F3 Knoxville

Author: Kick-Flip

IPC Week 2 + Tyranny Over the Mind of Man

THE SCENE:  Cool and clear.  A gaggle of joggers today!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered 
WARM-O-RAMA: OYO
THA THANG:

IronPax Challenge Week 2
Two waves of HIMs – one starting at 0500 – another at 0530

4 Rounds for Time (Elapsed time scoring):

Round 1:

  • 10 CMU Manmakers
  • 20 CMU Overhead Presses
  • 30 CMU KB Swings
  • 40 CMU Goblet Squats
  • 50 Incline Block Merkins
  • 1600 meter run

Round 2:

  • 10 CMU Manmakers
  • 20 CMU Overhead Presses
  • 30 CMU KB Swings
  • 40 CMU Goblet Squats
  • 50 Incline Block Merkins
  • 1200 meter run

Round 3:

  • 10 CMU Manmakers
  • 20 CMU Overhead Presses
  • 30 CMU KB Swings
  • 40 CMU Goblet Squats
  • 50 Incline Block Merkins
  • 800 meter run

Round 4:

  • 10 CMU Manmakers
  • 20 CMU Overhead Presses
  • 30 CMU KB Swings
  • 40 CMU Goblet Squats
  • 50 Incline Block Merkins
  • 400 meter run

MARY:

This and that while the six comes in.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

21 HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Last week, I took the family to Washington D.C.  For the first time in my life, I visited the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, just south of the National Mall.  It honors a true HIM among HIMs.

Inscribed in the rotunda are these words, “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man”.  He wrote these words specifically about religious freedom – that no one should be forced into a belief in an ideology.  But since reading them, I’ve replayed them over and over in my mind, “eternal hostility against EVERY form of tyranny over the mind of man…”

Oppression – domination – subjugation…  Ask yourself this – “Is there tyranny over your mind?”.  What holds you back from your potential as a man?  What limits your effectiveness as a father? What restricts the love you give as a husband?  What keeps you distant from your creator?  What stops you from being a great friend?

Maybe you bend the knee for our preferred tyrant in the 21st century, Busyness, and are ruled by your calendar and commitments.

Perhaps you devotedly serve a tyrant with a 5-inch screen (your smartphone) – to be endlessly entertained instead of engaging with a world that desperately needs your presence.

Maybe your tyranny is Self-Sufficiency – which is a source of your pride, but also the cause of your isolation and loneliness.

Or maybe you’re ruled by Idleness – rather than reading a book about growth as a father or husband, you’d prefer to Netflix and chill every night of the week.

Or maybe you have no idea what authentic lovemaking looks like, because you have greedily lapped up the lies of a tyrant named Pornography.

Or, perhaps you are like me – haunted by all of these and many more, and often ruled by a heartless tyrant named Selfishness.

That thing which keeps you from investing in relationships…from studying…from praying…from improving day-by-day…from becoming the best version of yourself – that is the tyranny of your mind.  It has dominion over your life.  Regardless of how good it may feel to serve that tyrant, IT IS YOUR ENEMY.

I challenge you to follow Jefferson’s example – pledge eternal hostility against that tyrant which you have served.  Resent and cast off that oppressor which has ruled you and held back your potential.  Refuse to let it govern your life and legacy.

Fighting your enemy will be hard.  You will at war with yourself.  But there’s good news – many men have gone before you and they have provided resources for you.  Study up on strategies to defeat your enemy (read a book about your struggle), form alliances with others who are fighting the same fight, and you can seek wisdom from those who have found success before you.

Romans 8:5-6, “For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.  Now the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace.”

MOLESKIN:

Follow-up challenge.  One of the best strategies to combat a tyrant of the mind is to form alliances with like-minded men.  You and I need accountability in order to overcome our entrenched adversaries.  After you unmask that thing which has been holding back your potential (your tyrant) – do something courageous and post about it in JUCO GroupMe.  Answer these two questions:  What is the thing that has oppressed your mind and limited your potential as a man? – AND – What step(s) are you taking to overcome it?  Form alliances with others who are in the same fight – pray for, encourage, and provide accountability for the men around you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Submit your scores on https://f3greenwood.com/ironpax-form/

TTP tomorrow
2.0 Workout in two Sundays

Disappointed?

