uh so our picks for this upcoming Saturday, Central versus Auburn.
SPEAKER_01That's Saturday.
SPEAKER_02So they start Friday with these games. Central versus Auburn. Who you got?
SPEAKER_01Oh, always Central, bro.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I gotta go with Central on that. Which I do think, like Auburn, I watched a little bit of their game, which that was the first game. They didn't look real good defensively. Yeah. I think Central's putting it together. But Central hasn't played, they played Jag. Was it Jazz? City and Jag, yeah. Impale City. So we'll see.
SPEAKER_01This well, by the time this this week that we're recording, we play Opalica. Right. And so by the time you're hearing this, we'll know a little bit more. However, we don't have vision for foresight of to knowing how they did against Opalica. So here we are again in a place of going, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02Smith versus Carver Montgomery. Oh, Carver. Yeah, I gotta take Carver too.
SPEAKER_01Here's what I want to know. Why are you gonna be on the field? How is this thing? What are you out there for? So before we get Smith and Carver Montgomery, what are you there for?
SPEAKER_02So I had a student.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_02They're a senior, okay, and they have senior night that night. And they're allowed to bring like four people, four or five people on the field with them. Uh-huh. So I had a student ask if I would go onto the field with them for their senior night. That's awesome. So I will be out on the field during the Smith Station game. Um, so if you're there at the Smith Station game, shout out M3 uh and I'll wave at you or something. Uh but I'll be on the field. I guess that's gonna be before the game. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's a cool that's a cool thing for somebody to ask you to be there for their senior night. Yeah, that's pretty cool. It was.
SPEAKER_02Never had somebody ask me that before because usually it's just parents.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, normally, yeah.
SPEAKER_02But I guess so I did hear last week we were talking all of so three Smith Station quarterbacks, QB one, two, and three, were out last week. The word was they all quit. Yeah. QB one did quit, from my understanding. QB two was I think in like the brick or something, whoever that may be. And then QB three might have quit too, or he might have been in trouble. Yeah. So I was watching their game the other day. It looks like they literally have maybe 40 people on the sideline. Like the whole team is like looks like it's about 40 people. I'm like, Smith is that's yeah. But anyway, that's hard. I'll be there and I'll be on the field.
SPEAKER_01If there's 40 people and you're going both ways at 6'8 football, that's that's tough. That's tough. Yep. That's tough.
SPEAKER_02So Glenwood at Montgomery Catholic. This is their first kind of big game against a bigger school being in the new classification. Um, who you got?
SPEAKER_01Man, I got Glenwood. I think they're gonna shock the shock the nation.
SPEAKER_02Uh I think this football, baby.
SPEAKER_01Shock the nation.
SPEAKER_02I'm taking Montgomery Catholic.
SPEAKER_01I know it's high school football, but so movie quote. I'm sorry. Hope you don't know the movie, but you know.
SPEAKER_02Montgomery Catholic. Last year, I think, were 5A competed well. Yeah. So far, I think they've done pretty good too. Yeah. And it's on the road. Glenwood's gonna have to go there. So I'm taking Montgomery Catholic.
SPEAKER_01This is zero uh research, to be honest with you. We're too we're too, you know, early in the season for any of this research to matter. Unless we're a week ahead. That's true. So I'm going Glenwood and I'm going for an upset of of all upsets. Because they shouldn't win this game, let's be honest. All right. They shouldn't win this game. But I you know, from from what I did see, you know, the rain out game that they played a quarter, and then the second week, I don't I think they're better than what people think they are. Yeah. I think they're gonna be able to compete more than you think so? I think so. Okay, we'll see. I mean, again, don't know. I'm not always right. I'm eight and two so far. That's true.
SPEAKER_02On with the college games. We have Alabama versus Florida State.
SPEAKER_01The only game I have to go off of is the SMU Florida State game. Yeah. I got Bama, brother.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I got Bama too. Florida State cannot, which they could throw the ball a little bit at the end of the game after their fans booed them over and over and over. But SMU had four turnovers. Right. And they still won the game. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01They s SMU dominated and gave them multiple opportunities to stay in the game. Which they halfway did. Right? Yeah. But it's it was one-sided for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So LSU at Ole Miss, looking yesterday, they have Ole Miss as a one and a half point favorite versus LSU.
SPEAKER_01I don't see it. Yeah, I don't either. I mean, maybe Clemson's just that bad. That's the only game we really have to go off of. Them boys look good, son.
SPEAKER_02Man, I think LSU is loaded. Now, like you said, Clemson could be real bad. And I think that's part of it. I don't think Clemson's great.
SPEAKER_01And you also got the Lane Kiffin Ole Miss LSU drama that is going to be a factor in this. I mean, when Nick Saban says this is gonna be a thing, you trust it. You know what I'm saying? It's gonna be a uh a factor in the game. However, I got LSU, man. I I just Yeah, them boys look good. Them boys look good. Yep.
