Abscess – Page 22 – F3 Knoxville

Struck Down But Not Destroyed

December 28, 2019 Lillydipper

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers (four count), 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Rockettes, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward
THA-THANG:
Get Bricks out of Truck. Mosey Across Street to Trail that meanders to gate at Lyons Bend. We will run with bricks for five lights then do 5 Mini-Man-Makers, 10 Jump Squats, 20 Squats and 25 Wings Up (still holding bricks). Those getting finished first run in place with bricks. We will then run for five more lights doing same exercises when stopping but with 25 Wings Out (instead of Wings up). We will then run five more lights doing same exercises but with 25 Wings Down. Next, five more but with 25 Overhead Presses. Finally we will run for five more lights and do same exercises but with 25 Rows. We will then mosey on roadway back toward AO. However, we will stop in lowest parking lot on way back to bear crawls to inlets with bricks. Finally, mosey back to AO and drop off bricks.

Mosey through entrance way of northern ball fields and go to northernmost ball field. We will number off into two teams. One team starts at home plate and the other team starts at second base. We will do relay race with each man running around bases before next man starts.

Mosey to striped field in outfield. We will do suicides running to each line and back to start but doing 15 Baby
Crunches each time we come back. Those who finish suicides first will alternate between 10 Big Boys and 10 Merkins until everyone is back.

Mosey to pavilion. We will alternate between 25 Picnic Table Pull-ups and 25 Bench Dips. Next we will do 20 of each, then 15 of each, then 10 of each, and, finally, 5 of each.

Mosey past pitching cages at Northern Ball Fields to Cardiac Hill. We will run up the hill stopping to the following exercises at the following locations:

Curve 1: 25 American Hammers (four count)
Curve 2: 25 Hello Dollies (four count)
Curve 3: 25 Decline Merkins
Benches: 25 Bench Dips

Mosey to CMU Pile. We will break into teams of two each for Doras. While one man Bernie’s to curb and sprints back, the other works on the exercises, then each man switches. Teams will do the following exercises:

100 Overhead Presses
100 Curls
100 Bell Ringers
100 Rows

Mosey back to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

2 Corinthians 4:8-11

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.”

As the year of 2019 comes to a close, I have been thinking about our brother, Pinto. This has not been an easy year for him. As you know, he had a major heart attack at the start of the year. His mother died later in the year. He began to cope with exhaustion and significant weight loss and weakening of the bones that led to a break in his back and tear in his rib cage. He found out that multiple myeloma, a disease that causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, was causing his bone weakness, weight loss and exhaustion. Pinto is now undergoing chemotherapy and may have to receive stem cell therapy. All of this has certainly given him pause to think about life in ways that we usually do not slow down to do. As he told me at UT Hospital after he was diagnosed, “Lily, don’t take the chance to exercise with your F3 brothers for granted. It is a blessing to be able to do so.”

Pinto was willing to admit anxiety in facing his treatment for multiple myeloma. He is not only facing difficult treatment that can lead to sickness and exhaustion – he is facing his own mortality. That can be a horrifying task. But, as I think of our brother, I also think about the armor he has for his fight.

Pinto has the knowledge that he has loved his family strongly. He is a wonderful father. I remember the time he wanted to make sure who the hell my wife, Jan, and I were when we invited his daughter, Molly, to a Children’s Hospital Event where families stayed at a local hotel. Fortunately, his wife already knew Jan well (and had met me a number of times) and after finding out we were alright people, he allowed Molly to go with us. But Pinto was going to make doggone sure his little girl was going to be safe. I think of Pinto’s relationship with Hooker, the strong bond between father and son, how much pride he takes in Hooker and who Hooker has become (as well as in Molly and who she has become) And, I think of the powerful love Pinto has for his wife, Tessa. That love was particularly poignant that day I saw them both in the hospital. Both of them were exhausted, Lee from recent back surgery and Tessa from the sleepless nights by his side in the hospital. The power of their love was tangible.

Pinto also has the armor of his relationship with God. He believes in God and knows that God will be with him no matter where the journey with multiple myeloma takes him. Gents, how many of us have truly faced death square in the face? When we do, will we have what Pinto has? I know that Lee Gentry wants to beat this cancer, to live on to enjoy life with his granddaughter (Hooker’s future child) that is due in May. I think he will. Yet, even if that were not the case, Pinto knows where he will go when he breathes his last breath here on earth. That has to be comforting. He knows that life goes beyond these fragile moments here. He has a Father in Heaven who will never abandon him and will take him Home when his days here are gone.

