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
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Mountain Climbers – 20 IC
Windmills – 15 IC
Dips – 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 with both feet hitting each step before performing each individual exercise of Aiken legs.
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 hand release merkin. Bear Crawl to the next space and complete a Burpee with two hand release merkins. Continue until completing a Burpee with ten hand release merkins.
Mosey to School and complete the bottom feeder/deconstructed toy soldier set exercise. Crab walk to first sidewalk and complete 60 LBC’s. Crab walk to second sidewalk and complete 40 E2K’s to one side. Crab walk to third sidewalk and complete 40 E2K’s to the other side. Crab walk to fourth sidewalk and complete 20 big boy sit-ups. Karaoke back to the starting point switching directions at the halfway point.
F3 Message – See below
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.
F3 Message 01/18/20
Source: Bible.org
Excerpts From Lesson 23: Going The Distance ( 1 Timothy 6:11,12)
Question: What do diets, exercise programs, marriage, and the Christian life have in common? Answer: It’s fairly easy and even fun to begin, but it’s not so easy to hang in over the long haul. Eugene Peterson, in his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (IVP, pp. 1112), writes,
One aspect of world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials. Our sense of reality has been flattened by thirty-page abridgments.
It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to be born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.
The Christian life is not a hundred-yard dash; it’s a marathon, a “long obedience in the same direction.” Starting well is easy; finishing well is another matter. We all will encounter numerous hindrances. But, like Bunyan’s Christian, those whose burden has been lifted at Calvary will persevere.
In the final section of this letter, Paul tells Timothy and us how to go the distance. Timothy found himself in a difficult situation that was seemingly not suited for his timid personality. He had to confront the false teachers who had arisen among the Ephesian leaders by refuting their errors and by teaching the truth. No doubt he was catching flak from many in the church who had been led astray by these men and their errors. So Paul, like a coach at half time in a rough game, reminds Timothy of the game plan and challenges him to hang in there, even though it’s not easy. He gives four commands in verses 11 & 12 that are pillars for perseverance: Flee; pursue; fight; and, take hold:
To persevere, a man of God will flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight for the faith, and take hold of eternal life.
The Greek text of verse 11 begins with the emphatic contrast, “But you, O man of God, flee these things.” In contrast to the false teachers and those who follow them in their love of money, you must run in the opposite direction. The title, “man of God” is used in the Old Testament of men like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David, and a few prophets. It means a man who belongs wholly to God, who follows God’s Word in every aspect of life. A man of God has a certain dignity and aura about him so that when you’re with him, you sense the presence of God, because his life is so entwined with God. There’s no greater title that any Christian can covet for himself or herself than to be called a man or woman of God.
But it doesn’t happen automatically! “Some (v. 10) … but you (v. 11)”! To be a man or woman of God, you must resolve to stand against the tide. You must flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight for the faith, and take hold of eternal life.
1. To persevere, a man of God will flee worldliness.
(When I say “man of God,” forgive me for not being politically correct, but I’m including women.) Right off we’re struck by the irony of what Paul commands Timothy: “But you, O man of God, flee!” You would expect, “But you, O man of God, stand firm,” or “fight.” Real men don’t flee, do they? Can you imagine a football coach saying, “Listen, team, the men on the other team are big and tough. When they come at you, I want you to turn tail and flee!” You don’t win by fleeing, do you?
But Paul knew that there are times when the way to victory is to flee, not to fight. We’re commanded to flee immorality (1 Cor. 6:18), idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14), youthful lusts (2 Tim. 2:22) and, here, to flee the love of money and false doctrine; but, James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. So we need to know when to fight and when to flee.
All the commands to flee can be summed up by saying, “Flee worldliness,” what John calls “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The lust of the flesh refers to the strong desires to gratify ourselves by living by feelings rather than by obedience to God. The lust of the eyes refers to the desire to increase pleasure by acquiring things and outward status rather than by developing godly character. The boastful pride of life refers to self-centered living that focuses on this life in disregard of God and eternity.
