Pool Boy – Page 6 – F3 Knoxville

Project Deck of Pain Part 2: Isolated? No! Relationships in Spades!

March 9, 2021 Pool Boy

THE SCENE: Low 30’s but dry so good to go.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER – Administered + COVID
WARM-O-RAMA:
Moroccan Night Club x 15 IC (for Erector!)
Forward Lunges x 5 ea, Reverse Lunges x 5 ea OYO
Tempo Squats x 10 IC
Tempo Merkins x 10 IC
Tennessee Rocking Chair x 10 IC

THA-THANG:
This is Part 2. Part 1 here: Soldiering Through the Project Deck of Pain

The following Spades were not done last time but we did them this time:

Location	Suit	Card	Description	Card Amt	Modified Amt
Shovel Flag	Spades	2	1 lap entire shovel flag parking lot	1	1
Shovel Flag	Spades	3	Dips on the curb	15	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	4	Bear crawl in parking lot	Q’s distance	Q’s distance
Shovel Flag	Spades	6	Tempo squats	10	10
Shovel Flag	Spades	8	Jumping Spider	10	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	9	Heels to Heaven IC	20	10
Shovel Flag	Spades	J	Stationary Lunges	10 ea leg	5 each leg
Shovel Flag	Spades	Q	Al Gore	30 sec hold x 2	30 sec hold x 1
Shovel Flag	Spades	A	Single Leg Calf Raise	15 ea leg	7 ea leg

From there we did the following “randomly” pulled exercises (these aren’t in order but my cards got off so I’ve just put them in a filtered list from all exercises below):

Location	Suit	Card	Description	Card Amt
Shovel Flag	Spades	5	Moroccan night club (if Erector is present he must lead it IC and must be 15 reps)	15
Shovel Flag	Spades	Q	Al Gore	30 sec hold x 2
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	6	Box Jumps on low theatre wall	15
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	7	Flying Squirrel	10
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	J	Iron Mike / Bonnie Blair (ea leg)	7
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	Q	Reach for the Sky / Let it Hang	30 sec each
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	K	Pickle Pointer IC	20
Friendship Bell	Hearts	4	Reverse Crab around bell	1
Friendship Bell	Hearts	9	Leg Lifts	20
Friendship Bell	Hearts	A	Alternating Leg single leg calf raises (single count)	40

MARY:
Mary-go-round (aka Rotating Dealer’s Choice) – making a normal MARY circle for Dealer’s Choice, going around the circle each PAX calls out a 4-count IC exercise . After going around, the Q or one PAX doing one of the exercises as it rotates does 10 IC reps of the exercise on the Q’s lead. PAX does the exercise the PAX to his right did. After a 3-5 sec confirmation, the Q calls out the the cadence and the PAX again do 10. Repeat for a chosen length of time or at the end during normal “MARY” part of the workout. If PAX complete all exercises in the full circle, go back to the left instead. (I made this up a few weeks ago and submitted it but it’s not on the Exicon yet)

Exercises in today’s Mary-Go-Round included the Pickle Pointer, Basilisk, LBC, Stargazer (everyone was a fan of 15 seconds of rest in!), Leg Lifts (or Heels to Heaven… the Q might have gotten these confused today!), BBS, & more!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA – PAX in Spades today!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Because of life circumstances and COVID, I haven’t attended church in person since March 2020. Lord willing, that will change on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. There are many factors that have gone into me staying away to care for those around me, but I want to write this to encourage those who are like me with what God has taught me and worked in me while absent.

1. God has not forgotten me and He hasn’t forgotten you.

It would be easy to get fatigued and feel like I’m not being faithful, making a difference, or really growing. I feel like I’m in no man’s land, simply riding the bench while everyone else gets to play the game of fellowship and worship each week. But we know that’s not true. Each person and especially those not present in person has a role to play in our church. God has called every member of the body to work and serve its purpose. He makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 12:21-23 ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²²On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,

Do not fear – you and I are not forgotten.

