F3 Knoxville

Running is Easy

THE SCENE: Perfect crisp morning. Dark and upper-30s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Moroccan Night Club IC x 10

Over Head Clap IC x 10

Harry Rockets IC x 10

SSH IC x 20
THA-THANG:

Mosey to Sophomore hill in two lines, back pax sprinting forward.

Four corners (3 laps):

10 knee-ups (jumps) then Bernie up

5 each side offset merkins then side shuffle

10 squat jacks then mosey

10 diamond merkins then side shuffle

Hello Dolly and Heels to Heaven until the six was back.

Mosey to the coupon pile:

Inch worm and then Rifle Carry your coupons to Stadium hill.

Focus on form: Tempo merkins and Tempo squats 

Form punishment: Bear crawl stadium hill with a burpee at the top.

As we wait for the spilled merlot to settle: curls and overhead press with tricep extension with you coupon (20 each).

Mosey back to the guardrail and polish off 30 Derkins and Dips.

Thanks to Wheelchair; Suicides down every other parking spot.

MARY:
20 Imperial Walkers IC

BBS to time (about three)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 HIMs, no FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Have you guys ever fasted?  The act of withholding food (and sometimes water) for an intentional predetermined period of time?

I recently had someone provide some great insight about his experiences with fasting and I’ll be honest….I had never done it before.

The Purpose of Fasting

1. Natural reaction to grief over the loss of a loved one (David)

2. More often, fasting was done to purposely “afflict the soul (Leviticus 23:26-32)” or chasten the soul (Ps 69:10)”

3. The purpose of such affliction was to “humble” the soul (Ps 35:13), and not for any affect it might have on the body (i.e., dieting should not be the primary driver for a fast to the Lord).

4. Evidently, they felt that by so humbling themselves they would more likely incur God’s favor–Ezra 8:21-23 (Is 57:15; 66:1-2)

a. It seemed to work!  Think of Jonah, Ahab (1 Kings), Nehemiah

5. Because of the seeking of God’s favor, fasting would almost always be accompanied with prayer

The last one is where I decided to focus recently.  I took a day and decided to spend some time in prayer and focus about a couple of topics that have been hanging over me or pulling at my heart.

I want to encourage you guys to look at your heart or think about a topic that may be something you could benefit from spending some time in prayer or internal focus by fasting.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers lifted for those who have family members and friends who have passed or are sick along with words for everyone to reflect on “Susie” who is truly struggling to make ends meat and how we should be humbled and look for opportunities to help others.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Arsenal launch tomorrow at 7:00.

Check Your Hearing

THE SCENE:  35 and clear
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

Moroccan Nightclub
Overhead Claps
Tempo Squats
Up/Down Dog
Black snake to the back lot
Bernie the length of the lot
Lunge/broad jump/lunge the length of the lot

THA THANG:

Five Lines spaced ~50’ apart. 

  • Bear crawl to 1st line.  40 merkins.  Sprint to the 5th line and back to start.
  • Bear crawl to 2nd line.  30 merkins.  Sprint to the 5th line and back to start.
  • Bear crawl to 3rd line.  20 merkins.  Sprint to the 5th line and back to start.
  • Bear crawl to 4th line.  10 merkins.  Sprint back to start.

Lunge walk/mosey to the coupons

Diego

P1:  Up the steps – touch the wall – come back
P2: Exercise

100 – Uneven Merkins
150 – Overhead press
200 – Heavy LBC
250 – Curls
300 – Coupon Squat

Mosey to the benches – Bulgarian split squats x 20 each

Mosey home.

MARY:

PAX Choice with some Dolly, American hammer, heels to heaven, plank

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

9 + 5 Rushians

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Today is International Ear Care Day.  Last year’s theme for IECD was “Check Your Hearing” – and that’s what we are going to talk about this morning…checking our hearing

What do you think about when we talk of “listening for the voice of God”?  What does that look like?  What does God’s voice sound like?  Should we expect an audible voice? A flash of lightning? A vision in the clouds?  I’d love to hear an audible voice – but I don’t expect it.  Instead, I think about hearing God’s voice when I “listen” with my heart and my spirit.

In the book of Jerimiah…starting in Chapter 7 the prophet is standing at the gate of a city and relaying God’s words to the occupants.  As he reminisces on the Israelites experience after they left Egypt, Jeremiah says (speaking from God’s perspective), “I have spoken to you time and again, but you wouldn’t listen and I have called you but you wouldn’t answer” (vs 13). Later (vs 24), “(I gave) them this command, ‘Obey me, and then I will be your God, and you will be my people. Follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you”.  Then, “but they harkened not, nor inclined their ear.”

The Hebrew word from this passage which we translate as “inclined” is natah.  Traced to its Semitic root, you find it is a musician’ term, used for the tightening of strings on an instrument to tune it.  The Hebrew word for “ear” is ‘azan, which means ear – but also in the Semitic, it is a term used for a musical instrument.  So, the idea of “inclining one’s ear” is really a word picture of tuning a musical instrument so that it is in harmony with other instruments.  “Hearing the voice of God” might be a matter of tuning the strings of your spirit or heart…so that you are in harmony with His mind and heart.