SPEAKER_02So uh then the the big game of the week. Who cares about LSU and old miss? Auburn versus Florida. Right now, Florida is a one and a half point favorite.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I got Florida.
SPEAKER_02I gotta go with Auburn.
SPEAKER_01I want to.
SPEAKER_02I didn't watch the Florida game, so I don't know, but I did watch the Auburn game, and I'm not a football guy. You're more of a football guy than I am. Watching the TikToks and the things that people have said, well, Auburn was this. So the the game that we've seen is Auburn Baylor. Auburn has not played Southern Miss yet. The people are saying Auburn's defense was good, and Auburn, and I'm sitting here watching Auburn's defense, and I'm going, dude, y'all are getting gashed. Like, y'all can't cover somebody. Like, and then they're like, Well, first game, you don't show everything, and this and that. That's bull crap. And when I'm looking at, I'm going, Auburn's got a lot of people.
SPEAKER_01Those people don't know football. The ones that are saying you don't show everything. You want to win the football game. You're at a neutral site playing a not a cupcake. I mean, Baylor's not a cupcake, they're not, they're not a top 10 team, you know. Obviously lag weight with a hurt foot. Isn't amazing. Right. And you held them to 17 points. So, you know, I'll give you that. However, or 16 points, whatever it was. 16 points. But with that being said, you can't score but 17. Right. Uh we can't move the football. It's like you get to the 50 yard line and we collapse and can't do nothing anymore. Nah, bro. I don't I don't see it happening. Florida actually did look pretty daggum good. Did they? They did. Well, I'm I I I think our defense is is better than our offense, but there is way too many times. We talk about all them offensive linemen we done got in and how much better offensive line is. It's still terrible. There was way too many times that the running backs and the quarterback is having to, I mean, they're in the handoff exchange, they're having to avoid a defensive lineman, which they're they're athletes and they're you know getting around it for the most part, but also our dagom quarterback's throwing off his back foot because he's got people in his face all the time. Yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't, I take back what I said, what I thought we were doing, where I thought we were headed, what I thought he was doing. Nope.
SPEAKER_02I believe in them. Hanging in there with them until they let me down, which I feel it's coming.
SPEAKER_01I'll let you know. I'll let you know next week uh or in two weeks after the actual Florida game. I'll let you know if if I still believe the same game.
SPEAKER_02So that's how we'll update those every Monday, uh, see where we stand in it. If you want to play long, you know the picks, send them to us before the games. Uh if you listen to it on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, email us and say, hey, these are my picks. We'll update those on the graphics as well from week to week. Uh so if you want to play along, that's gonna be up to you to send them to us and we'll tally them and keep it going. So we have another email or an email. We haven't had one of these in a while. Uh last week we started the topic of it bothers me. Things that bother me. And we got a fan who has told us time and time again, I'm going right in, and he says, I have to chime in when I feel it's necessary on stuff that bothers me. So, Grant Bowley. We've talked about him. Uh, is getting married soon. Shout out Grant and Liz. Um, and this is his email. I'll read through it and then we'll talk about it and then get on with the show. So things that bother him. Driving slow in the left lane is the worst, all caps. Like, get out of my way. If you've ever been with Grant, Grant drives about 120.
SPEAKER_01He drives very fast.
SPEAKER_02So even somebody going 80 is probably slow for him to him. Uh people that wait to last minute to do anything like planning or getting small group material out material out. See, he wants to say that. This is me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But this is uh a dig at us. Yes, it is. But but it's also not reality. It's not. It's not. Sometimes sometimes it's not. But I'll there have been times where we've been kind of last.
SPEAKER_02See, what I appreciate is small group stuff, like camp stuff and things like that, you want them to get ahead of time and all that. Like a Wednesday night small group to me, I should be able to hand you a list of questions after I speak on something or we have spoken on something for multiple weeks and you have been in there, I feel like you should be able to take that and roll with it. Like I don't think you should have to study a whole lot for a small group on Wednesday night that follows a message or devotion.
SPEAKER_01Even if you're not a pastor, a preacher, right? The the point of this is for us to have a conversation from the message. Right. I agree.
SPEAKER_02And it has been put out at times and he didn't show up the week before, so then he didn't get it. But anyway, uh when someone is too uptight and doesn't like humor and is just so serious, not cool.
SPEAKER_00I agree. I can't. I'm on board.
SPEAKER_02All caps, people who stop and talk in the middle of a walkway.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I think we if we didn't mention that last time, I think we did mention that last time.
SPEAKER_01I mean, we were we were around the subject for sure.
SPEAKER_02Talking and causing a ruckus during a movie. Oh when's the last what's the last movie you went to?
SPEAKER_01Uh the Mario, new Mario movie. That was the last movie I've ever had.
SPEAKER_02I think we went and saw I went to one recently. Can't remember what it was. I think it was like Spider-Man.
SPEAKER_01Oh, was it good?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was alright.
SPEAKER_01That's I'm getting a lot of feedback from that.
