F3 Knoxville

Author: Lillydipper

Standing Tall in the Year of Drought

THE SCENE: Cloudy with temps in low 40s.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 15 Imperial Walkers, 10 High Kicks, 10 Cherry Pickers, Little of This and Little of That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign at southeastern corner of admin bldg.  20 American Hammers.

Mosey south to roadway and head towards Lyons Bend Exit.  Stop at perimeter trail just south of exit.

We will be running on perimeter trail, going south and then east, past soccer fields and to southern ball fields.  We will do the following as we go along the trail:

  • Sprint forward four lights, then do exercise.
  • Bernie Sanders for three lights, then exercise.
  • Lunge for two lights, then exercise.
  • Bear crawl for one light, then exercise.  Then do baby crunches until others arrive.
  • Rinse and repeat as we keep moving forward on the perimeter trail but with a new exercise each time.
  • The following will be the exercises for each set of the above: 1:  5 Burpees; 2:  15 Squat Jumps; 3:  15 Merkins;  4:  15 Big Boys.

We will be at the southern ball fields when we finish the above.  Mosey to Outdoor Cathedral.  We will do 20 Bench Dips.

Mosey to roadway and go in the direction that heads south and then west.  Go to the stop sign by the road that heads toward the admin bldg.  Walk north to next stop sign on the southeastern corner of the admin bldg.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The following is from Jeremiah 17:  7-8.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

We sometimes find ourselves anxious when unexpected events occur, when we lose something important to us, when we fail at something we have taken on, when bad times hit, when, as the bible verses above allude to, the “year of drought” is here.  I think of the folks out in California right now who have lost homes and possessions.  I saw one homeowner who was interviewed who said that the only thing in his home that survived the fire was a ceramic pot he made when he was a student in school.

It is at such times that we truly must trust in the Lord.  How do we trust at such times?  We must believe that comfort will come.  We must believe that God has people out there who are willing to provide support.  We must believe that God is with us.  If we can stay strong, not see merely the negative, we have strength to unite with others and rebuild.  It will take community and strength for those in California to survive the fires.  Those that are firmly planted in God will strive on despite the pain, will work through their fear, will not only take the helping hand that Americans will provide but reach out a helping hand to others.  If we can trust in God we can stand tall in such difficult times, rise above the destruction and work toward something greater than the things we have lost.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
AO Launch in Cleveland, TN this Saturday.  3rd F at 8:30 am at Outlook on Saturday, December 8.

True HIM’s Serve

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy skies with temps in 60’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 15 Mountain Climbers, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Windmills, Little Baby Arm Circles Forwards and Backwards (ten each).
THE THANG:

Mosey to Stop Sign at Northeast Corner of Admin. Bldg.  20 American Hammers.

Mosey north to Perimeter Trail and run on that until it hits main roadway going by baseball fields.  Mosey to Serpentine Sidewalk that is between northern ball friends and outdoor chapel.  20 Hello Dollies.

We will do 1-4’s on Serpentine Sidewalk (this is where we do listed exercise to one light, then sprint four more lights, etc, until the sidewalk hits the perimeter trail by the river.  Jog back to start after we hit perimeter trail for the next set of 1-4’s.  We will stop at the perimeter trail after the third set of 1-4’s.  Here are the exercises for the three sets of 1-4’s:

  • Bear Crawls
  • Hops
  • Lunges

We will do 20 Bicycle Kicks (four count) after the three sets of 41’s.

Mosey to Cardiac Hill.  We will run up hill doing the following exercises:

  • 40 Baby Crunches at start
  • 20 Flutter Kicks (four count) at first turn
  • 20 Decline Merkins at second turn
  • 20 Bench Lifts at the benches.

