Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Windmills – 20 IC
Mosey .5 miles to Oh Hill No !
The Thang
Pax completed the modified “HILL”denburg BLIMPS routine at Oh Hill No. We modified the sprint portion to a NUR up and run down Oh Hill No and perform 1st exercise, NUR back up Oh Hill No and run down and perform 1st exercise again. Plank it up until all PAX are in. That completes one round. Rinse and repeat until all 6 Rounds with the exercises as identified below 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. Round #5 and Round #6 were completed back at the CHOP by those that had extra time.
Mosey .5 miles back to CHOP
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
John and Becky were gone when this huge windstorm hit their neighborhood recently. Although no one could be sure a tornado was involved, the winds were clocked at 70 miles an hour. John and Becky told me that when they returned later that day, their street was closed. A huge pine tree had been blown down, and it fell right across the road. Now other kinds of trees had lost some branches, but the wind had actually totally uprooted this evergreen. Well, a neighbor explained to John that it really isn’t that hard to uproot a pine tree – no matter how big it is. Because even though it’s a big tree, it has shallow roots – so it’s relatively easy to bring it down.
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about “Strong Storms And Shallow Roots.”
Now, there are a lot of “pine-tree-Christians”–some even big and beautiful Christians–who have shallow roots. And that’s why they keep falling.
Jesus talked about vulnerable believers in our word for today from the Word of God, Luke 6:46-49. He says, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock (or developed deep roots). When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears My words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation (or had shallow roots). The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Now, that’s two kinds of Christians–just like two kinds of trees: one with deep roots that can withstand a storm and one with shallow roots that gets felled by the storm. With the times we’re living in becoming more stressful and more uncertain–and even dangerous–it’s pretty important to be sure that your commitment to Jesus is deeply rooted.
Shallow spiritual roots come in several varieties. There’s environmental faith–the kind that is strong when you’re in your Christian world but caves in when you’re not. And then there’s second-hand faith. That’s a faith that isn’t really yours firsthand–it’s rooted in your parent’s Christianity, or your church’s faith, or your pastor’s faith, or your Christian friends. There isn’t much really going on directly between you and Jesus. That will never survive a storm.
Stagnant faith–that’s another form of shallow roots. Not much new has happened between you and Jesus for a long time, and consequently, He seems farther–He seems less real than He used to. And when a test or temptation hits, it won’t be enough to keep you standing. And one other kind of “shallow-roots-Christianity”–event faith–the kind that depends on the next spiritual event, the next high, the next big, Christian experience to keep you going. In between, you go into a deep valley. That kind of relationship with Christ is going down eventually.
Jesus’ parable about the two houses is a call to a strong foundation – to deep roots. And He tells us the difference between storm-proof and storm-wrecked faith. It’s not whether or not you know what He says. Both the man whose house stood and the man whose house fell, “heard” what Jesus said. The difference was putting what Jesus said into practice.
The question is, are you regularly getting into God’s word on you own–and then immediately going out and acting on what you read? It’s immediate assimilation of God’s words into real life situations that makes you a little stronger each day. So you read or listen to God’s Word asking these two questions: “What did God just say to me?” and “What am I going to do differently today because of what He said?”
And every time you do that, your roots go a little deeper into Jesus. Meetings won’t do it, theology won’t do it, a great Christian environment won’t do it. It comes from letting Jesus change you through His Word a little bit each day. That is spiritual reality. That is deep roots. The kind that will leave you standing strong no matter how fierce the storm.
Hairy Starfish? What’s with the title? Eh, nothing more than a reference to the typical “hair or the dog” (i.e. a revisit to some of yesterday’s March Merkin Madness with Ruxpin’s first respect! Q ) through YHC’s Starfish workout for today. Here’s how it went down…
First, PAX began with a lot of mumble chatter reflecting on yesterday’s brutality. But hey, they posted so YHC knows they’re up for more!