SPEAKER_02I'm not a big movie, like movies cost too much to go to. They do. Movies we already got movies are too long, it costs too much. So I'm not a big moviegoer. Anyway, another all caps, leaving your shopping cart in a parking spot at a grocery store and take the time to put it back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that was on my list to get to today. Yeah. Hate it.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah. I agree. Like, park next to a buggy thing. Right. Like, not right next to it, because then people may hit your car, but if you park close to one, then you're close to your car and you just I'd rather walk further and be by one of those buggy things.
SPEAKER_00Right. Absolutely, yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, the the hard the hard one is is if you're close to the front of the store, like at Walmart. Yeah. You're close to the front, the buggy thing's further in the literally halfway down the thing. Right. You're like, do I leave it here or do I take it all the way back up to the front of the store? Like, what do you do?
SPEAKER_01But you don't leave it there.
SPEAKER_02You don't leave it there. That is true.
SPEAKER_01All right, let me ask you this. All right. You're obviously not the first one to do this. Okay? You're in the first spot. They got the little triangle marked off to where you don't turn too sharp. And there's four buggies stacked up right there by the pole, the light pole. Do you stack it in there with the rest of them, or do you take all of them down to where they're supposed to go?
SPEAKER_02I do not take all of them. I don't take all of them. Do you?
SPEAKER_01Heck no. If there's already four right there, brother, I'm putting it in there with the rest of them. Because it's not in a parking spot. Yeah. Now that's the thing. Like if it's in a parking spot, I'm gonna get all of them and it because it ticks me off. Right. I can't stand seeing an open parking spot and you go to pull in and there's a daggone buggy there. Or I drive a motorcycle. If there's a motorcycle there and you go to pull in, you're like, because you can't see the motorcycle. That is that is frustrating. I drive a motorcycle, I totally understand it. I'm not one of those guys that's gonna park my motorcycle in the little yellow lines that I was talking about. I'm not doing that. Like, I'm I can't stand that either. So the problem is you're either gonna tick people off because you parked there, or you're gonna tick people off because you're parked in a parking spot and they can't see your motorcycle. Either way, you're gonna make people mad when you drive a motorcycle. That's right.
SPEAKER_02Uh people's truck breaking down and causing inconvenience to the whole group. Like, what a disappointment.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I agree. I agree. The blue truck wouldn't be.
SPEAKER_02You terrible, terrible guy.
SPEAKER_01Stupid grant.
SPEAKER_02People who answer the phone in public and are obnoxiously loud, disturbing the peace. That's uh that's kind of a what gets and I mentioned this to Abby, and she's like, people who have AirPods in and they're walking through the store talking and they're not holding their phone. So you're looking around like, are you talking to me? Like, who you talking to?
SPEAKER_01So I added a segment. I don't know if you saw that down there at the bottom. Things that you do that bother other people that you just don't care. Yeah, that's one of them. That's me. I don't care. Like, if I got my AirPods in, I'm typically listening to something. Right. So I'm listening to something, you call me, I'm pushing my little buggy, talking on the phone, and people look at me like I'm crazy. It is what it is. Like I it bothers other people and I don't care. Now, the other thing that I notice, like when I'm with my dad, he can't stand it. I'll be sitting there talking because I'm on the phone and I got my AirPod in. I'm not holding my phone up to my ear. And he looks at me like, What? And he goes, 'Are you talking to me?' And I do this and I know it bothers him. So I continue to do it. I just point at my ear, like I got my AirPod in. It drives him insane. And not just him, it drives my wife insane. It drives a lot of people crazy. You just point your ear like, I'm on the phone, you know? And it's like, oh, get off the stupid airpods. I love it. I do it all the time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, see, I don't know. Like talking on the phone.
SPEAKER_01I choose to do it.
SPEAKER_02Like if somebody's loud and like being obnoxious is one thing. Like talking on speaker phone, I think, is also different. Right. Uh, but just like talking whether it's through an airpod or a phone, like people are gonna talk on the phone.
SPEAKER_01But when you you are obnoxious on the phone, you're also obnoxious in life.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like it's it's not a of just a phone thing. Right. You know what else bothers my wife? That I'm doing it for my own cognition. Like I can't function in a room being on the phone with other people talking. Like I can't think straight or I'm not listening to the people on the phone. Once somebody's I'm not listening to. Right. So I walk out. Like I get a phone call, I walk out of the room. My wife is not a fan of that. She don't like it. She's like, why you gotta walk out? I'm like, because I can't pay attention. Right. Like I can't focus on what I'm doing. Yeah. And then she always, every time I come back in, who is that? Daniel. Probably. Probably.
SPEAKER_02Another one he has is people who sing off key. Like if you can't match, don't sing.
SPEAKER_01Nah, I disagree, brother. But I can't match key. So I don't completely disagree.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Like if you can't sing on key and like you're singing and like not causing a complete ruckus. Right. But like if you are bad and loud, that's a problem.
