Waterfall on Q for a warm but moist gloom at CHOP.
We warmed up with the usual: Side Strattle Hop, Cherry Picker, Moroccan Night Club, Seal Jack.
The Thang: Overhead carry the blocks to the tooth pulling place. Pair up for block work. 100 squats, 100 LBCs, 100 presses, all with the blocks. Done as a team. While one partner does the exercises the other lunges across the parking lot and mosey back. We stopped when a neighbor opened the window and yelled at us.
Carried our blocks back to the AO to finish. Then we mixed things up. One partner side steps across the parking lot while the other does the UPS. Each partner does the parking lot twice. Then partner mosey across the parking lot and nur back while the other partner holds the block in Al Gore position. Each partner does the parking lot twice.
F3 Message. Don’t let your New Year’s resolutions just be wishful thinking. 1. “Budget” your plans. Know what it is going to take and how you are going to get there. 2. You need “councilors.” Tell your M and your friends about your plans. 3. “Commit to the Lord.” Make sure your plans are consistent with God’s will for your life.
Finished up with some Mary.
Count-a-rama Name-a-rama
New FNG is named “Beeker.” He is a science teacher. Welcome Beeker!!
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
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.
Twenty-three degrees at O-Gawd-Thirty? No problem! F3 HIM are principled men, and 4 of them upheld the F3 principle “always outdoors rain or shine, hot or COLD” at The Grit Mill in Milford this Gloom. Rumor has it a dirty dozen posted in Milton at the CHOP–that makes 16 on the day who are principled men.
Here’s how it all went down, rather, up and down, and up and down, at the Grit Mill:
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH– 20 IC
Imperial Walker – 18 IC
CrabFlipper – 20 IC (Variant: Left, Middle, & Right flippers)
Tempo Merkin – 18 IC
SwartzJacks – 18 IC
ArmCircles – 10 forward, 10 backward OYO
Calf Raises – 30 OYO
THE THANG:
Mosey all the way around the library to steps on back parking lot side. Figured to be a good place to start since a little extra clatter in the lot might ‘rouse Chilly from his sleep to what’s the matter. It didn’t work, but here’s what did:
Back Lot 2-Story Steps:
PAX Planked, while in turn each ran to the top and back down, swapping out with next PAX in plank line. 4 rounds
PAX did Plank Jacks, while in turn each ran to the top and back down, swapping out with next PAX in Mountain Climber line. 4 rounds
Mosey to front library steps
Front Library Steps:
PAX in line did Low Slow Squats, while in turn each ran to top on left steps, back down middle steps, back to top on right steps, and back down the middle steps to swap out with next PAX in line. 4 rounds
Mosey to side, lower entry steps
SideLower Entry Steps:
PAX rotated from BTTW, to running up, then back down the steps to swap out with next PAX. 4 rounds, on final round the PAX added the side steps for extra credit
Then PAX rotated from standing High Knees, to running up, then back down both main steps and side steps, 4 rounds
YHC Shared the following 3rdF to get PAX thinking about the amazing part of Christmas–the INCARNATION–the fact that God became man for our salvation:
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory. This is John’s version of the Christmas narrative. While it is not really a narrative, it does tell us about the most incredible truth ever told. God the Son, who was eternal God Himself, put on flesh and dwelt among us. Another word for this is: I-N-C-A-R-N-A-T-I-O-N
The Bible is literally 66 books, ranging from Genesis to Revelation. Forty different writers authored it’s books, over a period of 1500 years. Despite all of this, a consistent, complete message unfolds across its pages.
It’s easy to forget the Bible predates the printing press by over a thousand years. It was laboriously written on papyrus. Very few owned the manuscripts, usually only religious officials. Over centuries, the Jews nurtured and preserved the writings, carefully recording each letter and punctuation mark — In fact, if a letter or a syllable was wrong, the copying had to start over! The early Christians continued the practice of precision, passing the written Word along carefully from generation to generation.
WHY WAS THE BIBLE WRITTEN? Think about this relate-able picture: Late on Christmas Eve, a frustrated father sits on the floor. Stray parts of a new toy litter the room. His wife surveys the mess, and says, “When all else fails, read the instructions.”
Maybe you’re the type who typically skips the manual. Most of us definitely don’t like to stop and ask for directions either. But think further about this: God knew we would frequently need to “read the instructions” — perhaps before we even find ourselves in a mess!
THREE PURPOSES FOR THE BIBLE:
1) For an infinite God to reveal Himself to a finite people
2) To reveal to people how to live. In Deuteronomy 4:1 God said, “Hear my Word and follow my decrees and statutes that you may LIVE….”
