Super Sheldon Cooper on Chestnut Street

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Date: 05/06/2025

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

PAX: Chattahoochee, Drago, Fireplex, Toy Soldier, Ruxpin, Streudel, Whirlybird

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 25 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Windmills – 20 IC

Hip Circles – 10 Each Direction OYO

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Mosey around Mill Street and congregate back at the Flag Pole at the Firehouse – @.25 miles

The Thang

The Super Sheldon Cooper on Chestnut Street.  Complete 10 Burpees, 10 Squats, 10 Merkins & 10 Big Boys.  Nur up the hill and run down and complete 9 Burpees, 9 Squats, 9 Merkins, & 9 Big Boys.  Rinse and repeat in descending order until reaching 1 of each exercise.

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 05/06/25

Someone’s In My Room! – #8069

Thursday, December 14, 2017

I’ve checked into many a hotel over the years, but I’ve never before experienced what I did just a little while back. See, when I arrived, I went to the desk – yes, they had my reservation – and they gave me my room number and my key – so far, we’re good – and I went to my room. Then I put the key in the door, opened the door and stopped in my tracks. First hint of trouble was the clothes I saw hanging up on the rack near the door. Then I noticed the TV was on, and there were feet propped on a footrest – feet that were probably attached to someone who was watching that TV. Well, I quickly and quietly closed the door, turned to my associate and said, “What do you know! Someone’s in my room!”

I’m Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about “Someone’s In My Room!”

Now, it’s not a nice feeling to find someone already in a room that you thought was reserved for you. Jesus knows that feeling – and that occupied room just might be your life right now.

It happened to our Lord before. The Book of Revelation makes it clear that it happened, for example, among some believers at a place called Laodicea. In chapter 3, we learn that they thought they were doing pretty well. They said they were rich and they didn’t need a thing. But Jesus said they were lukewarm spiritually, a temperature that He said He would spew out of His mouth.

Then, in our word for today from the Word of God in Revelation 3:20, Jesus gives unforgettable – and actually heartbreaking – word pictures of how He had been shut out of lives that were supposed to belong to Him. Jesus says to them, and maybe to us, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” Here is this awful picture of the Savior locked out of lives He paid for with His life. And He’s talking to Christians here!

Could it be that Jesus is feeling closed out of your life, closed out of your priorities right now? It’s not that you’ve stopped believing in Him, or giving money to Him, or going to His meetings or doing His work. It’s just that someone or something has taken over that room of your life – the best of your time, the best of your affections, the best of your energy, the best of your resources – they’re going somewhere else. In essence, Jesus has come to the door of your life right now and He’s saying what I said that day at the hotel, “Someone is in the room that I thought was reserved for Me.”

It could be that, like the Laodicea believers, you have the illusion that everything’s fine. You may be relatively prosperous right now, experiencing some success. Your Christianity is going great – but your relationship with Christ is a mess in His eyes. And you’re feeling this unexplainable loneliness in your spirit right now. You know what? You’re lonely for Jesus. You’re just not close like you used to be. Somehow, in the business of your life, the One who died for you has been crowded to the edge. And now His room is filled with your career, your family, that friend, that person you’re dating, or your personal pursuits.

The old hymn writer described it pretty well, “Room for business, room for pleasure; but for Christ the crucified, not a place that He can enter in the heart for which He died.” But you’re missing Jesus, aren’t you? That closeness, that power, the reality you once had when the room He paid for was totally reserved for Him.

Maybe these words from another old hymn express the way you can move out the intruder and welcome back Jesus to His rightful place. “The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be, help me to tear it from Thy throne and worship only Thee.”

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Hey Boo Boo

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Date: 04/24/2025

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

PAX: Chattahoochee, Deez, Fireplex, Motown, Probe, Quattro, Streudel

QIC: Fireplex

Warmup

SSH – 20 IC

Moroccan Night Clubs – 30 IC

Bolt 45’s – IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Mountain Climbers – 20 IC

Hydraulic Squats – 10 IC (6 Count)

Mosey to “Oh Hill No”.

  1. 1st round – All Pax Nur up the hill and mosey back down and completed clock merkins on the incline.  Each Pax completed 2 reps of 5 merkins at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, & 9 o’clock.  All PAX planked until the 6 was in. 
  2. 2nd round – All Pax crawl bear up the hill and mosey back down and then completed the same 2 evolutions of clock merkins as described in Round 1.  All Pax planked until the 6 was in.
  3. 3rd round –  All Pax completed the boo boo Bear crawl up the hill and mosey back down and then completed the same evolutions of clock merkins as described in Round 1.  All Pax planked until the 6 was in.
  4. Pause/Break for the F3 message.
  5. Final round – All Pax completed the inch worm up the hill and mosey back down and then completed the same evolutions of clock merkins as described in Round 1.  All PAX planked until the 6 was in. 

Mosey back to CHOP.

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 04/24/25

Got the Pain? Get the Point! – #9869

November 7, 2024

America runs on coffee! Yeah, let’s face it! Now, you might object to that, but I don’t know on what grounds. You know, there are people who drink coffee, and then there are some who mainline coffee. I have friends who do that, and it keeps people like the makers of those little quickie coffee units very busy. In fact, those little units are a good example of the importance of something called the filter.

Now, when you pour into those filters, the hot water goes straight through and enough coffee gets through to taste good, but the grounds don’t get through the filter and you don’t want them to. I mean, the reason being that most people I know aren’t fans of chewing their coffee, and what makes the difference is the filter. Of course, there’s a much larger filter around your life that makes all the difference in your quality of life.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Got the Pain? Get the Point!”

Now, our word for today from the Word of God is found in 1 Corinthians 10. I’m reading from verse 13. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Did you notice those words “God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear”? “Not let you.” In other words, everything has to get past God before it gets to you. It’s got to have His permission. So, God is reviewing every test and every trial that comes into your life before it gets to you. Otherwise the Bible wouldn’t say that He “let it come to you.” Every problem you’re facing right now has been, according to the Word of God, Father filtered. Wow! It can’t get past your Heavenly Father before it gets to you.

Of course we know that from the book of Job don’t we? The devil wanted to bring all kinds of turmoil and anguish into Job’s life. But before he could do that, he had to check with God. He couldn’t just go do it on his own. And God, knowing that it would build Job’s life, and that ultimately he would double the blessing on his life, said, “Yes, that’s okay. You can do it.”

The pain that we have in our lives, the struggles that we have, some of it God sends and some of it God allows, but all of it has to get past Him. Now, I find the hard times in my life much less terrifying when I know that God, if He hasn’t sent it, has at least allowed it. And He will never allow something to come into your life that can break you; only what will build you.

It’s like a weight lifter who, even though he has to strain and push and it hurts to lift more than he’s ever lifted before, he’s stronger as a result of lifting greater weight. God may allow greater weight to come into your life – not to crush you, but enough to make you stronger.

So, look for the Lord and look for the lesson in that tough time you’re going through. And if you’re going to get the pain, get the point. Your Father loves you very deeply; He’s allowed that to come into your life. Don’t say, “Is this from the devil or is this from the Lord?” I don’t think we’ll ever figure that out. But you can say, “How can God use this?” Because He wouldn’t have sent it if He couldn’t use it.

What are you facing right now? I’ll tell you this, It has been Father filtered. And the filter makes all the difference, because the Father loves you very much.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Disintegrating frisbee golf

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama

15  seal jacks i/c
15 mountain man pooper i/c
15 seal waves i/c
Side shuffle around circle, switch directions half way
15 plank jacks i/c
10 mountain man pooper i/c

The Thang
Mosey to grass area north of church on n. Bradford str.

Disintegrating frisbee golf
Team up and alternate throwers. Count throws to called out “holes”. Complete excercises called out at completion of hole.
Excercises that were called out:
Monkey humpers
Merkins
Squats
Curls
Burpees
Lt. Dan
Navy seal Burpees
Mosey
Nur

3rd F

https://bible.com/reading-plans/14159/day/1?segment=0

Got back to the AO in time for a Toy Soldier lead not so easy lazyboy.

Number Rama
Name Rama
COT

11 HIM showed today: Semi, Hideous, Fireplex, Quattro, Bunt, Probe, Chauffer, Toy Soldier, Reptile, Deez, Shutter

F3 A Merkin

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Date: 03/11/2025

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

PAX: Chattahoochee, Fireplex, Ruxpin, Streudel

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Jiminy Crickets – 10 OYO

Windmills – 15 IC

Cardio Warm-up – Partial Spartan Run Routine at CHOP parking lot – Run/sprint @40 yards and drop and do 15 merkins. Wosey back to the start.  Run/sprint @40 yards and drop and do 15 merkins.  Pax completed 5 reps for 75 merkins for the exercise.

The Thang

The Super 21 Cycle.  1 Merkin to 1 Big Boy Sit up.  2 Merkins to 2 Big Boy Situps.  3 Merkins to 3 Big Boy Situps, etc., etc., etc.  But wait there is a twist….after each completed set of #1 though #5 PAX will complete 21 Imperial Walkers and then Bear Crawl @ 40 ft.  After each completed set of #6 through #10 PAX will complete 21 Mountain Climbers and then Bear Crawl @ 40 ft.  After each completed set of # 11 through #15, PAX will complete 21 Monkey Humpers and then Bear crawl @ 40 ft.  After each completed set of #16 through #21 PAX will complete 21 Prisoner Squats and then Bear Crawl @ 60 ft. to complete the Cycle.

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 03/11/2025

Fortifying Your Weak Spot – #9955

March 7, 2025

When our kids were growing up we occasionally had our own personal emergency room at our house! Our youngest son dislocated his ankle in football, so the doctor put an air cast on his ankle for about six weeks for support. Oh, and then the oldest son, yeah he had surgery for a knee injury that he got in sports. So they recommended that he wear a knee brace whenever he played a game where he had to pivot much. So, let’s see. You’ve got your ankle cast; you’ve got your knee brace. It’s all based on a simple principle that prevents further injury.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Fortifying Your Weak Spot.”

Okay, our word for today from the Word of God is from Luke 4 where Jesus is in the desert. “He ate nothing during those days and at the end of them He was hungry. The Devil said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written, man does not live on bread alone.'” And at that point He is quoting a Scripture that He has obviously memorized from Deuteronomy 8:3.

Okay, where was Jesus’ weak spot there in the wilderness? Well, obviously after 40 days, it was His need for food. Where did the Devil aim his temptation? Well, at Jesus’ need for food, of course. And you notice Jesus’ response – a verse that directly addresses the point where He was vulnerable. It’s about bread. It’s about food. Basically a verse that says, “Life is bigger than food.” Okay, I’ve got a feeling that wasn’t the first time Jesus said that verse. I have a feeling that during those days of fasting, He’d been drawing strength from that verse frequently. It’s like a brace on a weakened knee – He applied Scripture to the area where He would tend to be weak.

Now, unlike what the four spiritual laws say about God, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,” the Devil hates you and has a terrible plan for your life. He’s sized up that vulnerable spot, and he’s going to try to bring you down with that. So it’s pretty important that you size it up, or you’re going to be easy prey. Jesus knew his vulnerable spot, and He braced it with Scripture; specific Scripture that dealt with that specific issue. If the Devil is going to bring you down, what weakness do you think he’ll use? Oh, you probably know. He’s pushed that button many times. It’s worked all too often. See, it’s important for you to find Scripture that gives you God’s view on your weak spot. Memorize it; repeat it to yourself frequently, not just when you’re under attack. I think that’s what Jesus did.

Re-program yourself by thinking Scripture where you usually think sin, and then hammer the Devil with God’s Word and a response that is biblical whenever temptation comes. Temptation comes to the door, God’s Word answers it. The Devil can’t stand a biblical response.

So, where is the hole in your armor; that weak spot? Is it an old bitterness, maybe the tendency to think you’re worthless, your sexual desires, maybe your thought life, tending to worry a lot, tending to run ahead of God. The need to be in control all the time. You know what it is. You’ve lived with that weakness for a long time; now it’s time to cover it, fortify it with Scripture.

You’re ready for the Devil when you keep covering your weak spot with God’s Word about it. That’s a strong spiritual brace that will help you avoid any further injury. So, support that weak spot with the strength of words from God.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Working the Bridge

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama by Gringot
16 ssh
10 headcount circles each direction
10 arm circles, forward and backwards
Arm stretch both sides
Leg stretch both sides
Mosey around parking lot

The Thang

Grab 2 small coupons from Q’s truck and mosey to park bridge

5 blockees
Lt Dan across the bridge
5 blockees
Dan Lt across the bridge
25 lateral raises
Nur across the bridge
25 forward raises
Mosey across the bridge
At closest Bench 26 Bulgarian split
               Squats – 13 each side
Side shuffle across the bridge
5 pull ups on playground
Side shuffle across the bridge
26 screaming lunges – 13 each side
Karaoke across the bridge
5 pull ups
Karaoke across the bridge

3rd F

This was sent out to the coaches for Delmarva Christian from the athletic director.

https://mailchi.mp/7b535ebc21c0/humility-10130827?e=3891e45bdb

So today’s message I believe, comes straight from God. You see, God has really been pressing me these last several weeks. I keep hearing from him, “you need to go all in”. I knew that God was calling me to go all in as a Christian man and a Christian athletic director. But because of past experience and other roadblocks, the spirit of fear has been holding me back. Today I asked my pastor, Coach Hannah, if he had time to talk, and we worked through a couple things. Coach Hannah’s message to me today was about being a shepherd and taking care of the flock. He really helped connect the idea of shepherding and coaching! Then as I sat down to prepare this email, I happened to check my inbox and low and behold,  I read today’s message from FCA Coaches Ministry. Here is the verse.
“I will set shepherds over them who will care for them,
and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,
Neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.”
– Jeremiah 23:4 (ESV)

WOW! Talk about a prophetic word! My heart is overflowing! 

I love the comparison of Sheppards and Coaches! Think about it. Who has been the most influential person in your athletic life. Who has guided you, protected you, motivated you and encouraged you? A COACH has! Just as a Shepherd attends to his flock, coaches are to attend to the needs of their athletes!  
You have been appointed by God to coach your athletes! Will you also shepherd them?

Mosey back to AO

10 burpees for wind blowing old glory off the the shovel

March merkin madness – 5 each

Abyss merkins
Irkin
Derkin
Ranger
Wide

Number Rama
Name Rama
COT

5 HIM Showed today: Semi, Ruxpin, Boxcar, Shutter, Gringot

Single Awareness

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama
15 seal jacks i/c
15 mountain man pooper i/c
15 seal waves i/c
10 hip circles each direction oyo
15 windmills i/c
15 harry rockets i/c
15 Michael Phelps i/c

The Thang
Mosey to Woodstock’s coupons

Single awareness
15 per side
L – lunge backwards
O – Overhead press, single arm
V – v up, single leg
E – E2K

S – single leg Squat to coupon
I – irkin
N – navy seal burpee
G – goblet Bulgarian Squat
L – lunge
E – E2K

Round 2
With 10 train burpees

Mosey back to AO

Number Rama
Name a Rama
COT

11 showed today: Semi, Probe, Yukon, Bunt, Pick, Ruxpin, Hideous, Reptile, Chauffer, Chattahoochee, Motown

Streudel’s Medley

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Date: 02/06/2025

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

PAX: Fireplex, Probe, Quattro, TRex

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Under Streudel Claps – 15 IC

Bolt 60’s IC (4 Count) – 20 squats to halfway down.  20 squats halfway to full down.  20 full squats.

Windmills – 15 IC

Merkin Jax – OYO 10:40 Ratio. 1 merkin to 4 Plank Jax. 2 Merkins to 8 Plank Jacks.  Complete through 10 merkins and 40 Plank Jacks.

Merkin ¼ Mile – each 1/16 mile Pax stopped and completed 25 merkins.  Pax completed a 1/4 mile on the way to the site of the “Thang” completing 4 sets of 25 Merkins. 

The Thang

Pax performed a Mike Tyson set of 11’s at the CHOP along Chestnut Street utilizing a bear crawl and a crawl bear to traverse the distance between the curbs.  10 Mike Tyson’s then bear crawl across Chestnut Street for 1 Merkin. Crawl Bear back across for 9 Mike Tyson’s and bear crawl back across for 2 Merkins.  Continue until you have completely reversed the count to 10 Merkins and 1 Mike Tyson on the opposite sides of the street. 

Pax finished up with a run around the block for another ¼ mile to make the total .50 miles for the beatdown.

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 02/06/25

The Voices and the Choices – #2716

The scene is a high school assembly where I was speaking. I’ve asked five students to come on stage with me. One young man is blindfolded and standing in the middle of his four friends. They form a square around the blindfolded guy – one has a $10 bill to give him – if he chooses to come to their corner of the square. The problem is the other three are going to tell him they have the $10 – even though they don’t. In fact, they each have something else to give Mr. Blindfold if he comes to their corner. One has a super-soaker squirt gun to baptize him with, one has a full trash can to dump in his arms, and the other has a whipped cream pie to put in his face. This poor young man in the center knows three of his friends will be lying about having the money, one will be telling the truth – but he has to decide, sight unseen, which corner he will go to. They each make their convincing pitch for why what he wants is in their corner. Then, he has to decide which voice he will follow. Right choice – he walks away better off. Wrong choice – uh, messy ending!

Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Voices and the Choices.”

You have to make those kinds of choices all the time. That’s what I point out to the kids in that assembly. You’re surrounded by voices urging you to come their direction. There’s a lot of pressure on you from a lot of directions. You may have the voices of your parents urging you to go a certain direction, your friends, your company, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your church, the culture around you, the voice of financial security. If you thought you’d lose the peer pressure problem when you left your teenage years, welcome to reality. Your whole life you have a peer group around you – and each peer group has its values and pressures – voices that are saying, “Do it our way – and we’ll give you something good.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Luke 23:22. Roman governor is there. He believes in Jesus’ innocence but he’s facing the voices of many people who want Jesus to be treated as if He’s guilty. Here’s what the Bible says, “For the third time he spoke to them: … ‘I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have Him punished and then release Him.’ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for…murder; the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.”

Unbelievable. The murderer will go free and the sinless Son of God will be executed. Pilate knew what was right. He told them what he thought was right. But when it came down to deciding what to do, their shouts prevailed. He let the pressure push him into abandoning what he knew was right – and abandoning Jesus.

But then – haven’t we all been Pilate? We’ve caved in to the pressure, didn’t stand for what was right and sold out our Savior. We listened to a voice or voices other than Jesus. We can’t have those moments of compromise back. But we can bring them to the Lord repentantly, and claim His forgiveness. And pledge to Him that His will be the voice we follow in our choices. On your knees, in His Book with no other voice around, you ask with no conditions, “Lord, what would You have me to do?” He won’t yell like some of the other voices – but His gentle voice will say, “Follow Me this way.”

Like that young man listening to the pitches of his four friends, following the wrong voices will lead to an unhappy outcome. But there is one voice you can trust – who waits to hand you life with no regrets, no guilt, no kickback. Don’t do a Pontius Pilate – and let the other voices make you betray Jesus, the One who loves you the most.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

It’s Cold Out

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama

15 seal jacks i/c
15 seal waves i/c
15 Michael Phelps i/c
Side shuffle across parking lot and back
Nur across parking lot and back
15 mountain man pooper i/c
15 Imperial walkers i/c
15 toy soldiers i/c
10 hip circles each direction oyo

The Thang
Each PAX grabs a coupon and moseys to the park playground.

Timer is one PAX farmer carrys coupons around gazebo

Curls
Swerkins
Abyss merkins
Small coupon Bent over flys
Bent over rows – axle
Hanging knee raises
Small coupon lateral raise

3rd F
Roll with the punches and look at the positive side of things.

Round 2

Mosey back to AO and return coupons

Number Rama
Name Rama
COT

7 HIM showed today: Semi, Streudal, Deez, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, Quattro, TRex

Wanna See It Again?

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Date: 01/16/2025

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

PAX: Chattahoochee, Deez, Fireplex, Probe, Quattro, Streudel

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 30 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Windmills – 20 IC

Moroccan Night Clubs – 30 IC

The Thang

Mosey to the Fishing Pier and complete a set of Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 split Jacks (10 each Leg). Then each PAX will take a lap up the hill and back down the Governors walk.  Upon arrival back at the Fishing Pier each Pax will complete a Toy Soldier set of 30 LBC’s, 20 E2K’s (each side) & 10 Big Boys.  Rinse & Repeat as much as time allows.  Pax were able to complete three rounds before moseying back to CHOP.

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayer. 

F3 Message 01/16/25

When You Force It, You Break It – #7272

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Our friends were kind enough to loan my wife and me their second home where we could get away for a couple days. Now, when you’re in somebody else’s home, look, you want to be on your best behavior. You know, make sure you don’t break anything, and leave it like you found it. Well, I was having a little bit of difficulty getting the front door un-jammed; or unlocked. My wife said, “What are you doing?” And I jokingly said, “I couldn’t get it unlocked, so I’m just pushing it open.” She said, “No, no. Don’t do that.” Now, there’s a reason we had that little dialogue. Yeah, it’s called history.

See, she panicked right away because she knows my history of you know, sometimes trying to make things work, and it doesn’t happen, and a couple times you know something got broken. Oh, I got it out okay, and it worked okay but she knows I have this tendency to try to make things work when they don’t want to work. So I sometimes get impatient – I’m the only guy on the planet like that, I know – but sometimes I get impatient with things that don’t work quickly. Alright, I confess, I’ve been known to force a door handle and break it. I’m growing, I’m getting better. But you probably aren’t going to lend me anything anymore, right?

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “When You Force It, You Break It.”

Our word for today from the Word of God; Genesis 16:1, “Now, Sarah, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maid servant named Hagar. So she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my maid servant.” I insert here, “what?” “Go sleep with my maid servant. Perhaps I can build a family through her.’ So he slept with Hagar and she conceived.” I’m shaking my head.

Here’s the history. Abraham and Sarah had been promised a son by God. They had to wait longer than they thought they would have to wait. Apparently they thought it wasn’t working. So guess what happened. Sarah has an idea, she says’ “maybe we can force it! We’ll help God out.” And Abraham goes right along with it. Now, here’s a new verb for you: to “Hagar”. You say, “Well, isn’t Hagar like a name? Isn’t it the name of this maid servant; this surrogate mother?” Well, actually, it’s a noun, but to “Hagar”, to make it a verb, well it means to try and make it happen. I’m trying to “Hagar” this. You force it, take it from the expert, you break it.

Thirteen years after Abraham and Sarah tried to force what God had promised, the son God promised came along-Isaac. Now they had a 13-year-old Ishmael on their hands, though. And those two boys were in constant conflict. They’re still in conflict today. It’s called the Arabs and the Jews descended from Ishmael and Isaac. And many great wars have been fought over that conflict. And it all happened simply because Abraham couldn’t wait for God to do it His way and in His timing.

How easy that is to do. You know, right now maybe there’s something in your life that isn’t working like you think it should, it isn’t happening fast enough. Maybe the romance isn’t there. Maybe you think “I’ve got to help God out a little bit here.” Maybe the money isn’t there and you’re trying to figure out some scheme to help God with that. Maybe the future isn’t working out the way you want it to. So you’re going to try to make it happen. Don’t “Hagar” this! Don’t force it. Don’t grab a wrong way to get a right thing done. You’ll pay for that mistake for a long, long time.

Four thousand years later people are still paying for Abraham’s “Hagar” solution. So, are you trying to rush it right now? Are you trying to force it? Are you trying to make things happen instead of waiting and watching your God do it? Would you let go before you break it and let God make it work in His way, in His time. Because the Bible says, as for God, His way is perfect. As for my way, it makes a mess.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Sidewalk Doracides

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Date: 12/28/2024

AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE

PAX: Box Car, Chattahoochee, Fireplex, Pickles (down range), Probe, Pusher, Quattro, Ruxpin, Woodstock, Yukon

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20IC

Windmills – 20 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Bolt 45’s – IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down.  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Jiminy Crickets – 10 OYO

Merkin Mile – each ¼ mile Pax stopped and completed 25 merkins.  Pax completed two sets on the way to the site of the “Thang”.  Pax completed the second half of the merkin mile with two sets of merkins in returning to the Aegis.

The Thang

From the Exicon – Doracides – Two Pax worked together to reach exercise reps of 100, 200, 300, & 400 of 4 different exercises EACH.  One Pax worked on the exercises while the second Pax completed suicides to three designated waypoints.  The extra twist is at the waypoint of each suicide run; the Pax completed 1 burpee, then 2 burpees, and finally 3 burpees before returning to the starting point.  Once all three suicide sprints were completed, the Pax switched stations until all reps of each exercise were completed.  The exercises completed are as follows:  100 Merkins, 200 American Hammers, 300 LBC’s, & 400 squats.    

F3 Message 12/28/24

When God’s Promises Turn Into Life Preservers – #9792

July 23, 2024

There’s bad plaque and there’s good plaque. The bad kind is that substance that builds up on your teeth that you see in all the toothpaste commercials. They’re going to help you get rid of that. Oh, and then there’s good plaque; that’s the kind we have hanging on walls all over our house.

They’re good plaques because they have different promises on them from God’s Word. Right as you come into our house there’s been a plaque on the wall that says, “All your children will be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children.” That’s Isaiah 54:13. And most homes have God’s promises on plaques on the wall, or churches do. But plaques like that are meant to do more than hang on walls; they’re actually meant to float.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “When God’s Promises Turn Into Life Preservers.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 119. I’m going to read verse 50. David says, “My comfort in my suffering is this: ‘Your promise preserves my life.'” I love that. “Your promise preserves my life.”

Not long ago I was talking to some friends of ours who had lost a relative in a tragic auto accident. I said to them, “Was His grace enough?” You know, one of the great promises of God in 2 Corinthians 12:9 is, “His grace is sufficient.” There’ll always be enough grace.

And they said, “Oh yeah, it sure was.” And then together we began to remember some of those promises that make good wall plaques, like “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” And then it dawned on me, those promises of God are nice words, but when a storm hits and you’re sinking – like when a loved one dies for example – the promise of God becomes a lot more than a plaque. It becomes your life preserver, like someone drowning in the ocean, hanging on for dear life, and the promise is all you’ve got to hang onto.

David said, “My comfort in suffering is this, ‘Your promise preserves my life.'” All you’ve got to hang on to. And the more you hold on to that promise, the more you live as if the promise is true and the more you can handle. We’ve got to have those promises in our heart so we can rip them off the wall and hang onto them when that sudden storm hits.

I talked not long ago to a burned out Christian leader. He’s hanging on to a promise from the 23rd Psalm, “He restores my soul.” I talked to a family who was recently hit by five medical blows within as many weeks. They’re hanging on to Deuteronomy 33:25, “Your strength will equal your days.” When my wife got ill and was sick with hepatitis, in bed for nine months, I wondered, “How in the world am I going to do it without my partner?” I hung on to that verse. Every day I said, “Your strength will equal your days, Ron. Your strength will equal your days.” It did! It got me through.

So, learn those promises. They’re your source of strength. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” That means you’ll have everything you need. Maybe you need Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply all your needs.” Or maybe that plaque that becomes a life preserver is 1 Corinthians 10:13, “God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you are able.” Or are you hanging onto Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” How many times have I hung onto Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know.”

Learn those promises, and then learn to lean on those promises. When your feelings are lying to you, when your world is upside down, grab a promise off the wall of your heart and rest all your weight on it. The promises of God are life preservers.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

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