F3 Knoxville

Tag: Husker

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!

Pierced by Grace

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, sometimes raining, temps in 40’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Planks, 20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers (4 count), 10 Cherry Pickers, Little of This and Little of That
THA-THANG: 

Mosey to upper parking lot at northern end of park.  Each man picks up two bricks that will be in the parking lot.

Mosey on perimeter trail toward Lyons Bend Entrance of park.  Then go east on the trail that crosses road near the park entrance.  Twenty Imperial Walkers.

We will run with bricks for three lights, then stop to do 5 mini-man-makers.  We will do the same two more times along the trail.  Those who finish first do curls with bricks until all men have finished.  Then we do ten standing body twists (four count).

Next, we run for two more lights with bricks and stop to do 20 overhead presses.  Rinse and repeat twice along the trail.  Those finishing do curls again until all have finished.  Then we do ten tempo squats.

Next run for one more light with bricks and stop to do 20 wing claps with bricks.  Rinse and repeat twice as with other exercises.  Those finishing first do curls.  Then we ten tempo merkins.

We will be close to the parking lot where we picked up the bricks.  Put bricks back where they were.

Mosey to Pavilion by northern ball parks.  We will do a tadpole (doing the following exercises in ascending order, adding one exercise each time until we do all five, then dropping first exercise etc until we do only last exercise.  We will do each exercise for 30 seconds with a 30 second break after each set of exercises.  The exercises will be:

  • Burpees
  • Decline Merkins
  • Picnic Table Pullups
  • Bench Jumps
  • Bench Lifts

Next, team up into partners of two.  We will do Doras with partner running twice around the pavilion while the other partner exercises.  Then partners switch.  We will do the following exercises:

  • 300 Baby Crunches
  • 200 Squats
  • 100 Big Boys Sit-ups

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eight men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The following message is taken from a sermon given by Matt Howell, director of RUF at UTK.  He was visiting speaker last Sunday at Redeemer Presbyterian Church.

Bible Reading from John, Chapter 13, verses 1-9.

13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

When we read these verses, we may think Peter is being humble when he tells Jesus not to wash his feet.  After all, the Lord is taking on the role of a servant, performing a task that those of menial positions did in those days.  But, looking more closely, Peter is also displaying a veiled pride.  He is saying, I am beyond having my feet washed by you.  My God cannot take on such a subservient role.  I will have no part of it.  Jesus, in turn, is saying that if you cannot accept my loving you like a servant then you can not really share me fully. ( If we cannot accept God’s love in full, we miss out on God, we do not share in what he wants to give us.)

If we humans look at ourselves fully, we see that we, like Peter, have this veiled pride.  Look at how we accept compliments:  with great difficulty.  We generally shun them, getting uncomfortable, joking the compliment off, or saying it is not true.  Us men are also bad on accepting gifts or physical signs of grace from others.  Look at men at a restaurant:  First man:  I’ll get the bill.  2nd man:  No, no, let me take it.  First man:  No, I insist.  In some ways we do this out of courtesy but we also do this out of pride.  We do not want to be the “lowly person” who has his meal paid for.  Also, how do we accept help from others?  We usually shun it, too proud to ask for help.  Finally, we are too proud to accept our brokenness and need for God.  Or we may say, my sins are too great for God’s help, as if our sins, verses those of others, are too great for God.

Matt Howell, in his sermon, used two interesting quotes in his sermon from famous writers.  The first was from Victor Hugo, who said, “Grace is a most formidable assault.”  The second was from Flannery O’Connor, who said, “Grace must wound before it can heal.”

We must get over our veiled arrogance to accept God’s grace for us.  We must accept His assault on our pride, realizing we are broken and that we need his love.  We must get through the embarrassment of recognizing we need Him that much. We must get beyond the fear of His kind of intimacy.  We must let His grace pierce us before we can be truly healed.  Otherwise, as Jesus said, we do not really take our share of Him.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
3rd F on Saturday, December 8 at Outlook by UT strip, 8:30 AM.

Pervious Pavers and Bear Crawls

THE SCENE: 36 degrees, light fog on water, clear sky
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Side straddle hops, Cherry pickers, Windmills, Tempo merkins, Tempo squats, 10 burpees
THA-THANG:
Mosey to playground: 100 box jumps in sets of 10

Mosey to pavillion: 11’s with pull ups and dips on picnic tables; 20 calf raises on stairs nearby

Mosey to pervious paver parking lot (south of baseball diamonds): Down 1 side lunges to each landscape island, 5 star jacks at each landscape island (5 stops in all). LBC’s until 6 is up.  Mosey back to beginning, bear crawl to each island, 5 dry docks at each stop, LBC’s at end.  Mosey back to beginning, Bernie Sanders to each island, 5 burpees each stop, LBC’s at end.

Mosey to adjacent parking lot (playground parking): 1 suicide, using islands as stop points.

Mosey to restroom parking lot: Partner up. Partner 1 runs to end, at 4 islands on the way back performs 20, 15, 10, and 5 of each exercise. Partner 2 jump rope in place. Flapjack. (2 rounds: Plank Jacks and Mountain Climbers)

Mosey to AO for Mary.

MARY:
Edward Scissor Legs (Hello Dolly’s); American Hammers; Box Cutters; Pickle Pounders; Proton Parkers; 1 min of elbow plank.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Recently have had opportunities to share words of comfort and (hopefully) wisdom to family.  Made me think of James chapter 3.  The first section he talks about taming the tongue. Verse 10: Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.  The next section of the chapter is on wisdom. Verse 17: But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.  There is significance in the context of talking about the tongue and it’s power and then immediately talking about wisdom.  As HIMs we need to be aware of our words and the impact they have, and make sure they are imparting wisdom.

MOLESKIN:
None.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None.

