F3 Knoxville

Tag: Down Under

I Am Mine

THE SCENE: Cool.  If you call 90 degrees cool, which, given recent temps, it actually kind of felt like.  Sunny. Nice puffy clouds.  Slight breeze.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Done.
WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence

– 20 Moroccan Nightclubs

– Michael Phelps

– 10 Plank Jacks (4-ct), in Cadence

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Stop Sign to northeast of admin building.  Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises (AMRAP).  Rinse and Repeat.

  1. Froggie Jumps
  2. Rocky Balboas
  3. Bobby Hurleys
  4. Smurf Jacks

Mosey to grassy hill area by side of Everest.  Battle buddy up.  Do 5/10/15s:

  • PARTNER 1 RUNS to top of hill does 5x two exercises, runs back while PARTNER 2 does a slow mosey back and forth in the “bull pen”. Switch. Rinse and repeat two more times, increasing the reps to 10x and 15x.  (* = exercise is a 2-count)
    • Round 1 Exercises: PLANK JACKS AND SHOULDER TAPS *
    • Round 2 Exercises: FLUTTER KICKS* AND BOX CUTTERS

Mosey to Everest.  RUN UP EVEREST to base of Summit

Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises.  Rinse and Repeat.

  1. Bottle Openers
  2. Pickle Pounders
  3. Mountain Climbers
  4. Shoulder Taps (changed to Merkins on the second round due to PAX complaints about repeating an exercise)

AYG with Battle Buddy up the Summit, in pairs, cheering on the next pair when we get to the top.  Mosey to AO

MARY:

  1. Crunchy Frogs x10, 4 ct IC (Man, these are hard!)
  2. E2K x 20 4 ct IC left
  3. E2K x20 4 ct IC right

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
18 Strong
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

There’s a line from a Pearl Jam song that I love.  The song is called “I Am Mine”, and the line that has been sticking in my head recently is:

“I know I was born and I know that I’ll die.  The in between is mine.”

The song was written by Eddie Vedder after the tragedy at the Roskilde festival in Denmark, where several members in the audience were trampled and killed at a Pearl Jam concert in 2000.  The song has an existential feel to it, and what I appreciate about the lyric I mentioned is that 1.) it acknowledges that we only have a finite amount of time on this earth, and 2) it issues almost a challenge to oneself to make the most of this beautiful gift of life we’ve been given.  Even the title of the song, I AM MINE, declares that the narrator is taking ownership and responsibility for that time in between birth and death.  It’s almost defiant.  I can choose what to do with it.  The in between is mine.

The problem is… we don’t know how long we have to make it ours.  We don’t know exactly how long we have to fully craft the tapestry of our lives.  I had a sudden reminder of that last week with my car accident.  If just one safety feature in my car had failed, I might very well be dead.

Have I lived my life to its fullest?  Have I told those I love how much they mean to me?  Have I made peace with my enemies?  Have I taken that trip that I’ve always wanted to take?  Have I served others enough to have made a difference? Have I fully committed to my Faith and my God?  Fellows, the end to our beautiful gift can come at any moment.  The “in between” is yours.  Use it well.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for an 8 year old boy who lost his mother in a car accident, and is also paralyzed from it.  Prayers to Jan, Lilydipper’s wife, who was one of the first to talk to the boy following the crash.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Work Day Aug 6!

St. Francis and the Birds

THE SCENE: Partly Cloudy Skies, about 92 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 10 Squat Jumps, 5 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 10 Windmill, 10 Tempo Merkins, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the stop sign by the Northeastern Corner of the Admin. Bldg.  We will stop under the shade of the large tree to do 20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to the perimeter trail and take it as if going to the bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will stop, however, in the shade by Lyon’s Bend to do 20 American Hammers.

Next, we will run up Roadshow Run, stopping to do Ten Calf Raises at each set of the three sets of stairs and 3 Burpees above each set of stairs on up to the top.  At the top, we will do 20 Flutter Kicks and 25 Baby Crunches.

Mosey past the Space Needle to the steps at the Admin Bldg.  There will be a water cooler and cups to stop for one minute to have cold water.

Mosey to the sidewalk that goes underneath the shade to the stop sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg.  There will be 6 cones set up along the sidewalk and along the roadway that comes back to the Coliseum.  We will run in a clockwise motion down the sidewalk and back up the road, stopping at each cone to do 10 Merkins.

Rinse and Repeat with 10 Big-Boy Sit-ups at each cone.  Rinse and repeat with 5 Hand Release Merkins.  Rinse and repeat with 10 Star Jumps.

Mosey back to steps of the Admin Bldg for another one minute drink of water.