How do we tune our hearts?

By doing many of the things that we talk about in this circle!

  • Through prayer and guided meditation (hat tip Spotter, Pool Boy, Erector, others…) we commune with His Spirit and, over time, become more in harmony.
  • Through reading and studying scripture (hat tip Guardrail, Wanderer, others…) we learn about His character.
  • Through living obediently (hat tip Archie, Hound Dog, others…).  Because disobedience is a sure sign of living out of tune.

Check your hearing!  Maybe the way you come to know God’s will is by tuning your heart to be in harmony with His heart.  Work at this by prayer, mediation, studying scripture, and living in obedience.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Wanderer’s family as they grieve a loss and make plans to travel.

Prayers for Butterknife’s wife as she courageously steps out to look for employment that she is passionate about.

Borrowed most of this from a Word that I did back in October – apologies to Snaggletooth, who heard it twice!

Hat tip to Chaim Bentorah for inspiring this Word.  Read more about natah ‘azan.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Lean on HIM but also me when you need help!

THE SCENE: 55 & rain…pretty perfect for the gloom
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Mosey for cover at the Clayton Center
  • Cherry Pickers (IC) 4 CT X 10
  • Windmills (IC) X 10
  • Baby Arm Circles Forward X 10 (IC) w/ Michael Phelps
  • Baby Arm Circles Backward X 10 (IC) w/ Michael Phelps
  • Overhead Claps (IC) X 10
  • Tempo Squats (IC) X 10
  • Tempo Merkins (IC) X 10
  • Tennessee Rocking Horse X 10
  • Mosey to the Library

THA-THANG:

Library

  • 20 Merkins, 20 Big Boys, 20 squats X 3 rounds
  • 10 Diamond Merkins, 10 lunges per leg, 10 4-ct Flutter Kicks X 3 rounds
  • 20 Wide Merkins, 20 reverse lunges, 20 American Hammers X 3 rounds w/ running the courtyard in between
  • Any Upper Body, Core & Lower Body Exercise OYO X running the courtyard in between (3-5 laps on average)

MARY:Part of Q

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

10 men trying to get better

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re weak, but it means you are strong and wise. Being proud is a sin and that is why many people fail to ask for help even when they desperately need it. Continually ask the Lord for help and strength daily realizing it’s impossible to live the Christian life without Him.

We also need to lean on each other, ask for help, prayers, etc.  We are not and should not feel alone but occasionally we do.  Let’s all realize that we can and should lean on each other when needed.

James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22 Without advice plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 20:18 Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Psalm 10:4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Sign Up To Q/VQ
  • Street Hope Project – copy paper, napkins & 55-gallon trash bags
  • New AO in Blount County – The Arsenel – starts this Saturday at Sandy Springs Park

Another Lap

THE SCENE: 37°F  and an Amazing Moon set to watch
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry Pickers, Hill Billy Walkers, Plank Dips 10 each side, Side Straddle Hops, 12 Clockwork Merkins
THA-THANG:

2 line indian run to Sophomore Hill, Bernie up the hill to Pull up bars.  6 stayed at the bars and did

  • 5 Pull Ups
  • 10 Leg Raises
  • 15 BB sit ups

Mosey down the stairs to where the first team started for

  • 5 4 count Australian Mountain Climbers
  • 10 Heavy Squats
  • 15 (or till the group finished) CPR (Curl, Press, Tricep ext)

2 Rounds of that.  Then everyone grabbed 2 CMU’s and headed to the bottom of the stadium hill

Hot lava across the street (stepping from one cmu to move the other and never touching the street)

Carry 1 CMU up the hill for 10 Diamond Merkins on the block. Run to the top corner of the stadium for 20 Squats

Crawl bear down the hill to run the curb:  Then do it in reverse, Bear Crawl, Squats, Diamond Merkins, Hot Lava over and back and then back as time allowed.

We made it farther than last time then ran to the big parking lot and did merkins on each line, leaders doing more till the PAX was all together.

This time we had time for guardrail dips OYO, then bear crawl together across the street and finished with 10 guardrail dips in cadence.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 HIMS (8 were rushing)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Repeated a Q from 2 weeks ago… because:

1) Leading doesn’t have to be hard – redo something you did or enjoyed doing, sign up and make it awesome
2) It’s also a picture of our spiritual walk
Consider the 3 main disciplines: Prayer, Reading the Bible and Worship
A) Prayer
Familiar (in a good way) or caught in a routine rut?   1 Thes 5 17 Pray without ceasing
Repeating yourself; been there done that attitude; or persevering, improving? Even if it feels like the same thing God wants to hear your heart. Consider the honor: You are communicating with God

2) Read God’s word: Psalm 119:16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Is it life giving or If it’s routine or boring ? Move from discipline>Desire>Delight
You don’t stop because it’s hard and you didn’t always love doing this

