F3 Knoxville

Tag: Pusher

God Loves the 99

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: lebowski, Brick, Mr Jinxy, Drum Major, Waffle House (Brady Greene), Lizzy, Crash Dummy, Pusher, Kung Blue, Dain Bramage (Will Olson), Doubtfire (Nick Bond), Snitch (Cory Beilharz ), Lulu (Greg Huddy), Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Jumbo(Carter Dickens), Pele (Jon Lindberg)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 17
WARMUP: 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Twistees, 10 Bobby Hurleys, 10 Rockettes, 10 Gas Pumps, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward.

THE THANG: Mosey up Mini Cardiac. We will stop at the top for 10 Imperial Walkers.
Mosey to small parking lot located on north side of roadway as roadway goes west. We will bear crawl across parking lot.
Mosey to stop sign at northeast corner of Admin Bldg. We will stop to do 20 Hello Dollies.
Bernie Sanders on semi-circle roadway to guard rail on north side of roadway. We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.
Lunge to Big Tree on right side of roadway. We will stop to do 20 Merkins.
Sprint to where roadway is even with bat house. Take 20 second rest.
Sprint to beginning of gravel parking lot. Take 30 second rest.
Lunge to end of parking lot.
Sprint to where the road curves to the east. We will take 20 second rest.
Sprint to tree on right down the road. We will take 20 second rest.
Bernie Sanders to end of semi-circle road. We will do 20 American Hammers
Sprint south to the circle at the middle of the intersection with the main roadway. We will stop to do 20 Rocky Balboas.
Mosey to parking lot west of ball fields. We will stop to do 10 Hand Release Merkins.
Mosey to picnic tables in baseball fields’ pavilion. We will do the following exercises stopping after each one to run around the pavilion twice:
40 Baby Crunches (single count)
–
40 Freddie Mercuries (two count)
–
20 Picnic Table Pull-ups
–
20 Bench Dips
–
Mosey to Basketball Courts. We will play Knock Out and continue until we have a champion. All those knocked out run laps around the other half of the court three times before getting back in line. Rinse and repeat two more times.
Mosey east to the circle at the intersection of main roadway and roadway that heads to the admin bldg. We will do 20 more Rocky Balboas.
Mosey to driveway that leads to Outdoor Chapel Parking Lot. We will take 20 second rest.
Alternate between mosey and gentleman moseys until we get to last speed bump before AO and then sprint to the AO.

MARY: Nada, we were behind time!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Lizzy has bachelor’s party next Saturday, 6 pm at the Orange Hat. The Banjo AO will now be an OTB

COT: Message

The Ninety-Nine are Not Forgotten

Luke 15:1–7

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

[3] So he told them this parable: [4] “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (ESV)

I love Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. I have certainly felt lost in sin and it is good to know that my God will come after me when I am lost and rejoice when he takes me home. At the same time, verse number 7 can trouble me at times, especially when I am trying to be righteous. So is God going to ignore me and only rejoice with the sinner? Sometimes I feel like the brother of the prodigal son.

I think all of us can relate to that desire to be noticed. That is why kids are thrilled to see their parents in the stands when involved in a sports game. That is why sibling rivalry occurs. Sometimes, kids will act up and do something bad, just to be noticed by their parents. I used to do some consulting work on the Oncology/Hematology Unit at Children’s Hospital. Every year, they would have a one week camp for the siblings of patients with cancer. At the hospital, they realize that the siblings of patients with cancer are not only suffering the grief of their brother or sister having cancer but also suffering because their parents are required to pay so much attention to their child who has the cancer.

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus is speaking in hyperbole as he often did in parables. Of course he isn’t ignoring us when we are righteous. God delights in our righteous acts. And, isn’t it good to know that God wants us to walk along side of him and reach out to help sinners? He wants us to be a disciple and work with him. In doing so, we don’t have to be the focus. Others become the focus. We give up childish things.

And, if we can do that, God still loves us. He isn’t forgetting us. He is pretty damned proud.