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH – 18 IC
Windmill – 18 IC
IW – 18 IC
OH Squat Press – 18 IC
Shoulder Tap Merkins – 10 IC (kinda hairy…)
Cherry Pickers – 18 IC (nice and slow, all the way up and clap)
Mosey to Arena’s parking lot…
THE THANG:
The Starfish: 5 cones set up around the parking lot like 5 legs of a starfish, with 1 in the middle. PAX will do specific exercise at each cone, returning to the center cone after each one to do 10 Burpees or 10 Burpjacks. Check it out:
Cone #1: 100 Merkins (Kinda hairy, do sets of 10, 20, 25 or whatever, til you get ’em done)
To center cone: 10 Burpees
Cone #2: 100 LBC’s
Center Cone: 10 Burpjacks
Cone #3: 100 Squats
Center Cone: 10 Burpees
Inserted 3rdF here (see write up below)
Cone #4: 100 Drydocks
Center Cone: 10 Burpjacks
Cone #5: 100 Dips
Center Cone: 10 Burpees
Mosey back to the AO, hitting a Prison Break from the corner…
Among other things, from warm-up to workout that’s a total of 220 Merkins & 50 Burpees
NUMBER-RAMA
COT:
Announcements: ShamRuck family ruck coming Fri. March 18 @ 6:17 pm (likely Georgetown, details TBA)
Prayers: For Bill Sammons and family, especially daughter Ira, fleeing Ukraine to Poland; for Blockbuster in Army Basic Training
Here’s your daily 3rdF:
I’ve been reminiscing a lot since Blockbuster left on Sunday to head to Basic Training at Ft. Jackson. Having served as well of course, I have lots of memories to reminisce about—1 in particular came to my mind as I thought of Blockbuster facing the unknowns and the fears that go along with them.
It had to do with the Lord’s Prayer: After lights-out on the very first night of Basic Training, the DS’s exited the barracks and we all laid there in the dark in total silence in our bunks, not sure what to do or whether to talk or not, etc. After a few minutes of a dark eternity I debated within my own head whether to say the Lord’s Prayer [out loud]. I feared whether anyone would join me. I feared forgetting the words and messing it up. Certainly this first day and night carried its own sort of fears too. Like, what the heck did I get myself into? Finally I just went for it:
Matthew 6:9-13
There in the dark barracks everyone else joined in the beautiful chorus of reciting the Lord’s Prayer together. It’s the Prayer that Jesus taught his disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Mt.6).
He taught them a model of the structure of prayer which was never meant to be a repetitive recitation (used over and over). But that night I think we recited it as a way of not only acknowledging and confessing our fears [corporately], but also of crying out to God with one voice to say that we needed Him in that hour, in the weeks ahead, and in the season to come. And there was an Esprit de corps in that room! It was one of those moments that brought with it the peace and confidence which only God could provide.
We all seemed to know after that that God would carry us through BECAUSE we called out to Him. As men we tend to be self-made and self-reliant (but oftentimes as a result, self-destructive too). In times when we fear the unknown or we’re uncertain of what we’ve gotten ourselves into, or especially in times when God has led us in a specific direction, it is time to call out to Him, maybe even cry out to Him—depending on the circumstances.
God always answers. Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” The disciples wanted to learn how to pray, how to call on God, so they asked. Many men think that it’s less than manly to cry out to Jesus, but from what I read it’s one of the manliest things we can do. I don’t know about you, but I’ve discovered over the years that I can’t make it on my own. That’s why I’m grateful we have each other in this circle, but we also need to call on God. Lean one each other, yes! but more than that we must lean on the Lord. So man up and call on God; it’s what HIM do. He always answers.
Always grateful to bring the grit to the Grit Mill. Appreciate the PAX who posted for 2-in-a-row and downed a little hair of the dog–starfish style!
Blockbuster with his Swag – Proud of our Army Bound Young BrotherProud Dad20 Straight Workouts for Ruxpin – The man’s a beast on the verge of getting even more RESPECT
Date: 02/26/2022
AO: Aegis, Georgetown, DE
QIC: Fireplex
Warm up
SSH – 25 IC
Cherry Pickers – 20 IC
Monkey Humpers – 15 IC
Bolt 45’s – 15 squats full up to half way down, 15 squats half way down to full down, & 15 squats full motion. All completed IC as a 4 count.
Windmills – 20 IC
The Thang
Mosey to Ruby Slippers home for a robust round of 20 monkey humpers followed by a round of merkin Jax. Merkin Jax are a 1:4 ratio of I merkin to 4 plank jacks followed by 2 merkins to 8 plank jacks continuing until reaching the 10:40 ratio. It types easier than it really is…😊..
F3 message before leaving the first pain station.
Mosey to the Georgetown Elementary School and completed a deconstructed toy soldier set that 50 LBC’s, 30 E2K’s each side, and 20 big boys. Nur to each sidewalk across the front completing the 50 lbc’s, then 30 E2K’s, then a second set of 30 E2K’s opposite side, and finally the 20 big boys. Rinse and repeat and return to the starting sidewalk.