Satan used these three avenues to tempt Eve. Scripture says that she “saw that the tree was good for food” (Gen. 3:6)–it would satisfy the desires of her taste (appealing to “the lust of the flesh”). Also, “it was a delight to her eyes”–it looked good outwardly (an appeal to “the lust of the eyes”). And, “the tree was desirable to make one wise”–she wouldn’t need to rely on God’s wisdom any more if she had her own (it appealed to “the boastful pride of life”).
Each of these temptations is a differently veiled form of exalting self: the lust of the flesh, to gratify self; the lust of the eyes, to enhance self, both in one’s own eyes and in the eyes of others; and, the boastful pride of life, to increase reliance on self and decrease the need to depend totally on God. The false teachers, whose doctrine and way of life Timothy was to flee, were into self. They were puffed up with pride (6:4); they didn’t submit to Scripture, but rather used it to promote their own selfish views, but without holding to its truth (6:4-5); they were into religion for personal gain, not for godliness (6:5).
I am ashamed to say that earlier in my ministry, I promoted some of false teaching on self-esteem that has flooded the church. God graciously opened my eyes to it, in part, through my reading of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. The entire work is edifying, but he has two wonderful chapters that would get us back on track if we would read and follow them: “The Sum of the Christian Life: The Denial of Ourselves”; and, “Bearing the Cross, a Part of Self-Denial” (Book III, Chapters VII & VIII). To quote him briefly,
There is no other remedy than to tear out from our inward parts this most deadly pestilence of love of strife and love of self, even as it is plucked out by Scriptural teaching…. Let us, then unremittingly examining our faults, call ourselves back to humility” (ed. by John T. McNeill, translated by Ford Lewis Battles [Eerdmans] III:VII:4).
Whenever a teaching appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the boastful pride of life, we need to take off as fast as we can in the opposite direction. To persevere in the Christian life, the man of God must flee worldliness, especially the love w1111ofcz money that simply furthers the love of self.
2. To persevere, a man of God will pursue godliness.
We aren’t just to run from worldliness, but also to run to these six character qualities. The word “pursue” is sometimes translated “persecute”; it has the nuance of eagerly going after something. It implies effort, diligence, and determination. In other words, you won’t accidentally attain these qualities by hanging around church buildings long enough. You’ve got to go after them deliberately over the long haul.
A. PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS:
Here the word refers to conformity to the standards of God’s Word. When we trust in Christ as Savior, God declares us righteous in our standing before Him based upon the atoning sacrifice of His Son. It is a judicial action in which God puts our sin on Christ and He credits Christ’s righteousness to our account. This is called “justification”; as Paul argues in Romans 3 & 4, it is by faith, not by works.
But, having been justified (declared righteous) by faith, the Christian must then pursue a life of righteousness. As John states, “Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; … By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:7-8a, 10).
Obviously, Christians sin (1 John 1:8, 10). But the pursuit of the Christian is not toward sin, but toward righteousness. During a Monday night football game, an announcer observed that the Chicago Bears’ running back, Walter Payton, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage. The other announcer remarked, “Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him down every 4.6 yards!” A Christian may get knocked down by sin every few yards, but he gets up and keeps moving toward righteousness. It’s his pursuit.
B. PURSUE GODLINESS:
The word is closely related to righteousness. It has the nuance of reverence or awe in God’s presence. A godly person lives with an awareness of God’s holy presence, and so he fears God and flees from sin. As we saw in 4:7-8, we must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. You won’t roll out of bed some morning and find out that you magically attained it overnight. You won’t get it by going to a spiritual conference or having some emotional experience. You have to diligently discipline yourself to pursue godliness.
C. PURSUE FAITH:
Some commentators understand it to mean “faithfulness,” that dependability which is a fruit of the Spirit and should be present in every believer (Gal. 5:22). But it also can refer to the trust in God that consciously relies on Him in every situation of life. As Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith, shows, men and women of faith believe the promises of God and live in light of them, even in the face of not receiving what is promised, because they trust that God will fulfill His sure word in heaven if not in this life (Heb. 11:13-16).
