F3 Knoxville

Tag: Bojangles

Overcoming Hard Times

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temps in 40’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Rockettes, Plank Stretches, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to trail that extends from upper parking lot that goes near entryway at Lyons Bend.  We will do 14’s by bear crawling for one light, running for four, and repeating that pattern until we get to entry roadway.  At roadway we will do 20 Hello Dollies.

We will cross street and continue on trail, doing nickel, dime, quarters (run one light then do 5 of exercise, run two lights then do 10 of exercise, run five lights and do 25 of exercise) all the way to roadway that enters from Northshore gate.  These will be the exercises

  • Squat jumps
  • Merkins
  • Big-boy sit-ups
  • Run remaining distance to roadway.

At corner of trail and roadway we will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Outdoor Chapel.  We will do elevens, starting with 1 Decline Merkin at stage and 10 Mountain Climbers (four count) at other end of chapel.

Mosey to Playground.  We will do elevens at benches, starting with one bench dip and 10 bench jumps.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:

Leg lifts (various heights)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Fourteen men and one mighty dog named “Tank” who belongs to Abscess.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

A number of us have been going through some difficult times right now.  We need to know that God is there for us during hard times.  We can turn to him for rest and strength.  It may not end our suffering immediately but it is good to know that God cares for us and God, through Jesus Christ, has suffered too, even dying on the cross for us.  I have listed a few bible verses that might be good to think of during difficult times.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 9:9-10 ESV

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Romans 5:3-5 ESV

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Philippians 4:13 ESV

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Brother, if you are going through trials at this time, may the Lord strengthen you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Bring snacks for Wesley House this Thursday at Asylum PM.  Abscess will collect.  If anyone is interested in going on a ski trip to Snowshoe on March 10 through 12, contact Lillydipper.  We will ski on March 11 and 12.

Showing Up for Life

THE SCENE: low 40s and drizzly… sure lived up to the GLOOM in Fake Gloom!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Yep
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH (IC), Little of this and that, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Baby Arm Circles forward/backward, 20 Tempo Squats (IC)

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey up the tail of the dragon and around, down baby Everest, and back to AO to warm up.
  • MINI TABATA (20 sec on/10 sec off x 6):
    • Carolina Dry Docks *
    • American Hammers *
    • Peter Parkers *
    • LBCs *

* Run up Baby Cardiac after each set.

Mosey to parking lot across street

LIEUTENANT DANS (split into two groups)

  • Two lunges+ Squat =1, Ascending reps, to group, which is holding Al Gore. Then second group returns.
  • Rinse and repeat, adding a Bobby Hurley to the squat rep.

BERNIE SUICIDES

  • Run forward ¼ across parking lot, Bernie Back.  5 star jumps
  • Repeat ½ way across. 5 star jumps
  • Repeat all the way to curb. 5 star jumps
  • RINSE AND REPEAT, but with 5 Burpees instead of star jumps.

FOUR CORNERS

  • 20 Merkins, BEAR CRAWL TO NEXT CORNER
  • 20 Hello Dollies (4-ct), BERNIE SANDERS TO NEXT CORNER
  • 20 Mountain Climbers (4-ct), HOP TO NEXT CORNER
  • 20 Smurf Jacks (4-ct), regular JOG TO NEXT CORNER.

MARY:
30 Bicycle kicks (IC)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine Strong!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Showing up for Life

This past Tuesday marked the 10 year anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson, when Captain Sully Sullenberger safely landed an aircraft with 155 people on board on the Hudson River.  There were no casualties, in large part due to the preparedness and quick thinking of Sully, his crew, and the first responders. After reading about the incident, I was incredibly impressed with how Sully handled the situation, his ability to work under pressure, his humility, and his leadership.  I purchased his book, HIGHEST DUTY, and found some thought-provoking passages in there about his outlook on life that I wanted to share .

In the chapter “Showing Up For Life”, he begins by recounting an incident he heard on the news when he was a 13 year old growing up in Texas. A woman named Kitty Genovese had been sexually assaulted and killed outside her apartment in Queens.  Apparently, her screams were heard by others, but no one did anything about it.  The “Bystander Effect” was partly to blame; people are less apt to help in an emergency when they assume or hope that others will step up and help.  Sully made a pledge that day that if ever someone needed help, he would act. No one in danger would be abandoned.  Not on his watch.

