¶ Intro / Opening
Because you've been dealt some difficult cards health-wise , especially over the last few years , and this is the last 12 , 18 months especially . You're going to make me cry . I'm sorry , I don't mean to make you cry .
I don't like crying in public .
But I definitely admire how you've handled it and what you're doing with it . You're not letting it stop you at all .
It's that moment where you realize that there is this heaviness just lifted off of you . It's the moment where you were okay with lifting your hands to worship . None of the people around you matter . It doesn't matter where your hands are and it doesn't matter what they think , because it's just you and God . It's you and it's vertical .
Through it all , you're still good enough . I think is the biggest thing , because I think it's something all everyone and men struggle with that , whether they want to admit it or not . Men struggle with this idea am I really good enough ? Do I deserve what I have ? Am I good enough to be your husband ? Am I good enough to be a father to my children ?
Am I going to screw this up and the enemy will quickly tell you no , you're not good enough . No , someone else should be good enough . You fail too many times . You let too many people down , and just especially in the younger years of our relationship and marriage .
Hey , you're good enough and it's all going to work out , because there are definitely times where you didn't think that , I didn't think it would .
Here's a question for you Is marriage overrated ?
Why aren't people getting married anymore ?
A new Pew Research poll found that two in five young adults think marriage is an outdated tradition .
Marriage rates are at their lowest right now . Is marriage really even worth it ?
more than half of marriages end in divorce if you get married , you have to be stuck with this person for the rest of your life , right ? That's why you get married , so that's why it's declining . Why would you get married if you don't ? If you want to have just one partner when you can ?
have multiple Marriage is stupid . Ready In five , four , three .
Wayne's World , wayne's .
World Party time Excellent .
Welcome to the Married AF Podcast , where Matthew thinks it's the self-proclaimed greatest podcast in the world .
I am one of your hosts , monica powers , with my handsome husband I prefer this intro over any other intro that we could ever do . We're gonna start every episode as if it's wayne's world . Wayne's world , party time .
Excellent , hey , baby I just did my impression of you I thought it was a decent impression but I couldn't say I was you no , no , I think people would get very confused with that .
And you always say my beautiful wife . So I had to think of something quick .
I mean , I call you handsome . I think you crushed it .
Okay , thank you .
You absolutely crushed it . So thank you for that intro . We're going to have to do that every single time we do this . Welcome to the show , everybody , it's Wayne's World slash , married AF .
No , it's not Wayne's World .
No , it's not going to be Wayne's World at all , but it's going to be good though , because we got 10 questions I think every couple should know about each other , and maybe questions you need to continually ask each other , because it just opens up all sorts of fun , interesting , awesome conversation .
But before that happens , when this airs , you're going to be married to an old man .
An older .
Older man , that's right . For nine months , for nine months , and then we'll be the same age . Yes , I'll be a year older when this airs on Tuesday and we record on a Friday night .
Straight from softball practice Rushed home Ate dinner . And we record on a Friday night Straight from softball practice Rush home ate dinner . Have the wind burn . Look on my face because the wind was howling or snuggie at practice and it's so freaking cold , I'm so ready for warm weather .
I'm not built for the cold .
I think that's just the thing for old people .
Well , listen , I'm older tomorrow and in a couple of days .
Are guys afraid to tell other people about their age ?
No , I'll be 42 . I don't care anything about it .
I don't care to tell people how it's like so rude to tell a girl's real age .
I mean that's stupid .
Some people I can understand . They have maybe really hard life and they age faster than most people . They don't want to tell . But when you age very well and you don't really look your age , you definitely want to tell .
You're right , you're right .
So maybe that's why it makes it weird .
Maybe , so I don't know .
I'm not sure either .
But I don't mind telling my age at all . I don't either , and no one should Be proud of your age . Be where you are .
I mean , there's an alternative .
You've made it this far . Celebrate that , celebrate that and be happy about that .
Yeah , God's not done with you yet . No , not at all Not one bit , especially if you still have air in your lungs .
He ain't finished yet , which is why you need to ask your spouse these questions before time runs out .