SPEAKER_01Okay, what's the setting? Because I think that matters. Like we're in worship. We're in worship. And you singing as loud as you can and you can't sing. Yeah. I agree. Right. Let's less we're causing a distraction. Right. You're hindering worship from other people. Right. Brother, if I'm in the car, I'm singing. And it don't sound good and it's off key. And my my kids are like, Dad, stop. And it's like embarrassing. I I don't care. You know, like if we're karaoke in, you know what I'm saying? And in the right setting, I don't care. If it's worship or something like that, I agree.
SPEAKER_02I agree. He said, maybe, then he says, maybe I'm an old man. Maybe I'm an old man too. Because I didn't think my list would be that long. You are an old man, Grant. You are getting on up there. About to be married. Soon little Grants will be running around everywhere.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, unk status.
SPEAKER_02So then this is the last two. I don't understand. Also, Daniel is a huge Debbie Downer. I disagree. There is nothing wrong with a long, with long movies endling ending happily ever after, and there is nothing wrong with them dragging dragging it on for cinematic purposes. I disagree. There's 100% wrong with them dragging on a movie. Like there was something I went to watch the other day, and it was close to three hours. Like, you don't that's unnecessary. That's very unnecessary. Like, there's no cinematic purpose for a three-hour movie. It does not keep anybody's attention for the full three hours. Now the happy endings, like we've been down that road, like shock the world every now and then. Um and then the last one golf is for sure a sport. Enough said.
SPEAKER_01Moving on.
SPEAKER_02I mean, if so I guess being a golf he's a golfer, obviously. I guess maybe you want to say it's a sport, so you can say you play a sport.
SPEAKER_01But you know my son and my nephew have gotten into playing. Like Abe's playing for his school. Uh is golf easy. It is not.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Neither is crochet.
SPEAKER_01That's also true. So you know, I I I still hold to like when you get into if you're in, you know, like junior golf where it's competitive, you're going to these tournaments and stuff, I have no problem calling that a sport. When you play in college, like where you're competitive, you are competing. I have no problem calling it a sport. But when you play leisurely, that ain't no sport, brother.
SPEAKER_02I don't think it's a sport, no matter the circumstance. But I think you need a defense. Um so that's Grant. Thanks, Grant, for sending us the email. Uh it's gonna go along. We're gonna do what bothers us part two today. So those are things that bother Grant. If you want to chime in, merge ministries12 at gmail.com. We will read it. Tell us what bothers you. Yeah. Tell us where we're wrong and what bothers us. Um our football picks, we are obviously experts at picking football games. Uh, so if you want to play along, like I said, you hear the picks, send us an email with your picks before the game start. Don't wait till Sunday night to send us your picks after the games have already played, and we'll add you in there. So things that bother us, and we have a very long list here. We're not gonna do a part three, but we're gonna uh add some of these. We'll pick through some of these. So another thing that bothers me, so I have become not a fan of an open open floor plan. Open floor plan. So like in our living room, and you have the living room and the kitchens right next to each other, and you have the little seating area with the sink in it. Like when we sit down to watch a movie or to watch TV at night, it is like when people come in to get food, which is a kitchen, they're gonna come in and get food and drinks and stuff like that, and it's gonna do that. Or what my kids like to do, they get home, they go sit in their room, they go do homework, whatever, they go out, not really go out, I mean they'll go places and different stuff. But when it hits like nine o'clock, like I'm typically like sitting on the couch watching TV. It's time to wind down. It's time to wind down. Guess when they want to come talk to me.
SPEAKER_01Nine o'clock, nine o'clock.
SPEAKER_02They will not talk, they'll go sit in their room up until that point, and then they come and they want to talk while I'm watching TV.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02They go and get drinks while I'm watching TV, or they'll do something in there, and I'm like, I just want to, I just want it to be quiet. Yeah. And I just want to like watch TV. Um, but having the kitchen right next to the living room is hardly ever quiet.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So the way my layout is, it's an open floor plan, but the the kitchen is behind. Yeah. Like so you're sitting on the couch facing the TV, the the kitchen is like behind you, right? So it's it's less of a distraction and and all of that. But it's still a thing, it's still a thing. Like it's still loud, it's still you know, is what it is. And my kids are little, right? So you know, my my kids ain't, you know, having real conversations about what's going on in their life and asking you where you haven't to have real dialogue. Right. So it it's it's I think it's even worse for me because it's easy to tune it out and watch the TV, but then I'm not paying for it. You know what I mean? It's like what they're saying to me is like, Dad, Dad, watch this, watch this still. You know what I mean? Like, Graham's all about it. And so I'm like, Yeah, buddy. And then that's awesome. And like, no, they asked you a question. I'm like, oh crap. My bad.
SPEAKER_02So do your kids have a set bedtime?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02What time?