Mosey to Georgetown Public Library where all PAX completed a round of Captain Thor – 1 Big Boy sit up to 4 American hammers in a ratio up to 10:40.
Mosey to the Armory steps and complete Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 Iron Mike’s (10 each Leg). The twist is that each PAX will box jump up each step up of the armory and walk down each step before performing each individual exercise of Aiken Legs.
Mosey back to AEGIS for Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers. Please keep Blockbuster in your thoughts and prayers as he leaves for Army boot camp. Congrats to Ruxpin for completing 20 straight workouts and joining the RESPECT crowd on 2/28/22.
They’re some of the best of the best in America’s military. They’re known as the Navy Seals. And when there’s a mission that’s almost impossible, they send the Seals behind enemy lines, or maybe it’s a highly sensitive covert mission, against enormous odds. They’re trained in just about any military skill you can think of. In fact, their training was the subject of a cover story in a national magazine a while back; especially that brutal final week that decides who will and will not be a Navy Seal.
Cold, and wet, and fatigued, there’s pain, there’s a pace that are more than most human beings could bear. And some might call it cruel and extreme. But the Navy is trying to prepare these men for heroism. They say they’re trying to build men who learn one mindset that is often the difference between a hero and a zero. Turn off the pain and focus on the mission.
I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Mission and the Pain.”
Here’s our word for today from the Word of God – 2 Timothy 2:1. God says, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” See, God doesn’t need any more spiritual wimps. That’s why He’s calling for warriors here. And in verse 4 He says, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer.”
Well, what does that take? Verse 3: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Endurance: staying with the mission even when you’re hurting. Those Navy Seals do it for their country. We do it for our Savior. Our mission is to be like Jesus so the people in our world can get a good look at what He’s like. And to be His personal representative to people who are lost and needy and have no hope for eternity without Him.
There’s one problem though. Instead of turning off the pain and focusing on the mission, our tendency is to focus on our pain and forget our mission, and put the work of the Lord at the mercy of how we’re feeling. When we’re hurting, let’s face it, we usually get pretty self-focused don’t we? We’re consumed with our survival, our needs, our hurt. And that’s natural. It’s understandable, but it’s unacceptable for a soldier of Jesus Christ.
No matter how great the pain was, He never abandoned His mission; not when His family turned against Him, not when the crowds turned against Him, not when His life was threatened, not when He was arrested or beaten or humiliated or nailed to a cross. Even when He was dying, Jesus was looking out for His mother. He was reaching out to a dying thief, He was forgiving His crucifiers.
We will never begin to face the pain that our leader did. But we do have our share of pain. Here’s the question: Do we retreat from what we’ve been doing for the Lord when it gets hard or when we’re hurting? Are we so full of our own agenda that we shut down to the needs of others? Do we quit when it’s dark?
If you forget your mission because of your pain, you can still belong to Jesus. His love for us is unconditional. This isn’t about His love for you. It’s about your love and service for Him. He wants to trust you with some heroic assignments for Him. He’s got so much to be done! He’s looking for heroes like the song says, “Jesus needs a few good men.” And I might say, “a few good women.”
In the rigors of your life right now the training and testing of Jesus are not to hurt you. They’re not to sink you. They’re His tools to make you a warrior. To strengthen you. to prepare you for a great work for Him. So be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
F3 is the place to be, for both you and me. Nobody here forces you to do what you do. We are here to help, not only when you yelp but also in our daily lives, for those things you can’t tell your wives. It’s time to get this show on the road, before our energy gets forever slowed.
Warm up
25 Cherrypickers, 25 Side straddle hops, 25 windmills
Mosey to ACE parking lot to do 25 merkins, 25 big boys, carry weights while others planked or bear crawled behind you, 25 jump squats, wall sit for 2 minutes, dead cockroach for 2 minutes, mosey to CHOP for Circle Burp and ended with 25 (3 count) flutterkicks.
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
SSH – 30 IC
Windmills – 30 IC
SSH – 20 IC
The Thang
Mosey to County Building Steps. Each PAX crosses the steps without skipping any steps.
Mosey to Armory steps and completes Aiken legs – 20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 lunges (10 each Leg), 20 split Jacks (10 each Leg). The twist is that each PAX will take each step up and each step down before performing each individual exercise of Aiken legs. Rinse & Repeat.
