Doubtfire

Moving Parts, Too Many?

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Date: 1/12/23

QIC: Chappie

YHC jumped in to fill the gap as requested by Bunt who was out of town. 23 PAX won #thatfirstbattle and posted for yet another multi-station workout, which YHC confesses may have had too many moving parts. Nonetheless, those who did the work got “gassed”–says Quattro. Several PAX dressed in red to honor Cardinal from F3Knoxville, who actually collapsed and died during his VQ just yesterday, 1/11. (Forgive Streudel’s laughter in Name-O-Rama, he wasn’t aware why the PAX next to him announced “Cardinal!“) Cardinal leaves behind his M, Andrea, and 2 young children, Clay and Evie. Our hearts go out to the family and F3 PAX who were with him when he died. There are no guarantees that we’ll have our next breath…let’s live like it! And let’s be prepared for eternity!

As mentioned, there may have been too many moving parts. Still, here’s how it all went down…

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 51 IC
  • Imperial Squat Walker – 15 IC
  • Tempo Merkins – 10 IC
  • Italian Night Club – 51 IC
  • Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

>>>>>>Mosey to H.O.B.

THE THANGITY THANG: (WORKOUT RULES below)     

PAIR UP for Stations: Run counter-clockwise aroun stations, stopping to do the workour (if bags are available)

CONE #1 • 40lb sandbags – 40 OH Presses, then go to next station; if there’s no sandbag, keep running all the way around…

CONE #2 • 40lb sandbags – 40 Sandbag Curls, go to next…

CONE #3 • Long Sit/Cross Legs – 30 reps, Single Count (Grab a card, do exercise, before moving on. KEEP YOUR CARDS!)

CONE #4 • 40lb GORUCK BAGS – 10 Sandbag Burpees (clean & toss), go to next…

CONE #5 • 20lb Medicine Balls – 10 OH Squat Thrust & Catch or Slams, go to next.

CONE #6 • X’s & O’s – 25 Single count (Grab a card, do exercise, before moving on. KEEP YOUR CARDS!)

CLOSING GAME OF WAR:  2 lines/2 teams: I. De. Clare. War! Winners: No exercise Losers: Exercise on winning card.

OVERALL WORKOUT RULES:

  1. Move in Pairs
  2. Spread out among 6 stations/directions are in chalk at each CONE.
  3. GOAL: Keep moving! Rule: If you see a PAX walking you may Grab a card from the deck, charge them with it (they do exercise) AND you get to exchange it with and keep the highest card from their hand (no exercise charged to you!)
  4. If there’s no bags at a station, rock on! (Keep running till you’re able come around and complete all stations.)
  5. After each time at the ab stations (3&6), grab card from deck, do the exercise, but keep your cards to the end. Try to get 3 cards.
  6. Once you’ve done a station you’ve completed that station. By-pass it if already done. DO NOT throw down actual sandbags!

Bonus: RETURN TO AO WITH ALL THE COUPONS, AND WITH WATER IN MOUTH (Spit it out/Swallow it no Burpees!) Due to time no Burpees were rewarded, however, several PAX did them after BOM. Growing success—most of the PAX succeeded at this crazy exercise invented by the Apache Indians (who ran great distances while holding water in their mouths)

Wait a second! 23 PAX/24 Waters…who didn’t drink up?

3rdF shared prior to the round of I Declare War:

Navy Seal, Admiral McRaven, told this training story during a commencement address:

He said, “Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events. Long runs. Long swims. Obstacles courses. Hours of calisthenics, something designed to test your mettle. Every event had standards, times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those times, those standards, your name was posted on a list. And at the end if the day those on the list were invited to a circus.

A circus was 2 hours of additional calisthenics, designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, and to force you to quit. No one wanted a circus. A circus meant for that day that you didn’t measure up. A circus meant more fatigue, and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult, and more circuses were likely. But at some time during training everyone, everyone, made the circus list.

An interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list: Over time those students who did 2 hrs. of extra calisthenics got stronger and stronger; the pain of the circuses built inner strength and physical resiliency.

Life is filled with circuses. You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core. IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR WORLD—don’t be afraid of the circuses!”

