Ruxpin – F3 First State

Cr(Abs) & Shoulders

Bunt, Chattahoochee, Deez, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin, Streudel, Toy Soldier, Whirlybird / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 10/01/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE.

Pax: Deez, Whirlybird, Bunt, Ruxpin, Toy Soldier, Chattahoochee, Probe, Streudel, Fireplex

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

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

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Plank Jacks – 30 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Windmills – 15 IC

The Thang

Mosey around Mill Street and back to the M&T Bank parking lot.

Each Pax completed the Burp & Merk – Burpee with ascending merkins up to 10. Each PAX will Bear Crawl to each parking space and complete a Burpee with a hand release merkin. Bear Crawl to the next space and complete a Burpee with two hand release merkins. Continue until completing a Burpee with ten hand release merkins. Nur back to the start and plank for the six.

Pax continued on over to “Oh Hill No” and completed the bottom feeder/deconstructed toy soldier set exercise. Crab walk up the hill and complete 100 LBC’s. Crab walk down the hill and complete 50 E2K’s to one side. Crab walk back up the hill and complete 50 E2K’s to the other side. Crab walk down the hill and complete 25 big boy sit-ups.

F3 Message – See below

Mosey back to CHOP by way of Strawberry Alley. A round of Mary was completed to finish out the beatdown.

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

F3 Message 10/01/24

When You Don’t Like What’s On Your Plate – #8160

Friday, April 20, 2018

One of our team members reminded me the other day of how I felt about junior high school lunches. He was talking about it in our team devotions. Few of us remember those 7th or 8th grade cafeteria lunches with great fondness. Friday wasn’t bad – that was French fry day. But most of the other days – who knows what some of that stuff was – mystery meat! We’d complain about the food, we’d trash the food sometimes, and sometimes we even had a food fight with it! Hey, it’s junior high; what do you want? There were many days I wasn’t too excited about what was on my plate. There still are.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about “When You Don’t Like What’s On Your Plate.”

Okay, this has nothing to do with your diet. I know you have days when you don’t particularly like what’s on your plate though. Or you don’t like how much there is of it. As a parent, you may have to handle some things that really aren’t much fun these days. That’s what on your plate. As a son or daughter, or a student, you’ve been stuck with some jobs you really don’t want to do. At work, it’s getting pretty messy, or heavy, or boring. At church or in your ministry, you’re not particularly liking the way it’s going and what you’re trying to do for the Lord. But it’s just part of life – days, and sometimes lots of days, when we don’t like what’s on our plate.

So, how are you handling days and tasks you don’t care for? Do you complain about them? That would be the way we normally do. Do you worry about them? Freak out over them? Do you get negative or irritable because of what’s on your plate? Look, we’re not in junior high anymore. It’s time for a more grownup response. It’s time to see what’s on our plate from God’s perspective.

Here it is in our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 16:5-6. David says, “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.” So who decides what’s on the plate of a child of God? Your Heavenly Father who loves you totally and does everything perfectly! Sometimes God’s assignment is exciting and energizing, sometimes it just seems sort of humdrum and mundane, and other times God’s assignment is downright hard – like when He assigns you to a sickbed or an unappreciated, dirty-work job or working with someone who frustrates you or annoys you.

But there is a peace, there’s this lightness in your spirit – even a strange joy – that can come when you look at today’s plateful and say, “Lord, You have assigned me to this.” Which leads us to that powerful formula for being emotionally and spiritually on top of things, instead of things being on top of you. It’s in James 4:7 where the Lord says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” In other words, submit to the Lord’s greater plan, His greater wisdom – “OK, Lord, I’m going to handle what’s on my plate as if it came right from Your hand.” The result? Well, you have resisted the devil’s attempts to discourage or distract or detour you.

In fact, since the Lord assigns you your portion, you can actually thank Him for it, looking expectantly for what good things He wants to bring out of it. What’s God working on through this? Does He want you to be more of a servant? More patient? A better listener? A learner? More sensitive?

See, whether or not you particularly like what’s on His menu for you today, you can be sure it is for your good – it’s part of His loving plan for you. What’s on your plate is OK – because the One who put it there loves you so much. Oh, by the way, knows exactly what you need.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Abs-so-posa-lutely

Chattahooche, Deez, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin, Streudel, Whirlybird / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 09/03/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

PAX: Deez, Whirlybird, Ruxpin, Chattahoochee, Probe, Streudel, Fireplex

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Bolt 45’s – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Jiminy Crickets – 10 OYO

Windmills – 15 IC

Hydraulic Squats – 10 IC ( 6 Count)

The Thang

An Inclined Toy Soldier Set was completed on the grass hill behind the stone parking lot – 100 LBC’s, 50 E2K’s x2, 25 Big Boys OYO.

