January 9, 2024 • 32 mins
It's the start of a New Year and a chance to look at your life a littler closer. What will you do differently and how will you behave differently? Will you change one thing or change everything? Ironically, it's the people who are willing to constantly look at their own lives and move themselves forward with needed changes that allows them to position themselves to succeed in life and in their marriages. What if you overlooked all of that and even though you knew you needed to change, you still chose to do nothing? What would happen? What would you be missing out on? Could your marriage recover?
Join hosts Travis and Dawn Rosinger as they talk about what can happen when someone chooses to do nothing with their life and marriage. They also share something. beautiful that will happen when a couple chooses to look deep into their own souls and decide to make changes, changes that will thrust their marriage forward. Join us for this insightful episode!!
Travis and Dawn Rosinger are the Loving The Fight Marriage Podcast Hosts and Authors of the books, Verbalosity - 7 Steps to a Verbally Generous and More Fulfilling Marriage and their newest book, Gripping - What Matters Most | A Life and Relationships That Hold on to You
For more information about Travis and Dawn Rosinger go to Loving The Fight
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dawn Rosinger (00:12):
Hey, welcome back to the loving the fight
marriage podcast.
My name is Dawn and I'm sittinghere with my husband and my
co-host, travis.
Travis Rosinger (00:19):
I'm right here, and so are you.
We're glad that you guys arejoining us.
Thanks for taking the time.
I think all of us just want ourlives, our marriages and our
relationship with Jesus to getbetter, so it's super fun to be
hanging out with you, dawn, andwith all of you guys that are
listening today.
Dawn Rosinger (00:37):
Well, hey, I just wanted to let you guys all know
that I just did something thathopefully will make Travis proud
of me this morning, and it isthat I'm on the edge of my seat.
What is it?
Well, you know I'm not thegreatest, you know, when it
comes to gifts.
It's not the greatest thingthat I don't receive gifts super
well, but I don't give giftssuper well, it's just not.
I want time and words orwhatever, but I was given a gift
(00:59):
this last May.
Travis Rosinger (01:00):
You were.
Dawn Rosinger (01:01):
Yes, I think I know where this is going, so six
months ago and I just opened itlike, took it out of the box
and I'm charging it.
Travis Rosinger (01:08):
Yeah, it's like brand new in the box for like
eight months and it's a reallyreally nice, it's a modern day
and I watch and I have one thatI had.
Dawn Rosinger (01:18):
you know what version is?
Travis Rosinger (01:19):
this.
I don't know it's one of theearlier versions, but it's all
scratched and beat up the band's, but it works great.
Dawn Rosinger (01:26):
So you and the kids were so kind and bought me
a brand new one, because youknow which.
I like my watch and I'm veryconsistent with putting it on.
But I did.
I left it in the box because Ihad this one that was still
working, but I opened it up andit's charging right now up on.
Travis Rosinger (01:41):
That's it.
You made my year, I think,actually not my week, not my day
, but my year.
Yeah, you're going to use itand it was an expensive gift and
it looks beautiful.
It's brand new.
Dawn Rosinger (01:52):
I'm laughing because I opened it up and like
oh, it looks really nice,there's no scratches on it.
The band is in imperfectcondition and it looks really
nice.
Now my one that I'm wearingright now kind of looks junky.
Travis Rosinger (02:03):
So I'm excited, but anyway.
Dawn Rosinger (02:05):
So that was a highlight of my morning, beyond
having an amazing fire up goingin the fireplace right now.
Oh, it's great.
Travis Rosinger (02:12):
It's our day off morning and so we get a
couple of these a week.
And yeah, I looked at you thismorning as we're sitting there
sipping our coffee and I lookedover at you and I said, hey, how
about a fire?
And so it built a ragingawesome fire and it's been
burning for hours.
And just nice to just sit andbe comfortable and enjoy life.
Dawn Rosinger (02:31):
Well, this week was your week to pick where we
go on our date.
We typically go on dates orWednesdays or Thursdays, and we
try to switch off weeks.
Who picks what?
And so this week, thisWednesday night, which is the
last work day of our week,because we work, you know,
saturday through Wednesday.
Travis Rosinger (02:48):
It's our Friday night.
It is our Friday night, yeah.
Dawn Rosinger (02:50):
You picked and we came home.
We actually just ate in becausewe didn't want to eat out,
because we wanted to save someof our calories, because we went
to a movie, and we have thisbucket that we bought for $25
and every time we bring it backwe get a refill.
So it was a good bargain, but weknew that we were going to
consume a lot of calories andfill us up on popcorn, but we
went to a really good movie andI just want to give a shout out
(03:12):
to the movie.
It was called the Boys in theBoat and it was a movie about
the Washington state, the rowingteam and how they made it to
the Olympics in Berlin 1936,.
Travis Rosinger (03:24):
I believe yeah.
Dawn Rosinger (03:25):
Well, they were the underdogs and, honestly,
even just financially, they werethe underdogs.
Most of the kids that made thatteam that year financially
struggled and were in hard timesand they just worked hard.
They were determined and theyended up making it all the way
to the Olympics.
It's funny because it was theJV boat that actually made it.
It wasn't even the varsity boat, isn't that?
Travis Rosinger (03:46):
incredible.
Yeah, they ended up winning thenational championship, I think,
and then ended up going to theOlympics.
But you're right, they were notonly underdogs from their state
, from their school, but theywere below the varsity team.
So crazy, crazy story ofperseverance, hard work, super
inspiring.
What a great day, veryinspiring.
I picked well, didn't I?
(04:07):
Don?
Dawn Rosinger (04:08):
And I love it when I can watch a movie that's
real, that actually happened,but then also is inspiring.
And they were underdogs.
And you know me, Travis, I havethis thing I'm always cheering
for the underdog.
I want to always make sure thatwe are.
I mean, there are times in ourlife that we have been on
underdog right.
Travis Rosinger (04:24):
Oh, for sure.
Dawn Rosinger (04:25):
And so be able to take the energy and try really
hard and see people succeed Justphenomenal.
So I recommend that movie again.
It's called the Boys in theBoat.
Travis Rosinger (04:33):
Yeah, we loved it.
That was so cool, and in themiddle of it there's a love
story.
So that's kind of fun as well,and we don't want to ruin and
spoil the movie, but you got towatch it.
It's real life.
Yeah, it happened.
Yeah, and that movie is a greatsegue into the topic that we're
going to be talking about today, because those students who are
in the depression era, you knowwhere they had absolutely
(04:54):
nothing and they're trying toscrape together money to pay
their own way not their moms anddads or you know some kind of
rich foundation that theirgrandfather had left for them,
but they were trying to paytheir own way through college
and they jumped on.
They made the decision to jumponto the rowing team because
they could get a free place tolive and a little bit of money
in their pocket.
So they could pay for theircollege, survive and pay for
(05:15):
their college, and so that justreminds me of an experience that
took place in my life.
Don you know this well, butthose of you that are listening
may not have ever heard this.
But when I started out, you andI, we did things a little bit
backwards.
We got married, bought a house,had a kid and then I went to
college.
Dawn Rosinger (05:31):
Yeah, a little backwards, yeah, very backwards.
It could have been easier.
Travis Rosinger (05:35):
It could have been a lot easier.
I went to college for two years.
They were amazing.
I loved it.
It was incredible but kind of awild story.
But the vice president ofacademic affairs at that time at
the college just came up to meone day and said, travis, you
need to get out there and be afull-time pastor.
And you could just, you canjust finish this.
You know through virtually oryou know through the mail or
(05:55):
whatever.
And so I took him up on it.
I jumped into full-timeministry.
I hired at a church, but Inever took it as his advice to
continue my education while Iwas working as a pastor.
Dawn Rosinger (06:07):
We were really busy with ministry.
Actually, and honestly,financially, college costs
something too.
So there was a couple ofreasons that you didn't jump
back in right away.
Yeah, yeah, and we had anotherkid and life was going great Got
busier.
Travis Rosinger (06:20):
And ministry was going great, we were having
a blast.
But I think about 10 yearslater is when I had to.