Rockin’ Dora and Cardiac Attack

THE SCENE: Mostly cloudy, 73 degrees, 90% humidityTo
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
(25) 4 ct. SSH; Baby arm circles forward; backers; (10) 4ct. plank jacks; lunge stretch

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to base of Everest
  • (1) sprint up Everest to rock pile
  • Selected rock and partner for Rockin’ Doras
  • Partner 1: Run west along road, with rock, to first tree and back
  • Partner 2: Curls (up to 200); Squats with rock (up to 200); BBS or flutter kicks (4 ct.), rock optional (200)
  • Mosey cross country to base of Cardiac Hill
  • (5) 4 ct. American Hammers; Bernie Sanders to first bend; (5) 4 ct. Hello Dollies; bear crawl to next bend; (5) squat jumps; sprint to benches; (5) tricep dips;
  • Rinse and repeat, add (5) to each exercise

MARY:
Ab work, 2 rounds ending with 4 ct. flutter kicks.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
II Timothy 1:7 – This is my Father’s favorite verse, and I had not really connected with it. I never felt that I approached life with timidity or fear. I termed it as humility. But, there is a fine line between timidity and humility.  To my shame, I have been doing F3 for a year and a half, and this is my VQ.  To be a real HIM, we need to approach life boldly. We need to lead when we are called to lead and not be timid. We also need to remember that God gives us power, but also love and self discipline.

Monday’s Rock

THE SCENE: The gloom was in full effect – not too cold, not too hot, just right.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness, Fellowship, & Faith. My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning
  • I am not a professional – you are here on your own volition – which means I don’t know any injuries you may or may not have. So if you need to modify any of the exercises we do this morning – do it.
  • That being said: you’re not here for you, you’re here for them. Push yourself and those around you. 


WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH: 12×4 (in cadence)

Cherry-Picker: 8×4 (in cadence)

Squat: 12×4 (in cadence)

Merkin: 12×4 (in cadence)

SSH: 12×4 (in cadence)

THA-THANG:
Mosey to rock pile at the top of the OG Asylum and execute good PT

  • Every stop sign passed = 15×4 squats
    • Q chose 1 PAX member to lead each time
  • Every parking lot passed = 10 1-count merkins
    • Q chose 1 PAX member to lead each time
  • Mosey from AO to Rock Pile at OG Asylum
  • Rock Pile
    • battle buddies
    • 3 Rounds
      • R1
        • BB1: 25 chest presses & hold above head until relieved
        • BB2: sprint down to tree on right (.25/mile) & execute 5 squats –> sprint back and recover BB1
        • After both BBs complete 50 chest presses each = hold plank @ rock pile
      • Between R1 & R2: 20 SSHs led by called upon PAX member by Q
      • R2
        • BB1: 20 curls & hold in bent over row position until relieved
        • BB2: sprint down to tree on right (.25/mile) & execute 4 merkins –> sprint back and recover BB1
        • After both BBs complete 50 curls each = hold plank @ rock pile
    • Drop rocks –> 2 lines mosey
    • Peel = 2 men out front peel around and to the back of the PAX and call out for the next men to peel when they get back in formation (think reverse American Indian Run)
  • Pause at rock overlooking the new fields/river/mountains
    • Covered by fog/gloom
    • Q said mini-BOM: You can’t see it now but there are beautiful mountains in view and the river and the park when it is clear. But the gloom is preventing you to see this right now. Take this metaphor into your life. Do you trust Him that they’ll still be there when the gloom clears in your life? Even though you can’t physically see it right now, it’s there, more importantly, HE is there, do you trust that this week?
  • Mosey down to curved path leading into the parking lot across from AO
    • 7 light poles
    • With your battle buddy, alternate between BBS (battle buddy situps) & flutter kicks every light pole
    • On flutter kick poles –> Q appointed a member of PAX to lead the cadence
    • 10 BBSs/pole & 20 flutter kicks/pole
  • Back Home @ the AO
    • Motto cadence call led by QIC
  • 12 Man-Makers (8-count Merkins)

MARY:
Heavy breathing
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
43 HIM came out and crushed the Monday gloom (2 FNGs included)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
1) Know that you are fully equipped and capable of whatever mission the Lord tasks you with this week. Know your mission and that where he sends you this week, there you’ll be.

2) Don’t be afraid to Wagon-Wheel this week. I’m not good at it. My pride gets in the way. A key component of wagon-wheeling is dying to yourself and your own ambitions or work so that you can go back and bring those falling behind out of the gloom. Don’ the afraid to wagon-wheel this week – to be that voice of encouragement that circles back around to speak life into those that may have/are falling behind or that you’ve noticed need to be encouraged. When people see the F3 logo – that means something. The commitment to pursuing the Lord as HIM, as well as to each other is vital to the nature of F3.
MOLESKIN:
G-6 gave me encouragement this morning before things got kicked off – I always get nervous about my BOM because I don’t want to word vomit or get in my own way of sharing what God’s put on my heart/letting my words be far and His words be here & clear. G-6 gave me encouragement that went something like: God will put on your heart what he wants you to say/communicate when the time comes. That is important. And meant a lot. Because that means that we don’t have to worry or stress about saying the right thing or focus on how we sound – God’s got it already taken care of and He will put on our hearts what he wants us to say. A prayer I’ve been working on (and off unfortunately) for some time has gone something like this and when I remember to say it – man it hits home.

Lord, give me eyes to see like you, ears to hear your truth, lips to speak life, hands and feet to go and serve where you call me, and a heart to love like you.

Kinda just puts it in perspective of how much we need God to come into our everyday being and let the Holy Spirit allow us to be purpose-driven High Impact Men in everything we say and do.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Prayer Request from G-6: Lunch $’s (Jay Cobble) father died last night – keep their family in your prayers please.