F3 Knoxville

12 Days of Christmas Repeat

AO: thequacken
Q: Z-Pack
PAX: FixerUpper, Z-Pack, Piano Man, Piano Man
FNGs: 1 Piano Man
COUNT: 3
WARMUP:
SSHs
Squat and Reach
OH Claps
Mountain Climbers

THE THANG:
A popular beatdown this time of year – 12 Days (exercises) of Christmas. You do the workout like you sing the song. Please sing along, “On the twelfth day of Christmas my AO Q made me do…”

12 Side Straddle Hops – 4 count
11 Merkins
10 Jungle Boys
9 Plank Shoulder taps – 2 count
8 Lunges – each leg
7 Carolina Dry Docks
6 Plank Toe Touches – 4 count
5 Burpees
4 Plank Jacks
3 Mucho Leggos
2 Times Bernie
1 Tres Merkin

So, you would start with 1 Tres Merkin for the first day. Then you would do 2 Times Bernie and 1 Tres SMerkin for the second day. Then you would do 3 Mucho Leggos, 2 Times Bernie, and 1 Tres Merkin for the third day. And so on it goes for 12 Days, 12 rounds of Christmas beatdown goodness!

We went a few minutes over because I was late getting the warm-up started. Some finished and some were close to finishing all 12 Days.

MARY:
no time

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
No workout on Wednesday – Christmas Day at The Quacken. Other AOs will be meeting though, if you are looking for a Christmas Day beatdown.
1/1/2025 – Polar Plunge at the Wye in Townsend

1/4/2025 – F3 Smokies Convergence

1/11/2025 – Hot Toddy Triple Q at Asylum Daybreak

COT:
The Reason For The Season – Luke 2:1 – 21

Encouragement to enjoy the joy of this Christmas Season, and most importantly, for the believer, to reflect and adore the babe who was sent to overcome sin and death and set all believers free!

[genesis-ruck] Nightmare Before Christmas part 2

AO: genesis-ruck
Q: Brick
PAX: Single (Ryan Chambers), Mermaid, Lizzy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WARMUP:
SSH
LBACs
Cherry Pickers
Merkins
Squats

THE THANG:

10 manmakers
50 plank pull throughs
Ruck up the trade route
10 manmakers
50 ruck pressed lifts
Ruck 1 big lap
10 manmakers
50 ruck twists

MARY:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steam and Megan
Eliza
Sparkler
The holidays

COT:

She gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:7 (NASB)

Consider this: The fact that the innkeeper didn’t make room for Jesus did not stop Jesus from being born. History is his story. When the innkeeper said, “No room,” it didn’t hurt God. But the innkeeper missed what would have been the biggest blessing of his life. He missed the privilege of housing the Son of God.

Luke 2:7 says, “She gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (NASB).

You don’t change God’s plans when you don’t make room for him—but you miss out! Jesus wants to give you purpose, peace, and power. But for him to do that, you have to make room for him in your heart.

First, Jesus wants to give you purpose. Do you ever feel something is missing in your life? It’s because you were made for purpose and significance, not just money or success. Success is not enough; it doesn’t satisfy.

The Message paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 6:12-13 says, “The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way . . . Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!” The antidote to unfulfillment is to make room for Jesus and what really matters! Don’t shut him out.

Next, Jesus can give you the kind of peace the Bible calls “the peace . . . which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7 ESV). That means you can have unexplainable peace even when everything around you is in chaos. That kind of peace comes only from Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Finally, Jesus wants to give you power too—the kind of power that allows you to have self-control. It’s interesting that the more control you give to Christ, the more self-control he gives you.

You’ve probably found that sometimes your best efforts aren’t enough; you don’t have enough willpower to overcome your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. You need the Spirit of Christ who gives you the power to have self-control

Do you want the purpose, peace, and power that only God can provide? You need to make room in your heart for Jesus!

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over

When have you missed out on a blessing because you didn’t make room for Jesus?
Can you see areas in your life today that God could bless if you just made room for him?
Is there an area of your life today that could use a boost of God’s purpose, peace, or power? Ask him for that right now.
The first step towards having God’s purpose, peace, and power in your life is to trust in Jesus.

God’s great generosity is reflected in his gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Your sins separate you from God. And it is only God’s grace, through Jesus, that can get you back into right relationship with him.

The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

[virtuous-leadership-school] We “Finished” the book

AO: virtuous-leadership-school
Q: Mermaid
PAX: Baby Boomer, Spellcheck
FNGs: None
COUNT: 3
We finished the last chapter of Q Source and will start with chapter one next week. The title of this chapter was odd, out of context, but after reading the book and knowing about “lizards” it is easier to follow. Wrapping up the book comparing Jesus’s ministry and the 12 disciples to what we are doing was fantastic, and not something I was expecting.

To say this study has been impactful would be accurate, but to to summarize how impactful would be impossible. I have greatly enjoyed studying this subject matter with these men, and I look forward to continuing to study this in the future.

You Can’t Take That Away From Me

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Lulu (Greg Huddy), F3 Pluto ( Hugh Nystrom), Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Cart Girl (John Sadler) (Chatt, TN), Brick, Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Jumbo(Carter Dickens), Choir Boy, Pusher, Mr Jinxy, Snap Glove (Sean Selos), Beaker (Manny Selos)
FNGs: 2 Snap Glove (Sean Selos), Beaker (Manny Selos)
COUNT: 15
WARMUP: Run Around the Parking Lot, 20 Side-Straddle Hops, Curly Stomps, 10 Imperial Walkers, 10 Windmills, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Tempo Squats, 5 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 5 Pterodactyls Forward and Backward.