Pax completed one lap around Mill Street and back to the flag pole at the Firehouse.

Captain Therkin – 1 big Boy to 4 American hammers; 5 Merkins . 2 Big Boys to 8 American Hammers; 5 Merkins in ratio up through 10:40 with 5 Merkins.

Pax completed one lap around Mill Street and back to the flag pole at the Firehouse. A short break was taken for the F3 Message.

Pax finished with a modified Super 21 beatdown for the abs-so-posa-lutely kickoff beatdown. 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. Q elected to start at 21 in descending fashion. All Pax completed the round of 21 descending through the round of 15 of each to complete the beatdown.

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

F3 Message 09/03/24

Only Two Days On Your Calendar – #4481

Monday, March 15, 2004

Some years ago, my wife got a very serious case of hepatitis. Later, the specialist told her that the battle for her liver was so acute he could hear the blood rushing to save it, “Just like Niagara Falls,” he said. Thank God, she recovered fully with no trace today of that disease or any of its effects. But it took a while – seven months of bed rest. That was an interesting time for Daddy – suddenly known as Mr. Mom – and for our three children. Thankfully, our church brought dinner to our home almost every night. God bless them! It’s a good thing. I mean, if it had been up to me to feed the kids, they probably would have been on the cover of something like World Vision magazine eventually. But as tough as it was, my wife said she had much to praise God for in her recovery from hepatitis. For one thing, no one could really look to her or count on her for seven months. Here’s what she said about it: “God gave me the gift of cleansing my schedule!” He weeded out a lot that didn’t matter after all and left only what did matter.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Only Two Days On Your Calendar.”

If you look at many of our calendars, they are packed to the edges. Some days the date book boxes are just too small to write everything in. Our life is congested with places to go and things to do, and we’re overdosing on stress. We could all use a priority check. We could all use a little schedule cleansing so we can focus our time on the things that really, really matter.

Now I’m no magician. I can’t make your responsibilities disappear, but I can give you a simple grid that may make your life a little more doable. And it’s not my idea. It’s actually Martin Luther’s idea. He said he had only two days on his calendar – one of those is Judgment Day. He tried to evaluate everything in light of the Judgment Day that’s coming for all of us. God talks about that great values-clarifier in 1 Corinthians 4, beginning with verse 2, our word for today from the Word of God. Paul writes: “It is required that those who have been given a trust” – and I just want to add, “we all have” – “must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court … It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

If it’s not going to matter there, how much should it matter here? Earlier, Paul talked about things that are just “wood, hay, and straw” that will burn on that day. That’s a priority check.

Luther said he had only two days on his calendar: Judgment Day and this day. It’s the only day I can live right now. I don’t need to be weighed down with yesterday. It can’t be changed. I don’t need to be fretting about the future. I’m not there yet and I can’t control it.

What I have is today, one 24-hour slice of life in which to honor my Lord in everything I do. So this day will count on that day! Maybe that’s what Paul had in mind when he said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Keep your eyes on the prize, all day long and each new day.

God will take a life that you have lived for Him with His priorities, one day at a time and He will make a life out of those days that will fulfill you and glorify Him. It’s a great way to live – two days on your calendar: Judgment Day and this day.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Freakin’ Whirlybird 21

ace, Bunt, Chattahoochee, Chauffeur, Fireplex, Probe, Reptile, Ruxpin, Shake & Bake, Whirlybird / Leave a Comment / Aegis, DE, Georgetown / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 08/03/2024

AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE

PAX: Reptile, Shake & Bake, Ace, Whirlybird, Bunt, Ruxpin, Chattahoochee, Chauffeur, Probe, Fireplex

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.

Four Count Freddie’s – 30 IC

Mosey @.5 miles to the Armory

The Thang

All Pax worked on the descending Burpee and Big Boy evolution. 20 Burpees and 1 Big Boy Sit Up. Up the steps of the Armory hitting every step and back down. 19 Burpees and 2 Big Boy Sit Up’s. Up the steps of the Armory hitting every step and back down. 18 Burpees and 3 Big Boy Sit Ups. Up the steps of the armory and back down hitting every step and back down. Continue the descending pattern until completing the round of 10 Burpees and 11 Big Boy Sit Ups. Break for the F3 Message before continuing the descending evolutions. Pax completed 210 of each exercise if completing the total evolution.

Mosey @.5 miles back to the Aegis.

