Sacred Sitdowns
Sharing one’s personal story is sometimes hard, but it is holy. Sacred Sitdowns seeks to allow a safe space for faith-filled conversations with members and friends of Geist Christian Church. Hosts Kyle Brown and Danny Gulden hope that all those who hear will be enlightened and inspired. Listen with us. You’ll be glad you did.
Sacred Sitdowns
Dominic Minatel
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Today, we sit down with Dominic Minatel, a junior at Texas Christian University. Dominic grew up at Geist Christian Church and was an active member of the youth group. In our sit-down, we explore his call to ministry; his summer with “Be the Neighbor,” a ministry that equips youth and adults to live lives of love, service, and justice; as well as all things TCU.
Let us tell you a story. A story that will challenge, inspire, and change the way you see the world. We are your host. I'm Danny Goulden. And I'm Kyle Brown. And this is Sacred Sit Downs.
SPEAKER_00A conversational podcast that explores how the Spirit of God moves within this world through the power of story.
SPEAKER_01In today's episode, we will sit down with a member or friend of Geist Christian Church as they share their dynamic, faith-filled story.
SPEAKER_00We hope that you will be enlightened and inspired by the words shared today as we gain deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. This is Sacred Sit Downs.
SPEAKER_01This is our second episode of season two. We just want to thank everyone for supporting season one, continuing to support season two. We hope you really enjoyed our talk with Sam last time. And uh Danny, we're kind of keeping on this TCU trend right now.
SPEAKER_00We're going a lot of TCU. This is my pittitons for being against TCU earlier this winter. So yeah, we season two. Well, that means we were renewed.
SPEAKER_01We were renewed, which is really good. Thank you, Apple, for supporting us and sponsoring us. Yeah. Uh Spotify as well. You know, any shout-out where we can get maybe some residual uh money from the good work that's put into this podcast.
SPEAKER_00We are taking sponsors. That's good stewardship. So if you want to sponsor this podcast, let us know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, maybe this year we'll have a an actual email address that people can send questions to. We're working on that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, if not, season three. My space page, something.
SPEAKER_01Well, today on the podcast we have Dominic Minatel. Dominic is a lifelong member here at Geist Christian Church, a member of the youth group, is now entering his junior year at Texas Christian University. He's uh he's discerning a call into ministry right now in his college years. And this past summer he spent it with Bee the Neighbor, which you're gonna hear a little bit more about later in this podcast. But for now, Dominic, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, especially for those that may not know your story?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. So I am Dominic Minitel. I am a lifelong member here at Geist Christian Church. You know, grew up uh going to the Mud Creek campus and then uh when Promise Road was built, spent a good amount of time coming here, went on, you know, all the mission trips, kind of a, you know, born and bred disciples uh kid here within Geist. Um, and then ended up going to TCU, uh, where I currently go, uh studying religion and communication studies. So for for folks that don't know what TCU stands for, uh Texas Christian University.
SPEAKER_01All right, and it's located Fort Worth, Texas. All right.
SPEAKER_00And it's disciples of Christ School. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02One of many. Um one of many, but probably I'd say most well known.
SPEAKER_01I would agree with that. Yeah. I've yeah. Definitely the largest. Especially with your football program and basketball, as well as your baseball team did really well this year. So what was it like growing up in the church for you?
SPEAKER_02It was it was definitely a lot. Um, you know, getting to come to church, uh, you know, coming to church basically every week, um, but also going to, you know, a Christian school, having that dynamic. Um, but I felt very, very loved and supported um throughout my entire childhood uh coming here to Geist, you know.
SPEAKER_00Did you go to Heritage?
SPEAKER_02Is everyone to school? Okay. Heritage Christian, yes. Um, and so growing up in the church, you know, knowing all these members for so so long, they, you know, have loved me and supported me, you know, checking in on me. There are people who I maybe have met once, but they know all about me either from my parents' Facebook posts or stuff like that. Uh, so it was it was really a supportive community growing up here.