Next, we will run in a counterclockwise circle around the loop stopping at each of the following locations to do the following exercises:

  • 12 o’clock:  20 Bench Dips at the steps of the Admin Bldg.
  • 9 o’clock:  20 Carolina Dry Docks
  • 3 o’clock:  20 Box Cutters

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
Boat Canoe.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

God, Nature, St. Francis and the Birds

St Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic Friar, deacon and mystic.  He founded the Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, the Third Order of St. Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. He was canonized patron saint of Italy by Pope Gregory IX.  He is one of the most venerated religious figures in Christianity.  He was known to be a man of grace and a great lover of God’s creation.  He loved animals.  Legend has it that birds would fly up to him and alight on his shoulder.  On one journey he took with fellow monks, it was told that he stopped to preach to his sisters the birds.  Legend has it the birds became still and silent while he preached.

An Irish Poet, Michael Longley, wrote the following poem about St. Francis which is a beautiful depiction of the patron saint marveling on God’s creation and speaking to birds.  By the way, Michael Longley is not a Christian although he is obviously an admirer of St. Francis.

St. Francis to the Birds by Michael Longley

And, summing up, I think of when
With cloud and cloudburst you confer,
By God’s sheer genius lifted there,
Lighthearted starling, nervous wren.
It is perfection you rehearse –
God placed the limpet on a rock,
He dressed the primrose in its frock upside down with its leg showing
And closed the chestnut in its purse:
Creating one more precedent,
With no less forethought, no less care
He gave you feathers and the air
To migrate to his best intent.
To useful angles well aligned,
At proper heights compelled to tilt,
Across kind landscapes yearly spilt –
Birds, you are always on his mind.
Quick emblems of his long estate,
It’s good to have you overhead
Who understand when all is said,
When all is done, and it is late.
May my sermon, like your customs,
Reach suddenly beyond dispute –
Oh, birds entire and absolute,
Last birds above our broken homes.

Thank you God, for your creation.  Thank you for the birds in the sky that sing to us each day.  Help us to protect the blessings you have bestowed upon us.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Doubtfire who has an ailing back – prayers that he heals quickly; prayers for Dawg Paddle whose wife has told him that he wants to divorce him – prayers for her as well.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We will have a F3 Knoxville 2nd F gathering after our Asylum PM workout this Thursday.  We will meet at Union Jacks.

Shedding Skin

THE SCENE: Beautiful late afternoon, temps in upper 60’s.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators starting with seven, 10 Twisties, 10 Windmills, 5 Burpees, 10 Tempo Squats, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign by northeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  We will stop to do 10 Rocky Balboas and 10 American Hammers.

Mosey on perimeter trail toward Lyons Bend then head right on trail across roadway that goes to park entry gate.  Continue to mosey to cones in the grassy field on the right.  We will split into teams of two to do Doras.  While one partner runs up the hill to the tree by the roadway and back, the other partner does exercises.  Partners then switch.  Here are the exercises the partners do as a team:

  • 100 Big Boy Sit-Ups
  • 100 Jump Squats
  • 100 Merkins
  • 100 Imperial Walkers (both legs = 1)
  • 200 Baby Crunches

Next we will mosey to the bottom of Mount Everest.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct) and 20 Bicycle Kicks (4 ct) in cadence.  We will then run to the top of Everest.  Those at the top will do imaginary skip ropes until the six arrives.

Mosey south to the cone that is across the street from the gravel parking lot.  We will Sprint to cone then Walk to next cone, Sprint to cone, then Walk to next cone, and continue this process until we reach the cone by the stop sign at the southwestern corner of the Admin Bldg.  Those reaching the stop sign first will do imaginary skip ropes until the six arrives.  We will turn around and do the same thing going back but will Bernie and Walk. Those reaching the cone by the gravel parking lot first will do imaginary skip ropes until the six arrives.

Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Comfortable In My Own Skin

Do you remember those Dove Men Body Wash commercials where famous coaches or athletes like Magic Johnson, John Elway, Tom Izzo and John Thompson III talked about being comfortable in their own skin?  Those commercials had appeal because not only was Dove was supposed to make a man’s skin comfortable; they appealed to viewers because we want to be like the coach or athlete, having reached a certain level of self-satisfaction.  We want to reach a point in our lives where we can sit back and say, “yes sir, I am comfortable in my own skin.”

Yet, if we are to grow as men, we in some ways need to be uncomfortable in our own skin.  Each of us have certain sins, certain vices, that we need to get rid of, to cast off.  God wants us to become ever more like Him.  And, if we are to do that, we must shed old selves and become something new.