THE SCENE: 71 degrees and rainy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered 
WARM-O-RAMA:

Windmill – x10 IC
Tempo Squats – x10 IC
Seal Claps – x10 IC
Motivators – x8

THA THANG:

Perform each exercise for 45 seconds – 15 second rest

Grab a CMU and mosey to the field, where we will PAUSE

P             Pickle Pounder
A             Al Gore
U             Upright Row
S              Squat Press
E              Everest w/ CMU (lunge, squat, lunge, squat…)

Mosey to the bell to RECOVER.

R             Racoon Crawl
E              E2K (Left)
C             CMU Curls
O             Outlaws
V             V-Ups
E              E2K (Right)
R             Ranger Merkins

Mosey to the playground, where we will TAKE IT EASY

T              T Merkin (Merkin – one arm straight up to make a “T”)
partner up for the next two exercises;
A             Al Gore (together with Farmer Carry)
K             Kettlebell Farmer Carry (together with Al Gore)
E              Eccentric pull-ups (jump up, let yourself down)
I               Iron Mikes
T              Triceps Extension
E              Eccentric chin-ups
A             American Hammer
S              Scorpion Dry Docks
Y              Yurpee (Burpee with a clap merkin and two tuck jumps at the top)

Mosey to the amphitheater for a BREAK

B             Bernie
R             Rosalita
E              Everest
A             ABCs
K             Kraken Burpee (burpee with three hand-release merkins)

Mosey back to the shovelflag and CHILL

MARY:

C             Colt 45s
H               Heavy Freddies
I                 Imperial Walkers
L              LBC
L              LBFC (flutter kick crunch)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA:

9 HIMs!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Many major and minor disappointments in my life I can attribute to one thing – expectations…unfulfilled expectations.  Sometimes it’s the major, “Why didn’t I get that job that I wanted?” or “Why wasn’t this person healed?”.  Sometimes it’s the minor, “Why didn’t my son pause the video and say ‘hi’ when I got home from work?”  My expectations don’t always line-up with the way things play out – and that, inevitably, leads to disappointment.  However, in moments of clarity I can see that my unmet expectations were nearly always unfounded and/or unreasonable – that my often lack of resilience is a telltale mark of self-centeredness – and that my disappointment when big things don’t work out the way that I planned is a lack of faith that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Much of the book of Isaiah is a description of the character of God.  “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” –Isaiah 55:8-9.  The God of the universe does not think the way that we think – and does not act the way that we act.  His plan for our life is much greater than ours.  His purpose is not to make us comfortable and spoiled, but rather to redeem us so that we can bring glory to Him.  Thank God we don’t get everything that we want – or we’d be spoiled brats.

As men who plan and live purposeful lives, we are going to have expectations – and that, in and of itself, is not the problem.  However, our uncompromising attachment to that expectation can cause a problem.

Imagine you are holding a precious fragile object in your hand (that represents part of you – your expectations).  If you let go of it, it will smash to the ground and be shattered.  But, imagine you are holding it palm upwards.  You open your hand, and the object (your expectation) stays where it is.  The “expectation” is still there…but you are no longer attached to it.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Be cheerful no matter what”…“In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God”

Where have you been disappointed in life?  Was it because your expectations were unrealistic or selfish?  You can replace your rigid expectations with intentionality and curiosity.  Think, speak, plan, and act with intention – be curious about what will happen – but be flexible about the outcome – and show resilience when things go another way.

MOLESKIN:
Hat tip to Archie for the inspiration for this Q and Word (now, RECOVER!)