I don't even know what I'm asking you , because I literally opened this file that you sent me .
Yep .
Saying you're asking the odd , I'm asking the even .
And bam , so run it from the top . What you got .
But my favorite was baby . Are you going to ask me the first question or do you want me to ask ? Listen , you can mix it up . You want me to ask you the odds ?
I'm aware that it starts with the number one . I'm glad you are , which is an odd number .
That's why I'm asking you the odd questions .
I'm just saying you can mix it up a little bit if you wanted to mix it up . That's all I got .
I'm asking you the odd questions .
Yes , get us started . Woman , all right , golly Ooh .
I feel like I've answered this question in a pageant before question in a pageant before . It's definitely a pageant question , but I think it's a good question . If you could invite anyone to dinner past present , either one , who would it be ?
you know , um boy , it'd be a whole lot of people if possible , but I had to do just one mm-hmm just one , and this could probably vary day to day , but I think right now I would invite Joseph from the Old Testament and want to talk to him .
Why .
I love his story so much as far as a person in the Bible outside of Jesus . I love Joseph's story so much . Because , he's the young brother which I don't relate to .
I'm the oldest brother , but he's the young brother who the Lord has given him this vision and led him to a path that this is what you're going to be , and everyone hated him for it , and he gets sold into slavery . After one brother , thank the goodness , was like , hey , let's not kill him , but let's sell going to be , and everyone hated him for it .
And he gets sold into slavery . After one brother , thank the goodness , was like , hey , let's not kill him , but let's sell him to slavery . That's a great idea .
Let's just make this clear for the people that don't necessarily know the Bible . We're not talking about that . Joseph , not Jesus' earthly daddy , not Jesus' earthly father .
Yes , no , this is Joseph Way back when . This is Genesis Joseph . But he was sold into slavery and he was with Potiphar . And then he gets thrown in jail because Potiphar's wife thought he was really good looking . And he gets thrown in jail because he wouldn't sleep with her .
He wouldn't have sex with her Because he honors the .
Lord and she turned that around on him . But anyway , his story and how it goes , and he's thrown into jail and then he's with pharaoh's two of his pharaoh's main guys , and they , he interprets a dream for him . They're like I'm gonna get you out of here and they don't . And he's let down yet again .
And then he goes to pharaoh because oh ding , ding , ding ding . Two years later this guy remembers . Oh , joseph , he can interpret dreams , let's bring that guy . And he ends up being over the entire kingdom and you see his brothers come to him in a time of need .
And they don't even recognize him .
Don't even recognize him , and just the whole story of everything that Joseph went through . He was given this dream . He was given this dream , he was given this vision from God of this is what you're going to do . You're going to lead nations and to go down the path that he did for us . We would quit day one Long time ago .
But to see his faithfulness in the Lord , even when it looked impossible . I would want to know firsthand like I need more . Give me more . Let me hear more about the story .
I think this is a great example of why we don't know how everything ends . Like we don't know the exact path that we're supposed to take , like we have to figure it out .
Yes .
It doesn't just . Hey , this is what's going to happen to you , Because if anybody were to be told you're going to be sold into slavery , you would not .
Absolutely not .
You're going to do anything and everything to get out of that situation .
Well , even if it's like the greatest destination ever , if we knew what it was , we're going to screw it up . Yeah , that's just , that's the way we're all through , um , the way we're made . We just we mess it up um , but that that's , if anyone that's a good that would be the one . All right , so you so far . What has been the highlight of your life ?
oh , I've had a half . A highlight reel is pretty good .
It is . I mean , you've you've experienced some amazing things , but if you had to pick one like , what is number one on the sports center Top 10 .
Ooh , man , it has to be the day that we both committed I would agree with that to 100 follow jesus . This wasn't .
Hey , we're , we're in college and we're giving our lives to christ , because we did on the same day and we didn't even know it had no clue , because it was one of those close your eyes , raise your hand type things , and we're the people that really close our eyes yes , yes , knowing that nobody actually does that , everyone wants to look around .