SPEAKER_00Was it was it you mentioned your parents' Facebook post, and now, I mean, I think most people know the Facebook, you know, like my teenagers aren't on Facebook anymore. So is it was it weird growing up in the church? Because people knew you through your parents originally, I assume, and they knew who you were, and then you kind of took on your own identity. Dominic uh preached at the Mud Creek campus a few weeks ago. So talk about maybe that um transition from being your your parents' kid to being Dominic who who stood in the pulpit and uh brought a word a few weeks ago.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. So I think, yeah, it definitely did start out as, you know, being you know, Jim and Angie's son, um, who, you know, he he's super excited about the Bible. He'll, you know, try to correct you every time you're wrong. Um, this is true.
SPEAKER_01Actually, this is so on our first mission trip, we're sitting there, we had just gotten in, and uh, I had just started maybe a semester ago, I'm joining Kelly, who was the youth minister at the time, and Dominic's sitting over there in his bump bunk, and he's like, What's this scripture? And he would just throw a verse out, and I'm like, um Okay. And then I mean, I think you gave me like five or six. I may have gotten two out of the six. I did say that I could go to my Bible and look it up, much like a mathematician could go to uh maybe a calculator or so, but uh you you really knew your stuff.
SPEAKER_02I was a little obnoxious with it, but yeah, I did I did know my stuff. You gotta be proud of it, yeah. It was impressive. The the one I remember and that gets uh I get reminded of constantly uh is Mrs. Moore when she would lead uh the you know youth or the you know Sunday schools, uh and I would love to uh tell her all the ways that she was wrong in the way she was leading Sunday school, which she brings up and we can laugh about now, and I'm realizing may have been a little much.
SPEAKER_00You realize this means you're on the hook to teach Sunday school at some point if you if you give. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So did you get that biblical knowledge from the school you went to, or was that at home, or was it both?
SPEAKER_02Or I'd I'd say it was the school, just because that was something especially like uh, you know, elementary school. We're going through this every single day. You know, we have a Bible portion, and so we're going through it every single day. And so um, you know, they they really instilled in us that love for the Bible, and so they were kind of pushing it at us um, you know, basically every single day. And so by the time I'd get to church on Sunday, I felt like an expert uh in whatever story was being told.
SPEAKER_00Well, you'd been engaged in it all week. Absolutely. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, we would usually spend maybe a week or two per story and really like dig deep and go through these stories in depth. And so, you know, once we get to the you know, 45 minutes every Sunday where you know someone has to go through it, kind of speed through what this story is about, I'd be like, oh, but you know, this word actually means this and this. And so yeah, it really was that I think it was a love for doing that sort of stuff that I can really uh kind of see happen in my elementary school years.
SPEAKER_01Now, growing up, did you have a text that or a scripture that you really um resonated or that was kind of your your go-to scripture?
SPEAKER_02Ooh, um, I would say it would be first Corinthians 13, I believe. It's a good idea. Um yeah, uh the entire chapter. We had to memorize that in third grade. And so that one kind of stuck with me for other reasons. But uh, you know, talking about all the attributes of love, um, you know, love is patient, love is kind, um, and all these things, how important love is, and especially, you know, going through, you know, middle school, high school, coming into college, um, that has kind of stuck with me on the importance of love. Um, and especially as I'm like figuring out who I am and how my relationship with the church works, um, keeping that love at the center of it and trying to figure out, you know, what does that love look like.
SPEAKER_00I feel like I should switch seats with Dominic. Let him uh you you would do well at uh Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers if you watch The Righteous Gemstone. I have not started season three yet. Yeah, he has his own game show called Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers. It's a it's a great show.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Of all the ways the church can get it wrong.