3) To reveal how God interacts with people through history
Roman’s 15:4 says, “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.”
This Christmas season, would you commit to taking the time to read the first few chapters of the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke? (The Christmas narratives of the birth of our Savior.) Read the instruction manual and share it with your family to see just what it says about Christmas and the hope it brings to us in Christ. Merry Christmas!
At this point PAX mosey’d all the way around the building and returned to the Back Lot 2-Story Steps:
PAX in line did Mountain Climber, while in turn each ran to the top and back down, swapping out with next PAX in Mountain Climber line. 4 rounds
PAX in line did Seal Jacks, while in turn each ran to the top and back down, swapping out with next PAX in line. 4 rounds
Time called. Mosey back [just] around the corner to AO starting point for…
NUMBER-RAMA: One! Two! Three! And YHC’s golf game, Four!
COT/BOM:
Announcements: YHC shared briefly about the potential/goal for F3 First State to take on official Region Status. It’s within reach and leadership (Nantan, Site-Q’s, & Comz, etc.) will have further discussion on this. It’s a great year to do so, since the year to come is all about 2020. So, let’s work together soon to get some 20/20 on Region status in 2020. More to come…
Prayers: Prayers lifted for several: Aaron (YHC’s nephew deployed), homeless family (ministered to by Gump), April & Faith and their family members (Waterfall’s extended family)
What a brisk morning it was! Lots of leg smoke, but a leg-day never hurts. Well, actually, it does! But that’s the point. Check? Check!
Always honored to lead the men in Milford at our newest AO, The Grit Mill. get the word out in and around Milford, men. Own the mission to plant, grow, and serve small workout groups of men for the invigoration of male community leadership! Even if you don’t regularly post there, if you’d like to Q it, contact Site-Q Ruxpin. The place is a workout goldmine. YHC knows one thing for certain…there are plenty of steps. And we didn’t even leave the AO!
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
————————-
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!
Mosey .25 to parking lot, Welsh Dragons across parking lot, 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 PJ, and 2 shoulder taps etc. all the way until we reached other side of parking lot.
COntinued Mosey another .25 Miles over Milfords beautiful riverwalk bridge until we got to our pain destination
At our pain destination we did 10 Burpees, did a lap around church, did 10 burpees and 20 jumping beans did lap around church, did 10 burpees, 20 jumping beans, and 30 Merkins, did lap around church, Inster F3 message here details are down below. Did 10 merkins 20 MJB, 30 merkins, and 40 Prison Squats, lap around church. FInally 10 Burpees, 20 MJB, 30 Merkins, 40 Prison squats, and 50 LBC.
Mosey back to AO
COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP daily devotional
John Haggai defines leadership as, “the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it toward goals of beneficial permanence that fulfill the group’s real needs.” I feel that the most significant word in this sentence is ‘influence’ and so we can say in brief, “Leadership is Influence.” Growing up, the image I had of a leader was that of someone who headed an institution. But I soon realized that I was a leader in my home, in my church and in my friends’ circle because of the influence I exerted on these groups. As we go higher in our leadership position we influence more people. We can identify people as good or bad leaders depending on what kind of influence they exert. The recent ‘Arab Spring’ exposed so many leaders in the Middle East and Africa who exerted a bad influence on their countrymen.
Nehemiah is an example of an excellent leader. When it was reported to him about the miserable state of the Jerusalem wall, he was a captive in a foreign land. His immediate reaction was of great sorrow. But he also fasted and prayed, confessing the sins of the Israelites and asking for God’s guidance in his future endeavors. He saw the need and heard the call. He already had a good job of being the king’s cup bearer, but took the risk of pursuing a difficult task. He faced mockery but continued to deal with injustice. Indeed he motivated and gave leadership and direction to a hopeless and demoralized people. Nehemiah’s dependence on God and his positive influence on the people enabled them to rebuild the wall in fifty two days. Not only did he rebuild the wall he also made the people confess their sins and affirm their faith in God’s Law. The book of Nehemiah ends with a simple prayer, “Remember me with favor, O my God.”
When we look around us we will notice that people are looking for good leaders. Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the multitudes that “were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt.9:36). Are we ready to be the godly influencers
Proverbs 11
Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
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…)
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Cherry Pickers – 20 IC
Mosey .5 miles to that darn hill
again….:)…
The Thang
Q revisited the beatdown that could
not be completed on last Q opportunity.