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

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

HOW YOUR FRIENDS CHANGE YOUR LIFE – #7380

Friday, April 24, 2015

Sometimes you see hitchhikers by the side of the road. What are they usually holding? A sign, usually crudely lettered, and it doesn’t have the name of the car they want to ride in. No, it has the name of a place on it; the place they want to go. On Indian reservations, hitchhiking is a way of life. I asked one of our Native American friends recently about her hitchhiking experiences. She told me she asked only one question before she got in a car. She didn’t care about the make of the car, the driver’s IQ, or where the driver was from. She had one question, “Where are you headed?”

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “How Your Friends Change Your Life.”

Hitchhikers have a simple basis for deciding who they will travel with: is this person going where I want to end up? That’s exactly the question we all should have in mind when we’re deciding who we’re going to travel with.

Our word for today from the Word of God is from Proverbs 13:20. This is God’s counsel concerning the people you hang out with, people you spend time with, make friends with, people you date, people you marry. “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” You tend to become like the people you spend time with. Like a hitchhiker, you end up where the people you are traveling with end up. God reinforces that point in 1 Corinthians 15:33. He just simply says, “Bad company corrupts character.”

If you’re going to make good decisions about who to travel with at your school, at your workplace, in your social life, or even who you’ll marry, you first need to decide what kind of person you want to become; what kind of goals you want to achieve. I hope you want to end up being a positive person, not a negative person. Who needs any more of those? You probably want to end up being caring, not self-centered, encouraging, not tearing people down, living for what really matters instead of just some attractive, meaningless junk.

And if you’ve been to the cross of Jesus to have your sins forgiven; if you belong to Him, I hope you want to end up being someone that Jesus is proud of; someone who lives for the One who died for you – not for some little earth-stuff. Decide what kind of person you want to be; what kind of attitudes you want to have. And then look for some people who have the same “destination sign” as you do.

Your selection of friends, associates, romantic prospects may well be one of the most important choices you will ever make because you will probably end up on the same road as they do. If you’re with people who are spiritually careless, or just don’t care, you’ll probably end up there, too. If you’re with people who just simply settle for mediocrity as a Christian, you will live that grey life like they do. But if you are connected with some people who are going in the “make a difference” direction, the “live for other people” direction, the “live for Jesus” direction, chances are that’s where you’re going to end up – going the direction where your life can mean the most and matter the most, and count for something lasting.

You can ask any hitchhiker, it really does matter who you decide to travel with. You don’t decide who you’re going to go with on the basis of how cool they are, or how well-connected they are, or how exciting their lifestyle looks – or even how they treat you. You ask that all-important, deciding question about who you’re going to spend your time around, “Where are you headed?” You only travel with someone who’s going to a destination that you’re not ever going to regret.

It’s About The Fourth, Not Quattro

Bunt, Deez, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin, Streudel, Toy Soldier / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 07/09/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

Pax: Deez, Bunt, Ruxpin, Toy Soldier, Probe, Streudel, Fireplex

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

The Thang

PAX completed the Hindenburg BLIMPS routine from the exicon. We modified the sprint portion to a straight line up the Chestnut Street Hill stopping at Mill Street for Stopping Points #1 & #3 of each round. Sprint back down Chestnut Street to Front Street for Stopping Points #2 & #4 of each Round. Plank it up until all PAX have completed the exercises at each stopping point. Rinse and repeat until all 6 Rounds are complete. Round # 1 – 10 Burpees, Round #2 – 20 Lunges (10 each leg). Round #3 – 30 Imperial Walkers. Round #4 – 40 Merkins. Round #5 – 50 Plank Jacks. Round #6 – 60 Squats. Pax completed the rounds through Round #5 as time was a factor. We ended strong with 50 plank jacks and 60 squats.

F3 message –The 3^rd F was shared after completing round #4.

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

F3 Message 07/09/24

DEPENDENCE DAY – #8474

July 4, 2019

They keep it under glass that seals out any air getting to it. And when it’s not on display, it’s kept underground in a vault – actually a bomb proof vault. It’s the most important document in the history of the United States. Yep, the Declaration of Independence.

The men who signed it on that hot July 4th in Philadelphia knew it was very important, but I wonder if they could have possibly conceived what a sacred piece of paper it would become to the nation that it birthed. Here were subjects of the English king, daring to declare their independence from their king. It changed their lives forever. It changed the world forever. And once a year, every Fourth of July, America stops to remember that Independence Day.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Dependence Day.”

Now, for America’s founding fathers, it was a Declaration of Independence from their king that changed everything. But for you, as a child of God, it’s your “Declaration of Dependence” on your King that changes everything.