Mosey to Stop Sign at northeast corner of Admin Bldg.  20 Box Cutters

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
ATM’s.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
A true HIM serves others.  We continually talk about this in F3, as we should, because as true men we should serve our families, our coworkers, our friends, and our community.  The great thing about F3 is that I see brothers not just talking the talk but walking the walk.  The 3rd Anniversary Celebration for F3 Knoxville was a great example.  Brothers like Lazy Boy and Abscess got up early to make sure the grounds were prepared for us.  Brothers like Hooker and Edit, who, because of injuries could not compete, were manning some of the Brolympics stations, keeping score and cheering us on.  Brothers like Junk. Abscess and Lazy Boy were out at the picnic area on Sunday, several hours ahead of time, smoking our meals.  I am not mentioning all the other brothers who pitched in time and equipment to help out.  Another cool thing about F3:  there are ALWAYS brothers volunteering to help, whether with setup or cleanup.

It was also awesome to see F3 Brothers serving their families.  All those dads out there with their kids, running with them, hopping with them, tumbling with them, and laughing with them.  It was wonderful to meet wives and partners of our brothers – some great folk that were easy to talk to.

We have something special with F3 Knoxville.  And if we maintain our pledge and duty to serve our community, there is no telling what directions we will go.  One direction will be to Cleveland, TN on Saturday, November 17 when Abscess and other brothers will head there to help launch another F3 AO.  Join them if you can.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
AO launch in Cleveland on Saturday, November 17.

Spiritually Strong

THE SCENE: Cloudy and cool, temps in low 50’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, Plank Stretches, Cherry Pickers, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot directly across the street from Northern Ball Fields parking lot.  We will break into four groups, one in each corner of the parking lot.  We will perform each exercise listed, first doing 20 of each exercise, then follow directions to go to next corner of the parking lot.  We will rinse and repeat after going around the parking lot once.  Here are the exercises for each corner:

  • Corner 1:  20 Star Jumps.  Bernie Sanders to Corner 2.
  • Corner 2:  20 Diamond Merkins.  Bear Crawl to Corner 3.
  • Corner 3:  20 Plank Jumps.  Sprint to Corner 4.
  • Corner 4:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Lunge to Corner 1.

Mosey to Alleyway that goes to northeast corner of the Admin Bldg.

We will break into teams of two and do Doras.  One teammate does exercise while the other runs to end of parking lot, does ten merkins and runs back.  Each team will do 100 of each of the following exercises with bricks that will be placed by a curb along the alleyway.

  • Overhead presses
  • Curls
  • Rows (with bricks at sides)
  • Tricepts
  • Wings forward
  • Wings up
  • Wings down
  • Wings in

Mosey to roadway in front of admin bldg.  Cones will be set up for suicide runs. We will do suicides to each of five cones laid out ahead.  Afterwards do Baby Crunches until all men finish.  Do suicides again but this time do 15 Squats after returning to start from each cone.  Get bricks that were set up for Doras.

Mosey back to AO to drop off bricks. 

Mosey to Playground.  We will do five sets of Bench Jumps with 20 second rests in between.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Hello Dollies, 20 American Hammers, 20 Pickle Pounders, ATM’s.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Fourteen men with one FNG, his hospital name is Roman Marshall and his F3 name is “Fozzie.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Psalm 46: 1.  God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in time of need.

Our F3 workouts increase our physical strength and stamina.  But in F3 we also focus on spiritual strength.  In fact, it is the Fellowship and Faith parts of F3 that give credence to the importance of increasing our spiritual strength.

Looking into the subject of “spiritual strength” I found some good advice in an article from a website called PowerofPositivity.com.  It listed seven exercises for spiritual strength.  I am listing these below, making my own comments about them, and adding one more exercise at the end of the list.

1.  Spend more time with loving/encouraging family and friends.  I agree that being with family and friends is  important but I also want to put emphasis on the word “encouraging.”  We need to surround ourselves with those who encourage us.  We get enough pessimism from watching the news and listening to people complain, gossip or argue.  We need to get near the type of people who are going to push us forwards, not backwards.  One of the things I love about F3 is being surrounded by men who encourage me to get better.

2.  Go outside as much as possible.  I like this one.  What do we do in F3?   We get outside to workout, whether rain or shine, no matter what the temperature is.  There is something about being outdoors that makes us healthier.  We connect to nature, to God’s creation.  We are in His space, free yet a part of Him.