In 1 Cor. 9:24-27 Paul used this kind of physical training as an illustration to tell of something of greater importance—living for Christ.

“Don’t you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (More important.) Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I beat my body [discipline] and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”

The Bible gives this allegory to tell us that to cross the finish line effectively it’s going to take work. Not to earn it, but it just takes work AND because, like any athlete or any man, there will be times when we just don’t feel like putting in the work [out]. T.D. Jakes reminds us, “Your feelings will never cooperate with your dreams. Beat your feelings into captivity. Because when you beat your feelings into captivity, that is what discipline is!”

This sounds like Admiral McRaven, except that it stretches across the spectrum from physical training to the things we face in our everyday world… “Life is filled with circuses. You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core.”  IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR HOME, YOUR WORKPLACE, YOUR COMMUNITY, AND YOUR WORLD—IF YOU WANT TO BE A H.I.M., don’t be afraid of the circuses!” [Anticipate and expect to do the extra work]

COT:

  • Name-O-RAMA – 23 PAX
  • Announcements: SLT Meeting tonight @ Tequila Real, 6:30 pm; Roving RuckF3st Friday stepping off at Georgetown Circle in the Gloom; Quattro need girls clothing and school supplies for trip to girls orphanage
  • Prayers: Quattro as he’s preparing for mission trip to El Salvador; Cardinal’s M and children and the PAX with Cardinal when he died during the workout.

Honored to stand in for Bunt in his absence, thankful for the opportunity to Q

Chappie, out!

Order from Chaos

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12/6/22 Looney Tunes on Q

Warm-O-Rama

Cherry Pickers.

Bend and Reach

Whirly Bird Grinder

Marraccan Night Club

Quattro’s Pickle Pumpers (or is it Pickle Pounders?)

Mountain Climbers 20

Phase 1 Mosey to…

Get a Coupon (approximately 50 feet)

Phase 1

Coupon Swing – Swing – Land 10

Coupon Overhead Walk to other side of parking lot.

20 Decline Merkins- feet on Coupon

Coupon Overhead Walk to other side of parking lot.

Repeat 3 Times each then Plank and wait for the 6.

Phase 2 – Super Set. Partner Up, Abs, Strength, Farmers Carry

Explained like this, partner up. One Partner Farmer Carries both blocks to other end of parking lot. Other Partner does 50 Big Boys, then switch. Next round its big boys, then repeat. 2 rounds of each 4 total. This was not very clear The intention was:

Partner 1: Farmers Carry Both Coupons to End of Parking Lot and Back.

Partner 2: does 50 BIG boys

When partner 1 returns Switch

Partner 1: does 50 BIG boys

Partner 2: Farmers Carry Both Coupons to End of Parking Lot and Back.

Switch

Partner 1: Farmer Carry Both Coupons to End of Parking Lot and Back.

Partner 2 does 50 Wide Grip Merkins

Switch

Partner 1 does 50 Wide Grip Merkins

Partner 2 Farmers Carry to End of Parking Lot and Back.

REPEAT.

This is where the Chaos began, it looked great on Paper but many men found confusion. I had the men line up in a row, and partner up. Then I explained the exercise. As Q, I was not clear in my initial description. Since all the men were spread accross the corners could not hear me as well. Some men split the 50 merkins and 50 big boys between them. Some teams did not repeat the set and only did 50 of each, not 100. This was my fault for not being clear that there were 4 rounds total, 100 of each exercise for each HIM.

3rd F Create Order from Chaos

A big take away I had from the Maine Event I went to a few months ago was from Lex Robinson. A simple idea, as men we must Create Order from Chaos. As god did when creating the earth. The chaos and confusion on today’s workout was great to illustrate this point, although it wasn’t intentional! Bills are chaos? Organize them. Work is chaos, systemetize the processes. Family is disorganized, pull out the Calendar and the pen and paper.

Finally Finished with the LEG BREAKING

BLOCK 45

Coupons in hand, a recommendation was made to lift the coupons over head. The Q couldnt even breathe when doing the BLOCK 45.