Hat tip to Jeremy Marchant for some of the CoT content: https://www.emotionalintelligenceatwork.com/resources/short-piece-dealing-ones-expectations/

I really thought this Q would be harder than it was…you guys barely broke a sweat!  (unfulfilled expectations….)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Iron PAX challenge
JUCO shirts
Brolympics II

The Prayer for Protection

THE SCENE:  75 and humid.  Goose crap eeeevvvveerryyywhere.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered 
WARM-O-RAMA:

Windmill – IC
Cherry Pickers – IC
Moroccan Nightclub – IC
Tempo Squats – IC

THA THANG:

Mosey to some grass…

  • Flutter kicks (4-count) 23 IC
  • Diamond Merkins 23 OYO
  • Pickle pointers (4-count) 23 IC
  • Werkins 23 OYO

Sprint to the pond, stopping at four parking lot islands to do 10 squats at each.

At the pond…  Cones spread out around the large jogging path (0.75 miles).  7 stations along the path.

Split into two teams.  Race around the circuit in opposite directions.

  1. Rosalita x 23
    Imperial Walkers x 23
    Guantanamo
  2. Hail Mary x 23
    Tempo Squats x 23
  3. Everest (run down to the pond, then lunge-squat-lunge-squat back up)
  4. Outlaw x 23 each way
    Up Straddle Hop x 23 (each leg)
  5. Scorpion Dry Dock x 23
    No Surrender x 23
  6. E2K x 23 (each side)
  7. Smurf Jacks x 23
    Squeaky Bed Dolly x 23

Mosey toward the shovelflag…stop to do 50 yards of crab walking.

MARY:
Ain’t nobody got time for that!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA: 
22 HIMs and 2 FNGs!  Welcome Gelato and Dos Años!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The Empire of Japan unconditionally surrendered to the US on August 15, 1945.  Because of the time difference, it was announced in the US on August 14 – and we celebrate that victory today – V-J Day – the final chapter of a war that lasted nearly six years and involved more than 100 million people.  It was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by an estimated 65 million fatalities – the vast majority of which were civilians murdered in atrocities.  16 million Americans served in the Armed Forces during the War.  405,399 lost their lives – and nearly 700,000 others were wounded.

Try to imagine what it must have been like during that time.  Imagine yourself as a soldier in a trench, fighting day after day to gain miles of French territory back – or as a father waiting anxiously to hear from his sons who are away in the Pacific.  Imagine yourself preparing for a suicidal invasion of mainland Japan – and the ecstatic joy you experience on August 14, 1945 when you realize that the war is finally over.

James Freeman is a name worth knowing.  He was a minister and a poet – lived most of the 20th century – and is sometimes referred to as the “poet laureate to the moon” because his poems were twice brought to the moon (by Buzz Aldrin aboard Apollo 11, and by James Irwin on Apollo 15 – who left the poem on the moon).  James Freeman was commissioned to write a prayer for our nation during WWII.  A prayer for a nation that was experiencing anxiety and fear, but also joy and relief.  A prayer for the solider in battle – a prayer for the wife who lost her husband – and a prayer for the father whose son returns home safely.  A prayer to cover the full spectrum of emotions and experiences of our nation.

Interviewed years later, Freeman said that the 23rd Psalm was an inspiration for his prayer.

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

This morning, we used Freeman’s 10 lines of poetry, inspired by the 23rd Psalm, in the way that it was intended to be used – as our prayer.  It was written to cover the full spectrum of emotions and experiences of a nation at war. Where does life have you right now?  Anxious, confused, worn out, joyful, grateful….?

I asked the HIMs to listen for one line – whichever one jumps out at you and describes where you are.  Cling to it and say it to yourself over and over throughout the day – make one of these lines of poetry your personal prayer throughout the day.  For example: If life is going well for you right now – you might cling to this line “The Joy of God uplifts me”.  If life has you worn down in the season that you are in, you might make this your prayer, “The Strength of God renews me.”.  10 lines – cling to one.