3.  Reduce distractions (TV, Radio, Internet, Newspaper).  I agree that we tend to spend too much time absorbed with media.  In my church, on youth group trips such as church camps, we have required that students give us their cell phones for the time spent on the trip.  They get them back on the bus ride back home.  We ourselves only use our cell phones for emergency purposes on these trips.  We have found the students (and us adults) are less distracted, more connected to one another and God, and happier when we implement this policy.  We are more free to think about truly important things and to use our minds to imagine and create.

4.  Observe your thoughts about the people around you.  The website article talked about putting away judgemental thoughts and trying to have positive thoughts about others you know or encounter.  Focusing on gossip and judgement does not serve others.  I would rename this 4th exercise “praying for the people around you”.  It is amazing what happens if you start praying about your coworkers, your neighbors, even strangers you happen to meet.  You don’t have to tell them your praying.  Just do it.  You will find yourself having a better connection to those you pray for and even find your prayers coming true.

5.  Step out in faith.  This means getting bold in your faith, being willing to take on challenges and even threats from others in your faith.  You may get sneered at or criticized but push on in the face of adversity.  The website arrticle has some words that I think are powerful in regards to this exercise:  “There may be forces that have an investment in keeping you from receiving your best life, but when you decide to stand up or speak out, knowing that your faith is bigger than your fear, the illusion of fear that’s trying to hold you down will diminish and eventually disappear.”  The other words from the website I want to quote are “Know that the Divine has got your back.”

6.  Be of service to others.  Is a true HIM one that is focused on serving himself.  No, a true HIM is focused on serving others.  Do we grow spiritually strong by focusing on ourselves?  No.  We grow spiritually strong by serving others.

7.  Make prayer/meditation a habit.  Our awesome PAX leader, Cap’n Crunch, talks about making the HC, the Hard Commit to show up in the gloom for workouts in order to make ourselves better as men.  In the same way, to be spiritually strong, to get truly closer to God, to the Higher Power, to the Divine, we need to make the Hard Commit to pray.  It is through this commitment to communicate with God that we make it a habit.  And it is though this habit, this connection to God each day and at least several times a day, that we grow in spiritual strength.  And when you do it, don’t only listen to what you have to say to God. . . listen to what God has to say to you.

8.  Be grateful.  This is not an exercise that was listed in the website article but one that I have added.  We need to recognize, to truly see, and be grateful for what God has given us.  The people that I know who are spiritually strong have this strength of being grateful.  That gratefulness can get people through some mighty tough times.  Gratefulness keeps us positive, gives us hope, helps us focus on the road ahead, and leads us to glorify God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Olympics next Saturday at Asylum.  Register online or get to Asylum at 6:30 am to register.  November 17 is launch for Cleveland, TN AO.  Let Abscess know if you can go with us to the launch.

Bend into the wave

THE SCENE: In 60’s, cloudy with some drizzle.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Plank Lifts, 15 Plank Jacks, 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Stretchers, 10 Windmills
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Boulder Pile.  Grab appropriate size boulder.  25 Overhead Presses, 25 Curls, 25 Rows, 25 Squats with Boulder at Chest.

Mosey on roadways to Outdoor Chapel.  20 Hello Dollies.  Sevens starting with six Burpees at one end of chapel and one Decline Merkin at stage end of chapel.  Elevens starting with ten Big Boy Sit-ups at one end of chapel and one Bench Dip at stage end of chapel.