DONE and DONE

Block It Out

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Date: 04/05/2022

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 31 IC

Windmills – 21 IC

Cherry Pickers – 21 IC

Imperial Walkers – 21 IC

Jiminy Crickets – 10 OYO

Hydraulic Squats -11 IC

The Thang

Grab a block and mosey to the dentist office.  Pax completed 20 Merkins each side with one hand on the block.  Pax utilized the block and a parking bumper to complete 20 abyss merkins.  Pax completed a Lt Dan for approx. 50 yards utilizing the block before moseying to Shipbuilder’s entrance for American Hammers with the blocks (IC) as well as 20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Leaving that pain station each Pax completed a 50 Yard bear crawl with the block before moseying to the next pain station.  At that station each Pax completed a Bolt 45 set with the block all in IC.  All Pax woseyed down Willow Street with the block and then moseyed at the halfway point.  When reaching the end of the street or the final pain station, each Pax completed 15 Blockees.  Pax moseyed back to CHOP with their block.     

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

F3 Message 04/05/22

WHY YOUR LOAD SEEMS SO HEAVY – #8338

Maybe it’s a guy thing. Maybe it’s just a Ron thing. But I hate to waste time or waste effort. You know? Here’s what that it looks like when I’ve just returned from the grocery store to restock our empty refrigerator and shelves. I basically look like a mule – yeah, with bags all over my body, carried on almost every appendage. I don’t want to make any more trips to the car than absolutely necessary, oh no, no! So I’m willing to try whatever calisthenics, to tolerate whatever overload will enable me to get everything in the house in one trip. This approach has been known to have its problems. Sometimes I drop a bag or two or one of them rips open; thus, making more work. And I’ve got this shoulder. Yeah, wrecked it pretty well. You think it might be traceable to carrying too much too many times?

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Why Your Load Seems So Heavy.” 

There’s a price to pay for carrying too much at once. You might be paying some of that price right now; the stress, the anxiety, the fatigue, the frustration of those who carry more than they’re supposed to. I’m one of those. I know.

I also know how my Savior says I’m supposed to live. His instructions are very clear in our word for today from the Word of God in Matthew 6, beginning with verse 25. He says, “Do not worry about your life…look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them…Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?…Why do you worry?…Do not worry…your Heavenly Father knows what you need…Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

First of all, you don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to pick up Jesus’ message here. He basically says it four times, “Do not worry.” If you looked at us stressed out, freaked out, worn out warriors, you might conclude this is one of the most disobeyed commands Jesus ever gave. We do worry – a lot. And in so doing, we carry a heavier load than we’re designed and equipped to carry. God has promised to give us what we need to carry today: daily bread, strength equal to your day, mercies new every morning, a cross to bear one day at a time, the renewing of our spirit day by day. But there’s no promise about carrying your tomorrow while it’s still today.

John Newton, the writer of “Amazing Grace” said, “Sometimes I compare the troubles which we have to undergo in the course of a year to a great bundle of sticks – far too large to lift. But God does not require us to carry the whole bundle at once. He mercifully unties the bundle and gives us one stick that we are to carry today and then another that we are to carry tomorrow, and so on. We might easily manage it, if we would take only the burden appointed for each new day. But we choose to increase our troubles by carrying yesterday’s stick over again today and by adding tomorrow’s burden to our load before we are required to bear it.” That’s great stuff!

John Newton nailed it. See, we add baggage from yesterday and the potential burdens of tomorrow to what we’re carrying today, and we start dropping things, and stumbling, and even hurting ourselves. So much of what we worry about tomorrow never happens. And you won’t have God’s promised resources to handle tomorrow until tomorrow. So no wonder you’re overwhelmed and discouraged! Dwelling on yesterday or tomorrow takes your focus off today so you don’t even do today very well!

So approach your load God’s way – take your busy life one day at a time, or maybe one stick at a time. That’s how you do a massive load. And about tomorrow? Take advantage of God’s awesome invitation, “Cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

https://youtu.be/j8WbGSgL-0I

Stiff and Thor II

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Blockbuster with his Swag – Proud of our Army Bound Young Brother
Proud Dad
20 Straight Workouts for Ruxpin – The man’s a beast on the verge of getting even more RESPECT

Date: 02/26/2022

AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 25 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Monkey Humpers – 15 IC

Bolt 45’s – 15 squats full up to half way down, 15 squats half way down to full down, & 15 squats full motion.  All completed IC as a 4 count.

