F3 Knoxville

Tag: Sparkler

Slow to Judge, Quick to Listen

THE SCENE: Windy, temp about 70 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops.  10 Pinto Twists.  40 Grady Corns.  10 Windmills.  10 Tempo Squats.  Little of This and That.

THA-THANG:
Mosey to northeast corner of Admin Bldg.  From Cone 1 we will run to Cone 2 atend of sidewalk.  From Cone 2, bear crawl to the Cone 3 positioned at sidewalk going to steps of admin bldg.  At Cone 4, on steps do 40 Shin Lifts and 40 Bench Dips.  Then run back on sidewalk to Cone 5 on street.  At Cone 5 do 20 Merkins.  Then Bernie to Cone 6 by stop sign.  At that cone, do 20 Big Boys.  Then go back to Cone 1.  Rinse and repeat two more times.

Mosey on roadway and through parking lot to CMU pile.  Each man takes CMU.  Do 25 each of the following exercises but also sprint to end of parking lot and back after each exercise.  Here are the exercises:

  • Overhead presses
  • Curls
  • Squats
  • Rows

Mosey on grass past dugouts to bottom of Cardiac Hill.  We will go up hill stopping at corners and benches to do exercises.  Here are the exercises:

  • Corner 1:  20 American Hammers (four count)
  • Corner 2:  20 Hello Dollies (four count)
  • Corner 3:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  20 Bench Dips

Mosey to shady area by northeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks and 20 Bicycle Kicks.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
26 men that included four FNGs:  Sparty (Tony Burkhart), Hermes (Mason Burkhart), Orphan Annie (Dylan Berry) and a Flying EH, Couch Potato (Reginald Williams).
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Slow to Judge and Quick to Listen

Our current society is very quick to judge.  A politician makes a statement and the other party immediately attacks it, often taking the statement completely out of context.  Even news stations, which are supposed to give us the truth, are quick to judge.  CNN quickly pounces upon anything Trump says.  Fox News is sure to badmouth Biden.  It is difficult for any public figure to say anything without being judged.  Athletes are considered anti-American for taking the knee during the Pledge of Allegiance or racist for saying they will not join others in taking the knee.  We ourselves tend to blame the “other side” for the “state of affairs” whether that state be the declining economy, the coronavirus numbers, or good ol traffic on the way to our jobs.  We join with friends who are similar in opinion to us so that we can find support and comfort in our criticism of the other side.

The problem is, where does this get us?  How do parties resolve anything when they are so sure to attack and so unlikely to listen?  We cannot give an inch to reasonable comments from the other side because we feel that, in doing so, we would somehow admit that we are wrong.  Well, maybe WE are a little wrong.  Maybe THEY are a little right.  But we refuse to even look to see.  And we lose love and grace in the process.

Doubtfire gave a great message several weeks ago about Forgiveness. He said we need to learn to forgive even if we dislike what the other person has done.  Jesus talked about turning the other cheek to our enemies.  I get the idea that Jesus would also say we should be willing to listen to our enemies.  What do they have to say?  Is there anything reasonable in what they are saying.  And, if it doesn’t seem reasonable, what has happened in that person’s life that leads to their perspective?

Maybe it is too personal to look at the behavior of another human.  Let’s look at the behavior of an animal, a dog. Some of you may have read the book “White Fang” by Jack London.  In the book, a man meets up with a dog that is vicious toward humans.  People have used and abused the dog.  The dog, indeed, is mean.  The man finds the dog when it has been so badly mistreated that it is near to death.  He feeds the dog, talks kindly to it.  He cannot initially get close to the dog because the dog would attack him.  But he slowly, after many weeks, gets closer and finally, touches the dog.  The dog initially reacts with a biting move.  The man is patient.  Many days later he tries again.  The dog growls a low growl while the man keeps his hand there.  The dog both dislikes the touch but also thinks it good.  And as he learns to love the man, he learns to cherish the touch.  The dog gradually changes.  And, because of the love that the man shows him, he finally sees the man as his “Love God.”  An incredible bond forms between the man and this dog that once hated humans.  And, toward the end of the book, the dog saves the lives of the man and his family.

We must learn to listen to others, even our enemies.  We must learn to be quick to listen and slow to judge.  We must hold our tongue with others.  Try to see the perspective of the other.  Maybe there is some truth in what they say, particularly if you see things from their perspective.  You don’t have to fully agree.  But you may find some commonality.  You may find that the “enemy” has hopes, hurts, and dreams just like you.  As Sting once said in a song he wrote, “Maybe the Russians love their children too.”