Mosey to Library and complete 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 merkin. Bear Crawl to the next space and complete a Burpee with two merkins. Continue until completing a Burpee with ten merkins.
F3 Message – See below
Mosey to School and complete the bottom feeder/deconstructed toy soldier set exercise. Crab walk to first sidewalk and complete 100 LBC’s. Crab walk to second sidewalk and complete 50 E2K’s to one side. Crab walk to third sidewalk and complete 50 E2K’s to the other side. Crab walk to fourth sidewalk and complete 25 big boy sit-ups.
Mosey back to Aegis. PAX completed @.9 mile for the workout
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayer.
You may not be able to tell over the radio – but I’m not a very big guy. Oh, I’m big inside. But outside, more of a Volkswagen than a semi. Which makes it amazing that both my sons ended up playing line in football. That’s usually where they put the monsters. Actually, we used to joke that linemen wore their IQs on their jerseys – you know, like 75. But it was brawn more than brains they needed to either hold the line while their opponents were trying to move them or to break through those gorillas on the other side of the line. There are just a few simple instructions that every coach wants every lineman to learn and live by. Our guys heard this one all the time – “Keep your feet moving.” No matter what. Even if it feels like you’re going nowhere. Even if you’re getting hammered. Even if you think it’s doing no good. As long as you keep driving – as long as you keep your feet moving – you’re making a difference. The alternative – getting knocked down.
Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about “Keeping Your Feet Moving.”
The Divine Coach has assigned you a position to play right now. And He has a word for you today from our for today from the Word of God. Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Or in the words of a football coach to the guys on the line – “Keep your feet moving, no matter what. It’s true in football – it’s true in following Christ. If you stop driving, if you stand still, you’re going to get knocked down. And you’ll stop making a difference.
It could be that you’ve been taking some pretty hard hits lately. Don’t become weary in doing good – keep your feet moving. Maybe you feel like nothing’s moving – you’re not seeing much in the way of results – the good you’re doing doesn’t seem to be doing much good. Your Coach’s word – keep playing your position. Keep your feet moving in God’s direction. This isn’t about results. It’s about faithfulness at your position.
There was a point where you knew God was leading you in this direction, when you felt motivated to make a difference or to start living God’s way. But you’ve been hit hard a few times. Maybe things seem to have gotten worse instead of better. Or it could be that there has not been much appreciation for what you’ve done, or much progress. The feeling isn’t there like it was at the beginning. You’re tired of driving in the direction God led you. Your feet are slowing down, or you’re standing still. You’re tempted to give up – on your ministry, on your marriage, on financial freedom, on conquering the old you, on the miracle you’ve been praying for.
And along comes God today saying, “The payoff is coming. You will break through if you keep driving in this direction – even when you feel like quitting.” He likens it to a farmer waiting for his harvest – there’s a lot of work and investment without any visible result for a long time.
And then one day, that crop appears – if he doesn’t give up on it. The harvest of all you’ve put in depends on one very big if – “if you do not give up.” In the words of a wise old man of God, “Never doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light.”
There’s no standing still on this Jesus-road. If you do, you get knocked down. There are some wonderful victories, some powerful breakthroughs later in the game – if you keep your feet moving.
Welcome to you all, we’re here to have a ball. This place is great, no matter your fate. Do what you can, but adapt your own plan if you need to. We don’t want you to turn blue, and surely you can’t sue. This is a place for HIM, not for the W-O-MEN. You are here on your own, well not really because you’re never alone. Let’s get this warmup started because I’m sure someone has already farted.
Warm up – Side Straddle hop (25), Lunges down parking lot and back, Rocking night club (25) , Cherry pickers (25)
Mosey to Calvary church to play 7 Diamonds
Round 1 – 7 Burpees at all four corners (mosey on long side and bear crawl short side between cones every time)
Round 2 – 14 (4) count flutter kicks at all four corners
Round 3 – 21 merkins at all four corners
3rd F – The people we surround ourselves with either raise or lower our standards. They either help us to become the best version of ourselves or encourage us to become lesser versions of ourselves. We become like our friends. No man becomes great on his own. No woman becomes great on her own. The people around them help make them great. We all need people in our lives who raise our standards, remind us of our essential purpose, and challenge us to become the best version of ourselves.
Round 4 – 28 squats at all four corners
Round 5 – 21 crunches at all four corners
Round 6 – Lunge to end of parking lot then jailbreak to side and lunge back up to beginning.