Windmills – 20 IC

The Thang

Mosey to Ruby Slippers home for a robust round of 20 monkey humpers followed by a round of merkin Jax.  Merkin Jax are a 1:4 ratio of I merkin to 4 plank jacks followed by 2 merkins to 8 plank jacks continuing until reaching the 10:40 ratio.  It types easier than it really is…????..

F3 message before leaving the first pain station.

Mosey to the Georgetown Elementary School and completed a deconstructed toy soldier set that 50 LBC’s, 30 E2K’s each side, and 20 big boys. Nur to each sidewalk across the front completing the 50 lbc’s, then 30 E2K’s, then a second set of 30 E2K’s opposite side, and finally the 20 big boys.  Rinse and repeat and return to the starting sidewalk. 

Mosey to Georgetown Public Library where all PAX completed a round of Captain Thor – 1 Big Boy sit up to 4 American hammers in a ratio up to 10:40.

Mosey to the Armory steps and complete Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 Iron Mike’s (10 each Leg).  The twist is that each PAX will box jump up each step up of the armory and walk down each step before performing each individual exercise of Aiken Legs.

Mosey back to AEGIS for Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers. Please keep Blockbuster in your thoughts and prayers as he leaves for Army boot camp. Congrats to Ruxpin for completing 20 straight workouts and joining the RESPECT crowd on 2/28/22. 

THE MISSION AND THE PAIN – #9158

February 16, 2022

  They’re some of the best of the best in America’s military. They’re known as the Navy Seals. And when there’s a mission that’s almost impossible, they send the Seals behind enemy lines, or maybe it’s a highly sensitive covert mission, against enormous odds. They’re trained in just about any military skill you can think of. In fact, their training was the subject of a cover story in a national magazine a while back; especially that brutal final week that decides who will and will not be a Navy Seal.

Cold, and wet, and fatigued, there’s pain, there’s a pace that are more than most human beings could bear. And some might call it cruel and extreme. But the Navy is trying to prepare these men for heroism. They say they’re trying to build men who learn one mindset that is often the difference between a hero and a zero. Turn off the pain and focus on the mission.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Mission and the Pain.”

Here’s our word for today from the Word of God – 2 Timothy 2:1. God says, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” See, God doesn’t need any more spiritual wimps. That’s why He’s calling for warriors here. And in verse 4 He says, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer.”

Well, what does that take? Verse 3: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Endurance: staying with the mission even when you’re hurting. Those Navy Seals do it for their country. We do it for our Savior. Our mission is to be like Jesus so the people in our world can get a good look at what He’s like. And to be His personal representative to people who are lost and needy and have no hope for eternity without Him.

There’s one problem though. Instead of turning off the pain and focusing on the mission, our tendency is to focus on our pain and forget our mission, and put the work of the Lord at the mercy of how we’re feeling. When we’re hurting, let’s face it, we usually get pretty self-focused don’t we? We’re consumed with our survival, our needs, our hurt. And that’s natural. It’s understandable, but it’s unacceptable for a soldier of Jesus Christ.

No matter how great the pain was, He never abandoned His mission; not when His family turned against Him, not when the crowds turned against Him, not when His life was threatened, not when He was arrested or beaten or humiliated or nailed to a cross. Even when He was dying, Jesus was looking out for His mother. He was reaching out to a dying thief, He was forgiving His crucifiers.

We will never begin to face the pain that our leader did. But we do have our share of pain. Here’s the question: Do we retreat from what we’ve been doing for the Lord when it gets hard or when we’re hurting? Are we so full of our own agenda that we shut down to the needs of others? Do we quit when it’s dark?

If you forget your mission because of your pain, you can still belong to Jesus. His love for us is unconditional. This isn’t about His love for you. It’s about your love and service for Him. He wants to trust you with some heroic assignments for Him. He’s got so much to be done! He’s looking for heroes like the song says, “Jesus needs a few good men.” And I might say, “a few good women.”