SPEAKER_00Correct, correct. So Dominic, we'll we'll put a pin in that. Um Dominic, talk about mission trips growing up. How did those how did that in how what kind of influence did those mission trips have on you and how did they uh shape your faith?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. Uh I mean, doing it with friends and doing it with all these people who I've known probably since I was three or four years old was definitely something that I love doing. You know, Taylor Burkett, Matty Moore, all those, you know, uh all these people in the church. That definitely made a positive impact. But the service portion as well, that I think has stuck with me even more, getting to understand these different, you know, service and justice issues that, you know, maybe we don't think about all the time. I think one of the more influential ones was uh the trip to DC, my freshman year. Um, and you know, exploring these big ideas like homelessness and, you know, racial injustice and racial injustice and housing, um, and all those things that are so tightly connected that we usually don't think about. And um, I think I've seen the video maybe 15 or 20 times at this point, but there's a great, you know, TED talk about uh stereotypes um and the single story, um, which I'm pretty sure Kyle showed us almost every single year. It's a great TED talk. It's a great TED Talk.
SPEAKER_00It's one of the best. It's top five people preached on it.
SPEAKER_01So it's it's good.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh but like keeping that in mind and those sort of, you know, the one stories um that you know, going on these mission trips really broke those one stories and getting to talk with these people. And uh so yeah, the it really I think instilled in me the love for serving people. You know, I loved going to these different sites, um, you know, helping people, whether it was just like a mundane task, like you know, cleaning dishes, I I now have like a hatred of grits after having to clean a bunch of Whoa, whoa, easy, easy, easy cleaning them off after a breakfast service. Well, that's why you clean your plate. You know, leave grits behind. That's fair. That's fair.
SPEAKER_01I think they were plain grits, they weren't cheese grits, they weren't cheese garlic grits.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so but you know, getting my hands in that. Um, but doing just that, you know, what can seem like mundane service stuff. Um, but you know, it was really, really impactful for me.
SPEAKER_01So you went to Chicago, and I I I misspoke. The first mission trip we went on was your second one, which was to Lexington. Uh you went to DC.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_01Uh you went to Puerto Rico.
SPEAKER_02I did, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh, and then we had uh uh this thing called COVID, which limited our mission trip experiences for a year, and then you would have been to Hazard, right?
SPEAKER_02Yep, I did Hazard, and then uh was the adult sponsor for the Nashville mission trip last year with the middle schoolers.
SPEAKER_01So talk about that. Yeah, how how does that like it's one thing to to go on a trip, it's another thing to lead a trip. How how did that shift happen for you?
SPEAKER_02That was an interesting thing. Uh Sam had just messaged me and been like, hey, you know, we would love if you could be an adult sponsor for this mission trip, you know, working with the youth, you know. She knew that youth uh ministry is something that I want to or I'm considering going into. So she's like, this could be a good intro. You know, you know a lot of these people, you know their families. I'm like, awesome. Yeah, you know, I'm thinking kind of of the mission trips that I went on. I'm like, so how many, you know, kids are there? We got seven. Okay, and how many adult sponsors? Well, we've got you, and then we're working on a female uh adult sponsor. And so that was it was definitely very personal experience, but also, you know, I felt very much more responsible. I could maybe see a little bit of a bigger picture on not only, you know, the work that we're doing, but also how this work is impacting the kids that we're working with, you know, seeing these middle schoolers absorb these ideas kind of like I did and try to uh you know put them into their own lives uh as they came back home. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then the summer you worked with Be the Neighbor, which is a mission organization that um our youth took a trip with. And you did you work in Nashville?
SPEAKER_02Is that where you I was Nashville for four weeks?