Who did it ? Who did it ? Who raised their hand ? Who got their ?
hands up , sometimes , like I used to be the person that did not close my eyes , because when I don't trust the places that I go , I know , major issues , but I wanted to see if they were actually telling the truth . When you hear them with your eyes closed , I see your . I see your hand .
Thank you , are they really there ? Yes , are they really there ?
Are there that many people saying yes , but we were those people who closed our eyes on that day ? Sure did Both raised our hands got baptized on the same day , but then we're both a year into college or you're two years in . I'm a year in and we're buck wild . Yeah , we completely lost it .
We were totally in on Savior Jesus , but it was years later and years and years later , uh , where we learned what it was to have Lord of your life , jesus . And I agree , I mean that that changed , changed at all .
So so that would probably be the highlight , because the things that happened after that are just unbelievable .
I agree . I mean it is . It put us on a trajectory that who would have ever thought to be where we are today and who knows where we'll be 10 years from now as long as we just follow what the Lord directs us to do .
Okay , this one's kind of good , kind of scared . What trait in others do you admire the most ?
Now , this is kind of a open question , because it could totally be .
I feel like that should be more of a spouse kind of situation . Well , and that's the direction .
That's the direction I'm going to go .
I don't know a lot of people that well .
Well , no , but the direction I'm going to go is definitely in you , and the trait I admire the most is really to watch your perseverance You've been dealt some difficult cards lately , yeah and to see your strength and your faith as you walk through . That .
It is something I very much admire and wish that I had some of that perseverance in my own life at certain times , because you've been dealt some difficult cards , health wise , especially over the last few years , and so the last 12 , 18 months especially . I'm sorry , I don't mean to make you cry- I don't like crying in public .
But you know , I definitely admire how you handled it and what you're doing with it , because you're not letting it stop you at all . So I won't make you cry anymore , I'll ask you the next one . Baby , if you wrote a book , what would it be about ?
I would probably write the book that I've been asking you to write for several years . Just put your name on it and make you go do all the book signings and stuff like that .
That'd be jacked up .
That would be so fantastic . I guess that's the only way I'm going to actually get it done .
Maybe I can be okay with that plan . You're a ghostwriter . Yeah sure it's perfect .
I've been wanting you to write a book about being a husband for years .
I know .
Upon years . I told you to do that instead of this podcast , and here we are . We still have no book .
Still have no book , but you never know what the Lord will do .
That's the book I would write .
I think it would be great , because it's true , you don't ? I think it's something everyone needs to be all in on all the time and just have trust .
But I'm actually writing my own book .
You are .
And I don't know that I want to say anything out loud or give anybody any kind of information , because I haven't wrote anything down in a while , because I've been dealt cards , tell you what you don't have to .
That's enough right there , just let it happen it's got a great title though it does . Next question .
Next question uh , if you could write a letter to your younger self , what advice would you include ? I feel like this is a doc brown situation , where marty's wanting to go back and tell doc , where you can't be here , you're .
This is gonna happen and libyans yeah , they're gonna shoot you he doesn't want .
Doc doesn't want to know he gets mad .
He rips the letter up and then marty goes back to the future and doc pulls open his chest after being shot and he's got the bulletproof f2 . Oh my gosh , it was great I love that movie .
Um , I feel like that's the situation right now .
It is uh , if I could give my younger self , write a letter to my younger self and give myself advice um one . No , you're not gonna screw it up that is so perfect for you like , listen , you're not going to totally burn this to the ground . Um , I think that and and hey , through it all , you're still good enough .
I , I think , is the biggest thing , because I think it's something all everyone and men struggle with , that , whether they want to admit it or not , men struggle with this idea Am I really good enough ? Do I deserve what I have ? Do I deserve , am I good enough to be your husband ? Am I good enough to be a father to my children ?
Am I going to screw this up ? And there's that the enemy will quickly tell you no , you're not good enough . No , someone else should be good enough .