In the rigors of your life right now the training and testing of Jesus are not to hurt you. They’re not to sink you. They’re His tools to make you a warrior. To strengthen you. to prepare you for a great work for Him. So be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

The Dead Cockroach Feb 3rd

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F3 is the place to be, for both you and me. Nobody here forces you to do what you do. We are here to help, not only when you yelp but also in our daily lives, for those things you can’t tell your wives. It’s time to get this show on the road, before our energy gets forever slowed.

Warm up

25 Cherrypickers, 25 Side straddle hops, 25 windmills

Mosey to ACE parking lot to do 25 merkins, 25 big boys, carry weights while others planked or bear crawled behind you, 25 jump squats, wall sit for 2 minutes, dead cockroach for 2 minutes, mosey to CHOP for Circle Burp and ended with 25 (3 count) flutterkicks.

Semi “Colon” 2022

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QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama

15 seal jacks i/c
15 mountain man pooper i/c
10 hip circles oyo, each way
15 seal wave i/c
15 Windmill i/c

The Thang
Every HIM grabs a coupon

25 blockeys, Chairman lap
50 lunges per leg, Chairman lap
100 curls, Chairman lap
200 lbcs, Chairman lap
100 curls, Chairman lap
50 lunges per leg, Chairman lap
25 burpees, Chairman lap

3rd F
https://oneextraordinarymarriage.com/
6 Pillars of Intimacy

Number-Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

17 HIM showed today; Semi, Chappie, Ruxpin, Woodstock, Chattahoochee, Doubtfire, Fireplex, Trion, Whirlybird, Drago, Blockbuster, Looney Toons, Chauffer, Mr. Mom, Hideous, Chauffeur, Phyfe

Tabada-Something Different

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Tabada

QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama
18 seal jacks i/c
18 seal waves i/c
10 hip circles oyo, each way
30 moroccan night club i/c
10 mountain man pooper i/c
18 Windmill i/c

The Thang
Mosey to field next to Presbyterian church

Tabata, using small coupons
8 rounds of 6 excercises
Curls – palms up, hammer
Flys (shoulders on large coupon) – palms up, palms in
Squats – 6″, wide
Bench press (shoulders on large coupon) – elbows in, palms together
Holding chair chest squeeze – extended, close
Abs – gas pumpers, lbcs 

chairman lap around church

3rd F
Leadership Ignited • Devotional
https://bible.com/reading-plans/16538/day/1?segment=0

Mosey back to circle

Number Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

16 HIM showed today: Semi, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, Doubtfire, Pusher, Bubba, TRex, Mr. Mom, Ruxpin, Quarto, Cinco, Doodle, Flycatcher, Whirlybird, FNG(IKEA), FNG(By-u)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1z62ctQVDx1EXnpHA

Doce Dias De Navidad La Parte Dos

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Date: 12/16/2021

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex with an Assist by Quattro when the tones dropped for Station 85 for a medical assist

Welcome to an FNG that was named in the Circle of Trust – Grub-It-Is ?? whatever that means…:)…

Warm up

12) Side straddle hops – IC (4 Count)

11) Big boy sit-ups OYO

10) Jiminy crickets OYO

9) Donkey kicks – OYO

8) Windmills – IC (4 Count)

7) Mountain climber IC (4 Count)

6) Goofballs (ladder climbers) – IC (4 Count)

5) Cherry pickers – IC (4 Count)

4) American hammers (4 Count)

3) Mountain man poopers – IC (4 Count)

2) Tempo merkins (4 Count)

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

The Thang – 12 Days of Christmas Part Two…..or…… Doce Dias de Navidad La Parte Dos

Each exercise was completed and repeated in descending order just as the Twelve days of Christmas Song would be sung. You get the idea…..

1– Tuck jump followed by a lap around the Church at end of each evolution

2 – Mountain climbers (4 Count)

3 – Hand release, diamond, wide & ranger merkins (3 ea.)