I thought, okay, this is mywindow, but if I don't go back
to college to finish myfour-year degree, I don't know
when I'm going to do it.
And it meant that I'm you know,I'm the senior pastor of a
church, I'm working a lot ofhours and you know we had a
(06:41):
bigger house and our kids weregetting older.
We're like, oh, we need to getthis done while they're still
somewhat young.
And so it was, in that moment,somewhat call me a college
dropout.
I wasn't, I don't think,because I just hadn't finished
it yet.
Maybe I was a college pauser orprocrastinator, yeah.
But anyway, it was in thatmoment that kind of like the
(07:01):
boys in the boat, they made adecision to jump on the road to
him.
It was in that moment I made adecision to, you know, in the
middle of a crazy busy life, togo back to college.
And so I went back to college,paid the money, you mowed the
lawn, I mean it was crazy.
And and I knocked out two yearsof school, got my bachelor's
degree, and then I thought tomyself, Don, why don't we just
(07:23):
keep going?
And then I knocked out mymaster's degree, and so that was
a good season.
Dawn Rosinger (07:28):
Right Caterpulted us in ministry a little bit and
just in life, something thatwas a huge personal goal, but it
also helped us in our careermoving forward a little bit yeah
.
Travis Rosinger (07:37):
Yeah, but that required change and it required
a decision.
So just kind of thinking aboutthat a little bit today.
I mean, what if?
How about you, those of youthat are listening?
I mean, what if you made adecision to never change?
What if I had made a decisionto never go back to college?
And so what if you decided to,you know for your life, as
you're listening to this podcast, what if you decided to learn
(07:59):
nothing new, to move less, toburn less calories and to stop
challenging yourself with newexperiences that provide
resistance, either physically,mentally, spiritually or
emotionally?
And here's kind of what I'mgetting at.
I mean, what if you woke uptomorrow and you just said, hey,
I'm going to sit here, right,right here on the couch and do
(08:20):
nothing for the rest of my life,and maybe you even move a
refrigerator right over next tothe couch so you don't even have
to get up to go to therefrigerator?
I mean, what would happen toyour life, down to my life, to
those of you that are listening,if we decided not to change, if
we made a wrong decision?
to do nothing.
Well, here's what would happen.
You would begin to experience aphenomenon that I think very
(08:42):
few people talk about.
You would start to experience amental, emotional and spiritual
, and really even a physical,wasting away.
So what would happen?
What if you made a decision tonever change anything again,
even worse, to do nothing withyour life?
You would, of course, getweaker in every area of your
(09:04):
life.
Why?
Because humans and human bodieswere meant to be challenged.
We're talking about hitting thegas pedal, giving opportunities
to get tired and wore out.
We were meant to be, you know,to feel defeated and expend all
of our energy, so that, when weget to the end of our day and we
lay our head down on the pillowat night, we collapse, we fall
(09:26):
asleep.
That's the way that God builtus.
He intended for us to live, andso maybe, as you're listening
to this, you probably figuredout by now that we're talking
about an attribute, one that isnot a good quality.
It's a thing called atrophy.
If you were to suddenly do whatI had and mentioned, and decide
to do nothing, to changenothing from this moment on in
(09:48):
your life, your muscles wouldatrophy, they would decay, and
the gray matter in your brain itwould grow and your grip on
life and relationships wouldbegin to dissolve it would be
disastrous, it would be horrible.
We don't want to be that way.
We don't want you guys to bethat way.
Dawn Rosinger (10:07):
You know, when you were talking about that, I
quickly got a picture in my mind.
The first time that I wasintroduced or I saw atrophy in a
person when I first one of myfirst job shares, I worked in a
nursing home.
I was a certified nursingassistant.
Travis Rosinger (10:20):
You did yeah.
Dawn Rosinger (10:20):
And I worked with elderly in geriatrics and some
of the wards that were a littlebit tougher and people were
nearing the end of their life,and after a person doesn't move
for a while, their bodyexperiences atrophy where they
can't move their fingers ortheir legs, and so we're rolling
them over in bed, we're makingsure that their range of motion
on their wrists and on theirelbows and their arms they're
(10:44):
moving, because otherwise theyget to a point where they
literally just can't move.
So that's the physical picturethat I had of atrophy, just as a
17-year-old, as I'm working ina nursing home.
Travis Rosinger (10:53):
Yeah, and just for the record, you weren't a
certified nurse's assistant, youwere a certified angel like
doing that and helping peoplelike that.
That's incredible, but that'slike one of the worst forms of
atrophy and people end up withbed sores because they're not
moving and it's it literally iskilling them.
Dawn Rosinger (11:09):
Yeah, so that is a physical picture that I get
when I think of the word atrophy, just because that's what I saw
.
Well, what really is atrophy?
Well, according to the OxfordLanguages Dictionary, atrophy
means gradually decline ineffectiveness or vigor due to
underuse or neglect.
So, for example, her autisticskills atrophy from lack of use.
(11:32):
So they didn't use the skills,they became underused.
They were ineffective.
Well, Miriam Webster'sdictionary says what can atrophy
?
So here we know what atrophy is.
But what can atrophy?
Well, from its literal Greekroots, atrophy would mean
basically lack of nourishment.
Although the English worddoesn't usually imply any lack
of food, it always refers to awasting away.
(11:55):
Those who have been maybebedridden for a period of time,
like I saw in the nursing home,will notice that their muscles
have atrophy.
We also use atrophy in a muchmore general sense, like after
being out of work for a fewyears, you may find your work
skills have atrified.
Someone who's been living in anisolated life may discover the
same thing about his or hersocial skills.
(12:16):
And a democracy can atrify whenits citizens cease to pay
attention to how they're being.
I keep thinking of atrophies inmy own life Like.
honestly, I was an amazing freethrow shooter in basketball but
the more I don't practice or I'mat that free throw line.
I have to practice more andmore because, the skill becomes
(12:37):
ineffective.
It's not the exact same.
Travis Rosinger (12:38):
You're still very good, you still have a
great shot.
But you're right, it's muchmore diminished and that word
atrophied.
When you were reading that Donfrom Miriam Webster's dictionary
I just thought of petrified.
Like wood that's supple canbend in the wind, it could be
burned, turns into a rock and itbecomes kind of useless.
You can't build a house withthat rock, like you could with
(13:02):
the wood.
Dawn Rosinger (13:02):
Yeah, if you honestly, if you just think of
school, what we learned inchemistry or algebra or
trigonometry, any of thoseskills, if you don't use them
constantly, you're gonna forgetthem.
You're not gonna remember whatyou were taught.
Well, why is atrophy a problem?
Why should we focus on it andwhy should we even care if this
(13:22):
happens?
You know what?
At the recording of thisepisode, this is the beginning
of a new year, right?
So we're thinking so many peoplelike oh, new year, new me, new
you, whatever.
What can we do different inthis year?
So I think that's why we'reactually thinking about this a
little bit more.
Why would it matter if youthink to yourself that it's a
(13:42):
new year and you don't need toimprove anything?
It wouldn't matter then no, itwouldn't.
Travis Rosinger (13:47):
But be like, I'm gonna sit here on the couch
and do nothing, right?
Dawn Rosinger (13:50):
yes, but I love that it's a brand new year,
because right away I'm like ohman, what can we do different
this year?
Travis Rosinger (13:56):
Yeah, and what you just said, Don, it made me
think of back when our kids werejust little babies and they
took their first step.
And when they took that firststep you remember, Don, they're
hanging onto the coffee tableand they're wanting to kind of
walk across the room and theybegan to take that first step.
That's when they began toexperience a powerful new force
(14:17):
in their lives, a thing calledmomentum.
And that momentum, that forwardmovement, it allowed them to
grow, to stay lean and to getstronger in a plethora of arenas
within our kids' lives.
But atrophy in all theimportant areas of life is
really opposite of that.
It's really like a slow death.
It's not momentum, it's again.
(14:38):
It's just sitting and doingnothing.
And so it's like kind offinding the fountain of youth,
but instead finding the fountainof death.
Right, yeah, and then you'redrinking gallons upon gallons of
its lethal toxins.
Atrophy is dangerous and it'sopposite of what our little kids
experienced when they firsttook that baby step.
Dawn Rosinger (14:58):
I appreciate what Eleanor Roosevelt said.
She said unused ability, likeunused muscles, will atrophy
Like.
That's so true.
I mean, it's not even justphysically.
What are we not using If it'sunused ability, if it's our
talents, our skills, it'sphysically.
What is it that we're not using?
It will atrophy eventually.
Travis Rosinger (15:17):
Yeah.
So take, for instance, just aphysical loss of momentum and
what it can do to your body.
Obviously, atrophy can be inall sorts of different areas,
but again, physically, just stopmoving and keep eating and what
will happen?
Well, the results arecatastrophic.
According to Harvard UniversitySchool of Public Health and
this is pretty recent.
(15:37):
Here's what they write Americanobesity rates have hit a
plateau.
The CDC suggests.
They're quoting the CDC andtheir title is of their article
is good news, obesity rates areleveling off.
Now Harvard goes on to write.
But those optimistic headlinestell only part of the story.
(15:57):
While, yes, us obesity rateshave, overall, stayed steady
since 2003, they have more thandoubled since 1980.
They remain worry-summily high,the highest among all of the
income high income countries inthe world.
So they go on to say a closerlook at the US numbers in adults
(16:19):
, here's what they say roughlytwo out of three US adults are
overweight or obese, so that's70%.
And then they say one out ofthree are obese or 36%.
And then, lastly, they said ifUS trends continue unabated,
this I thought was crazy, blewmy mind.
It says if everything stays thesame, by 2030, estimates
(16:43):
predict that roughly half of allmen and women will be obese.
Why do we bring that up?
Well, don't move physically,just keep eating and don't move.
And that's where at least theUnited States society, that's
where we're headed.
So, again, the beginning of ayear is a perfect time to pause
just for a brief few momentsthat's why we're doing it on
(17:05):
this episode and to just ask thequestion what needs to change
in me?
Not what needs to change in myneighbors or my family members
or my coworkers, or even whatneeds to change in my spouse,
but instead it's time to askwhat needs to change.
And me, where have I lostmomentum, even if they're little
baby step momentums, but I'vestopped taking steps?
(17:27):
Or where am I starting toexperience atrophy?
That's why we've titled thisepisode Change Nothing, lose
Everything, and that's whatatrophy does.
And that's why we need thatpowerful force called momentum.
We need to keep moving, or getup and start moving.
It is really important.
Dawn Rosinger (17:47):
Yep, and not only is it important individually,
it's important as a couple.
It's important in your marriageto make sure that there's
certain things in your life thataren't suffering from atrophy.
Travis Rosinger (17:56):
Yeah, so you and I Don recently and maybe we
talked about it on our podcasthere, but we need to talk about
it again we watched a reallygreat series on Netflix and it
was called the Secrets of theBlue Zone.
Dawn Rosinger (18:10):
Let's do 100.
Travis Rosinger (18:11):
Yes, that's what it was called.
We'll fill everybody in.
What didn't the people inOkinawa, what didn't they have
in their living room?
Dawn Rosinger (18:18):
It was interesting.
There's just five differentblue zones around the world and
they were studying Okinawa,Japan, and one thing that they
don't have is they don't havecouches or chairs that they sit
on like we do here in America,not quite as often.
They always sit on the floor,If you think about even their
dining room tables.
If you've ever been to anothercountry, or even some Japanese
(18:40):
restaurant, sometimes thetable's almost on the floor and
you sit on the floor on a pillow.
It's just fascinating to me thatthe reason when they started to
study these people, theirmobility, was incredible.
Travis Rosinger (18:54):
Insane.
Dawn Rosinger (18:55):
They were so mobile because they're balanced.
In order to get up and down offthe floor, you have to have
good balance, you have to bevery flexible, and this helped
them.
It helped strengthen their coreof who they are, their bodies,
and so just that strength helpedthem to live to over 100.
Travis Rosinger (19:11):
Yeah, and that might be why they don't wear
shoes in their house ever inthat culture, because the floor
is their furniture.
You'd be walking with yourshoes on top of their furniture
and, yeah, their strong100-year-olds will be on the
floor and they get up likenothing, like they're 15.
It's like, how did they do this?
Because a couch?
Ultimately, no one ever told usthis.
(19:32):
Yeah, it's comfortable, butit's a crotch.
Dawn Rosinger (19:33):
It is yes.
Travis Rosinger (19:34):
Doesn't help us .
Dawn Rosinger (19:35):
It's funny because now we've been sitting
on the floor quite a bit more,I'm like here we'll just sit on
the floor.
Why do we have to have thischair here?
Well, you guys, we believe inthe power of momentum and in the
dangers of atrophy, so muchthat we, honestly, are
constantly asking ourselves whatneeds to change in me,
constantly evaluating, sometimesalmost over-evaluating, but
(19:57):
what are the things that need tochange in me?
Or what things need to changein our marriage?
And there's been some changesthat we've made just in the past
one to two years, and we're bigpeople in the goals, so this is
not something that's new to us.
But even in the last one to twoyears, there's a couple of
things that I know I'vepersonally changed, probably
because last year I hadpneumonia.
I went to the hospital andthey're like you need to drink
(20:18):
more water.
So I have been drinking all mywater in the morning and
throughout the day, but before Ieven pick up a cup of coffee,
I'm just trying to hydratemyself, my sleep.
I'm a morning person and I'm anight person which can be
dangerous.
So I feel like maybe I wasn'tgetting adequate sleep, but I
know I need seven to eight hoursof sleep a night, so that's
(20:39):
been more intentional,consistent daily Bible reading
in prayer.
I've always spent time readingGod's Word in prayer, but
consistently, every single day.
I don't want to have a daywhere I miss it, I just want it.
And then daily movement.
You know me, charles, I getcranky if I'm stuck in the house
or if I'm not moving or I'vehad an exercise.
I'm kind of, you know, get alittle bit cranky.
(21:00):
So just the daily movement,because I know that I need it.
I'm always evaluating how fullmy bucket is, like am I missing
certain areas or am I filling upmy bucket with what I know I
need?
Travis Rosinger (21:11):
I know, and I look at the last year and, by
the way, you've made someincredible improvements.
I look at last year and I'm thesame thing.
We got sick at the same timeand back in January of last year
and I was like I need to drinkmore water as well.
So I got this app called ThirstIck, thirst Icy, and I've used
it religiously every single dayand, man, I'm drinking like 85
(21:34):
to 120 ounces of pure water aday, not to mention tons of
other liquids.
I know for me this last yeartoo, just even a deeper
spiritual renewal, and I hadatrophy to a degree spiritually,
and so I just God.
God allowed me to come to lifeand gave me new momentum.
I've been studying a foreignlanguage.
I've probably talked about thisway too much.
(21:55):
I know I have with you, don.
I am passionate about learningthe Swedish language.
Dawn Rosinger (22:00):
I'm addicted to it.
Travis Rosinger (22:01):
It's fun, but my brain I realized my brain
possibly was atrophine, and soI'm like I don't want my brain
to turn into a petrified pieceof rock.
I want it to be, you know, thatneuroplasticity and be growing
and getting stronger, and so I'mloving it.
I learned over 500 wordsalready, but also just even
sending a daily text to you, asoften as I can Don, to thank God
(22:24):
for my different portions of mylife, or to thank you, or to
thank you know just all that Godis doing in me as a person.
So those are some dailydisciplines I've added in my
life for the last year.
Dawn Rosinger (22:37):
Well, I know this is a saying that you've
probably heard us talk aboutbefore, but it's so true.
We always say when you work onyou, you work on too, and there
isn't a marriage on the planetthat can stay healthy if one or
both the people in itindividually have allowed
themselves to slip into atrophy.
Marriage it needs that momentum, just like all the other areas
(22:58):
of our life.
So how strong is your marriagemuscle?
Do you lift heavy emotionalweights and work through the
difficult elements of a marriagerelationship on a regular basis
?