Again, you need to pursue faith. You don’t wake up some morning with vigorous faith any more than a guy with bulging muscles went to bed one night as a 98-pound weakling and woke up looking like Mr. America! How do you pursue faith? By trusting God in the frustrations, irritations, and trials that He sends your way. You deliberately humble yourself under God’s sovereign hand and cast all your anxieties on Him through prayer, knowing that in spite of how it may seem, He does care for you (1 Pet. 5:6-7).
Instead of learning to trust God with the little trials, many Christians grumble and chafe under them. They flatter themselves into thinking that if a major trial ever hits, they’ll trust God then. But it’s the small irritations that God uses to build our faith as we submit to Him and seek Him each day. We need to pursue faith in our daily circumstances.
D. PURSUE LOVE:
We often have the mistaken notion that love just flows effortlessly. If we have to work at it, it must not be love. But why would the Bible so often command us to love one another if it didn’t require diligent effort? In our day of self-focused Christianity we’re being told that we must learn to love ourselves before we can love God and others. But the Bible assumes that we all love ourselves quite well. The command to love our neighbor as ourselves is built on that premise. Calvin notes,
And obviously, since men were born in such a state that they are all too much inclined to self-love–and, however much they deviate from truth, they still keep self-love–there was no need of a law that would increase or rather enkindle this already excessive love. Hence it is very clear that we keep the commandments not by loving ourselves but by loving God and neighbor; that he lives the best and holiest life who lives and strives for himself as little as he can, and that no one lives in a worse or more evil manner than he who lives and strives for himself alone, and thinks about and seeks only his own advantage (II:VIII:54).
E. PURSUE PERSEVERANCE:
The word is not “patience” (KJV, putting up with difficult people), but perseverance or steadfastness, which means bearing up under difficult circumstances. We only can pursue perseverance by daily trusting in God as we hope in the promise of His coming and the blessings we will enjoy throughout eternity with Him.
F. PURSUE GENTLENESS:
The word doesn’t mean meekness in the sense of weakness. Timid Timothy wouldn’t need to pursue that quality, since he seemed to have plenty of it! Rather, it means strength under control. The root word was used of Alexander’s horse, a mighty and powerful animal, but completely broken, responsive to its master’s commands. As the very next word shows, a gentle man must fight. But he doesn’t fight for his own way, out of self-will, but for God’s way in submission to God’s will.
To persevere, the man of God must flee worldliness and pursue godliness as expressed in these six qualities: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
3. To persevere, a man of God will fight for the faith.
The Greek reads, “the faith,” meaning the Christian faith as revealed in the truth of God’s Word. As we’ve seen, sound doctrine is essential for sound Christian living. So Satan attacks sound doctrine, often with subtle errors and truth out of balance. So the Christian must, in the words of Jude 3, “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
The history of the Christian church consists of repeated battles where the enemy introduces destructive heresies, those heresies are confronted, and the truth is clarified and proclaimed. That’s what Paul is doing in First Timothy. Many other New Testament letters have the same polemic thrust. The great church councils and creeds, while not carrying Scriptural authority, were attempts to correct false teaching and to set forth sound teaching. The Reformation consisted of godly men like Luther and Calvin combatting the corruption and false doctrine that had permeated the Roman Catholic church and setting forth the great truths of Scripture.
In every age, there are peace-lovers who promote unity, love, and tolerance as the chief Christian virtues. They say that we shouldn’t attack false teachers or expose their errors. If you dare to say you’re right and someone else is wrong, they accuse you of pride. So in the name of humility, we’re supposed to tolerate every kind of error!
But, as J. Gresham Machen, who stood valiantly for the truth earlier in this century, observed, not only was Paul a great fighter, but also all the great men God has used down through the centuries: Tertullian fought Marcion; Athanasius fought the Arians; Augustine fought Pelagius; and Luther and Calvin fought the popes. He concludes rightly, “It is impossible to be a true soldier of Jesus Christ and not fight” (cited in Fundamentalist Journal [3/83], p. 34). To persevere, we must flee worldliness; pursue godliness; and, fight the good fight of the faith. Finally,
4. To persevere, a man of God will take hold of eternal life.
You may be saying, “I thought Timothy already had eternal life. Why does Paul tell him to take hold of it?” To grasp Paul’s thought, we must note three aspects of the Christian experience set forth in this verse:
First, God calls us to salvation or the obtaining of eternal life. Salvation never begins with man, but with God. We all were dead in our transgressions, not only unable to call on God, but hostile and opposed to God, objects of His wrath (Eph. 2:1-3). If you have eternal life today, it is not because you first decided to call upon God, but because God, being rich in mercy, first called you and imparted eternal life to you as His free gift, according to His sovereign purpose (Eph. 2:4-10).
Second, we respond to God’s call and His imparting life to us by faith. Faith is a matter of the heart, but it is expressed outwardly through a public confession in baptism. Paul reminds Timothy of when he “made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses,” a reference to his baptism.
Third, we take hold of the eternal life God has graciously imparted to us. This refers to the process of laying hold of that for which we were laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12). God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3), but we must take hold of those blessings, first by discovering them in God’s Word, and then by implementing them in daily life through faith.
Conclusion
Mario Cuomo, governor of New York, tells of a time when he was especially discouraged during a political campaign: “I couldn’t help wondering what Poppa would have said if I told him I was tired or–God forbid–discouraged. A thousand pictures flashed through my mind, but one scene came sharply into view.”
The Cuomo family had just moved into a new house, their first house with some trees. One tree, a great blue spruce, stood about 40 feet tall. But one night, less than a week after they moved in, they came home in a terrible storm to find that tree fallen, its roots pulled almost entirely from the ground. The family was dejected as they stood looking at this fallen giant. But Poppa, who stood barely five feet six, was determined. He declared, “Okay, we gonna push ‘im up!”
“What are you talking about, Poppa? the roots are out of the ground!” “Shut up, we gonna push ‘im up!” You couldn’t say no to him, so they got a rope and stood, pushing and pulling in the rain, and eventually got that great tree back in the hole, and then propped and staked upright again. Poppa declared, “Don’t worry, he’s gonna grow again.”
Cuomo reports that if you were to drive past that house today, you would see a straight, 65-foot blue spruce, pointing up to the heavens, with no hint that it once had its nose on the asphalt (cited in Leadership [Winter, 1993], p. 49).
Maybe as a Christian, like that tree in the storm, you’re fallen and discouraged. God wants you to stand upright again and to sink down roots so that you can weather the storms ahead. The roots that you need to persevere are to flee worldliness, to pursue godliness, to fight for the faith, and to take hold of the eternal life to which He has called you. Easy? No! Fleeing, pursuing, fighting, and taking hold all imply hardship and effort. But with Paul, Timothy, and many others who have gone before, God will give you strength to go the distance as you seek to obey His Word.
Copyright 1994, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved.
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
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
20 All i/c Seal jack Plank jack Windmill Ssh Seal wave Cherry picker
THANG
Mosey to front steps of library 10 box jumps 10 hand release merkins Up the steps 2 at a time and back down 10 each leg split squats 20 wide merkins Up the steps 1 at a time and back down 5 tempo squats-3 count i/c 5 diamond merkins Up the steps 2 at a time and back down
Mosey to park across the river Using walls in park 4 rounds 10 derkins 10 urkins 20 double count flutter kicks
3rd F Marriage after God – podcast Communication Date night Community
Toy soldier set 50 lbcs 30 e2k 15 big boys
Mosey to bridge – crawl bear across Mosey back to library
6 HIM showed today; semi, Chappie, Ruxpin, papa bear, Chairman, FNG loose wheel
20 Crab flippers IC (see what I did there?? 2020 AYE!!)
Bolt 45 (uggg)
20 windmills
20 smurf Jacks (double uggg)
The Thang
We stayed at the basketball courts for the first part of our beatdown and did the Webiside routine. A standard suicide but instead of touching each line the pax does an increasing number of merkins at each line. Run to the first line, do one merkin, run back to start, run to next line, do two merkins, and so on until you get to 10. A running form of the Jack Webb
Moseyed over to the baseball diamond where we started the field of dreams routine Start out by counting off by fours. 1s start at First Base AMRAP Squats until relieved. 2s at Second Base do AMRAP Mercans until relieved. 3s at Third Base do AMRAP LBC’s until relieved. 4s at Home Plate will perform 15 Burpees then run to First, relieving the Pax there. Continue until all Pax have done the Burpees.