4 – LBC’s (4 Count)

5 – Burpees

6 – Donkey kicks

7 – Iron Mikes

8 – SSH’s (4 Count)

9 – Apolo Ohno’s

10 – Shoulder tap merkins – ATM’s

11 – Full motion squats

12 – Big boy sit-ups

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 12/16/2021 – Rinse and Repeat from Quattro’s Warmup VQ with Fireplex on 12/12/19

The Twelve Days of Christmas – True Meaning Behind the Lyrics

Ace Collins – From Crosswalk.com

To many people, the lyrics of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” seem strange beyond belief. The odd carol’s words might make one think it is a novelty song, in the vein of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” or “My Favorite Things.” Though a host of modern internet sites and some magazine articles have tried to reduce “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to a little more than a silly Christmas carol, most scholars of the Catholic Church deem it a very important surviving example of a time when that denomination used codes to disguise their teachings. Originally a poem written by Catholic clerics, this song was transformed into a carol at a time when celebrating the twelve days of Christmas was one of the most important holiday customs. By understanding the meaning the clerics chose the twelve days as wrapping for their poem, the full impact of the tradition of the twelve days of Christmas can be understood.
 

The 12 Days of Christmas – True Meaning

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . a partridge in a pear tree.

The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, the only bird that will die to protect its young.
 On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . two turtledoves.

These twin birds represent the Old and New Testaments. So in this gift, the singer finds the complete story of Judeo-Christian faith and God’s plan for the world. The doves are the biblical roadmap that is available to everyone.
 On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . three French hens.

These birds represent faith, hope, and love. This gift hearkens back to 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter written by the apostle Paul.
 On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . four calling birds.

One of the easiest facets of the song’s code to figure out, these fowl are the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
 On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . five gold rings.

The gift of the rings represents the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch.
 On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . six geese a-laying.

These lyrics can be traced back to the first story found in the Bible. Each egg is a day in creation, a time when the world was “hatched” or formed by God.
 On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . seven swans a-swimming.

It would take someone quite familiar with the Bible to identify this gift. Hidden in the code are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion. As swans are one of the most beautiful and graceful creatures on earth, they would seem to be a perfect symbol for the spiritual gifts.
 On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eight maids a-milking.

As Christ came to save even the lowest of the low, this gift represents the ones who would receive his word and accept his grace. Being a milkmaid was about the worst job one could have in England during this period; this code conveyed that Jesus cared as much about servants as he did those of royal blood. The eight who were blessed included the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
 On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . nine ladies dancing.

These nine dancers were really the gifts known as the fruit of the Spirit. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
 On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . ten lords a-leaping.

This is probably the easiest gift to understand. As lords were judges and in charge of the law, this code for the Ten Commandments was fairly straightforward to Catholics.
 On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eleven pipers piping.

This is almost a trick question, as most think of the disciples in terms of a dozen. But when Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, there were only eleven men who carried out the gospel message.
 On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . twelve drummers drumming.

The final gift is tied directly to the Catholic Church. The drummers are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”

The Context & History Behind “The 12 Days of Christmas”

Teaching the Catholic faith was outlawed in sixteenth-century England. Those who instructed their children in Catholicism could be drawn and quartered. Thus, the church went underground. To hide the important and illegal elements of their teaching, clerics composed poems that seemed sill to most people. But these verses were veiled works that taught the church’s most important tenets. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is said to be one of these teaching tools.

Most people today believe that the twelve days of Christmas start on December 12th or 13th and run through Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. But in fact, the first day of Christmas is December 25th and the final day is January 5th. Thus, for hundreds of years the Christmas holidays didn’t begin until Christmas Eve and didn’t end until Epiphany.

Why were these twelve days important? These dozen days were tied to more than just the teaching of the Catholic Church. A host of other denominations also celebrated the twelve days of Christmas. Some denominations celebrated Christmas in January and began to count the twelve days then. But whenever they began, the counting of the days became an important facet of each holiday season. Even in the Dark Ages, in some Eastern European churches, the twelve days of Christmas meant attending daily church services. For Christians who lived during this extremely difficult age, the twelve days were a time of rededication and renewal. It was also a period when small, simple, and usually symbolic gifts of faith were given to children. Thus, in both coded poems and public worship, the twelve days were considered a holy period.