The following passage is from Voyage of the Dawn Treader in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicle of Narnia.  In the passage, a boy named Eustace is telling his friend, Edmund, how he became a boy again after he had been transformed into a Dragon. The lion referred to in the passage is Aslan, who represents Jesus.  Eustace has already told Edmund about how he has shed skin about three different times to get rid of his dragon skin.  But he needed to shed even more skin to become human.  Here is what Eustace says about the process:

Then the lion said- but I don’t know if it spoke – “You will have to let me undress you.” . . . “Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off – just as I thought I’d done it myself the other three times, only they hadn’t hurt – and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. Then he caught hold of me – I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on – and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious… After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me . . . in new clothes.

There’s a song about baptism by the Christian songwriter, Kyle Matthews.  In it, a young male describes his own baptism.  He says

“I’ve been through the water and I’ve come out clean
Got new clothes to cover me
And you don’t wear your old shoes on your brand new feet
When you’ve been through the water”

What I am trying to say is that God wants us to keep on changing, constantly grow, continually shed old skin.  Am I comfortable in my own skin?  Compared to the man I was 30 years ago, 20 years ago, even 10 years ago, I can say I am.  I know I am closer to God than I used to be.  But, I need to keep shedding that skin.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Swimmies whose good friend, Brandon, died one year ago.  Prayers for Thunderstruck and his family after the death of his mother.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP at Haw Ridge!

My Team Lost!

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy skies, temp in lower 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 5 Burpees, 10 Mountain Climbers, 4 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 3 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 2 Burpees, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 1 Burpee, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:

Mosey toward stop sign at northeastern end of the admin bldg.  We will stop at the guard rail to do 15 merkins.  Then we will mosey northwest on the perimeter trail and stop when it meets the trail that parallels Lyons Bend.  We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.

Next we will run up Roadshow Run doing the following:

  • At top of first set of steps do 10 Diamond Merkins then run back to trailhead.
  • Run to top of second set of steps and do 10 Diamond Merkins.  Then run back to trailhead.
  • Run to the top of the last set of steps and do 10 Diamond Merkins.  Then circle back down Roadshow Run to pick up the six.

Next we will do a counterclockwise circle, stopping to do the following exercises

  • At bottom of the steps leading to Bat Cave do 20 Carolina Dry Docks
  • At grove area near the summit of Mt. Everest do 5 Burpees
  • At top of Mt. Everest do 20 Flutter Kicks, 4 ct.
  • At Bat Cave do 20 Star Jumps
  • Rinse and Repeat two more times.

Mosey to the stop sign at the northeastern corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will be following a path and stopping at cones on the way.  The path will go on sidewalk, then to steps of Admin Bldg, then back on sidewalk to roadway that leads to coliseum, then on that roadway north back to stop sign.  We will run on this path except where indicated below.  We will stop at cones to do the following exercises:

  • Cone 1 at end of sidewalk:  20 Hello Dollies
  • Cone 2 on steps of Admin Bldg:  20 Calf Raises
  • Cone 3 at start of other sidewalk that goes to coliseum roadway:  20 Merkins
  • Cone 4 at parking area by coliseum roadway:  20 Jump Squat then Bernie Sanders to Cone 5
  • Cone 5 by stop sign an Northeastern corner of Admin Bldg:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Rinse and repeat two more times

Mosey back to AO

MARY:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Reverse Big Boys.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My Team Lost!

Being a sports fan is fantastic.  It has been so nice to see fans back in stadiums this year versus seeing those doggone pictures of fans they would put in the seats last year during Covid.  The roar of the crowd helps makes sports what it is.  And, I am a sports fanatic.  There is nothing wrong with that . . . unless I make sports my false idol.  God states in Exodus 20:3 that “You shall have no other Gods before me.”  I think there are many who make sports their God and sometimes I am guilty of it. Think of the amount of time people spend focusing on a sport like football or basketball versus focusing on God.  And think of how much emotion people put into sports versus worship.  Again, I am guilty.  My friend Pele can tell you one of the most frequent statements I make when my Baylor Bears are losing:  “I hate life!”  I say it in fun, but I must admit that I am guilty of feeling kind of like that when my alma mater loses.  Heck, my weekend was almost ruined when both Baylor and Tennessee lost on the same day during March Madness this year.  Only my son Bennett’s engagement to his fiancé, Sarah, saved me from going into a despondent funk.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t go nuts for our favorite sports teams.  That is actually a beautiful thing and I think God sees it that way.  But when people are so consumed by it that their lives become lopsided . . . and, when people are willing to give hush money to others just so that their favorite college can win . . . that is going too far.

As an athlete, sports has taught me so much:  the thrill of competition; the ecstasy of winning; how to put my team and teammates above myself; how to practice, practice, and practice to become become better at a task; how to serve with others in unison for a common cause; how to sacrifice; and, how to lose.  Because sports is about both winning and losing.  I thank sports for what it has taught me.  But sports, I will not make you my idol.  I will put no idols before God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks for 3rd birthday of Pusher’s grandson and Jetlag’s son.  Prayers for Swimmie’s grandfather who is having surgery for cancer.  Prayers for the people in Ukraine in the war there.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Starting new F3 site at Kingston in April.

No Hard Feelings

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temp in 50s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Imperial Squat Walkers, 10 Gas Pumps, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Plank Jacks, 10 Windmills, 10 Twisties.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Bat Cave.  We will do the following going counterclockwise:

  • Run down stairs and do 20 Carolina Dry Docks.
  • Run to grove of trees at climb of Mt. Everest and do 10 Burpees.
  • Run to summit of Mt. Everest and do 20 Hello Dollies.
  • Run to Bat Cave and do 20 Star Jumps.
  • Rinse and repeat two more times.

Mosey to stop sign at southeastern corner of Administration Bldg.  Do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Area 51.  We will split into teams of two for Doras.  While one partner runs to the curb by the hill at Area 51, does 5 decline merkins, then runs back, the other partner works on the exercises listed below.  Teammates then switch.  Here are the exercises:

  • 200 Rocky Balboas, both feet = 1.
  • 200 Flutter Kicks, both feet = 1.
  • 200 Bicycle Kicks, both feet = 1
  • 200 Baby Crunches

Mosey to park entrance on Northshore, then take perimeter trail past the utility bldg.  We will stop to do 20 lunges, both legs = 1.

Mosey to bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will stop to do 50 Baby Crunches.  We will then run up Everest.  Those reaching the roadway first do more Baby Crunches until the six is there.

Run to top of the Space Needle and then mosey to the AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten men, no FNGs.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

NO HARD FEELIMGS

I gave a message about this topic and this song by the Avett Brothers a few years ago.  I think the topic is important enough and the song is amazing enough to cover again.  The topic is Forgiveness and the song by the Avett brothers is “No Hard Feelings.”

The Lord commands us to forgive.  In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  In Matthew 6:14 Jesus says, “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”  And, in discussing the idea of forgiveness, Jesus said to forgive one who has sinned against you not seven times but seventy times seven times.

These commandments are made not only for the benefit of those who have sinned against us but for us who must do the forgiving.  If we hang on to the anger, the bitterness, the hurt of being wronged, these “hard feelings” can eat us up inside.  In their song, “No Hard Feelings”, the Avett brothers recognize the destructiveness that unforgiving hard feelings can have despite the goodness that life offers us:

Lord knows they haven’t done
Much good for anyone
Kept me afraid and cold
With so much to have and hold.

Yet in their song, the Avett brothers recognize the difficulty that we, as humans, have in forgiving.  It is difficult enough those people in that other political party or the neighbors who keep their front yard messy.  But how do we forgive someone who has truly hurt us or one of our family members?  The quality of “true forgiveness” is a Christ-like virtue that we must continually strive to attain.  The narrator hopes for that state by saying,

When the sun hangs low in the west
And the light in my chest
Won’t be kept held at bay any longer
When the jealousy fades away
And it’s ash and dust for cash and lust
And it’s just hallelujah
And love in thoughts and love in the words
Love in the songs they sing in the church
And no hard feelings.

The fact is that we humans, as sinners, find it so very hard to forgive.  Christ asks us to turn the other cheek.  That takes a bravery that is quite difficult for us to muster.  In the Avett Brothers song, the narrator looks at his own life and wonders if by his death he can accomplish the task.  The song uses a beautiful image of walking straight to the life after death and running into the savior.   The narrator of the song yearns for the final result of godlike forgiveness within himself by chanting the final line of the song four straight times:

Will I join with the ocean blue
Or run into the savior true
And shake hands laughing
And walk through the night
Straight to the light
Holding the love I’ve known in my life
And no hard feelings

Lord knows they haven’t done
Much good for anyone
Kept me afraid and cold
With so much to have and hold
Under the curving sky
I’m finally learning why
It matters to me and you
To say it and mean it too
For life and its loveliness
And all of its ugliness
Good as it’s been to me
I have no enemies
I have no enemies
I have no enemies
I have no enemies.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Down Under’s son, Hunter, age 17, who had hoped to go into military after high school where he is in ROTC.  He learned that due to a medical condition, he will not be qualified to go into the military.  Prayers of thanks for the mother of Steam’s future bride.  Steam’s future mother-in-law found out that her breast cancer is now in remission after chemotherapy and radiation.  Prayers for our brother, Sparkler, as he continues to recover from his rotator cuff surgery.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Board Meeting!