SPEAKER_00All right, talk about um talk about that experience a little bit and just what um how that was different maybe than serving as a participant on a mission trip, because really you were providing space for others to have a mission experience. Um talk about that a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'll I'll give a little pitch as kind of a you know plug-in for be the neighbor. Uh so yeah, they're a service and justice uh learning initiative um or mission initiative for you know groups, uh, whether it's you know youth groups, adult groups, um, to come into various cities. Uh, we have like 14 sites across the nation. Um, and we really look at the service and justice issues um that are you know facing this nation and kind of differentiating the two. So um Nashville, we are focusing on housing justice um and homelessness. Um and so that as a justice issue, you know, teaching these kids not only, you know, the day-to-day, what service can be done, you know, feeding people, giving them temporary housing, all those sort of things, but the justice portion of what can we do to, you know, fix this problem? Like what is the end goal? Because we can't be serving people forever and ever and ever. We want to be able to eliminate these issues. And so being there for multiple weeks on end and kind of seeing the different responses for me to those sort of things, like we would teach the same curriculum to four different groups, and the four different groups would take it, you know, they would apply it to their own lives in four different ways, which was super interesting to me. You know, they would take different things back that I hadn't thought of um or other groups hadn't thought of. Um, and so, you know, we didn't really have maybe a uh, you know, qualitative or quantitative um way to see, hey, you know, we did this many things, we you know, served this many people, or you know, we didn't put up a house. But, you know, at the end of it, we were able to see, hey, we have three or four different groups that are all now starting their own little small, you know, church, church-sized ministry back home to maybe help this certain issue. And so that was something that, you know, I love to see, you know, I we're able to follow them on social media, and so we see the progress that is being made in their own cities.
SPEAKER_00So, what would you say, Dominic, is the biggest misconception that someone might have about someone experiencing homelessness?
SPEAKER_02Ooh, I feel like there are so many. Uh, I'd say probably the biggest one either revolves around them not working hard enough or them um maybe, you know, the there's a lot of associations between, you know, addiction and homelessness. But I'd say definitely them not working hard enough, um, which was something that, you know, we would have to talk with groups about, you know, people asking, hey, what if I don't feel comfortable, you know, giving money to someone on the side, you know, the that's another one as well, you know, thinking that people are, you know, everyone's out to get them, everyone's a scammer on the side of the road who, you know, just doesn't want to work. Um, and breaking that down to the fact that, you know, acknowledging, hey, there may be, you know, 1% of people out there who, you know, are doing this just to make a quick buck. Um, but for the majority, this isn't a faking thing. You know, these people are working two, maybe three jobs, but you know, it's at minimum wage, um, just because, you know, I can't remember the stat, but you know, there's so much of America that's living paycheck to paycheck. So if that job goes bad or you lose that job, you can be out of housing very, very quickly. Um, and so that they are working very, very hard, but it's kind of just a system that has screwed them over a little bit. Um, and so acknowledging those things, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So one of the things that I have learned as a later in in my ministry is the words we use to describe an individual and and the uh the ways in which we use the same words, but how we place them changes how we see an individual. Uh I remember you in your sermon highlighting uh the difference between the two. And for our audience that may be unaware, there you may say they're the same words, and yet how you use them drastically changes the way in which you see someone. And so do you mind highlighting that? I thought that was so cool.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. So, you know, this was something, again, I think it was on the DC trip that it got first introduced to me. So when as part of Be the Neighbor, when we're talking about uh the people who were serving, um, you know, first a lot of people may say homeless people or the homeless. Um, but we tend to want to say a person experiencing homelessness, um, which really puts the humanity first in a person. Um, you know, it's a person who is in this temporary experience. Uh, you know, we we have it, you know, compared to we we wouldn't want to be compared to the worst thing that has ever happened to us. Um, and so uh we we try to do that to the same the same way to the people who we're working with. So it's a person experiencing homelessness. Um, or I'd say the better one that we really highlighted for be the neighbor was calling everyone our neighbor. Um so that's kind of uh again in my sermon, I called it it's like the great equalizer. You know, everyone is a neighbor. When you talk about a neighbor, it could be, you know, someone who is serving, the person who is being served. Uh it can get a little confusing at times, but it's also, you know, it really puts that humanity and puts everyone on that level playing ground. Um, so maybe you someone doesn't want to know, hey, I'm being served, but you know, it's a little awkward, you know. I feel, you know, vulnerable being served. Uh, and so just calling them a neighbor um puts them on equal playing ground with everyone else.
