Ronald-Long_

1.         What’s your full name?
Ronald Gregory Long. Which when you look up the meanings of them, comes out to be Wise Advisor to the King. For a long time. So hopefully that means I have a long career in youth ministry (and that my pastor is a kind monarch of some sort…).  

2.         Where did you grow up?
Alabama! But I’m more of a War Eagle than a Roll Tide.  

3.         Tell us about your church: name, location, website.
I’m the middle school pastor of Wayside Chapel in San Antonio, TX. Our slice of the web is www.waysidechapel.org  

4.         What’s a nick name you’ve been given…but you hate. Why?
With a name like Ronald, you get pegged with the white faced man with the big red shoes. Since pre-k. Thanks mom.  

5.         What’s your favorite TV show from the 80’s? (If you are too young to remember the 80’s, pick A.L.F.)
Probably Voltron, or some other weird Saturday morning cartoon.  

6.         Computer or TV?
Computer’s are just fine. Unless it’s a tablet. Then let’s be techy and go there.  

7.         How old were you when you first felt called to ministry?
I was 17 and just gone to summer camp with my youth group. I’ve been pursuing that call in one way or another ever since!  

8.         Would you rather kick a puppy or make a baby cry?
Make a baby cry. Or at least, that takes much less effort. All I do is show up and the tears start flowing. No clue why.  

9.         What’s a recent EPIC youth ministry mistake?
Did you know that toilet paper leaves dust? And that having your students throw 96 rolls of paper at each other in your youth room is going to create A TON of powder all over the place (eg, the expensive equipment and the screens and your clothes?). Guess whose job it was to do the morning announcements in big church that week? Yup, toilet paper dust man.  

10.           Have you ever left a kid on an event/camp/retreat/missions trip/etc.? Have you ever wanted to?
Oh I’ve wanted to. And once I did! But they were staying with a parent. Too bad it wasn’t the student I wanted to leave…  

11.           What do you enjoy doing outside of youth ministry?
I love playing old school video games and fantasy novels. I’ve even written one or two! Grade A nerd over here!  

12.           Are you a good dancer?
I grew up Baptist. I guess that answers you question.  

13.           What color shoes are you wearing?
Boring gray that match everything I own. At least I try to convince my wife of that.  

14.           What’s the worst injury that’s happened on one of your event/camp/retreat/missions trip/etc.?
Every year I take students to camp I go to the hospital. I’ve seen broken wrists, broken ankles, and even a bone sticking out of a kid’s arm. To be fair, he was following directions from a leader and climbing down out of the tree she told him to get out of. Then the branch broke…  

15.           What’s your position on infant baptism? Just kidding, nobody cares.
You’re right.  

16.           On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you hate ALL NIGHTERS? (1 = stab me in the eye and 10 = stab me in the eye with a spoon)
I’m a middle school pastor. 11.  

17.           How good are you at keeping receipts? Does your church administrator love or hate you?
We get little smilely faces on our credit card statement if we turn in all the receipts. Or at least, I’m told that’s what is supposed to happen. Haven’t had one on mine quite yet!  

18.           What would you do if you could be invisible for one day?
Toilet paper a lot of my volunteer’s yards. And the high school pastor’s too for good measure.  

19.           Mac or PC?
I’m MAC all the way, but I’ve got not hate for the PC crowd. I mostly just feel bad for them.  

20.           If you had a pet sloth, what would you name him/her?
Probably Slakoth.  

21.           What is one of your irrational fears?
Voicemails. Who are you? What do you want? Am I in trouble for toilet papering your yard while invisible? So much pressure!  

22.           What is your favorite lunch meat?
Pepper Smoke Turkey. And now the skinny man is hungry…

Thanks Ronald! Be sure to check out his resources right here on DYM, too!