Insert first part of F3 Message here: Q Gump read the final speech from the movie courageous details will be at the end of the Backblast.
Continued the field of dreams routine this time we swapped the exercises to all mary exercises. Home plate still did 15 Burpees, 1st base did sets of 2 BBSU and 10 overhead presses AMRAP, 2nd base did American hammers, and 3rd base did flutterkicks
Started the Bear Crawl Ring of fire: PAX lined up and bear crawled around the baseball diamond upon Q’s “halt” the first person in line did 10 merkins, while everyone else planked, than “crawl” everyone crawled until again the Q “halted” then the next HIM would do 10 merkins while everyone planked and than “crawl” rinse and repeatuntil everyone in line did 10 merkins.
2nd 3rd F message inserted here where QIC Gump read “The Resolution” (Image at end of BB)
Everyone gave quatro a Big High five after this one during the last Bear Crawl ring of fire quatro accidentally said the words “Crawl bear” so the next exercize was inspired by quatro. During this exercise we started the “Crawl Bear ring of fire” it was just as fun as bear crawl ring of fire except it super sucked. as you can imagine we craw bear’d around the baseball diamond and on the “halt” command everyone planked while 1 HIM did merkins than “crawl” and everyone crawled until “halt” than the next HIM took his turn doing 10 merkins while everyone else planked rinse and repeat until everyone did 10 merkins. and we had to crawl bear home.
Wosied back to the basketball diamond where we ran 3 sets of suicides , ran to foul shot line touched line, back to basketball hoop, half court and back, opposite foul shot line and back, and opposite out of bounds line and back, opposite foul shot line and back, half court and back, foul shot line and back was 1 round with 10 count in between each set.
20 All i/c Seal jack Plank jack Windmill Ssh Seal wave Cherry picker
THANG
Mosey to intersection of front str. and walnut str.
10 mike Tyson’s Nur to top of hill
Mosey to playground behind Milford church of God
3rd F
“Overcomer” What defines who you are? Your job? Your spouse, your partner, your accomplishments? Does your sense of well-being and satisfaction come from dependence on your position or friends or appearance or skills? What would you do if all that were taken away? “Cross country is a very difficult sport. From the time you start, you do not stop or pause until you cross the finish line. And in many regards, that’s like our life; that’s our journey of faith.” “Being an overcomer means there is pain, discomfort, inconvenience, life’s tough, and yet you have joy and peace and all the stuff that you can only have if there is an anchor in your soul.” “Being an overcomer means you keep your head up and you know that you’re going to get through it; you figure out a way to get through it, you keep your faith strong, you get through it, and you just thank God.”
3 rounds of 15 Swerkins Hanging knee raises big boys
Mosey back to library
Side plank for 20 count each side
5 HIM showed today; semi, Chappie, Ruxpin, Waterfall, papa bear
Bolt 42’s IC (4 Count) – 14 squats to halfway down. 14 squats halfway to full down. 14 full squats.
Cherry Pickers – 14 IC
The Thang
Explanation of the directive God gave Joshua in regard to the wall of Jericho and the importance He placed on the number seven(7). PAX conquered Jericho on this gloom in F3 fashion thanks to a phone call from Quattro planting a seed for a beatdown and quoting the verses from Joshua 6:4-5, 20-21 (NKJV). Round #1 – Karaoke around the circle switching directions at halfway and complete 7 hand release merkins. Round #2 – Nur around the circle and complete 21 LBC’s. Round #3 – side shuffle around the circle switching directions halfway and complete Aiken legs – 7 squats, 7 box jumps, 7 lunges (7 each leg), 7 split jacks (7 each leg). Round # 4 – high knees around the circle and complete ATM’s – 7 alternating “merkin” shoulder taps (Thanks Chappie), 7 tempo merkins, and 7 fast merkins. Round #5 – Lieutenant Dan around the circle and complete four count mountain climbers. Round #6 – Toy soldier march around the circle and complete a set of 7’s. 1 big boy, 1 merkin, 2 big boys, 2 merkins ascending up to 7 big boys, 7 merkins. Round #7 – mosey around the circle 7 times and complete ascending Burp & Merk’s up to 7 merkins at the bottom of each burpee. The twist for the entire beatdown is that we are going to repeat each of the previous exercises before starting the next lap around the circle.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message 12/21/19
The parable here this morning is that the Satanic group is trying to fortify or maintain a wall right here in Sussex County that will serve to block opportunities for the salvation of souls through the love of Christ Jesus. It is our duty as men of God to make sure those walls are reduced to rubble through our prayers, our witness, our testimonies, so that every child of God has the opportunity to choose a relationship with our Savior and not be held captive to any stronghold that the enemy may present. Faith in God can overcome and tear down any walls that Satan attempts to use to block the path that ultimately leads to the place that is already prepared for us in heaven. A place that was already bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Listen for that still small voice or for that blaring trumpet, but always be ready when the Lord asks you to step out of your comfort zone. Somebody’s life may count on it, maybe your own…
Question: “What should we learn from the walls of Jericho falling down?”
Answer: The story of the walls of Jericho falling down, recorded in Joshua 6:1–27, is one that vividly demonstrates the miraculous power of God. But more than that, the utter destruction of Jericho teaches us several grand truths regarding God’s grace and our salvation.
The people of Israel had just crossed over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan (Joshua 3:14–17). This was the land of milk and honey God had promised to Abraham over 500 years earlier (Deuteronomy 6:3, 32:49). After spending forty difficult years wandering in the desert of Sinai, the people of Israel were now on the eastern banks of the Jordan. Their challenge: take the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. However, their first obstacle was the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:1), an unconquerable, walled city. Excavations there reveal that its fortifications featured a stone wall 11 feet high and 14 feet wide. At its top was a smooth stone slope, angling upward at 35 degrees for 35 feet, where it joined massive stone walls that towered even higher. It was virtually impregnable.
In ancient warfare such cities were either taken by assault or surrounded and the people starved into submission. Its invaders might try to weaken the stone walls with fire or by tunneling, or they might simply heap up a mountain of earth to serve as a ramp. Each of these methods of assault took weeks or months, and the attacking force usually suffered heavy losses. However, the strategy to conquer the city of Jericho was unique in two ways. First, the strategy was laid out by God Himself, and, second, the strategy was a seemingly foolish plan. God simply told Joshua to have the people to march silently around Jericho for six days, and then, after seven circuits on the seventh day, to shout.
Though it seemed foolish, Joshua followed God’s instructions to the letter. When the people did finally shout, the massive walls collapsed instantly, and Israel won an easy victory. In fact, God had given the city of Jericho to them before they even began to march around its walls (Joshua 6:2, 16). It was when the people of God, by faith, followed the commands of God that the walls of Jericho fell down (Joshua 6:20).
The apostle Paul assures us, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The description of the complete obliteration of Jericho was recorded in Scripture in order to teach us several lessons. Most important is that obedience, even when God’s commands seem foolish, brings victory. When we are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, we must learn that our Jericho victories are won only when our faithful obedience to God is complete (Hebrews 5:9; 1 John 2:3; 5:3).
There are other key lessons we should learn from this story. First, there is a vast difference between God’s way and the way of man (Isaiah 55:8–9). Though militarily it was irrational to assault Jericho in the manner it was done, we must never question God’s purpose or instructions. We must have faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do (Hebrews 10:23; 11:1).
