THE SCENE:   43 and clear
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered 
WARM-O-RAMA:

Abe Vigoda IC x 8
Finkle Swings (demonstration!) OYO
Chinook (demonstration!) IC x 8
Seal squats (demonstration!) IC x 8
Pickle pounders IC x 10
E2K L&R (demonstration!) IC x 6

THA THANG:

Come!  Bring 6 CMUs and mosey to “Aww Hill”.  Q calls out “up”, “down”, or “bernie” and the PAX run up, down, and backerds…

Come!  Mosey to the “Stairway to Nowhere”.  Form two teams for a little competition.

Three at a time from each team will carry CMUs to the top of the steps and back while the rest of the team performs listed exercises in cadence (metronome set to 95 BPM).  Once runners return, start the next exercise while three new men run the steps.  Repeat until one team finishes the list.

List of exercises is;

SSH
Seal squats
Merkins
Hello Dolly
Mountain Climbers
E2K (Right)
Tempo Merkins
E2K (Left)
Iron Mike
6-inch plank
All run to the cone and back
Scorpion Dry Docks (left leg)
Monkey humpers
Scorpion Dry Docks (right leg)
Side crunch L
Side crunch R
Bobby Hurleys
Flutter kicks
Werkins
Pickle pounders
Shoulder taps
All run to the cone and back

Come!  Mosey back to the Shovel Flag

MARY:

Geronimo!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

33 men counting the Rushers.  2 bugged-out before the pic.

Welcome!  FNG to-be-named (that dude CRUSHED the workout without even breaking a sweat!  I think I even saw him yawning a half-dozen times…)

Glad to have you!  2 from down-range (Chattanooga), “Blindside” and “Laces Out”

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

It’s been said that when leading his army in conquest, Julius Caesar would never tell them “go forward” – instead, he would move first and then tell the army behind him, “Come!”.  This morning, I want to talk about leading by example – and more specifically to those of you who are fathers – about leading your children by your example.

In some ways, your sons and daughters will become what you are – are you being what you want them to be?

In the mid-19^th century, J.C. Ryle wrote a book, “Duties of Parents”.  Here are a few nuggets of wisdom from the book;

• “Train them (your children) remembering continually the influence of your own example”
• “Instruction, advice, and commands will profit little unless they are backed up by the pattern of your own life”
• “Your children will never believe you…so long as your actions contradict your counsel”
• “They will seldom learn habits which they see you despise or walk in paths in which you do not walk yourself”
• “What they see has a much stronger effect on their minds than what they are told”

Your actions speak much louder than your words.  Are you demonstrating right living?

You must be demonstrating for your sons and daughters, habits which will produce healthy bodies (exercise, eating well…).  More importantly, you must demonstrate habits which promote healthy relationships (trustworthiness, self-control, kindness, vulnerability…).  Most importantly, you must be persistently demonstrating through observable action, habits which promote a healthy soul (charity, prayer, reverence for the Name of God, studying the Word of God…).

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…excellent…and praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8).  You must fill your own mind with these things – and DEMONSTRATE them to your sons and daughters.

They are observing you, Dad!  Are your behaviors promoting the young men and women that you want them to be?

“The parent who tries to train without setting a good example is building with one hand and pulling down with the other.” – J.C. Ryle

A lot of today’s exercises we did to failure.  Do you ever fail at being the example you want your children to follow?  I wish I could say that I never have setbacks – that I can always tell my sons, “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1) – but that’s not the case.  I fail sometimes, and those failures are counterproductive to my hard work.  Just three days ago, at the end of what had been an incredible and memorable boys-only weekend, I lashed out at my oldest and called him a “stupid ass” (for nearly blinding his little brother by directing a leaf blower right into his face…).  For all the time and energy my wife and I spend building him up and up… with that emotional outburst, I tore some of our hard work down.

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18) – (Hat tip to Anchorman for his Q last week)

Inevitably, you’re going to fail as well.  What then?  Here’s what I did last weekend (after the emotion died down)…  I explained my reaction – I was volcanic at him because he could have very seriously hurt his brother.  I admitted my mistake – which was assuming that he’d done it on purpose for a laugh.  I asked his forgiveness and talked to him about how I could have reacted differently.  He sees me trying hard to be a better father.

DEMONSTRATE right living for your children, men.

 

3 CHALLENGES for today – from easiest to hardest…

#1: Commit this to memory;
Proverbs 20:7 “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”

#2:  What is something that you want your kids to do or be that you will START DEMONSTRATING for them?
(For me, it’s reading scripture.  I often read on my phone, but for all my sons know I could be playing Candy Crush…  I need to be more deliberate about outwardly demonstrating that habit – it can be as simple as reading an actual paper Bible, or including them in discussion)

#3:  What is one unhealthy part of you that you do not want your kids to do or be – and you will STOP DEMONSTRATING for them?
(For me, it’s reacting emotionally)

MOLESKIN:

• Prayers for Guardrail’s family in Chicago, for Gump and his wife as they have a baby today (!), praise for Mailbox’s answered prayers from Monday!
• Here’s a link to the book I quoted above.  At only 25 pages, it’s a quick read.  Review pages 20-21.  https://chapellibrary.org:8443/pdf/books/dopa.pdf
• The workout didn’t seem nearly hard enough today.  I’ll be scheming about how to bring more pain next time I’m on Q.
• If you’re up for it, share in JUCO Group Me about life changes you will make to better demonstrate right living (Answer Challenge 2 and/or 3)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Convergence December 7th!!!!