The Prayer for Protection, by James Freeman
“The Light of God surrounds me.
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
The Mind of God guides me.
The Life of God flows through me.
The Laws of God direct me.
The Power of God abides within me.
The Joy of God uplifts me.
The Strength of God renews me.
The Beauty of God inspires me.
Wherever I am, God is!”

Prayers for Judge Judy’s wife, Mandolin’s wife’s grandmother, Sty’s sister-in-law and her husband.

MOLESKIN:
T Claps for Archie for learning the exercises and knowing the planned route.  I couldn’t have done this Q without him!

I’d planned to do the pond circuit two times – we barely had time for one!  So good to have FNGs Gelato and Dos Años out there with us!  Glad to see the “new crop” showing up and pushing hard; Mandolin, Pool Boy, Nutmeg, Mermaid, Guardrail – you men are rockin’ it!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None

Be a High-Impact Friend

THE SCENE: 70 and clear
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry Pickers – IC
Windmill – IC
Tempo Squats – IC
Motivators – Single count
LBAC (F/R) – IC
Tempo Merkins – IC

THA-THANG:

Everyone partner up with a “friend” (a.k.a. a CMU) and mosey to the Friendship Bell (a monument at Bissell Park) for the CMU Deck Workout (hat tip to Cap’N Crunch!)
– Draw a card and perform the exercise.  First one finished draws the next card and starts immediately.
– Work at the pace of the fastest man.  If you are lapped, skip the next exercise and get back in rhythm with the PAX.
– For all suits with a card value of A-5 = run that number of laps around the Friendship Bell (with your “friend”, of course)
– For the rest of the deck, perform the number of reps based on the value of the card according to the list below:

Card Value Reps
A-5 Run that many laps around the bell
6-10 Reps = Face Value
J, Q, K Reps = 15

 

Card Value Exercise
Hearts 4-count curls
Spades Step ups
Clubs 4-count flutter kicks (arms extended w/ CMU above chest)
Diamonds 4-count shoulder press

 

Next up….45-second intervals.  Perform each exercise for 45 seconds – 15 seconds of rest in between sets.

Flutter Kick w/ CMU
Merky-Derky
CMU Iron Mike (or lunge)
Dips w/ CMU in your lap
Lion Kings
Crunch-press w/ CMU
Curls

Mosey back.

MARY:
Heavy Freddies
Derkin Pyramid

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
8 HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

In April 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nations declared July 30 as official “International Friendship Day”.  I’m thrilled to be standing here this morning with one of my oldest and dearest friends (Archie) and six of my newest and dearest friends.

William Penn was a Quaker and a writer in pre-revolution America.  Notably, he was an early advocate for democracy, founder of the colony – later state – of Pennsylvania, and planner of the city of Philadelphia.   He wrote a book titled “Some Fruits of Solitude” – a collection of sayings (similar in tone to Ben Franklin’s Farmer’s Almanac).  It is included in Volume 1 of Harvard’s Non-fiction Classics.  In this book, Penn wrote of pride, of education, of justice, of fidelity…and of friendship.

About friendship, Penn wrote;

“A true friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.”

That’s what I would call a “high-impact friend”.

Let’s zoom in on those first two characteristics.

One:  As a high-impact friend, you must be advising your friends justly.  This means speaking candidly into the lives of your friends who are falling short of a high standard.  It means giving straight talk to those men around you who are acting foolishly, who are harming themselves and others around them, and who are temporarily blind, ignorant, or uncaring of their foolishness.  Our culture will accommodate, and even encourage, their foolishness.  If you are their friend, you owe it to them to show courage and speak correction and truth into their lives.

Proverbs 27:6

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern]…”

Two:  In order for you to have any credibility whatsoever to speak candidly to a hurting friend, you must first consistently unbosom yourself freely to him – which is an old-fashioned way of saying “open your heart to him”.  You must be candid about your own struggles, fears, insecurities, shortcomings, dreams.  Only then have you earned to right to speak truth to him about his struggles.

As high-impact men, you are set apart from your peers – held to a higher standard.  Friendships built on common interests alone are cheap.

I challenge you today, on International Friendship Day, to unbosom yourself to a friend (share your heart) and to speak courageously into the life of a friend who is headed down a destructive path.  Uncomfortable as it may be at first, be a High-Impact Friend and you’ll be valued and cherished by those who are dear to you. 

 

MOLESKIN:
Praises for Samaritan’s 20th anniversary and for the safety of KickFlip’s friend’s daughter – who nearly drowned over the weekend.  Prayers of peace for Erector’s friend.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Do your friends a favor and invite them to F3!

The Dash

THE SCENE:  74 degrees and clear
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry Pickers – IC
Windmill – IC
Motivators (brought this one back from a post in St. Louis)
Tempo Squats – IC
Tempo Merkins – IC
Leg stretches OYO

THA-THANG:

Mosey to the track for Hundred Yard DASHes:

Set a recurring timer for 1-minute intervals.

DASH 100 meters.  Upon arriving at the mark, begin exercise (called by Q) and continue until the timer sounds (every minute, on-the-minute).  When the timer sounds, DASH again to the next mark and perform the next exercise (called by Q).  Repeat for 4 laps.

Example:  Lap 1
0-1:00 – DASH to 100 meters and perform hand-release merkins until timer sounds
1:01-2:00 – DASH to 200 meters and perform flutter kicks until timer sounds
2:01-3:00 – DASH to 300 meters and perform Carolina dry docks until timer sounds
3:01-4:00 – DASH to 400 meters and hold plank

Repeat (changing exercises) for Laps 2-4

Lap 2: Wide-arm merkins, Dollys, scorpion dry docks, side crunch (one side)
Lap 3: Diamond merkin, LBFC (flutter crunch), peter parkers, side crunch (other side)
Lap 4: merkins, War Hammer (BBS + 4 AH), shoulder taps, low plank

Mosey to the parking lot for Cone Battle

8 cones set out – 4 standing (“up”) and 4 tipped on their side (“down”).  Divide into two teams; Team Up and Team Down.  Goal of each team is to get all 8 cones either up or down.  Perform exercise and DASH to a cone, placing it up – or knocking it down.  Continue until one team gets all cones simultaneously up or down – call out when completed.  Stop at 3 minutes, if not completed.

Round 1: 10 BBS
Round 2: 3 HRBs
Switch to 1-minute intervals
Round 3: 5 Sumo Squat
Round 4: Lunges
Round 5: LBCs
Round 6: No exercise, just DASH

MARY:

Squeaky Bed Dolly (when your legs open, crunch and push your hands between your legs)
Superman/Merkin Intervals

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Last week, we buried my grandmother – Edith Otten.  At her funeral, my mother shared many fond memories and spoke of the legacy that her mother passed down to her.  She also read from the Psalms;

Psalm 39:4-5

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—

how fleeting my life is.

You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.”

 

Seneca the Younger was a citizen of ancient Rome – a philosopher, a statesman, and an advisor to emperor Nero.  According to legend, he corresponded with Paul the Apostle.  Some early Christian writers, such as Martin of Braga, were influenced by his philosophies.  Among Seneca’s many known works is “De Brevitate Vitae” – The Shortness of Life.  This stoic work contains many nuggets of wisdom, including;

“It’s not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”

 

Psalm 90 is unique among the Psalms; in that it is the only Psalm attributed to Moses.  Verse 12, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”

 

Someday there will be a headstone with your name on it.  It will have the date you were born and the date that you died.  In between those dates, there will be a DASH.  That dash represents today, this week, this year.  You are living that DASH.  Are you doing your utmost to use your precious few years wisely?

What bad habits do you need to put to death?

What good habits do you need to cultivate into your life?

What hatchets need buried?

What relationships need investment?

Lord, teach us to number our days carefully – not so that we would fear death, but rather that we would be encouraged to live life well!

MOLESKIN:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Independence Day Parade