You fail too many times , you let too many people down and just especially in the younger years of our relationship and marriage , hey , you're good enough and it's all going to work out , because there are definitely times where you didn't think that , I didn't think it would . So probably that just to be able to have some strength to keep going .
That would be something that you could just pull out and read all the time .
No , you would have to , you'd absolutely have to . Ok , next one what you would have to , you'd absolutely have to . Okay , next one . What makes you feel pure joy ?
Oh my , does it have to just be one thing ?
No .
Okay , there's probably three things . All right's hear them worship why , because that is my time with the three in one can you explain what that feels like ?
I know it's impossible to be able to explain that , but can you for people who are listening , who especially just they're not there , or maybe they're starting to get there and they just don't understand Can you explain just that feeling and what that's like ?
There is probably nothing like it ever , period . I mean , it is better than sex and that's probably the only thing that's better than sex . It's that moment where you realize that there is this heaviness just lifted off of you . It's the moment where you were okay with lifting your hands to worship .
None of the people around you matter , it doesn't matter where your hands are and it doesn't matter what they think , because it's just you and God . It's you and it's vertical . I feel like it's a star trek moment where it's like bimmy up scotty , where the beam it's just , that's it , no one else matters .
I worship really big yes , you do and we even have a night of worship coming up , because it's the end of our fasting , and every time we have a night of worship I have to make sure we get there early , because I need to get the front row , because there's just a little bit more space between the two .
You got to have your space .
Okay , who am I going to be by ? If we bump into each other , it's not going to matter .
It's going to be cool . Yeah , it'll just be . Oh , we're going to grab each other's hand and then we're the hands . I always think of a , of when , when you're a parent and you have young children and your children , they , they want you , um , you know , I think of both of our children especially , but they , what do they do , daddy ?
daddy , daddy .
I mean they lift their arms to their dad , saying , hey dad , pick me up up . Hey dad , I need you , I need to feel comfort from you , I need to feel love from you . And what's it's raising their arms to their dad .
That's the best explanation .
It's the exact same thing that we get to do .
The other one is getting to have a front row view and listen to you speak on a Sunday morning , give a message . I don't know . I just have this little giddy school girl butterfly in my stomach . The moment you start to speak it's like the lights are out and I'm always going to be front row .
You are .
Because I have to be right there and watching every second . Most of the time I get lost in your eyes , because when the light hits you're just the . The blue is amazing , but you just growing in the gift God gave you that no one would have ever guessed Never in a million years . Because nobody in your family does anything like this .
No , no , and I never wanted to do anything like this and the other would be watching our children serve on a Sunday morning , serving without being scheduled to serve .
No , they now . If they're not scheduled to serve one , they get a little bummed out .
More than likely . They're scheduled for one time . Yes likely they're scheduled for one time . Yes , so if we're at our alabaster campus , we have three experiences and they get one experience to serve , one experience to go in .
So we're going to be there all three , so they will find somewhere to serve in the one that they're not scheduled to serve , that they're not going in for . So it's just unbelievable to see that , like we're not forcing them to go in . This is not a parent you go serve , or telling them to serve . They do this on their own .
No , they look for it , they look for opportunities and they now know the people . You know they will go to certain people hey , can I serve here ? Hey , do you need help here ? Hey , is there anything that you need me to do ?
Um , it is , it's very , it's rewarding as a parent , um , and it makes you feel like , okay , well , I've done something right at least . Um , I , I would totally agree with those doesn't my , my pure joy . I can totally get on board with that .
Oh , your question . If you had more than enough money , what kind of life would you live ? Now , more than enough money to me , we call a few money .
A few money People , you'll kind of know what that means . All right , you got so much money you're .
You'll kind of know what that means all right , you got so much money , you're just it don't matter no more .
Um , I've had more money than I knew what to do with . What kind of life would I live , you know ? Ask me on . It probably changes day to day sometimes . Um , I would have loved to buy the boston red socks . Run them the way they should be run , go and get the Spend the money we need to spend .
To get the pitching , we need Money to go get the players that you need Now .
I want you to have that kind of money so we can make that happen .