2. God has been working while you were ‘away’ both in you and in others.

In many ways, relationships cannot help being had in person. There are various methods of communication – email, letters, endless Zoom meetings for work and with family- but these are not exactly the same. We feel it with the drain from being in front of a screen longer than any of us knows we want to be. Even those of us who are technophiles (previously loving technology a little too much) want to join in with the technophobes (that computer is ‘of the devil’ as Bobby Bouche’s mother would say) and take a break from the endless virtual communication we get. So, for those who you haven’t seen and those who haven’t seen you for a year or so, remember that you have changed and so have they. Lord willing, you’ve both become more Christ-like and the best version of you. But if you have stumbled, if that person has not followed as straight-and-narrow of a path as you or I may think they should have, there is grace for that as well. When you see someone after not seeing that person for some time, go into it with the thought “God how can I love the 2021 (person’s name)?” Colossians 4:6 reminds us how those conversations are to be ” 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

God will give you the words, just listen to what the Spirit says in that moment and not your flesh is saying. Trust Him with your relationships.

3. Remember true community starts and ends with fellowship with God.

Jesus condescended from perfect communion with the Father and Spirit. We do not yet have that fellowship, and it is God’s good gift to use by giving us other people who are made in His image, giving them value and dignity and making them capable of relationship. This is God’s design, but as with all things, you and I need to realize that fellowship is to point us to God. Our church family should be one of the dearest groups of people and especially many individuals there can be so edifying and encouraging to us as friends, brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers. When we gather 2 or more, God is manifestly with us. But there is no replacing time with God and communion with the Lord. Are you following the example of Mary (Luke 10:38-42), sitting at Jesus’ feet? Are you slowing down, carving time out of your “busy schedule” to make time for what trutly matters? Or have you let the feeling of isolation pull you away from making time to intentionally get alone with Jesus every day (as Jesus Himself did with the Father in the GLOOM in Mark 1:35)

This last point has been of particular relevance to me in the preceding few months. I’ve been lonely and anxious, struggling with seeking other things to soothe my flesh rather than pressing into the Spirit.

All of these are a call to press into God and not let the things and people of this world be what take the cake for you. Appropriately desire community with others, trust God to work in those relationships, and seek God first and most.

Proverbs 18:1 – Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.

Press into relationships, especially the one with your Creator!

MOLESKIN:
Glad to have Baby Boomer visit us!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Shamrock F3 Shirt Deadline is 3/13/2021

Pressing through the Pain, Praying in the Rain

February 22, 2021 Pool Boy

THE SCENE: 47°F and drizzly
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Administered + COVID reminder
WARM-O-RAMA:
Moroccan Night Club x 10 IC
Overhead Clap x 10 IC
Seal Clap Squat x 10 IC
Tennessee Rocking Chair x 7 IC
Stationary Lunges x 5 each IC
Reverse Lunges x 5 each IC
World’s Slowest Burpee x 3
Hillbilly x 10 each IC
Prayer Squat x 10s on, 5 off, 3x

THA-THANG:
The good news is today you’ll be exercising under an overhand. The bad news is that YOGWO (You Only Get Wet Once) doesn’t apply. We’ll be doing a Timed DORA and in between the sides where we exercise, we’re running in the rain.

If we have an odd number of PAX, that man partners with a pair of men. This is going to be repeating DORA in the rain. Each round of DORA is for time.

PAX#1 jogs to the other overhang and does the ARMs exercises while PAX#2 (and PAX#3 in possibly group) does the Legs exercises listed below. End of time called all PAX gather at one overhand, do 1 CORE exercise, HOLD, and rest while the next round of DORA is completed.

Timed DORA #1
Arms	5 Tempo merkins + 10 sec plank hold + 10 sec rest
Legs	Lunges
Core	Dolly

	30 sec of	Rest
Holds	Reach/hang	15 sec
	Praying Squat	15 sec
	Plank	60 sec

Timed DORA #2	Arms	5 Burpees, 10 sec rest
	Legs	Reverse Lunges
	Core	LBC

	30 sec of	Rest
Holds	Seal Clap /OHC	15 sec
	Wall Squat	15 sec
	Forearm Plank	60 sec

Timed DORA #3
Arms	5 Burpees, 10 sec rest (again)
Legs	Reverse Lunges
Core	V-ups

Hold – Forearm plank with 1 rainbow drop each size every 5 seconds for 30 seconds total. Mosey to ERC overhang and make a Dealer’s Choice Circle.

MARY:
Mary-Go-Round (aka Rotating Dealer’s Choice) – making a normal MARY circle for Dealer’s Choice, each PAX calls out a 4-count IC exercise . After going around, each PAX does 10 IC reps of the exercise on the Q’s lead. Then each PAX does the exercise the PAX to his right did. Q calls out the cadence and the PAX again do 10. Repeat for a chosen length of time or at the end during normal “MARY” part of the workout. If PAX complete all exercises in the full circle, go back to the left instead.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA – 13 PAX

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Booster’s post and tag about him rucking and praying challenged me and it’s really got me thinking and pondering about prayer and of course praying more.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray without ceasing,
Simple yet impossible right? Sometimes we all think of prayer like we’re endlessly climbing a mountain that never ends with our prayers doing little more than the echo bouncing off the ceiling our voice causes

But we have to reframe prayer. A few quotes on prayer:
What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer. – E.M. Bounds

A family without prayer is like a house without a roof, open and exposed to all the storms of heaven. – Thomas Brooks

We don’t drift into spiritual life; we do not drift into disciplined prayer. We do not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray. That means we must set aside time to do nothing but pray. What we actually do reflects our highest priorities. That means that we can proclaim our commitment to prayer until the cows come home, but unless we actually pray, our actions disown our words – D.A. Carson

Prayer is paramount to our daily spiritual vitality. We may be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, but if we are not communing with God then we cut off our spiritual nutrients. So do you pray? How often? Only at mealtimes? Only at Bible Study. Let’s circle back to our verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray without ceasing,

3 ways to apply this (surely there are more)
1. Walk with God each day in a spirit and attitude of prayer.
Turn things over to Jesus (1 Peter 5:7)
2. Ask God in your prayers to give you a desire more to pray
This also includes letting other men in your life know regularly where you are struggling. How much more does God desire to give you good things (Matthew 7:11)
3. Plan to pray.
Set aside time specifically that isn’t busyness, hurried to be alone with God.

There are many systems like ACTS for personal prayer as well as Operation World for world missions. But whatever you do, pray without ceasing.

MOLESKIN:
Welcome back Sergeant Slaughter!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Guardrail and I prayer walk sometimes and bear each other’s burdens. It’s a great way to spend time and it’s so edifying. If you want to do a prayer walk, just shoot me a DM on Slack or text me if you have my number and let’s make a time to walk, talk, and pray together.

Soldiering through the Project Deck of Pain

February 2, 2021 Pool Boy

THE SCENE: 29°F and 0% chance of water – 100% chance of PAIN!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER– Administered + Cell Phone + COVID
WARM-O-RAMA:
10 x Moroccan Night Club IC
10 x Tennessee Rocking Chair IC (increasing speed ~rep 7)
5 x Tempo Merkin IC
4 x Rainbow Drop OYO
10 x Tempo Squat IC

THA-THANG:
This workout has been months in the making! It takes its inspiration from the Deck of Pain at JUCO as administered by Trolley (many times over) – Deck of Pain /-/ Deck of Pain II /-/ Deck of Pain III /-/ Jailbreak Tour

Also checkout the “official” F3 Workout Deck (it has something like SSH‘s in it… smh but I digress)

Q asked for 4 volunteers – 1 for each suit in a standard deck of cards that I passed out baggies with the exercise cards written on them. Today we have a caveat: I want to cover all exercises today so that the next time around all of the Project PAX know what is what (and hopefully we can have more than 1 PAX per suit of cards).

I’m going to paste in the table I used to make the workout and subsequently write on the cards because trying to remember the order of 52 cards, even in groups of 13, while leading the workout and working out… not happening. Unlike this guy.

Jokers were also administered at key points because you NEVER KNOW when you’re going to get a surprise.

Big Joker: 20 burpees

Actual results of the Q today:

We got through 85% of things but left the Little Joker (the one with lots of text on it) is Dealer’s Choice at the #shovel-flag. Every PAX must name a Mary exercise. There are still some Spades to be done (in BOLD in the table below) but we got most things done.

