F3 Knoxville

God Exists

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

20 Side-straddle hops, Plank Stretches, 10 Rockettes, 10 Cherry Pickers, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot by entrance way to Northern Ball Fields.  Go to CMU pile.  Split into teams of two men each.  Each team grabs a CMU.  We will be doing Doras.  Partner One does Bernie Sanders to end of parking lot then sprints back while Partner Two does exercise with CMU.  Then partners switch.  These are the exercises:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows
  • 100 Squats with CMU at chest.

Mosey to Pavilion at Northern Ball Fields.  We will do Totem Pole.  There will be five exercises.  We will do first exercise for 30 seconds.  We will continue to add an exercise each time until we have done all five exercises.  We will then drop the first exercise and go through the exercises repetitively, dropping one each time until we have done last exercise alone for 30 seconds.  Thus, we will do each exercise five times.  These are the exercises:

  • Burpees
  • Hello Dollies
  • Picnic Table Pull-ups.
  • Decline Merkins with feet on bench of picnic table.
  • Squat Jumps

Nest, each man does squat with back against wall of pavilion.  We will hold the squat for 60 seconds.

Mosey to Dragon Fly just past the parking lot directly across the street from the parking lot by the entrance way to the Northern Ball Fields.  We will do Route 66 up the Dragon Fly with the following exercises:

  • Mountain Climbers (4 count)
  • Dive Bombers

Mosey back to CMU pile in the parking lot by the Northern Ball Field Entrance Way.  Each man grabs a CMU.  We will do the following exercises in cadence:

  • 20 Overhead Presses
  • 20 Curls
  • 20 Rows

Mosey back to AO.

MARY:

We will do stretches of right leg and left, then stretches of each arm.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 men, no FNG’s.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
In his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez chronicles the history of a fictional small town in Mexico called Macondo.  At one point in the novel of plague of insomnia infects the little town and the residents go without sleep.  In the process, they lose they begin to lose their memories.  A main character in the novel begins to write on all types of tiems in the town so that people will not forget what they are.  The people join in to help.  Finally, the people in the town place a sign to it’s entrance way that says Macando.  And, they place an even larger sign in the center of the town that says God exists.  

In his book, The Journey of Desire, John Eldredge said that he laughed at the  above story when he first read it.  On his second reading, he began to understand the significance.  He then thought to himself that he should hang a sign above his own bad that says “God exists.”

The significance is that we humans, even us believers, often forget that God exists.  Oh, we may remember He exists at a shallow level but we forget the existence of God at the deeper, most meaningful level.  We forget that He is our Creator, He is the Great Physician, He is the Loving Father, He is the Alpha and the Omega.  The Israelites were constantly forgetting God.  He delivered them through the Red Sea to escape the Egyptians and days later they were complained about water supply.  When he provided water they complained about food.  He sends down bread from the sky and they bemoan the lack of water again.  They later worship false idols.  They must be reminded again and again about the existence of God.

I find myself doing the same thing.  I may go to church and hear a sermon or sing a hymn that stirs my heart, that reminds me of God’s love for me, that motivates me to climb mountains, to forget my fears, to live for my fellow man.  On Monday morning I awake before going to work and find that I have forgotten everything I learned the day before.

In his book The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, the main character falls from an airplane at the beginning of the book.  No parachute, he just plummets from the sky – and lives!  It is a miracle and he claims that he will always remember the miracle, always be thankful for it.  Yet, as time goes on, he forgets the miracle.

What is it about humankind that leads us to forget the existence of God?  We have these moments where we feel loved by God, saved by Him, grateful and thankful.  Then we forget.  Things happen to us that are miracles and we are amazed by them.  But we forget!  That is why it is so important to make the great HC toward God.  We must keep reading our bibles.  We must keep going to worship.  We must keep meeting with others who are forgetful believers like us and talk about the wonder of God, share in his Glory, so that we remember, so we don’t forget that – GOD EXISTS.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for guys at Neyland Stadium today and for Crawdad’s father.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  Hardship Hill on May 18

THE ENDLESS WARM-O-RAMA

THE SCENE:  60s and almost too nice
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Merkins x30, Air Squats x30, 6inch LBCs x30, Burpees x10, MCs x30, Merkins x30, SSH x30, Flutter Kicks x30,  Burpees x10, Monkey Humpers x30, Merkins x30, Smurf Jacks x30, Pickle Pounders x30, Burpees x10, Freddy M’s x30, Merkins x30, Jump Squats x30, Hello Dollies x30, Burpees x10, Merkins x25.

THA-THANG:
Once nice and loose, .mosey to soccer field for grinder.  PAX performed exercises at each end of field, running to and from continuously while one PAX performs farmer’s carry with two CMUs around entire field.  (Everyone got to do the carry once).  Exercises:

  • Hold Squat 10 sec, do 10 Squats
  • Run to other side
  • Hold 6inch Merkin 10 sec, do 10 Merkins
  • Run back to Start
  • (Repeat at 20 sec, 20 reps and 30 sec, 30 reps)
  • Start over at 10 sec, 10 reps when complete.

MARY:
Mosey to Playground – find a place to hang.  Body Hang on bar x30 Sec, drop and perform Flutter kicks x30; Hang 30 sec, Hello Dollies x30; Hang 20 sec, MCs x30; Hang 20 sec.  Burpees x 21 for UNC Charlotte hero who gave his life to save others.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 Strong
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
As men, we were created to work.  Since God tasked Adam to tend the Garden of Eden this has been our purpose.  Proverbs 24 reminds us of the pitfalls of laziness.  We can drum up all kinds of excuses as to why those dishes can wait or the laundry can hold off or why you just need a few more hours sleep.  Sleep is blessing, a gift from God but not something we should value so much we live for it, or idolize it. Work hard at everything you do!
MOLESKIN:
N/A
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HH and other get-togethers coming up. Stay tuned in to Groupme.

Taking Time to Reflect

THE SCENE: Sunny, temps in eighties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Plank Jacks, 10 Iron Mikes, 10 Windmills, 10 Cherry Pickers, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign on northeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  There will be sets of bricks.  We will be doing Doras with the brick.  While one partner runs to cone, does 10 merkins, and comes back the other partner will be doing exercises with the bricks.  The partners switch off when one partner comes back from the run.  The partner teams will do 100 of each of the following exercises with the bricks:

  • Overhead Presses
  • Curls
  • Rows with brick at each side
  • Punches from chest out (punch with each hand = 1)
  • Wings out
  • Wings up
  • Wings down

Mosey north to perimeter trail and head west on perimeter trail to area below Roadshow Run.  Each man will do 20 Big Boys, then run to top of Roadshow Run by the bat house.  There, each man does 40 Baby Crunches.  We will rinse and repeat.  The first man who finishes then runs back up Roadshow Run sweeping all men upward.

Mosey to grassy area in shade and by small wall on west side of road.  We will do elevens starting with 10 Jump Squats and 1 Incline Merkin with hands on wall.  We will do another eleven with 10 Mountain Climbers (four count) and one bench raise off of wall.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I read this week about something that the comedian Louie C.K. said when he was being interviewed by Conan one time.  He commented that he doesn’t want his kids to have cell phones because he wants them to be sad.  He was being funny with this comment but he was also being serious.  Sadness can come when we are forced to be alone with our thoughts.  The comedian noted, “That’s what the phones are taking away, the ability to just sit there.  That’s being a person.”

He also talked about a time when he was driving and listening to a Bruce Springsteen song on the radio.  He was feeling a melancholy come over him and his immediate response was to grab the phone and text somebody.  Instead, he let the sadness grow and pulled over to the side of the road to weep.  Afterwards, came another strong feeling, one of joy and thankfulness for his life.

Technology and cell phones are not bad things.  They are useful things.  But we can get too absorbed in it.  In so doing, we may find that we are avoiding true alone time, true thinking time.  We may be be pushing aside time to reflect over the events of the day, good and bad, that impact us cognitively and emotionally.  We may be merely numbing our minds.  We are not struggling but sometimes struggle is important.  And as Louie C.K. implies, sometimes sadness is good.  We don’t like seeing our loved ones, our children, or ourselves feeling sad.  But sadness is an important emotion – one that can inspire us to change or one that puts us more in touch with humanity.  Life is about loss as well as gain.  Sadness comes with loss and it is important to reckon with it.

The bible gives us plenty of images of Christ weeping – whether over the death of Lazurus, for the fate of Jerusalem, in compassion for others, or in anger over the tyranny of death over mankind.  Christ does not keep us from experiencing sadness.  But, in living in a relationship with Him, with God, he also shows us what true joy is.

Louie C.K., explaining his resistance to cell phones and technology, stated “you don’t ever feel really sad or really happy, you just feel. . . kinda satisfied with your products.  And then you die.”

I hope that we, as HIMs, are striving for more.  That striving for more may take the form of welcoming the Gloom when it meets us in the cold of a 5:30 am workout or heat of a 5:45 pm beat down.  It may also come in the form of welcoming the sadness that sometimes comes about in living a meaningful life.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Sparkler’s stepdad, Shooter’s friend, and Iceman’s brother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Neyland run on Saturday, May 11.  Hardship Hill on Saturday, May 18.

The Road Not Taken

THE SCENE: Warm, mid 80s, sunny, with a slight breeze (thank goodness)
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Nailed it.


WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct) IC, 10 Cherry pickers (4-ct) IC, 20 Lateral Hops (4-ct) IC, 10 baby arm circles (small to wide) forward and backward(4-ct) IC

THA-THANG:

PE EXAM!! (Hat tip to Erector!)

Mosey to stop sign at main road for the first letter of P.E. E.X.A.M.

P – 10 Prisoner Cell Merkin Burpees aka PCMBs.

Mosey to the grassy hill partway down the Dragon’s Tail.

E – Elevens – merkins at the bottom and Bobby Hurleys at the top.

Do Escalator down Dragon’s Tail.

E – Escalator – 10 burpees, 20 squat jumps, 30 mountain climbers (2-ct), 40 iron mikes (2-ct, audibled to 1), 50 LBCs at each successive light.

Took the road less travelled.  Play a bit in the sprinklers by the new bathrooms, and then Mosey cross country all the way across grassy field in front of Admin building to stop sign at junction of circle drive.

X – Xs and Os , 2 minutes

Mosey to parking sign up the road towards admin building

A – Aiken legs – Done in succession with no rest — 15 Squats, 15 Froggie Jumps, 15 Lunges (each leg), 15 star jumps.

Mosey back to AO for the…

M – Mary

MARY:

  • Captain Thors
  • 20 Bottle Taps or Openers, always forget what they’re called (4-ct) IC
  • 20 Box Cutters (4-Ct) IC
  • 20 Pickle Pounders
  • 20 Hello Dollies (4-Ct) IC
  • Ring of Fire
    COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
    8 strong, including one FNG, whom we named Squirtle. J-Lo not tagged.
    CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
    Recently, a friend’s blog led me to revisit one of my favorite poems, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (note the title… The Road Not Taken, NOT The Road Less Traveled):

    Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

    And sorry I could not travel both

    And be one traveler, long I stood

    And looked down one as far as I could

    To where it bent in the undergrowth;

     

    Then took the other, as just as fair,

    And having perhaps the better claim,

    Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

    Though as for that the passing there

    Had worn them really about the same,

     

    And both that morning equally lay

    In leaves no step had trodden black.

    Oh, I kept the first for another day!

    Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

    I doubted if I should ever come back.

     

    I shall be telling this with a sigh

    Somewhere ages and ages hence:

    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

    I took the one less traveled by,

    And that has made all the difference.

    A common misconception about this poem is that the road that the protagonist takes truly is less traveled, and as such has some additional inherent worth than the other road.  But upon closer reading, the two paths are actually equal, the other path being “just as fair” and was worn “really about the same”.  Having this pointed out to me was fascinating, as I had never noticed it before.  Two key conclusions can thus be made:

    1. The paths are essentially equal in worth, and therefore, picking one over the other is essentially like flipping a coin.
    2. The way we perceive choices affects our decision and the ultimate outcome.  The author PERCEIVES that one path seems to be less traveled, and takes it, and as he says in the last line, “that has made all the difference”.

    But what affects our perception??  This is where I see a bit of a religious meaning in the poem.  Two options exist.  Which one to choose?  I tend to agonize over big decisions, and have prayed over such choices, asking God to direct me down the best path.  But there may not truly be a “best path”… each may have its own advantages and disadvantages.  But for me at least, given some time, my preference of one path over the other grows stronger, and I select it.  And you know what?  Each big choice has worked out.  That doesn’t mean that if I had picked a different path my life would be in flaming ruins.  But God has gently guided me down the roads that have lead me to where I am today, and I am very grateful that He is with me to help me choose, even if the choices are relatively equal.  Don’t beat yourself up over the choices you make.  Sometimes we choose well, sometimes, perhaps poorly, but open your heart to God and let him help lead you down whatever path your life takes.

    PROVERBS 3:5-6

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
        and do not lean on your own understanding.
    In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.

    ISAIAH 30:21
    And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

    Psalm 119:105

    Your word is a lamp to guide me
    and a light for my path.

    MOLESKIN:
    Good luck to the Ruckers competing this week-end!
    ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Q has no rhythm and Bearmuda Triangle Survival

THE SCENE: Overcast, Mid 70s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH – 20 IC

Candy corns – 30 IC (kind of)

Windmills 15 IC

Arm Stretches

Imp Walkers (20) IC

THA-THANG:
Mosey Down Steps – all the way to the path way at base of Everest

  • Bernie up back of Everest to Plateau
  • Bearmuda Triangle – 3 rounds-bearcrawlbetweeneachcone
    • 1st Round – 1 burpee at 1st cone, 2 burpee at 2nd cone, 3 burpee at 3rd cone
    • 2nd round – 4 strides, 4 merkins til 2nd cone, last cone 8 strides, 4 merkins
    • 3rd round – 8 bbs at first, 16 bbs at 2nd, 24 bbs at 3rd
  • Mosey back down to path at bottom of hill – 3 rounds with “Peoples Wall” at end of each (sit against fence for 1 minute) for a total of 3
    • station 1 – pulse squat x5 + squat jump x 5, station 2- 20 American Hammers, station 3 – 20 plank jacks, station 4- 20 lbc (4 ct)
    • station 1- 25 bbs, station 2- 20 bobby hurleys, station 3 20 decline merkins, station 4 – 20 imp walkers (4 ct)
    • station 1- 20 hello dolly, station 2- flutter kicks (4 ct), station 3- 20 bbs, station 4- 20 slow squats
  • mosey back up stairs to top stairs with hand rail- 20 heal dips heals parallel, 20 head dips, heal inward, toes outward
  • mosey to AO

MARY:
none.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
We all go through seasons of change, God decides when we will have each season, it is out of our control. Sometimes we may initiate a change of seasons, but God controls the pace. Some season changes come fast and completely upset your universe. This is God’s way and we cannot change it. We often question these changes, but it is futile to try and understand the reasons. No one is spared from these season changes – some will get alot, others more gradual, but no one is immune. We need to understand this is God’s way and we need to accept it. Psalm 104:19 “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knows his going down.”
MOLESKIN:
Pray for Sharpie and his wife Kerri
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
none