SPEAKER_01Well, I yes, eight eight, eight to eight thirty is somewhere in there. See, but but right now they're playing football, so Macon don't start football practice at 7:30. It ends at like 8 45. We're not getting home till 9.15. Last night, it's Graham started at 6, Macon started at 6.30. Graham struggled at practice, so we were up till 9.30 after practice in the yard. So you know, we uh Graham.
SPEAKER_02Graham is how old? He's six. He's six, and he struggled at practice. Yeah, so he went home. See, here's the thing. Anyway, no, no, no, no, no. No, I'm explaining this. Yeah. No, no. Or running around. Okay, after he even worked, he ran around all day, did whatever. He had a rough day at practice at six. Yeah, and you took him home. It probably was punishment. He probably like had to go bear crawl hills to move centerboard to tackle his brother.
SPEAKER_01Because he was being soft. At nine o'clock, he was being soft. When it's bedtime's eight, there is a last name that says Wilson on the back of his jersey. I'm out, brother. I ain't okay with it. Not okay with it. So the city watching how the coaches are treating my son, I'm like, nope, this will be the last time this happens. I don't care if we have to stay up till 11 o'clock. And guess what? If he does it again, I'm gonna do it again.
SPEAKER_02Guess what? He wakes up today. Ill. He's gonna have a bad day. Happy as can be because he stayed up till 9 30. Happy as can be. Because his dad punished him out of it.
SPEAKER_01But anyway, never changed my opinion on it ever.
SPEAKER_02That's okay. Um I'd do it again tonight. And I think part of maybe my now is we were big on bedtime. When bedtime hit for our kids. Like, y'all were in the bed.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So like there was always, as they were, obviously that's what way younger. Um, I knew 8 30, 9 o'clock, the house was gonna be quiet. Yeah, they were gonna be in the bed. So maybe that's the problem.
SPEAKER_01We we do like when we're when there's not practice, we are pretty strict on it. Because also we're running around so much, and there's so much activity right now that me and Joe don't have time unless we get them jokers into baby. Right. Uh so we and you without being purposeful for that, yeah. Next thing you know, you're like, man, it's been two weeks, I feel like we ain't had a real conversation.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh one of the things that bothers me, and this is a personal thing, this ain't other people, is uh going into a room to get something, and when you get there, you forget what you're there for. It bugs the crap out of me. And I know it's a me thing. It's my and nobody else's fault but mine. Like it it drives me insane.
SPEAKER_02Well, don't forget. I had too many concussions. I mean, like that's the easy thing. Don't forget what you went into the room for, and that won't happen anymore.
SPEAKER_01Right, that's what I'm saying. That's a that's a me thing. I can't, you know, it is what it is.
SPEAKER_02How often does this happen? Too much. Too much, too much. And who you talking about? This is the old one.
SPEAKER_01I had concussions.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay. CTE. Is that what you're talking about? My CTE acting up. That's what you want to say. Uh so the next thing is we've talked about it. Grant mentioned it, people who stop in the middle of the aisle or a walkway.
SPEAKER_01So when you're in a grocery store and people stop, like you you gotta get something off the shelf, but you stop your buggy in the literally in the middle of the aisle where nobody can get around you, yeah, it drives me insane. Yeah. I can get passive aggressive and I have to be very purposeful to not to. Like, I I you know, get my get my cart right there next to you, like, what what are we doing? Yeah, what are what are we doing here? Right, you know, I I feel like I'm a kind human, but those that that makes me be purposeful to be a kind human because what I want to do is sh slam your buggy or or pick it up and move it out of the way. Like, what are you what are we doing here?
SPEAKER_02Well, and like at the mall, people do it all the time. They just stop in the middle of the mall and like walk away and talk. Airports probably the worst. Like, I get even if you're looking and you're trying to figure out, okay, where'd I go? Like it could be confusing. Or step to the side. Hey, I'm waiting on so and so because they're a little slower. Get out of the middle of the way, step to the side. Like, you don't stop in the middle just because it's your world and everybody else then gets to walk around you. Yeah, like just be considerate of other people, right? That's that's all. Yeah, that's all.
SPEAKER_01Another thing that blows my mind, and you're gonna think this is crazy probably because I'm a snotty human and always he said blows my mind. I always have all of these uh, you know, allergy issues. Can you outside of in our in our dorm room right at camp, can you count how many times you've you've seen me or heard me blow my nose literally in your presence? I can't stand when people will blow their nose at the table or blow their nose right. Like we're in the middle of a conversation and you just blow your nose. I can't stand it. Go to the daggum bathroom. Now, I understand part of what I said was how many times have you heard me? That don't count. I blow my nose really loud, but I go to the bathroom. You may still hear it, but I go to the bathroom. I'm considerate of others, and it drives me insane. It's so gross.
SPEAKER_02He has a morning, morning routine where he I don't know what he does. It's about a 10 minutes of sniffing, snorting, blowing, coughing, hacking. Like, I got an admin. It's like 10 minutes every morning, five o'clock in the morning, and all you hear is in the other room this horrid, horrid noise over and over again. And I was like, dude, it really like is it is it worth all that?