Now, when it comes to God running our lives, you know what? We’ve all declared our independence. Even if our theology compels us to officially say we trust God, we are, for the most part, “Sinatra-ites.” Yeah, you know Frank Sinatra’s signature song? I’ll sing it for you. No, I won’t. “I did it my way.” Yeah, even for us Christians, that’s often how we really live, I’ll do it my way. We’ll figure this out by ourselves, we’ll find a way, we’ll make it happen, we won’t wait, we’ll get it done now. We tend to depend on our plans, our schemes, our cleverness, our talent, our experience, our persuasiveness, our hard work, our connections. We’ll count on our programs or our own strength.

That’s why we need to declare our dependence daily! It’s in our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus makes it very clear how anything that matters in our life really happens. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” In other words, the fruit of your life doesn’t come from you, it comes from Jesus, through you, like the life of the vine comes through the branch.

Then He goes on to say, “If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me, you can do nothing.” Or nothing that matters, nothing eternal, nothing that really works over the long haul – nothing. He doesn’t say, “Without Me, you can’t do much.” No, nothing! He says it all comes from Him.

So the size of your life depends on how big your dependency on God is, as opposed to cranking it out yourself. Joni Eareckson Tada once said that when she went to Africa, she was greeted by believers there who said, “Welcome to Africa, where our God is bigger. He is bigger because we need Him so much more!” Actually, we need Him every bit as much. We just have other things we can depend on. So our lives are smaller because our view of God is smaller, because we don’t depend on Him desperately for each day’s needs, each day’s choices, each day’s strength, and each day’s answers.

You know what the language of dependency is? Prayer. You can pretty much tell how dependent you are on God by how often you feel the need to cry out to Him in prayer. There is so much more waiting for you if you’ll only learn how powerful it is to recognize your powerlessness before God.

Look at the frequency and the fervency of your prayers in any given day, and you’ll be able to tell how dependant you really are on Him. Each new morning, in the presence of Almighty God, you need to sign it again – your Declaration of Dependence on your King, because that signature will make all the difference.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Toasted By Streudel

Bunt, Chattahoochee, Deez, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin, Toy Soldier / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 05/07/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

PAX: Deez, Bunt, Ruxpin, Toy Soldier, Chattahoochee, Probe, 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.

Streudel Claps – 15 IC

Windmills – 15 IC

The Thang

Beginning at CHOP, all Pax will mosey to Wharton Street and complete Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 split Jacks (10 each Leg). Then Mosey to Federal Street and complete 20 Burpees, 20 Squats, 20 Merkins, 20 Big Boys. Then mosey to Front Street by the PD and complete Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 split Jacks (10 each Leg). Finally, a short mosey to CHOP and complete 20 Burpees, 20 Squats, 20 Merkins, 20 Big Boys. A break was taken for the F3 message. All Pax will mosey to Wharton Street and complete Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 split Jacks (10 each Leg). Mosey back to CHOP and complete 20 Burpees, 20 Squats, 20 Merkins, 20 Big Boys. Approx. 1.03 miles were completed for the beatdown.

F3 Message – see below

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

F3 Message 05/07/24

LIGHTING UP AT THE END OF THE GAME – #3017

As a New York Knicks basketball fan, I’ve had some victories and some play-off games to cheer for. But I’ve had my share of disappointments, too. And too many of them have come at the hands of one particular opponent – a player named Reggie Miller. This man has done more to stop my team than just about anybody I can think of because something happens to this man in a close game, when there’s suddenly just a minute or two left. He’s on fire! He may or may not have had a lot of points earlier in the game, but somehow he seems to save his best for last. With time running out, Reggie suddenly becomes a scoring machine, making fantastic shots, often scoring enough points to send my team home for the season. Any player is a powerful force when he knows the end is near and lights up to makes a difference!

Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about “Lighting Up At The End Of The Game.”

You may be at a point in your “game of life” when you feel as if most of the game is behind you. You’ve scored just about all the points you’re going to score. You’re just sort of coasting from here to the end of the game. Well, that is no way to finish your game!

Consider Caleb from our word for today from the Word of God. He was one of those 12 scouts Moses sent ahead to check out the Promised Land before the Jews were to enter it. Ten came back saying, “Giants there! No way!” Two came back saying, “God is with us! Way!” But because of the unbelief of the people, a whole generation wandered in the wilderness for 40 more years until all the adults of that unbelieving generation were dead – except those two believers, Joshua and Caleb. Now, with the new generation taking the Promised Land, Caleb is 40 years older than his first visit there. But is he ready to hang up his sneakers and call it a game? No way!

Here it is. Joshua 14:10. “So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.” Not bad for 85, huh?