SPEAKER_00Well, and I think when when Jesus says love your neighbor, that's his definition of neighbor is much wider than ours. I mean, that helps, I think, get us to what Jesus is really talking about in that text because when we hear it, oh, love your neighbor, I think most of us have this immediate image of who our neighbor is. And it's all and I find that that what Jesus was saying is always much wider than whatever image. So I think that using the word that way helps us get closer to the heart of God when we talk about neighbor.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. It you know, it really expands who we think about as our neighbor, you know, not just thinking about the people in our own city, but you know, thinking about regions or countries or all over the world. That everyone really is our neighbor. And so uh thinking about that, but also being able to put a face to that image of being everyone being the neighbor. Um, I feel like sometimes we can be like, oh yeah, everyone is my neighbor. Uh, but until you kind of put a face to that everyone, it can be a little hard to, you know, wrap your mind about everyone being your neighbor.
SPEAKER_01So when you immerse yourself in in something like you did uh this past summer, uh be the neighbor, you're working week in and week out, different groups, uh addressing uh the same issues and probably working with some of the same population with each group. Uh did you have an aha moment, either with uh an individual that you were serving, a neighbor you were serving, or with uh a group who may have come in to serve? And and let's be honest, um, you know, Ryan always says uh I'm more blessed in the experiences I have in my service than you know, you go to be a blessing. And sometimes we could unpack what it means to mission and and sometimes we come in and think we're gonna save. And uh I've always tried to be open to the idea of I'm gonna learn as much as anything. And so I'm curious, did you have an aha moment this summer that you could share with us to kind of put a um a point on on what you were doing this summer?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. So each of the groups, you know, were very, very special. I can't say that I had a favorite. Um that was definitely yeah. Uh but I'd say the first group, especially. So our first group was 36 people. Um, it was intergenerational, the youngest being four, the oldest being 74, um, which was really a lot. That combined with them only having a single charter bus to get everyone around, it was a little bit stressful. And so we're trying to figure out how to, you know, get the message across, you know, talking about, hey, you know, we have, you know, a certain time cut out for learning, but trying to get everyone to focus and, you know, teach this one way, it was very difficult. Um, so at one of our sites, we were talking about third spaces, um, which is, you know, a first space is I think where you live, uh, second space is where you work, and a third space is just where you do stuff. It's kind of a free and empty space. And so we were talking with them about, hey, a lot of our unhoused neighbors don't have these third spaces that are free. You know, there's restaurants, but you have to eat there um and pay for food. And so we went to a place called Trinity Community Commons, and they were talking about the uh importance of third spaces. Um, and also I think the the point of uh gentrif gentrification got brought up. Um, you know, we were just asking about the community, and the aha moment for me was the pastor's daughter was sitting there. I think she was maybe six or so. It was a little difficult to try to get her focused onto the message because we're like big huge topic of homelessness. How do we get this to a six-year-old? And she's just sitting there and looks up and is like, oh my gosh, the homeless people are like the animals. And we're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, what what what on earth do you mean? We're like, uh that could be really, really good, maybe, or could be very, very What do you mean by that? Yeah, what do you mean by that? And she's like, Yeah, so like all the animals that get pushed out of their, you know, homes because of deforestation and all that stuff. It's like the people getting pushed out of their homes because of landlords. And I just we sat there for a second, we're like, Yes, you know, you've just been coloring for the last 15 minutes. We don't think you've been paying attention, but it it stuck with you.
SPEAKER_00And we were and she spoke about it in terms she understood. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02She put it in these terms, and we had been, you know, I'd been trying to put it into terms that I understood, and maybe trying to think what I thought she would understand, but she found a way to, you know, figure it out herself. And that was really the aha moment for me. I'm like, oh my gosh, we need to listen to the people, you know, this is a teaching moment for me as well. Listening to them, figuring out what are their experiences, how will they understand this, instead of me just pushing this curriculum time and time again, trying to get them to, you know, understand it the way I would.