We started with the exercises originally slated for the descending evolutions
of the hill climbing portion of the beatdown….but we decided to start back at
10 instead of 5 where we had left off last time….:)……PAX completed 10 Burpees,
10 Squats, 10 Merkins & 10 Big Boys.
Nur up the hill and mosey down and complete 9 Burpees, 9 Squats, 9
Merkins, & 9 Big Boys. Dragon Crawl
up & mosey down and complete 8 Burpees, 8 Squats, 8 Merkins, & 8 Big
Boys. Nur up the hill and mosey down and
complete 7 Burpees, 7 Squats, 7 Merkins, & 7 Big Boys. Boo Boo Bear Crawl up the hill and mosey down
and complete 6 Burpees, 6 Squats, 6 Merkins & 6 Big Boys. Nur up the hill and mosey down and complete 5
Burpees, 5 Squats, 5 Merkins, & 5 Big Boys.
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.
F3 Message 11/12/19
LAST-SECOND VICTORIES They’re usually some of the most exciting moments in sports: the touchdown or field goal that wins the game with no time left on the clock, that game-winning basket as the final buzzer sounds, or the game-winning home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Whatever the sport, there is nothing like a sudden victory when victory seems out of reach. It makes the fans go ballistic.
It can be
really nerve-wracking when you’re behind and time is running out, but it’s
really thrilling when a hero pulls it out at the last minute. The longer
someone walks with God, the more they come to appreciate Him as the God of the
last-second victory, the God of the eleventh hour.
The Bible
reveals many names by which God wants us to know Him. One that has meant so
much to so many for so long is the name Jehovah-jireh. It means, “The Lord
will provide.” You may be facing a need or situation right now where that
is literally your only hope – that the Lord will provide. Maybe it’s a job, a
friend, the funds, the person, the answer, the house, the healing, or the
breakthrough you need.
There is
a rock-solid promise in Philippians 4:19 that “God will
meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
God’s supply has nothing to do with what’s happening in the economy, in the
news, at work, or in what your resources can do. It’s all about His unlimited
“Jesus-account” in heaven, which transcends every limitation earth
has.
God
sometimes waits a while to meet that need. That’s when we tend to panic, to
come up with some desperate way to meet the need on our own, or to abandon our
trust in God because we think He’s taking too long. That takes us right out of
the will of God and aborts what God was going to do.
It’s
in Genesis 22 that God is known as
Jehovah-jireh for the very first time. We can learn a lot from how He worked
that day for Abraham. Abraham had, by faith, obeyed God’s direction to take the
son God had once promised to him, climb Mt. Moriah with him, and sacrifice his
son – as God Himself would do one day when Jesus died on the cross.
Believing
that God will somehow provide something Abraham can’t imagine, Abraham promises
his servants that both he and his son Isaac will return from the
mountain. Genesis 22:10 says his faith and
obedience went so far that “he reached out his hand and took the knife to
slay his son.” At the very last moment, God stopped him and showed Abraham
a ram, stuck in a thicket, who would be sacrificed instead of his son. The Bible
says, “So Abraham called that place, ‘The Lord Will Provide.'”
Jehovah-jireh made His move when there was no time left.
Now,
about your need. God loves to come through for us when there is absolutely no
place else that answer could come from, and there is no time left on the clock.
It’s 11:59 and the buzzer is about to sound. God shows up with His provision at
a time and in a way that will blow you away, that will give Him all the glory,
that will show the people around you the greatness of God, and that will take
you to a whole new level of faith and worship.
Have
faith in God. God’s last-minute victories are some of the most awesome moments
of your life. The greater the need and the later the hour, the more amazing
God’s work on your behalf is going to be. Hang in there until the end of the
game, because that is when God really does His stuff!
Those who stayed cozy got lapped! Especially those new young guys. What the what? Get upppp! Sorry, not sorry! Nonetheless a dirty dozen HIM started the week by winning THAT FIRST BATTLE and posting for an ad hoc beatdown by YHC. Doubtfire had to back out of his scheduled Q due to his back being tied in knots. Here’s to a recovery day for our brother and a quick return to the rotation. We have so many on the Q rotation that it sometimes feels like you don’t get to Q enough; that’s a good problem to have. YHC was excited to step in.
Never really JUST a standby, YHC went to the Exicon toolbox, pulled out the Bearmuda Triangle, and used it on the PAX. It lived up to its name…we mysteriously lost a PAX along the way (oh, wait, that was only a modification?). Here’s the skinny on the workout:
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH – 18 IC
Crab Flippers (Cherry Pickers on Delmarva) – 18 IC
Swartz Jacks – 18 IC (Uno, dos, tres, QUATTRO!)