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Crispr’s coworker and her husband.  Her husband has a terminal illness and will likely die soon.  Prayer of praise for the birth of Crispr’s niece.  Prayers for family member of Swimmies and Octomom as she has been in labor for over 24 hours and their is concern for the baby.  Prayers for David, a friend of Brick, Sparty and Hermes.  David’s son has been diagnosed with Melanoma.  Prayers for Pusher and his family, particularly his father as the one year anniversary of the death of Pusher’s mother will be this Friday.  Prayer of praise for Title 9 who has been coping with angst regarding an upcoming move to Oregon.  After reporting this last week he has had a sense of calm come over him.

AMRAP-O-RAMA

THE SCENE: Warm, but beautiful, low 80s, partly sunny, less humidity than normal
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check!
WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Reverse tempo squats (all the way down, then stopping at intervals on the way up)

– 40 Moroccan Nightclubs

– 10 Plank Jacks (4-ct), in Cadence

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Stop Sign to northeast of admin building.  Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises, AMRAP.  (and yes, a car drove by RIGHT when we were doing the pickle pounders!)

  1. Plank Jacks
  2. Pickle Pounders
  3. Mountain Climbers
  4. Shoulder Taps

Mosey to CMU pile.  Get a CMU.  Do 30 seconds of the following exercises. AMRAP.  Rinse and Repeat.

  1. Overhead Press
  2. Curls
  3. Rows
  4. Squats

Mosey to Bathrooms.  Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises, AMRAP

  1. Froggie Jumps
  2. Lunges
  3. Bobby Hurleys
  4. Smurf Jacks

Mosey to Open Field.

RING OF FIRE!

  • 8 cones are placed in a big circle in the shade of a tree down by the outdoor chapel. Divide up among the cones. Bear Crawl or Lunge between stations. Do 60 seconds of the listed exercise at each cone, then rotate counterclockwise
    • LBCs
    • Squat Jumps
    • Run to the tree about 70 yards away and back.
    • Flutter kicks
    • Carolina Dry Docks
    • Half Burpees (stay in plank, no jump).
    • Hello Dollies
    • Iron Mikes

 

  • Mosey to the new cul-de-sac by the Coliseum. Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises.  (we ran out of time before the E2Ks).
  1. Big Boy Situps
  2. American Hammers
  3. E2K Left Side
  4. E2K Right Side

Jail break to the AO.

MARY:
No Time.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 HIMs present and accounted for, including two FNGs, C-6 and Octomom. Virginia Slims needs a tag. Plus two doggies.  They were nice and didn’t bite anyone.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail on June 12, 1963. His closing remarks are worth remembering today, almost exactly 57 years later.

“Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”

As HIMs, I feel we need to be an active part of making the “deep fog of misunderstanding” disperse from the general conversations about the virus, race, and other challenging issues that our society is currently facing.  How can we do that?  I’ve been trying to work on these suggestions.

  1. Hit the mental pause button. The easiest way to fall into a web of misunderstanding is to let emotions get the best of you.  Try to relax, calm down, and really listen.
  2. Use your head. Put yourself into the other’s person’s shoes.  If you’re not sure how to do that, ask them questions that get to the root of why they feel the way they do.
  3. Use your heart. Try to tap into the emotions underlying their point of view.  And be patient when discussing volatile topics.  Really trying to understand where someone is coming from is a unique form of love and caring.  It means that you value them as individuals and aren’t just dismissing their viewpoints, but are rather seeking a depth of understanding that is really connecting with them.

This has to be a two way street.  Try to encourage the other person to meet you in the middle. Otherwise, you’ll just become frustrated that the efforts you are going through aren’t being reciprocated.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Lillydipper’s wife as she continues to go through chemo treatments, and praise that they’ve found a surgeon that they both like.  Prayers for Title IX as he prepares for a bit life-changing trip to Oregon to continue schooling in the coming months.  Happy birthday Hooker!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Morristown clown car leaving Sat. morning at 5:30 am from the REI off of Papermill.

Rats and Kings

THE SCENE: The rain gods couldn’t figure out what to do.  Intermittent sprinkles, damp, but pretty darn mild! (~60 degrees)
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3, Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. F3 is a free workout program designed to improve fitness, share some camaraderie, and foster male leadership in the community.  I’m Pele and I will be your Q today.  I am not a professional, and I do not know your fitness level or injury history.  Please push yourself, but modify the workout as necessary to avoid making any existing injuries worse.  The goal is to get better together!

Welcome, FNG Shawn, who is a friend of Goober!


WARM-O-RAMA:

  • 20 SSH (4-ct), in cadence
  • 11 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence
  • High knees 30 sec, butt kickers 30 sec, in place.
  • 10 Steve Earls (4-ct), in cadence
  • 10 Windmills  (4-ct), in cadence
  • Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY up Baby Cardiac and veer right towards Cardiac.  Going down Cardiac do Reverse Indian Run.  First in line Bernie Sanders’ back to end of line and yells GO, signaling next PAX to Bernie.  Continue to intersection with trail.