SPEAKER_01It's a powerful story. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So, Dominic, studying religion and communications, I think one of the things, at least for me, I think Kyle would probably agree, I wish. More people studied religion and theology in an academic sense. I mean, often it doesn't lead to it's one of those things that I think is important. I I I would say one of the things going on in our world today that we have a lack of is a lack of theological understanding. Um what is and what has surprised you the most about studying religion and what what has been maybe the most life-giving thing in terms of that so far?
SPEAKER_02I would say this past year, or I guess the past two years, um, like truly understanding what the Bible is, that has been, you know, a very dramatic change, I guess, from you know, kindergarten through high school, understanding of what the Bible was, you know, understanding how much it has really changed and how malleable it is. Um, you know, seeing the transitions um, you know, from languages, seeing interpretations. Um, you know, this last year we looked at, you know, how the Old and New Testament worked together, but also saying, hey, this thing has been translated so many times through languages that may not exist anymore, through dialects that don't exist. Uh, and so understanding of these like really old religious traditions and understanding, hey, you know, Bible is great. There's so many great messages in it, but also understanding, hey, understanding the context of where it was historically, um, and understanding how complex this one book can be and where it came from was really something that, you know, caused a shift in my mind. You know, I I grew up understanding, hey, Bible is tried and true. It means exactly what it says it means. Context is cool, but you know, I'm gonna read it and I'm gonna figure out what it means. Um, and really, I guess, studying it, being like, wow, okay, I don't understand as much as I thought I did about this really complicated and you know, rich book.
SPEAKER_01So I mean, uh that shift um can lead people uh in to two directions. Um because one is uh more of a curious, all right. Um the other is more I mean we kind of talk about be curious, not judgmental. We love that Ted Lasso line, but I mean sometimes we we almost retreat into our old understanding because when we start shifting one, every like we feel like we're in sinking sand instead of uh coming at it with curiosity. Um my guess is when you had that shift, uh you had a choice to make, but you also probably had people around you to help you process. And and how did that process go for you?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that was definitely the big part was the community that I was surrounding myself with, especially this last year. I was a part of a group at TCU called Disciples on Campus. You know, it's the disciples group down there. Uh and so bringing forward these questions, you know, it it was almost a little awkward as I'm bringing these up. You know, I just kind of had to throw them in, like, hey, yeah, like the Bible is, you know, you know, written in Greek, so this thing may not mean what it we think it means. And I kind of look around for a second, see if anyone bit and, you know, either figured out what it meant and kind of they're like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I totally get what you mean. I'm like, oh, okay, so you guys, you guys understand. They're like, yeah, totally. And so I'm like, oh, okay. And so like surrounding myself with communities like that, um, as well as like the actual religion department has an organization, Kai Delta Mu, um, which was super interesting. So, you know, surrounding myself with people who maybe thought like me, but also people who thought completely different from me, you know, thinking about stuff like the Bible, and then, you know, asking a uh Islamic professor, hey, what do you think this means? Uh, and then being able to, you know, help me out and, you know, help me through those. It was definitely, you know, surrounding myself with the right people was definitely the, you know, the thing that helped me through it most.
SPEAKER_00I I tend to think of it as if you think of a swimming pool, right? And you you have a you arrive at the six feet deep mark, and it's like you don't just stay, you eat people either tend to go to the 10 foot section or they retreat back to the three foot, you know, it's like, let me go a little deeper, or no, let me go over here where it's a little more shallow and comfortable and and all of that. And I I find the deeper you go, the more it actually means. You know, I think that's what some people don't understand, or maybe are even afraid of, is I kind of okay, I don't want to know anymore, but I think once you know a little more, um, I think it comes the Bible comes alive in ways um that it that it doesn't, and if you stay just in the shallow end. And I love what Dominic said about the community piece. Because I think when when clergy types and and theology types think about Bible study in church, I think that's what we envision is a group of people, a community that together can go deeper and ask questions and and wrestle together.