Mosey north on roadway to parking lot that is just below Pickett’s Charge.  Do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Dragon Tail.  We will do Route 66 up Dragon Tail with the following exercises (doing exercise at each light):

  • Squat Jumps
  • Dive Bombers

Mosey to sidewalk that is at front of Admin Bldg.  Do Bernie Sanders to steps of Admin Bldg.  Then do 20 Shin Lifts on a step of the bldg.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eleven men.  No FNG’s.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

In a book I am reading called Tears of an Innocent God, the author, Elias Marechal, talks about a Rabbi that was the only survivor in a shipwreck at sea.  When asked how he survived, the Rabbi recalled, “Whenever a wave arose, I bent into it.”  In our lives we cannot expect all to go smoothly for us.  There are going to be calm and glorious times.  At such times it may be easy to love life, to love our families, to love God.  But there are going to be difficult times as well.  At such times the problems in our life may come like giant ocean waves in what seems like a shipwrecked existence.  The waves appear ready to knock us down and drown us.  At these times it may be very difficult to love our lives, love our families, love God or even believe there is a God.    We must expect the good and the bad.  We must learn to lean into the the waves.  As Elias Marechal states, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are both days to experience God.  We can do so in both good and bad times.  At Steve Earl implies in his awesome song, God is God, God is there and God has the power whether we like what is there for us are not.  Face the hard times.  Trust God and even appreciate Him in those hard times.  Lean into the waves and perhaps, if you can trust God enough, you may even find yourself, as Peter did with Jesus, walking on water, if only for a moment.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Brewski at Union Jacks immediately after workout.

The last shall be first

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy with nice breeze, low eighties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 15 Bottle Caps, 10 Plank Jacks, 10 Windmills, 10 Cherry Pickers, Little of This and Little of That
THA-THANG:

Mosey down Roadshow Run and go to trail near Lyons Bend Entrance.  20 Hello Dollies.  After that we will do 14’s on trail as it goes east and then south.  We will stop when it curves by parking lot.  We will bear crawl to first light and sprint next four all the way on the trail, bear crawl one light, sprint four lights.

Mosey on roadway until we get to playground.  We will do elevens starting with one bench lift and ten bench jumps.  20 American Hammers in Cadence afterward.

Mosey to grassy area close to Pickett’s Charge.  There will be cones on he grassy area.  We will do suicides running to each cone and back to start.  Rest to do 40 Baby Crunches.  Do suicides one more time but this time do 10 Merkins each time we get back to start.  Those who finish first do Big Boy Sit-ups.

Mosey to front of Admin Bldg.  Stop to do 20 Box Cutters in Cadence.

Mosey to rock pile near Admin Bldg Parking Lot.  20 Bench Presses, 20 Curls, 20 Rows, 20 Squats.

Mosey to AO.
MARY:
Plank with lifts of each hand and each leg.  Leg stretches from plank position.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine men including a Flying EH who was our FNG.  His hospital name is Tony Guidera and we dubbed him “Bojangles.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Matthew 19:30

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Matthew 20:16
So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Mark 9:35
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
In all these sayings, Jesus is indicating that God does not give great importance to ability, success, wealth or fame in His Kingdom.  Jesus also indicates that God places importance on us serving others.  As leaders we should think of ourselves as servants, not head of the pack.
One of the reasons that I have loved the F3 Brotherhood and F3 Philosophy so much is that I feel we follow this philosophy that Jesus speaks of.  When I came to F3, I heard that military men had started it and I was worried that it was going to be a “get your A _ _ in gear boy” type of mentality where guys are pushed and made fun of when they failed.  Instead, I found a group of men who do push THEMSELVES but who encourage the newcomers and circle back for them when they cannot keep up with those ahead of them.  I found a group who gives RESPECT to the older, slower guys.  The philosophy of F3 is to encourage EVERY MAN.  We respect each man for what he offers, for his unique set of gifts.  We admire the fastest and we admire the strongest.  We admire the slowest who is giving it all to get better.  We admire those who are great speakers, who know about our community, who are good teachers, who are awesome mumble-chatterers, who are willing to do something that they are uncomfortable with doing, who are willing to wake up early morning to get better, who are willing to come out on an afternoon of excessive heat and humidity to get better.  Who is first and who is last in F3?  Who knows?  I guess we are all first and all last.  And I get the feeling that God smiles on F3 Knoxville because we do live out the philosophy that God has asked us to live by.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hike this weekend on Andrews Bald.  Those going will meet at Food City at 8:30 am and head out together.  Mud run in Atlanta following weekend.