Do “47s” (made up exercise name based on my age.  I’m old… ) up the serpentine trail to the road.

    • Run 4 lights, then do 7 reps of the following 4 exercises: Big Boy Situps (the pavement was very wet… sorry/not sorry), Carolina Dry Docks, Mountain Climbers, and Bobby Hurleys

MOSEY to Pavillion by northern ball fields. More 47s.

    • 7 reps of bench pullups, dips, jump-ups, and decline merkins. RINSE AND REPEAT FOUR TIMES.  The first two sets of reps the Q called on the PAX to lead the cadence.  The second two reps were at your own pace.

MOSEY to parking lot where morning group meets.

CENTURY CLUB: Do 25 reps of four exercises consecutively, without stopping.  Every time you finish a corner, run up baby cardiac and move on to the next corner (counter clockwise) and do the next set of exercises.  One of the trips up the hill (PAX choice; most decided to get it out of the way first) must be a Bernie Sanders.

  • CORNER 1:
    • 25 x MERKINS/CAROLINA DRY DOCKS/DIVE BOMBERS/SHOULDER TAPS (4-ct)
  • CORNER 2:
    • 25 x BBS/AMERICAN HAMMER (4-ct)/LBCs/DEAD BUG (4-ct)
  • CORNER 3 (CMUs):
    • 25 x OVERHEAD PRESS/CURLS/ROWS/SQUATS
  • CORNER 4
    • 25 x ROCKY BALBOA (4-ct)/LUNGES/FROGGIE JUMPS/STAR JUMPS

When finished, run to center of parking lot and do 100 SSHs.

(Spoiler alert… we didn’t finish.  Most PAX got through 3 of the 4 corners.  Q called Recover, then we wrapped up the workout with a final run up baby cardiac together.)
MARY:
No time, and we were too out of breath to call out an exercise anyway.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 strong, including one FNG, Shawn, who we named Saguaro based on the fact that he hails from Arizona.  FUN FACT! “Saguaro” can be pronounced with a hard or silent/soft “g”! Who knew??  Goober.  Goober knew.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

As discussed in the book Wild at Heart by John Eldridge, Jesus gave us a simple test for taking the measure of something, when he says in MATTHEW Chapter 7 when he’s warning his disciples about false prophets.  He says, “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.  Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

I wanted to build on Lillydipper’s Word a few weeks ago about spreading seeds.  What fruit will you bear on this earth?  I’m not talking specifically about children, although they are included in this concept, but what will your legacy be?  Will it spread and multiply? Will it be good?

I’m a biologist and ecologist by training, so I started thinking about seeds.  What kind of seeds are we talking about here?  There are two reproductive strategies commonly found in nature that are known as R and K Strategists.

    • R Strategists (“Rodents”):  Organisms that are “R” strategists produce many seeds (plants) or offspring (animals).  They don’t invest much in their creation, they just fling them out in the world and hope that a few survive (e.g., milkweed, dandelion; rats). Good luck my weak little babies and seeds! Adios!  See you on the other side!
    • K Strategists (“Kings”): Organisms that are “K” strategists produce fewer seeds or offspring that are of higher quality, i.e., more resources are invested in a smaller number in the hopes of improving the survival rate to adulthood.  Plants that are K strategists have seeds with protective coatings and nutrients to help the seed establish and survive (e.g., oaks), while animals produce more complex and better developed offspring, and also spend energy and resources protecting them and nurturing them when they’re young and vulnerable (e.g., whales, humans).

I believe we can try to be BOTH when we “spread our seeds”.  We obviously can’t follow up and develop strong relationships with each and every person we give a smile to or hold the door for throughout the course of our lives.  But these acts of kindness can spread in the world.  And to ensure that the seeds closest to us grow and flourish, we CAN and SHOULD invest more into the seeds of kindness will that we sow with those we are close to, our friends, family, F3 brothers, etc.  The more we invest, the more likely those efforts will be to bear fruit.  Good fruit.  Not bad, ugly, prickly fruit.  Like those weird things you see in the grocery store with spikes on them.  Who eats that??

MOLESKIN:
Congrats to Hooker on the birth of his daughter! Very happy for the proud grandparents, Pinto and Mr. Jinxy.  Prayers that she remains healthy and gains strength (there is an interesting synergy here with the seed/fruit topic in the Word…). Prayers for some long-time employees that Sparkler had to lay off this week due to economic downturns. Appreciation to our FNG, Shawn “Saguaro”, who powered through a tough workout all the way to the end.  Merlot was disgorged. :-/

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Board meeting to discuss Hardship Hill obstacle construction immediately after the workout (the fact that there will be beer there is purely coincidental).  Hardship Hill is May 2.  F3 Convergence at JUCO is March 28, with breakfast and third F to follow.  Wesley House food drive ends this Wednesday.