SPEAKER_01I would agree. I mean, I I that's I mean that's been my experience, um which has been uh a gift, and I'm I'm glad that you've had a space where you can ask those questions and um feel safe in asking those, but also have a group that is able to walk alongside you and maybe at times challenge a a statement that you've had, which there's nothing wrong when folks are able to kind of have this back and forth in a space where you're like, I'm I'm really trying to enjoy this ten foot water that that I'm slowly finding myself in, more so than I may have in my younger years. Um so I know one of the things you um have for many years experienced or or expressed a call into ministry. It's something you want to to do. Um it is why you've chosen religion, it's why you've gone to TCU, it's this deep, rich disciple connection, continuing with that. Um do you remember the first time you were like, I I think this is what I want to do in in my life?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh so I remember like kind of how old I was, and like, you know, I was third grade, what the exact experience was, I cannot remember what exactly it was. Um I do just remember, you know, from then on out kind of being like, oh yeah, I want to be a pastor. Uh and so that was when I thought of, you know, what does how do I apply the Bible in my life? You know, how is this something I can carry forward with me? I think it was just, oh, the, you know, easiest way to do something with the Bible in your life is to just, you know, go and be a pastor. Um, and so I think that's kind of where it started out. Uh, and then kind of figuring out which kind of area of ministry I wanted to go into was a little bit of a longer process. Um, for a little while, you know, chaplaincy was something that I was looking at, you know, chatting with people about that, the process um to which I'd have to go through to, you know, be a chaplain for military chaplaincy was what I was looking at. Um, and you know, figuring out, hey, maybe this isn't quite for me. And I think I really found my calling when I did that internship with you uh right before COVID, actually. Um The week of COVID, actually. The week of COVID was crazy. Yeah. Uh I kind of split my time that week between the downtown offices uh for Disciples of Christ and then with Kyle. So, you know, getting a very sky-high view of what the you know regional uh denomination looks like and the nationwide uh, you know, denomination looks like. Uh, and then coming back and having Kyle be like, yeah, no, we need to go to Best Buy by a camera um so we can set up our live stream, because that may be something that we need to do from here on. Yeah. I'm pretty sure I still have a selfie from that Best Buy trip. Uh and so kind of seeing that ground level, which I think called to me a little bit more, as well as you know, seeing the process, you know, his thought process on, hey, what are we going to do with youth? Uh, you know, we have this game plan, but you know, how are we actually kind of connected to anything meaningful? Um, and that process, I think, was something that really started, I'm like, oh, I could do this. This is like a super fun job. Like, I loved going to youth group. I love doing mission trips. I'm like, why couldn't I do this? This seems like way more fun, uh, maybe straight out of college than going up on a pulpit and, you know, talking for 15, 20 minutes each week. This, you know, playing dodgeball with kids every week sounds way more fun. Uh, and so that, you know, uh over time it's kind of shifted as well, you know, the last couple of years. But that I think started um was kind of the you know process by which I came to, you know, the calling that I have today.
SPEAKER_00And so have you thought about plans after TCU, after you graduate? Any um Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um so right now uh I'm looking the two main divinity schools are Bright uh and Vanderbilt Divinity School, you know, Bright uh being the one basically on TCU's campus. Uh so that one, you know, know a couple of alumni from there, um, you know, very good school. Um, but also spending some time at the Vanderbilt Divinity House this summer, where we uh me and the other interns were able to stay during our time down there. And understanding, you know, I was basically a prospective student, you know, getting to ask the admissions people, current students, what it was like, um, which I really, really did love the community down there at Vanderbilt. So it's it's kind of a toss-up right now between those two. I've heard the pitch from both sides that, you know, their scholarships are, you know, kind of through the roof right now. Um, and so that that being a decision that I have to make now on, oh no, these two really, really good schools that are basically paying me to go there, uh, which one do I choose? You can't go wrong. Both are good schools. I can't really, which is which is a it's a good thing to know. But just kind of figuring out which one will work better for me.