When Flight 1549 crashed into the water, his crew assisted in getting everyone out of the airplane. Sully was the last to leave.  He walked the plane up and down, twice, to make sure no one was still on the plane.  No Man Left Behind.  Only when he was CERTAIN that no one still needed help in evacuating the plane did he himself jump into one of the rafts. When describing why he feels that ordinary people act courageously in extraordinary situations he says: “I believe many people in those situations actually have made decisions years before. Somewhere along the line they came to define the sort of person they wanted to be, and then they conducted their lives accordingly.  They told themselves they would not be passive observers. If called upon to respond in some courageous or selfless way, they would do so.”

Sully did that when he was 13, when he heard about Kitty Genovese.  It helped him act instinctively to save 155 people that cold January day 10 years ago. HIMs do not go through life as bystanders!  My coach used to say, if you visualize it, you will do it.   Take a moment and visualize how you would react in an emergency, what you would do if someone needed help in a life or death situation.  Will you be a bystander? Or will you act.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Puddle’s roommate, who is a young man recovering from an illness.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Power of Friends

THE SCENE: Temps in high 50’s, clear, breezy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
10 Pinto About-Face Twists each way, 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Plank Jacks, 5 Baby Arm Circles forward and backward, 5 Wide Arm Circles forward and backward, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to northern parking lot of park.  We will do Route 66 along the sidewalk that heads to park entrance at Lyon’s Bend.  We will run back to the start after each exercise.  These will be the exercises:

  • Plank Jacks
  • Dive Bombers
  • Jump Squats

After these exercises we will alternate between Bernies, Lunges and Sprints along each light until we get to street that extends from entrance gate.

Mosey up street towards AO but stop at stop sign at intersection of road coming from Admin Bldg.  On grassy area near stop sign we will do 20 Hello Dollies and 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Northern Ball Field Entrance Parking Lot.  We will do the following from one end of parking lot to other and then do ten merkins after each run there and back:

  • Sideways runs with feet crossing.
  • Hops for four parking spaces then sprint to curb and back.
  • Bernies to curb and back.
  • Bear crawl for four parking space then sprint to curb and back.
  • Lunge for four parking spaces then sprint to curb and back.
  • Sprint to curb and back.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
Box cutters and planks.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
16 men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Proverbs 18: 24.  A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Sometimes our self-doubts, our shame, our anxiety, or even our pride can keep us from turning to friends when we are hurt or in trouble.  As a psychologist, I often see individuals coping with hurtful issues that they are too embarrassed to speak to their friends about.  A young man in his twenties recently lost a job that he had out of state.  He has friends who are smart, energetic, and growth-pursuing and who appear to be going places with their lives.  He has come back to his home town and has a few of those “successful” friends who still live here in Knoxville.  He hasn’t even contacted them, too embarrassed to tell them about his loss of job.

If these guys are true friends, they are the very ones he should turn to at this difficult time.  If they are true friends, they will care for him and hold him up.  His true friends won’t begrudge him for losing a job. They like him for who he is, not the type of job he has.  Yes, back when he got the job they may have praised, pat him on the back, wished him well, told him he was going to “kick ass” at it.  They were saying that because they care for him and want the best for him.  They won’t turn their backs on him because he has stumbled.  They are going to want to pick him up, carry him.  If they don’t do that, what kind of friends are they?

I remember a troubled time I had in my early 20’s.  I was lost in terms of what I wanted to do with my life.  I had fumbled around in a few jobs and was working as a forklift driver at a warehouse just to earn enough money to buy groceries while I lived with my uncle who put me up.  I was depressed and certainly not my usual self.  I remember my friends hanging in there with me at that difficult time.  They would take me to rec centers to play basketball, take me out for meals, call me to shoot the breeze, – not necessarily ask about my job search or career struggles but just be there for me and certainly lend an ear if I needed to talk.  They didn’t have the “sage” advice that I needed from older men, sometimes even offered stupid advice to me.  But they cared and I knew it.  They were going to be my friend through thick and thin.  They were there for me at a most important time and I made it through that time because of them.

We need our friends.  Don’t shy away from telling them about your troubles when you hit a low spot.  Turn to them for strength.  It may not be their words of wisdom that push you through – leave that to the shrinks, philosophers, and preachers.  But your friends will give you that powerful something that is hard to put into words – unless you call it love and that love will raise you up.

 

Justice for All

THE SCENE: Temps in 50’s, cloudy, we finished right before the rainstorm.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-straddle Hops, 10 Plank Jacks, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Windmills, Michael Phelps, Little of This and That

THA-THANG:
Mosey to Dragon Tail.  We will do Route 66 up the Dragon Tail with the following exercises:

  • Burpees
  • Box Cutters
  • Bobby Hurleys

Mosey to parking lot that is south of northern ball fields.  We will have cones set up in the parking lot with exercises listed at each cone:

  • Cone 1:  20 Merkins.  Bear Crawl to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Squat Jumps.  Bernie Sanders to Cone3.
  • Cone 3:  20 Imperial Walkers (each leg).  Sprint to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4.  20 Big Boy Sit Ups.  Bear Crawl to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5.  20 Carolina Drydocks.  Lunge to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6.  20 Hello Dollies.  Sprint to Cone 1.  Rinse and Repeat.

Mosey to pavilion at northern baseball fields.  We will do following exercises:

  • 20 Bench jumps.
  • 20 Bench raises.
  • 20 Picnic table pull-ups.
  • 20 Decline merkins.
  • One minute squat at wall.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Seven men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My ideas for today’s message come from an article by Stephen Cave, Chief Ministry Officer with Biblica, a website of the International Bible Society.  He quotes from Psalms 33:5  “The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”  In his article Cave comments that our human definition of justice is often narrow.  We may think of 1) someone committing a crime getting their proper punishment, or, at a little less narrow level, 2) justice for those being treated unfairly by those in positions of power.  Cave points out that the bible’s definition goes much deeper.  In the bible, God equates justice with righteousness.  This justice, this righteousness, is a Godly foundation by which all other things should be measured.  As HIM’s, we can measure ourselves by this standard.  Are we living up to God’s standard of justice, God’s standard of what he wants for us and our world?  This is a standard of compassion that calls for us to put things right in our relationship with others.  Are we being fair and loving in our relationships?  Are we hearing the cries of our brothers and sisters and helping them when they are in need?  Are we taking interest in those around us and not getting too caught up with our own issues?  Are we joining in on God’s compassionate fight to end poverty, corruption, disease, racism, and emotional, physical and sexual abuse?  I myself find it easy to point the finger and say “HE, SHE, or THEY are being unjust.”  I think I can do more good if I spend more time doing what Jesus did:  living the Word, being loving, being just.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Quickcrete Memorial Workouts this Saturday.  Polar Bear Plunge on January 1.

Solid

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
10 Side Straddle Hops, Plank stretches, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:

Mosey up mini cardiac hill and turn right onto the perimeter trail.  20 Hello Dollies.

We will be doing “nickel, dime, quarters” along the perimeter trail all the way to the serpentine sidewalk until it hits the main roadway going by the ball fields.  In the nickel, dime, quarter we run the distance to one light pole and then do five reps of an exercise, run for two more light poles and do ten reps of the exercise, then run for five more light poles and do 25 reps of the exercise.  Those finishing an exercise first do baby crunches until all others catch up.  We will do the following exercises along the way:

  • Squat jumps
  • Merkins
  • Big boy Sit-ups
  • Star jumps

Mosey to long parking lot between the serpentine sidewalk and the northern baseball fields. We will circle around the parking lot performing the exercises listed at each cone.

Cone 1:  20 American Hammers (four count) then Berry Sanders to Cone 2.

Cone 2:  20 Bobby Hurleys, then sprint to Cone 3.

Cone 3:  20 Imperial Walkers (four count) then bear crawl to Cone 4.

Cone 4:  20 Squats, Berry Sanders to Cone 5.

Cone 5:  10 Shoulder Taps (each shoulder) then sprint to Cone 6.

Cone 6:  Ten Burpees.

Rinse and Repeat.

20 Box Cutters.

Mosey to Playground.  We will do elevens at benches, starting with one bench lift and ten bench jumps.

10 Dive Bombers, 10 Bottle Openers, 10 Peter Parkers, 20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Table Saws, Boat Canoe

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eight men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Philippians 2:3 ESV / 181 helpful votes

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

John 15:12-14 ESV / 134 helpful votes

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Certainly, a purpose of F3 is to better ourselves as men.  But in F3 we also learn that life is not just about ourselves.  A true HIM looks to God above for direction and then uses the strength that God gives him to reach out to others.  I love the way that we, in F3, look to beyond ourselves in the BOM.  We learn messages about life that are God-Driven and which give us moral and personal strength.  I also love how, in F3, we take that message outward, looking to find other men to be a part of our PAX but also looking to ways we can help the community.  In that way we no only make ourselves better, but make others better.  Let’s remember that as we go on through this week and as we celebrate Christmas.  We can be thankful that God came in the form of man to sacrifice Himself for us.  But we can also learn to make the high commitment to spread our love to others, sacrificing our tendencies towards greed and self-focus, while learning to give of ourselves, our time, and possessions.