I would buy the Boston Red Sox and I would do what needs to be done to bring World Series to .
Boston , we would take a loss in the money .
But if I got , more money than more than enough , then it would be fine . That would always be a dream , of course , but realistically To live in Boston six months out of the year . What a dream Every game in the box . Maybe I am changing my mind . Listen my mind . Maybe that is no box watching baseball .
I'm gonna be on the field that's fine , I'm gonna be in the dugout .
Hey , alex , come on , let's , let's make this call as long as I can make sure that I get one of those hoodies we good , but I . That would be awesome you know , I hope that happens . That would be great . That would happen for me too you know used to be .
I would say it would be something along the lines of that and big , extravagant Mansion houses all over the place , vacations everywhere , all of the stuff . But I think as we've gotten older and we've grown more in our faith , I mean , yeah , you want to be comfortable and you want to enjoy life .
More in our faith I mean , yeah , you want to be comfortable and you want to have enjoy life . I think more so now would be a very generous life is .
Let me where , where , where I've been blessed with this money somehow , how can I move that onto someone else to bless someone else or help make someone else's situation or some community or organization situation better , else's situation or some community or organization situation better .
And if I can do that , then that's what I would do , along with by the Boston .
Red Sox , but that's always what we talk about . If , what are we going to do when we win the lottery ? When we , when it hits the billion dollars , we're going to win the jackpot , we spend that money , but it's mostly of OK , we're going to give this amount to these people .
We're going to give these people this amount . It's definitely shifted over the years because every time the lottery gets big . And don't act like people , don't do you ? I mean everyone listening and watching you all do this when the lottery gets high before you , everyone plays the game like you know what ? Someone's gotta win . What if it is us ?
Man , if we did , we would do this and we'd do this , and hey , this would be fun and everyone plays that game .
But if is a big word for two letters it most certainly is .
But if that happened , buy the Red Sox and be just overly generous with the rest of it . I like it All right . What would your dream day look like ? My dream day your dream day , the perfect day . If you could script out any day possible , what exactly might that look like ?
¶ [Ad] The Brief
Wow , nothing's off limits .
Nothing's off limits .
I would have a hair and makeup person daily .
Okay , go back to my last one with the money . You said dream okay . You didn't say reality . You're right , your dream day .
Because I don't know what I'm doing with makeup and I don't know what I'm doing with hair . It just happens .
I like it .
And then , once I'm all fixed up that hopefully wouldn't take half the day , maybe an hour we would get to go to Fenway Park . Just walk out , look at the field .
¶ (Cont.) What I Learned from Navigating Life's Journey with LOVE
You'd have your cup of coffee and I'd have my hot tea . Just look around . It's going to be a good day .
Oh man , so far , so good .
Pick up the dirt , see if the wind blows it . It's blowing out today . It's a good day , good day to be on the monster . You know something like that , I don't know . Have some really good sushi for dinner All Maybe for lunch and dinner and just be with you the whole day .
Sounds good to me , sign me up .
To just go out on the field in the morning .
This is great . I mean , yeah , sign me up . That sounds pretty good to me , I'll take it .
I know people are probably like , oh my God , that's the dumbest thing . But if we were all the same , this place would be so boring .
It's great that we're different and we have different opinions and different thoughts , and it's healthy when we can talk about things . I love it , that's . I think that's a great dream day .
All right , okay , this is the last one for you . Oh boy , okay , I have an answer to this question that I want you to okay how is your answer ? But I'm sure it's not going to be it . If you could master any skill overnight , what would it be ?
any skill overnight nunchuck skills , bow hunting skills If I could master any , skill Computer hacking skills Computer hacking skills . Oh man , If I could master any skill overnight , I would love to be able to play some sort of musical instrument .
I knew that would be it .
Because I've tried , I would love to , but my hands don't don't do that , they don't work they don't work that at all or opposite of your feet listen , I would love to play drums . I think I could be a great drummer if it were just my hands .
But because you got to get your feet involved , my , my , my hands and my feet do not operate independently from each other at all . They have to be doing the same thing . So if I can master any skill overnight , that would clearly be the one .
