F3 Knoxville

Perspective

THE SCENE: Foggy, temps in high 60’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Jump Squats, Around the World Each Hand, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Windmills, Michael Phelps

THA-THANG:
Mosey to Southern Ball Fields Parking Lot.  We will circle the parking lot twice, stopping at each cone to perform exercise and moving to the next cone by the method designated on the cone:

  • Cone 1:  20 Bobby Hurleys.  Butt Kick to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Hello Dollies (4 ct). Sprint to Cone 3
  • Cone 3:  20 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1).  Bear Crawl to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  20 Merkins.  Bernie to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  High Knees to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6:  20 Star Jumps.  Grapevine Left to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7:  20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct).  Hop to Cone 8.
  • Cone 8:  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Grapevine Right to Cone 1.

Mosey toward the Northshore Entrance to park.  We will stop at shaded area by apt buildings.  20 American Hammers.  10 Tempo Merkins.

Mosey to stop sign at southeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  30 second gander at scenery.  Mosey to Bat House.  We will do High Mountain Roundabout which will be the following:

  • 10 Hand Release Merkins by Bat House.  Then run down initial steps of Roadshow Run to grassy field below.
  • 20 Diamond Merkins.  Then run to grove of trees just below summit of Mt. Everest.
  • 10 Burpees.  Then run uphill to summit of Mt. Everest.
  • 20 Boy Boy Sit-ups.
  • Rinse and Repeat above.

Next, we will run down Roadshow Run to Perimeter Trail. From there we will head on trail toward Lyons Bend.  At perimeter trail we will head east and across road that goes to entrance way at Lyons Bend.  We will cross the roadway and stop to do 20 American Hammers.

We will then head on trail east and south to lower area parking lot.  We will head that way by doing 14’s, lunging for one light and then sprinting for four until we reach parking lot.

Next, head back to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
16 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
2020 has certainly been a difficult year and citizens in our country are a bit on edge right now.  You see it in the arguments between citizens on how serious a threat the Coronavirus truly is and whether we should be opening businesses at this time.  You see it in the protests going on related to the recent killings of black men by police.  Whether you support or are against opening up during the Coronavirus, whether you tend to look favorably upon the protests or are more prone to see the destruction caused by rioters, it is easy to judge that “other side”.  In some of our BOMs, however, we have been asking ourselves whether this is what God wants us to do.  Should we angrily judge someone whose ideas are different than ours or should we try to love them and make the attempt to understand their perspective?

We can learn to love even our worst enemies if we can learn to truly put ourselves in their shoes, openly hear their stories, and do so in a non-judging way.  And I think that is what we are needing more of at this time when politicians and even newspapers and news stations make quick judgments and fail to view the perspective of the other side.

When I spoke in my last BOM, I did not have time to talk about a story that I had actually included in the written Back Blast. The story is about White Fang.  White Fang is the name of a novel written by Jack London.  Some of you may have read it.  In the novel, White Fang is a vicious dog, one that will strike you and tear you apart.  He is a dog to avoid because his look and actions spell D-A-N-G-E-R and H-A-R-M.  Why is he like this?  Part of the reason is his genetics.  He is part wolf and wolves can certainly be savage.  The bigger reason, however, it that he has been taken advantage of by humans his entire life.  He has been beaten by others for use as a work and sled dog and has been unfairly used by men in betting games where White Fang fights with other dogs.  A guy named Weedon Scott meets White Fang for the first time after one of these fights where White Fang is almost killed.  He takes pity on the dog and takes him away from it’s current owner who has used him in the dog fights.  He feeds the dog and nurtures him back to life.  The dog doesn’t trust him but Weedon certainly can understand why, given what the dog has gone through.  Weedon slowly, slowly gets closer to the dog, trying to develop a bond with him.  At one point he goes too quickly and is viciously bitten.  But, Weedon doesn’t give up on the dog.  He takes the dogs perspective, realizing that he had tried to quickly to pet the dog when the dog feared him and didn’t trust him.  He continues to feed the dog, continues to use cooing language and weeks later touches the dog again.  White Fang growls a low growl.  He both doesn’t like the touch but also likes it.  This touch thing is different and for some reason it feels good.  Over time the man and dog form a wonderful bond. Those of you who love dogs know what that bond can be like.  Weedon Scott is long longer seen as a threat – he is seen as a Love God by White Fang.  This once vicious dog is so strongly bonded to Weedon that he will do anything for him.  And, at the end of the book he saves both Weedon Scott and his family from their own harm and possible deaths.

As HIMs, we can learn to patient and loving.  We can learn to take the perspective of others, even when we don’t agree with their opinions.  We can learn to love our enemy as Jesus would want us to do.  In so doing, we may form bonds we never thought we could have and even change the lives of those former enemies for the better.

MOLESKIN:

Praise for Choir Boy’s wife that, although she is having lymph node issues, her Ultra Sound looked good.  Prayers for the wife of Rainbow’s wive’s grandmother who is at her last days of life.  Prayers for Rainbow’s friend whose wife died.  Prayers for Lillydipper’s wife, Jan, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment at this time for breast cancer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Q101 is occurring this morning at Bomb Shelter

Grateful

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Motivators starting with seven, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Rockettes, 10 Windmills, 5 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 5 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the South Ball Fields Parking Lot.  We will be running from one end of the parking lot to the other.  There will be four cones set up along the run.  At each cone, stop to do ten of the first exercise listed.  Keep going in order from each end of the parking lot.  Here are the exercises:

Running south to north:

  1. Squat Jumps
  2. Merkins
  3. Big Boy Sit-ups
  4. Hello Dollies (4 ct.)

Running north to south:

  1. Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
  2. Plank Jacks
  3. Carolina Dry Docks
  4. Shoulder Taps (each shoulder)

Once done with all exercises, jog around the parking lot.

Next, starting from Cone 1 we will do a five parking lane bear crawl to 5 lane lunge all the way to Cone 4.

Next, we will mosey to soccer field.  We will do suicides on field going to first, second, and third cone and back.  Each time coming back men will do 20 Baby Crunches.  We will do a different type of run on each suicide.  They will be as follows:

  • Bernie Sanders.
  • Grapevine Left
  • Grapevine Right
  • Skip
  • High knees

Mosey to perimeter trail at the end of the parking lot.  We will head east and north on the trail doing Nickel Dime Quarters.  Here are the exercises for each stop.

  • Bobby Hurleys
  • Diamond Merkins
  • Bicycle Kicks
  • Iron Mikes (each leg = 1)
  • Dive Bombers
  • Box Cutters
  • Imperial Walkers
  • Squats

We will turn west at the Serpentine Sidewalk and continue to the Island Parking Lot.  At the parking lot we will have the Relay Race Around the Island.  Men divide up into teams with each team stationing men at an island.  The race starts with the first man running to second man, second to third, etc. until last man meets first man again (no touching, keep social distance).  The first man starts again.  The race isn’t over until the last man gets back to where he started.

Mosey to base of Mini Cardiac.  Do 20 Buzz Saws.  Next we will Bernie Sanders up Mini Cardiac to Park Sign, then sprint the rest of the way to the AO.

MARY:
Boat Canoe and ATMS
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Use the TAGS on right-side to record PAX (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOURSELF) in attendance. Be sure to select the AO in CATEGORY above TAGS and then delete these notes!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

From John 15: 12-15.
12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 
During this coronavirus epidemic I had to lay out from F3 as did you.  When F3 started meeting again, it hurt me not to be able to join with you brothers.  I was concerned about working out with you because, as you know, my wife, Jan, was diagnosed with breast cancer at about the same time the coronavirus epidemic was beginning to spread in the United States.  We hear that we can carry the coronavirus without even knowing it. I didn’t want to catch the virus by getting close to others, then unknowingly spread it to my wife.
I realized during the months away from you guys how much strength I get from just meeting with you.  I did work out alone and with my son, Bennett (aka Puddle in F3).  So, I kept in ok shape.  What I missed was the strength of the fellowship, of the encouragement we get from one another as men, of the message shared at the end of each workout, of the commitment to lock shields through the struggle, of the way we push each other forward not only in workouts but as HIMs, of the way we pray for each other, reach out to each other, hold each other in our hearts.  Man, I missed you guys.
On Thursday, May 21, Jan and I had a serious talk with her oncologist.  Jan has an aggressive breast cancer.  The chemotherapy weakens her immune system.  She can’t fight off Covid-19 the way you and I might be able to.  She was understandably scared about having me go to F3 workouts.  She doesn’t want to die and the odds would be significantly higher of that happening to her than to most if she did get Covid-19.  But, God bless her, she also saw how much as was missing F3.  On the way to chemotherapy, she said that we should talk to the oncologist about the safety of my working out with you guys.  The oncologist told me that she felt pretty good about the low risks of outdoor workouts, particularly if a social distance is kept from others.  She gave me the green light to come to F3 and so did Jan.  Sweat release!!  I can’t tell you how that felt to me.  I couldn’t believe it. With the news about the coronavirus sticking around all year long, I was wondering if I would ever to get to see you again.  And now, if I keep a distance from you, forgive me, it isn’t that I don’t want to be near you.  Heck, I want to give each of you a big ol bear hug.
Anyway, what I am saying is thank you.  Thank you for praying for me and for Jan.  Thank you for the encouraging words you have sent me. Thank you for praying for Jan and me.  And, thank you for being a greater source of strength than I even realized.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

Tune That Name

THE SCENE: Spring
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Are we allowed to call it F3 again?
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH, Cherry Pickers, Rockets. I read somewhere that if you can do 40 Merkins, your chances of dying in the next 5 years are really low. So statistically, whoever didn’t skip reps is doing OK.

10 Burpees OYO in honor of Crawdad and Jumbo’s standard on-time arrival.

THA-THANG:
Moseytown USA.

Every 5th light pole we pyramided up to 5 burps, 10 merks, 15 squats, 20 LBCs. Then back down.

Up towards the Asylum, where various spectators had come with tickets to the gun show. We Bearcrawl 360d our way over to the center of the Colosseum, and it turns out all they really wanted was to see Mr Jinxy in action. Take a number, ladies.

We played Tune That Name, winner moseys while loser holds position. Gore, plank, arm circles, lunges for everyone, and we provided melodic entertainment for a couple at the cafe table. I think it’s safe to assume we saved their marriage.

Native American run down the dragon, and Q forgot how fast US State’s Attorneys run, so Choirboy got in some extra mileage after a late directional call from Q.

The Cloud is as closed as Amazon is to a Robertson Dickens thriller that mentions COVID, so we made use of the Pavilon for some Box Baby Box Rows, followed by a wall sit that severely tested our ability to endure Convoy’s deep concentration.

Over to the stairs in honor of Crablegs who is doing calf raises somewhere in the fine state of Florida today.

Then to the Meadow for some Jack Webb, just in case anybody had anything left.

PAX choice whether to sprint or Bernie up mini cardiac (finally paved! What the what?!?).

Q made the unwise decision to sprint and it almost cost him last night’s Dead End barbecue.
MARY:
Mary is a High Heels kind of a thing, and High Heels was fartsacking.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This thing is dragging on and it’s time for me to recommit to loving my family well, not being a jerk, and being kind. But the way for me to do that is not to decide and just make it happen – that doesn’t really work, not for me anyway. I have to recognize my need for Christ (pretty easy to do if I take the time) and then out of gratitude for the life he’s given me, I more or less naturally find myself wanting to love people better.
MOLESKIN:
Great to have Beavis back in town! Praying for Choirgirl, Swimmies’ friend, and of course Mrs. Lilly.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Go download The Other Virus by Roberston Dickens! One of these days he’s going to sew up that legendary pectoral, and when he does, we’re all in for a really bad beatdown.

F3 Q101 and GROW SCHOOL: MAKING AN IMPACT

THE SCENE:  A balmy and crisp 37.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER(Explained Importance of Qing, common anxieties and tips on how to overcome them, discussed mistakes Q has made and the importance of making adjustments ) Free, Voluntary, Q not a professional, here at own risk, know limitations – modify if needed.

WARM-O-RAMA: (Explained Calling Exercises and Cadence) SSH (IC)x20, Imperial Walkers (IC)x15, Tempo Squats (IC)x15, Tempo Merkins (IC)x10, Mountain Climbers (IC)x15, Flutter Kicks (IC)x25, 8ct Body Builders (IC)x7.

THA-THANG: Mosey to lower parking lot…..

4 Corners: (40,30,20,10) of Merkins, then Squats.  Mosey to Playground parking lot:

Quarter Pounder (4 cones separated by comfortable distance, Cone 1-25 Merkins, Cone 2-50 Squats, Cone 3-75 Mountain Climbers, Cone 4-100 SSH). Run back to start after each completed cone.  Mosey to bathroom parking lot….

Totem Pole: 10 Burpees, 9 OHC, 8 Merkins, 7 Mountain Climbers, 6 Squat Jumps, 5 8ct Body Builders, 4 Diamond Merkins, 3 Calve Raises, 2 SSH, 1 Good Morning – Perform all exercises then run to other side of lot and back, knocking off the top exercise each round. Mosey to Dragon’s Tail……

1 Burpee at each light pole as we mosey up the hill back to shovel flag.

MARY:
Dealer’s Choice: Had a few of the PAX who have not Q’d yet call the exercises and cadence. They did awesome!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
37 Strong to include FNG “Twilight.”


CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Talked about two actions/traits that helped early Christians overtake the Roman Empire against insurmountable odds:
1) Love – they demonstrated a type of love that had never been seen before in Roman society. They loved sacrificially. They loved the unloveable. It was strange and did not make sense to the largely unbelieving Roman populous. Unbelievers took notice and were attracted to it, adding to the numbers of believers.
2) Generosity – They gave sacrificially to the poor and outcast with joy in their hearts, people who were marginalized by Roman society. Again, unbelievers noticed, were amazed, and added to the Christian population.

How can you cultivate this type of Love and Generosity in your own life?

When we all go home today, you will be surrounded by a different “PAX”: your wife, your kids, your friends, coworkers, etc. Step up and be their “Q”, leading virtuously. Let what we learned out here today transition and have an impact in our daily lives outside of F3. That’s what F3 is about!
MOLESKIN:
There was a lot of discussion and “teaching” by the Q.  I hope the men that showed benefited from my efforts.  It was a blessing to lead today.  Grow School afterwards was awesome: Abscess talked leadership and more Q101 while Steam showed his tech skills and showed everyone how to post a BB, add FNGs, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Dog Pound Pull-Up Bar Install immediately after.

A Frigid and Motivated Asylum

THE SCENE: Cold, 22 Degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  I am not a professional, the workout is free, and we are at Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith.  I do not know your injuries, so modify as you see fit.

WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry Pickers
Motivator from 10
Around the World Merkins (20)
Baby Arm Circles

THA-THANG:

Reps of 20 for each exercise
Station 1 with Coupons
20 Rows
20 Curls
20 Squat Thrusters
20 Tricep Ext
20 Calf Raises with Coupon
20 BBS with Coupon “Louganis”
Run from station 1 to 2, perform exercises, rinse and repeat
Station 2 at the pavilion
20 Wide Merkins
20 Squat Jumps
20 Picnic Table Dips
20 Diamond Merkins
20 El Capitan to bleachers
20 Picnic Table pull Ups
Mosey to Playground
10 Lunges (each leg) with one leg on the wall
20 Derkins
20 Dips
Mosey Back to AO

MARY:

20 Pickle Pounders
20 Merkins
20 Flutter kicks
20 Hello Dolly’s
20 Box Cutters

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Deuteronomy 6:5
Matthew 22:38
God’s message is the same from Moses, to Jesus, and to us.  Love God with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

MOLESKIN:
NA
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
NA