Here is one of God’s players who is near the end of his game – but he wants to light up the scoreboard. He says, “Give me that mountain! I’ll take on those giants if they’re in the way of what God wants!” That’s the kind of fourth quarter players that God is looking for! Yes, your body may slow down some, your energy may not be what it once was, but you aren’t dead yet! God wouldn’t be leaving you here if He still didn’t have work for you to do, lives for you to touch, a difference for you to make! In the Holy Spirit’s great outpouring just before Jesus returns, God says in Acts 2:17, “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”

Maybe you’ve allowed yourself to slip into a survival mentality, or maybe you’ve become self-absorbed or self-pitying. In the fourth quarter, some people just settle into a reward mindset. “Well, I’ve worked hard all these years. I’ll just settle back and relax now. It’s time just to reward myself for what I did in the first three quarters of the game.” Wait a minute! The game isn’t over yet! We’ll rest in heaven. We’ll get rewarded in heaven. But, for now, we can’t waste any of the all-too-few days we have to serve Christ. As the Apostle Paul neared his finish line, he said he was “poured out like a drink offering.” He wanted to cross the finish line having given so much for his Master that he had nothing left when he collapsed into Jesus’ arms! Don’t you want to do that?

That’s the kind of four-quarters heroes God is looking for. So make up your mind that you’re going to finish your game well. For, as Amy Carmichael said, “We will have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only a few short hours to win them.” And we are in those few short hours.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Slow the “H” Up

Bunt, Chattahoochee, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin, Streudel, Woodstock / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date; 04/02/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Pax: Bunt, Chattahoochee, Probe, Streudel, Ruxpin, Woodstock & Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Moroccan Night Clubs – 51 IC

Bolt 45’s – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats

Windmills – 15 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

The Thang

We completed a Modified Burp Back Mountain at “Oh Hill No”….Pax completed 50 Burpees each. 10 Burpees, then NUR up the hill to the first light pole and run down. 10 More Burpees, then NUR up the hill and run back down. Each Pax completed 5 rounds for 50 Burpees. We took a break for the 3^rd F message that referenced slowing down. We completed 5 more burpees and a final NUR up the hill and a run down before moving on to the next pain station. At the Bank parking lot, we completed a 10:40 Captain Therkin set which is 1 big boy to 4 American hammers then 5 merkins. 2 big boys to 8 American hammers then 5 merkins. 3 big boys to 12 American hammers then 5 merkins. We completed the set up to 10 big boys, 40 American hammers and 5 merkins.

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

F3 Message 04/02/24

SLOWING DOWN SO YOU CAN HEAR – #7864

Thursday, March 2, 2017

I hear a lot of wives complain about communication being a problem in their marriage. It sure was for my wife and me on a trip we took one summer. We had a lot of miles to cover in our van in one day – one very hot day. The day the air conditioner decided not to work, which meant we had to travel with all the windows down or have a sauna on wheels for the next 12 hours. I had a lot of work to do on this trip, and my wife enjoyed driving, so she was in front where it’s really good for the driver to be, and I was in the back of the van with my computer. Now, about communication? No way. No matter how important the information was, we couldn’t possibly yell loud enough to overcome the wind. All you could see was lips moving; it was like a silent movie. So, we had to save up anything we wanted to say for toll booths, traffic jams, and any place where we had to slow down. Those were the only times we could hear anything!

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Slowing Down So You Can Hear.”

Our word for today from the Word of God, we’re in 1 Kings 19:11-13. God’s prophet Elijah has been on a fast track of activity and now he’s hit this time of deep emotional turbulence. He really needs to hear from the Lord. He does, but not in the form he might have expected.

Here’s what the Bible says, “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” That day, in a quiet whisper from heaven, God’s servant received just the word he needed from God.

God often whispers. And you’ve got to be quiet to hear what He has for your heart. We like the dramatic spiritual experiences – the winds and the quakes and the fire. And sometimes God does speak to us through the high-octane spiritual moments. But often what our heart most needs to hear comes in His gentle whisper. And like that day of the roaring wind in our van, you can only hear what He’s trying to say when you slow down.

Which you may not have done much lately. Which may explain why your soul is getting so dry and brittle and why there’s confusion instead of direction, why there’s weakness instead of power, more frustration than peace. You’ve been traveling too fast to hear the whisper of God.

God’s message to you is, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps.46:10). You’ve just got to find some time when you and the Lord can have some quality time. You’ve got to get back your daily quiet time with Him. You’ve got to get those Sabbaths that you’ve been losing or neglecting.

