F3 Knoxville

Category: Asylum PM

Gladiator Bear

THE SCENE: Beautiful morning with the BSIA.  60 degrees, sunny, low humidity.  Aahhhhh….
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Performed adequately.
WARM-O-RAMA:

-Motivators (5-count, descending)

– 10 Rockettes (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Tempo Merkins (4-ct, IC)

– BAC forward and backward (4-ct, IC)

– Bolt 45s

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY up Baby Everest to trail that leads to Lyons View entrance

Nickel/Dime Quarters!

Run 1 light do 5 reps, run 2 lights do 10 reps, run 5 lights do 25 reps.  Stop at base of Everest.  Exercises:

  1. MTN CLIMBERS (4-ct)     2. MERKINS  3.  FROGGY JUMPS

BASE OF EVEREST:

BERNIE up Everest until you hit failure.  When you do, do the Failure Ritual of Shame: 20 Merkins/20 Big Boys/20 Squats.  Run up the Summit to the road.  LBCs until the 6 catches up.

MOSEY to Small “Dora” parking lot.

5/10/15s: Get a battle buddy, while one BB jogs back and forth in the bullpen, the other runs up to the stop sign to do two exercises 5x.  Switch off.  Next time 10x, then 15x.   3 Rounds:

ROUND 1:  PETER PARKERS/BOTTLE OPENERS (both 2-ct)

ROUND 2: BIG BOY SITUPS/GAS PUMPS

ROUND 3: BOBBY HURLEYS/IMPERIAL WALKERS (2-ct) (We didn’t finish the “15” round of this last one)

MOSEY TO FIELD BELOW:

ULTIMATE FRISBEE! Divide into two teams.  Rules:

  • Frisbee hits the ground, team that drops it does 2 Deconstructed Burpees. The other team CANNOT START until those are done.
  • Score a touchdown, Scoring team does 5 CHEERLEADERS while losing team does 5 DECONSTRUCTED BURPEES and runs to the other side to receive kickoff
  • WINNER of contest gets a 20 second WALK MOSEY Head start back to the AO. When losers catch them, AYG back to the AO.

MARY:
American Hammers, Hommer/Marge
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 Strong + a poochie (Tank)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I’ve watched two very different shows recently that highlighted some of the same key attributes of leadership that I’d like to talk about today a little bit.  I’ve never considered myself a particularly strong leader, more of a leader by example, but I’ve been trying to improve my leadership skills here and there, and by seeing examples of how it can be done helps give me some pointers.

The first example is a show called BEAR, about a chef who has absolutely climbed the ladder globally, and was working at one of the best restaurants in the world when his brother dies, leaving him a run down Italian beef joint in downtown Chicago that is nearly bankrupt.  All the other workers there are blue-collar types who have worked there for years, and even though he’s “family”, they think of him as a snob, an outsider, and a disruptor.  The way he leads the group to try to get the restaurant back on its feet is impressive, and I wanted to mention a few things specifically.

  • Right off the bat he calls everyone “Chef” as a sign of respect. Everyone is in the same boat, everyone equal.
  • He observes and sees each worker’s strengths and gives them the freedom to pursue their passions within the confines of the restaurant. One guy really loves baking and making desserts, and he allows him to pursue that passion.
  • He does the dirty work. Literally. He’s on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor after everyone else has gone home.

Then there’s a scene in the movie Gladiator, when Russell Crowe’s character, who is an ex-commander of the Roman army that has been wrongfully imprisoned and trapped in the world of the gladiators, is released into the Colosseum in Rome with other criminals to be slaughtered for entertainment by a much better-armed group of gladiators.  His leadership qualities immediately kick in.

  • Before the battle begins, he asks who else has served in the military. A few nod, and he asks for their help.  Makes them feel important.
  • Right before combat, he tells his group to stick together and cooperate. It will give them a better chance to survive.
  • He is one of the first to engage the enemy group. He organizes and inspires his fellow gladiators and they end up winning the battle.

Some commonalities between the two scenarios.

  1. Give others belief in themselves and their unique abilities. Find out what makes them tick, what their skills and passions are, and recognize and encourage them.
  2. Lead from the front. When it’s time to get your hands dirty, be the first to stick them deep in the mud.
  3. When it’s crunch time, whether during a crisis in the kitchen or if you find yourself in a life and death battle in a gladiator arena, step up. Give others confidence.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Asylum cleanup next Saturday 9 am!

Epiphanies of the Everyday

THE SCENE: On the warm side, but low humidity! About 85 degrees, no wind.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-SSH (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)

– 20 Moroccan Night Clubs (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Steve Earls (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to the mulched path south of the AO, to the corner where it turns to join the main path.

JINXY’S FOUR AND A QUARTER.  Start at turn, run down to main path and do 25 reps of an exercise, return to starting position.  R&R 4 times, totaling 100 of the exercise.

  • Round 1: Carolina Dry Docks
  • Round 2: LBCs (single count)
  • Round 3: Lunges (single count)

MOSEY to Bottom of Everest.

Three points of contact w/ pain stations: 1. BASE, 2. BASE OF SUMMIT, 3. TOP OF SUMMIT

Do 20 reps of three exercises at each location.  Run down to bottom and do 20 LBCs/20 flutter kicks until 6 arrives. Stay at top after Round 3.

Three rounds:

Round 1: Seal Claps, Overhead Claps, Grady Corns

Round 2: American Hammers, LBCs, Box Cutters

Round 3: Merkins, Shoulder Taps, Plank Jacks—Ran out of time, so just ran to base of summit did 25x each, and ran back up.

MOSEY TO AO.

MARY:
A lil’ bit of stretching.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 Strong! (Twitch not tagged, 2.0 of Caveman)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I studied a bit of art history when I was in college, and ever since then I’ve had an appreciation for painting, especially from the Renaissance period until the 20th century.  One artist that I’ve always appreciated is Jan Vermeer, who was a Dutch artist active in the 17th century.  He is best known for his paintings of scenes that are quiet and still (i.e., “genre” paintings).  Two of his most famous works are Girl With a Pearl Earring— which shows a woman with her head turned part way towards the viewer, a blue towel on her head and a large pearl earring dangling from her left ear—and The Milkmaid, which depicts a woman, pouring milk into a bowl as light streams through the window.  There were other artists of his time that were more technically proficient, who painted more exciting scenes (Biblical scenes, historical battles, profiles of the rich or powerful!!), who used bolder colors and more elaborate compositions.  But the effect that Vermeer’s paintings have is sublime.  Such quiet and still scenes are rendered into beautiful depictions of everyday life.  In The Milkmaid, for instance, the room the scene takes place in is very plain, as is the woman, the earthenware vessels, and the clothing.  And yet there is such a sense of peace, of airiness, even of loneliness as this woman goes about her chore alone and in silence.  And the objects in the room look so real, you feel like you can almost taste the milk, and feel the dry crust of the bread.  The end result is more than a sum of its parts, and the beauty of the painting when you take a few moments to appreciate it is incredible.  The beauty of the simple.  Vermeer was a master taking these little, mundane moments and turning them into Epiphanies of the Everyday.

I can’t help thinking about the analogy of how God works in our daily lives.  Although I believe miracles can and do happen, the beauty and love of God is often much more subtle.  The kindness of a stranger, the perfect sunset over our AO as we enjoy a Board meeting, the phone call or text from a friend during a time of loneliness or hardship.

We’re often so busy that we’re oblivious to the little moments, the small windows of our Heavenly Father’s beauty and kindness and love that is hiding in plain sight.  Take a moment this week to pause and appreciate an Everyday Epiphany that our Lord and Father provides for us.  Just take a moment, breathe, and be grateful.  And even better, take the opportunity to BE that Epiphany for someone else.  Perform a random act of kindness to a stranger, reach out to a friend, family member, or F3 brother that you haven’t heard from in a while, share your gift of music, humor, or good nature with someone who may not be expecting it.

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sign up for the Volunteer work day at Asylum a week from this Saturday, 9 am – ??.  Send Me shirts still on sale!