Moroccan Night Clubs – 18 IC
Merkins – 18 IC
Patriot Run around the block – nice pace!
3rdF Message shared here – Content posted below
The Thang:
THE Bearmuda Triangle – 3 cones set up in a triangle pattern, 90 feet apart. PAX Bearcrawl from cone to cone, adding 1 Burpee at each cone. 3x around the cone triangle = 45 total Burpees
Two 10-counts later, PAX found themselves on the side wall of the church:
People’s Chair – 10 Count
5 Mexican Jumping Beans, OYO
BTTW – 10 Count
10 Mexican Jumping Beans
People’s Chair – 10 Count, 2x
15 Mexican Jumping Beans
The Jack Webb Finale: (Always a crowd pleaser)
Ratio: 1 Merkin/4 OH Claps all the way up to 10 Merkins/40 OH Claps
Though Leatherman tried to stop us, and stop the pain, we went…a WHOLE 30 secs over :-)’ Nice try brother, nice try!
Count-O-Rama:
COT/BOM:
Announcements: Nuh’in (at least not that YHC remembers)
Prayers: For family of Fireplex’s friend who passed from ALS, Chappie’s nephew (Aaron) who is deployed, for our bro Doubtfire on several different fronts
That was about it. Again, honored by the opportunity to lead. Always enjoy Q’ing. Humbled by it all. Get back soon, Doubtfire.
~Chappie, out!
Scars – 3rdF Content:
The theme of SCARS seems to keep coming up an awful lot in the last few weeks. Scars are often a kind of credential. Each of them has a story.
Kyle Carpenter (MOH recipient) bears some serious scars for jumping on a grenade to save the life of a fellow Marine. He devoted an entire chapter of his book YOU ARE WORTH IT to scars (cf. Ch.13, Don’t Hide Your Scars). In it, he wrote that “scars are a kind of credential”(210). Kyle added this story: “There is a greeter at my local Walmart, an elderly gentleman who always has a cheerful hello for everyone who comes through the door. One day, as I was walking in, he spotted me, flashed his huge grin, and then did finger pistols at me as he playfully asked, ‘Motorcycle wreck?'” I did finger pistols right back at him and replied, ‘Taliban!'”
Later he continued, “I would never encourage anyone to share something they aren’t comfortable sharing. But there are some scars that are so obvious, so apparent, that it is impossible to hide or ignore them. Instead of being ashamed of them, I think there is power in embracing these ‘stories’ that leave their marks on our bodies and souls” (211).
Scars are a kind of credential. They have tremendous power for creating bonds. “Wear them proudly. Wear them for yourself, to honor what you’ve been through. And wear them for others, to connect with them and inspire them to keep on fighting. They reassure others they’re not alone. They give hope that someday, their wounds will become nothing but scars, too” (215).
In 2 Cor. 11, the Apostle Paul shared quite a list of experiences which undoubtedly left him with serious scars. The context of the list was that he was facing off with false teachers who were trying to lead the Corinthians away from the truth. Paul shared the list not to brag about personal experiences, but to express that his heaviest burden of all was for the churches. The best scars are always the ones left from a cause that is bigger than we are! Listen to these verses from 2 Cor. 11:22-29…
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
Had Paul NOT been a true follower of Christ, had he NOT been truly concerned for the church, he would not have experienced (willingly endured) those trials — he would not have borne the scars which those trials inevitably produced — especially the 39 lashes x5! (Btw…that’s 195!).
Scars are a kind of credential. The nail-scarred hands of our Savior are credentials of His unconditional love. Proof that He paid our penalty in the cross. They are further proof that He is alive! Add to that, sometimes some else’s scars remind us we’re living, we’re ALIVE!
This past week you heard about the death of Toby Mac’s (and his wife, Amanda’s) oldest son, Truett, age 21. Toby Mac’s Facebook post was nothing short of phenomenal. In the midst of feeling exceptional pain that will leave exceptional scars, he and his wife, Amanda, were able to inspire others. Here’s how/why: (This is the last paragraph of their post)
Scars in the lives of HIM are a kind of credential. They’re credentials that we ARE unquestionably ALL IN, whether it be in relationship with God, in our families, our churches, our workplaces, or the communities in which we serve. Scars heal and tell a story BECAUSE YOU ARE ALIVE; scars mark you as resilient, tough, and as a survivor! They mark you as a HIM!
YHC Shared the following 3rdF to get PAX thinking about the amazing part of Christmas–the INCARNATION–the fact that God became man for our salvation:
