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.
Warm up. 20 each. SSH. Plank jack. Cherry picker. Windmill. Tempo merkins. Tempo squats. Tempo big boys. (Kinda).
Ultimate football! Like ultimate frisbee. Can only take two steps once caught. If team with possession drops they have to do 2 burpees while opposing team can move down field. When team scores they call out exercise all PAX do BUT the team that got scored on does double the reps! Play for 30 minutes! 3rd F. On the platform we have and I used the Eagles as an example for when they won the Super Bowl and glorified all the glory to God rather than beating their chest.
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.
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.
10 HIM posted at the CHOP in the misty gloom for the dirty dozen circuit course
Date: 9/13/18
QIC: Chattahoochee
WARM UP– 20 SSH, 20 Windmills, 20 Cherrypickers all in cadence followed by 10 arm circles forward 10 backwards OYO
THE THANG– 12 stations set up in the parking lot at the AO
1) weighted run 20 lb weight vest run the back entrance to the street and back the runner was the timer for the other stations.
2) Dips on the bench
3) Box jumps
4) Slosh pipe lunges
5) Flutter kicks
6) Rowing Merkins with 15 lb dumbells
7) Squats
8) Bearcrawl
9) Abyss Merkins
10) WWII situps
11) Burpee
12) Tire flip
We completed 2 complete rounds
Message for the day was a poem by
Robert J. Robicheau titled the Eleventh of September.
COT: Prayers for Chairmans mother, All of the people in the path of Florence, Waterfall and family , Leatherman and Ruxpins Ms in their upcoming women’s retreat
It was truly the Gloom for this workout–parking lot lights were not functioning and on top of that the fog was swimmable. The Gloom lived up to its name for this 9/11 workout. YHC was honored to Q it for that reason, along with the fact that it’s youngest 2.0’s 16th birthday. Here’s how it went down:
Disclaimer given
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH – 9 IC, 11 IC
GofMerkins – 9 OYO, 11 OYO
Rev. Lunge – 9 OYO, 11 OYO
Seal Jack – 9 IC, 11 IC
Plank Jack – 9 IC, 11 IC
Windmill – 9 IC, 11 IC
Calf Raises – 9 OYO, 11 OYO
The Thang:
So…we have this log at the CHOP. A log purchased just for F3 workouts, but one we tend to avoid because, well, THAT SUCKER IS HEAVY! (Guesstimation from a log measuring app–yes, it exists!–is about 250 lbs.) Well, avoid it no longer, we finally got the logoutfor this workout. Mosey to the other side of the parking lot to get the log and pickup a few Cindy’s too. Here’s a pic of what it looked like:
8 PAX: 4 on the log, and 4 on Mary – Switch after each round of 11x reps on the Log (L to R, R to L = 1 Rep – shoulder to shoulder)
Log to Mary AMRAP:
Dolly
American Hammer
E2k – 11 each leg, switch AMRAP
Flutter Kicks – courtesy called by Chattahoochee
Took a breather here for 3rd F Message: YHC briefly shared how his youngest was born. When his M conceived the due date for their 3rd 2.0 was 9/11/02, the one year anniversary of the attacks. Simon, was actually born on his due date, and YHC shared how that blessing actually put a new face and a new outlook on the day. The interesting part was that he (2.0 Simon) was born at home. THAT was NOT the plan. Long story short, after some miscommunication with the hospital (2x!), 911 was called and Simon was born while 6 first responders looked on, and 2 church deaconesses delivered him. One of the first responders was an ordained minister heading to the Pentagon later in the day to marry a couple who’d survived the attacks there the year before. What a start to the day! And what a wonderful blessing! Now for the planned 3rd Word: The mission of F3, represented by the shovel-flag at every AO is: To plant, grow, and serve small workout groups of men for the invigoration of male community leadership.
Invigorating leadership is our bread & butter. Because of that and because of ongoing commitment to F3 and gaining ground in our own leadership abilities, we tend to have our ears tuned to leadership talk and leadership principles whenever and wherever we hear them.
The idea, however, is to put what we hear and what we learn into practice. After all, “LEADERSHIP IS AN ACTION, NOT A POSITION.”
One of the leadership concepts I heard recently on a GoRuck video caused me to stop the tape, back it up, and listen to it again so I could write it down (and share it with you guys). Plus, if I write something down I’m more prone to remember it, and, therefore, more apt to apply it. Here’s what caught my ear:
“In order to have high performing teams, you have to have high performing individuals who are selfless and committed to the cause.”
[WE CERTAINLY THINK ABOUT THE FIRST RESPONDERS ON 9/11 AS HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS/INDIVIDUALS.]
First things first: Are YOU a high performing individual? Do you represent your team well? Do you represent your community well, as a high performing individual?
Secondly, and this applies to each member of a team, whether they’re the leader of the team or not; if you’re going to be a high performing individual as part of a high performing team, you must check your ego (because, likely, it ain’t about you), and, as they say, you gotta get in the zone!
If you want the guy to your right and the guy to your left to be guys who are aware of the standards and take those standards to the next higher level, then YOU have to be the guy on their left or right who’s aware of the standards and takes those standards to the next higher level. This means [to the best of your ability] knowing what is ahead of you and being prepared for it — physically, mentally, spiritually, materially, etc.
Scripture records that “iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17); we’re all familiar with that verse, but the outcome is obvious: that of becoming a high performing tool (a sharp team member, husband, father, athlete, community leader, etc.) because YOU sharpen and are being sharpened. High performing teams could also be likened to the “chord of three strands that is not easily broken” (Ecc. 4:12). Each strand performs at a standard, if you will, when he is selfless and committed to the cause. HOME causes? CHURCH causes? WORKPLACE causes? COMMUNITY causes?
No matter the cause, be a high performing member by finding out the standards, upholding them, AND taking them to the next higher level. Aye?
*Changed Log reps to 9x
Gas Pumpers
LBC’s
Both groups of 4 PAX got in their fair share of rounds on the log (6 rounds); seems to YHC that the last round we might have been going down, ducking under the log, rather than actually lifting it up from shoulder to shoulder… Time for one last set of Mary. PAX partnered up for…
Cindy Sit-ups/Block Big-boys: 9x (PAX interlocked feet to perform big-boys while exchanging Cindy back and forth when in the up position)
That’s a wrap – time to logout!
COT/BOM:
Announcements: Later today at Crossroads a special “5 to 10” service with 1st Responders in memory of 9/11, 10 am; Delmarva Christian School fundraiser, Oct. 5; Grace Church Father/Son Campout, Oct. 5-6
Prayers: Several items entrusted to the Lord of behalf of the HIM present.
Anybody else’s shoulders screaming? Whew! Great push by HIM, men who I’d call High Performing Individuals. And yes, it’s ’bout time we use that log. Fartsackers, y’all missed out! Think we might have to name her!
9/6/2018. Nugget on Q. 7 HIM posted for a beat down in Milton, DE.
Warm up.
20 SSH.
15 cherry pickers.
15 windmills.
Patriot run with the flag ((for election today) with last man doing 1 burpee before he runs to front of line), to Spruce St. for first of 3 ‘story time chats’.
***Instead of one third F message I broke it up into 3 story time chats where i gave some personal background and thoughts on how we can be HIM in our home, businesses, community etc, while we all held a squat.
Patriot run plus burpee to baseball field for 2nd story time chat/squat.
Patriot run to water tower hill for pain station on hill.
All IC. Bear crawl up hill. At top do 10-4ct big boys while declined. Then do 10–4 ct flutter kicks while inclined. Do 10–4 ct inclined merkins. Then 10–4 ct declined merkins. Crawl bear down hill.
Patriot run to fire hall for final story time chat/squat.
The Super 21 as it appears in the Exicon. 1 Merkin to 1 Big Boy Sit up. 2 Merkins to 2 Big Boy Sit-ups. 3 Merkins to 3 Big Boy Sit-ups, etc., etc., etc. But wait there is a twist….after each set completed of #1 though #5 complete 21 Imperial Walkers. After each set completed of #6 through #10 complete 21 Mountain Climbers. After each set completed of # 11 through #15 complete 21 Monkey Humpers. After each completed set of #16 through #20 complete 21 Prisoner Squats. After the final set of 21 Merkins & 21 Big Boys then finish strong with 21 Burpees.
Q received multiple reports of the loss of “Rump Skin” due to PAX choice of completing the set on the asphalt instead of the available wet grass that was just steps away. I think our FNG dodged the bullet on this one when he received his F3 name…:)…Welcome Ruxpin…..
