F3 Knoxville

Hills and Valleys

THE SCENE:  So nice.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry pickers
Al Gore
Squats
Michael Phelps
Down/up dog
Mountain climber
Projectivator

Mosey to the big lot.  Run across.  At each line, turn 90 degrees (i.e., sprint, side shuffle, bernie, side shuffle, etc.)

Dolly
Flutter kicks

THA THANG:

Mosey to the coupons.  Grab a block.  Walking 20 curls, 20 overhead presses, 20 tricep extensions

Line up at the cones in a low plank.  At “3-2-1, Go!”, get up and sprint to the top of the hill.  First person to touch leaves on a tree wins and gets to watch while everyone else does burpees at the top.

Back down the hill.  Winner starts 50’ further back.  Do one block exercise then hill sprint again.
Repeat the sequence – each time adding one more block exercise.

  • 5 plyo merkins
  • 10 block pullovers
  • 15 heavy LBCs
  • 20 lunges (10 each side)
  • 20 single arm thrusters (10 each side)
  • 10 CMU swings
  • 6 uneven merkin T planks (3 each side)

Murder bunny thrusters up the hill.

Walking 20 curls, 20 overhead presses, 20 tricep extensions

Twenty-ones on the steps.  CMU exercise (your choice) + pull ups.

Rack ‘em.

MARY:

Indian run in two lines.  PAX call out 3-2-1-Go!, last man in each line races up the middle of the lines.  Repeat until we are close to the flag.

Mountain climbers

Jailbreak!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

15 for bootcamp, 3 for rush

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

It was common in ancient pagan nations to perceive each god or goddess as having a particular domain or sphere of power on earth.  A goddess of fertility…  A god of the forests, or the river… Monotheism was unique and the idea that any god was supreme in all areas was unheard of.

In 1 Kings Chapter 20, we read about the Israelite city of Samaria under attack by the Syrians, a rival nation.  The Syrian king gathered 32 other kings – and brought a massive army to besiege the city.  Against all odds, and with their God’s intervention, the Israelites repel the attack.  The Syrians retreat and regroup to strategize.  Since the city of Samaria is in the hill country of Israel, they mistakenly think that the God of the Israelites must be a god of the hills.  So, they make a new plan, assemble another massive army, and attack Israel again – this time in the plains (where, presumably, the Israelite God does not dwell and has no authority).  Speaking on behalf of God, a prophet tells the Israelite king, “Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand…” – and He does.  The Israelites rout their enemy in the valley, just as they did in the hills.  The one true God is sovereign over all – He is a God of both the hills and the valleys. 

For me, May 20 is a date unlike any other.

Five years ago, May 20th, my son Caleb was born.  He is a beautiful kid – he is everything that you would want in a son; wicked smart, good natured, daring, funny, creative, kind, loving – he is a great kid.  The day he was born into this world was joyful and exciting and amazing – it was heaven!  May 20th is the anniversary of one of the best days of my life!

But…

One year ago, May 20th, I was heartbroken.  My wife was pregnant again, but this time the pregnancy was not going well.  Several days before, we had been told that the baby had no heartbeat, and we would very likely have a miscarriage in the coming weeks.  We prayed that God would reveal his strength in a miraculous way and the baby would live…But short of that, if we had to walk that terrible road in the next few weeks, we prayed that the miscarriage would not happen on Caleb’s fourth birthday.  But it did.  The day we lost that baby was devastating and painful and raw – it was hell. May 20th is the anniversary of one of the worst days of my life. 

Life’s hills and valleys – the one true God is sovereign over them all.  Life is full of both wonder and wounds.  How does our faith stand up to them?  The “hills” of life can draw us closer to Him in joy and with grateful hearts – or they can arouse in us an arrogance which causes us to forget His presence.  The “valleys” of life can drive us into His arms and onto our knees – or can drive us to curse and blame our Creator with misplaced resentment.

We need to keep working toward having a faith that thrives in both the hills and valleys of life.

Closed with a pair of Pslams.

For when you go through a valley –

Psalm 4: God, you are my righteousness, my Champion Defender. Answer me when I cry for help! Whenever I was in distress, you enlarged me. I’m being squeezed again—I need your kindness right away! Grant me your grace, hear my prayer, and set me free!

For when you are on a hilltop –

Psalm 100: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

MOLESKIN:

This workout and word was inspired by Monday’s great workout and word – offered up by the true HIM, Mailbox.

