F3 Knoxville

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 20^th 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 23^rd 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 23^rd 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