Finally, when I consider my friend, Lee Gentry, I know that whenever his final day comes (which will probably be after mine since I am older than he is), Christ’s life will be revealed in Lee’s mortal body. Because Pinto, Lee Gentry, though hard pressed by cancer and persecuted from every side is living the kind of life that God wants him to live. He will be the first to tell you that he has had and will continue to have his human moments of doubt and anger. But, he strives for more and seeks God in doing so. And, in so doing, he reveals the love of Christ.

So, as 2019 comes to a close, I not only pray for Pinto’s health but I give thanks for his presence in our lives.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for our brother, Pinto, and his family. Prayers for Ed, cousin of Curveball, who died yesterday. Prayers for Ed’s family.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day and 2nd F party (wives or partners only, no children) at Tank’s home on Friday, January 3.

I’m Dreaming Of A JUCO Christmas!

December 24, 2019 Booster

THE SCENE: 45 and raining hard…a typical December day in the gloom!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Insert information about the warmup.
THA-THANG:
Insert information about the workout.

Cherry Pickers (IC) 4 CT X 10
Side Straddle Hops (IC) X 20
Baby Arm Circles Forward X 10 followed by Michael Phelps
Baby Arm Circles Backward X 10 followed by Michael Phelps
Overhead Claps – X 10 IC
Randys – You’ve seen A Christmas story, poor Randy can’t put his arms down. With arms straight out but with face palms down, move arms up and down 6 to 12 inches in cadence. X 20 IC
Tempo Squats (IC) 4 CT X 10
Jingle Balls – From the plank position, move right foot to right hand, back, right foot to left hand, back, left foot to left hand, back, left foot to right band, back. 1 X 10 (IC)
Big Sexy – Pickle Pounders and Monkey Humpers. 2 x 10 of each (IC)
Diamonds & Butts – Diamond Merkins are a girls best friends – 4 rounds of 15 Diamonds and 15 Squats (OYO)
Mosey

Tha-Thing:

All About The Benjamins – (people love money in addition to Diamonds)

Each PAX got to pick an exercise we would do 50 reps of and the HIM next to him would pick another exercise we would do 50 reps of (adding up to a Benjamin)

We did close to 1,000 reps total of:

Merkins
Diamonds
Burpees
LBCs
FlutterKicks
Shoulder Taps
Squats
Lunges
Calf Raises
Box Cutters

MARY

Little Merkin Boy – We played the Christmas song Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby. Hold plank and complete one Merkin every time you here “Pa rum pum pum pum”. That is 3 minutes of plank and 21 Merkins. We’ll never hear that song again and not grimace in pain…haha.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

17 HIMs – Abscess, Bagger (from Atlanta), Chaco, Cheatsheet, Clothespin (from F3 Cleveland), Commission, Curveball, Frenchie, Ginger, Jitters, Mailbox, Mandolin, Mermaid, Pool Boy, Snaggletooth, Training Wheels and Booster.

It was great to have Bagger back from Atlanta and Clothespin come up and visit from F3 Cleveland.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

As the scripture says below, fortunately, Jesus died for us so we are forgiven for being sinners if we believe in Him and try to live a life through Him. I’m so thankful I’m forgiven for being a sinner but want to continue to strive to be a better person who lives more like Jesus each and every day.

1 Timothy 1:15-17 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

New healthy eating group begins in January – Check with Woodshack on GroupMe if you are interested – the goal is to educate each other with good ideas and suggestions and hold each other accountable

The Rockettes vs. The Five Wise Guys

December 21, 2019 Magic Mic

THE SCENE: 35 degrees, dry and cloudy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x 15, Baby Arm Circles x 15 forwards and 15 backwards, Shoulder Taps x 15, Rockettes x 10, Cherry Pickers x 5, some Michael Phelps and A Little of This and A Little of That

Then we broke off into 2 teams, which each chose a team captain and team name. Swanson led the Rockettes while Duggar led the Five Wise Guys.

THA-THANG:
Each exercise below was done as a team competition, whichever team won got to choose what exercise we did at the end.