THE THANG: Mosey up Mini Cardiac and to the benches by the trail before going downhill. From this point we will do the following: Do 20 Bench Lifts, run to first curve, do 20 Hello Dollies and run back; Do 20 Bench Lifts, run to second curve, do 20 Hello Dollies and run back; Do 20 Bench Lifts, run to 3rd curve, do 20 Hello Dollies and run back. The Clydesdales will sweep rabbits to 3rd curve after they finish the 3rd set of Bench Lifts.
Next, we will continue south on trail and do Nickel, Dime, Quarters. We will do these past the dock area. Once past the dock area we will mosey on the trail until it curves west. We will then resume with the nickel dime quarters until we reach pavilion that is near muscle beach. Here are the exercises:
Merkins

Jump Squats

Freddie Mercuries

Mosey to Muscle Beach. Each man chooses two different exercise machines to do 25 reps with. After finishing, do Baby Crunches until all men have finished.
Mosey to parking lot by the soccer fields. We will go clockwise around the parking lot twice. The first time around we will sprint to one crosswalk, then walk to the next, continuing that pattern around the circle. The second time around we will Bernie Sanders to one crosswalk, then walk to the next, continuing the pattern around the circle.
Mosey to the Bidet. We will run clockwise around the inner circle, stopping at the benches to do 20 Decline Merkins. After arriving back down, those finishing first do Baby Crunches until the six arrives.
Mosey to the Caribean. We will go to the west end. From there we will sprint to the east end but stop at every island to do 2 Burpees.
Mosey toward AO parking lot but stop to get CMU weight rock by the entryway. We will do 25 Overhead Presses.
Mosey to AO.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Polar Bear Plunge on January 1, Smokies Convergence on January 4, Hot Toddy Triple Q at Asylum on January 11.

COT:
Prayers
Prayers for our brother, Sparkler, as he will be getting treatment for Prostate Cancer. Prayers for people traveling at Christmas like Crawdad and Jumbo who head toward Texas today. Prayers for those who are lamenting or suffering this Christmas. Prayers for us that we may be HIMs, keep an eye out for those who are suffering, and be an encouraging spirit for them.
Message

They Can’t Take That Away from Me
2024 was a year of loss and destruction for many people out in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina due to the almost unimaginable flooding and disaster caused by Hurricane Helene. It was horrific to see people losing their homes, their cars, their furnishings, and much of the belongings that they had saved for a lifetime.
As I approach retirement, I couldn’t help but think, “What if that was me?” Jan and I have saved part of our earnings each year through our working years, putting it in good ol IRAs. As we approach retirement we feel that we have enough savings to get by on. But what if that savings were to go away? What if our economy goes downhill and our stock market plummets? What if we lose our assets and home through some unforeseen disaster? Events like Hurricane Helene show us just how possible that can be.
There is a song that has come to my mind quite a few times related to all this. Some of you guys may know that song by Ira and George Gershwin called “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”
Some of the lines go like this”
The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No, no, they can’t take that away from me
The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off-key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no, they can’t take that away from me.

Those are all things that money can’t buy. I guess that’s why the song has stuck in my mind. If I lost all my assets, what would I have? How about you guys? If you lost your possessions, what would you have? For me, I would still have the love of my wife and children. I would still be able go to my church and see my church family. As for tithing’s, 10% of nothing is nothing, so that would be fine! I would still get to see you brothers in F3. This incredible bond and experience we have is Free 99, baby! And, I would still have my Lord above. In fact, if they were to take everything I have and lay my head down in a guillotine, I might be shaking in my boots and crying my eyes out but I would still have my Lord above.

I encourage you to think about and ponder what “THEY”, that ubiquitous word for disaster in scenarios like we are talking about, can’t take away from you. As for me, I would hope I could survive disasters knowing that there are some things that money can’t buy, some things worth so much more than money or even earthly existence, some things they cannot take away from me.

Rise Above This Christmas

AO: juco
Q: Guardrail
PAX: Windex, Mailbox, Butterknife, Ike, Pelican, Booster, Dart Gun, Love Shaq
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
WARMUP: High knees, Butt Kickers, Reach for the stars and let it hang, tempo merkins and bear crawl to center

THE THANG: Mosey to wall by Haslam for dips while partner did a burpee at the bottom of the stairs.
Then “Dora Scout” where one runs out to the next light pole while the partner did the excercies. Then both run to the scouted pole, while the other guy checks out and comes back, repeat.
Collectively 100 merkins, 200 Squats and 300 Big boys.
MARY: Spicy Dragon, Cross over Mountain climbers, Flutter kicks, pickle pointers and freddy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Merry Christmas. Windex is open to meet Christmas morning and may do a virtual option for those of us traveling
COT:
I love the word Preeminent: meaning first, of greatest importance: Rise above. Stand out in importance.
We all agreed we want Jesus Christ to be preeminent in Christmas.
Challenge: Partner up (keep your partner from this morning) and set a plan of how you are going to do it. Then follow up after Christmas and how did it go.
Get a phone number and set a plan to connect.
Merry Christmas!