15 seal jacks i/c 15 mountain man pooper i/c 10 hip circles oyo, each way 15 seal wave i/c 15 Windmill i/c
The Thang Every HIM grabs a coupon
25 blockeys, Chairman lap 50 lunges per leg, Chairman lap 100 curls, Chairman lap 200 lbcs, Chairman lap 100 curls, Chairman lap 50 lunges per leg, Chairman lap 25 burpees, Chairman lap
3rd F https://oneextraordinarymarriage.com/ 6 Pillars of Intimacy
18 PAX braved the chilly weather and posted for a Chattahoochee beatdown at the county seat this morning including a PAX (Roddick) from down range that brought an FNG we named subpar. Whirlybird also brought an FNG we named Whim welcome guys.
WARM UP – 25 SSH, 20 WINDMILLS, 15 SMURFJACKS, 15 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS 10 ARM CIRCLES FORWARD 19 BACKWARDS.
THE THANG- WE TOOK A NICE FRIENDLY MOSEY TO THE CHURCH PARKING LOT NEXT TO BALL FIELD FOR A LITTLE GA.E OF BLACK JACK. 20 MERKINS ON ONE SIDE.OF PARKING LOT MOSEY TO OTHER SIDE FOR 1 LBC CONTINUED GOING BACK AND FORTH 19/2 18/3 ALWAYS EQUAL 21 UNTIL 1 MERKIN 20 LBCs LAST 5 SETS WERE HAND RELEASE MERKINS. FROM HERE WE TOOK A MOSEY TO STATION 77 STOPPING ON THE WAY FOR A FEW MONKEY HUMPERS ONCE WE ARRIVED AT STA 77.
30 FLUTTER KICKS IC.,
20- 4 COUNT FREDDIES IC,
A ROUND OF CAPT. THOR
FOLLOWED BY DAN TAYLOR 1 SQUAT 4 LUNGES UP TO 5/20
FINISH WITH A SHORT MOSEY BACK TO THE CIRCLE TO FINISH UP WITH
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message 12/16/2021 – Rinse and Repeat from Quattro’s Warmup VQ with Fireplex on 12/12/19
The Twelve Days of Christmas – True Meaning Behind the Lyrics
Ace Collins – From Crosswalk.com
To many people, the lyrics of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” seem strange beyond belief. The odd carol’s words might make one think it is a novelty song, in the vein of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” or “My Favorite Things.” Though a host of modern internet sites and some magazine articles have tried to reduce “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to a little more than a silly Christmas carol, most scholars of the Catholic Church deem it a very important surviving example of a time when that denomination used codes to disguise their teachings. Originally a poem written by Catholic clerics, this song was transformed into a carol at a time when celebrating the twelve days of Christmas was one of the most important holiday customs. By understanding the meaning the clerics chose the twelve days as wrapping for their poem, the full impact of the tradition of the twelve days of Christmas can be understood.
The 12 Days of Christmas – True Meaning
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . a partridge in a pear tree.
The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, the only bird that will die to protect its young. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . two turtledoves.
These twin birds represent the Old and New Testaments. So in this gift, the singer finds the complete story of Judeo-Christian faith and God’s plan for the world. The doves are the biblical roadmap that is available to everyone. On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . three French hens.
These birds represent faith, hope, and love. This gift hearkens back to 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter written by the apostle Paul. On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . four calling birds.
One of the easiest facets of the song’s code to figure out, these fowl are the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . five gold rings.
The gift of the rings represents the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . six geese a-laying.
These lyrics can be traced back to the first story found in the Bible. Each egg is a day in creation, a time when the world was “hatched” or formed by God. On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . seven swans a-swimming.
It would take someone quite familiar with the Bible to identify this gift. Hidden in the code are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion. As swans are one of the most beautiful and graceful creatures on earth, they would seem to be a perfect symbol for the spiritual gifts. On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eight maids a-milking.
As Christ came to save even the lowest of the low, this gift represents the ones who would receive his word and accept his grace. Being a milkmaid was about the worst job one could have in England during this period; this code conveyed that Jesus cared as much about servants as he did those of royal blood. The eight who were blessed included the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . nine ladies dancing.
These nine dancers were really the gifts known as the fruit of the Spirit. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . ten lords a-leaping.
This is probably the easiest gift to understand. As lords were judges and in charge of the law, this code for the Ten Commandments was fairly straightforward to Catholics. On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eleven pipers piping.