SPEAKER_01There is no option, brother. I if if I could do something different, how many times have I asked you if you want to change noses? I'd love to.
SPEAKER_02Bless your wife. If she has to listen to you do that every single morning, yes, she is a wonderful lady. Bless your wife. Bless my wife.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you get tired of it just from four days at camp. She has to deal with it every single day. Which I typically wake up before her, not every day, yeah, but most of the time I do. And I try to not do that in her presence because it does make her upset.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I could see that. Um, this happened. My next one happened this summer at we went to Whitewater. Usually at Whitewater, there's not a long line. Usually you go and you can kind of do things. Well, for some reason on this day, there was one ride and the line was stupid long. Like 45 minutes to ride a 30-second water slide is just dumb. It's one that you could get in for up to four people in the tube. The one we always jump out of, that kind of thing. Yeah. So we're in line.
SPEAKER_01You don't do that with your youth group.
SPEAKER_02Not at all. Um so we're there, and like everybody knows the line's long. And we're standing in line. We've been in line probably a good 20 minutes, if not longer than that. Yeah. There's two people in front of us, and then four people do the whole, oh, my party's up there. I need to go get with them. Oh no. These wasn't like little kids trying to catch up with their parents. Right. One of them was a an adult and brought like four people with them and just came in front of 20 minutes worth of waiting on people and just cut everybody and went and stood right in front of everybody, just like, what are y'all gonna do? Yeah. Like, we just cut everybody who's been standing in line. Yeah. They went and rode something else, sent two people, I guess, to stand in line, and then decided, oh, now I'm gonna run up here and cut in front of everybody.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that ticks me off, too.
SPEAKER_02And I'm sitting here going, like, you're an adult, yeah, and you have these probably 16, 17, 18-year-old people with you. Like, y'all can wait like everybody else.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like, why do you get to cut in front of? And I'm sitting there and I'm trying to trying to bite my tongue. Levi's looking at me, shaking his head, like, daddy. Don't do it. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. So, me, when I get mad like that, most of the time I'm not gonna say something directly to the person. Uh-huh. I'm gonna make comments to where I know they can hear me. Yeah, so I probably said a couple of things of like, what the heck? Like, there's a whole line of people, like what are we doing? Right. So, so I made a couple of those and Levi's just looking at me, shaking my head, shaking his head, going, Dad is not worth it. And I'm like, how do people do that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You mentioned the same thing with the being in the middle of the aisle. Be considerate.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01You know, like the whole do unto others as you have them do unto you. Obviously, a lot of people don't live their life that way, and they should. Because it it that is one of those things, if you would just be a little bit considerate, think about how everybody else is. Right. You know, we I remember being in line at Dollywood and Macon was like, he's like, I'm gonna be on myself, I'm gonna be on myself. And so we're like, we we leave, we walk down those stairs. We're literally on the platform, I mean on the the top of the stairs at the platform to to get on the line to get on the ride. And um he's he's like, I gotta go, I gotta go. So we go to the bathroom, and when we get done, Johnny and Juju and Abe are still in the same spot. And he's like, Can we go back up there? I'm like, no shot, brother. There's no chance we're walking through all these people. I said, because if it was me and and I watch somebody walk out of line to go to the bathroom, I I'm gonna be ticked off if they walk past me to go back up to where they were. Like, no, brother, that you you lost this chance. All right. You know, I asked y'all on the front end if y'all needed to go to the bathroom. You said no. This is this is your punishment, if you will. Like, you don't get to ride the ride, because I ain't doing it. Right. And I'm not sending you up there and I'm just staying here. Like, this is what happens. Sucks to suck. Like, yeah, yeah. Shouldn't have got out of line. It it but it bothers me. It shouldn't, I guess. Do you ever you know how like in movies, like they'll a situation like this will happen, and then there's what what they want to take place, they show. Like you walk up the steps, you grab someone, you snatch them down, and then they snap back to reality where they gotta realize, like, okay, I can't, I can't do that. Did you does your brain work like that? Do you play those scenarios in your head? I do too, brother. I'm sitting there going, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. This is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna go up there, I'm gonna choke slam. Obviously, I'm gonna not do that. But I do have issues inside my head that I I think those things and I shouldn't do it, and I don't do it. Yeah, well, in that situation I'm not as violent as my brain is.
SPEAKER_02What even made it worse, there was a a guy and his two kids in front of us. Like these kids are probably seven and eight years old. Yeah. And these grown folks come up and cut in front of us. For example, in front of a bunch of kids. And he's looking at me and I'm looking at him, and he's shaking his head, and I'm shaking my head. But you want to go handle business, brother? Right. As soon as you say something, then it becomes ordeal, and you're being mean, and yada yada, and I'm just like, What how do how do people do there's no way like even like when we go, I don't remember, like we'd be in a place for uh like a restaurant, yeah, and there's even like two or three people between me and somebody else. Like instead of me going, hey, come up here with me, yeah, I would go backwards and go, hey, I'll just come back. Y'all go ahead. Right. We're with them. I can't tell you how y'all can go in front of us.