F3 Message
Q spoke about several characteristics of leadership as gleaned from an article by Thomas A. Merrill as it appears on fireengineering.com. “Mr. Merill is a 35-year fire department veteran and a former chief of the Snyder Fire Department in Amherst, New York. He is a fire commissioner for the Snyder Fire District. He served 26 years as a department officer including 15 years in the chief officer ranks. Merrill recently completed five years as chief of department. He has conducted various fire service presentations throughout the Western New York area as well as at FDIC. He also is a fire dispatcher for the Amherst (NY) Fire Alarm Office.” Mr. Merrill stated that ” it is important for leaders to exercise good judgement and strive to lead their department in a positive manner; otherwise, so much of what I call wasted energy is invested in leadership quandaries that can truly bog down an organization and prevent good work from getting done. It can also cause good people to leave.” This observation can be applied to any business, group or organization. Mr. Merrill went on to identify 8 “must have” traits that all leaders should possess. The first is ownership and responsibility for any success or failure. The ability to admit mistakes, be accountable, and move forward. The second is consistency. “A good leader will do jobs for which he is responsible in a consistent and regular manner, all while maintaining a positive attitude. The third is being tired. “All leaders should expect to be tired. Simply, if you are doing your job as a leader, you will be tired.” You may need to put in the extra time and effort to accomplish tasks with excellence. The fourth is a positive example. “All great leaders have learned to lead by their own personal example. “Learn to lead by the power of your example, not by examples of your power.” The fifth trait is organization. “All leaders need to develop an organizational plan that works for them. Find a system that works for you and strive to be as organized as possible.” The sixth is Integrity. “People are watching you all the time; they pay attention to what you say and how you handle yourself. Once it’s lost you may never get it back. A leader without integrity is certainly not a professional in any organization.” The seventh identified trait of a great leader is honesty. “Coupled with integrity, honesty is equally as important. Don’t ever think your people won’t know if you lie to them. Similar to losing integrity, once you are branded a liar, it sticks to you forever and your people will lose all trust and confidence in you. It’s okay to not have an answer to a question. It’s okay to not know how to do something. It’s not okay to make up answers and pretend to be something you are not. Be upfront and honest with your membership at all times, and don’t ever lie to them.” The last trait identified by Mr. Merill is trust. “All good leaders are trustworthy. Your members must know that you have their backs at all times. They need to know that when you tell them you will do something or get an answer for them, you will follow through and do it. Learn to gain your members trust, and more importantly, work hard to maintain it.”
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, possessed all of the traits identified by Mr. Merill and so many more. As a leader and teacher he was judged and scrutinized mercilessly. He humbly served and provided the ultimate sacrifice in laying down his life so that we might have the opportunity to choose everlasting life. Is he your President, Chief, Chairman, CEO…..??
James 3:1 New King James Version (NKJV) 1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
James 4:10 New King James Version (NKJV)10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Matthew 20:26 New King James Version (NKJV)26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Welcome to FNG (Ruxpin). Prayers the Savini Family, Betts Family, and Sanders. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers as we go about the business of being HIM.
What happens when you buy sidewalk chalk at Family Dollar (not a commercial) and pick up a prescription next door at Walgreen’s (not a commercial)? You discover a yet-to-be-minted F3 pain station. YHC couldn’t believe these two walls separated by about a 20′ alley-way had somehow been overlooked for the past 2+ years, even after working out in and around the parking lot so many times. How’d we miss this grand station of a beatdown location? Who knows! YHC noticed it a few weeks ago and could hardly wait to get his Q on and personally introduce it (like a new found friend) to the rest of the PAX from the Milton Mustard Seed CHOP AO – Semper anticus! Well, this little “canyon” or “valley” IS ON THE MAP NOW! YHC will tell you all about it. In meantime, what say ye, men? Shall we call it The Valley of the Shadow of Death (even though there really was no “walk” through it) or Death Valley(because it was so doggone hot and there was no air)? The place will live up to its name either way. Here’s what it looked like after the Gloom — YHC had to go back and get a shot for this post:
Well, call it what you will…here’s how it all went down:
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH – 18 IC
MNC – 15 IC
Shell Picker, Crab Flipper, Cherry Picker – 10 IC
Hillbillies – 18 IC
Flying Squirrel – 10 OYO
Calf Raise (toes in) – 20 OYO
Calf Raises (toes out) – 20 OYO
The Thang:
Mosey to the new station (The Valley of the Shadow of Death or Death Valley): Steady Mosey interchanged with a Picked-Up Mosey, switching between power poles/light poles all the way to Food Lion parking lot, ending in front of Walgreens:
Between the Walls (in the valley) – all OYO
5 Mike Tysons on one wall
10 Bombjacks in middle of alley
5 Mike Tysons on other wall
15 Burpees in middle, and so on…
5 Mike Tysons
20 MJB’s
5 Mike Tysons
10 Count/Breather (PAX had to get out of the valley because it contained no air!)
Back between the walls…
BTTW – 10 Count
People’s Chair – 10 Count
BTTW – 10 Count
PC, Leg Up (L) – 10 Count
PC, Leg Up (R) – 10 Count
YHC forgot all who counted, but some counts were brutally slow. But, hey, it was in the valley of the shadow…
3rd F Message – a Brief Shared By YHC:
One leadership principle I’ve been pondering lately is this: “OUR REFERENCE POINT IS CRITICAL.”