After each suit was completed, the PAX with the baggie of cards for that suit read the following (that goes along with the BOM):

1. Compassionate (Hearts)- the best soldiers only use deadly force when they are absolutely required to. They find no joy or satisfaction in destroying carnage. They seek to defend what is worth defending. His compassion drives him.

2. Courageous (Diamonds) – Someone courageous says “Please don’t force me to show it.” It readily admits to having a warring attitude when I need to. When a battle is to be fought, I will be in the front line fighting it. I will not back down because I believe Psalm 20:7 which says “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

3. Competent (Clubs)- Without competence, courage becomes folly. The Christian soldier as he engages in war, has to be armed, prepared, and wise. He understands who the Enemy is, what the Enemy is. He does not walk in the flesh morally but physically. Thus, he wages war not in the flesh though he has flesh.

4. Calculating (Spades)- a soldier plans for war. He thinks about what needs to happen where and wisely strikes. He fights spiritual wars. He reasons the truth from Scripture. He brings the Word of God and lets it bear its truth. And, when those who have been warned, just like the apostle Paul he is ready to strike and purge out the false teachers.

Location	Suit	Card	Description	Card Amt	Modified Amt
Shovel Flag	Spades	2	1 lap entire shovel flag parking lot	1	1
Shovel Flag	Spades	3	Dips on the curb	15	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	4	Bear crawl in parking lot	Q’s distance	Q’s distance
Shovel Flag	Spades	5	Moroccan night club (if Erector is present he must lead it IC)	15	15
Shovel Flag	Spades	6	Tempo squats	10	10
Shovel Flag	Spades	7	4x4s	10	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	8	Jumping Spider	10	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	9	Heels to Heaven IC	20	10
Shovel Flag	Spades	10	Werkin	15	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	J	Stationary Lunges	10 ea leg	5 each leg
Shovel Flag	Spades	Q	Al Gore	30 sec hold x 2	30 sec hold x 1
Shovel Flag	Spades	K	Rotational Merkin	10	5
Shovel Flag	Spades	A	Single Leg Calf Raise	15 ea leg	7 ea leg
Pool Wall	Clubs	2	Walls of Jericho	See decsription	5 each exercise
Pool Wall	Clubs	3	Dips on bars	15	5
Pool Wall	Clubs	4	Crawl Bear up steps	1	1
Pool Wall	Clubs	5	Pull-ups at the Playground	10	5
Pool Wall	Clubs	6	Squats	20	10
Pool Wall	Clubs	7	Burpees	10	5
Pool Wall	Clubs	8	Clap Merkins	10	5
Pool Wall	Clubs	9	Gas Pump IC	15	5
Pool Wall	Clubs	10	Merkins IC	20	10
Pool Wall	Clubs	J	Lunges (each leg = 1)	20	10
Pool Wall	Clubs	Q	Michael Phelps	10	30 sec rest
Pool Wall	Clubs	K	Pickle Pounders IC	20	10
Pool Wall	Clubs	A	Incline Calf Raises on top of the Wall	20	10
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	2	Run a lap around the theatre	1	1
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	3	Dips on the theater wall	15	5
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	4	Crab walk across diameter of theater	1	1
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	5	Seal Clap Squats IC	20	10
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	6	Box Jumps on low theatre wall	15	5
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	7	Flying Squirrel	10	5
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	8	Shoulder Taps IC	20	10
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	9	Dolly IC	20	10
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	10	Diamond Merkins	10	5
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	J	Iron Mike / Bonnie Blair (ea leg)	7	5
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	Q	Reach for the Sky / Let it Hang	30 sec each	30 sec total
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	K	Pickle Pointer IC	20	10
Amphitheatre	Diamonds	A	Decline calf raises on the curb/edge	25	10
Friendship Bell	Hearts	2	Run to across bridge and back to bell	1	1
Friendship Bell	Hearts	3	Dips with feet on wall/bench	15	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	4	Reverse Crab around bell	1	1
Friendship Bell	Hearts	5	Raise the roof (air press)	20	10
Friendship Bell	Hearts	6	Squat Jump	10	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	7	Burpee with Jump Tuck	10	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	8	Irkin/Derkin alt (each)	10	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	9	Leg Lifts	20	10
Friendship Bell	Hearts	10	World’s Greatest Merkin	7	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	J	Reverse Lunge (each leg)	10	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	Q	Plank	30 sec x 2	30 sec x 1
Friendship Bell	Hearts	K	Rainbow Drop (single count)	15	5
Friendship Bell	Hearts	A	Alternating Leg single leg calf raises (single count)	40	20

MARY:
We did a lot of stuff, but no MARY today.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 Soldiers strong!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The notes and Word I shared comes from two John MacArthur sermons on 2 Corinthians 10:1-6: Winning the Spiritual War Part 1 // Winning the Spiritual War Part 2

We are soldiers in a war whether we know it or not. To wage war, we need to regularly evaluate where we are and prepare for war. Later this morning I have my yearly CPE (that’s Complete Physical Examination) scheduled. To do the blood work they required, I had to fast. Fasting can take many forms, and we’e been “deprived” of a lot this past year due to many circumstances beyond our control. There will continue to be many things that are beyond our control (like the “lot” that is cast when a card from the Deck of Pain is pulled, but we can control our reaction (this has been talked about many times before) as well as we can control how we prepare for situations going forward.

This is where being a soldier comes into play: Life is not a happenstance set of events – we can and should take stock in order to prepare for the battle – and yes, we are at war. Paul tell us this how we are to wage war in 2 Corinthians 10:1-6:

1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Reflect on the 4 aforementioned qualities and see that you are applying them to your life:

1. Compassionate (Hearts)- are you loving those around you, truly caring for their well-being and putting yourself after them? This starts with your immediate family.

2. Courageous (Diamonds) – Are you willing to take a stand when necessary? Do you even know what you’re going to stand for?

3. Competent (Clubs)- Leroy Jenkins is a classic example of courageous but not competent. Are you wisely taking risks, or stumbling into folly?

4. Calculating (Spades)- Last but not least, when push comes to shove, are you ready to take action in specific ways? We don’t just throw away the whole thing, but having a plan that takes out the enemy without civilian casualties (if at all possible) is paramount.

MOLESKIN:
Prayed for Doodle Dandy’s wife and another wife who live in the neighborhood where I live – both were in a car wreck and in the hospital over the weekend with broken ribs, possible spinal cord injuries, and at least one had a collapsed lung. Also prayed for Trolley’s M having a hysterectomy next Tuesday.

It was VERY slippery today. But Soldiers who walk together, even physically distanced, can look out for each other. Nobody fell and we all got stronger!

Also S/O to Kick-flip, Snaggletooth, Mathlete for looking for and to Biohack for finding my keys that dropped out of my pocket by, of course, the Pool wall.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Step up and Q!

Lean into the Hill

January 25, 2021 Pool Boy

THE SCENE: Mid 40’s and rainy. PERFECT opportunity to embrace the day.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER – Administered + COVID + Cell Phone
WARM-O-RAMA:
Moroccan Night Club x 10 IC
Pickle Pounder x 10 IC
Lunges x 5 ea OYO
Tennessee Rocking Chair x 10 IC

Mosey to Canopy (brief respite to finish the warmup and demonstrate)
Monkey Humper x 10 ea
Prayer Squat (aka Air Squat while hands are in a prayer) x 10 ea
Monkey Humping Goblet Squat x 5 ea

THA-THANG:
Mosey to CMU pickup then to Freshman Hill

Freshman Hill
	3 rounds, 5 reps each
	Ex x 5 ea	Top x 1 ea	Core
Rd 1	Monkey Humper	Merkin	Flutter
Rd 2	Goblet Squat	Overhead Clap	Rosalita
Rd 3	Monkey Humping Goblet Squat	Burpee	XY (Flutter + Rosalita

Put up CMU & rest. Shortcut mosey to Sophomore Hill

Sophomore Hill – abs for the 6, 10 reps with the 6, 2 rounds
Corner 1	Corner 2	Corner 3	Corner 4
Gas Pump	BBS	Heels to Heaven	LBC
Bernie up	Mosey	Sprint	Mosey

Walk to stop sign, long run to Mt. JUCOnte. Cross Hardin Valley Road:

Start at first tree/light pole
Do 10 Pickle Pounders
Lunge to next tree/light pole
Do 10 Pickle Pointers.
Repeat. Original plan was to do this for 5 mins (2.5 up, 2.5 down) but we only had time for ~4 minutes up to make it toward our final destination.