SPEAKER_01Or or even when we were at the same church and where the group is together, you know, I'm in line and then your family comes in. Well, it's it's like, yeah, we're not, and it's our people.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01It ain't like these random people. It's like, okay, I'm gonna go back here with your family, so we're all gonna pay together, you know what I mean? Instead of instead of cutting our literal people who would understand that they know how this works, still. It's like, no, I'm gonna back up. Uh keep in line with the with the line thing. Uh, another thing that drives me nuts is when you're in line, it's especially at an amusement park or something like that, when people stand too close to you. And it's like, I don't know you. Like, me and my brother-in-law are here with three kids. I I don't mind standing shoulder to shoulder with my brother-in-law, I don't mind being close, you know, because we're in tight space and everybody wants to move forward. But brother, I don't know you. Right. Why are you all up in my business? I don't have a problem talking to people in line. That's fine with me. Like, you want to be chatty, I'm cool with that. Right. I'm not as outgoing as I appear to be. Uh, with like in my job, I gotta be. Right. You know, I gotta go communicate with people and talk, whatever. Am I I'm in this line. I don't want to talk to nobody. I will, but I don't want to. So when we start having a conversation, that is not my invitation to get all up in my business. To get close to you. You know what I mean? Like, I don't need that. We can talk while you over there. Right. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there have been students in the past that get real close and real uncomfortable, and you're like, just back up a little bit.
SPEAKER_01There's several like church people that come to my mind. Not just at my church, but at other churches I've been to that it's like I I don't I don't need to be six inches from you to have a conversation with you. Like, just a little bit. Like I can I can smell what you had for breakfast, and I don't like it.
SPEAKER_02Uh the last and I don't know, one of the things I record on it's not recording anymore, so I'm not real sure the time that we're at. So uh one of the things that I think it comes with the profession, maybe it don't, maybe I'm just weird. Um sitting in a church service and seeing slides wrong, oh yeah, words don't fit on the screen, slides that are late, um things happening in the church or around me that I can see. Like you can't very few times can I go, even if we go to a conference, yeah, can I sit and not look and go, oh, that light's not working, or oh, they were late on that slide, oh they didn't do this.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it bothers me because I'm like, it should be done right, and they probably intended for it to be done right. Right, right. So it's not like, hey, y'all are terrible, but I notice those things.
SPEAKER_01Well, from the merge side of things, that's part of my job. Right. Right. That's my what I do is the pro presenter stuff. And so there's there's times where, like, especially in the beginning, I I do it all, and then it's all right, this is the template, this is how we want things to look. Now you make it look that way. Right. Sometimes the words aren't correct from the way they sing it versus the way it was imported in. And so when they mess with my slides, and so I don't I I didn't go back and check it, it's my fault. But we're in worship and I'm watching it and it's not the way that I set it up, it yeah, I'm with you. It drives me insane. Like it the words uh on the screen should flow as you're singing it. Right. So we shouldn't have like if it stops and and or you take a breath breath here, we shouldn't have two more words on that line. You know, that should be on the line down. And even if that means we got 40 slides, right? That's how it needs to be. And if I'm in charge of this thing, that's how it's gonna be. And it drives me nuts when it's not. It it doesn't bother me as bad if I'm if I'm not the one, if it's not my event, right? You know, like you're saying, like, oh, it drives you know, it doesn't drive me as crazy. I can't not notice it though. Right. Like yeah, I can't not notice it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and another thing, Rand, I was just sitting here looking and thinking this stuff. When people have signs up that are past the date. Oh, yeah. Like it happened like a week ago, and you're like, what? Why why haven't you changed the sign?
SPEAKER_01So I had a guy at the church message me, he's like, hey, there's a sign, there's a a sign on the church sign. We got you know, digital sign uh from last month. We had an event on the this the 30th or 31st, whatever, last day of the month on that Sunday, and this is like the fourth.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I'm like, brother, you know, why did you I said I literally responded, why you have to hit me with a last month? This happened four days ago. Last month. Like, don't don't do that, brother. Like, say there's an old one up there, but don't say last month like it's a month old. Like, come on, man.
SPEAKER_02Gotcha last month. Uh so yeah, sitting in service, seeing things that I'm thinking, hey, that should be done differently. That does. But what's your last one? Pick one, the last one, then we'll wrap it up.
SPEAKER_01Uh oh, oh, oh. My kids are still at this age. Where you probably pass this, but when you know your kids are capable of doing something, you've worked on it, you've they can they can do this, and then you go to show somebody and they suddenly don't like they clam up and they can't do it, right? They can't perform, it that drives me insane. Like insane. I'm like, and I can't like yell at them like you know how to do this, do it right. Like you can.
SPEAKER_02It drives I mean you drag them outside at nine o'clock at night and that's different. Make them tackle uh goat or something. Their brother. Their brother. Go catch that chicken out there and tackle it. Yeah, that's a that's also a thing. I need to I need to get on that.
SPEAKER_01But yes, I agree. I agree. Uh I know you said we're wrapping up, but I'm gonna share a couple things that I know I do that drive other people insane, that it is what it is. Yep. If I'm wearing a collared shirt, the top button is buttoned. I've done that since I was in high school. It just is what it is. I can't not do it. But it drives people insane. Like every every week somebody says something about my sh my collared shirt in my Sunday school class. I wear a collared shirt every single Sunday, every single Sunday the top button is buttoned.
SPEAKER_02You're not the only person that I know that does that, but I do think that is different.
SPEAKER_01I recognize that it's different, and I'm okay with that, but I don't know why it drives other people as crazy as it does. Like I it is what it is. Like I am what I am. Uh I said I do like talking on the phone with my AirPods, even though it drives other people crazy. Uh it this shouldn't drive people crazy, but it does. Uh all the time I respond to what people say in movie quotes or song lyrics. Yeah. And they what drives me crazy is when they don't get it.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01That like I'm like I don't get half of the stuff. No, you never do. Like I literally said one today that you didn't have a clue. But my point is, it it drives me. Drives me insane.
SPEAKER_02It drives you insane when they don't know what you're talking about. Right. What do you think about the rest of the world who hears you give movie quotes and we're like, just say like watch this.
SPEAKER_01You ready? You ready? Listen to these words.
SPEAKER_02Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth? That was a movie quote. That was a movement.
SPEAKER_01I do not care.
SPEAKER_02Well, and we don't care that you can care that you get mad that we don't understand your care that you don't get it.
SPEAKER_01I don't care that you don't get it. You know what I'm saying? I don't get it. The other thing that drives me insane, and it's 1,000% me, that I sniff and cough all the daggum time. I can I hate it.
SPEAKER_02Well, at least it's that you do that. I hate other people doing that.
SPEAKER_01And I recognize it. I breathe loud and I get self-conscious about it.
SPEAKER_02I'm saying, yes, we've heard it on the podcast.
SPEAKER_01We're literally running uh in that 5k the other day with my sister, and she's like, Are you okay? I'm like, that's just how I breathe, baby. We good. Like, I just can't help it. I wish I wasn't the way that I am, but I am. You are. It drives me insane as much as it drives y'all insane, and I'm as sorry, I'm very sorry. Uh well, we appreciate that. I I do what I do in the morning that drives you nuts, so that it's better. It could be worse, is what I'm telling you.
SPEAKER_02It could be worse. We all have our gifts and we all have our flaws.
SPEAKER_01I got a lot of them.
SPEAKER_02We don't we all so that's what bothers us. Let us know what bothers you. Uh send us an email. We are moving on to a different topic. Not sure what the topic will be next week. If you have an idea, things you'd like for us to talk about, if there's ministry stuff, questions you have, family stuff, or just random stuff. We're always up for a good random conversation. Uh, we haven't got an argument or disagreed really in a while. In a while, or uh really we haven't disagreed like we sometimes do disagree.
SPEAKER_01Um I don't know that we can. I don't know that I can do it on the podcast. We'll see.
SPEAKER_02Uh, because I could, and I would have no problem with it. No, you can. Uh so merge ministries12 at gmail.com. You can send your football picks, you can send comments, you can send things if you want us to talk about them. Um also camp registration is getting ready to open up October 1st, so just a few weeks away. Kids camp will fill up faster than youth camp. Yes, it will. But I have had two churches and they've done this before, or we've had people do this before, say, Oh, we're gonna come, add us to the list, and then they don't, but one church for sure talked to them. They said, Hey, we're in, we already got the date scheduled. Another church is trying to convince their pastor to to do something different than what they usually do. Um, so kids camp will fill up quickly. So if you're out there in your church and you want to come to kids camp, I would say October 1st, you need to be on that youth camp. It won't go as fast. Yeah, hopefully we fill up, but that'd be uh a grandiose achievement if we did that.
SPEAKER_01So we do have more space with you.
SPEAKER_02So I mean so that's what we got for today. Um thanks for joining us. Share, and I I don't like when people do this.
SPEAKER_01Like, share, comment.
SPEAKER_02Yes, it makes sense because if you comment, if you like, it kind of puts you up in people's algorithm. Right. It kind of helps spread the word. So I don't like it because it kind of makes me cringe.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And when people go, like, share, comment, give us a review because but it does help. Like, even if it's something stupid, like great show, or you just go in and rate it five stars. Yeah, um, that's a small way you could help us to try to get back to where we were. But we do appreciate the ones of you that are out there that are listening, and we hope that we bring some joy to your life, and uh you see that you're not as bad as you thought, because there's always us that you can compare yourself to. So have a good week, and we will see you next week. See ya bye.