14 PAX posted at the Aegis AO in Georgetown for a D-Day inspired workout by Chappie that went a little something like this…
WARM-O-RAMA
SSH – 18 IC
IW – 18 IC
Cherry Picker – 10 IC
SwartzJack – 18 IC
MNC – 18 IC
PATRIOT RUN– for 2 reasons:
1) Today is 76th Anniversary of D-Day!
2) We should NEVER be ashamed to fly it high! And fly it high we should!
>>>To County Bank Steps (We’ll chalk that one up as practice…know what YHC means?)
Who said that? “Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory! Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. ~Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, 6 June 1944.
Workout: PAX Plank, each, in turn goes to top & back down. (1 rotation)
PATRIOT RUN:
>>>To School Field:
Almost nothing went exactly as planned on June 6, 1944. In the end, partly due to poor weather and visibility, bombers failed to take out key artillery, particularly at Omaha Beach. Many paratroopers were dropped far off their marks and became vulnerable to German snipers. And during the land invasion, a critical fleet of marine tanks sunk in stormy seas and failed to make it ashore. Despite the setbacks, Allied troops pushed through and by pure grit, got the job done.
Workout:
Round 1: Low-Crawl to 1st Sidewalk (get low!)
LZ Jumps (Squat Jump, Parachute Landing Fall style w/feet & knees together) – 33 Single Count
Merkins – 33 SC
Round 2: Run For Cover! (He sees you, get down! & low-crawl | Run for cover!, get up and run) from 1st SW to 4th SW and back. Snipe got YHC on this one, ankle’s still a little stiff but only because Chauffeur asked about it!
Round 3: Low-Crawl to start
LZ Jumps – 33 SC (Squat Jumps PLF style)
Hand-Release Merkins – 33 SC (Brutal, but when you’re ready to quite, remember they didn’t – Burp if you need a break/rest)
YHC Omaha’d the rest of the field workout due to time constraints, time to move!
PATRIOT WOSEY:
>>>Around corner to School Parking Lot:
French businessman Bernard Marie was 5 years old and living in Normandy on June 6, 1944. He remembers before the Allied invasion, he and his friends could not go out and play on the beaches because “Mother couldn’t trust anybody. So, for me, everybody wearing a uniform was a bad guy.” Bernard Marie recalls when the shooting was done. He heard his mother outside yelling, so he and his grandfather ran upstairs to follow her. “I will never forget,” he says, “She was hugging a soldier! I could not understand that. For me it was a bad guy. So she called me to come and said, ‘These soldiers are good, they’ve come to save us.'” To this day, Bernard Marie is grateful to that soldier—and to all the veterans who fought to liberate France from the Nazis. “The most important thing for any human being is freedom,” he says. “We cannot forget the 6th of June.”
Workout:
Advance & Retreat – PAX took turns calling Advance! or Retreat! for length of parking lot (kinda like suicides but not…)
Advance! – mosey forward
Retreat !– nuR back
PATRIOT RUN: (With a self-imposed punishment run by Quattro who everyone else thought was running ahead to get pics. No pics, but it did bring an important life lesson: Pay attention to details. Lol! Accelerating man!
>>>To Armory:
PAX acknowledged family members who fought in WWII, especially D-Day. Some of those mentioned…
Chauffeur’s grandfather, somewhere in the crowd
Quattro’s grandfather (L), SPC James H. Baxter Jr.
Chappie’s grandfather, CPL William Goodwin
We’ve done a lot of 33 reps today. Explanation: Done to honor YHC’s grandfather, CPL William Goodwin, who jumped into Normandy with his 508th PIR (Red Devil Regiment (82nd Airborne). They fought for the next 33 days in and around Chef-du-Pont before being sent back to England and preparing to jump again in Holland (Operation Market Garden).
Workout:
(Start at curb) Bearcrawl to top of steps – 33 American (of course!) Hammers, return… (again YHC cut out the rinse & repeat which included: 33 X’s & O’s & 33 Gas Pumpers (4-count)
PATRIOT RUN:
>>>Return to AO at WWII Memorial:
Other quotes:
“We’ll start the war from right here!” ~ Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Assistant Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, upon finding that his force had been landed in the wrong place on Utah Beach. (Yes, that’s who you think it is)
“I took chances on D-Day that I never would have taken later in the war.” ~First Sgt. C. Carwood Lipton, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division. (Band of Brothers)
PAX circled up for the COT around the WWII Memorial
Number-Rama
Name-O-Rama
Named FNG: Welcome to Ruxpin’s 2.0, Peyton (now F3 Peddles)
Announcements & Prayers
A huge welcome back to Summit! We’ve missed you! Great to have you in the ranks again, brother. As always, YHC is grateful and humbled by the opportunity to lead these awesome HIM. Always inspired to hear the stories of WWII veteran’s from our own families as well. Let’s live lives that honor the sacrifices of those from the Greatest Generation.
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Windmills – 15 IC
Burp & Merk – Burpee with Ascending Merkins up to 10
Chilly Jacks – 25 IC
20 lunges (10 each Leg) – OYO
20 split Jacks (10 each Leg) – OYO
The Thang
B.O.M.B.S. – 50 Burpees, 100 Overhead Claps, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy Sit-ups, 250 Squats. PAX partnered up and worked on exercises while their partner ran a “Chairman Lap” out the back driveway of the CHOP parking lot, left toward Union Street, and then left back to the CHOP. The distance per circuit is approximately .25 miles. Pax switched off with their partner after each lap. Each PAX completed their half of the listed exercises before moving on to the next exercise. The entire “Thang” was complete before a break was taken for the 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.
F3 Message 02/04/20 – From Ron Hutchcraft Ministries
A BUCKET OF WATER, OR A THREE-ALARM FIRE – #7744
I’m a tornado and hurricane kind of guy. I mean I don’t like them but, I’ve lived where you learn about those things. I’m not an earthquake kind of guy. I’ve never lived where those mattered much. But when I was in San Francisco, I was where earthquakes are a big deal! Most people there still have dramatic stories to tell about what happened during that big quake in 1989, the one that interrupted the 3rd game of the World Series. Some of the heaviest damage and injury was in the Marina District of San Francisco.
Well, actually, I was doing a youth radio program back then, and we went there to record part of it. In fact, we were right on the comer of Beach Street and Divisadero where several buildings collapsed or burned, including one that had been totally consumed by fire. One of the neighbors described the scene for us, one very different from this quiet neighborhood with beautiful rebuilt homes. The night of the quake was total chaos. This neighbor described that awful fire with the unbearable heat that had destroyed the building on the other comer. He said, “The fire started out with a gas leak. It was small. If I could have gotten over there, I literally could have put it out with a bucket of water. But then it started to spread and pretty soon there was no way to stop it.”
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “A Bucket of Water, or a Three-Alarm Fire.”
God believes in fighting fires when they’re small, when you can still put them out with a bucket of water. He talks about it in Ephesians 4:26-27, our word for today from the Word of God, and some of the most insightful verses in the Bible for preserving relationships. Here’s what God says, “In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Could it be that you have let a fire smolder in some relationship in your life? Let it go, let it grow and you will have a blaze on your hands you cannot control.
Maybe there is a strained relationship in your life right now, between you and your mate, or you and a child, you and a co-worker, you and your parent, you and a spiritual brother or sister. Maybe there’s trouble in your marriage and so often, honestly, it’s the guy who’s the last to admit that anything’s wrong. Men – let’s face it – tend to be postponers when it comes to dealing with relationship difficulties. But I’m telling you, the fire isn’t going to stay the same size. Relationships of all kinds burn down when someone lets the small fire just go, until it becomes this uncontrollable inferno that can do so much damage.
In fact, the Bible says that when you let conflict or strain or anger go longer than a day, you literally give the devil himself a place to get into your relationship. Four verses later, in Ephesians 4:31, God lists the kind of ugly things that come from letting relationship fires go unaddressed: “All bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, every form of malice.” Look, can you see some of those flames maybe right now growing in a relationship of yours.
Don’t wait another day to do something about the fire. It’s as small now as it’s ever going to be. Gently confront what you have to confront, forgive what you have to forgive, apologize for what you need to apologize for, and overlook what you have to overlook, but deal with whatever is between you, whatever is breaking or broken.
Because I’ll tell you this, the devil is standing there with his gasoline can ready to pour gasoline on that fire so everyone involved will get burned. You need to come running with whatever water it will take to put it out now. A bucket of water now is a whole lot better than a 3-alarm fire later.
Ssh Seal wave Cherry picker Capri lap around upper parking lot Side shuffle out, nur across, side shuffle in, and mosey across Windmill Plank Jack Seal Jack 2nd capri lap around upper parking lot Side shuffle out, nur across, side shuffle in, and mosey across
THE THANG
Each HIM grabs a coupon and pairs up with another HIM lined up between the light poles.
Each pair will wheelbarrow to other center parking line half of pax does 10 burpees while the other half does 15 Swerkins, plank for 6 Wheelbarrow back to light pole line Other half of pax does 10 burpees while the other half does 15 swerkins, plank for 6
3rd F
Coupon barrow to other parking line 15 Abyss merkins Coupon barrow back to light pole line 15 Wide Merkins Coupon barrow halfway to other parking line and switch with partner and continue to parking line 25 Coupon squats Return Coupons to stack and return to parking line. Dragon crawl to light pole line 40 lbcs
Playboys 10 count each leg (to keep the sniper off our back)
Pretzel Merkins 7 each arm IC (once called Yoga-bare Merkin)
the Thang:
Mosey around the block (because what’s a block party without it!)
Grab a pair of coupons, meet at the edge of parking lot
Coupon crawl across grass to first cone, plank for 6
10 Abyss Blerkin
Coupon crawl to second cone, plank for 6
20 incline Bigboys holding 1 block
Coupon crawl to next cone plank for 6
30 Block presses
Coupon crawl to sidewalk
Colt 45s IC single count
Gather at Skreet light for 3rd F
Exodus 17: 8-16
Read devotional from Turning Point Ministries:
In today’s reading, we find the nation of Israel engaged in combat with the Amalekites. While Joshua led the troops, Moses went up onto a hill overlooking the battlefield and, in an attitude of prayer, observed the action. The Lord gave the Israelites success as long as Moses’ arms were raised, but whenever he lowered them, the enemy gained the advantage. So Aaron and Hur helped him to maintain the posture that assured victory.
This historical account teaches an important lesson for every believer: Life’s battles are won or lost in the place of prayer. We may think that conflicts are decided on the battlefield, but victory depends on children of God coming before their Father and seeking His face. It is not the size of our army or the strength of our opponents’ forces that ultimately determines the outcome. When we spend time alone with God, we will be equipped by the One who knows the end from the beginning and understands the reality of all circumstances, regardless of appearances.
God foresees every snare and temptation of Satan just as He discerns what people are thinking and plotting. So it is wise to trust His battle plan instead of our own instincts—and we can do so with confidence that we will not suffer defeat.
Faith will allow you to keep your eyes focused on the Lord, even in the midst of frightening circumstances. When you acknowledge Him as the source of everything you need, your sense of direction will become clear. No matter what enemy is facing you, God will reveal what needs to be done.
Wosey Double-time back to the coupon magazine to re-stack coupons
Welsh remained in parking lot stay in plank position the whole time. Bear crawl forward 4 steps, do 1 merkin, 1 plank jack, and tap the BACK of each shoulder 1 time. Repeat adding 1 rep to each exercise each time – bear crawl forward 4 steps, do 2 merkins, 2 plank jacks, 2 sets of back of shoulder taps… etc. Go until you get to 10 reps each
Chairman lap– Took lap around block
Doracides
Dora’s twin sister and she is a lil’ cray cray. Use the same concept as the regular Dora, 2 PAX work together to reach cumulative exercise goals of 100, 200, 300, and 400 reps. The difference comes in the sprint, instead of running 100 yards you will do suicides instead. 1 PAX member will execute as many reps as possible while PAX 2 sprints to cone 1 (or use a pole, tree, etc. for your point of turnaround), 1 burpee, sprint back to partner, touch, sprint to cone 2, 2 burpees, sprint back to partner, touch, sprint to cone 3, 3 burpees, sprint back, switch with partner. PAX member picks up where PAX member doing the exercises left off.
· 100 merkins
· 200 LBC
· 300 squats
· 400 Overhead air-presses
F3 Message
We just celebrated the New Year 2020. Rougly 41 % of all Americans make New Years resolutions, and only 4% of those will actually stick to their resolutions. Failure overtakes the new year new you mentality, and before you know it, here we are again a whole year youfailed to commit to something. everyone has failures. most successful people aren’t those that have never failed. Rather, after they failed, learned from their mistakes. Just like the stats prove most americans will set goals and they will start out really well but temptation creeps in and they will slip a little, and they will slip a little more, and then before you know it resolution 2019 gets labeled as a year characterized by failure. And you find yourself by february with the “Well 2019 i didnt stick to my resolution but next year I will do something about it” Praise the Lord that God does not think the same way about us. You see his mercies are new everyday. Everyone fails but the fact is that God will forgive us immediately. We no longer have to wallow in our shame and despair. If we believe in Christ we are still going to make mistakes and be riddled by failures but the fact remains, God loves us unconditionally and we don’t have to wait until the New Year to resolve our problems.
Through the Lord ’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3: 22-25
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
12 men braved the 16 degrees for a 12 days of Christmas beatdown. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Warm up – IC
SSH- 15
Arm circles – 15 fwd. 15 back.
Squats – 15
Cherry picker- 15
Imperial Walker- 15
The Thang-
Mosey around block and come back to CHOP. ParkingLot
For 12 days of Christmas …(do in format of the timeless classic Christmas song )
1- side shuffles from pole to pole and mosey back to start for 1-6 , lt Dan back for 7-12..
2- burpees 1
3- hand release merkins 2,1
4- side straddle hop IC 3, 2,1
5- tricep dips- 4,3,2,1
6- mountain climbers ….5,4,3,2,1
Break for 3rd F
7- American hammers ….
8- good form merkins …
9- little baby crunches ….
10- alternating lunges ….
11- big boy sit ups ….
12- deep squats …
A little surprise for round 12….. we finished with 12 of EACH exercise
Name A Rama
COT
3rd F-
Duty Is Yours, Results Are God’s
By Jason Benham, Jul 10, 2019
John Quincy Adams once said, after losing case after case after case in a seemingly hopeless cause to set the slaves free, “Duty is mine, results are God’s.”
This sums up what every person should believe concerning the thing God wants them to do. We can’t focus on results, otherwise we’ll deal at the level of the mind and not the heart – we’ll try to figure out how to make the thing happen, when God wants us to just put our faith in Him and trust Him with our hearts.
A statement from the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:22 echoes this – “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there….”
Check this out:
“And now I am on my way to building this business, not knowing how it’s going to turn out.”
“And now I am going to have another baby, not knowing how I’m going to feed her.”
“And now I am going to tell the truth, not knowing if it’s going to cost my job.”
“And now I am going to expose the lie, not knowing what’s going to happen to my reputation.”
“And now I am going to stand and fight, not knowing if I will win or lose.”
See how this works – all we have to do is our duty, the one given to us by God. Let Him handle the rest. He’ll take care of the results.
When you keep your focus on God you will continue to operate at the level of the heart, which is where faith is found. You can trust Him, you don’t ever have to worry about the results.
The Thang – 12 Days of Christmas or Doce dias de Navidad to keep with the “Quattro” theme…..:)…. Exercise set courtesy of Quattro’s M….
Each exercise was completed and repeated in descending order just as the Twelve days of Christmas Song would be sung. You get the idea. After reaching the eighth exercise, we took a break for the third F provided by Quattro….see F3 Message below…. Once the beatdown resumed, we jumped to the twelfth exercise and worked our way down to #1 after-which we jogged our block back to the pile.
1– 30 sec Plank with a run around the Church before adding the next exercise on the list of twelve.
2 – 4 count Mountain Climbers
3 – Overhead block presses
4 – Glute Bridges
5 – Burpees
6 – Donkey kicks
7 – Split jacks
8 – 4 count SSH
9 – Curtsy lunges
10 – Block swings
11 – Full motion squats
12 – Block dead-lifts
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 – Quattro
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.
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!
A dirty dozen PAX won THAT FIRST BATTLE, gave their fartsack a beatdown, and posted for the first beatdown of the week on an amazing 63 degree day in December!
If you can’t figure out the beatdown from the title, then read on. If you have children at home, you get the reference. If you were 1 of the 12 HIM who posted, then you know…
WARM-O-RAMA:
Disclaimer given
SSH – 18 IC (Because many men are 18″ from life eternal)
Swartzjacks – 10 IC (Because, well, it’s the 10th of December)
Sealjacks – 10 IC
Crab Flippers – 10 IC…Nice and slow for full effect
Patty Cake Merkins – 10 OYO (w/partner)
Bolt 45 – No complaint breaks in between – Squats: 15 – Top to half, 15 – Half to bottom, 15 – Top to bottom
THE THANG:
PAX stayed paired up, each pair retrieved a 40# sandbag and lined up at the edge of the Grace Church field. Approximately 150 yards in length, PAX alternated between doing 10 Burpees & the Sand Bear Drag (planked over the sandbag, PAX Bearcrawled and pulled the sandbag forward) while advancing the entire length of the field. “Sand Bear, Sand Bear, what do you see? I see the opposite end of the field looking at me.”
Partner 1: 10 Burpees
Partner 2: Sand Bear Drag
Swap, rinse & repeat as necessary
To return from opposite end of the field, PAX swapped out from 10 Apollo Ohno’s to Burpees while advancing the length of the field in return. “Sand Bear, Sand Bear, what do you see? I see the opposite end of the field looking at me.”
Partner 1: 10 Apollo Ohno’s
Partner 2: Sand Bear Drag
Swap, rinse & repeat as necessary
————————-
Back in the AO parking lot, PAX circled up for the day’s 3rd F Message:
(Source: Adapted from F3 Nation QSource Nov. 20)
COMMITMENT – Unwavering Loyalty To The Group And Unflinching Determination To Accomplish It’s Mission
Loyalty requires abandonment of self
How important is commitment to you?
Are you someone who values loyalty and follow-through? When things get tough, are you in the habit of standing firm? Or do you have a tendency to compromise your level of commitment or even quit? More specifically, how committed are you to your team? Is your support solid? Is your dedication undeniable?
WAYS to improve your level of commitment . . .
1) TIE COMMITMENTS TO YOUR VALUES. Because your values and your ability to fulfill your commitments are closely related, take some time to reflect on them.
First, make a list of your personal and professional commitments. Then try to articulate your core values.
Once you have both lists, compare them. You will probably find that you have commitments unrelated to your values. Reevaluate them. You will also find that you have values that you are not living out. Commit yourself to them.
2) TAKE A RISK Being committed involves risk. You may fail. Your teammates may let you down. You may discover that fulfilling your goals doesn’t give you the results you desire. But take the risk of committing anyway. George Halas, former owner of the NFL Chicago Bears, asserted, “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.”
3) EVALUATE TEAMMATES’ COMMITMENT If you find it difficult to commit in particular relationships and you cannot find a reason for it in yourself, consider this: you cannot make a commitment to uncommitted people and expect to receive a commitment from them (Emphasis added). Examine the relationship(s), team, group to see whether YOU are reluctant because the potential recipient is uncommitted (maybe even untrustworthy).
4) INCREASE YOUR LEVEL OF COMMITMENT AND STAND FIRM ON MATTERS RELATED TO YOUR VALUES Loyalty is firm, and constant support and allegiance manifested, through the subordination of one’s own well-being to the Prosperity of the Group. A Loyal person puts the interest of his Group and the needs of its Members before his own. In his decision making, he is concerned first with the impact a course of action will have on the Group and only secondarily upon himself. His relationship with his Group and its Members is that of a fiduciary, in that he is charged with a special duty of Trust that obligates him to safeguard the groups Prosperity in everything he does.
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
1 Kings 8:61 Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men
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Next PAX circled up with sandbags & bricks: 1 PAX on Sandbag, 1 PAX on a brick, sandbag, brick, sandbag, brick, etc. (you get the idea). PAX rotated counter-clockwise around the circle alternating between Sandbags & Bricks:
Sandbags = 10 Sandbag Squats
Bricks = 10 Merkins (touch chest to the brick to work on full form)
Final stops of bags & bricks = 20 reps each
Total = 70 reps Sandbag Squats, 70 reps Merkins
One final COP: Al Gore for a couple of 10 Counts
With that, it was a wrap! Sand Bear, Sand Bear, what do you see? I see the end of the workout looking at me!
COT/BOM:
Announcements: Plan B has been activated for this year’s F3 first State Christmas Party – We’re moving to Irish Eyes, Friday, Dec. 13 @ 7 pm. Come one, come all. Thanks to Chairman for taking the lead on making the reservations call! Dec. 21-22 Crossroad Christmas (See Quattro for the skinny on the times)
Prayers: Streudel’s M, Lisa, biopsy today. Danielle, continued prayers thru her battle. Aaron, Chappie’s nephew deployed. Vanilla, continued prayers for health for entire family recovering from colds and flu. Prayers for all PAX to check their commitment levels.
Always an honor and painful pleasure to Q. Shout out to the Dirty Dozen who posted, and, as Chattahoochee’s shirt said, “Embrace the Suck.” Way to embrace it men!
Why: Why not? You’ll regret not being there if you miss it.
Q&A:
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Not a dime. But each PAX/M is asked to bring a pasta dish of your choice, salad, & dessert (just bring something to share)
Q: BYOB?
A: Drinks will be provided. But booze…I think is BYOB. Check with Ruxpin
Q: When should I RSVP?
A: Yesterday. Since you can’t do that hit up Ruxpin on the GroupMe or DM him so that he and Shawna can start to get a headcount.
Q: What if I have any additional questions not covered here?
A: Reach out to Ruxpin or Chappie in the Gloom or on F# First State FB or IG.
Thanks ahead of time to Ruxpin and his M, Shawna, for hosting this always-a-fun-time event. Let’s get together, celebrate Christmas and another year of F3, and enjoy some 2ndF beyond a morning workout (i.e. lets introduce our families to each other…)