PRAYERS / ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Prayers for our good friend, Spotter, and for his family

Prayers for Stitch’s family relationships

Prayers for Jordon

What goes up must come down

THE SCENE: Perfection including a beautiful sunrise
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER 
WARM-O-RAMA:

Eased Fingerfood back into it with a little reach for the sky and let it hang.   Threw in some baby arm circles forward and back.   Dropped for something new called countdown low plank or something like that.   Held plank and then dropped to 6” low plank hold for 10 count, back up then down for 9 count, etc.   Finished with some Windmills.  By that time Houndog had arrived and we knew it was time to get on with it.

THAT Thang:

Mosey across HV road stopping in front of AnytimeFitness for a few side plank dips, continued our journey over to Mt Juconte.   Started at bottom and gave it all she got to get to the top of the 13.3% grade.   At the top found a few transported coupons and did some curls into overhead presses.   On way back down did a little Route 66 with some Derkins at each tree.   Finished up with 20 Heels to Heaven at the bottom.

Rinse and repeat with Squat Thrusters up top, Squats on Route 66, and Box Cutters on round 2.   Round 3 was again back up…bench press / skull crusher combo, with SSH Route 66 back down and Big Boys to recover.   We were having to much fun at that point that not even Erector would join for Round 4.   But everyone else did as we finished back up top with coupons swings, Monkey Humpers on Route 66 and maybe some other AB work or maybe not..can’t quite remember.   Headed back to the “flag” and waited at the light for everyone in HV to drive by missing out on any extra Mary

MARY:
No Time…

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 HIMs…13 of who could remember their F3 name.   But we were glad to have FingerFood back even if we had to help him with his name.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Two biggest lies in America….the first one is by clicking this box I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the terms and conditions listed above and number two is our answer to the question “How are you?”  As men especially I think it is easy to hide and avoid sharing feelings, weakness, or hurt.   I am not good about it either, typically because I feel what I am going through is minuscule compared to the challenges of others.   But I do also think it is good to honestly answer that question too as it allows others to be open about their feelings too, especially when you know they are in a rough season.   But I specifically want to do a better job about reaching out to friends that I know are hurting.   Just as we remember birthdays…we also need to remember sad days / challenging times in our friends lives and acknowledge and reach out to them to let them know it’s okay to not be fine on those days too.   

Recently Facebook has reminded me about the anniversaries of loved ones lost and the continued grieving of those closest to them.   I want to be a better friend and family member that I don’t rely on Facebook to remember to reach out to my friends on their sad days.   Let’s remember and practice Romans 12:15 on a routine basis.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Prayers for DartGuns Uncle and Survivors friend who is recover from cancer treatments.

 

 

Digging for Treasure? Find it in Christ Alone!

THE SCENE: 47F and clear. Great workout weather.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER – Administered. Hopefully social distancing requirements will be lifted soon!
WARM-O-RAMA:

IC Moroccan Night Club x 10
IC Tennessee Rocking Chair x 10
OYO Forward Lunge x 5 ea leg
OYO Side Lunge x 5ea leg
IC Tempo Merkin x 10
Pickle Pounder x 10
Pickle Pointer x 10
Reach for the sky ~10-15 seconds
Let it hang ~10-15 seconds

Mosey around the parking lot toward the pavilion near the walking path. Today we’re digging for treasure! Let’s see if we can find some

THA-THANG:
Dig Site #1 – At the Pavillion – ~5 minutes of AMRAP of the following (10 reps each)

Step Ups
Incline Merkins
Squats
Dips

Mosey to Dig Site #2 – the CMU Pile ~ 10 minutes AMRAP of the following (10 reps each)
Hodor
Bent Over Rows
Blockees

The plan was to run down and back to the tree next to the pathway leading up to the CMU plie after all 3 exercises, but the Hodors and Blockees proved to be so difficult after the first round the Q suggested a modification of running after each exercise set of 10 reps and I think it worked better.

Mosey to Dig Site #3 – The Fish
Bear crawl the fish. 30 second wall sit. Repeat 1x.

Rounded it up with 10 x Pickle Pounders + 10 x Pickle Pickle Pointers

Falling Indian Run (aka a modification of a do-ah-diddy) Dig Site #4 – Shovel Flag
Man in the front of the line peels off and does squats until the end of the line reaches him. New man in front of the line counts to 3 (originally had it planned for 5 but we didn’t have very far to run so I wanted us to get plenty of squats in) while running and then peels off. Repeat until destination is reached.

MARY:
Dig Site #4 – Shovel Flag – Q gave the option of doing something hard (my version of the Thunderstruck routine, doing something flexible (Dealer’s Choice), or doing something that makes you think (Mary Go Round) and the first two tied, so we did something hard (20 reps minimum) of Dealer’s Choice.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 Treasure Hunters!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Today we went searching for treasure. And we found a few gems we might have to take out and repeat our long gaze at the future!