Sunsphere: Everyone did an exercise at the bottom of the stairs while one person from each team raced to the top, did 5 reps of an exercise, and raced back down. 1st team done won, best 2 out of 3. Round 1) SSHs at the bottom and merkins at the top. Round 2) Al Gore at the bottom and Big Boy Situps at the top. The Rockettes won and decided on 25 Carolina Dry Docks.
Bridges over Cumberland: Everyone from both teams lined up and held a plank while one person from each team bearcrawled across. Once on the other side, the first man went back to a plank and called the next man from their team to cross. Once everyone from your team had crossed, your whole team bearcrawled back across together. 1st team back across won. The Five Wise Guys won and decided on 25 Hello Dollys in cadence.
Big Sloped Sidewalk: Everyone held a plank at the bottom while one man from each team raced to the top of the hill, did 5 burpees and raced back down. 1st team done won. The Five Guys won and decided on 25 Jump Squats.
Parking Lot with Rock Pile: Each team had there own rock and had 2 minutes to do as many reps of an exercise as a team. Best 2 out of 3. Round 1) Curls. Round 2) Overhead Presses. The Rockettes won and decided for some odd reason on 10 burpees in cadence
Parking Lot with Rocks again: Everyone held an Al Gore while one person from each team Bernied across the lot to their team’s rock, did 5 overhead presses and 5 curls, and ran back. 1st team to all finish the exercises won. The Five Wise Guys barely pulled off the win in a photo finish and decided on 15 4-point merkins.

MARY:
Moseyed back to the AO and did some Ring of Fire with American Hammers to kill the last few minutes
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Talked very briefly about our tendency to find a lot of misplaced pride and honor in the things we align ourselves with and how that can lead us to be blindly “all in” for something and/or to view others’ as our opposition or enemies. Be it in sports teams, politics, people we work with, or even our families and churches, we tend to want to see ourselves and our camps thrive and conquer and see our enemies fall and suffer. In this Advent season it’s interesting to reflect on the fact that God could have done that with the Messiah, but instead decided for Him to be born a baby, live a human life and die a humiliating death. God chose to demonstrate grace and humility in a way that most of us would have expected to see victory and glory. So I encouraged us all to reflect on the humility of God and to view others’ as more than just opposition or people who are different than us.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
A big welcome back to both Knoxville(for the holidays) and the States for Soot

Majestic Yet Close

December 14, 2019 Lillydipper

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temp in mid-forties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Insert information about the warmup.
THA-THANG:
25 Side Straddle Hops, 31 Brady Corns, 10 Rockettes, 7 Baby Arm Circles Forward, 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward, 7 Baby Arm Circles Backward, 7 Wide Arm Circles Backward, 10 Cherry Pickers.

Divide into two teams. Mosey to CMU Pile. Each team grabs one CMU. Each team can divide among the men in terms of carrying the CMU through various moseys.

Mosey to the parking lot south of northern ball fields that has scenic island in middle of the lot. There will be one cone placed on either side of the parking lot. Each team must accomplish the exercises listed at each cone. They can divide up the exercises among the team members in any way they chose (e.g., have one man take each exercise or divide all exercises among the men on the team). Once the exercises are completed by the team, one man from the team runs with the CMU to the next cone while other team members race ahead of him to start the exercises at the next cone. Once those exercises are completed by the team, a new team member takes the CMU back to the first cone. The team does those exercises again. This cycle continues until every man on the team has carried the cone one time. The following are the exercises to be performed at each cone:

Cone 1: 30 Burpees, 50 Plank Jacks, 50 Merkins, 50 Big Boy Sit-Ups, 50 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1) 50 Overhead Presses with CMU
Cone 2: 30 Mountain Climbers (four count), 50 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1), 50 Jump Squats, 50 Dive Bombers, 50 Hello Dollies, 50 Curls with CMU.

Mosey to beginning of Serpentine Sidewalk where it intersects with street. Each team will still carry their CMU. We will do 14’s on Serpentine Sidewalk until it reaches the perimeter trail. We will lunge for one light then run for four light, repeating that sequence until we reach the perimeter trail. We will then, as a group, do 20 Imperial Walkers (four count).