You know , that's close to what I was going to say . I would want yours to be .
What was it ?
Clap on beat .
I mean it's rhythm , so I mean we'll put it in the same category I'll be honest , clapping on beat is not really a skill at all . It's just something I do not have .
Obviously it has to be because not many people can do it .
Well , listen .
Because I seriously walked into the Second Experience Sunday this past Sunday and it was a Charlie Fox track going on in there . It was some word over here on a beat and some over there on a beat and somebody in the middle was on their own beat and I'm seriously starting to clap walking up to the front because somebody's got to help .
Let's all get on the same page here , people .
I've requested for a designated clapper from the worship team be in the auditorium Every experience , so we can all make sure you turn around and you're the clapper from the worship team . Be in the auditorium every experience , so we can all make sure you turn around and you're the clapper .
You're getting everyone on clap duty yeah , I would be able to do that all right .
Last one for you okay what is the most challenging decision you have ever made ?
there's a lot of those .
But what's the most challenging decision ?
I don't know that it was challenging .
Yeah , it was very challenging , but it was probably one of the better decisions I've ever made , when we both got our dream jobs within a week of each other , and I knew that my dream job would not last very long and would probably end a divorce where yours had longevity and it was not on a time crunch for you to make sure that you got it at this certain
time . So , for me , saying no to WWE in 2011 and giving you the opportunity to run your family business , it was hard because that's all I wanted . That was my next goal for me to get . I was going to be a diva and there it was .
I just needed to go to St Louis to Smackdown , to sign all the things the next month and by George , if we're not in California and your dad says , hey , I want you to do this and we're already ready moving to Tampa to develop mental stuff and I'm just wait what you are taking this job and I am calling them right now and telling them no , because the week
before is when I got all the stuff and I just called them and I thought I was gonna get cussed out left and right , up and down , ever , ever be able to step foot in a ring again . Not that I cared to , because I knew what the long term was for you or us , and I think I picked and made the best decision .
I think so and I agree . I think that's the . What an incredibly hard decision . Here's your dream and you're just going to say no . I mean , that's a moment of who knew then what the Lord was working in that moment ? But when you look back , it has his hands written all over it Again .
if I would have known I would have screwed it all up .
Yeah , that's good , that's really good , that's a perfect way to end baby . But I think questions , these types of questions , these are great questions to be able to talk to your spouse about .
Scary .
in a way it can be scary , but , man , it opens up dialogue , it opens up thoughts . You can reminisce , you can reflect back . I think it's very , very important for everyone listening . Have these conversations with your spouse .
You don't have to do it like this , but , man , when you're sitting on the couch hanging out not doing anything , tv's on in the background . You've been watching previews and trailers for two hours .
Oh my God , that's , like every .
At least once every few weeks . It's like what do we want to watch ?
We've watched everything , and then we try to watch , try to find something to watch , and all we do is watch trailers watch trailers . That's that's add that to the watch list . Oh , add that to the watch that we're never gonna watch it happens .
So , uh , do this with your spouse . It's a lot of fun . Before we get out of here , want to mention our friends at kingdomandwillcom . Uh , go check them out . They have great apparel , comfortable apparel , meaningful apparel , christian-based organization . Visit them . You'll see the link in the description . Click on it .
Use promo code MARRIEDAF 15% off of your order , not just your first , but your second , your third , your fourth , every order from here on out . Visit our friends at kingdomandwillcom . Promo code MARRIEDAF . Any final thoughts ? Beautiful .
I love you .
I love you . Let's get out of here , god . We love you so much . We are so thankful for what you're doing . We're thankful for this platform and what you have given to us and , god , just pray that we will . We will do what you want with it . We trust you .
God , I pray that this will reach ears that need to hear it in the moments that they need to hear it . Uh , transform lives and hearts towards you . And , god , we just hope we can point to you throughout it all , even in the fun and the silly . God , let you be the light that shines through it all . Lord , we love you and we are so thankful for you .
In Jesus' name , amen .
Amen Play ball .