F3 Knoxville

Borrowed Ethos

THE SCENE:  73 and clear.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered faithfully, even though the PAX were eager to get started.
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH
  • KCP
  • LBAC F&B
  • Mosey
  • Tempo Squat
  • Mountain Climbers

THA THANG:

Mosey to the Rock Pile.  Toys are set out in a circuit.  Visit each station for 50 seconds, switching with the timer.  No rest in between.  Keep track of your total number of reps.

  1. Tire hit
  2. Goblet squat
  3. Ball Slams
  4. Jump rope
  5. Battle rope alternating waves
  6. Thrusters
  7. Stack squat
  8. CMU swings
  9. Heavy Lunges
  10. Curls
  11. Bench Press
  12. Single Arm Row (Left)
  13. Pull ups
  14. Hanging Leg Raises
  15. Mountain Climbers

Mosey recovery.

Round 2:  Flip the cards.  Can you beat your total number of reps from Round 1?  Exercises were;

  1. Tricep extensions
  2. Tire flip
  3. Jump rope (double under)
  4. Slam ball launch
  5. Blockees
  6. Battle rope slams
  7. OHP
  8. Plyo merkins
  9. Heavy Al Gore
  10. Good mornings
  11. Single Arm Row (Right)
  12. Farmer Step-ups
  13. Hanging Leg Raises
  14. Pull ups
  15. Flutter kicks

MARY:

5 minutes of Mary – dealer’s choice

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

Me and 11 of the best men I know

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The United States Coast Guard tracks its lineage back to August 4 of the year 1790, when acting on the recommendation of then-Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, Congress established the Revenue Marine and authorized the construction of a fleet of ten small ships, whose responsibility would be enforcement of our nation’s first tariff laws.  In the early 20th century, that organization would merge with the U.S. Lifesaving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard, dedicated to saving life at sea and enforcing our nation’s maritime laws.  On this, the birthday of the Coast Guard, we drew our inspiration from that organization’s Ethos.  The United States Coast Guard’s Ethos is this:

  • I am a Coast Guardsman.
  • I serve the people of the United States.
  • I will protect them.
  • I will defend them.
  • I will save them.
  • I am their shield.
  • For them I am Semper Paratus (“always ready”)
  • I live the Coast Guard core values.
  • I am proud to be a Coast Guardsman.
  • We are the United States Coast Guard.

When your life’s purpose is outside of yourself (and bigger than yourself), living purposefully requires self-sacrifice.  To be a high-impact man, we are called to self-sacrifice and to live not for ourselves, but for others.  Within F3, we say “Live Third”, which is to “consistently and deliberately place oneself behind Creator and Community”.  God, then family, then me.

Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

I frequently struggle with this, but this morning shared a recent victory.  Tomorrow, we close on a new home.  We’ve been looking for almost 2 years and the reason it has taken so long is 100% me.  The reasons we started looking for a new home were, 1) to have more bedrooms so we could become a foster family, and 2) to be closer to the activities for my wife and kids.  I then layered on top of that short list ALL my interests; a pool, a workshop, the right “look”, a short commute…me…me…me.  I lost track of our original two objectives and became consumed with my own interests.

About a month ago, the reality of my selfishness hit me like a falling ton of bricks and I vowed to set my long set of “wants” aside.  So, when my wife brought me a listing that she wanted to see, I said, “go and see it, I’ll watch the kids”.  When she came home and said it would work for us and wanted to make an offer, I agreed without stipulation.  We offered…they accepted…we’re moving.  It’s not exactly the home I would have picked for us (which, BTW, probably does not exist) – but it is perfect for what the family needed.  After 2 years of thinking and acting selfishly, I was finally able to Live Third and put their interests ahead of my own.

In homage to the Coast Guard, we borrowed their ethos and re-purposed it for application in our lives.  We substituted “husband” and “father” into that Ethos – and it made a pretty good operating standard for Living Third. 

  • I am a father. I am a husband.
  • I serve my family.
  • I will protect them.
  • I will defend them.
  • I will save them.
  • I am their shield.
  • For them I am Semper Paratus
  • I hold myself accountable to high values.
  • I am proud to be a father. I am proud to be a husband.

BB Reader,
In what ways are you putting your interests ahead of your family’s interests?
How can you practice Living Third this week? 

MOLESKIN:

  • Nice to have Chit Chat from downrange again!
  • Ocho is crushing it!  Keep it up!
  • What?!?  Nobody beat their score from Round 1???
  • Missing you, Snaggletooth!

PRAYERS / ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Workday this Saturday
  • Family Workout this Saturday
  • Shield Lock Pool Party this Saturday
  • Prayers for Tuba and Boy George

12 Pains of Christmas… er August

THE SCENE: Humid and gloomy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Projectivator
  • Cherry pickers
  • Tempo squats
  • Tempo merkins

THA-THANG:
Death march (Indian run w/ burpee) to ORAU campus.  Complete the 12 Pains of Christmas just like the song.  Run up and down the hill between each verse.

  1. Burpee
  2. Imperial Squalkers
  3. Basilisks
  4. Merkins
  5. Big Boys
  6. Lunges
  7. Side straddle hops
  8. Prone rows
  9. Diamond merkins
  10. Heels to heaven
  11. Squats
  12. Burpees

Return to Flag

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
All PAX tagged + 1 downranger:  Chit-Chat
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This passage is empowering; telling us that God has already prepared the good work for us to do.  However, if we add a little context by going back 2 verses:

Ephesians 2:8-10:  For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And it is not of your own doing; it is the gift from God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This shows us that even though our salvation is a free gift from God, that we did not earn, God expects and has prepared good work for us to do that will bring him glory because of our salvation.  Because He saved us.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Family workout on Saturday, August 6th.  Pancakes in the park and swim party at Borg’s to follow.

Workmanship

THE SCENE: little overcast but not to yucky
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Thunderstruck
THA-THANG:
Mosey to pick up CMUs

  • Two rounds
  • <span;>10 WWI heavy sit ups
    <span;>10 WWII heavy sit ups
    <span;>10 X Factor
  • Heavy al gore holds in between 
  • Heavy imperial walkers for till  whole PAX has prayed
  • Four sets of 25 reps of curls
  • Windmill
  • Seal claps

MARY:
Mosey back to the parking lot for PAX led

10 Pickel pushers

10 Pushups

10 Bascales

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

 

 

Back to School, Back to School

THE SCENE: “It’s too darn hot for a penguin to just be walkin’ around here!”

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Dutifully delivered.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x15
Knox Cherry Pickers (Late season cherries for obvious reasons) …Enough. We lost count.
Tempo Merks x10
Tempo Squats x10
FLBAC x10
RLBAC x10
Grady Corn x10
Moroccan Night Clubs x10
Chatty Cherries x10
SSH x15

Mosey to the school yard!

THA-THANG:

PAX performed a Billy Madison Routine. Inspired by Billy Madison’s journey through back through school, this routine involves a running loop and exercise per grade. For best effects, perform routine on school grounds. Begin with 12 reps of an exercise, then take a lap to the bridge. Billy passed the 1st grade…”Oh what a glorious day!” Do the 1st grade exercise x 12 reps plus the second grade exercise x 12 reps. This concludes 2nd grade. Continue adding an exercise each time with the lap until you’ve completed one loop and exercise combo for each of the 12 grades. We added a full lap around the parking lot for 6th grade and 12th grade because Middle School is terrible and learning is hard for me SO BACK OFF!

Exercises were as follows:

  1. Air Squats
  2. Merkins
  3. Heels to Heaven
  4. SSH
  5. Shoulder Touches
  6. Big Boys
  7. Monkey Humpers
  8. Flutter Kicks 4 ct
  9. Diamond Push-ups
  10. Bonnie Blairs 2 ct
  11. Burpees
  12. American Hammers

Several PAX made it to the 11th grade but unfortunately did not pass. Poor Billy, Billy Boy.

RTB

MARY:
LBC x15 4ct.
Awkward Turtle x15 4ct.
Rosalitas x10 4ct.
Basilisk x10 4ct.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

1 Peter 5:8-11

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

What this doesn’t say God will keep you from being tempted. It says God will give you strength and restore you. I’ve stopped praying that God would keep me from being tempted. “And lead us not into the time of trial” is a better translation. Temptation will always be there in one form or another. Jesus was tempted! A leadership author (who’s name I have forgotten) wrote that the more you find yourself in leadership, the more you will find yourself tempted and with more at stake.

Instead, of asking for God to take away temptation, I’ve been praying for strength to stand firm against temptations of the flesh, temptations of the world, and temptations from the enemy.

One practical thing I’ve been learning is about will power. Will Power matters more than IQ. According to the Marshmallow Test (search it on YouTube), the 15 minutes of this test could predict kids’ future for the next 15+ years. Kids with will power perform better than kids that have a higher IQ.

Here’s what to remember about your will power: IT’S A MUSCLE – It gets tired. How do you hack your will power? You pre-commit. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus tied himself to the mast and had his crew put wax in their ears to avoid the song of the Sirens. Tempted? Don’t even allow it into your hearing. Be tied to the mast.

I struggle with lunchtime decisions. I started to pre-commit by making my own. I struggle with snacking on junk when I get home. I started to pre-commit with healthy options and eliminated the unhealthy. Other options? TV – unplug it. Social Media? – Delete it and use browser. Waking up to workout in the morning? Hard Commit!

MOLESKIN:

Workout Playlist was as follows…

  1. Old John Braddelum – Alan Mills
    (Everyone loved this one! Considering 45 mins on repeat next time. Great idea, Borg!)
  2. ABC – The Jackson 5
  3. The Stroke – Billy Squier
  4. Carry on Wayward Son – Kansas
  5. I’ll Tumble 4 Ya – Culture Club
  6. Jump Around – House of Pain (I forgot. Clearly not edited. I apologize.)
  7. Beat on the Brat – Ramones
  8. Renegade – Styx
  9. Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 2) – Gary Glitter (Obviously from Happy Gilmore but we needed a break, right?)

Fun was had by all! Thank you for enjoying this workout!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • July 30: 7 AM.  Shovelflag handoff at the Arsenal. See Slack for details.
  • August 6: Family Workout, 8:00AM. Pancakes in the Park after the workout. See Slack for details.
  • August 6: Shield Lock Pool Party at Borg’s!  10:00 AM.   See Slack for details.
  • August 6: 7 AM.  Work Day at the Cerebral Palsy Center.  See Slack for details.
  • Aug 12-14:  F3 Dad Camp 4.0 @ YMCA Camp Ocoee. See Slack for details.
  • Hey. See Slack for details.

Meeting God on the Mountain

THE SCENE: overcast
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH – Tempo Squat – Tempo Merk – Mtn Climbers – LBAC fwd/bwd – Burpees – Cherry Pickers – Stretches

THA-THANG:

  1. Parking Lot (NW Corner along Rec Ctr)
  • 10 merkins – mosey to end of parking lot – 10 Bobby Hurleys
  • Rinse and Repeat – 5x
  • 1 minute plank
  • Mosey to Playground

2. Playground

  • Begin with 4 Pull-ups
  • 15 Merkins + 5 Pull-ups (5 rounds)
  • 1 minute plank
  • Mosey to Friendship Bell

3. Friendship Bell

  • 20 Merkins
  • 1 Minute Plank
  • Mosey to K-25

4. K-2(5) (OUR HIGHEST PEAK!)

  • 10 Merkins at Bottom
  • Sprint up hill
  • 10 BBS at Top
  • Rinse-Repeat x5
  • 2 Minute Plank
  • Mosey to Shovel Flag

MARY:
No Time

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10STRONG

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I shared with the guys a story from our family trip to Scotland. We spent almost all of our time in the Highlands with some hiking along the Great Glen Way, seeing the lochs and castles and the most beautiful, rugged green hills and grey skies. While anyone can see the sights and enjoy the beauty, many people have shared that there’s a feeling Scotland has. I felt it.

I experienced the thinness of the veil between heaven and earth. In the far north, Loch Broom opens up to the North Sea, and hides a small village called Ullapool. It is shielded from the North wind by the hills that surround it. On our only morning there, I woke up early to walk up the hills, to be alone. I wanted to ask God how we’ll make it through the season of change in our family’s life. As the hill climbed above the town, above the tree line, above any sign of humanity, I heard God.

More accurately, I sensed something so faint that I was surprised at how tiny and ephemeral it was. I imagined I would reach the top and cry out into the wild solitude . But it felt wrong to yell – I could only whisper. Through my ragged breath and the incessant North wind, I felt a message from God, like a memory. It was like a large library with hundreds of shelves, with thousands of books, and millions of pages – with one page lit up. It was the image of Jesus being baptized, with the Holy Spirit descending on Him, and the Father speaking over Him: “This is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

On a lonely, achingly-beautiful and lonely mountain, I met God. I am exhorted once again to fix my eyes on Jesus in this difficult season, and because I am in Christ, I receive the Spirit upon me and the Father speaking those very words over me as well. “You are my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.”

Like my namesake, the prophet Elijah, I met God on the mountain. Not in the wind, not in the fire or the earthquake, but in a still, small voice in the hills above Ullapool.

MOLESKIN:
We praised God for an answered prayer and prayed for a continued concern for Tuba’s family.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Family Q with Pool Party; service opportunities – details in Slack.