F3 Knoxville

Constant Promised Growth

THE SCENE: 59, Misty Rain (that wet stuff, if you recall)
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Step overs, Tempo Merkins, Mountain Climbers, Cherry Pickers and OYO
THA-THANG:

Today was all about measuring some physical achievements to see how we are progressing.  Is our effort producing fruit?  Remember, this isn’t a competition expect for against yourself.  We last did this on a hot day in July.

  • 100m dash
  • Max Pull Ups
  • # of heavy thrusters in 2:00
  • 1 Mile Run time
  • Time to do 50 Curls
  • Time to do 50 Tricep extensions
  • Max Merkins consecutive

MARY:
Had time for some Imperial Walkers when we got back and then counted off.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
8 HIMs (1 runner joined us for the prayer)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Some of you may have found today you were faster and stronger than last time in some things. That’s awesome and maybe IPC was good for something.
But for those of you with a few trips around the sun, you know that isn’t always going to be the case.
Being out here with Respect or Double respect probably means you are not as fast as you once were.
The graph of max merkins over the years is more of a mountain than a growth chart.
Do I share this to bring you down on a Monday morning?
Not at all. Because progress and growth on biceps means nothing compared to the plans God has for your soul.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Tim 1:8

The graph of your soul’s growth has some peaks and valley’s in the beginning but once God will takes hold of your heart and He works on it and ultimately sanctifies you, it’s a rocket launch once you zoom out enough.

Are you growing as a worshiper? That’s what we’ll be doing forever.
Is your soul able to sing like never before (see Matt Redmond’s 10,000 reasons for an awesome song and inspirations to this word)

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matt 24:13
So regardless of progress measured today, know that God is in the process of making all things New.

Consider the 10 yr old boy who upon asking his mom about the MRI results (news wasn’t good, 20% growth) here is how the conversation went:

In true John fashion, he has handled the news better than the rest of us. The first thing he asked me when he walked in the door after school was, “So have we heard about the MRI yet?” I told him that the tumor had grown, though just a little bit. His immediate response was, “That’s OK, God has it ALLLLL under control and after here, we will get to be together forever in heaven!” He didn’t have any questions for us, other than he wondered what day of the week it would be when he got to heaven, and if they would have the same days of the week that we have here. Heaven is a very real place to him, and God‘s promises are very real to him. The faith of a child is an amazing thing, and we are so grateful to the Lord for the way we see His Spirit in John!

We should all think a bit more like John.  The graph of his soul’s growth and faith is a rocket launch!

Here are the numbers from last time and this time for the guys here today.  Bold = better.  Keep up the strong work.  Shrubbery, way to crush it on the pull up, mile time and merkins!

HIM
Butter knife
Data
Guardrail
Guardrail
Nadia
Shrubbery
Shrubbery
Survivor
Wanderer
Wanderer
Date Oct 31 Oct 31 July 25 Oct 31 Oct 31 July 25 Oct 31 Oct 31 July 25 Oct 31
100M 19 15.51 17 16 15 16.92 15.48 skip 15.85 16.75
Pull ups 11 15 26 26 4x 21 24 5 5 4
Mile 7:06 6:55 7:27 7:11 6:56 6:30 6:18 9:46 9:11 9:40
Thrusters in 2:00 45 60 27 cmu 44 47 42 35 45 35 coupon 48
50 Curl time 44 50 1:00 cmu 54 1:10 :43 40 1:30 :46 coupon 1:04
50 Tri ext time 45 dnf :47 coupon 42 45 :37 47 1:00 :45 coupon 42
Max consec. Merkins 36 23 22 35 40 34 56 29 13 30

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for our John (see above), Booster (see Slack), Wanderer’s dad and Data.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Brolympics Saturday!  Get signed up to help.

 

The Human Heart

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

Reach for the Sky, Let it Hang, Arm Circles, Hip Circles, Cherry Pickers, Stretching, Tempo Merkins, Tempo Squat.
THA-THANG:
Imperial Walker to the Shopping Plaza, then use rocks for upper body.

JUCOmanjaro needed visiting and beautiful scene during the decent.

More Rocks for upper body.

MARY:
Heels to heaven.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
New Tattoo has the Human Heart front and center to cover scar on my chest.  Jewish culture believed Spirit, Soul, Body, Mind, Will and Emotions were centralized in the human heart.  They believed everything comes together in the heart, but today the world tells us the brain is in charge and the Jewish culture wasn’t advanced enough to know medically how it works.  I’d like to give God more credit and continually renew my sense of wonder, awe and fear of the Lorad, and I’ve been on a questioning journey for the past 5-7 years.

Science can’t keep the sinus node of the heart going forever nor create the spark that starts it.  So maybe something more is happening in the heart than what man is understands or accepts today.

Same kind of radical thinking is necessary to process Oswald Chambers, “a man who wrote profoundly and elegantly on prayer, made a radical statement when he said, “The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God.” Good heavens—it’s not? What then is the purpose? “Prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God.” A mighty truth is being uncovered here.

Oneness with God is the goal of our existence. It’s not merely to believe in God, although that is better than not believing in him. It is not merely to trust in God, though that is far better than simply believing in God. It is not even to worship God, which is higher still.
The destiny of the human soul is union with God. The same oneness that Jesus talked about with his Father is our destiny as well. That’s what we were made for. Prayer is one of his primary means of doing it, drawing us to himself, getting us to pour out our hearts before him so that we can receive his heart toward us.”  Moving Mountains, Eldredge

Confidence in your salvation and approaching God in prayer with a desire for oneness can lead to peace and healing and freedom from sin that most won’t experience when the practice of their faith overpowers the purpose of their faith.
MOLESKIN:
wildatheart.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Thank you for prayers for me for the last 10 months.  Today we prayed for Guardrail’s father, Stitch’s uncle’s passing, and Wanderer’s father.

Howl

THE SCENE:  Cool, moist, dark
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Phelps
  • LIH
  • Moroccan Nightclub
  • Werewolves
  • O.A.T. Planks
  • Doubletap squats

THA THANG:

Mosey to King College lot for “Toss O’ War”.  Form 2 teams for a competition.  There are two lines of cones separated by 200’, and a 20# medicine ball in the middle.  Perform exercise at your cones, sprint to the ball, and throw it as far as you can toward the other team.  You cannot touch the ball while it is in the air, but once it hits the ground you can stop it.  Play for 5 minutes, then call a winner.  Exercises were;

  1. 25 Carolina dry docks
  2. 30 O.A.T. Planks (15 each side)
  3. 25 4-count flutter kicks
  4. 20 Iron Mikes
  5. 40 Merkins
  6. 20 Doubletap squats
  7. 20 mountain climbers
  8. 35 LBCs
  9. 15 Shoulder taps (4 ct)
  10. 30 Imp lunges (15 each side)
  11. 25 Star Jacks
  12. 15 Donkey Kicks

Mosey to AWW Hill for “Wolves Hunt the Rabbit”.  There are 14 trees going up the hill.  One PAX – the “rabbit” – starts at tree #5 and does 2 burpees per tree, then sprints to the next.  The rest of the PAX – the “wolf pack” start at tree #1 and does 1 burpee per tree and sprint to the next.  Will the wolves catch the rabbit?

Mosey to the steps to nowhere.  One PAX names a core exercise, then sprints to the top of the steps and back.  Continue until all PAX have gone.

2 rounds of Howling Monkeys.  Run back down.

Run back for another round of Toss O’ War.

MARY:

2 minutes left – dealers choice

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

Me and 15 of the best men I know

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Wolves are both fierce and tenderhearted.  We should be as well.

  • “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).
  • “Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial” (James 1:12).
  • “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

When life requires it of you, be ready to spring into action with zealousness – fierceness – intensity! You should be alert, vigilant, fearsomely protective, fiercely loyal to your pack…   Continue to be strong in the ways that count.

But simultaneously

be soft in the ways that count.

  • Be tenderhearted with your loved ones (Ephesians 4:32).
  • Show humility.  Have sympathy for those less fortunate.  (1 Peter 3:8)
  • Avoid arguing.  Speak evil of no one.  Be gentle and courteous (Titus 3:2)

Be approachable and relatable for your kids – and be patient with them.  Show affection and make yourself emotionally available to your wife – pamper her.

To be a wolf is to be a fearsome warrior, but it is also to be tender nurturer.  You are called to be both.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Wanderer and his father, Solomon

Prayers for Data

Prayers for Booster and his family

Hat tip to Levi Lusko

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Never Gonna Give You Up

THE SCENE: Upper 50’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • 25 SSH
  • 5 Cherry pickers
  • 10 Tempo Merkins
  • 10 Tempo Squats

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to the Coupon Pile
  • Dora – Bear crawl to the concrete while your partners uses a coupon to do:
    • 100 Skull Crushers
    • 200 Rows
    • 300 Bench Presses
  • More Dora – Run up to Rec Center with a coupon while your partner does:
    • 100 Hillbillies 
    • 100 Swimmers
    • 100 Mountain climbers
    • 100 Supermans
  • 30 seconds of squats into 30 seconds of wall sit (2 rounds)
  • While on the mosey back to the flag
    • 1st Stop Sign – Approximately two minutes of Arm circles forward, backward, wax on, wax off and hold (no rest)
    • 2nd Stop Sign – Seal Clap, Overhead clap, big bird arm flaps, little bird arm flaps, big circles forward, gorillas chest beats (no rest)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Never gonna give you up

Never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry

Never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Raise your hand if you have ever been Rick Rolled?  That’s when you hear Rick Astley singing his 1980’s hit – Never Gonna Give You Up after trustingly clicking a link from a friend or perhaps enemy. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KcsJwPzPxE) Jokes aside, I heard this song playing on the radio and it reminded of God’s promise.

Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;

We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

People, friends, partners, spouses let us down but our Savior does not, has not and will not. I hope the next time you get Rick Rolled, you will think of the one who will truly never let you down or hurt you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Survivor’s band is playing at the Shed from 7-11PM on Saturday to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Brolympics 5 Nov

Mission Accomplished

THE SCENE: A brisk 40 degrees but clear skies, gentle breeze and good visibility
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Some side straddle hops, tempo merkins and squats, local cherry pickers, Projectivators, and climbing the mountain.
THA-THANG:
Rugby shuttle run to the CMU pile

The mission: Gather the required hash (tally) marks for each exercise group.  Most hash marks required multiple reps to count, and approved modifications to earn a tally were included:

  • Bodybuilders
    2 burpees (w/ merk) : 1 BB
    3 burpees (no merk): 3 BB
    1 hash = 5 BB, 10 with, 15 w/o
    20 hash marks required
  • Pull-ups
    10 Bent Over Rows : 1 PU
    1 hash = 5 PU, 50 BOR
    20 hash marks required
  • Running Laps
    1 hash = 1 lap
    20 hash marks required
  • Clean & Press (with CMU)
    2 squats : 1 C&P
    4 OHP : 1 C&P
    1 hash = 10 C&P, 20 squats, 40 OHP’s
    40 hash marks required
  • Freddy Mercuries
    2 Big Boys : 1 FM
    5 LBC : 1 FM
    1 hash = 10 FM, 20 BB, 50 LBC
    40 hash marks required
  • Clock Merkins
    20 merkins : 1 CM
    30 knee merkins : 1 CM
    1 hash = 1 CM, 20 m, 30 km
    40 hash marks required

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  Victory Rugby Shuttle Run back to the flag

MARY:
With 3 minutes to spare, did some LBC’s, pull backs, and hello dolly’s to close off the beat down
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Bible Verse:

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, NIV)

Keep Doing the Right Thing.  In Genesis, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of a crime, and put in prison.  It was thirteen years of injustice and disappointments.  But he kept doing the right thing until one day he was suddenly called out of the prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and subsequently made the prime minister of Egypt.

God wasn’t asking Joseph to defeat his brothers, to escape his captors, to prove his innocence, or to break out of prison.  God was simply asking him to outlast the opposition.  God may not be asking you to overcome some of the challenges you face that are unfair and situations that feel like they are lasting forever.  He may just be asking you to keep doing the right thing in bad situations, and to outlast them.  He is asking you to be faithful.  Then you will be able to say along with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

-Credit to Larry Blakeburn of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, TN
MOLESKIN:
Thanks everyone for making my VQ as memorable as I had hoped!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
2.0 Workout this Saturday at the Project; and otherwise I’ll leave this up to the AOQ if there’s anything new.

#The Project: coming to you next Tuesday – can you beat their time?