And it may be that God has brought some of the difficulty of recent days into your life for the express purpose of slowing you down so you can hear Him. God uses a lot of instruments as brakes on our overheated lives like an illness, an injury, the loss of your job, a financial crisis, a crisis in your family. When we won’t put on the brakes, the Father who loves us will. If He has you in a slow down zone right now, don’t fight it. Don’t just endure it. Open up your heart to your Lord to hear what you might never have been able to hear at 70 MPH.

In our high speed lives, the times to slow down become very important. They might be the only times you can really hear what God and others who love you have to say.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Merkins Make Me Mad

Bunt, Chattahoochee, Deez, Fireplex, pooh, Probe, Ruxpin, Semi, Wood, Woodstock / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 03/05/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Pax: Bunt, Wood, Pooh, Deez, Semi, Woodstock, Ruxpin, Chattahoochee, Probe, Fireplex

Warm up

Merkins – 20 OYO

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.

Windmills – 15 IC

Imperial Walkers – 15 IC

The Thang

Super 21 Routine – 21 Merkin & 21 Big Boys, 20 Merkins & 20 Big Boys, 19 Merkins & 19 Big Boy’s, repeat until completing 1 of both. Equals 231 of each exercise.

Spartan Run Routine – Run/sprint 100 yards (modified to 50 yards) and drop and do 15 merkins. Plank until all PAX are complete. Wosey back to the start. Run/sprint 100 yards (modified to 50 yards) and drop and do 15 merkins. 10 reps for 150 merkins for the exercise (Totals 150 if 10 reps of 15 are complete).

A total of 401 merkins for the beat down includes the 20 completed on the warm-up.

F3 Message 03/05/24

THE ANGER MONSTER – #9437

March 14, 2023

As an airline passenger, those video images from the Los Angeles airport that day were just plain disturbing: a human stampede, terrified passengers, fleeing from a gunman on the loose in the terminal.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Anger Monster.”

These explosions of violence have happened in a theater, a mall, a school, an office, a church. The bullets may start flying any place, leaving behind lost and shattered lives. And you can be pretty sure the person pulling the trigger is an angry man. Whose anger – often hidden from those who know him, one day erupts like a volcano, destroying whatever is in its path.

My sense is that there are a lot of angry people around us these days, seething inside, sinking into a darker and more dangerous place each day. You see it surface as road rage, angry parents at their kids’ games, frustrated shoppers, bullies at school and on the Internet creating anger in their victims.

Usually, behind anger is pain. Angry people feel wounded, wronged, unheard, victimized, and taking it out on whoever inadvertently pushes their buttons. Many times there are, in fact, things in their past that have left them broken inside, but never with an excuse to wound or do violence to someone else because of it.

I suppose, at one time or another, each of us is the angry person. Not on a rampage to end lives, but angry enough to inflict some serious damage on people around us. Most often the people we love the most.

Mount St. Helens in Washington used to be considerably higher until she literally blew her top in an eruption one day. The eruption didn’t last long. The damage? That’s there forever. Underlying a lot of our explosive moments is this full glass thing. If I pour water into a half-empty glass, it will take quite a bit to make it spill, right? But if I’m going through life with a glass that’s already full, it only takes a drop to make it spill. And there are plenty of “drops” in a day’s time; aggravations, conflict, and difficulties.

And with the spill comes the lashing out. Usually the violence is the verbal kind. The world’s best-selling book, the Bible, describes it as “reckless words (that) pierce like a sword.” See, long after the wounder has forgotten, the wounded carries the scars of that anger.

Part of the problem is that some of us were raised to stuff our emotions. We don’t deal with them. That’s what fills up the glass. The time bomb’s going to keep ticking until we make room in that glass, which means taking a bold healing step; facing that pain that we’ve stuffed in our closet. It’s the match that keeps lighting the fuse of the anger and leaving a trail of burn victims in our wake.

It may mean walking through the pain with a counselor. Or digging deep into spiritual resources for the most liberating step a wounded person can take – forgiving. Even seeking forgiveness from those who’ve been the victim of my anger.

Maybe the kids are right. There actually is a monster in the closet, a wounded monster, who needs to be dragged out into the light so the healing can begin. Ironically, it is often the “monsters” that we can’t control that drive us to a greater power; someone who has repeatedly proven He can subdue the dark forces that control us. The dark side is what drives me to Jesus Christ.

When He was on earth, He encountered a man in the grip of forces so dark no one could control him. And it says, “He tore the chains apart… No one was strong enough to subdue him.” No one except Jesus. He expelled the “evil spirit.” And the man ended up “sitting at Jesus’ feet… in his right mind” (Luke 8). Jesus is still doing miracles like that, fixing what’s broken inside us, transforming the evil inside us. That victory over our darkness cost Him his life at the cross.