Or maybe have you allowed youremotional muscles to atrophy?
How strong is your personalheart?
You know your passion forliving the life that God has
given you.
Are you a driven, disciplinedperson who knows that every
(23:20):
little step or action you takebuilds you into the kind of
person that you want to becomeor that you will become?
A few years down the road, godhas so much more for you this
year and in the coming years,but can you stop and say you
know what?
Do you really believe that?
Do you believe that God has more, or maybe have you lost your
wonder, and maybe you're sittingaround most days doing nothing
(23:42):
except wondering why God put youhere.
Travis Rosinger (23:45):
Yeah, those are great points and I would echo
that, don, too.
You know God has so much morefor us in this year, for those
of you that are listening.
And how do we know that?
Well, because Jesus alwayscalls us higher.
Jesus didn't come to this earthand learn the skill you know to
become a carpenter, to buildcouches for everyone in the
world, so that we wouldn't haveto get up off the floor or do
(24:06):
anything.
No, he came to challenge us, togrow us and to expect us to
produce results based on thetalents and the gifts that he's
given us.
And we know that because of,again, this, this parable of the
talent, or the coins, the bagsof coins.
Jesus tells this story.
He gives out three bags, orthree coins, sets of coins, to
three different people and twoof them end up going and
(24:30):
doubling what he had given them.
And but then the third person.
So many of you know this story.
But the third person ends upnot doubling that money.
He doesn't invest it, hedoesn't even put it, you know,
on a bank to get it safeinterest.
He played it safe, he didnothing right, do nothing, lose
everything.
And so he buried that talent,that bag, in the ground.
(24:53):
And here's what Jesus says.
Jesus says this as he tells thisstory in verse 26 of Matthew 25
.
And he says but the masterreplied you, wicked and lazy
servant, if you knew, I hadharvested crops I didn't plant
and gathered crops I didn'tcultivate.
Why didn't you deposit my moneyin the bank?
At least I would have gottensome interest on it.
Then he ordered take the moneyfrom this servant and give it to
(25:16):
the one with the 10 bags ofsilver.
To those who use well what theyare given, even more will be
given and they will have anabundance.
But from those who do nothing,even what they have will be
taken away.
Now throw this useless servantinto outer darkness.
Will there be weeping andgnashing of teeth?
Dawn Rosinger (25:34):
Wow, that's crazy .
That's seems a little harsh ashe was playing it safe, but man
that is definitely Jesus hassomething for all of us and he
wants to make sure that we'reusing our gifts and our talents
and not just burying them andnot actually going through
atrophy.
Travis Rosinger (25:49):
I know.
I mean, what's the moral ofthis story?
This man gives you know, thisbusinessman gives these three
people a momentum.
He gives them coins to be ableto do something with it in their
lives or talents.
He goes away on a trip and hecomes back and when he comes
back, they did.
This guy did nothing.
This is brutal.
I mean, what does Jesus callthis guy who buries the talents
(26:10):
or the coins?
He calls them a wicked lazyservant, because he did nothing
and that's why he losteverything.
That's why Jesus said takewhatever he's been given and
take it away from him and giveit to the ones that did
something with it.
Wow, Crazy, Isn't that wildRight?
Dawn Rosinger (26:29):
That's honestly, that is crazy.
I think of this story veryoften and I think we've thought
about this in the past in ourown lives, like we are pastors
and that's what we do, you know,with our jobs, our careers, but
there's times that we know thatwe need to serve and we need to
do other things outside of thechurch.
God has given us talents andhe's given us abilities and we
(26:49):
got to make sure that we'regiving, you know, everything and
using our talents and using ourabilities.
Travis Rosinger (26:53):
Can't bury them , no.
Dawn Rosinger (26:55):
And outside of the church, outside of what
we're not getting paid to do, Iknow, I just even think of just
this loving the fight, ourpodcasts, you know, the
conferences and stuff that wespeak at.
It's because we want to use agift and a talent we feel like
God's given us you know, anywisdom or knowledge that we've
learned from marriage to go outand just encourage people with
it.
But that's what we want to makesure that we're not, you know,
(27:15):
burying a gift and talent.
So that's why we do even dothis every week.
We, you know, make sure thatwe're writing, you know, a
podcast, or make sure that we'repracticing and we're ready,
because we don't want to burywhat God's given us.
Travis Rosinger (27:26):
Yeah, we want to do something, we want to make
decisions and, again, justcontinue to take advantage of
that momentum, absolutely.
Dawn Rosinger (27:33):
You know.
So how will you take advantageof the momentum that God has
given you this year?
Again, we're at the beginningof a year, fresh start to a
certain they feel so great.
Well, there's so manychallenges that we can have, and
I just wanted to go throughsome of several challenges for
us all.
First is just decide today howyou will use the momentum that
God has given you.
There's momentum in your life.
(27:54):
Everybody is born with giftsand talents.
How are you going to use that,what God has given you?
Make a plan of one simple step,just one that you can take in
each of the most important areasof your life.
So spiritually, mentally,physically, emotionally,
relationally.
How can you make one simplestep in each of those areas?
(28:14):
I think we need to make surethat we're drowning our excuses
in the fountain of death.
Let your excuses experienceafter.
Travis Rosinger (28:22):
Yeah, kill them .
Dawn Rosinger (28:23):
Yeah, don't be like well, I can't do this
because of that.
No, like, don't allow yourexcuses to win.
Travis Rosinger (28:28):
Make a rule no excuses are allowed to live in
my home, my mind, my heart, anylonger I think it's important to
identify habits and attitudesthat bring atrophy to you and
banish them from your life.
Dawn Rosinger (28:41):
Honestly, if you all of a sudden are like,
addicted to Netflix and you'rejust sitting on the couch
watching something over and overand over again, maybe you need
to get rid of that.
Maybe Netflix should not be apart of your life if it's making
you physically not move or useyour brain or go ahead Unless
you're watching the secrets ofthe blue zones out of lived to
100.
That's a great one to watch, butif we did that every single day
(29:04):
, that would be a problem and,honestly, the next thing is just
turn down the volume of societyin your ears and in your mind.
Make sure it's God's voice thatis the loudest.
How can you do that?
Yeah, reading God's word,spending time in prayer and
listening and making sure thathis voice is the loudest voice.
Travis Rosinger (29:22):
And I know for me in this last year I just
stopped reading the news so muchI read it maybe five minutes a
day where I used to read it likean hour a day.
I've just stopped doing it andit's helped.
Dawn Rosinger (29:31):
Right.
You know, I think it's soimportant when we are wanting to
hey advance our life in any wayor kind of have momentum or get
momentum going, is to be aroundpeople who are motivated people
, people who are using the giftsand the talents and using it
for God's glory, but not buryingthem.
So find those people that areliving with momentum and begin
to follow their balanced exampleand honestly.
(29:54):
Lastly, but probably the mostimportant, is pray and ask God
to reveal to you how he wantsyou to change.
So just take the time to stopand to listen and say God, what
do you want from me?
Travis Rosinger (30:04):
Yeah, and you know, don, the one example that
pops in my mind as we wind downthis episode is this the Wright
Brothers.
These were bicycle mechanics,two brothers in the early 1900s
in the United States of America,and they had a dream to use the
momentum, the forward movementof a bike, pedaling a bike, to
(30:25):
fly, and they did at one pointget an airplane to lift off the
ground, and it was only for afew seconds, but they were the
ones that were able to invent,essentially, an airplane or
flight.
And so, wow, what a greatexample.
You can do that for your life,for your marriage in 2024.
Dawn Rosinger (30:44):
Right, you can.
Travis Rosinger (30:44):
Get pedaling, get moving and watch your
marriage take off and soar,watch your life be used by God
in big ways.
Don't be the person that buriesyour talent.
You know what we don't want todo nothing and lose everything.
We want you to do what God'scalled you to do, and flourish.
Dawn Rosinger (31:01):
Yeah, I just think it's really important to
just stop and look at your lifeand say where have I allowed
atrophy to come in?
Is it spiritually?
Is it physically, relationally?
