Sparkler – Page 19 – F3 Knoxville

Double Ring of Fire and some hard work and sweat at the Asylum

September 16, 2020 Sparkler

THE SCENE: Slightly overcast, temps in the mid-80s and a bit muggy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH 20 IC

Cherry Pickers 15 IC

Windmills 15 IC

Grady Corns 31 IC

Merkins 10 IC

THA-THANG:
I

Mosey to Hill west of stop sign

1. 15 Merkins – Bernie to next station

2. 15 BBS- Run to next station

3. 20 Squats Bear Crawl to next station

4. 20 American Hammers (4 ct) –Run

Rinse n repeat

Mosey to Tree at bottom of hill – divide across each cone

Cone 1 – 20 Hello Dollys (4ct) , Cone 2 – 20 Imperial Walkers (4ct), Cone 3 – 20 shoulder taps (4 ct)

Rinse and repeat

I minute Plank

Quick Ring of Fire – 1 merkin each

Mosey to Island

Partner up

Run Opposite direction. When you meet within 6 feet, 5 Merkins , run again, 10 Merkins, run again – 15 merkins

Rinse and repeat – 5 Bobby Hurleys, 10 Bobby Hurleys, 15 Bobby Hurleys

Mosey to halfway up hill towards AO – One more Ring of Fire

MARY:

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Wayne Dyer- Power of Intention.
Need to separate from Ego.Move away from Ego dominance. Your free will can either move with universal spirit and its unfolding or away from it toward ego dominance. We do not create anything alone, we are all creatures with God. Our free will combines and redistributes whats already created

1. I am what I have. My possesions define me

1. I am what I do. My achievements define me

3. I am what others think of me. My reputation defines me

4. I am separate from everyone. My body defines me as alone

5. I am separate from all that is missing in my life. My life space is disconnected from my desires

6. I am separate from God. My life depends on God’s assessment of my worthiness

MOLESKIN:
Pray for @Jinxy’s wife who is having surgery
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill Obstacle build- supply pick up at Christmas Lumber on Kingston Pike ~ 3 pm friday and build at HHOR site in Kingston on Saturday starting at 9 am, need able bodies, skil saws, cordless drills and impact drivers. Let Sparkler know if you can come

God Is God

September 8, 2020 Lillydipper

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Pinto Twists, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Windmills, 7 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Northeast Corner of Admin Bldg. We will do 20 Hello Dollies. Mosey to CMU Pile. Each man grabs CMU and places it on east side of Parking Lot. Cone 1 is at that side of parking lot. Cone 2 is on opposite west side. We will do one of the listed exercises at Cone 1 with CMU. We then
Bernie Sanders (without CMU) to Cone 2 and do one of the listed exercises. We then run up mini cardiac to crosswalk and run back to Cone 1. We will repeat this sequence with the next set of exercises. We will have run up and down mini cardiac three times by the time we are finished. Here are the exercises at each cone:

Cone 1: 1. 25 Overhead Presses. 2. 25 Curls. 3. 25 Rows.
Cone 2: 1. 20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct). 2. 20 Bicycle Kicks (4 cts). 3. 20 Hello Dollies (4 ct.)

Replace CMUs.

Mosey to parking lot that has islands on the other side of ball fields. We will run around the parking lot stopping at each island to do 10 Merkins. At island that semi-circle that we semi-circle around we will bear crawl instead of run. Once around the parking lot, we will do the same thing but do 10 Big Boys at each island.

Mosey to beginning of Pickett’s Charge. We will Pickett’s Charge to Northeastern Corner of Parking Lot. We will stop at each hill of Pickett’s Charge to do 5 Hand Release Merkins. We will also bear crawl up each hill. After finishing Pickett’s charge we will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Bat House. We will sprint from Bat House to Parking Lot.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
23 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Kingdom grows, because the kingdom is already planted. It grows of itself and in its own good time. Above all, it grows we know not how.

–Robert Farrar Capon

Difficult times, like those we are facing with the coronavirus, racial protests, and our very heated political situation, test our beliefs and faith. Our faith in our government, in other people, in ourselves, and even in God is being put to the test. At a time like this we may be asking questions such as:

God, how can you let this happen?
God, where are you in all of this?
God, do you have any power to stop this?
God, what is your purpose?

We look to solutions to this world problem as if we know the answer, as if we know how the world should be run. We do that individually and corporately, blaming the whole state affairs on others or claiming that surely us Democrats or us Republicans are in “the right.”

At such times of angst, of confusion, of bewilderment, it is reassuring to know that, as Robert Farrar Capon proclaims, the kingdom is already planted and it grows of itself in its own good time. It is good to know that God is in control and that is the truth whether we like it or not. Look at history, at humankind’s treatment of one another, at the devastation of war, of slavery, of corruption, of pollution, and we can see how we botch things when we play God.

One of my favorite songs is “God is God” by Steve Earle. In discussing fate, uncertainty, miracles, and life he proclaims both that “God ain’t me” and “God ain’t us.” But through the mystery and uncertainty he believes in God:

Every day that passes I’m sure about a little bit less.
(But) even my money keeps telling me it’s God I need to trust.
And I believe in God, but God ain’t us.

If we believe in God then we must accept that he has a plan that goes beyond our understanding. His plan is a mystery but one that we must trust. God is God. And that is certainly reassuring in difficult times like these. Personally, it gives me hope. And, it gives me comfort to know that neither I nor the rulers of this world have the final say.

I will close with the last stanza of Steve Earle’s song which puts in better words than what I can say this mystery, this miracle, and our need to accept it.

God, of my little understanding, don’t care what name I call.
Whether or not I believe doesn’t matter at all.
I receive the blessin’s.
And every day on Earth’s another chance to get it right.
Let this little light of mine shine and rage against the night.
Just another lesson
Maybe someone’s watching and wondering what I got.
Maybe this is why I’m here on Earth, and maybe not.
But I believe in God, and God is God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Sparkler’s son and daughter-in-law, whose son, who died last Christmas Holidays, would have been two today. Prayers for Jinxy’s wife who has surgery on September 17, for Lilydipper’s wife, and for Thunderstruck’s mother. Prayer’s for Lulu and Doubtfire whose mothers died this summer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Fake Gloomers will be building two obstacles for Hardship Hill. We will get started the weekend of September 19-20. Talk to Sparkler for details. Be at Asylum PM this Thursday because Pusher will be on Q and is bringing Filipino noodles (made by his mother-in-law) for our board meeting!

#2ForTuesday

July 8, 2020 Steam

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3: Fitness/Fellowship/Faith

My name is Steam and I’m honored to be your Q this evening. And welcome to #2ForTuesday

ANy FNGs?

Couple things before we begin:
- I’m not a professional
- You’re here on your own volition – aka you’re here on purpose.
- I don’t know any injuries you may or may not have – so if you need to modify anything we do this evening feel free to do it, but push yourself and the men around you! They deserve it and so do you.
- I do have water and medical gear in my pack just so everypone is aware – and I will have my phone on me for the duration of the Q.
- If at any point in time you feel dizzy or overheated – let someone know immediately. We’re gonna watch each other’s 6 and push each other, but safety is #1.
- And I know that this point has been driven in time and time again – but if you’re not hydrating before you come out here and try and do an intense workout, ideally the day before at the latest, there’s potential that you’re going to be a liability and risk to no other’s safety. So hydrate. This heat doesn’t mess around.

WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH: 20 x 4 IC
- #2FT

Squat: 15 x 4 IC
- #2FT

Imperial Walker: 10 x 4 IC
- #2FT

Man-Maker: 5 x 4 IC
- #2FT

10 Motivators (All on a 4 count – except the final count/hops)
- (1) SSH
- (2) Half SSH
- (3) Legs only SSH
- (4) Hops (1 count)
- Finished at 2 – killer

THA-THANG:

(mosey to CMU pile)

—Lightpost trail by Pickett’s Charge—

Every lightpost for 8 total lightposts = 1 Man-Maker

When you get done with your 8th Man-Maker – execute Plank-Ups on a 4 count

#2FT –> back up the hill for 8 lightposts – do the same thing

(mosey to CMU pile down the hill)

—CMU Pile—

Grab a CMU each

Quarter Pounder
- 25 Curls
  - Sprint to the flag by the pavilion = 1 burpee
  - sprint back

25 chest presses
- sprint to the flag by the pavilion = 1 burpee
- sprint back

25 swings
- sprint to the flag by the pavilion = 1 burpee
- sprint back
25 1-handed merkins (rotate hands)
- sprint to the flag by the pavilion = 1 burpee
- sprint back
PAX executes 25 x 4 flutter kicks (x2 for #2FT)
PAX executes 10 SSHs on a 4 count

(mosey across the street to Pickett’s Charge hill)

2 lines going all the way up the hill – American Indian run style.

At the very top – PAX is halted and reminded of “No Man Left Behind – No Man Left the Same” — 10 up/down merkins
Mosey back to the AO

MARY:

6 Minutes in Heaven

SSH
Imperial Walkers
Final 4 minutes = work on recovering/breathing/stretching techniques

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

25 PAX

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“Expiration Dates”
- This is something I want to share because this is a lesson I’ve learned before – I’ve just mislabled it. But I’m going through it right now again and have been able to use discernment to better understand what’s really happening.
- When you think of an expiration date, let’s say on something in your fridge for example – it’s a prophecy of what’s to come. On this date – this will no longer be in your best interest or be good for you to consume. They’re pretty self explanatory right?
- The reason for the expiration date is so that it can be removed so something else can take it’s place. Not just anything else – but something that’s good, something that is new and fresh. If I keep milk that’s past it’s expiration date in my fridge, it’s only existing to take up space in my fridge, instead of being replaced with something that’s more lifegiving. And you know what happens when you keep something that’s past it’s expiration date in your fridge? It starts to spread an aroma or an unpleasant smell – thus making the fridge and anyone who opens the fridge that much more aware that something expired is still being housed.
- But what happens when things don’t have a nice, printed out expiration date right on the front? What do you do then?
- There are things in life that will become expired without you even knowing it. There are things in your life that will have an expiration date that at the time of purchase you never thought would have an expiration date. But the producer and supplier did.
- And that’s a hard thing to acknowledge sometimes – when there’s something in your life that’s past it’s expiration date and you can tell. How can you tell? Because of it’s aroma and the way it is affecting other things in your metaphorical fridge (your life). These could be things that are good! These could be things that you don’t want to have an expiration date and you’re looking up at the producer asking why did this have to expire?
- Because the producer knows something else is coming. The producer knows that sometimes things that we wanted to keep in our fridge had an expiration date from the very beginning and just because they were in our fridge at one point doesn’t mean they were designed to stay there forever.
- Let me back this up with what I think being a responsible fridge owner that seeks wisdom and discernment looks like – or as we refer to – High Impact Men
- 1 Corinthians 13:11 — “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”
- It’s hard to recognize some things in your life might have an expiration date. It is. I’ve been there. I’m there right now. But until you remove what has become expired, it’s gonna be really hard for the producer to take you higher.

Slow to Judge, Quick to Listen

June 16, 2020 Lillydipper

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

June 12, 2020 Pele

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!)

Plank Jacks
Pickle Pounders
Mountain Climbers
Shoulder Taps

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

Overhead Press
Curls
Rows
Squats

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

Froggie Jumps
Lunges
Bobby Hurleys
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).

Big Boy Situps
American Hammers
E2K Left Side
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.

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.
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.
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.