Mosey to Mt. JUCOmanjaro. A few took a shortcut mosey (S/O to Erector and Spotter for the long way around).

Final hill: Go up JUCOmanjaro as far as you can get in ~5 minutes.

MARY:
No Mary today.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
5 PAX leaned into the chair! (and Bernie even decided to join us post-workout!)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This is a bit of a continuation from Project: Friendship point #3 – know the Hill you’re willing to die on. Full disclosure – I got this from one of the pastors at my church and a fellow F3 PAX- Osteen!

The article I got for today’s themed Q (Freshman Hill, Sophomore Hill, Mt. JUCOnte, & Mt. JUCOmanjaro) came after I had an injury I’m still nursing where I can’t do merkins with proper form. Booster called out my Pickle Toe last Monday after I “smart sacked“. While I think my injury is legitimate, far Far FAR too often we let minor things in our lives get the best of us because we say/do a Knox Roll. Instead, as the article Osteen posted is titled, we need to “Lean Into The Hill“. What does that look like. From the article there are 4 points (rooted in Scripture):

1. Face our own hills each day (1 Corinthians 9:27) – We each face our own hills each day. It might begin with getting out of bed. It might be initiating a conversation we expect to be difficult. Or starting into work or schoolwork or yard work. We all encounter hills; some more, some less. And when we do, it takes more effort to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Again and again, we face challenges big and small. And when we do, what is our default? Will we keep stepping? Slow down? Stop all together? Or lean in?!

2. Develop the instinct (Romans 12:1-2) – Deep down we want to be distracted. Humans have craved and
found distractions for centuries; the digital avenues for it have simply made distraction even easier.

3. Look Through the Hill (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) – Just a few more minutes, and the hill will be behind me,
and I will be happier for having leaned in rather than having given in.

4. Jesus Leaned In (Heb 12:1-2) – Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Why? “For it cannot
be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). This was emphatically not the easiest
path but the hardest. The greatest of hills. He would perish, he said, & in the worst possible way: on a cross.

MOLESKIN:
Prayed for Amish‘s family (his grandfather passed away Thursday). Prayed for Wanderer’s brother-in-law (recovering from COVID)
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP this Saturday January 30th at The Asylum… in case you haven’t seen the 300 reminders on Slack for it this past 6 weeks!

Project: Friendship

January 5, 2021 Pool Boy

THE SCENE: 50% chance of rain. 100% chance of pain (well, at least 100% chance of D.O.M.S.)

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER – Administered + COVID (hopefully we don’t have to do this soon! 2021: ROPE (Return Of Partner Exercises)

WARM-O-RAMA:
Started cold, warmed up… Actual warmup:
Moroccan Night Club x 10 IC
Newton’s Cradle, OHC x 5 each IC
SLOW Dance Tempo Squats x 5 IC
Lunges x 5 each
Tempo Hand-release Merkins x 5 IC
Donkey Kicks x 5
Tennessee Rocking Chair x 7 IC

THA-THANG:
Mosey to Amphitheater

Mary 20-21’s – Do 20 reps of the first exercise, do 21 reps of the second exercises, run a lap around the Amphitheater. First one back calls a Mary exercise max 15 reps. Single Count unless otherwise noted:
Round 1 – BBS – Flutter Kicks (4ct IC) – (Lap + Mary Exercise) “Am I really that predictable?” called by Erector. I don’t remember the exercise but I thought it was the QOTD
Round 2 – Pickle pounders – pickle pointers – (Lap + Mary Exercise)
Round 3 – LBC’s – Heels to Heaven – (Lap + Mary Exercise)

30 seconds rest

DORA 20-21’s – same as Mary 20-21’s but your battle buddy does the exercise in parentheses until you complete 20 reps of the first exercise, flapjack (swap and do what he was doing), and then go to the 21’s doing the same alternate exercise in parentheses
Round 1 – Squats (Newton’s Cradle) – Merkins (Stationary Lunges) – (Lap + Mary Exercise)
Round 2 – Burpee (Reach for the Sky / Let it Hang) – OHC (Seal Clap Squat) – (Lap + Mary Exercise)