Pele knows that one of my favorite songs is No Hard Feelings by the Avett Brothers. It is not only a song about forgiveness but is about living for God. One of my favorite lines in the song is one that captures what the writer foresees after death: “Will I join with the ocean blue? Or run into a savior true? And shake hands laughing.”

Imagine that. You are in heaven. You meet God, who knows you, who has seen you through it all, although He has seemed so far away. And, you shake hands with him laughing! God is saying yes, Brick, I saw your struggles but I also saw how much you loved and gave to others. Yes, Pele, I knew you were frustrated so many times with the conflict between others, but you hung in there with them and loved on them. Yes, Waffle House, I saw all the work you did on missions. Yes, Lizzy, I saw how you suffered through the deaths and sicknesses of family members but continued to serve others. Welcome home, welcome home! I have loved you through your sins but I have always seen and been proud of your righteousness. That message goes out to you, my brothers, for God sees the many righteous acts among you.

Prayers
Prayers for Crash Dummy’s 91 year-old grandmother, Sue, as she most likely will not be on this good earth for much longer but will join God in heaven. Prayers for Sue’s and Crash Dummy’s family. Prayers for Lebowski who strained his ankle during the Knock Out portion of our workout today. Prayers for Pusher as he travels to the Phillipines soon to see family, including his father.

Go Do Good!

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Rooney(Carl Whipple)
PAX: Comfort Zone, Brick, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Abacus, Drum Major, High Heels, Lilydipper, Mr Jinxy, Pusher, Tenderfoot
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
Weather was hot and sunny with a breeze.
Great to have Comfort Zone with us!

WARMUP: 1 minute each of:
SSHs
Arm circles
High knees
Squats
Stretch as needed

THE THANG:
Mosey to the rock pile below Coliseum.

12 4-count Merkins
15 squats w/rock
10 rows (4-count)
12 lunges w/rock
15 glute bridges

Mosey around the Coliseum back to the rocks.

Rinse & repeat.

Mosey back to AO. Hydrate.

40 second exercises – 20 second rest for each of the following:

Jump squats
Mountain climbers
Burpees
Skaters
High knees

1 minute rest, rinse and repeat.

MARY:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: June 26, Handing over the reins to Crash Dummy!

COT: Go Do Good! God’s love will make you see yourself and your neighbor through the eyes of grace. When you see God’s love, you see other people.

Listen for the Whisper

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Mr Jinxy, Rooney(Carl Whipple), Drum Major, Abacus, Crash Dummy, Pusher, Lilydipper, Tenderfoot, Curveball, Brick, Lizzy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: 20 SSH (4 ct IC), 10 Cherry Pickers (4 ct IC), 10 Pterodactyles (complete with mating calls) forward/backward (4 ct IC), 10 Plank Jacks (4 ct IC)

THE THANG:
Met at the New Pavilion, aka Food Court, and started off doing a Dora exercise but quickly switched to a workout under cover when the death thunder started. Moved under the Pavilion, played some music, tried not to bother other rain-shelterers, and did the following circuit workout:
STATION
1:
ROUND 1: CMU ROWS / CMU CHEST PRESS
ROUND 2: TRICEP PRESSES / CMU OVERHEAD PRESSES
ROUND 3: AROUND THE WORLDS / CMU CURLS
STATION 2:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: AMERICAN HAMMERS / FLUTTER KICKS
ROUND 2: V-UPS / GAS PUMPS
ROUND 3: LBCs / BOX CUTTERS
STATION 3:
ROUND 1: STEP UPS / SQUATS
ROUND 2: ISOMETRIC SQUAT LEFT / ISOMETRIC SQUAT RIGHT
ROUND 3: BUTT TOUCHES / LUNGES
STATION 4:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: SIDE STRADDLE HOPS / PLANK JACKS
ROUND 2: HIGH KNEES IN PLACE / IMPERIAL SQUAT WALKERS
ROUND 3: BUTT KICKERS IN PLACE / WALL SIT
STATION 5:
ROUND 1: PERIMETER BEAR CRAWL / PERIMETER LUNGE
ROUND 2: PERIMETER EL CAPITAN / PERIMETER INCH WORM MERKINS
ROUND 3: PERIMETER SIDE CRAWL LEFT / PERIMETER SIDE CRAWL LEFT
STATION 6:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: MERKINS / CAROLINA DRY DOCKS
ROUND 2: HAND RELEASE MERKINS / SHOULDER TAPS
ROUND 3: OFF SET MERKINS LEFT / OFF SET MERKINS RIGHT
MARY: Nope. Ran out of time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill this Saturday!