What are some areas where, likeman, I'm not moving forward,
I'm kind of stuck or I'm justdoing nothing.
And make sure that we bringthose areas back to life.
God has so much for you ifyou're willing to be used.
Travis Rosinger (31:25):
Yeah, it's time to really dig in and look at
your soul, look at your heartand make those changes Right.
Dawn Rosinger (31:31):
Well, we just want to thank you for listening
to this episode of the Lovingthe Fight Marriage Podcast.
Remember, you can do it.
You got this.
Keep loving the fight.
We'll see you next time, yeah.
Hey, welcome back to the loving the fight
marriage podcast.
My name is Dawn and I'm sittinghere with my husband and my
co-host, travis.
Travis Rosinger (00:19):
I'm right here, and so are you.
We're glad that you guys arejoining us.
Thanks for taking the time.
I think all of us just want ourlives, our marriages and our
relationship with Jesus to getbetter, so it's super fun to be
hanging out with you, dawn, andwith all of you guys that are
listening today.
Dawn Rosinger (00:37):
Well, hey, I just wanted to let you guys all know
that I just did something thathopefully will make Travis proud
of me this morning, and it isthat I'm on the edge of my seat.
What is it?
Well, you know I'm not thegreatest, you know, when it
comes to gifts.
It's not the greatest thingthat I don't receive gifts super
well, but I don't give giftssuper well, it's just not.
I want time and words orwhatever, but I was given a gift
(00:59):
this last May.
Travis Rosinger (01:00):
You were.
Dawn Rosinger (01:01):
Yes, I think I know where this is going, so six
months ago and I just opened itlike, took it out of the box
and I'm charging it.
Travis Rosinger (01:08):
Yeah, it's like brand new in the box for like
eight months and it's a reallyreally nice, it's a modern day
and I watch and I have one thatI had.
Dawn Rosinger (01:18):
you know what version is?
Travis Rosinger (01:19):
this.
I don't know it's one of theearlier versions, but it's all
scratched and beat up the band's, but it works great.
Dawn Rosinger (01:26):
So you and the kids were so kind and bought me
a brand new one, because youknow which.
I like my watch and I'm veryconsistent with putting it on.
But I did.
I left it in the box because Ihad this one that was still
working, but I opened it up andit's charging right now up on.
Travis Rosinger (01:41):
That's it.
You made my year, I think,actually not my week, not my day
, but my year.
Yeah, you're going to use itand it was an expensive gift and
it looks beautiful.
It's brand new.
Dawn Rosinger (01:52):
I'm laughing because I opened it up and like
oh, it looks really nice,there's no scratches on it.
The band is in imperfectcondition and it looks really
nice.
Now my one that I'm wearingright now kind of looks junky.
Travis Rosinger (02:03):
So I'm excited, but anyway.
Dawn Rosinger (02:05):
So that was a highlight of my morning, beyond
having an amazing fire up goingin the fireplace right now.
Oh, it's great.
Travis Rosinger (02:12):
It's our day off morning and so we get a
couple of these a week.
And yeah, I looked at you thismorning as we're sitting there
sipping our coffee and I lookedover at you and I said, hey, how
about a fire?
And so it built a ragingawesome fire and it's been
burning for hours.
And just nice to just sit andbe comfortable and enjoy life.
Dawn Rosinger (02:31):
Well, this week was your week to pick where we
go on our date.
We typically go on dates orWednesdays or Thursdays, and we
try to switch off weeks.
Who picks what?
And so this week, thisWednesday night, which is the
last work day of our week,because we work, you know,
saturday through Wednesday.
Travis Rosinger (02:48):
It's our Friday night.
It is our Friday night, yeah.
Dawn Rosinger (02:50):
You picked and we came home.
We actually just ate in becausewe didn't want to eat out,
because we wanted to save someof our calories, because we went
to a movie, and we have thisbucket that we bought for $25
and every time we bring it backwe get a refill.
So it was a good bargain, but weknew that we were going to
consume a lot of calories andfill us up on popcorn, but we
went to a really good movie andI just want to give a shout out
(03:12):
to the movie.
It was called the Boys in theBoat and it was a movie about
the Washington state, the rowingteam and how they made it to
the Olympics in Berlin 1936,.
Travis Rosinger (03:24):
I believe yeah.
Dawn Rosinger (03:25):
Well, they were the underdogs and, honestly,
even just financially, they werethe underdogs.
Most of the kids that made thatteam that year financially
struggled and were in hard timesand they just worked hard.
They were determined and theyended up making it all the way
to the Olympics.
It's funny because it was theJV boat that actually made it.
It wasn't even the varsity boat, isn't that?
Travis Rosinger (03:46):
incredible.
Yeah, they ended up winning thenational championship, I think,
and then ended up going to theOlympics.
But you're right, they were notonly underdogs from their state
, from their school, but theywere below the varsity team.
So crazy, crazy story ofperseverance, hard work, super
inspiring.
What a great day, veryinspiring.
I picked well, didn't I?
(04:07):
Don?
Dawn Rosinger (04:08):
And I love it when I can watch a movie that's
real, that actually happened,but then also is inspiring.
And they were underdogs.
And you know me, Travis, I havethis thing I'm always cheering
for the underdog.
I want to always make sure thatwe are.
I mean, there are times in ourlife that we have been on
underdog right.
Travis Rosinger (04:24):
Oh, for sure.
Dawn Rosinger (04:25):
And so be able to take the energy and try really
hard and see people succeed Justphenomenal.
So I recommend that movie again.
It's called the Boys in theBoat.
Travis Rosinger (04:33):
Yeah, we loved it.
That was so cool, and in themiddle of it there's a love
story.
So that's kind of fun as well,and we don't want to ruin and
spoil the movie, but you got towatch it.
It's real life.
Yeah, it happened.
Yeah, and that movie is a greatsegue into the topic that we're
going to be talking about today, because those students who are
in the depression era, you knowwhere they had absolutely
(04:54):
nothing and they're trying toscrape together money to pay
their own way not their moms anddads or you know some kind of
rich foundation that theirgrandfather had left for them,
but they were trying to paytheir own way through college
and they jumped on.
They made the decision to jumponto the rowing team because
they could get a free place tolive and a little bit of money
in their pocket.
So they could pay for theircollege, survive and pay for
(05:15):
their college, and so that justreminds me of an experience that
took place in my life.
Don you know this well, butthose of you that are listening
may not have ever heard this.
But when I started out, you andI, we did things a little bit
backwards.
We got married, bought a house,had a kid and then I went to
college.
Dawn Rosinger (05:31):
Yeah, a little backwards, yeah, very backwards.
It could have been easier.
Travis Rosinger (05:35):
It could have been a lot easier.
I went to college for two years.
They were amazing.
I loved it.
It was incredible but kind of awild story.
But the vice president ofacademic affairs at that time at
the college just came up to meone day and said, travis, you
need to get out there and be afull-time pastor.
And you could just, you canjust finish this.
You know through virtually oryou know through the mail or
(05:55):
whatever.
And so I took him up on it.
I jumped into full-timeministry.
I hired at a church, but Inever took it as his advice to
continue my education while Iwas working as a pastor.
Dawn Rosinger (06:07):
We were really busy with ministry.
Actually, and honestly,financially, college costs
something too.
So there was a couple ofreasons that you didn't jump
back in right away.
Yeah, yeah, and we had anotherkid and life was going great Got
busier.
Travis Rosinger (06:20):
And ministry was going great, we were having
a blast.
But I think about 10 yearslater is when I had to.
I thought, okay, this is mywindow, but if I don't go back
to college to finish myfour-year degree, I don't know
when I'm going to do it.
And it meant that I'm you know,I'm the senior pastor of a
church, I'm working a lot ofhours and you know we had a
(06:41):
bigger house and our kids weregetting older.
We're like, oh, we need to getthis done while they're still
somewhat young.
And so it was, in that moment,somewhat call me a college
dropout.
I wasn't, I don't think,because I just hadn't finished
it yet.
Maybe I was a college pauser orprocrastinator, yeah.
