You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. This is the United States Champion. My first one. Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one long. Introducing Perse from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita.
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Now the devil's nightmare. Welcome back to another episode of It's Time to Man Up.
Well, hey, welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. I got a special guest with me today. This man is one of multiple talents, and that is not tongue-in-cheek.
We met a while back, actually, at a wrestling, or as we say here in the South, a wrestling event. And it was there. We had a mutual friend there by the name of Lodi. Wrestling, some of you may remember him from the late 90s, WCW days, Ravens flock. And so we just connected and had a great conversation, and one thing led to another.
We're going to dive more into his story today. Robbie Marsh, welcome to the Man Up Show. Thank you, sir. Thank you.
Well, great to have you with us today, Robbie. And now, we got you, you're here in the Carolinas, right? Tell us, take a minute, just tell us about where you're living, give us a little insight into your family, and then we'll talk about what's kind of keeping you busy as well.
Well, I'm like I said, I'm in the Carolinas, I'm in Mayberry Country, which is we refer to it up here or Mount Erie, North Carolina.
So if you go out anywhere and everybody say, well, Mount Erie, where's that at? Mayberry. Oh, yeah, yeah, I know where that's at. Yeah. And for those who maybe aren't old enough to know, right, the old Andy Griffith show, right?
Ant B. I don't want to get sidetracked here, but isn't there like an Ant B restaurant or something still up there or whatever? There is. There's an Ant B's restaurant. But we're famous for being the hometown of Andy Griffith, even though he doesn't claim that.
But this is where he grew up.
So he literally grew up there, right? He literally grew up here until he went off to college. And I think, I'm not mistaken, he went to UNC and dabbled in acting. In music. And that's where he picks his talent.
So I wonder if, because I've never researched this. I wonder then if the inspiration of the show, because obviously they talk about Raleigh and the show, you know, making that once-a-month trip or whatever over to Raleigh or go, you know, or you hear Mount Airy and all that.
So I wonder if that, because he grew up there, that became part of the inspiration of the show. Any idea? Do you know or no, or you don't? The story around here is that no, that has not got nothing to do with the show. The show is that fiction.
The town of Mayberry is that fictional town made up clearly in the. uh studios of California, but uh It does have a lot of references to Mount Pilot, which is Pilot Mountain, Raleigh, then the And uh Salisbury and other places around here.
So I think he did draw from his hometown a little bit. Dad to the show? Do you know to be the Southern Boys from a small town in North Carolina? Yeah. Yeah, which which growing up was actually one of my favorite, you know, some of the some of the practical, you might say the life lessons.
You couldn't watch one of those shows without there being a concrete life lesson in there for little Opie, right? Yeah, always.
Some of the different stuff he got himself, mischief or things he got himself involved in, right? And just that whole, that whole, the whole approach. And so you're up there.
So you have family up there in the Mount Airy area. Yep. I have a actually I'm I've got My my wife, me and her been married uh this coming August will be thirty seven years. Thirty seven wow, congratulations on that, by the wow. Thank you, thank you.
That's amazing. And her your bride's name is Lisa? Cool, Lisa. And so thirty-seven years of marriage and and how'd you guys meet? Robbie.
Oh, that's a beautiful story. We were in high school. Give us a story. We were in high school. Okay.
High school Schmidt. Exactly. Yep. Maybe we were we were.
Okay. So We from different parts of the county and the county come together in one high school, and we met towards the end of our 10th grade year. Me and a couple of guys have picked uh flirting with some girls down At our school, at the school, and after school one day, and the story goes, we were. at them and they got behind us and one of the girls picked up a rock and threw it, hit me in the back of the head. Did this happen to be Lisa?
At the time, she blamed it on another girl because she liked me and she didn't want to take the.
So she blamed it on the other girl, and if it for the first five years of her marriage, I thought the other girl did it, and she finally came out clean.
So she really did, like, wow, that's pretty good. I mean, she should have been a softball or something. I mean, that's pretty good. She picked up a rock and hits you in the head with a rock. Exactly.