3) Worship: Gal 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Personal and Corporate worship: are we being Spirit led?
Was it your favorite or was it not not what you wanted it to be?
Not seeing the growth you want? Maybe it isn’t about you. Phll 2 In Humility, consider others of greater importance than yourself.
For Jesus Christ to be the main thing you can’t be the main character. Get okay with that and love others well like He did

The best corporate worship is when individual worshipers come together and magnify the name of Jesus together. Bring your best to the Lord; prepare your heart John 4:24 God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth

Don’t let Church be the only worship time of your week. If you only worked out once a week it’s not going to grow you. Likewise, find ways to worship God in Spirit and Truth all the time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New AO location in Maryville coming early March

Pressing through the Pain, Praying in the Rain

THE SCENE: 47°F and drizzly
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Administered + COVID reminder
WARM-O-RAMA:

Moroccan Night Club x 10 IC
Overhead Clap x 10 IC
Seal Clap Squat x 10 IC
Tennessee Rocking Chair x 7 IC
Stationary Lunges x 5 each IC
Reverse Lunges x 5 each IC
World’s Slowest Burpee x 3
Hillbilly x 10 each IC
Prayer Squat x 10s on, 5 off, 3x

THA-THANG:
The good news is today you’ll be exercising under an overhand. The bad news is that YOGWO (You Only Get Wet Once) doesn’t apply. We’ll be doing a Timed DORA and in between the sides where we exercise, we’re running in the rain.

If we have an odd number of PAX, that man partners with a pair of men. This is going to be repeating DORA in the rain. Each round of DORA is for time.

PAX#1 jogs to the other overhang and does the ARMs exercises while PAX#2 (and PAX#3 in possibly group) does the Legs exercises listed below. End of time called all PAX gather at one overhand, do 1 CORE exercise, HOLD, and rest while the next round of DORA is completed.

Timed DORA #1
Arms
5 Tempo merkins + 10 sec plank hold + 10 sec rest
Legs Lunges
Core Dolly
30 sec of Rest
Holds Reach/hang 15 sec
Praying Squat 15 sec
Plank 60 sec
Timed DORA #2 Arms 5 Burpees, 10 sec rest
Legs Reverse Lunges
Core LBC
30 sec of Rest
Holds Seal Clap /OHC 15 sec
Wall Squat 15 sec
Forearm Plank 60 sec
Timed DORA #3
Arms 5 Burpees, 10 sec rest (again)
Legs Reverse Lunges
Core V-ups

Hold – Forearm plank with 1 rainbow drop each size every 5 seconds for 30 seconds total. Mosey to ERC overhang and make a Dealer’s Choice Circle.

MARY:
Mary-Go-Round (aka Rotating Dealer’s Choice) – making a normal MARY circle for Dealer’s Choice, each PAX calls out a 4-count IC exercise . After going around, each PAX does 10 IC reps of the exercise on the Q’s lead. Then each PAX does the exercise the PAX to his right did. Q calls out the cadence and the PAX again do 10. Repeat for a chosen length of time or at the end during normal “MARY” part of the workout. If PAX complete all exercises in the full circle, go back to the left instead.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA13 PAX

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Booster’s post and tag about him rucking and praying challenged me and it’s really got me thinking and pondering about prayer and of course praying more.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray without ceasing,
Simple yet impossible right? Sometimes we all think of prayer like we’re endlessly climbing a mountain that never ends with our prayers doing little more than the echo bouncing off the ceiling our voice causes

But we have to reframe prayer. A few quotes on prayer:
What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer. – E.M. Bounds

A family without prayer is like a house without a roof, open and exposed to all the storms of heaven. – Thomas Brooks

We don’t drift into spiritual life; we do not drift into disciplined prayer. We do not grow in prayer unless we plan to pray. That means we must set aside time to do nothing but pray. What we actually do reflects our highest priorities. That means that we can proclaim our commitment to prayer until the cows come home, but unless we actually pray, our actions disown our words – D.A. Carson

Prayer is paramount to our daily spiritual vitality. We may be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, but if we are not communing with God then we cut off our spiritual nutrients. So do you pray? How often? Only at mealtimes? Only at Bible Study. Let’s circle back to our verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – pray without ceasing,

3 ways to apply this (surely there are more)
1. Walk with God each day in a spirit and attitude of prayer.
Turn things over to Jesus (1 Peter 5:7)
2. Ask God in your prayers to give you a desire more to pray
This also includes letting other men in your life know regularly where you are struggling. How much more does God desire to give you good things (Matthew 7:11)
3. Plan to pray.
Set aside time specifically that isn’t busyness, hurried to be alone with God.

There are many systems like ACTS for personal prayer as well as Operation World for world missions. But whatever you do, pray without ceasing.

MOLESKIN:
Welcome back Sergeant Slaughter!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Guardrail and I prayer walk sometimes and bear each other’s burdens. It’s a great way to spend time and it’s so edifying. If you want to do a prayer walk, just shoot me a DM on Slack or text me if you have my number and let’s make a time to walk, talk, and pray together.