F3 Knoxville

Shamrock Fitness Test

THE SCENE: High 40’s crisp and clear
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops
5 Cherry Pickers
15 baby arm circles forward while holding the Thai Fighter Stance
15 baby arm circles backward, using the opposite leg forward in the aforementioned stance
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the track
set a timer for 30 minutes
run one mile for time, then do as many rounds as possible of the following:
5 bur-pees
10 Merkins
15 Big Boy Sit-ups
20 Squats
Record your time and rounds completed to measure against the next time we perform this fitness test.

MARY:
one minute of flutter kicks which was a count to about 39.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
John 14: 6-8 Thomas was doubting about where to go.  Jesus responds that he is the way, truth, and life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.  In this time of Covid, political climate, racism, or fill int he blank, we need to seek Jesus to find our way.  He is the way and we need to seek him.

MOLESKIN:
Pray for Racism, Cheat Sheet’s family, Rocket’s son with Covid, Trolley’s job situation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship hill final obstacle breakdown this afternoon.
two convergence opportunities on the Horizon.

10/17 at the bomb shelter
11/7 at Asylum

More burpees than planned

The Scene

51 degrees and glorious

F3 Welcome and Disclaimer

Fitness, Fellowship, Faith, Free, Modify, Not Professional, Own Volition, Social Distance, Phone

Warm-O-Rama

BBA F/B

Seal Claps

SSH

T-Merkins

Imperial Walkers

Lateral Mountain Climbers

Tha-Thang

Mosey to CMU pile 

Roughly 4 rounds

5 T-Push ups

10 CMU Halo’s

15 SMU Squat to high pulls

20 CMU Swings

Suitcase carry across lot before starting next round

Rosie broke a CMU into 5 pieces so we took a short break for 25 burpees

Mosey to the front parking 

11’s

10 Sissy Squats run to the other end of the parking lot

1 Leg Kick Through (1 each side)  run back to start

9 Sissy Squats run to the other end of the parking lot

2 Leg Kick Through’s (1 each Side) run back to start

1 Sissy Squats run to the other end of the parking lot

10 Leg Kick Through’s (1 each Side) run back to start

Hill Work

10 Lateral Mountain Climbers

Run up hill touch fence 

10 4-count SSH

Run up hill touch fence (2x)

5 burpees 

Run up hill touch fence (3x)

Mary

No time

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

17 HIM’s and 1 FNG (Welcome Tripper)

COT/BOM

”If you always respond to what is urgent, you’ll inevitably sacrifice what is important.” -Craig Groeschel

”I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are never important and the important are never urgent.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower

1 Thessalonians 5:21 ”Test everything, hold fast to what is good.”

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Thinking about signing up to Q? You should!!! If you haven’t Q’ed get with anyone who has and we will be more than willing to walk alongside you and help you prepare, even Co-Q with you to get your feet wet. My first Q would have taken a long time to happen without a push from Judge Judy at JUCO and the support of a few others and it was a great experience. It is a low-risk way to develop/sharpen your leadership skills with a ton of support from your F3 brothers. 

“The things that count” – Shamrock

THE SCENE: Perfect fall weather
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Baby Arm Circles forward then backwards (IC) 4 CT x 10 each

Side Straddle hop (IC) 4 CT x 25

On your back Side Straddle hop 25 

Twinkle Toes  (IC) 4 CT x 10

THA-THANG:

Mosey around the school for .5 mile

Stopped for 25 merkins, 100 flutter kicks, 25 squats & 10 burpees 

Back to AO

Line up at one end of parking lot. 

Round 1: Bear Crawl to the 1st line and do 1 merkin, BC to next line 2 merkins, BC to next line 3 merkins all the way to 10

Round 2: Lunge to the 1st line do 10 single count twinkle toes, repeat at each line to line 10. 

Round 3: Crab walk to the 1st line and do 10 American Hammers single count, repeat at each line all the way to line 10

Mosey to the CMU pile. 

50 Bench press

50 Curls

50 Slow Block Twists 

50 Bench press

25 CMU rows

50 Rocky Balboas

Mosey back to the AO

Stopped for 25 merkins, 100 flutter kicks, 25 squats, 10 pickle pounders & 10 monkey humpers

MARY:
25 – 4 count Freddie Mercury

30 seconds of merkins

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Anchorman, Trolley, Mermaid, Dumpster Dive, Curveball, Betty, Hurl, McRib, Bekky, Nadia, Pringle, Cheatsheet,
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I was texting with some buddies this week about current events and the state of our nation. Like everyone we are frustrated and anxious. We all came to the same conclusion. We need Jesus. I think it’s healthy to discuss our honest frustrations and anxieties, but we need to always come back to Jesus. One of my friends then said that this old hymn came to mind.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

Oh soul are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free

His word shall not fail you, He promised

Believe Him and all will be well

Then go to a world that is dying

His perfect salvation to tell

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

This hymn was written by Helen Howarth born in 1863

At the pinnacle of her career, tragedy struck. Helen went blind and her husband abandoned her, leaving her financially destitute.

She wrote this hymn because of a tract that a missionary gave her. 

Those who knew Mary in her later years tell of her joy and enthusiasm. Though living on government welfare in a sparse bedroom, whenever asked how she was doing, she would reply, ‘I’m doing well in the things that count.’ Mary was always composing hymns but she had no way of writing them down so she would call friends at all hours and get them to record her lyrics before she forgot them.

Talk about not giving up, that’s impressive! 

Helen had a small plastic keyboard by her bed. There she would play, sing and cry. “One day God is going to bless me with a great heavenly keyboard,”  “I can hardly wait!”

MOLESKIN:

Prayer requests: Racism, Cheat Sheet’s family, Trolley’s job, Hardship Hill

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Who Wears Short Shorts – Steam Wears Short Shorts

[ The Scene ]

CHILLY – Finally.

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • My name is Steam and I’m honored to be in your company and be your Q this morning
  • FNGs? – Yeah, 1 (Thanks G-6)
  • Couple of things before we begin:
    • (1) Contrary to popular belief I am not a professional
    • (2) You’re here on your own volition
    • (3) If you need to modify anything we do this morning – feel free to do so as you need but push yourself and those around you.
      • No man left behind – no man left the same
  • COVID measures are still in place so as much as you can let’s try and keep 6ft if possible.

[ Warm-o-Rama ]

  • If you have keys or anything you need to throw in the ruck now would be the time to do it – I’ll also have water, some medical gear and my phone.
  • Here we go – let’s mosey

—Pause—

Did some warm-up Xs while we were waiting on Cheatsheet – got the blood flowing

[ The Thang ]

(Mosey to the track)

(2) Warm-Up Laps

  • SSH: 10 x1

Take a lap

  • Cherry-Pickers: 5 x 1

Take a lap

(Mosey to stream across tracks)

(3) Rockin’ Down the Stream

  • Pick a rock, any rock
  • 50 curls
    • Walk (rock overhead) to the end
  • 50 curls
    • Walk (rock overhead) back to the stairs — 10 merkins 
  • 50 rock presses
    • Walk (rock above head)
  • 50 rock presses
    • Walk (rock overhead) back to the stairs — 10 merkins
  • 30 rock rows
    • Walk (rock on 1 shoulder) to the end 
  • 30 rock rows
    • Walk (rock on other shoulders) back to the stairs — 5 merkins
  • 30 rock squats
    • Walk (bear hug rock) to the end 
  • 30 rock squats
    • Walk (bear hug rock) back to the stairs — 3 merkins
  • 10 rock triceps
    • Walk (rock overhead) to the end
  • 10 rock triceps
    • Walk (rock bearhug) back to stairs — 1 merkin

(Put back rocks)

PAX hold the Al Gore position and just listen. Simply listen. To the sound of the brook running below, the world waking up, etc. No matter what comes at you today, no matter what happens this week – take in THIS moment. Just listen to the simplicity of creation.

(Mosey back to AO)

  • hit track lap on the way back — same exercises as 1st time + 2 laps 
  • Hit 9-square up on the way back 
    • Under bridge — 9 squares = 9 burpees to get across

BTTW (Balls To The Wall) back to the AO (100 or so meters)

[ Mary ]

  • 5 slow flutter kicks
  • 5 slow American hammers
  • 5 slow Little LBCs
  • 5 slow hello dolly’s

Light stretching Xs

[ COT ]

  • # off — 10
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs — 1 = Roadkill
  • BOM

Encouragement from a “It Could Always Be Worse” GORUCK patch

THIS is a great patch. What a good reminder – It COULD Always Be Worse.

You woke up this morning by nothing of your own doing. Breath was put in your lungs. You have vitality in your bones to do something like F3. Physical health.

When it feels really dark – tell yourself “It Could Always Be Worse” and put one foot in front of the other.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has no enough trouble of its own.”‭ — Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭

TODAY is a good day to have a good day. Focus in on today. Also let’s talk about this word “trouble.” I want to challenge us to reframe this word.

“Trouble” — trouble for the kingdom of Hell. There is a very real enemy that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. So when we do things like F3 and gather together to strengthen each other in prayer and as High Impact Men – this causes trouble for the enemy. Let’s cause some trouble for the enemy this week by what we say, what we do, and how we live our lives as HIM. 

BE ENCOURAGED! (1) It Could Always Be Worse and (2) It’s A Good Day To Have A Good Day

It Isn’t Wasted Time

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, temps in high 50’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Plank Jacks, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Squat Jumps, 10 Rockettes, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Northeast Corner of Admin Bldg.  Do 20 American Hammers.

We will next go along the road that semicircles around the admin bldg.  There will be cones along the way that will tell us what exercise to do and also tell us how to get to the next cone:

  • Cone 1:  Do 20 Iron Mikes (both feet equal 1).  Bernie Sanders to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  Do 20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Bear Crawl to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  Do 20 Dive Bombers.  Sprint to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  Do 20 Star Jumps.  Then go down the stairs just past the bat cave.
  • Cone 5.  Do 20 Merkins.  Then run to pine cove area just below the top of Summit.
  • Cone 6.  Do 10 Burpees.  Run to roadway at top of Summit.
  • Cone 7.  Do 40 Baby Crunches.  Run to Cone 8.
  • Cone 8.  Do 20 Squats.  Hop to Cone 9.
  • Cone 9.  Do 20 Flutter Kicks (4 count).  Sprint to Cone 10 near the stop sign.
  • Cone 10. Do 20 Hello Dollies (4 ct).  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  20 Smurf Jacks.  10 Hand Release Merkins.  20 Bicycle Kicks (4 ct).  20 Squat Jumps.  20 Box Cutters.  20 Diamond Merkins.

Mosey to grassy decline on left side of road as one goes from stop sign to main park road.  We will do sevens starting with 1 Jump Squat at bottom of hill and 6 Burpees on top of hill.

Mosey to grassy area close to outdoor chapel.  We will do 20 tempo merkins.

Mosey to playground.  We will do elevens at benches starting with one bench dip and ten bench jumps.

Mosey to CMU pile.  Each man grabs a CMU.  We will do the following in cadence:  20 Overhead Presses, 20 Curls, 20 Rows.

Mosey to bottom of mini-cardiac.  We will Bernie to park sign then sprint the rest of the way to the AO.

MARY:
30 Merkins
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 Men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

F3 Message

Hebrews 11:8:  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Matthew 3:12:  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

So you can get on with your search baby
And I can get on with mine
And maybe someday we will find
That it wasn’t really wasted time

            — The Eagles

When I was in college I, just like undergraduate and graduate students today, was required to do research projects for quite a few of my classes.  We didn’t have the internet back then.  By my years in graduate school we at least had made it past card catalogues and could search for books and journal articles that might be relevant for a topic by typing in a keyword on the computers provided at the library.  In so doing, the computer would list articles or books that might have that keyword in it.  We would then have to go find the book or journal article somewhere in the library to see if what was written in it did really apply to the topic we were researching.  Often times the information found did not apply.  This was particularly true when first starting the research on the project.  It was quite frustrating to spend hours of work on a project finding information that was not applicable.  By graduate school, I had come to accept the fact that for any research project I was going to have to spend hours of “wasted timed”, time I would spend roaming the floors and aisles of the library to come up with information that was not useful.  But, to quote the Eagles song, “it wasn’t really wasted time.”  It was necessary time.  To find what I needed, I had to separate the wheat from the chaff as alluded to in Matthew 3:12.  I had to find what was good for me (the information that applied) and put aside what was not (irrelevant information).

When one thinks about it, much of life is like this.  To receive our inheritance we must journey forward in faith, like Abraham, not quite knowing where we are going, heading down wrong turns and circling back to get on the right course. Some of you younger single guys may have the desire to find the “right” mate.  I certainly had that desire in my 20’s.  I dated a large variety of women, sometimes growing tired of the “dating scene”, breaking hearts and having my own heart broken in the process.  I wasn’t exactly separating the wheat from the chaff but I did have to find the right person for me.  And, in my 30’s, I finally found that person, one who has meant so much to me and made me a better man in the process.

My vocational career has not exactly been a road straight up a ladder.  It has been full of mishaps and struggle, and finally a decision to change my vocational course all-together, going to graduate school in psychology after I had already attained a law degree and practiced in that field for a period of time.  That period of time was not easy – it was full of anxiety and angst and I often felt like a failure.

Whether it is finding the right mate, job, friendships, place to live, or way to spend our time, we run into challenges and sometimes hit dead ends.  As a man in my sixties, I can see that the so-called floundering wasn’t wasted time.  It may have been had I given up and chose to ignore and not learn from my mistakes.  I can see that the dead ends were necessary and even helped me to grow.  How sweet it is to think that God has been there with me through it all.  Some of those moments when I was at my most depressed were times that I was speaking to God the loudest, yearning for him, reaching out to him for help.

In your journey, keep pushing forward, learn from your mistakes, and realize that God is there even when you don’t know where you are going.  If the road is confusing and seems impossible, it may just be that you are a complex man whose needs are not met easily.  My prayer for you is that some day you will look back on your younger years . . . although perhaps not without scars from your falls and lines on your face giving evidence to a history of some difficulties . . . and, be able to say that it wasn’t really wasted time.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Hooker’s sister, Molly, who is getting married to day, for Mr. Jinxy’s wife, Susan, whose surgery went well and who is recovering, for Helga and his wife as she has brain surgery this week, for Convoy and his family after the death of his father, for Doubtfire and his family after the death of his mother, for peace and love in the face of racism, and for those other brothers like Thunderstuck who have family members with cancer or who are ill.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Hardship Hill on October 3.