But anyway, it was in thatmoment that kind of like the
(07:01):
boys in the boat, they made adecision to jump on the road to
him.
It was in that moment I made adecision to, you know, in the
middle of a crazy busy life, togo back to college.
And so I went back to college,paid the money, you mowed the
lawn, I mean it was crazy.
And and I knocked out two yearsof school, got my bachelor's
degree, and then I thought tomyself, Don, why don't we just
(07:23):
keep going?
And then I knocked out mymaster's degree, and so that was
a good season.
Dawn Rosinger (07:28):
Right Caterpulted us in ministry a little bit and
just in life, something thatwas a huge personal goal, but it
also helped us in our careermoving forward a little bit yeah
.
Travis Rosinger (07:37):
Yeah, but that required change and it required
a decision.
So just kind of thinking aboutthat a little bit today.
I mean, what if?
How about you, those of youthat are listening?
I mean, what if you made adecision to never change?
What if I had made a decisionto never go back to college?
And so what if you decided to,you know for your life, as
you're listening to this podcast, what if you decided to learn
(07:59):
nothing new, to move less, toburn less calories and to stop
challenging yourself with newexperiences that provide
resistance, either physically,mentally, spiritually or
emotionally?
And here's kind of what I'mgetting at.
I mean, what if you woke uptomorrow and you just said, hey,
I'm going to sit here, right,right here on the couch and do
(08:20):
nothing for the rest of my life,and maybe you even move a
refrigerator right over next tothe couch so you don't even have
to get up to go to therefrigerator?
I mean, what would happen toyour life, down to my life, to
those of you that are listening,if we decided not to change, if
we made a wrong decision?
to do nothing.
Well, here's what would happen.
You would begin to experience aphenomenon that I think very
(08:42):
few people talk about.
You would start to experience amental, emotional and spiritual
, and really even a physical,wasting away.
So what would happen?
What if you made a decision tonever change anything again,
even worse, to do nothing withyour life?
You would, of course, getweaker in every area of your
(09:04):
life.
Why?
Because humans and human bodieswere meant to be challenged.
We're talking about hitting thegas pedal, giving opportunities
to get tired and wore out.
We were meant to be, you know,to feel defeated and expend all
of our energy, so that, when weget to the end of our day and we
lay our head down on the pillowat night, we collapse, we fall
(09:26):
asleep.
That's the way that God builtus.
He intended for us to live, andso maybe, as you're listening
to this, you probably figuredout by now that we're talking
about an attribute, one that isnot a good quality.
It's a thing called atrophy.
If you were to suddenly do whatI had and mentioned, and decide
to do nothing, to changenothing from this moment on in
(09:48):
your life, your muscles wouldatrophy, they would decay, and
the gray matter in your brain itwould grow and your grip on
life and relationships wouldbegin to dissolve it would be
disastrous, it would be horrible.
We don't want to be that way.
We don't want you guys to bethat way.
Dawn Rosinger (10:07):
You know, when you were talking about that, I
quickly got a picture in my mind.
The first time that I wasintroduced or I saw atrophy in a
person when I first one of myfirst job shares, I worked in a
nursing home.
I was a certified nursingassistant.
Travis Rosinger (10:20):
You did yeah.
Dawn Rosinger (10:20):
And I worked with elderly in geriatrics and some
of the wards that were a littlebit tougher and people were
nearing the end of their life,and after a person doesn't move
for a while, their bodyexperiences atrophy where they
can't move their fingers ortheir legs, and so we're rolling
them over in bed, we're makingsure that their range of motion
on their wrists and on theirelbows and their arms they're
(10:44):
moving, because otherwise theyget to a point where they
literally just can't move.
So that's the physical picturethat I had of atrophy, just as a
17-year-old, as I'm working ina nursing home.
Travis Rosinger (10:53):
Yeah, and just for the record, you weren't a
certified nurse's assistant, youwere a certified angel like
doing that and helping peoplelike that.
That's incredible, but that'slike one of the worst forms of
atrophy and people end up withbed sores because they're not
moving and it's it literally iskilling them.
Dawn Rosinger (11:09):
Yeah, so that is a physical picture that I get
when I think of the word atrophy, just because that's what I saw
.
Well, what really is atrophy?
Well, according to the OxfordLanguages Dictionary, atrophy
means gradually decline ineffectiveness or vigor due to
underuse or neglect.
So, for example, her autisticskills atrophy from lack of use.
(11:32):
So they didn't use the skills,they became underused.
They were ineffective.
Well, Miriam Webster'sdictionary says what can atrophy
?
So here we know what atrophy is.
But what can atrophy?
Well, from its literal Greekroots, atrophy would mean
basically lack of nourishment.
Although the English worddoesn't usually imply any lack
of food, it always refers to awasting away.
(11:55):
Those who have been maybebedridden for a period of time,
like I saw in the nursing home,will notice that their muscles
have atrophy.
We also use atrophy in a muchmore general sense, like after
being out of work for a fewyears, you may find your work
skills have atrified.
Someone who's been living in anisolated life may discover the
same thing about his or hersocial skills.
(12:16):
And a democracy can atrify whenits citizens cease to pay
attention to how they're being.
I keep thinking of atrophies inmy own life Like.
honestly, I was an amazing freethrow shooter in basketball but
the more I don't practice or I'mat that free throw line.
I have to practice more andmore because, the skill becomes
(12:37):
ineffective.
It's not the exact same.
Travis Rosinger (12:38):
You're still very good, you still have a
great shot.
But you're right, it's muchmore diminished and that word
atrophied.
When you were reading that Donfrom Miriam Webster's dictionary
I just thought of petrified.
Like wood that's supple canbend in the wind, it could be
burned, turns into a rock and itbecomes kind of useless.
You can't build a house withthat rock, like you could with
(13:02):
the wood.
Dawn Rosinger (13:02):
Yeah, if you honestly, if you just think of
school, what we learned inchemistry or algebra or
trigonometry, any of thoseskills, if you don't use them
constantly, you're gonna forgetthem.
You're not gonna remember whatyou were taught.
Well, why is atrophy a problem?
Why should we focus on it andwhy should we even care if this
(13:22):
happens?
You know what?
At the recording of thisepisode, this is the beginning
of a new year, right?
So we're thinking so many peoplelike oh, new year, new me, new
you, whatever.
What can we do different inthis year?
So I think that's why we'reactually thinking about this a
little bit more.
Why would it matter if youthink to yourself that it's a
(13:42):
new year and you don't need toimprove anything?
It wouldn't matter then no, itwouldn't.
Travis Rosinger (13:47):
But be like, I'm gonna sit here on the couch
and do nothing, right?
Dawn Rosinger (13:50):
yes, but I love that it's a brand new year,
because right away I'm like ohman, what can we do different
this year?
Travis Rosinger (13:56):
Yeah, and what you just said, Don, it made me
think of back when our kids werejust little babies and they
took their first step.
And when they took that firststep you remember, Don, they're
hanging onto the coffee tableand they're wanting to kind of
walk across the room and theybegan to take that first step.
That's when they began toexperience a powerful new force
(14:17):
in their lives, a thing calledmomentum.
And that momentum, that forwardmovement, it allowed them to
grow, to stay lean and to getstronger in a plethora of arenas
within our kids' lives.
But atrophy in all theimportant areas of life is
really opposite of that.
It's really like a slow death.
It's not momentum, it's again.
(14:38):
It's just sitting and doingnothing.
And so it's like kind offinding the fountain of youth,
but instead finding the fountainof death.
Right, yeah, and then you'redrinking gallons upon gallons of
its lethal toxins.
Atrophy is dangerous and it'sopposite of what our little kids
experienced when they firsttook that baby step.
Dawn Rosinger (14:58):
I appreciate what Eleanor Roosevelt said.
She said unused ability, likeunused muscles, will atrophy
Like.
That's so true.
I mean, it's not even justphysically.
What are we not using If it'sunused ability, if it's our
talents, our skills, it'sphysically.
What is it that we're not using?
It will atrophy eventually.
Travis Rosinger (15:17):
Yeah.
