AO: shamrock
Q: Stitch
PAX: Anchorman, LeBling, Waxjob, Mermaid, Free Fall (Justin Whitaker), Snaggletooth (Elijah Tafao), Tailhook
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
WARMUP:
Neck Stretches
SSH
Tempo Squats
Moroccan Nightclubs
Imperial Walkers
Runners stretch
THE THANG:
Mosey to the football field and line up at the Goalline
Start a group of exercises with 25 Reps each and in between take one lap to the 50 and back…
1. Merkins x 25
2. Squats
3. SSH (4 ct)
4. Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
5. Tricep Dips
6. Freddy Mercuries
7. Carolina Drydocks
REPEAT
PAX called out some Mary: Scissor Kicks, Jane Fondas, Side Crunches, Pickle Pounders
Mosey back to COT where we played 2 team Ultimate Football. Team 1 (Waxjob, Mermaid, Snaggletooth, Free Fall) won 9-4
COT:
About 8 years ago, I was working in retail. I was a store manager, working lots of hours, nights, and weekends. It was exhausting!
I was also in the middle of a bad marriage. What little was there in the beginning, was long gone now. We tried counseling. We tried meeting with other couples. We were going to church, had community. My relationship with God was getting stronger. I thought I was doing everything I could to show my wife love and selflessness, but it wasn’t working. We had two young children to care for, on top of that. I was tired, frustrated, alone, and felt defeated. I was at my end.
Sometime in October, my wife told me she wanted a divorce. I told my boss at work about the struggles I was having at home, and the physical stress and exhaustion I was under. I was told “I’m sorry to hear that, but you have a job to do here. It got harder. With the holidays approaching, the hours got longer. The tasks became more frequent. The expectations had risen, not decreased. A week and a half later, I was terminated from my job for an unwritten company violation.
THOSE were hard days. But, I made it through. I didn’t make it because I was strong, or had a plan, or had success at managing the stress. I made it because in that struggle, God became greater than me. I made it because I came to the end of myself. All of the effort, strength, and courage I could muster was not going to change my circumstances. Looking back, today, I am thankful for that time.
God word tells us in Romans that He will work all things together for our good, those who love him. He calls us to be conformed to the image of his son, Jesus. And, if we are conformed to his death now, in our time of grief, then we will also be conformed to His resurrected life in the end (see Phil ch 3).
My challenge today, for those walking in difficulty, is to first admit that you aren’t God. Understand that your efforts will often fail and you don’t have control over everything in your life. Second is to seek God with all your heart. Let Him know that. He’s the only one that knows what’s happening in your life and has your best interest in mind. Three: Seek out other men you can trust and be vulnerable with. There are a lot of wise men in this group. Reach out. Don’t go it alone. God calls us to fellowship with one another.