I was like, I guess she's just trying to get my attention. She knew it was hard-headed.
Well, uh and but blame the other girl, but then after five years, she finally came clean. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, it's been a good marriage. Oh, my gosh, though. What a great story, dude.
Okay. How'd you guys meet? Yeah, my wife hit me in the head with a rock. There you go. You could just start out with that.
You just get somebody's attention with that. Yeah, my wife hit me in the head with a rock. You're like, wait, what? What?
So 37 years later, and children? Three kids. And seven grandkids. Three and seven.
Okay. Three.
Well, tell tell tell us quickly about your children. Yeah. I have a son who is who will be thirty six he's thirty six now. We wasn't married we was married almost a year before we had him and then We've had kids that grew up. We kind of grew up with them.
So she's 36. I've got a daughter that's 33. And one is twenty Uh she was born in 99, so she's twenty five. She'll be twenty si she'll be twenty six in June.
Now, who and who's got all the grandkids? Who's yeah, who's providing you all those grandkids? My son's got four and my middle daughter, she's got three. But my son, he he got three girls and he had to keep going till he got that boy.
So he got his boy. What what would have happened if he got another girl? I guess he would have kept going, huh? He said he said he was through.
So okay. All right.
Well, seven grandkids, those th aren't they such a blessing, Robbie? They are. That's that's that's the joy of my life. And I just recently, recently, I got you times two. I just recently had grandchild number 13 and 14 come on the scene.
Yeah. And it's split evenly, believe it or not. Seven and seven. What?
Mine or uh Four and three. Four girls, three boys. My daughter's got two boys and a girl. Nice. And uh now do they all kind of live around you guys?
Are they close by? Yeah. We all live in a very We all get to each other. We got together yesterday for Mother's Day and had a dinner, so it was good good for. Uh my wife, she enjoyed having all of them with her.
Okay, so you guys uh try to on a regular basis get get together. Yeah, yeah. Okay. All right.
And so. And I know you're out there out there you're a marketplace guy, right? Yeah. You're out there work working, uh, working, buil building trucks and doing electric work and that sort of thing. Yeah.
Yeah, but I work uh at a company tone altitude. We build a Bucket trucks for companies like power companies, cable companies, and any kind of truck. Anytime you see a truck go down the road, it's got the big letters on the boom, it says Autic. That's the trucks we build. You're involved in it.
So a couple questions reg reg so one regarding the ad.
So what what kind of inspired you to go in into that line of work? Why are you just ha I've I've been living at the beach. Uh work in doing some assembly work, contract work for a company where I'll put grills and bicycles and stuff together, which was really a Wonderful job, but War kind of slowed down, so I moved back to Mount Erie, and this job was open, and it Yeah. Everything, yeah, and and it's it's a great company to work for. They really take care of their employees, they they do for us and stuff.
Now, I know you're very you know, you're uh I I would phrase it, you're a man of faith and and uh did you grow up in grew up in a Christian home or how how d how did you end up coming to that point of of establishing a relationship with the Lord? That's a great question. I'm glad you asked me that. I'm really proud of my family in that sense because I come from my mom and dad were drug dealers when I was little. They drug me to church every Sunday.
No, they didn't really do drugs. They just drug me. But you know, I look back and I think God I think. I thank God for what they did do. I mean, you know, as a kid, you're you're kinda, Oh, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, but as an adult you can see the benefits that it had.
And my dad was always a deacon in the church, and mom was a Sunday school and worked in a Bible school and stuff.
So so it was always Oh, it's been a part of your life. Yeah. And okay.
Okay. And, you know, and then there's the Boy Scout thing. And the reason I brought that up is because my uncle was the leader, which is also a minister.
Okay. So I have uncles that minister. His son's a minister. My first cousin from another uncle is a minister. We just come from a long line of church cores, hasn't it?
Yeah, you got a lot of history there, huh? Yeah, yeah. And it's just, you know, something that it's a way of life. It's not something I don't want to do. It's something I can't wait to do.