For many Christians today, even the recognition of the twelve days of Christmas has been lost . . . for two reasons. The first is that when Epiphany lost out to Christmas as the day of giving gifts, many simply quit celebrating the twelve-day observance. The other reason is based more on the change in the fabric of culture than on overlooking the Christian holiday of Epiphany.

In ancient times, when most societies were rural, few people worked in the dead of winter. It was a time when many were spending long, dark days inside their homes, looking forward to winter’s chill giving way to the spring thaw. So devoting a dozen days to prayer, reflection, and attending church was not a huge undertaking. Yet with the coming of the Industrial Age and the regular year-round work schedules it brought, finding time to continue the activities that had been traditionally associated with the twelve days of Christmas became all but impossible for most people.

So the passing of the twelve-days custom probably had as much to do with “progress” as with anything else. As fewer and fewer churches and families participated in the tradition, it was all but lost. Yet in the obscure poem that was later turned into a popular carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” live on. And the twelve days described are actually a wonderful and complete picture of the Christian faith.

The “true love” mentioned in the song is not a sweetheart but the Catholic Church’s code for God. The person who receives the gifts represents anyone who has accepted Christ as the Son of God and as Savior. And each of the gifts portrays an important facet of the story of true faith.

So, just a silly song? On the surface maybe, but in reality, a refreshing reminder of the essential elements of Christian faith. The twelve days of Christmas may no longer be a widely recognized holiday tradition, but the days were an important bridge that connected persecuted believers of the past with the whole story of God’s plan. In the complicated world of today, a trip back to the not-so-distant past when Christians celebrated the twelve days of Christmas would only enhance the meaning of Christmas for everyone.

Ace Collins is the writer of more than sixty books, including several bestsellers: Stories behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, The Cathedrals, and Lassie: A Dog’s Life. Based in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, he continues to publish several new titles each year. Ace has appeared on scores of television shows, including CBS This Morning, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and Entertainment Tonight.

This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!

Respectfully Submitted,

Quattro & Fireplex

1:4 ratio

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QIC- CHATTAHOOCHEE

7 December 2021- 17 HIM BEAT THE FARTSACK for a mathematical beatdown.

WARMUP- 20 SSH,20 WINDMILLS,15 SMURFJACKS,20 CHERRYPICKERS,15 MOUNTAINCLIMBERS ALL IN CADENCE

THE THANG- STARTED OFF THE BEATDOWN WITH A LITTLE BILL MURRAY

1 lap around all the middle parking spots at the CHOP followed by 10 mekins, 10 squats,10 bigboys, 10 burpees rinse and repeat 5 times then 1 extra lap just because

After Bill Murray the real fun started with Dan Taylor

1 squat 4 alternating lunges 1:4 ratio all the way to 10 squats 40 alternating lunges

after the leg beatdown it was time just a little arm and shoulders with Mr Jack Webb

1 merkin then up on knees for 4 overhead hand claps again 1:4 ratio all the way to 10:40.

ran out of time before we could get to cpt. Thor so that will be added in the future o. A Saturday when we have a little more time.

November’s Finale with, Um…Rucks!

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DATE: 11/30/21

QIC: Chappie

The last day of November brought a nice chill that needed to be worked off with some heat. 18 PAX won that first battle and posted. including FNG Fudd. (There were some “no questions asked” nicknames being thrown around so we settled on the more innocent “Fudd” instead.) Welcome to F3 brother!

We started the day with an excellent VQ Warm-O-Rama by Sherlock. It went something like this:

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 20 IC
  • Squats – 20 IC
  • Spidey Reaches – 10 each side OYO
  • Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

At this point YHC took over the Q, and here’s how it went down…

THE THANG:

First, some more warm-up:

  • Partner Leg Throws – 18 each PAX
  • Partner Ruck Pass – 10 each PAX (partners interlock heals in Sit-Up position, pass ruck, do American Hammer w/ruck, then all the way back w/ruck overhead, then Sit-Up passing ruck to partner. Rinse & repeat til each PAX completes 10 reps)

Now…the Thang: Everyone grab a ruck (for those without, grab cindy)

2 Sets:

  • 10 Walking Ruck Lunges (Ruck OH)
  • 10 Plank Pull Throughs
  • 10 OH Press
  • (Rinse & Repeat 2x)

Mosey the short block: Prison Break to Willow St., Mosey to Union St., Prison Break back to the AO. Gassed! 10-count by TRex and another followed by Semi. Whew!

