F3 Knoxville

Successful Outing

THE SCENE: Cloudy with temps in 40’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side-Straddle-Hops; 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Plank Leg Stretches, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:

Mosey to parking lot across street.  Split into teams of two.  There will be sets of bricks at one end of the parking lot.  We will do Doras with the following activities.

Activity one:  Team member bear crawls to first cone, hops to second cone and then does Bernie Sanders to other end of parking lot.  Then sprint back across parking lot to tag partner and take over on Activity Two exercises.

Activity two:  teams will do 100 each of the following exercises with a set of bricks:

  • Overhead presses
  • Curls
  • Rows with bricks at sides
  • Wings out
  • Wings up
  • Wings down

Mosey on roadway and go to large parking lot that is south of the northern ballpark.  We will run in a counterclockwise circle around the parking lot stopping at each cone to do the following exercises:

  • Cone 1:  Ten Burpees
  • Cone 2:  20 Merkins
  • Cone 3:  20 Big-Boy Sit-ups
  • Cone 4:  20 Squat Jumps
  • Cone 5:  20 Buzz Saws (four count)
  • Cone 6:  20 Dive Bombers
  • Cone 7:  20 Smurf Jacks
  • Cone 8:  20 Shoulder taps (each shoulder = 1)
  • Rinse and Repeat

Mosey to Serpentine Sidewalk.  We will do 14’s all the way to Cardiac Hill.  We will lunge for one light and then sprint four lights, repeating that until we get to Cardiac Hill.

At Cardiac Hill, we will run up hill doing the following exercises at the following locations:

  • Turn 1:  20 American Hammers (four count)
  • Turn 2:  20 Hello Dollies (four count)
  • Turn 3:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Turn 4:  20 Bench Dips
  • Rinse and Repeat Twice

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Bicycle Kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 men, no FNG’s
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

In his book, Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller has one chapter entitled The Seduction of Success.  In it, he quotes from an interview with the pop star Madonna in Vanity Fair.  “I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy . . . My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre.  And that’s always pushing me, pushing me.  Because even though I’ve become Somebody, I still have to prove that I’m Somebody.  My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.

Keller also quotes Mary Bell, a counselor who works with high level executives.  She commented that many executives don’t abuse alcohol – they abuse their own lives.  They complete a project, then look to the next one but must do better to reach that certain level of satisfaction.  They are always pushing for that better high.  They are achievement addicts.

We may achieve success in our jobs but then we look for better jobs, more income.  We often measure ourselves by how high up the company ladder we have climbed or how much money we make.  We look at our possessions or homes and compare ourselves to others in that way.  The trouble is, we may get a nicer home in a newer neighborhood but up our standard, now comparing ourselves to the richer and “more successful” people in the new neighborhood.  We envy the people with the nicest cars and newest homes.

We must give up this seduction of success.  It can lead us away from ourselves, from time spent in enjoyment with our family and friends, in time spent with God.  I am fortunate to have met some people in my life who have moved to break themselves from the success game.  I remember working as a jury consultant in Dallas, TX.  I lived in an area where I was comparing myself to others who were driving nicer cars, living in nicer homes.  I remember talking to a husband and wife at my church who were both attorneys.  They talked to me about how they had each made a decision to get out of the fast-paced law firms they had been in and work for lesser pay.  They sold their home in a rich area of Dallas and moved to a nice but less expensive home in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas.  They spent more time going to church, involving themselves with their children.  Their example helped me in my own struggle with the seduction of success.

I remember moving to Knoxville and feeling the burden lessening just because of the environment.  The brand and looks of your automobile are not as big a deal here in Knoxville.  I like that.  I also like how we in F3 accept all as brothers.  Who cares or even knows what our economic backgrounds are.

I don’t want success to be my counterfeit God.  God loves each of you for who you are.  God’s version of “be all that you can be” is much different than our commercialized view of looking at that phrase.  Our culture makes that phrase sound like, “to be all we can be” that we must achieve at the very highest level.  God wants us to do well but also wants us to rest in him.  He sees success much differently than we do.  So ask yourself, what does success look like for God?  Is it about relationship, about honor, about love, about trusting in Him, about serving others?  I think those things come much closer to what God wants for us than our cultural way of seeing success, where we are inadequate unless who keep achieving more and more.

MOLESKIN:
Safe travels for Waffle House on his trip out of county.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

BRICK

THE SCENE: 34 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER ✅
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x 20 IC

Team Mosey on “Tha-Thang” Loop
THA-THANG:
Complete the #BRICK in alternating 5 & 10 reps of each of the following exercises and complete a lap between each set. Rinse and Repeat.

  • Burpees
  • Rocky Balboas IC
  • Incline Merkins
  • Capt. Thor’s
  • King Kong Thrusters

MARY:

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
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

BRICK: A singular positive Habit that is Advantageous to the individual or others

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

Players Choice Deck O Cards

THE SCENE: Crisp cool morning.  No rain so all was good.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH IC x20
  • Cherry Pickers IC x 10 (low and slow)
  • Baby arm circles IC x10 (forward and backwards)
  • Rockettes IC x20

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the boats

Deck O Cards

  • Burpees x 5
  • Run two light poles (40 yards)
  • Pick a card from the deck and perform the exercise
  • Run back to start
  • Rinse and Repeat
  • YHC called recover after 5 to 6 rounds

Mosey around boat parking to base of Materhorn

Squat Run

  • 5 squats
  • Run to next light pole
  • 10 squats
  • Run to next light pole
  • Rinse and repeat up to 25 reps and then back down
  • Finished last reps at AO

Mosey to and around Outhouse x 2

Pee Rock Weightlifting

  • Pick two fist size rocks or one large rock
  • Bicep Curls x 10
  • Overhead Press x 10
  • Front Arm Lift x 10
  • Squats x 10

Mosey back to AO

MARY:

  • LBC IC x20 (4-count)
  • Six Inches
  • Legs up 6 inches, Hello Dolly, keep feet up 6 inches, Flutter Kicks, keep feet up 6 inches, Reverse Crunches

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 PAX
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Shared my word for the year.  TIME.  Come to find out La-Z-Boy shared the same thing the day before at RAW.  My word came over the holidays as I read the book One Word.  It currently represents me being intentional with my time.  Being around (and present) with my M, the 2.0’s and others in my life.  Let’s see where God will takes me this year.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lifted up prayers

No False Idols Here

THE SCENE: Sunny, temp in low 40’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 20 second knee stretches each side, 5 Burpees, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to New Parking Lot that Is Across Street from North Ball Fields.  20 Hello Dollies (four count).

Mosey to south end of parking lot by Southern Ball Fields.  We will be running doing modified suicides.  Instead of running to each cone and back, we will do the following exercises to each cone and then sprint back.  We will add one cone each time we come back.  Also, each time back we do 10 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Those finishing first alternate do imitation jump ropes until everyone is back.  Then we will repeat step 5 where we go to all cones.

  • Bear Crawl to First Cone
  • Hop to Second Cone
  • Lunge to Third Cone
  • Bernie Sanders to Fourth Cone
  • Sprint to Fifth Cone

Mosey to Perimeter Trail that is just south of the south ball field pavilion.  We will be going east then north on the perimeter trail.  We will do nickel, dime, quarters along the trail.  Each light pole along the trail equals 5 cents or 5 reps of an exercise.  We will run the distance of one light (nickel) and do 5 reps of the exercise.  We will then run two lights (dime) and do 10 reps of the exercise.  Finally, we will run give lights and (quarter) and do 25 reps of the exercise.  One done with the 25 reps, do baby crunches until all other brothers arrive.  We will do these until we reach cardiac hill.  These are the exercises:

  • Merkins
  • Squat Jumps
  • Flutter Kicks (each leg = 1)
  • Dive Bombers
  • High Knees (each leg = 1)
  • Carolina Dry Docks

At cardiac hill we will run uphill, doing the following exercises at each turn:

  • First turn.  20 Diamond Merkins
  • Second turn.  20 Hello Dollies
  • Third turn.  20 Decline Merkins
  • Fourth turn.  20 Bench Dips

Mosey to Flag Pole at North Ball Park Entrance.  We will circle around the pavilion in a counter-clockwise rotation doing the following exercises at the following stops:

  • 20 Star Jumps at Flag Pole
  • 20 Bench Jumps at Playground
  • 20 Seconds of Pull-ups at Ball Field Dugouts
  • 20 Picnic Table Pull-ups under Pavilion
  • Rinse and Repeat

Mosey back to AO. 

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks (four count).  ATM’s.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
We had fifteen men show including Spicoli from F3 Hilton Head and an FNG, Thomas Keaton, whom we named “Trippin.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before me.

Isaiah 44:9 – All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit.

The bible speaks often of the dangers of worshiping false idols.  When we read about worshiping false idols or gods, we often think of human made images (such as Aaron’s Golden Calf) of biblical times or the multiple gods worshiped by pagans in those days.  But the bible actually refers to all kinds of things that we deify or make our ultimate goals as being idols:  for example, money, sex, power and fame.  The idols of biblical times remain our idols today.

When I first read of God, saying in the Ten Commandments, that we shall have no gods other than Him, I thought He was saying this out of jealousy.  Indeed, God is jealous for us but in further study of the commandment, I feel he actually says this out of love and concern for us.  Because, when we worship idols, when we make anything other that Him the ultimate thing we live for, we get into trouble – the false idol, indeed, may destroy us.

The things that people make the mistake of placing ahead of God need not be bad things.  Money, sex, fame, power – these are not bad things.  Money helps feed us and provides us shelter and comfort; sex is beautiful and leads to our continuing humanity; fame often occurs in the face of great things achieved by the one who becomes famous; and power can lead to great changes for our human race.  Yet, these things are not what lead to our ultimate joy.  What happened in the stock market crash of 1929 and the more recent economic and stock crisis of 2008?  We saw many of those who placed their hopes in wealth come to emotional devastation – a good number of people committed suicide.  We often are jealous of wealthy people, of movie stars, of famous individuals, of those with great power.  But if you google famous people who committed suicide (examples include Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Cobain, Freddie Prince, Cleopatra) the lists are long and full of people that others admired and wanted to be like.  God knows that when we place all of our hopes onto that which is not him, we will be hurt and even destroyed.

Anything can be grouped into the false deity category.  Even our wives or children.  When we deify our spouse we make them responsible for our redemption.  That is unfair to the spouse and will lead to us being upset with, angry at, or turned off by our spouse because our spouse cannot be God.

Even parenting children can be turned into idolatry.  There are parents who expect too much for their children or place too much importance on their schooling, friendships, or success.  I have recently got into trouble regarding this “idol.”  I indeed love my children as I should as their father.  I have been quite proud of my daughter who graduated from Asbury University in May and was one of the top students in her graduating class.  I have quietly patted myself on the back, perhaps unconsciously bragging about my parenting skills.  My daughter is currently going through a vocational life crisis.  She was accepted into a masters program at an excellent university but then decided not to go.  She then took an one year internship with Americorp, hated it, and quit.  She is now working for a little more than minimum wage and struggling with what to do with her life.  I have wanted to step in and lead the way, provide all the answers, kick her own butt by exclaiming “how could you do this” or command others to give her the exact job she needs.  I cannot do this for her.  She must face her own struggles.  If I turn parenting into idolatry, I do not let her be herself.  I do not allow her to face pain and overcome it.  I do not allow her to reach out to God, as we all must, to find our path, find our way in life.  And so, I must turn to God, pray for my daughter, and have faith that she is precious, that God is loving, and that through God she will find her own way.

What idols are you struggling with at this time?  Are you making something more important than your relationship with God?  God loves you and that is why He wants you to place him first.  He knows that your placing anything above Him will only hurt you in the long run.

MOLESKIN:
We need to pray for G-6’s son who is in the hospital.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coffeeteria!

Bad Customer Service

THE SCENE: Somewhere in the 50s… Rain sort of tapering off… Maybe?
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x25 IC
Hindurkins x10 IC
Cossack Squats x20 IC
TN Rocking Chair x15 IC
Travoltas x10 each arm IC

THA-THANG:
Insert information about the workout.
Everyone retrieves one 2-hand pee rock and two 1-hand pee rocks. Leave 2-hand pee rocks at the “service desk”
Time to try to return those crappy Christmas gifts, but of course you have no receipt!
Split into three lines, about 15yd from the “service desk”.
First man in line grovels to the desk (bear crawl w/ 2 1-hand rocks or snowplow w/ 2-hand)
Leave “gift” at the desk, but you get the runaround since you have no receipt (run around the outhouse)
Return to the desk to pick up your exchange (swap 2-hand for 1-hand or vice-versa)
Go to the back of your line and start doing the next exercise in the list.

2-Hand Exercises:
Curls
Blockees
Pullovers
Tri Extension

1-Hand Exercises
Flys
Woodcutters
Lateral Raises
Rocky Marciano

MARY:
Stood in line for too long!
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
11 strong… Well, 10 strong and 1 weak. Trying to fight off a cold…
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
So we probably all got at least one crappy gift this Christmas. But remember to thank God for his unspeakable gift – Never the wrong size, needed by all.
2 Cor. 9:15 – Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

MOLESKIN:
Left an alternate Q in chalk up at the Pavalon in case it was more rainy… We’ll give that one a go next time!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Prayers for Mayberry’s Grandfathers – both in the hospital.