F3 Knoxville

Swimming Is Back

Asylum AM

F3 Q: 10.1.22

Asylum AO: 7am – 8am 

[ The Scene ] 

  • Chilly
  • Precipitation: 5%

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith 
  • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning 
  • A few things before we begin: 
    • I’m not a professional 
    • You’re here on your own belief 
    • You know your injuries if you have any so if you need to modify anything we do today feel free to do so, but push yourselves and the men around you. They deserve it and so do you. 
  • FNGs? — No

[ Warm o Rama ] 

  • SSH: 10×4 IC 
    • Run to the Pav + execute 1 pull-up + come back 
  • Hand Release Army Merkin: 10×4
    • Run to the Pav + execute 2 pull-up + come back 
  • Mountain Climber: 10×4
    • Run to the Pav + execute 3 pull-up + come back 
  • Squat: 10×4
    • Run to the Pav + execute 4 pull-up + come back 
  • Imperial Walker: 10×4 
    • Run to the Pav + execute 4 pull-up + come back 

[ The Thang ] 

(Mosey to The Island)

1 — Ping Pong Pyramid (Up)

  • The ends of the island are going to be our points of contact 
  • Start here with 5 reps of the X on the #1 cone
  • Run to the other end of the island and execute 10 reps of the X on the cone with #2 on it 
  • Same thing for the #3 cone here, #4 cone down there, and finishing up with the #5 cone down here. 
  • When you’re done, flutter kicks down here.

2 — Ping Pong Pyramid (Down)

  • Same thing, but we’ll start with 25 reps here and work our way back down to 5 reps, ending here. 
  • Look at the bottom of the cones for the next 5 Xs 
  • Done? Flutter kicks. 

(Mosey around to the roundabout on the left side of the Coliseum) 

3 — Stop at the 3-way stop sign 

  • 25 merkins (down/up)
  • 25 Carolina Dry Docks (down/up)
  • 25 mountain climbers

4 — American Indian Dips Movement 

  • Men lined up around the roundabout, holding the dip position
  • The 6 man executed 5 dips and then ran to the front
  • Go all the way around the roundabout

5 — Bear Crawl Karaoke

  • On both sides of the curb, men side bear-crawled all the way back up and around 

6 — In the middle of the Coliseum

  • Core 4
    • 25 Squats (1ct)
      • Run straight up to the top
    • 25 LBCs (1ct)
      • Run straight down to the lookout
    • 25 Imperial Walkers (1ct)
      • Run straight up to the top 
    • 25 Plank Jacks (1ct)
      • Run back to the center 

(Mosey back to the flag)

[ Mary ] 

  • SWS – Stretching With Steam (On the curb)
    • Karaoke down/back
    • Rockettes halfway down -> mosey // rinse and repeat back
    • High knees halfway down -> mosey // rinse and repeat back
    • Toe touches halfway down – mosey // rinse and repeat back
    • Circle up and fight stretching

[ COT ]

  • # off — 13
  • Name o Rama 
    • Pele
    • Mr. Jinxy
    • Convoy
    • Swimmies
    • Snitch
    • High Heels
    • Lebowski
    • Rainbow
    • Lillydipper
    • Choir Boy
    • Matlock
    • Qbert
  • FNGs
  • BOM

“The Ministry of Presence”

I saw a video on Instagram this week, of someone in Hollywood talking about the ministry of presence. I thought this was strange, because for this certain actor, Shia Lebouf (the movie Holes, Transformers), this seemed kind of out of character for him, to talk about the ministry of presence. He went on to share that during a particular difficult time in his life, as he was recovering from addiction and brokenness, there was an event where family members and friends could come on-site to this rehab facility to celebrate the progress Shia had been making. No one showed up. No one from his family showed up, none of his friends showed up, his manager didn’t show up, no one. I mean this is Shia Lebouf, a famous Hollywood actor! And yet no one showed up. Think of how alone he must have felt, on a day that is reserved for family, friends, and loved ones to show up and show support and encouragement, to have absolutely no one show up. Talk about a let down.

Except.

Except one of his actor colleagues, who was working on a movie of her own. Shia went on to say that this colleague of his was crazy busy with production for her own movie, and out of all the people in the world that could have showed up, she would be the last one to expect because of how slammed her schedule was. But she showed up anyway. Not family, sort of a friend, but more of an acting colleague. As Shia began to break down into tears sharing this story, he mentioned that he had nothing to offer her as a colleague, because he was going through his own stuff with recovery. “Just her presence. The ministry of presence. Sometimes that’s all you need to offer a person. Just to be present.” As Shia shared this in the video (which I won’t share here because of some of the strong language in the video, but it can be found online), you see tears just rolling down his face. To have one person just show up for a small increment of time, and just sit with him, in the middle of his stuff, made the world of difference.

Sometimes all that someone needs is your presence. Not a motivational/inspirational catch phrase or quote, not money, not judgement, but simply, your presence. In an article I read entitled “The Ministry of Presence: Meaning and Importance,” the author shares some of the story of Job, and his three friends who sought him out after hearing about the troubles that had come upon him. Job 2:11-13 really paints a great picture of what this looks like:

“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their own heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights , and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

I wonder if I am or would be the kind of friend that Bil, Shu, and Zo were. Surely these were their nicknames as well. 7 days and 7 nights with no talking?! These are some friends who know how to sit and offer their presence fully. Here’s what I do far too often when Megan or someone close to me is going through something really tough or challenging: I am quick to reframe it into a positive somehow, or to see the positive side, offer up an encouraging/inspirational word or phrase, or even better, rack my brain for 3-4 Bible verses that would directly apply to this situation. Are these bad things? No, not necessarily. But just like Shia explained in the video, and like we read in Job, sometimes the best thing you can offer someone is your presence. The ministry of presence can far surpass any words you might be able to share, or comforting wisdom you might be able to rattle off.

Wanna take this further? Good, me too. Look at Matthew 18:20.

“For when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Or in the Message version: “And when two or three of you are gathered together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

When you offer someone your presence, as a Christ follower you’re not sitting with them alone! God is right there with you, as you sit with them in their stuff. It’s not you alone who comforts them with the ministry of presence, but Christ that lives in you that does this. Through you offering your presence to them, freely, and without attachment or terms and conditions (sound familiar?), it is Christ inside of you that’s right there in that moment. That’s what God did and does for us, and that’s an opportunity we have for others as well. You all have done this so well for and with me over the years. Your presence is powerful. For that, I will forever be grateful.

A little TPQ for you going into a new week: How can you offer someone the ministry of presence this week? Loved one, friend, co-worker? Pray and ask where God might lead you to offer your presence, because He’s right there with you.