F3 3rdF shared at the break (See below)

2 Sets:

  • 10 Ruck Squats
  • 10 Ruck Merkins
  • 10 Ruck high Pulls
  • (Rinse & Repeat 2x)

Ruck Suitcase Carry around the short block, switching as necessary, back to the AO.

Time expired, time for the COT. Good work by everybody. TRex committed to posting at every workout this week, have at it brother. Who else is in?

COT:

  • Number-Rama: 18 very cool PAX
  • Name-O-Rama
  • Naming of FNG: Welcome again to Fudd! (Still, your Hospital Name, Blayze, has to be one of the coolest out there!)
  • Announcements: YHC invited PAX to consider joining the protest Saturday at Beebe Hospital, protesting the vax mandate being forced upon all healthcare workers by Dec 24th (or they will be terminated. Those we were gathering to pray for and calling heroes for sacrificially fulfilling their duties in 2020, now need our support as they are being made into villains. Let’s show up Saturday at Beebe, from 9-11am, and demonstrate our support for them.
  • Prayers: Safe travels for Sherlock on his hog hunt; for Woodstock helping to clean out a perished friend’s home, etc.; for Quattro, facing some business/family decisions this week; for YHC traveling to Frederick for an executive committee meeting (self-retracted as of this writing) and for YHC’s sister, Tonia, facing devastating, life-altering surgery. Others…the Lord knows and never forgets. Finally, prayers that all PAX would be mindful this Christmas that the birth of Jesus Christ tells us that God desires that we have a relationship with Him–it’s NOT about religion, but relationship. We know this because He came to common man, not kings. (Again, see 3rdF below.)

Humbled and excited to Q, aye!

Chappie, out!

SHEPHERDS & FISHERMEN

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent—I love this season because in it we recall and celebrate the Birth of Christ (Coming/Advent). It was foretold by the OT prophets 900, 700, 500 years before it happened. I love this time of year also because it reminds me of the only 2 times a year we went to church when I was a kid (Easter & Christmas). I remember the ambiance of the Christmas Eve candle light service at First Moravian Church in my hometown like it was yesterday.

In the four verses of great Christmas hymn Angels We Have Heard On High, we sing of the angels visiting lowly shepherds and the shepherds’ response.

Here’s what I think is one of the most incredible things about God: He wants us to know Him through relationship, not religion. This is evident in the song, but it was evident first in the Scriptures.

“The angels coming to men who worked menial [lowly] jobs in the fields and informing THEM of the birth of the Son of God symbolizes that Christ came for all people, rich or poor, humble or powerful. The angels’ words as recorded in Luke 2, “Fear not: For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people,” paired with Jesus’ own parables concerning shepherds and their flocks, symbolizes that it would be the common man and not kings or religious leaders who would first carry the story of Jesus’ life to the masses.”

It has been the Called man, not the Cleric, and really always has been, who has spread the message of Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. Think of who it was to whom Jesus first said “follow Me“: Was it not to Fishermen? Common men? As you hear and sing this song for Christmas, keep this one thing in mind: It is the common man, not kings who carry the story of Jesus’ life. For you and I to be HIM, the story of Jesus in our own lives, OUR own transformation by trusting in Jesus Christ, must not only be heard but it must be seen, especially by our children (not to mention those around us). When mom tells the story, the kids will be more prone to go to church and become followers of Christ. But when we as dads—common men, not kings—tell the story of Jesus Christ, the statistics make a significant leap, they actually go through the roof! I.e. When you and I share this story of the incredible, special relationship available between God and man with our own children, we—common men—are acting/behaving like HIM.

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