F3 Knoxville

Tag: Swimmies

Why Worry

THE SCENE: Clear skies, temp in 50s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Plank Jacks, 10 Windmills, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the Southern Parking Lot close to the soccer fields.  We will go counterclockwise around the parking lot, stopping at each corner.  The following shows the exercises we do at each corner and how we get to the next corner:

  • Corner 1:  20 Merkins.  Bernie Sanders to Corner 2.
  • Corner 2:  20 Hello Dollies, 4 count.  Run to Corner 3
  • Corner 3:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Bernie Sanders to Corner 4
  • Corner 4:  20 Flutter Kicks, 4 count.  Run to Corner 1.
  • Rinse and Repeat but Skip instead of Bernie.

We will Mosey to the perimeter trail where it goes by the pavilion close to the Southern Parking Lot.  We will run for 10 lights.  Those rabbits getting there first will come back and meet the six.  Then we will do the first of the exercises listed below.  Next we will run another 10 lights.  Those rabbits getting there first will come back and meet the six again.  Then we will do the second of the listed exercises.  We will do this until we hit the serpentine sidewalk.  The exercises are:

  • 20 Dive Bombers
  • 20 Squat Jumps
  • 20 Bicycle Kicks (4 ct)
  • 20 Iron Mikes (2 ct)

At the Serpentine Sidewalk we will hop forward for one light, then run for four lights.  We will repeat the pattern until we hit the end of the Serpentine Sidewalk.  Then we will return back on the Serpentine Sidewalk by lunging forward for one light and running for four lights until we hit the perimeter trail.

Mosey to the base of Cardiac.  We will Bernie for two lights and run for two lights, repeating this pattern until we reach the roadway.

Mosey to the AO.

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

What If?

What if the stock market crashes before I turn 70 and all the savings I have been relying on to retire plummets?

What if I get sued for malpractice and my reputation as a therapist takes a nose dive?

What if there is so much fighting within our country that it reaches a point where it is no longer the pillar of strength and beacon of hope for so many people?

What if my legs start to give out so much that I can no longer work out with my brothers in F3?

What if that lady in charge of the Lakeshore Park Conservancy, who has told us to stop writing on sidewalks and keep out of the ballpark area when teams are playing, somehow forces F3 out of the Asylum?

What if my house falls apart due to some kind of reason that my home insurance policy doesn’t cover?

Here’s two sentences from Philippians 4: 6-7:


Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let me give you a few more “what if” questions.  Think about these questions, dwell on them a bit.

What if there truly is a God who watches over us and loves us?

What if God takes delight in us, not for the riches we make but for the good we do for others?

What if God will take care of us through the greatest of losses, even our possessions?

What if Jesus really did die for our sins and arose three days later?

What if God truly does hear us when we pray?

What if there is a heaven and God will be with us, even when we die?

I’ll end this message with some verses from the song, We Will Feast in the House of Zion by Sandra McCracken

We will not be burned by the fire
He is the Lord, our God
We are not consumed by the flood
Upheld, protected, gathered up

We will feast in the house of Zion
We will sing with our hearts restored
He has done great things, we will say together
We will feast and weep no more

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Thunderstruck’s mother, who has cancer and for Operation and his wife as they try for pregnancy.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP at the Asylum on February 26, 6:30 am to 9 am.  Chance for F3 men to serve for RAMUSA.org.  This is a clinic that provides medical and dental services for free to people in the community.  The clinic will be in Knoxville on June 24 to 26.  Our brother, Cat Gut, needs to know by March 1 if you can help.  Let him know if you can.

Live in God

THE SCENE:  Partly cloudy and cold, temp about 20 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Imperial Walkers, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Twisties, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Windmills, Michael Phelps, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign by intersection of main roadway and road that goes to the Admin Bldg.  We will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey on perimeter trail until it intersects with trail coming from Lyons Bend Gate.  We will do 20 Hello Dollies.

Next, we will head west and then east on the perimeter trail.  We will do nickel, dime, quarters with the following exercises:

  • Jump Squats
  • Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)
  • Dive Bombers

We will stop when we get to the Northshore Gate.