So take, for instance, just aphysical loss of momentum and
what it can do to your body.
Obviously, atrophy can be inall sorts of different areas,
but again, physically, just stopmoving and keep eating and what
will happen?
Well, the results arecatastrophic.
According to Harvard UniversitySchool of Public Health and
this is pretty recent.
(15:37):
Here's what they write Americanobesity rates have hit a
plateau.
The CDC suggests.
They're quoting the CDC andtheir title is of their article
is good news, obesity rates areleveling off.
Now Harvard goes on to write.
But those optimistic headlinestell only part of the story.
(15:57):
While, yes, us obesity rateshave, overall, stayed steady
since 2003, they have more thandoubled since 1980.
They remain worry-summily high,the highest among all of the
income high income countries inthe world.
So they go on to say a closerlook at the US numbers in adults
(16:19):
, here's what they say roughlytwo out of three US adults are
overweight or obese, so that's70%.
And then they say one out ofthree are obese or 36%.
And then, lastly, they said ifUS trends continue unabated,
this I thought was crazy, blewmy mind.
It says if everything stays thesame, by 2030, estimates
(16:43):
predict that roughly half of allmen and women will be obese.
Why do we bring that up?
Well, don't move physically,just keep eating and don't move.
And that's where at least theUnited States society, that's
where we're headed.
So, again, the beginning of ayear is a perfect time to pause
just for a brief few momentsthat's why we're doing it on
(17:05):
this episode and to just ask thequestion what needs to change
in me?
Not what needs to change in myneighbors or my family members
or my coworkers, or even whatneeds to change in my spouse,
but instead it's time to askwhat needs to change.
And me, where have I lostmomentum, even if they're little
baby step momentums, but I'vestopped taking steps?
(17:27):
Or where am I starting toexperience atrophy?
That's why we've titled thisepisode Change Nothing, lose
Everything, and that's whatatrophy does.
And that's why we need thatpowerful force called momentum.
We need to keep moving, or getup and start moving.
It is really important.
Dawn Rosinger (17:47):
Yep, and not only is it important individually,
it's important as a couple.
It's important in your marriageto make sure that there's
certain things in your life thataren't suffering from atrophy.
Travis Rosinger (17:56):
Yeah, so you and I Don recently and maybe we
talked about it on our podcasthere, but we need to talk about
it again we watched a reallygreat series on Netflix and it
was called the Secrets of theBlue Zone.
Dawn Rosinger (18:10):
Let's do 100.
Travis Rosinger (18:11):
Yes, that's what it was called.
We'll fill everybody in.
What didn't the people inOkinawa, what didn't they have
in their living room?
Dawn Rosinger (18:18):
It was interesting.
There's just five differentblue zones around the world and
they were studying Okinawa,Japan, and one thing that they
don't have is they don't havecouches or chairs that they sit
on like we do here in America,not quite as often.
They always sit on the floor,If you think about even their
dining room tables.
If you've ever been to anothercountry, or even some Japanese
(18:40):
restaurant, sometimes thetable's almost on the floor and
you sit on the floor on a pillow.
It's just fascinating to me thatthe reason when they started to
study these people, theirmobility, was incredible.
Travis Rosinger (18:54):
Insane.
Dawn Rosinger (18:55):
They were so mobile because they're balanced.
In order to get up and down offthe floor, you have to have
good balance, you have to bevery flexible, and this helped
them.
It helped strengthen their coreof who they are, their bodies,
and so just that strength helpedthem to live to over 100.
Travis Rosinger (19:11):
Yeah, and that might be why they don't wear
shoes in their house ever inthat culture, because the floor
is their furniture.
You'd be walking with yourshoes on top of their furniture
and, yeah, their strong100-year-olds will be on the
floor and they get up likenothing, like they're 15.
It's like, how did they do this?
Because a couch?
Ultimately, no one ever told usthis.
(19:32):
Yeah, it's comfortable, butit's a crotch.
Dawn Rosinger (19:33):
It is yes.
Travis Rosinger (19:34):
Doesn't help us .
Dawn Rosinger (19:35):
It's funny because now we've been sitting
on the floor quite a bit more,I'm like here we'll just sit on
the floor.
Why do we have to have thischair here?
Well, you guys, we believe inthe power of momentum and in the
dangers of atrophy, so muchthat we, honestly, are
constantly asking ourselves whatneeds to change in me,
constantly evaluating, sometimesalmost over-evaluating, but
(19:57):
what are the things that need tochange in me?
Or what things need to changein our marriage?
And there's been some changesthat we've made just in the past
one to two years, and we're bigpeople in the goals, so this is
not something that's new to us.
But even in the last one to twoyears, there's a couple of
things that I know I'vepersonally changed, probably
because last year I hadpneumonia.
I went to the hospital andthey're like you need to drink
(20:18):
more water.
So I have been drinking all mywater in the morning and
throughout the day, but before Ieven pick up a cup of coffee,
I'm just trying to hydratemyself, my sleep.
I'm a morning person and I'm anight person which can be
dangerous.
So I feel like maybe I wasn'tgetting adequate sleep, but I
know I need seven to eight hoursof sleep a night, so that's
(20:39):
been more intentional,consistent daily Bible reading
in prayer.
I've always spent time readingGod's Word in prayer, but
consistently, every single day.
I don't want to have a daywhere I miss it, I just want it.
And then daily movement.
You know me, charles, I getcranky if I'm stuck in the house
or if I'm not moving or I'vehad an exercise.
I'm kind of, you know, get alittle bit cranky.
(21:00):
So just the daily movement,because I know that I need it.
I'm always evaluating how fullmy bucket is, like am I missing
certain areas or am I filling upmy bucket with what I know I
need?
Travis Rosinger (21:11):
I know, and I look at the last year and, by
the way, you've made someincredible improvements.
I look at last year and I'm thesame thing.
We got sick at the same timeand back in January of last year
and I was like I need to drinkmore water as well.
So I got this app called ThirstIck, thirst Icy, and I've used
it religiously every single dayand, man, I'm drinking like 85
(21:34):
to 120 ounces of pure water aday, not to mention tons of
other liquids.
I know for me this last yeartoo, just even a deeper
spiritual renewal, and I hadatrophy to a degree spiritually,
and so I just God.
God allowed me to come to lifeand gave me new momentum.
I've been studying a foreignlanguage.
I've probably talked about thisway too much.
(21:55):
I know I have with you, don.
I am passionate about learningthe Swedish language.
Dawn Rosinger (22:00):
I'm addicted to it.
Travis Rosinger (22:01):
It's fun, but my brain I realized my brain
possibly was atrophine, and soI'm like I don't want my brain
to turn into a petrified pieceof rock.
I want it to be, you know, thatneuroplasticity and be growing
and getting stronger, and so I'mloving it.
I learned over 500 wordsalready, but also just even
sending a daily text to you, asoften as I can Don, to thank God
(22:24):
for my different portions of mylife, or to thank you, or to
thank you know just all that Godis doing in me as a person.
So those are some dailydisciplines I've added in my
life for the last year.
Dawn Rosinger (22:37):
Well, I know this is a saying that you've
probably heard us talk aboutbefore, but it's so true.
We always say when you work onyou, you work on too, and there
isn't a marriage on the planetthat can stay healthy if one or
both the people in itindividually have allowed
themselves to slip into atrophy.
Marriage it needs that momentum, just like all the other areas
(22:58):
of our life.
So how strong is your marriagemuscle?
Do you lift heavy emotionalweights and work through the
difficult elements of a marriagerelationship on a regular basis
?
Or maybe have you allowed youremotional muscles to atrophy?
How strong is your personalheart?
You know your passion forliving the life that God has
given you.
Are you a driven, disciplinedperson who knows that every
(23:20):
little step or action you takebuilds you into the kind of
person that you want to becomeor that you will become?
A few years down the road, godhas so much more for you this
year and in the coming years,but can you stop and say you
know what?
Do you really believe that?
Do you believe that God has more, or maybe have you lost your
wonder, and maybe you're sittingaround most days doing nothing
(23:42):
except wondering why God put youhere.