This past year has caused us all to ask the question:
Where is your treasure? Matthew 6:19-21 (and also Luke 12:32-34) answers it:

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[e] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So again I’m going to ask: Where is your treasure? Is it in this world? In the security of making good financial decisions? Are you trusting in the perceived security of a relationship? A friendship? A hope of something you’ll experience in the future? Or even a felt vindication for the past? Where is your treasure? Further commentary from Jesus continues in Matthew 6:22-23

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

What are you taking in that is driving your treasure? Consider well -we know GIGO. But do we apply it to our eating habits? To our treatment of our friends? Does how we act, what we say, and why we do it point to a treasure in heaven or a treasure in ourselves? Where is your treasure?

Last Jesus points to the most obvious dichotomy in Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.[f]

This is where the rubber soundly meets the road. There are many ways to fall and only one angle at which you can stand straight. Is your treasure in money, your financial security to provide for yourself and your family? Or is it with God in heaven? Jesus says you can’t have them both as the place you’re putting your treasure? So once more:

Where is your treasure? I pray it’s wholly, daily seeking to be in Heaven, Where Christ Is.

MOLESKIN:
Prayed for Jordan, Clickbait, Corey, & Interpol. Also this was my first time leading at Shamrock and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope the PAX were well-served.

Step up and lead a Q (or ask me or Mermaid or another guy to co-q with you!)
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence at Big Ball June 12th (time not yet announced but I anticipate 7am start). Bring your 2.0’s + breakfast and a work day at the Wesley House after!

Shamrock – Prayer Run

THE SCENE: 34F at Shamrock
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Side Straddle hop (IC) 4 CT x 25

Monkey Humpers (IC) 4 CT x 10

On your back Side Straddle hop x25 OYO

Freddy Mercury – (IC) 4 CT x 10

THA-THANG:

Line up at one end of parking lot. 

Round 1: Bear Crawl to each line and do 2 Peter Parkers for 20 total

Round 2: Crab walk with 3-5lbs rock on stomach to each line do 20 American Hammers single count, utilizing rock as your hammer. 

Mosey – stop for Irkins, Dips and squats on sidewalk

Mosey to the CMU pile and circle up: 

If you finish early you choose an Ab exercise that everyone does while we wait for the six. 

#1: 25 Bench Press, 25, Curls, 25 rows

Pray for our leaders ( in office, pastors, bosses ) while we run a lap

#2: 50 Bench Press, 50, Curls, 50 rows

Pray for someone who is on your heart ( wife, girlfriend, family member or friend ) while we run a lap

#3: 75 Bench Press, 75, Curls, 75 rows

Pray for you ( have an honest time of reflection with God about yourselves ) while we Mosey back to the AO

Lunge to each line and do 5 squats for 50 total

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 HIMS including 1 FNG “Nanner”

Anchorman, Baby Boomer, Betty, Curveball, Finger Food, Flower Pot, Hurl, Jenner, Mermaid, Nadia, Pringle, Waxjob, Nanner

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Prayer. I felt called to exercise my communication with God today. I’m great at praying with my family at the dinner table and with my kids at night before bed. During the day I tend to put God on mute and I always kick myself for not praying more. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18NET

16 Always rejoice, 17 constantly pray, 18 in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

MOLESKIN:
Betty’s wife – newborn recovery.  Baby Boomer’s kid with broken leg.

 

JUCOManjaro with Some Bacon Smell

THE SCENE: Chilly, but nice
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Stance Jacks (demo required) x 20
Mt Climbers x 15
Pickle Pounders x 10
4-count Merkins x 10
Captain Thor (6 count) x 10
Catalina Wine Mixer (6 count) x 11

THA-THANG:

Section 1
Mosey to Maple Street Biscuit, Enjoy the Bacon Smell – 4 Corners x 3
Corner 1
Stance Jacks 20 4-count
Merkins 20 4-count
Corner 2
Derkins 20 4 count
Dips 20 4 count
Corner 3
Freddy Mercurys 20 4-count
Flutter Kicks 20 4-count
Corner 4
Pickle Pounders 20 4-count
Squats 20 4-count
Section 2
Mosey to JUCOmanjaro (Cones up and back)
Station 1
5:20 Captain Thor
Station 2
Merkins 10 4-count
Station 3
5 Catalina Wine Mixer
Station 4
10 Burpees

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

1 Pet 3:7
Are we living with our wives in an understanding way?  Are your prayers being hindered?