30 seconds rest

“The Wave” – in a circle but starting with the Q doing the following in a circle – 5 rounds of each exercise then take a lap around the Amphitheater

1 x Burpee (start your Burpee when the previous PAX claps his hands – you should have plenty of rest between Burpees here)
2 x Squats (start your Squat when the previous PAX has completed 1 of his)
2 x Iron Mikes (IC so 4 total 2 each leg, start your Iron Mikes when the previous PAX has finished his first rep on each leg)
5 x BBS (start your BBS when the previous PAX has completed 1 BBS. There should be a 1 BBS break before you start again)

Final Mary / Mary / Hail Mary (Not sure what to call it)
American Hammer x 10 IC
Heels to Heaven x 10 IC
ABC’s (all 26 of them!)
Lap around Amphitheater
E2K(oblique crunch)

MARY:
Lots of Mary today. None at the #shovelflag so we’ll leave this blank. Aye!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA – 7 PAX.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM: Today’s Project: Friendship

Prov 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
1 John 4:21 – And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Since I started F3 a year and a half a ago, the men at F3 have provided the right kind of friendship I didn’t really have before starting F3. I’ve developed this in other areas of my life, but F3 has been so good, challenging, and refining that I wanted to focus on aspects Friendship and 3 aspects / modes it can take for us to consider:

1. Seek to reconcile strained or former friendships (I am seeking to personally apply this right now so pray for me!)
Matthew 5:23-24 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

You and I are called to go to the brother we have wronged (if possible and wise, of course) and seek reconciliation (because God has reconciled us to Himself we can be reconciled to each other – 2 Cor 5:11-21). This is hard because the we may believe that we were more wronged personally but that is not what God calls us to here. See “Seven A’s of a Biblical Confession” by Ken Sande for specifics of how to walk this out. We must seek to be the mature ones. Jesus pursues us in reconciliation and while He is perfect and we are not, the steps Ken lays out are the hard path that did not revile when reviled, that sought us when we weren’t looking for Him. This is what a man of God does when he is wrong – he seeks confession and reconciliation!

2. Maintain solid friendships through peaceful unity, keeping the Gospel at the core.
Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

F3 is a men’s leadership organization. When we come out here, we are saying we are going to challenge others and let others challenge us. It’s not easy, but the crucible is where hearts are tested say Proverbs 17:3 and 27:21. We walk in goodness with each other, seeking to help others watch their six, and working together toward common goals that we have first in Christ and then in F3 and other areas. ISI Proverbs 27:17.

3. Know the Hill you’re willing to die on.
There are some things, while few and far between, that are more important than a “friendship”. I put it in quotes because these things should be so rare and understood to be as such that when they do pop up, it is a clear boundary crossed that a friendship cannot continue without major reconciliation (and usually lots of honesty, sincerity, and humility from someone over time before trust can be rebuilt). The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) is one of these examples. If anyone adds to or takes away from Christ-crucified with the only work we do is faith by repenting and turning from our sins, this is a hill to die on because Jesus died on that hill (Calvary).

Another example of this is when a friend goes long in unrepentant sin, we have to love that friend enough to call him back (Galatians 6:1-2). We always look to restore the friendship, but it must be in truth. Our goal should always be reconciliation when we call someone to repentance, first with God (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) and then with each other. The book of James talks about this and how wonderful it is to bring a brother back from the second death:

James 5:19-20 – 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Remember, there are not many hills to die on. You might even say the Gospel and a friend in unrepentance are one and the same hill to die on. But knowing these is a huge part of friendship because we uphold truth.

A #project of building rich, deep friendship doesn’t mean you jump off a cliff together the first time you meet a guy, but it does eventually get to taking that kind of risk. Talk about deep things along the way. Be intentional. Be men who walk steadfastly, build friendships with other men, and build those friendships on the deep, solid Rock of Jesus Christ.

MOLESKIN:
Thankful for friends, especially the PAX of JUCO and The Project (and that Ribbed guy who not only invited me to F3 but stuck with me when I didn’t deserve a chance).

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP at The Asylum 1/31/2021 0630 – 0900
You can order Asylum gear with their pre-order here (through January 18th, 2021)