The cold hit us hard for a chilly game of Captain Thor poker. We warmed up with a mosey around the block, some cherry pickers, and windmills.
Next was The Thang. Here are the rules. We divided into 4 teams. Each team started with 3 cards. The goal is to get the best poker hand. There were 2 decks of cards to draw from. We did a modified Captain Thor while working our hands in between. We started with 15 big boys and ran to the center of the parking lot. In order to draw a card, you have to roll the ball of suck (a dice with a bunch of exercises on it). After doing the exercise you rolled, you can draw a card for your hand. Next you run to the other end of the parking lot for 60 American hammers single count. You run back and forth doing the captain Thor descending while rolling the ball of suck and working our hands. Vanilla and summit won the game and the losers had to do 20 jump lunges. The fastest team got down to 4 big boys and 16 American hammers.
The F3 message was about parenting. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Warmup: 20 SSH, 15 Cherry Pickers, 10 Finkle Swings each leg, 10 Nancy Kerrigans each leg.
The Thang 1: Mosey up Union Street to 16 and back Mulberry Street to Shipbuilders field. William Wallace: 4 Corners with Teams of 2 with Q jumping in as a 3rd wheel! Round 1: Corner does LBCs while teammate sprints to middle of field and does 25 Burpees and sprints back; Round 2:Corner Plank & Middle Field 25 Merkins; Round 3: Corner American Hammers & Middle Field 50 Squats; Round 4: Corner Plank & Middle Field 25 Hand release Merkins. 10 Count and break for F3 message.
F3 Message: Friendship. We all have friends but do you know your true friends? Proverbs 12:26 The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 16:28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Ecclesiates 4:9-12 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
We have a lot of aquaintaices but we need to know who are true friends are.
The Thang 2: Mosey back up Mulberry, cut over to Union with jail break at end. 10 Count. Super Toy Soldier Set 50 LBCs-30 E2Ks-20 Big Boys. 15 Ranger Merkins 15 Diamond Merkins 15 Wide Armed Merkins 25 Flutter Kicks. Toy Soldier led ABCs lower case and Hideous led 4 Count Freddie.
Count off followed by Name-O-Rama. Circle up. Thanks to all those that posted and be with those who didnt post. Prayers and thanks for Toy Soldiers friends Dad Sandy pulling through coma and continue to be with him and his famiy, continued prayers for Qs mom, prayers for healing of Hideous’s ankle and Chappie’s chest, and prayers for all those in harms way on daily basis whether our troops or 1st responders.
20 Dips, 20 Shoulder Taps IC, 30 Step Up’s (Alt. Legs), Hold 60 Count High Plank
Mosey to 2nd Street
30 yard Lt. Dan
Mosey to St. Peter’s Wall
20 Seated Overhead Claps, 20 Count by Chattahoochee, Drop 2 inches, 20 Count by Chairman, drop 2 inches, 20 count by Ruxpin
Break for Third F Message
So often we find ourselves paralyzed by worry when God reminds us that worrying adds no value, fixes no problem, and ultimately creates more damage in difficult situations. Surrendering our burdens to God doesn’t mean that he will fix every problem like a genie in bottle, but it does mean that he hears our concern and wants to carry our burden for us. We need to cast our cares and have the faith that God truly cares for us. Whether the challenge is finances, health, family, relational, etc., we need to remember that worry adds zero value and only intensifies the issue at hand. Living worry free does not mean that you are “care-free.” We must work like it depends on us and pray like it depends on God. There is true freedom in prayer, petition, and thanksgiving.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Luke 12:25-31
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]?26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Back At It!
Mosey to Canalfront Park Steps for “Deep Sea Diver” (Dive 4 steps, 5 reps IC per step)
Mosey back to AO – 20 Flutter Kicks IC, Alphabet A-M, Toy soldier set (35-25-20)
Patriot run to two pain stations. We didn’t make it to the Toy Soldier or the Captain Thor stations as time became a factor. Q will save the second two stations for a future beat-down.
Patriot Run .4 tenths of a mile to Food Lion. Bear Crawl across parking spaces (@82 ft.) and complete ATM’s – 15 alternating shoulder taps (4 count), 10 tempo Merkins, and 10 fast merkins. Crawl Bear back (@82 ft.) and complete another evolution of said ATM’s.
Patriot Run .4 tenths of a mile to Ace Hardware. Completed a round of Super 21 without any recovery exercises between the rounds. 1 merkin, 1 big boy. 2 merkins, two big boys, etc. ascending to 21. Brutal….a lot of grunting and wind breaking.
Patriot Run .3 tenths of a mile back to the AO
Total: 1.1 mile overall patriot run
F3 Message
Several excerpts below from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Courage for the Unknown #8180
“Our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 5:24. “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” Your Heavenly Father says, “Look, I got you onto this road. Take hold of My hand because I’m going to lead you and I’m going to take care of you all the way.” Listen to Moses’ summary of what God does for us when He is leading us into the unknown. “Do not be terrified…the Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you. In the desert you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries His son…He went ahead of you on your journey…to show you the way you should go” (Deuteronomy 1:29-32). Well, there’s your guarantee. You can keep walking confidently into the unknown because your Father is committed to coach you as to where to step next, to carry you when you can’t go any farther, to cover you with His protection from harm, and to care for you, providing every need. He’s called you. He’ll do it! So no matter how dark the road ahead looks, no matter how many bears there are, no matter how scared you feel, would you just grab hold of your Father’s hand and just keep walking in the direction that He is leading. ”
Q also shared a favorite poem along the same lines that reminds us that our Lord never leaves us or forsakes us even when we think we are going about things on our own…very comforting !
Footprints
“One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
By Mary Stevenson
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Continue to lift up Chappie, Chairman’s Mom, and Chattahoochee as they face various medical issues and procedures. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers. Also, keep those in the path of Hurricane Michael lifted up.
4 HIM went for a mosey around Lewes stopping throughout for some fun exercises. We made our way to Bethel Church stopping along the way for 10 Derkins . Mosey to the Church Steps for 10 Erkins. Picked back up and Mosey across Savannah Rd. for a little Nur to Kings Highway found a little grass and did 15 Big Boys Mosey back towards BeBe and did 10 Monkey Humpers on Savannah Rd to give the hospital a show. Mosey to empty parking lot lunged across parking spaces and Lt. Dan back. Mosey over to the graveyard for some Mummy Walks arms extended out kicking legs straight out Left leg to Right Hand and so on alternating steps down the parking lot. then to the wall for Dips feet on the ground and Dips feet on parking block. Mosey back to Graves Uniform Parking Lot for some more Monkey Humpers. We picked back up and went down on the docks for some AB work Hanging off the docks we did Leg Lifts and Gas Pumpers. Bear Crawls from the dock up to Pilot Town Rd. Mosey back to the Compass by The Overfall Ship and did plank work. Wosey back to A/O.
Once again a “dirty dozen” HIM posted in the Gloom, even with the threat of rain. That shouldn’t be surprising. After all we post rain or shine, hot or cold. That’s a great lesson for life in and of itself–i.e. circumstances and conditions should not be given a whole lot of power over us.
The Backblast title says “0.0”—this was as a result of a request by one of the PAX who injured an ankle and needed a low-run to no-run workout. Well, there you have it. But it was a workout nonetheless! Here’s how it went down:
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH – 18 IC
Parker Peter – 10 IC
Crazy SH (CSH) – 18 IC (Thanks Mr. Swartz, YHC’s elementary school gym teacher. He always taught is SSH’s this way! Addition to the Exicon? Who knows.)
Plank Jacks – 18 IC
Calf Raises – 30 OYO (toes in)
Calf Raises – 30 OYO (toes out)
The Thang:
PAX paired up after counting off by 2’s as instructed by YHC for some unknown reason. Duh, huh, huh! Anyway, after a brief intro to the workout stations around the AO parking lot, PAX commenced to the no “mike, mikes” (slang for miles) beatdown.
Here’s the list of stations:
*Timer: Box Jump Squat – 10, Curb Steps – 10, Flying Squirrel – 10, Side-to-Side Line Touch – 10 (*This station was used in lieu of a timer, upon completion, PAX rotated to next station–approximately 2 mins. per round)
Ruck – OH Presses/Ruck – Curls, AMRAP
Ruck – OH extended while woseying around lot
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear – Around parking space, AMRAP
Log Press/Log Upright Row – AMRAP
Sandbag Sit-ups – AMRAP
Parking Line Burpees – AMRAP
Single Leg Hip Thrusters – AMRAP (on park bench…this was punishing)
Paver Drive – AMRAP (Also punishing, they burn! PAX held pavers straight out and turned left/right, like driving, for the duration of the round. YHC hopes the messages motivated some push.) Here’s an image of the infamous pavers…
3rd F Message shared a couple of rounds in:
As much as those in the military experience that in training and in battle conditions, and as much as athletes experience it while training and more so in competition, and as much as we experience here in the Gloom, those thoughts are made real as we experience them day-in and day-out—they’re lived out by us all.
In fact, I would even add that it is those real-life experiences of suffering and hardship that are really training us to be faithful.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:3-9, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”
I love that, Paul, here in Scripture, speaks in terms that we can understand. Here’s the takeaways on this one. Paul was talking about Kingdom values vs. World’s values. He said,
▪Suffering/hardship is normative, not just in training, but in everyday life (in ministry!). Can you imagine that? Well, it’s the rule rather than the exception! ▪ We endure it, however, because we understand there’s a greater purpose behind ALL suffering. So wherever it’s taken you, focus on the bigger purpose, the eternal—do your job in order to please the ONE who is carrying you through it. ▪It’s meant to sharpen and purify you. To strengthen you. It’s meant, in the context of this passage, to make you a greater witness to Jesus Christ. “No guts, no story!” Right? ▪After all, if you won’t quit and walk away when things get tough, others are gonna want exactly what you have. Add to that, no cheating! No short-cuts! ▪Pain IS only temporary—that’s a reality taught us EVERY TIME we show up in the gloom and workout. Here it’s only 45 mike, mikes. In life it may be a day, a week, a year, etc. Enduring it builds muscle, but in greater ways than just physically. It builds muscle emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and in return WE BECOME BETTER LEADERS AT HOME, AT CHURCH, IN THE WORKPLACE, AND IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE SERVE.
That’s why we use slogans like: ▪DFQ – “Don’t Freakin’ Quit!” ▪”Embrace the suck” (Embrace it because it is normative! Paul: “Suffer hardship with me”) ▪”Find an Excuse to Win!” ▪And, yes, “No guts, no story.”
That’s about it. The pain actually was temporary—it only lasted 45 mins! Well, actually, post-workout chatter implies that it’s lasting throughout the day. Yep! YHC will take that as a compliment! It was great to see everyone pushing hard today, even as we partnered up it was still a “you against you” kind of day.
COT/BOM:
~Announcements: Get your flyers for the Grace Church Father/Son Campout ~Prayers: Lifted up Chris and Lifted up Bethany, along with other young people trying to figure out life.
Feet on the wall – do 1 Merkin, climb feet to 45 degrees, do 1 Merkin, go to full balls to the wall and hold for the six. Lt. Dan to opposing wall and repeat at 2 reps, then 3, all the way to 10.
Mosey to East Adams St. for The Thang 2:
The Thang 2: Ascending Curb Crawl
PAX complete 1 dip on the curb, bear crawl across the street to complete 2 dips, back to initial curb for 3 dips, ascending to 10.
Break for Third F: Discipline Will Win
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”
“Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you.”
2 Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”
Winning the small battles gives you the momentum and the self-image necessary to conquer the larger ones. 62% of wealthy people floss every day. This isn’t a sign of vanity, it’s a sign of discipline. Momentum in personal discipline sets the tone for discipline in all areas of life. Discipline is a cornerstone for ALL success.
Mosey back to National Guard Steps for The Thang 3
The Thang 3: AscendingSquats
Box Jump up the steps to first platform, complete 1 Squat, Box Jump to 2nd Platform, complete 2 squats, Mosey down to platform for 3 squats, mosey to base of steps for 4 squats, box jump to platform 1 for 5 squats, box jump to platform 2 for , 6 squats, on and on to 10…
Mosey back to AO
The Thang 4: Mary-Go-Round
10 Jack-Knives
Run a lap around the circle
20 Flutter Kicks IC
Run a lap
10 Big Boys
Run a lap
20 Scissor Kicks IC
Run a lap
20 Plank Marches IC
Run a lap
20 Side Plank Ground Taps, Switch sides, rinse and repeat
Bolt 45’s – IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats. Actually this was BOLT 46’s as Q lost count…:)…
Mosey Indian Run Style .14 miles to the Wesleyan Church Parking Lot to complete Happy Jacks which were completed as 5 SSH IC followed by 2 Bomb Jacks. Pax completed 4 evolutions completed in succession.
Bataan Death March – Indian run with a twist to the hill by the water tower around .4 miles. The last person in line drops and completes five Burpees, then runs to catch up to the front of the line tapping the last person in line on his way by. The last person drops and completes five Burpees, etc. etc. until reaching the hill by the water tower.
The Thang
At the base of “Oh, Hill No”, PAX teamed up to complete 100 merkins, 200 LBC’s & 300 squats. One team member will crawl bear up the hill and bear crawl down while the other works on the exercises. The hill is approx. .02 miles up and .02 miles down. Here is the twist, each PAX must complete half of the designated exercises. Once you have reached 50 merkins, 100 LBC’s and 150 squat’s, you will plank until your partner has completed his ascent and descent of the hill. Continue the rotation until your team has completed the full amount of exercises.
Mosey .5 miles back to the AO for the Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please continue to keep Chairman’s Mom in your thoughts and prayers and all those affected by Hurricane Florence. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message
We don’t always understand why God allows things to happen a certain way, or why our prayers are not always answered in a manner that is the most convenient for our earthly lifestyle. We must always trust that God’s plan for our lives far exceeds anything that we could ever begin to imagine. I found this poem by an unknown author that speaks to the fact that in all things God gives us everything that we actually need.
I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.
I asked for courage and God gave me danger to overcome.
I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted and I received everything I needed.
Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James version (NKJV) – 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [a]direct your paths.
Philippians 4:19 New King James version (NKJV) – 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