SPEAKER_00That's exciting. We'll try to keep our seats warm for you. You can take our jobs and then uh I'm fairly certain you could probably take my job right now. Oh, you just move right on over. And I I'm you know what I would offer my sermon notes for Sunday, but you don't even need those, so you'll be fine.
SPEAKER_01It's yeah. I so one of the things I think is so unique, and and I'm gonna compare it to mine, so I can't say that everyone, but I would say one of the things that disciples that I've come across, at least from my own experience, is our biblical knowledge is limited. Um, I mean, even our GMP said we need to open the book and and and look at what words are on there. Some I mean I think a lot of disciples go to church, but do we really open it up and look at the text each and every week as a way of being uh our personal study, if you will.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's the old joke, right? In a disciples' church, you know who's a first-time visitor because they brought their Bible with them.
SPEAKER_01That's that's uh so you can but you going to heritage studied scripture in a way that most people don't through their elementary and middle school and high school years. It laid a foundation for you that not everyone has. I I certainly did not. Uh, and now as you move into uh college and postgrad, you're able to see those texts with with new eyes in a way that um I think is going to be such a I mean such a gift for you in your ministry because you're able to quote scripture in a way that I'm I I can't. Um and I've been doing this for almost 20 years. Danny is he can tell you hymns day in and day out. My guess is he can also throw some scripture.
SPEAKER_00Well, no, I I remember sitting in my first day of seminary. Now I had I had been out of undergrad for many years at this point, but I remember, and this is not the church's fault, it's my fault. Um I I did not go to a disciples' seminary, and I remember sitting in the old testament class the first day and immediately thinking, I'm behind. Because some of these people know exactly where to find some of this stuff. And I know the gift of growing up in the disciples' church is I knew the theology behind some of the texts.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00But I didn't know like I knew what I knew all this stuff about Micah 6.8, but I I didn't know where to find some of the other text, you know, and so I I think that's kind of the space we find our is I think we're very good at teaching like the theological implications of the Bible, but we're not so great at teaching, here's where you find this, and here's what happened when, and and that sort of thing. That you you you will combine, that you will have that, you'll find your ahead, Dominic, I would imagine.
SPEAKER_01So one of the things that we always um like to ask, we we ended last season with this. Um we start out with Sam asking this question. It's like, what are you reading? Uh what podcast, what uh movie or uh um book uh show that you watch that um you're enjoying right now for our listeners. Just any, anyway. Oh, and and Danny will say, We're we're lowbrow. We don't watch half-halutin stuff. We we we we consume it all.
SPEAKER_02All right. Uh right now, I'd say for TV, uh me and the family were going through season two of uh Good Omens. Uh they have a new season coming out. Uh, but on my own time I'm watching Supernatural. Okay. Um, which, you know, similar, similar vibe, kind of a little bit of, I don't want to say biblical satire, but kind of brings in those biblical elements uh in a different and maybe less serious way, uh, which is good to kind of, you know, I'm like, oh, you know, studying 24 or 7, studying this thing and being able to take a step back and being, oh, this is kind of funny. This is, you know, taking biblical elements less seriously and less academically.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Absolutely. And so Omen 2 can be found. It's an Amazon Prime show, right?
SPEAKER_02Amazon Prime uh and then Supernatural is over on Netflix.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Very good. Dominic, thank you for being with us. Uh, thank you for inspiring us. Uh, and I think we're looking forward to seeing where your ministry and your calling takes you.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Thank you guys so much for having me on here and you know being these pastors uh that I've had for so many years. So thank you.
SPEAKER_01This has been another episode of Sacred Sit Downs. We hope you will join us next time as we explore the power of story. We can be found on all major platforms, so be sure to subscribe. As always, thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Sacred Sit Downs.