Mosey to beginning of cardiac hill, each team carrying CMU. We will go up cardiac hill doing the following exercises at the following areas:

Corner 1: 20 American Hammers (four count)
Corner 2: 20 Leg Kicks (four count)
Corner 3: 20 Decline Merkins
Benches: 20 Bench Lifts

Mosey to CMU pile. Drop off CMU’s. Mosey to Pavilion. We will do elevens starting with one Picnic Table Pull Up and ten Box Jumps. We will then do a one minute squat with backs against wall. Next, we will do sevens starting with one decline merkin and six bench lifts.

Mosey back to AO sprinting up mini-cardiac.

MARY:

Insert information about any additional post-THANG work (if applicable).
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Use the TAGS on right-side to record PAX (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOURSELF) in attendance. Be sure to select the AO in CATEGORY above TAGS and then delete these notes!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

I sometimes consider God’s majesty and it is awe-inspiring. This creation of His, the expansiveness of it, the fact that our galaxy is a mere spec amidst other galaxies, the infinity of space and of time. We look with our most powerful telescopes to incredible distances and God has created this and so much more. When one considers God from this perspective He is certainly powerful but also may seem distance. There’s that song by Julie Gold that Bette Midler made popular: God is Watching Us From a Distance. It is good to think of a God who has created this world, who sees all, who is in control of everything.

But it is also good to know that God is close. God is not only ever powerful, He is ever present. I can dig down into the rich, deep earth, cup it in my hands and smell God’s presence. I can pluck a daffodil and examine it in minute detail, knowing God is present in every cell. We have a God who is close. We have a God who wants us to know Him. God whispers in our ear and says, guess what, you are mine. He whispers in your ear and says, Ratchet, I know every hair on your head. He whispers, Abscess, talk to me, give me your heartache and give me your joy. He whispers, Crawdad, I was there the day you were born and will be with you always. We are each His creation and He loves each one of us. We have an Amazing God.

Psalm 139: 1-6

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pinto, for Cheatsheet’s friend, and prayer of praise for Crawdad’s son, Carson.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coffeeteria!

The Answer

December 10, 2019 Lillydipper

THE SCENE: Temp about 36 degrees with snow.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
25 Side-Straddle Hops, HIgh knees run to end of parking lot and Bernie Sanders back, 62
Brady Corns, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Rockettes.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Dragon Tail. We will do Route 66 up the Dragon Tail and come back down after each exercise. Here are the exercises:

Squat Jumps
Diamond Merkins
Iron Mikes

Mosey to Pavilion. We will do elevens. The first set of elevens will be with Decline Merkins and Bench Dips. The second set of elevens with be with Bench Jumps and Picnic Table Pull Ups.

Mosey to CMU pile. Team up into pairs of two. Each team grabs CMU. We will do Doras with one man doing Bernie Sanders to other side of parking lot, doing shin lifts, and sprinting back. Meanwhile his partner starts on the list of exercises. Then partners switch. These are the Dora exercises:

100 Overhead Presses
100 Curls
100 Rows

Mosey back to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Seven men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Our technology, our science, it supposedly makes life easier. We get answers to our questions by clicking on Google or speaking to Alexa, and get feedback at the bat of an eye. We can gather more information in 10 minutes through Google now than I could find in a full year back in the days of paging through encyclopedias at my local library. But, are men more satisfied now then men who lived in the 1960s. . . 1860’s. . . 1760’s . . . or 2000 years ago? We search for answers, listen to the news, watch experts pontificating on television, hear folks calling in on radio talk shows . . . and are left unsatisfied. As Faulkner proclaimed, it is all “sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

2000 years ago God sent His son to give to us what has always been the answer:

John 1: 1-5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In this season of Christmas, let us ponder on life’s true meaning. Let us take the time to stare into the darkness and come to see the light. Let us celebrate the answer to our longing that God gave and gives to us through a child born in a lowly manger. That child, that man, that God says to us:

Eat this Bread, drink this Cup. Come to Me and never be hungry. Eat this Bread, drink this Cup. Trust in Me and you will not thirst.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pinto, for his wife, Tessa, and prayers that they will get the best of medical teams to work with Pinto. Prayers for others in Pinto’s family including Hooker and Mr. Jinxy. Prayer for friend of Doubtfire who recently lost his brother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Polar Bear Plunge on New Years Day!