Our word for today from the Word of God, Revelation 1:5 says, “He loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.” Today He wants to bring peace into the angry storm in your life if you’ll open the door of your heart to Him. How to do that? Go to our website. You’ll find it there – ANewStory.com – and let Him begin the transforming relationship that tames the monster inside.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

Dumb Spelled B.O.M.B.S.

Bunt, Chattahooche, Deez, Fireplex, Looney Tunes, Probe, Ruxpin, Semi, Streudel, Wood / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 02/06/2024

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

PAX: Ruxpin, Wood, Bunt, Chattahoochee, Probe, Deez, Semi, Streudel, Fireplex, Looney Tunes

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Bolt 45’s – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Windmills – 15 IC

Mosey approx. .25 miles around the Mill Street block back to CHOP

The Thang

B.O.M.B.S. – 50 Burpees, 100 Overhead Claps completed as a single count SSH with an Overhead Clap, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy Sit-ups, 250 Squats. PAX partnered up and worked on exercises while partner Nur’d up the Chestnut Street hill to Mill Street and ran back down. Each PAX should try to complete their half of the listed exercises.

F3 Message

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.

BUFFALO RIDING – #4578

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

I love to drive through Custer State Park in South Dakota because if you’re lucky you get to see a lot of buffalo. Now, seeing them is one thing – riding them is another. We were recently in South Dakota. One important part of our ministry, of course, is reaching what one researcher called the most devastated young people in America, and we were there for an outreach among Native American young people. Reservation young people are in just great need of the Lord. We were with our Lakota Sioux Christian brother and we saw some buffalo, and we joked a little bit about hunting them, and so on. Then he said, “You know, I know someone who rides buffalo in parades and on holidays.” I said, “Wait a minute. Did you say rides a buffalo?” I can’t imagine boarding one of these wonderful wild animals. Well, somebody asked this buffalo rider, “What’s it take?” He said, “Patience.” Then he said, “If you neglect him one or two days, he won’t be tamed anymore.”

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Buffalo Riding.”

Our word for today comes from Romans 7:19. It talks about the buffalo inside you and me – a wild beast that does not want to be tamed. Verse 19: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Verse 24, “What a wretched man I am!” Paul says. “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” It’s pretty hopeless up to this point. And then here’s the good news. “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

There’s an animal inside me that wants to go against God. The hymn writer says, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it … prone to leave the God I love.” We know what God wants. We want it too, but we keep choosing to let that part of us that gets out of control run us. We can’t tame it, but we’re not without hope. There’s a Savior, not only from the penalty of sin, but from the power of sin. Romans 6 says, “sin will no longer be your master.” When we surrender that wild part of us to Jesus, He begins to tame what has always ruled us. But you can’t tame it once and for all. It takes patience, like the buffalo rider said.

Luke 9:23, “Take up your cross daily, and follow me.” If you neglect that buffalo, that animal inside of you one or two days, well, he won’t be tamed anymore. That sin has beaten you. And it has to be beaten now on a 24-hour basis. Twenty-four-hour little victories. Some of us have made the mistake of thinking that one great spiritual experience would tame the buffalo once and for all. But it keeps getting away from us again. It keeps riding over us. We miss the daily part.

If you conquer sin one day at a time, and if Jesus is the only one that can conquer it, then it stands to reason you have to be with Jesus each new day. You notice something that happens consistently when you miss a day or two of your time with Jesus. The dark side of you starts to surface again. I see it happen to me. I see traits that I was seeing less of, and suddenly I start seeing more of it again and so does everyone else close to me. It’s as if that daily surrender time with Jesus is the only dam that holds back the parts of me I hate. You miss being with the Savior from sin, and the sin starts to leak back in. You need a consistent get-together with the Lord Jesus where you again make Him Lord of your stubborn sins.

That’s largely the margin between victory and defeat because we’ve all got a buffalo to tame. Let him go unattended for a couple of days, and that sin will stampede right over you again. But you can ride the buffalo that has ridden you by daily turning over the reins to the one who died to tame the animal in you – the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

December Ultimate

Bunt, Chattahoochee, Chauffeur, Fireplex, Ruxpin, Semi, spaceman, Whirlybird, Wood, Woodstock / Leave a Comment / Aegis, DE, Georgetown / By Jason Dypsky

QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama

20 seal jacks i/c
20 seal waves i/c
20 plank jacks i/c
Side shuffle around circle, switch facing direction halfway
10 hip circles each direction oyo
15 Michael Phelps i/c
15 mountain man pooper i/c
Toy Soldier halfway around circle, lt dan the other half

The Thang

Patriot run to Ruxpin’s distillery by the way by the railroad tracks

15 hanging knees raises oyo

Mosey to field by church

Ultimate frisbee – 2 teams of 5
Turn overs – 5 merkins. Total – a lot!
Touch downs – 5 burpees. Total – 30, 35

3rd F

WHY DOGS LIVE LESS THAN HUMAN

Here’s the surprising answer of a 6 year old child.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that dogs’ lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, ”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be faithful.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

That’s the secret of happiness that we can learn from a good dog.