Mosey to Area 51 and go to the curb.  Find a partner for teams of two.  One one partner runs to the entrance of Area 51, does 5 merkins, and runs back, the other partner works on the listed exercises below.  Then partners trade places.  Each team will do:

  • 200 Baby Crunches (4 ct)
  • 150 Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
  • 150 Bicycle Kicks (4 ct)

Next, we will run up hill above area 51.  At the top, we will alternate between 10 Merkins and 10 Big-Boy Sit-ups until the six is there.

Mosey to the stop sign by the roadway that goes to the soccer fields.  We will stop to do 20 Box Cutters.  Mosey to the soccer fields.  We will do suicides, with Bernie Sanders to each cone, a mosey to the left of cone parallel with that cone, and then sprint back.  We will do 20 Baby Crunches each time we get back until we finish the suicides.

Mosey to the open outdoor structure that is close to the outdoor chapel.  We will do 20 four count bench dips and 20 decline merkins.

Mosey to parking lot by the playground.  We will do 20 Georgia Cheerleaders (inverted Pickle Pounders).

Mosey to the bottom of mini-cardiac.  We will Bernie Sanders to park sign, then sprint to top.  We will then run back down to AO.

MARY:
We will cash out with ATMs.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
19 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

LIVE IN GOD

Psalm 19: 7-10:

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,[c]
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules[d] of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.

I need to remember that the law and ways of the Lord are perfect.  They are more to be desired than gold.  As Van Morrison asks in his song by the same name, “When will I ever learn to live in God.”  He goes on to say, “He gives me everything I need, and more – when will I ever learn?”  I don’t know about you, but I find myself getting caught up in the ways of the world time and time again.  Am I successful enough in my job?  How does my house look compared to my neighbors?  In an effort to “get ahead”, to be liked, to be popular, to be “a winner”, I focus on things that may be out of sorts with how I truly should be.  I may go along with a business idea that is not truly honorable.  I may cut corners to get something I want, not considering how that will impact others around me.  I might participate in conversation or laugh at jokes that, if I look closely, are belittling to certain segments of our population.  Our brother, Rooney, gave a message at a recent BOM that I need to consider more carefully for myself.  He said that when we consider what we are willing to do in our life, it should align with our moral compass.

When I consider what I am to do this day, does it align with God’s laws and way?  They are perfect and I need to remember that.  I don’t have to worry so much about getting ahead, pleasing other people, or being successful.  If I act as God asks me to do, that is success.  That is what I should live for, not what Gentleman’s Quarterly, Money Magazine, Newsweek, or the latest get rich book tells me to do.  God’s ways are finer than gold and sweeter than the drippings of a honeycomb.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the disenfranchised, for those who have lost loved ones, for Operation and his wife who are hoping she gets pregnant, and that F3 brothers will find activities that continue to help our community.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP!!!

Finding Hope in the Lord of the Rings

THE SCENE: Not as cold as you might think.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: I did this… poorly

WARM-O-RAMA:

Blindside-y Warmup things … 

THA-THANG:

“All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”

Mosey to Rockpile and pick two hand-sized rocks

  • 3 Burpees (You shall not pass!)
  • 7 Merkin Rows each arm (Legolas Bow-Pulls)
  • 9 Lunges each leg up “S” curve (One does not simply Lunge to Mordor)
  • 1 Lap around Stonehenge 

Repeat 3x 

Mosey to SplashPad

  • 3 Pull-ups (Riders of ROWhan)
  • 7 Box Jumps (Shall I fetch you a box?)
  • 9 Deep Squats (Helms Deep)
  • 1 Lap around Stonehenge

Repeat 3x 

Mosey back to Rockpile 

  • 3 Manmakers (I am no man)
  • 7 OH Press (Light of Galadriel Raises)
  • 9 Deadlifts (Army of the Dead)
  • 1 Lap up and around “S” curve with rocks (Samwise Gamgee Carries)

Repeat 3x 

Mosey to Flagpole

  • 3 Imperial Squat Walkers (The Royal Line of Gondor Squat Walkers)
  • 7 Decline Merkins (The fall of Sauron Merkins)
  • 9 BBS (Big Olephant Situps) 

 

MARY:

“Fellowship” Mosey back to the AO 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

6 HIMs; 0 FNGs

Stripped, Snitch, Choir Boy; Mouthwash; Swimmies; Blindside

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

There is Always Hope

There are some pretty heavy moments in Tolkien’s writing. There are good people who suffer, while others give in to the darkness, but no matter how far a character falls there is still always hope and the opportunity of forgiveness. Even a character like Boromir, who betrays his companions, ends up finding redemption in the end. For Christians, the message of hope is a powerful one, and it is very comforting to find it within the pages of The Lord of the Rings. There is a quote in The Return of the King where Pippin asks Gandalf if there is any hope for them, “There was never much hope,” the wizard replies, “Only a fool’s hope.” And yet, that is all that’s really needed. Despite all the adversity we might face in life, God’s grace is still present, and no matter what we’ve done he can still use us to demonstrate His glory. One of Tolkien’s greatest gifts to his readers was the message that hope exists, even when we’re faced with overwhelming odds.

Tolkien’s Christian worldview equipped him to have the discipline of hope. To borrow from the Apostle Paul:

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CSAUP at Asylum on 2/26. Apparently, there will be snacks. 

And It Was Good

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Lap around the parking lot, 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Twistees, 10 Windmills, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward, 5 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the Caribbean.  We will run Candy Cane with the following exercises at every other island, then sweep back.

  • 20 Merkins
  • 15 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)
  • 20 Big Boy Sit-ups.

Mosey to street side end of the Serpentine Sidewalk.  We will Bear Crawl one light and sprint four lights all the way down the Serpentine Sidewalk until it hits the perimeter trail.  There, we will do 20 Bicycle Kicks, 4 ct.

Mosey to Cardiac.  We will go up Cardiac, stopping to do the following exercises along the way:

  • At start:  20 American Hammers (4 ct)
  • First turn:  20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
  • Second turn:  20 Hello Dollies (4 ct)
  • Third turn:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  20 Bench Dips

Mosey to bottom of mini-cardiac.  We will Bernie up to the park sign, then run to the top.  Run back down to AO.

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

And It Was Good

Some verses from Genesis, Chapter 1:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. 

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13

And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds[g] fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

One sentence that echoes through the creation story of the Bible is, “God saw that it was good.”  And, indeed, His creation is good.  That is easy to see here in East Tennessee where, as Crawdad would say, we are blessed to view “best sunrise in America.”

Amidst the strife and toil of our world, amidst Covid 19, the conflict among our people, the wars between nations, we may fail to recognize the blessings of God’s creation.  We, as human, may sometimes mess things up.  But God is good and his creation is good.

Let us recognize the blessings of the earth and firmament.  Let us rejoice in it, be stewards of it, and protect it.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Steam’s girlfriend who has Covid, and for his girlfriend’s mother who has cancer.  His girlfriend lives with her mother and, although quarantining, is worried about giving her mother, whose immune system is compromised, cancer.  Prayer’s for Steam’s good friend, Nathan, whose mother recently died.  Prayers for a coworker of Pusher.  The coworker had to leave work early today to go the the hospital where his stepfather is in critical condition.  Prayers for Operation as he and his wife have been working at getting pregnant for three years now in hope of having a baby.

Pocket Co-Q

THE SCENE: Beautiful,Brisk Mid-Winter Morning
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators, Merkins and a lil this-n-that.
THA-THANG:
We did a little Mosey. Took on pockets charge. Did some laps around the coliseum then Mosey over to high heels parking lot. Mosey and sprints mixed in with some lunges, dips, merkins and squats. Mosey over to the pavilion for some CMU work with Matlock.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Chris Norton and 7 Yards

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Keep Junk and Ribbed in your prayers.