You know what I'm saying? That sounds like, yeah, I love, love the Lord, and I love everything about it. And like I said, when you're younger, you're kind of like, what in the world? I don't want to do this. But then you see the benefits and the way the family just is then, it's just a wonderful thing.
Well, especially if they have the whole family involved and engaged. And, you know, I was just having some recent conversations and, you know, talking about percentage-wise, right? And these are probably percentages you're familiar with. But percentage-wise. That if in the home, so in the home, if the husband, you know, the dad, if the man, you know, Perhaps comes to the Lord first, then it's like 90-something percent of the family will then follow.
right and maybe not immediately or but but more likely over time and then that number drops that if it's the the the woman or or the wife that maybe comes to faith first i i mean it drops by basically like about two-thirds roughly right it's like maybe 30 something percent and then if it's the if it's the children the way i i i understand the barna study it drops down into like single digits single digits so sounds like you you were pretty fortunate to not only have you know mom and dad but but all these other all these uncles and and others that were have all been yeah engaged and and just building such an incredible foundation for you that then has led you uh i know uh you know we we've we were talking prior that uh you you had gotten pretty involved in at one point uh in youth ministry right you even had a what was the ministry name Ballin' for Christ, something like that? Yeah, yeah, yep. What was the vision behind that? To uh w well, we it was a basket we u used basketball and and and a softball league and we'd get in church leagues. But what we do on like a one night a week, we have an open Bible study for youth.
Anybody can come and we do a Bible study and then we'd have an open gym for them to play and have a fellowship. Was the Bible study kind of like a required like hey, if you want a ball, you wanna if you wanna get out on the court, you you you gotta you gotta come to this this little Bible study. Is that kind of the deal?
Well, we didn't require it, but you noticed I did say we'd done the Bible study first. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So We kind of wanted you to be a part of the Bible study because that's that was the most important part of it. The the actual bottle was just A bonus.
Right. Because like I said, the the message was the the actual Bible study, so. Yeah. Not, you know, I'm bragging low a little bit right here. We had several, several young men.
Tom to know the Lord to that ministry. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com.
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You can give monthly, annually, or one time. God bless you for making a difference around the world. You're listening to the truth network and truthnetwork.com. I was just getting ready. It was going to be my next question.
I'm envisioning or imagining that you were able to see a number of those folks, you know, guys come to know Christ.
So it became a pretty effective outreach for you. Yeah, and we we are still we still keeping it going. We just moved it from uh an out ministry to we use it run it through our church now work uh my pastor Uh he's a my pastor now, but we grew up friends and we was always in the ministry and stuff together and He worked out that he got a pastor's church in King, North Carolina. And we kind of run our ministry through that church there, which is Mount View Baptist Church in Keaton. Oh, very good.
And and I know you you go out also and you'll preach, right? You'll go to uh different churches and and uh go with me anywhere to let me share the gospel wherever there's an open door, right? anywhere they'll let me. I I love to I love the love the Spread the word. Robbie, do you think there's any greater honor than having the privilege of standing on a pulpit on a Sunday morning and sharing God's truth?
No, no, there's not. I mean, there's a lot. I mean, obviously, family's important. We get that, and that's our, in a sense, our first ministry, right? But I don't know about you, but yeah, I find it, I just, I don't want to say like I pinched myself, but, you know, to use that expression, but I do, you know, sometimes just pause and go, wow, the fact I get to do this, you know, is incredible.
And then, and then. Then, if the Lord even, especially if he entrusts you not only for a flock like your family to serve or a church to serve in, but then in addition to that, to maybe have the privilege of leading somebody to the foot of the cross, right? You've had, though, I know you've had them through the basketball. Have you had other opportunities to lead somebody to Christ? not no not not through my preaching no but uh I'm not I I've not got a lot of opportunities to preach lately because, you know, I don't wanna How about put this?
I don't wanna I wanted to be on God's time and his way. And I don't want to force my way into preaching somewhere that It's not his what it Yeah. Yeah, no, fair enough. You don't want to kick any doors in or for force your way in. Yeah, yeah.
'Cause I I the story behind that is when I first started youth ministry, I had big ideas that Make a difference. And then the keyword works. ideas that could go in there and make a difference. And there's a lot of eyes in it. statement I just made.
And God said, you're not going to do this without me. And my youth group kinda dwindled down to like on 20 kids to like Three, four, five kids. And most of them were my family. And I say I I'd say, what in the world's going on? What have I done wrong?
And gotta reveal it to me that you gotta get out of the way and let me be the be the center of it and it'll flourish. Mm, that's good. That's that's a good word for s somebody out there listening, no matter what it is, whether you're leading a youth group or some some ministry in your church or leading your family or Out in the marketplace, man. Let God lead. You get out of the way.
Let God lead and watch what He does.
So, Robbie, Lodi and I are at this wrestling event. I'm signing autographs and meeting fans and meeting crowds and of people, and you're there. And we get engaged in a little conversation about Man Camp. And you're yeah, you're like, Yeah, yeah, kinda how I remember the conversation. Yeah, yeah, I wanna I wanna do that sometime.
I I'd like to do that sometime. And and uh did I kinda well, I I have different responses depending on how somebody says that. And I I w more or less was it like no time like the present? Or how do you remember that conversation? That's a conversation I'll never forget.
Well, what did I say? First of all, let me start by saying I just talked a lot to about ministry before, and You were like one of my biggest idols growing up. far as wrestling business, you know, me being in the business, I never was born to. You call what us workers call mark out after Other masters? Right.
But you were like up there. You and Magnum were like my two all-time favorites. And I was sitting there and the talking loading loaded, just go talk to him. He's just right there. He's approachable.
He's s and he's sitting right here. Go talk to him.
So I went over like I said, you're right, the conversation and I was kind of hemming and hawing around like, yeah, I'd like to go. I'd like to try it sometime. And you issued a a challenge to me very nicely. Thr to a story about a young man that you uh issued the same challenge to. I'll try.
I'll try. I'll try. Yes. He was like, Yeah, I'll try to come to that. In fact, it was a junior high kid.
He said, I was telling about an event we're doing for youth, of all things, down in Louisiana. Yeah, I remember now. And he's like, Yeah, I'll try to come to that. And I'm like, Dude, let me tell you about that word try, how noncommittal that word is.
Okay, I remember.
So that's kind of what I threw at you, right? Yes, sir. And what did I tell you I was going to do? You said, you know what, you thought it through, right you go. I will be there.
You made a commitment, right? I made the commitment right there. I'll be there. You did. You did.
And for the record, you're not the first one that I've heard. Make that commitment and then still no show, still not follow up or follow through.
So, kudos to you for following through and take a minute or two. Robbie, if you will. And so you make this commitment, you come and you experience it for yourself. And we tell guys all the time, it's usually a different experience for every single guy. But highlight just real quick one or two things of what the camp did for you.
for you personally. Can I say one thing about the commitment that I made to start with? Yeah, sure. I made that commitment to you that day. know that I would not be able to have the finances to go.
And I pray that God would take care of it. Yeah. You remember the story now?
Well, I went to church and I told I was talking about how I left to go to this camp. Yep. And there's a lady in my church that came up to me afterwards and said, I'll pay for your camera. Yeah. Come on.
You God made a way. You had a desire. You made a commitment, had a desire, put it out there, and God puts it on this woman's heart in your church to go, Robbie, I'm going to pay your way to go to that camp. Not only did she pay my way to the camp, which we know how much that is, she gave above that for Experiences. Yeah, like travel money and and all that as well, right?
Yes, yes. God is good.
So, okay, so she makes God opens a door through this woman, blesses you and pays for your entire camp and traveling. And then just real quick, one or two highlights of how camp impacted you. There's so many I should start, but some of the one of the most impactful things was. Let me know that How much he loves me and how much I mean to him. And having that kind of relationship with him that I never had before.
You know, I've always took my relationship with God as Okay, he's there when I need him. Mm. Reserve our term. Not just when I need it. Mm, looks good.
And and by going to main camp and and experiencing all the love of the other guys. the friendships and the bonds that I've been with those guys is unreal. We still talk, still send messages to each other and stuff, but Just having that kind of relationship, knowing that you can have that kind of relationship with God It was new to me because, like I said, I've been in church all my life and have never experienced anything. As fulfilling and as rewarding as the man cap was for me. Those are some pretty powerful words: fulfilling and rewarding.
And, you know, you bring something to mind, Robbie, and I'm sure one or two or more of our listeners out there might be able to relate to that. And how many times do we only call on God, so to speak? You know, like He's this genie in a bottle or, you know, Santa Claus on Christmas Day that we'll. We'll call on him when we need him. But outside of that, hey, we're good, man.
I'm good. I got it, God. I'll handle it myself. I'll take care of it myself. And so, fulfilling and rewarding.
Wow, two really key words that you experience.
So, Cam for you is that relationship with God. And sometimes, Robbie, growing up in church can kind of lull a person into this taking God for granted, right? And I think that's the. place I was at. And and Another uh the the the other thing that it really done for me was my family relationship.
Okay. Because because I got that right with God, that relationship moved out with God where I understood that more. My relationship with my wife and my kids, you know, like I said, we've been married 37 years. And it's a good marriage, but it ain't always easy. Right.
But we found it I well, w I went home and made a commitment to her. Two. that we would play together every night.
Okay. We'd we've been doing this ever since. It's Ever since camp.
So it's really enhanced. It not only enhanced, so camp not only enhanced, would this be fair to say? Camp not only enhanced your personal relationship with Jesus, you go home, it enhances your relationship with your bride, Lisa, it enhances your relationship with your children, and the benefactors of that are going to be those grandchildren, too, right?
So really enhance the That relationship with them. And at the end of the day, isn't that what it's all about relationship, right? At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. We had, I'll just say, real quick, at our last camp, we had an 18-year-old and a 65-year-old. Come to know Christ in a personal way.
The 65-year-old had been in church his whole life, and what God revealed to him, Robbie, was he had religion, but he had no relationship. Oh, Lord. The story had never made the 18th trip from his head down to his heart. And so, well, for the wife out there, for the woman out there with the special man, and her name, we got you. About just a minute left.
Or for some man out there listening to your story and your show or this show, what would you say to encourage them to at least give some serious consideration to them making a commitment and then following through? What would you say? I wish I could have the exact words to say right now, but the thing is to just make the commitment. Step out on faith and make that commitment because there's nothing you're going to experience that's ever going to make you feel the way man camp may make you feel. It's just an overwhelming sense of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
And thank you. And it is hard to put into words. Guys do really struggle over putting it into words and where they just look at a guy and go, you just got to go. You just got to go and experience for yourself. Yeah, I can't tell you.
Yeah, it's just like, I want to say, but you can't tell somebody your experience that you had at Mancamp because that's your experience. That's what you experienced. That's what helped you God. And that's what God revealed to you. And that's what God gave you to get you through.
Yeah, where you need to be, right? Exactly. Exactly. No, that's good. And I just want to say, too, if you've ever put a uniform on, law enforcement, military, first responder, I mean, we want to honor those guys.
And, you know, maybe it's not a woman in church coming up saying, I'll pay your way, but we have men who've paid it forward. We have scholarship funds. And if it's on your heart to go, we'll help you get there.
So don't let money or finances be a reason why you can't come.
Well, Robbie Marsh, man, I appreciate your story, your testimony, and appreciate you being on the man up show today. Thank you.
It's an honor and a privilege to get to share it with you.
Well, and for all you out there listening, Land, I hope you were encouraged by something Robbie said today. And my challenge to you always is to go out and just live a God-field, but also have a God-blessed day until next time. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God. And your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions.
Go to kolof.net and donate. Good day. If you are enjoying the Man Up Show, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe, and leave a comment. Hi, Nikita Koloff.
Be sure to check out the Man Up Show now available on television, broadcast, and podcast. Go to MorningstarTV.com. Or the Truth Radio Network, check out your local listings, or better yet. Download the Truth Network app today. Nikita Koloff here.
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