Years ago I heard someone say that “if the whole world stinks, check your mustache.” The idea being that if there’s some old moldy cheese or other leftover food in your stache and that’s all that you’re able to smell, then from THAT reference point the whole world is going to stink. The metaphor is clear. It may not be the whole world at all; it might be your perspective, the reference point from which you “smell” [see] the world.
HOW WE SEE ANYTHING DEPENDS ON OUR REFERENCE POINT. I shared that thought in a recent sermon, but I think it’s just as applicable here, in F3. In fact, part of what we do here at O-GAWD-THIRTY (the Gloom) just about every day of the week, in some measure gives us a reference point for leadership. We get up very early; that’s the hard thing to do. We Q and prepare workouts and 3rd F messages hoping to inspire one another in spiritually, mentally, and physically in leadership; that’s the hard thing to do. We push ourselves and each other past self-imposed limits; that’s the hard thing to do! And we do all this and more, not just because of the fitness but because it does make us better leaders.
How does all this make us better leaders?
I believe one of the ways it makes us better leaders is that doing the hard stuff gives us a reference point. Let me explain, Mark Batterson mentions that psychologists refer to this as the contrast effect: If you lift a really heavy weight, then lift a lesser weight, it will seem lighter. We do this simply enough by doing really hard workouts. We do this with sandbags and cinderblocks. We do this with our rucks especially — we carry around 40lbs and then when we carry around 30lbs or less and everything else seems lighter. The reference point is the 40lbs or its the hard workout before anything else in the day comes along. Having that reference point is to help us to see things from a different perspective, one that is meant — in terms of leadership — to give us the reference point that just about everything else that follows throughout the day will not seem all that tough or difficult because we’ve already done something incredibly harder by comparison. This, again, is called the “contrast effect.”
The practice of Q’ing a workout also leads to the same outcome: We practice that leadership here regularly, and, in part, that practice carries over where it ought to most (it’s supposed to) — at home, in the workplace, and in the communities in which we serve.
In real life, it might bring about a different reference point after going through difficult circumstances. We are to see them differently after God carries us through them. (Point being that He is the One, then, who actually carried the weight…POINT BEING that Christ must be our reference point.) That’s why we cling to verses like Romans 8:28, “AND WE KNOW THAT GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD…”
Those words of Scripture and the experience or fulfillment of them train us and give us perspective — and how you see anything depends on your reference point. When we’ve been through something, tough circumstances, and we can see how God turned them around for our good, it gives us a new critical reference point. Doing the hard thing here, carrying the extra weight here (in the Gloom) trains our bodies and our minds with the reality of these truths.
Back to work:
YHC’s failed attempt at the Hands of Time (one of his favorites, but its been awhile and he forgot how to do it. Oh well, still got in some ab-burn)
Steady mosey return to the AO.
Meanwhile, back at the AO…
GFerkins (Good Form Merkins) – 10 OYO
Mary, all 9 PAX got in a round but YHC can’t recall all that was chosen
Time’s up, only thing we missed on YHC’s Weinke was a round of Partner Push; next time. It’s all good, the Valley of the Shadow of Death (a.k.a. Death Valley) took a good bit out of us.
Great push by all the PAX.
COT:
Announcements:
Everyone is welcome to join Grace Church’s Warriors for Him men’s ministry for a hot dog cookout at The Home of the Brave this evening at 6. Home of the Brave is a homeless shelter for our veteran’s. Join us for some dogs and a few rounds of cornhole as we serve those who’ve served us.
Thursday Gloom we’ll have a guest Q – Nunchuk will be here serving up the beatdown and getting his F3 Passport stamped; let’s make a good showing in support of our brother from York, SC!
Prayers: Prayed for the substance abuse blanket to be lifted from Sussex County; prayer for others…
BOM
Welcome back Ying Ying, we’ve missed you brother! Good to see you. It was a privilege to lead all the fine HIM who broke the hold of the Fartsack and posted! Humbled and honored to lead the way.