Travis Rosinger (23:45):
Yeah, those are great points and I would echo
that, don, too.
You know God has so much morefor us in this year, for those
of you that are listening.
And how do we know that?
Well, because Jesus alwayscalls us higher.
Jesus didn't come to this earthand learn the skill you know to
become a carpenter, to buildcouches for everyone in the
world, so that we wouldn't haveto get up off the floor or do
(24:06):
anything.
No, he came to challenge us, togrow us and to expect us to
produce results based on thetalents and the gifts that he's
given us.
And we know that because of,again, this, this parable of the
talent, or the coins, the bagsof coins.
Jesus tells this story.
He gives out three bags, orthree coins, sets of coins, to
three different people and twoof them end up going and
(24:30):
doubling what he had given them.
And but then the third person.
So many of you know this story.
But the third person ends upnot doubling that money.
He doesn't invest it, hedoesn't even put it, you know,
on a bank to get it safeinterest.
He played it safe, he didnothing right, do nothing, lose
everything.
And so he buried that talent,that bag, in the ground.
(24:53):
And here's what Jesus says.
Jesus says this as he tells thisstory in verse 26 of Matthew 25
.
And he says but the masterreplied you, wicked and lazy
servant, if you knew, I hadharvested crops I didn't plant
and gathered crops I didn'tcultivate.
Why didn't you deposit my moneyin the bank?
At least I would have gottensome interest on it.
Then he ordered take the moneyfrom this servant and give it to
(25:16):
the one with the 10 bags ofsilver.
To those who use well what theyare given, even more will be
given and they will have anabundance.
But from those who do nothing,even what they have will be
taken away.
Now throw this useless servantinto outer darkness.
Will there be weeping andgnashing of teeth?
Dawn Rosinger (25:34):
Wow, that's crazy .
That's seems a little harsh ashe was playing it safe, but man
that is definitely Jesus hassomething for all of us and he
wants to make sure that we'reusing our gifts and our talents
and not just burying them andnot actually going through
atrophy.
Travis Rosinger (25:49):
I know.
I mean, what's the moral ofthis story?
This man gives you know, thisbusinessman gives these three
people a momentum.
He gives them coins to be ableto do something with it in their
lives or talents.
He goes away on a trip and hecomes back and when he comes
back, they did.
This guy did nothing.
This is brutal.
I mean, what does Jesus callthis guy who buries the talents
(26:10):
or the coins?
He calls them a wicked lazyservant, because he did nothing
and that's why he losteverything.
That's why Jesus said takewhatever he's been given and
take it away from him and giveit to the ones that did
something with it.
Wow, Crazy, Isn't that wildRight?
Dawn Rosinger (26:29):
That's honestly, that is crazy.
I think of this story veryoften and I think we've thought
about this in the past in ourown lives, like we are pastors
and that's what we do, you know,with our jobs, our careers, but
there's times that we know thatwe need to serve and we need to
do other things outside of thechurch.
God has given us talents andhe's given us abilities and we
(26:49):
got to make sure that we'regiving, you know, everything and
using our talents and using ourabilities.
Travis Rosinger (26:53):
Can't bury them , no.
Dawn Rosinger (26:55):
And outside of the church, outside of what
we're not getting paid to do, Iknow, I just even think of just
this loving the fight, ourpodcasts, you know, the
conferences and stuff that wespeak at.
It's because we want to use agift and a talent we feel like
God's given us you know, anywisdom or knowledge that we've
learned from marriage to go outand just encourage people with
it.
But that's what we want to makesure that we're not, you know,
(27:15):
burying a gift and talent.
So that's why we do even dothis every week.
We, you know, make sure thatwe're writing, you know, a
podcast, or make sure that we'repracticing and we're ready,
because we don't want to burywhat God's given us.
Travis Rosinger (27:26):
Yeah, we want to do something, we want to make
decisions and, again, justcontinue to take advantage of
that momentum, absolutely.
Dawn Rosinger (27:33):
You know.
So how will you take advantageof the momentum that God has
given you this year?
Again, we're at the beginningof a year, fresh start to a
certain they feel so great.
Well, there's so manychallenges that we can have, and
I just wanted to go throughsome of several challenges for
us all.
First is just decide today howyou will use the momentum that
God has given you.
There's momentum in your life.
(27:54):
Everybody is born with giftsand talents.
How are you going to use that,what God has given you?
Make a plan of one simple step,just one that you can take in
each of the most important areasof your life.
So spiritually, mentally,physically, emotionally,
relationally.
How can you make one simplestep in each of those areas?
(28:14):
I think we need to make surethat we're drowning our excuses
in the fountain of death.
Let your excuses experienceafter.
Travis Rosinger (28:22):
Yeah, kill them .
Dawn Rosinger (28:23):
Yeah, don't be like well, I can't do this
because of that.
No, like, don't allow yourexcuses to win.
Travis Rosinger (28:28):
Make a rule no excuses are allowed to live in
my home, my mind, my heart, anylonger I think it's important to
identify habits and attitudesthat bring atrophy to you and
banish them from your life.
Dawn Rosinger (28:41):
Honestly, if you all of a sudden are like,
addicted to Netflix and you'rejust sitting on the couch
watching something over and overand over again, maybe you need
to get rid of that.
Maybe Netflix should not be apart of your life if it's making
you physically not move or useyour brain or go ahead Unless
you're watching the secrets ofthe blue zones out of lived to
100.
That's a great one to watch, butif we did that every single day
(29:04):
, that would be a problem and,honestly, the next thing is just
turn down the volume of societyin your ears and in your mind.
Make sure it's God's voice thatis the loudest.
How can you do that?
Yeah, reading God's word,spending time in prayer and
listening and making sure thathis voice is the loudest voice.
Travis Rosinger (29:22):
And I know for me in this last year I just
stopped reading the news so muchI read it maybe five minutes a
day where I used to read it likean hour a day.
I've just stopped doing it andit's helped.
Dawn Rosinger (29:31):
Right.
You know, I think it's soimportant when we are wanting to
hey advance our life in any wayor kind of have momentum or get
momentum going, is to be aroundpeople who are motivated people
, people who are using the giftsand the talents and using it
for God's glory, but not buryingthem.
So find those people that areliving with momentum and begin
to follow their balanced exampleand honestly.
(29:54):
Lastly, but probably the mostimportant, is pray and ask God
to reveal to you how he wantsyou to change.
So just take the time to stopand to listen and say God, what
do you want from me?
Travis Rosinger (30:04):
Yeah, and you know, don, the one example that
pops in my mind as we wind downthis episode is this the Wright
Brothers.
These were bicycle mechanics,two brothers in the early 1900s
in the United States of America,and they had a dream to use the
momentum, the forward movementof a bike, pedaling a bike, to
(30:25):
fly, and they did at one pointget an airplane to lift off the
ground, and it was only for afew seconds, but they were the
ones that were able to invent,essentially, an airplane or
flight.
And so, wow, what a greatexample.
You can do that for your life,for your marriage in 2024.
Dawn Rosinger (30:44):
Right, you can.
Travis Rosinger (30:44):
Get pedaling, get moving and watch your
marriage take off and soar,watch your life be used by God
in big ways.
Don't be the person that buriesyour talent.
You know what we don't want todo nothing and lose everything.
We want you to do what God'scalled you to do, and flourish.
Dawn Rosinger (31:01):
Yeah, I just think it's really important to
just stop and look at your lifeand say where have I allowed
atrophy to come in?
Is it spiritually?
Is it physically, relationally?
What are some areas where, likeman, I'm not moving forward,
I'm kind of stuck or I'm justdoing nothing.
And make sure that we bringthose areas back to life.
God has so much for you ifyou're willing to be used.
Travis Rosinger (31:25):
Yeah, it's time to really dig in and look at
your soul, look at your heartand make those changes Right.
Dawn Rosinger (31:31):
Well, we just want to thank you for listening
to this episode of the Lovingthe Fight Marriage Podcast.
Remember, you can do it.
You got this.
Keep loving the fight.
We'll see you next time, yeah.
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