COT: Quote from RALPH FIENNES as the Cardinal LAWRENCE in the movie CONCLAVE (Part Two from Daybreak’s COT Word):
“Over the course of many years in the service of the church, there’s one sin that I come to fear above all others. Certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end, in his agony, on the ninth hour on the cross, crying out MY FATHER, MY FATHER, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and no doubt, there would be no mystery and therefore no need for faith. Let us pray that God grants us a Pope who doubts.”

Indeed, the newly elected Pope, Pope Leo XIV is a man who has felt abandoned by God, who has had doubts. Recently he said the following: I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.
To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.
I, too, was angry with God. I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine.
And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo. But then I discovered something: God doesn’t shout. God whispers.
And sometimes He whispers from the mud and from the pain. Faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.

I remember Lilydipper saying in one of his Words years ago, “Nothing ticks me off quite like someone who acts like they have all the answers with Faith.” Even the Pope has felt the silence at times, and that he doesn’t present faith as a perfect journey. My own faith was challenged when I lost my mom and dad relatively young, two years apart. Where was God then? But then I saw…. Neighbors bringing over dinner, tributes from former students and colleagues, funerals that brought long lost companions together, friends that drove hundreds of miles to say goodbye and to give me an unexpected hug. God was there in those moments, He was whispering to me from the mud and from the pain. He was always there. And He will always be there for you. Just look. Just listen. For the whisper.

[banjo-pm] Suicides and AMRAPs

AO: banjo-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Pusher, Abacus, Down Under
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WARMUP:-20 SSH (4-ct), in cadence
– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence
-10 Moroccan night clubs/ Tempo seal claps/ Tempo Overhead claps
– Little of this and that

THE THANG:
MOSEY to road to north by houses.
SUICIDES w/cones. 5 CDDs increasing at each cone, 20 LBCs each time at the starting line.
– RINSE AND REPEAT with JUMP SQIATS and IMPERIAL WALKERS
MOSEY along Ebenezer south to other exit.
– DORAS: Partner 1 Bernie Sanders to line then run to next line, 10 SSH, runs back. Partner does the following: 100 Gas Pumps / 100 Merkins / 100 Imperial Squat Walkers
MOSEY to ROCK pile. Get a ROCK. AMRAP. Do 30 seconds of the following exercises. Rinse and repeat. Run 2 laps and DO AGAIN if time with (different exercises). For Round 2 we ran 1/2 way around the track and back)
– Overhead Press (TRICEPS)
– Curls (AROUND THE WORLDS… didn’t get any farther in round 2)
– Rows
– Squats

MARY: No time for her

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill Saturday

COT: Talked about giving people the benefit of the doubt when they disappoint you or screw up. There might be a good reason for it, and it’s not easy to take back any harsh words you might say before you find out what the reason is.

Keep Striving

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Curveball, Windex, Crash Dummy, Tenderfoot, Mr Jinxy, Pusher, Sparkler, Brick
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WARMUP: 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Squat Jumps, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Twistees, 10 Rockettes, 7 Pterodactyls Forward and 7 Backward

THE THANG: Mosey to the stop sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg. We will go up the road that semi-circles the Admin Bldg and stop at nine different cones to do the exercises listed and then go to the next cone as listed. Here are the exercises at the nine cones:
Cone 1: 10 Shoulder Taps, both shoulders = 1. Sprint to next cone.
–
Cone 2: 20 Hello Dollies. Bear Crawl to next cone.
–
Cone 3: 20 Imperial Walkers where both legs = 1. Bernie to next cone.
–
Cone 4: Go down stairs by bat cave. Run to summit on left and go up summit. Then go to roadway where you will see next cone.
–
Cone 5: 40 Baby Crunches. Slow Mosey to Cone 6
–
Cone 6: 20 Bobby Hurleys. Bernie to Cone 7.
–
Cone 7: 20 Flutter Kicks, both legs = 1. Hop to Cone 8.
–
Cone 8: 20 Merkins. Sprint to Cone 9.
–
Cone 9: 20 Mountain Climbers both legs =1, 20 Freddie Mercuries both legs = 1, 20 Big Boy Sit-ups, 20 Box Cutters, 20 Diamond Merkins, 20 Backwards Lunges, 20 Plank Jacks, 20 Iron Mikes both legs = 1.
–
Mosey to Coliseum. We will stop to do 20 Squats. The Coliseum is 6 oclock. We will run counterclockwise around circle. At 3 o’clock we will do 10 Carolina Dry Docks. At 12 o’ clock we will do 10 box jumps on stairs of the Admin Bldg. At 9 o’clock we will do 10 Wide Merkins. At 6 o’clock do 20 Bench Dips at steps. Rinse and repeat.
Next, guys will number off into two teams. Team one will mosey to Stop Sign on the Northeast Corner of the Admin Bldg, then go up semi-circle road to AO, picking up cones on the way. Team two will mosey to Stop Sign on Southeast Corner of the Admin Bldg, then go up semi-circle road to AO, picking up cones on the way.

MARY: Stretches.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill will be May 17. Volunteers are needed. Also, guys who participate can arrive early to help set up or stay late to help break down and clean up. Tomorrow morning at Shamrock, at the 5:30 am workout, Slappy will be passing the baton to Stitch as AO captain. Be there if you can.

COT:

Message

Keep Striving

As a psychologist and as a human being, I have experienced, had family members experience, and had patients experience deep depression. When depressed the idea of going through another day can seem absolutely overwhelming. When depressed, just getting out of bed to shower can be difficult. And, when we do get more active, when we do put in the effort, it may feel like we will never get rewarded. For us who are believers in God, we may wonder where He is and why He doesn’t respond. We may feel like giving up. Yet, we can’t give up. We must keep striving.

I love the song Your Labor is Not in Vain by Isaac Wardell, Paul Zach and Wendell Kimbrough. The song is about having faith and knowing God is with us although all our work and efforts may not currently seem to be paying off. Imagine God saying the following to you:

Your labor is not in vain
Though the ground underneath you
Is cursed and stained
Your planting and reaping are never the same
Your labor is not in vain

Your labor is not unknown
Though the rocks they cry out
And the sea it may groan
The place of your toil may not seem like a home
But your labor is not unknown

Chorus
For I am with you I am with you
I am with you I am with you
For I have called you
Called you by name
Your labor is not in vain

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit
The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth
For all that is old will at last be made new
The vineyards you plant will bear fruit

The houses you labored to build
Will finally with laughter and joy be filled
The serpent that hurts and destroys will be killed
And all that is broken be healed

Remember, God is with you. He has called you by name. He is there when all seems broken. Keep striving. Your labor is not in vain.

Prayers: Prayers for Slappy and Stitch as Slappy passes leadership as the AO Captain of Shamrock to Stitch. Prayers for our brothers at Shamrock as well. Prayers of thanks for Sparkler’s continuing recovery from surgery related to prostate cancer. Prayers for Crash Dummy’s friend as her recovers from the removal of a tumor near his pituitary gland. Prayers of thanks that Windex’s daughter, Mattie, has recovered so well from her terrible car accident.