This is almost a trick question, as most think of the disciples in terms of a dozen. But when Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide, there were only eleven men who carried out the gospel message. On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . twelve drummers drumming.
The final gift is tied directly to the Catholic Church. The drummers are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”
The Context & History Behind “The 12 Days of Christmas”
Teaching the Catholic faith was outlawed in sixteenth-century England. Those who instructed their children in Catholicism could be drawn and quartered. Thus, the church went underground. To hide the important and illegal elements of their teaching, clerics composed poems that seemed sill to most people. But these verses were veiled works that taught the church’s most important tenets. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is said to be one of these teaching tools.
Most people today believe that the twelve days of Christmas start on December 12th or 13th and run through Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. But in fact, the first day of Christmas is December 25th and the final day is January 5th. Thus, for hundreds of years the Christmas holidays didn’t begin until Christmas Eve and didn’t end until Epiphany.
Why were these twelve days important? These dozen days were tied to more than just the teaching of the Catholic Church. A host of other denominations also celebrated the twelve days of Christmas. Some denominations celebrated Christmas in January and began to count the twelve days then. But whenever they began, the counting of the days became an important facet of each holiday season. Even in the Dark Ages, in some Eastern European churches, the twelve days of Christmas meant attending daily church services. For Christians who lived during this extremely difficult age, the twelve days were a time of rededication and renewal. It was also a period when small, simple, and usually symbolic gifts of faith were given to children. Thus, in both coded poems and public worship, the twelve days were considered a holy period.
For many Christians today, even the recognition of the twelve days of Christmas has been lost . . . for two reasons. The first is that when Epiphany lost out to Christmas as the day of giving gifts, many simply quit celebrating the twelve-day observance. The other reason is based more on the change in the fabric of culture than on overlooking the Christian holiday of Epiphany.
In ancient times, when most societies were rural, few people worked in the dead of winter. It was a time when many were spending long, dark days inside their homes, looking forward to winter’s chill giving way to the spring thaw. So devoting a dozen days to prayer, reflection, and attending church was not a huge undertaking. Yet with the coming of the Industrial Age and the regular year-round work schedules it brought, finding time to continue the activities that had been traditionally associated with the twelve days of Christmas became all but impossible for most people.
So the passing of the twelve-days custom probably had as much to do with “progress” as with anything else. As fewer and fewer churches and families participated in the tradition, it was all but lost. Yet in the obscure poem that was later turned into a popular carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” live on. And the twelve days described are actually a wonderful and complete picture of the Christian faith.
The “true love” mentioned in the song is not a sweetheart but the Catholic Church’s code for God. The person who receives the gifts represents anyone who has accepted Christ as the Son of God and as Savior. And each of the gifts portrays an important facet of the story of true faith.
So, just a silly song? On the surface maybe, but in reality, a refreshing reminder of the essential elements of Christian faith. The twelve days of Christmas may no longer be a widely recognized holiday tradition, but the days were an important bridge that connected persecuted believers of the past with the whole story of God’s plan. In the complicated world of today, a trip back to the not-so-distant past when Christians celebrated the twelve days of Christmas would only enhance the meaning of Christmas for everyone.
Ace Collins is the writer of more than sixty books, including several bestsellers: Stories behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, The Cathedrals, and Lassie: A Dog’s Life. Based in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, he continues to publish several new titles each year. Ace has appeared on scores of television shows, including CBS This Morning, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and Entertainment Tonight.
This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!
7 December 2021- 17 HIM BEAT THE FARTSACK for a mathematical beatdown.
WARMUP- 20 SSH,20 WINDMILLS,15 SMURFJACKS,20 CHERRYPICKERS,15 MOUNTAINCLIMBERS ALL IN CADENCE
THE THANG- STARTED OFF THE BEATDOWN WITH A LITTLE BILL MURRAY
1 lap around all the middle parking spots at the CHOP followed by 10 mekins, 10 squats,10 bigboys, 10 burpees rinse and repeat 5 times then 1 extra lap just because
After Bill Murray the real fun started with Dan Taylor
1 squat 4 alternating lunges 1:4 ratio all the way to 10 squats 40 alternating lunges
after the leg beatdown it was time just a little arm and shoulders with Mr Jack Webb
1 merkin then up on knees for 4 overhead hand claps again 1:4 ratio all the way to 10:40.
ran out of time before we could get to cpt. Thor so that will be added in the future o. A Saturday when we have a little more time.