Second, the power of God is supernatural, beyond our comprehension (Psalm 18:13–15; Daniel 4:35; Job 38:4–6). The walls of Jericho fell, and they fell instantly. The walls collapsed by the sheer power of God.
Third, there is an uncompromising relationship between the grace of God and our faith and obedience to Him. Scripture says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30). Although their faith had frequently failed in the past, in this instance the children of Israel believed and trusted God and His promises. As they were saved by faith, so we are today saved by faith (Romans 5:1; John 3:16–18). Yet faith must be evidenced by obedience. The children of Israel had faith, they obeyed, and the walls of Jericho fell “by faith” after they were circled for seven straight days. Saving faith impels us to obey God (Matthew 7:24–29; Hebrews 5:8–9; 1 John 2:3–5).
In addition, the story tells us that God keeps His promises (Joshua 6:2, 20). The walls of Jericho fell because God said they would. God’s promises to us today are just as certain. They are just as unswerving. They are exceedingly great and wonderfully precious (Hebrews 6:11–18; 10:36; Colossians 3:24).
Finally, we should learn that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). It is not enough to say, “I believe God,” and then live in an ungodly manner. If we truly believe God, our desire is to obey God. Our faith is put to work. We make every effort to do exactly what God says and keep His commandments. Joshua and the Israelites carried out the commands of God and conquered Jericho. God gave them victory over an enemy that was trying to keep them out of the Promised Land. So it is with us today: if we have true faith, we are compelled to obey God, and God gives us victory over the enemies that we face throughout life. Obedience is the clear evidence of faith. Our faith is the evidence to others that we truly believe in Him. We can conquer and be victorious through life by faith, a faith that obeys the God who gives us that faith as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Joshua 6 New International Version (NIV)
6 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
“At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
13 HIM beat the fartsack and posted at the CHOP on this nice brisk morning for a little 4X4 action around the block 4 corners 4 exercises per corner. Transition between corners varies. Oh and Chappie made it back from picking up his 2.0 just in time for the name-o-rama and COT.
Warm-up- 25 SSH + 10 more just because, 20 Windmills, 20 Mountain Climbers, 20 Cherry Pickers, 20 MNC.
Lt. Dan to first light pole mosey to shipbuilders.
30 LBCs OYO, 25 Flutterkicks IC, 20 Freddie mercuries IC, 15 big boys OYO.
Bear crawl down mulberry street to first light pole mosey to Drs office.
20 Imperial walkers IC. 20 Squats, 20 lunges 10 each leg, 20 monkey jumpers. I believe some pax performed a few extra monkey humpers to entertain a lone car going by and some how we ended up with 10 bombjacks at this stop.
Mosey on to final corner at union street.
20 American hammers, 20 mountain climbers, 20 splitjacks and everones favorite gift was 10 hand release burppes.
Mosey back to CHOP for a stop at the wall.
Wall sit with 10 overhead clamps
Balls to wall 10 Australian mountain climbers IC.
Wall sit with 15 overhead hand claps
After all that Christmas eve fun we still had time for a few minutes of Mary which indo not recall what exactly consisted of.
Finished up with Number-rama
Name-o-rama along with giving our FNG his F3 nickname welcome Phyfe and ending with the COT.
20 Seal jacks. I/c 25 Cherry picker. I/c 15 smurf Jack’s. I/c Capri lap – nur length of court, side shuffle across, mosey, and side shuffle 20 Seal wave. I/c 25 Windmill I/c 20 Ssh. I/c
THE THANG
Mosey to pavilion across bridge
20 derkins BB 45 15 Upper big boy 15 Lower big boy 15 Full big boy 20 erkins 40 lbcs
Mosey to bathrooms near AO
3rd F Squats Toes out. 15 i/c Sumo style Feet 6″ apart 15 i/c Should width 15 I/c hold in squat on 15 count
35 reverse crunch Side plank for 15 count 35 flutter kick – double count Side plank for 15 count
Mosey back to AO
6 HIM showed – semi, Ruxpin, Chairman, Wildwing, leatherman, Gump