God In All Things

THE SCENE: Cloudy after rain showers, temps in upper 50s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Pinto Twists, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Cherry Pickers.  Leg Stretch Right and Left.  10 Michael Phelps.

THE THANG:

Mosey to Parking Lot that is south of the northern ball fields.  There will be 8 cones set up around the parking lot.  We will take two trips around the parking lot.  Exercises will be listed and the method of getting to the next cone will also be listed.  The following are the exercises and means by which to get to the next cone.

  • Cone 1:  1. 10 Burpees.  2.  10 Shoulder Taps.  Sprint to next Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  1. 20 Merkins.  2.  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  1. 20 Smurf Jacks.  2.  20 Star Jumps.  Grapevine Right to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4.  1. 20 Plank Jacks.  2. 20 Mountain Climbers (both legs = 1).  Bear Crawl to Cone 5
  • Cone 5.  1. 20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  2. 40 Baby Crunches.  Sprint to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6.  1. 20 Squat Jumps.  2. 20 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1). Bernie Sanders to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7.  1. 20 Hello Dollies (four count).  2. 20 Flutter Kicks (four count).  Grapevine Left to Cone 8
  • Cone 8.  1. 20 Imperial Walkers (both legs = 1).  2.  20 Squats.  Lunge to Cone 1.

Mosey to Pavilion.  We will do 20 Picnic Table Pull-ups, 20 Decline Merkins and 20 Bench Dips.  Then we will do 15 of each, then 10 of each and end with 5 of each.

Mosey to CMU pile.  We will mosey with CMU above head to one corner of parking lot.  After placing CMU down, we will run a lap around the parking lot.  We will then do 15 Overhead Presses with the CMUs.  Next, we mosey with CMU over head to second corner.  We put CMUs down and run another lap around parking lot.  We will then do 15 Curls with CMUs.  We will repeat the above pattern to 3rd and 4th corner, doing 15 Rows at Corner 3 and 15 Squats with CMUs at chest at Corner 4.   We will then put CMUs back.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
In plank position we will do reach each hand and each leg up to sky.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Colossians 1:16-17 ESV 

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Job 12:10 ESV 

In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

What a world God has given us.  He is the creator of all things and he is in all things.  All things are a manifestation of Him.  Sometimes we may feel distant from God.  He is up in heaven, over there, away, too big, too distant.  We feel as if He is not close and does not hear us.  At such times, remember that God is in all things.  Many of us go into the mountains to get closer to God.  There we can better see the heavens and feel his majesty.  But remember that God is in everything.  You can pick up a leaf and look at it closely.  Notice the veins in the leaf, the multi colors, the structure that is similar to other leaves that have fallen from the same tree – yet the leaf is unique.  And, it come from our creator.  Every little cell in that leaf comes from the Maker.  God is in that leaf.  The bugs that have nibbled on the leaf are also from God and are a manifestation of His creation.  Look closely and see God.  Know that His hand is in it.  Look at a stranger.  God created that person.  God is manifested in that person because that human is a part of God’s creation.  Every hair on that stranger’s head come from the Creator.

Christ wants us to see God in all things.  The next time God seems distant to you, just look at a leaf, a piece of grass, pick up a rock.  All of them are from God and God works in each and everything on earth. Our Creator is also in You.  Look close by, look within and see God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for our brother, Pinto, and the Gentry and Buchanan families.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Ski trip for some of the F3 guys this weekend.

PM Asylum — Surprise Birthday Q

THE SCENE: Perfect for a beatdown.  50 Degrees

WARM-O-RAMA:
47 4cnt SSH,  Cherry Pickers, Arm Circles, Seal Claps

Baseline:  Apolo OhNo’s, Snowboarders, Rocky Balboa’s, Karaoke, Skips, Bear Crawls

THA-THANG:
Battle Buddy Up, Slingshot up Cardiac.  1 partner does 100 yard dash, while other does Blockees.  Then, slingshot back.

Mosey to the do Pyramid Scheme

Battle Buddy, run opposite laps, and do exercises when you meet :  Merkins, Squats, Burpees, LBC’s

MARY:
Freddie Mercury’s, Superman’s, Planks

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Surprise 47 Birthday Q.  Read a study last week that figured out statistically 47 was the most unhappy year of someone’s life in the developed world.  You are most happy at 18.  The good news is that it is a Bell Curve and when you hit 67 you are once again as happy as you were at 18 years old.  I for one am going to give a middle finger to this idea and encourage all to make right now the best year of your life.  Love your kids more, Love your spouse more, Find Someone without friends and Love on them.  I have never heard of someone on their deathbed saying I should have loved less or volunteered less.  We all know that makes our heart full so encourage you to start now.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pinto and his continued Fight.  Prayers for Tony Williams and his family who passed away last week.