Mosey back to circle

Number Rama
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

10 HIM showed today: Semi, Woodstock, Chattahoochee, Fireplex, Whirlybird, Wood, Bunt, Chauffer, Ruxpin, Spaceman

Hair Of The Dog Or Maybe Just A Feather From Woodstock?

Bunt, Chauffeur, Drago, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin, Streudel / Leave a Comment / CHOP, Milton, DE / By Johnny Hopkins

Date: 12/05/2023

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Pax: Bunt, Chauffer, Drago, Fireplex, Probe, Ruxpin & Streudel

Warm up

SSH – 20 IC

Windmills – 20 IC

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Moroccan Night Clubs – 30 IC

Hydraulic Squats -10 IC

The Thang

Grab a block and run around Strawberry alley back to the CHOP parking lot. Pax will complete 20 Merkins each side with one hand on the block. Pax will utilize the block and the curb to complete 20 abyss merkins. Pax will complete a Lt Dan for approx. 50 yards up the hill toward Strawberry Alley utilizing the block before moseying around the block back to the CHOP parking lot for 20 American Hammers double count with the blocks followed by 20 Big Boy Sit-ups with the blocks. Leaving that pain station each Pax will complete a 50 yard murder bunny up the hill toward the Strawberry Alley corner with the block before moseying around the block back to the CHOP parking lot. A break was taken for the F3 Message. All Pax will mosey up the hill to Mill Street stopping at the corner to complete a Bolt 45 set with the block in cadence. Pax will continue the Mosey around the block from Mill Street back to CHOP parking lot where each Pax will complete 10 Alabama Ass Kickers and 10 Blockees.

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

F3 Message – 12/05/2023

THE PAYOFF FOR THE PAIN – #3867

Tuesday, November 6, 2001

When our son was playing high school football, he looked like the tattooed man at the circus, with bruises all over his body. He always dreamed of playing football. And he had his dream, but he paid a price. As soon as practices started in August, the coaches had those players running ’til they almost dropped, and hitting, and tackling, and straining, and sweating. Some guys quit because it was just too much. Finally, the season began – and his team started winning – a lot. I remember one incredibly rowdy victory celebration on the bus home after they had managed this 20-0 shutout. He had weighed the pain of playing against the pleasure. What he concluded may help you weigh yours.

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

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Romans 8:17-18 – written by a man with plenty of bruises for taking his stand. But when he weighs the pain of his commitment against the pleasure of the payoff, there’s no comparison. Paul say, “We are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Now that was the conclusion of spiritual warrior Paul. Now here’s what our football player concluded when he weighed the pain against the payoff. He told me, “Dad, the feeling of victory is worth all those hours of practice. You didn’t think so when you’re slugging it out in practice, but it is.” Same conclusion. The victory more than makes the pain worth it. But there is one major difference between his equation of football-suffering and Paul’s equation of suffering for Christ.

Our son said, “Unfortunately, the pleasure of winning doesn’t last very long.” That was true–15 hours of practice a week for a few hours of joy. But when it comes to the pain-and-victory comparison in Christ, the opposite is true. Paul said any hurt we have here is like minutes compared to the forever celebration of victory we’re going to enjoy.

But right now you’re in practice, and you don’t feel very victorious. It hurts. You’re under a lot of pressure; you’re trying to do what’s right but it doesn’t seem to be working. And maybe God has trusted you with the assignment to show His joy and His love in the midst of physical suffering. Or perhaps you’re paying a price for the stand you’re taking. It’s tempting to compromise, to back off, maybe to give in to despair, or even to quit.

Remember, God will record your faithfulness so He can reward your faithfulness 100 times over! If you decide what to do based on comfort or convenience, you will never know the thrill of ultimate victory.

Our son said the suffering was “worth it all.” Those words make me think of the values-clarifying words of a great old hymn. “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So gladly run the race ’till we see Christ.”

That kind of outlook enabled the Apostle Paul to have a very different perspective on his hurts. He says in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And then in verse 37, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!”

So take the hits that you’re getting in practice right now. The victory will be so glorious you will soon forget the wounds. Don’t quit now. The practice is just a little while – the party is forever!

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex