Gritt Mill

QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama
20 ssh i/c
15 plank jack i/c
20 Cherry picker i/c
15 Imperial walker i/c
20 seal jack i/c
20 Windmill i/c
10 seal wave i/c

The Thang

Mosey to parking lot behind old bank

10 derkins
15 erkins
25 big boys
10 reverse lunge (per leg)

3 rounds,

After first round nur to first parking island, mosey back

round 2 close hands on merkins, after 2nd round side shuffle to 2nd parking island

round 3 wide arm merkins

3rd f between rounds 2 and 3
Talked about intimacy, emotions, and rest

Mosey back to AO
Round of mary – 25 big boys, 20 hello dollies, 15? Seated reverse crunch

Number-Rama
Name-a-Rama
COT

4  HIM showed today: Semi, Chappie, Ruxpin, and Woodstock

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Jan Two-Six for the Seven-Five

DATE: 1/26/21

QIC: Chappie

You: If you got whooped by your fartsack this morning

If your fartsack hit you as hard as Poirier hitting McGregor, if you’re reading this from a distance, or, if you sadistically enjoy recalling what you’ve been through in the Gloom, here’s how it went down:

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 10 IC
  • Swartzjacks – 10 IC
  • Windmill – 15 IC (via Woodstock)
  • Toy Soldier Squat Jumps (Toe touches [Toy Soldier], Jump w/hands to side & slightly out, down to Squat – Rinse & Repeat)
  • Single Arm Flying-Squirrels – 5 each arm, OYO
  • Seated Reverse Crunch – 15 IC (On six, hands to side/slightly back for stability, Feet 6″, knees together, bring up to chest, extend back out to 6″, knees slightly spread, bring to chest, extend back out to 6″, rinse & repeat)
  • WACH Merkins – 10 OYO, Wide-Arm to Close Hand (Wide-Arm down, on Up hands come off ground and go to Close Hand, back up, hands go to Wide-Arm, Rinse & Repeat)

TODAY, GOTTA KEEP MOVING! — We’re going to do a few sets of double-deuces as we go (22 double-time steps under ruck to increase pace and to remember the average veteran suicide rate is 22/per day).

THE THANG: *Rest position for each workout is Plank, if you stop moving plank it up!

RUCK UP – 30lbs
• 10 – No Crawl Dragon (Stationary w/ruck)

Movement to dentist office:
• 75 – Ruck Squats

Movement to Orchard St.
• 75 – Shoulder to Shoulder

Movement to Mulberry St.
• 75 – Ruck Swings

—————————————————————————

YHC took a brief moment to share the 3rd F:

Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

As I was laid up with Covid19 in early December I’d announced on the F3 First State Groupme that I was going to “make the best of my time” by watching every episode of Band of Brothers. I mean, really, who ever gets the time to do that? None of us! We’re hard-working family oriented HIM! I was licking my chops with anticipation of an uninterrupted block of quarantine so that I could watch the series without excuse. I assumed I’d be down for 3-4 days and then jump back into action (well, I did not expect to be out over a month!).

What I also did not anticipate was that Band of Brothers would have to wait. I tested positive, so that meant my wife (a school teacher) also had to quarantine and teach from home. Have you ever tried to watch Band of Brothers while your wife is teaching 4th graders remotely from the next room? It really doesn’t work…at all. Band of Brothers was out!

Another blissful thing I did not anticipate as I lay on the couch growing worse each day, was the joy I had watching and listening to my wife teach her students. While I initially fussed (under my breath, of course) about being unable to watch the B.O.B. series, I was met with the pleasure of hearing/seeing my M teach. I’d sacrifice B.O.B. again to hear/see her do what she does. I honestly believe she’s THE BEST teacher around! I always have. I’d say that even if she wasn’t my M. She is one of those rare people who is doing what she loves, so she loves what she’s doing. She is one of those rare people who is doing EXACTLY what they’re called to do–and it is most obvious not only in the way she teaches, but, as much, in the way she genuinely loves each of her students.

Band of Brothers you’ve got nothing on my M! I loved watching and hearing her in action. There’s no way I could’ve (or should’ve) demanded she teach elsewhere in our house just so that I could corner the market on watching an HBO series. I love the whole series; it’s excellent! I’ve watched it before…a few times, but I was blessed instead to follow the Biblical counsel of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians: “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (5:25). As HIM let’s pursue sacrificial ways (great & small) to demonstrate our love for our wives–giving them our all as Christ gave His all for the church.

————————————————————————–

Movement to Shipbuilders
• 75 – Ruck Deadlifts

Movement return to AO, Endex

NUMBER-RAMA

NAME-O-RAMA:

COT:

  • Announcements: Nuttin honey
  • Prayers: Rocky family lifted up during their time of grieving the loss of a loved one; our brother Streudel lifted up as he’s facing some tests/results today.

Ruck workout complete, to include many reps in honor of the 75th Ranger Regiment, four sets of double-deuces to be kept aware that there are an average of 22 American vets daily who take their own lives, and a total of .86 miles.

Shout out to Chattahoochee celebrating his 4-yr-Manniversary today. He was our longest serving Site-Q and is one of the most consistent PAX you will see. Follow him! Great to know you brother!

Always honored to lead. Thanks to all the PAX who won THAT FIRST BATTLE, dropped the DRP, and posted even knowing it was going to be a ruck beatdown. Let’s keep getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Aye?

Aye!

~Chappie, out!

Ran out of time. Here’s what we missed:

Movement to Pediatrician’s at Willow St.
• 75 – Ruck Pulls

Movement to Union St.
• 75 – Ruck Merkins

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21 Block Party

QIC: Semi

Warm-a-Rama

All i/c
21 Seal jacks
21 Plank jacks
21 Mountain man pooper
21 Cherry picker
Capri lap – side shuffle across parking lot, nur, side shuffle, and mosey
21 SSH
21 Seal waves
21 Imperial walkers
21 Crab flippers

The Thang

Each HIM grabs 2 coupons.

Do 21 of the following exercises:
Curls – bear crawl across parking lot, nur back
Big boys – Lt. Dan across parking lot, nur back
Abyss merkins – mosey across parking lot, Dan Lt. Back
Rows (per arm) – side shuffle across parking lot, nur back
High pull – side shuffle opposite direction across parking lot, nur back

3RD F
Disciplines of a Godly Man
A Great Friendship
1 Samuel 13-20

Man maker – muder bunny across parking lot
Over head carry across parking lot

Number-Rama
Name-a-Rama
COT

9 HIM showed today: Semi, Chappie, Quarto, Fireplex, Chattahoochee, Doubtfire, Gump, Streudel, Woodstock

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1st and 10 On Holy Hill

Date: 01/19/21

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 10 IC

Monkey Humpers – 10 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.

American Hammers – 50 IC

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC

Mosey @.5 miles to Holy Hill

The Thang

1st & 10 Routine per the Exicon…Well sort of….:)…..Perform 10 merkins and 1 burpee.  Nur up the hill and run down.  Perform 9 merkins and 2 burpees.  Nur up the hill and run down.  Perform 8 merkins and 3 burpees.  Nur up the hill and run down.  You recognize a pattern developing here.  Pax took a break for the 3rd F (see below) after completing the round starting with 5 merkins.  After the break for the message, all HIM completed the rounds down through 1 merkin and 10 burpees with a final Nur up the hill and the run down.     

Mosey @.5 miles back to CHOP. 

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 01/19/21 – Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

TIME IS SLIPPING AWAY – #8734

July 2, 2020

I heard a while back about a novelty company that made a lot of money on people having birthdays that they might not be real excited about. You know, like those milestone birthdays: 40, 50, 60. I’ll stop there. Of course, if you’re sad about how many birthdays this is, consider the alternative. That means you’ve stopped having birthdays, and that’s not good. This company actually produces a whole line of birthday products called “Over the Hill.” Maybe you’ve seen them. There are these black balloons with these words on them, black banners, cards; all kinds of dark little reminders that tap into the very things you don’t want this birthday to mean. A friend of mine was facing the classic Baby Boomer crossroads of turning 60 and was talking about it to an older man that he knew. And that man said something that made me laugh several times since then. He said, “Hey, how can I be over the hill when I’ve never even made it to the top yet?”

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Time is Slipping Away.”

After I stopped laughing, I realized that’s how a lot of folks feel about their life. Where did it go? How can it be flying so fast? Especially when there’s so much I thought I would have or do by now and I haven’t. Job said it this way in the Bible, “My days are swifter than a runner” (Job 9:25).

I remember telling the quarterback of our high school’s freshman football team, “Hey, Chris, you’re going to blink your eyes and suddenly you’ll be a senior playing your last games.” He smiled, “Yeah, whatever.” One day in the senior locker room, he reminded me of what I had told him when he was just starting high school. He said, “Where did it all go so fast? Wasn’t I a freshman just yesterday?” I well know the feeling.

Our word for today from the Word of God, James 4:13-14 put our little journey on this planet into perspective. The Bible says, “Now listen you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this city or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

And at that point, now I’m… this is me talking, “It’s all about eternity.” A friend of mine was at a class reunion where he was talking with a classmate who had become a very successful physician. As the conversation turned somehow to talking about God, the doctor just said very candidly, “Frankly, I’m nervous about eternity.”

You know what? We should be, if we’re not ready for the God we’re going to meet on the other side. Actually, the Bible tells us that we couldn’t be more “unready” to meet God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your sins have separated you from your God.” The Bible makes it clear that we’re all in deep trouble with God because as it says, “all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23). We’ve been so busy pursuing the elusive goal of happiness and success that we have forgotten eternity.

And waiting to get ready for it is just foolhardy. As the Bible says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). How many funerals have we been to of people who thought they had more time; maybe lots more time, and suddenly it was over.

We’re not ready for eternity unless every sin of our life has been erased from God’s book. And there’s only one person who can do that: the person who died to pay for that sin, and that is Jesus. In the words of the Bible, He “made peace (with God) through His blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:20). The choice is simple. Either we put our trust in Jesus and His death for our sins, or we pay that death penalty ourselves – forever. Jesus came to give us heaven. Once you come to His cross and put your total trust in what He did there for you, death is no longer the end, it’s just the beginning! All death can do, then, is take you to heaven if you belong to Jesus.

If you don’t belong to Him, if you’re not sure you do, don’t risk another day without Him. The Bible says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart” (Hebrews 4:7). I urge you as soon as you possibly can today to say, “Jesus, you died for my sins so I don’t have to. You’re my hope. I’m Yours.”

Listen, our website is there to help you cross that line. And I’d encourage you to go there today. It’s ANewStory.com.

The days, the years really do fly faster than we ever dreamed; each bringing us closer to our last day. There’s just such peace in knowing you’re ready for eternity whenever it comes.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

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Streudel’s Super 21

Date: 01/12/21

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE.

QIC: Fireplex Standing in for Streudel

Warm up – Pass the Baton

Swartz Jacks – 18 IC

Prisoner Squats – 15 IC

Cherry Pickers – 22 IC

Merkins – 22 IC (Four Count)

SSH – 20 IC

Windmills – 20 IC

Imperial Walkers – 20 IC

Low Double Mountain Climbers 15 IC

The Thang

The Super 21 “Streudel Special”.  1 Merkin to 1 Big Boy Sit up.  2 Merkins to 2 Big Boy Situps.  3 Merkins to 3 Big Boy Situps, etc., etc., etc.  But wait there is a twist….after each set completed of #1 though #5 you will do 21 Imperial Walkers.  After each set completed of #6 through #10 complete 21 Mountain Climbers.  After each set completed of # 11 through #15 complete 21 Monkey Humpers.  After each completed set of #16 through #20 complete 21 Prisoner Squats.  After the final set of #21 Merkins to 21 Big Boys then finish strong with 21 Burpees.

F3 Message

Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust.  Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.  

F3 Message 01/12/21 – Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

FOUR REASONS NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS DON’T MAKE IT
January 8, 2015

Health clubs and spas love January! Business skyrockets as December bulges turn to January workouts.

A “new year” sounds like a great time to work on a new you. Thus, the infamous New Year’s resolution. “A firm decision to do or not to do something.”

Sadly, research shows that about 88% of our resolutions won’t happen.

It’s not that we aren’t sincere about wanting to improve. We really do want to be healthier. Spend more time with the family. Get out of debt. Do better in school. Clean out the junk. In our house. Or in us.

So why do our great intentions so often end in failed commitments?

My work has put me in the middle of many folks’ efforts to change. From their experience – and too much of my own – I’ve seen four reasons we fail.

1. We’re not specific.

Goals have to be more than general intentions. “I’m going to be a better husband” … “I’m going to get in shape” … “I want to make more of a difference” – nice ideas. Not likely to succeed. “I’m going to give my wife all of my attention at least once a day” … “I’m not going to eat after 6 o’clock and I’ll spend 20 minutes on the treadmill each day” … “I’m going to volunteer at the shelter” – those are specific – and measurable – enough to give a person a decent shot at real change.

2. We’re not accountable.

A resolution between me, myself and I is just too easy to forget. But when you announce to several key people the commitment you’ve made, you’ve put yourself on the line to do it. Like the Bible says, “Two are better than one … if one falls down, his friend can help him up.”

3. We give up too soon.

Babies learn to walk by a process I call “step … boom!” They fall down, but they don’t stay down. They get up! Next time – “step, step, step … boom!” Until one day they’re rocketing across the room. Sadly, when we fall down in our effort to do better, we too often stay down. But one day’s failure is just that. One day. Keep it that way. Get up and keep walking!

4. We have a power shortage.

Especially when it comes to the changes that really matter. Breaking the cycle that’s hurting the people I love. Conquering the dark part of me that has brought me down again and again. Moving beyond the pain of my past. Attacking that fatal flaw that has cost me so much.

Every new year has the same last name. “A.D.” 2015. A.D. “Anno Domini.” The year of our Lord. Measured by how many years it is since Jesus Christ came.

My whole life has been “B.C./A.D.” The me I couldn’t change before Christ took the wheel of my life. And the changed life He’s made possible since I gave me to Him.

I thought I could only trust me to drive. But I drove into too many ditches. Ran over too many people. Crashed too often. I couldn’t get me to the man I want to be. I need to be. That the people I love need me to be.

Like one of the men who wrote the Bible. He said, “I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t … Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”

I know that feeling. And I’ve found the power to change where that Bible-writer found it. “Thank God!” he said – “The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” It took the Man who died for my sin to give me the power to beat my sin.

My personal B.C. – a man I didn’t want to be. My personal A.D. – the man I could never have been without the great Life-Changer.

Not just a new year. A new me.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

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No Murph

QIC. Chattahoochee

8 HIM beat the fartsack on this frosty morning for a little frosty fun. Q was thinking of introducing Lt. Michael Murphy to the PAX bit do to excessive Merkins at the grit mill yesterday we met Cpt. THOR instead.

Warmup – 25 SSH, 20 Windmills, 20 cherry pickers, 15 smurf Jack’s, 20 mou train climbers, all IC. 10 arm circles forward 10 backwards to.

Approximately 1 mile run threw town ending at the old HOB elementry.

20 pull ups.

1 set Aiken leqs- 20 squats, 20 boxjumps, 20 lunges, 20 split Jack’s.

Captain Thor. 1 big boy 4 american hammers. 1:4 ratio until 10 big boys 40 american hammers are complete.

Mosey the short way back to CHOP

Toysoldier set 40 LBC, 25 E2KS, 15 BIGBOYS followed by 20 flutter kicks IC.

For.the 3rd F I spoke a little about my experiences 30 years ago on Jan 16th president George H. W. Bush announced the start of what would be called operation Desert storm a military operation to expel occupying Iraqi forces from iraq.

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Post “One-Niner” Debut

Well it didn’t quite feel like, as Madonna sings, “the very first time,” but its been more than a month since YHC Q’d thanks to COVID 19–THE “One-Niner” and it was great to be back! Had the opportunity to Q, thought long and hard about it, then jumped in headfirst.

Here’s the skinny:

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 18 IC
  • Swartzjacks – 10 IC
  • Smurfjacks – 10 IC
  • Splitjacks – 10 IC
  • Windmill – 10 IC
  • Cherry Pickers/Hairy Chiggers/Crab Flippers – 10 IC

Chairman lap mosey around the short block

THE THANG:

PAX walked perimeter of church building (safety brief walk around), as they would mosey this route between exercises.

Pretty simple…spell your full name, taking laps around the church between each letter. See image below. (For those who Fartsacked this is an easy one to catch up on; it’ll take you about 45 minutes.) Check it out:

Somewhere in the middle of the middle names PAX took a breather for the following 3rdF:

F3 is about leadership. In fact, our F3 Mission Statement is: to Plant, grow, and serve small workout groups of men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

That means what we do here on a micro scale is to spill over into our homes, workplaces, and into the communities in which we live. It means that what we do as a group must spill over into the communities in which we exist: Milton, Milford, and Georgetown.

We’ve done a little of that over the past few years, collecting toilet paper and cooking breakfast for residents at the Home of the Brave, collecting crayons for the young girl distributing crayons to sick children at AI, collecting peanut butter for the Milton Food Pantry, painting the future shelter near Lowes, bringing food to the collection container on the Georgetown Circle, etc.

I’m bringing this to your attention to say that we need to be even more attentive to opportunities for us to lead [together] in our communities during 2021.

I’m also bringing it up today to refer back to a word that has been added to leadership in F3 circles in recent years (at least as far as YHC knows). This is for personal application and its a word mentioned in Dredd’s book Q Source. It is the word virtuous. Virtuous Leadership. That is a very particular kind of leadership.

Virtuous is defined as: Having or showing high moral standards. F3 exists to bring about leadership in men which is marked by its high moral standards.

We can look all around us in the world and see leadership which is absent of moral standards. The political realm is one place this is easily seen. Truth be told, in the end, leadership absent of high moral standards isn’t really leadership at all!

This was the substance of the statement by President John Adams when he stated: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

Virtuous leadership means we’re not just leading in our homes, workplaces, and in the communities in which we serve, but that in each of those areas we are LEADING RIGHT.

In that vein the Bible says that leaders must “be above reproach…not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious (quick to argue, quarrel or fight), not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled.” (Titus 1:7-8)

This is the standard for leadership in Scripture because as go the leaders, so goes the home, the workplace, and the communities in which they serve.

In 2021 let us be HIM by striving to be men who practice virtuous leadership.

Names spelled in full, it was time to circle up:

COT:

  • Number-Rama
  • [Full] Name-O-Rama
  • Announcements: Just be smart and use common sense concerning how you feel and whether you post or not (see write up on GroupMe
  • Prayers: For those on IR and those in our community out of action due to Corona virus, get well soon; for the State of Georgia and their run-off elections today; for the nation (march & Trump rally in D.C. tomorrow, 1/6); etc.

Well, it didn’t feel like a Virgin Q, but physically, it felt like it was the first time YHC worked out in years–a full month of the “One-Niner” has ransacked YHC’s legs and lungs. Still, thankful for all the men who posted, humbled to have good health, and grateful to be back!

~Chappie out!

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BOMBS for the new year

QIC- Chattahoochee

14 HIM beat the fartsack and made it out for the first Saturday workout for 2021. All though there was some chatter among the packs and maybe a couple jokingly threats of bodily harm to the Q we all made it through to look forward to many more beatdowns in the upcoming year

Warm-o-Rama- 30 SSH, 25 Windmills, 20 Imperial Walkers, 20 Cherry pickers, 20 Smurfjacks, 20 MNC all IC.

The Thang- Mosey to the old NAPA for a short pain station stop 10 Jimmeny Crickets,and a Toy Soldier set 40 LBCs, 20 E2KS each side, 15 big boys. Back to a Mosey to the school for some BOMBS partner up PAX #1 runs from end sidewalk to center sidewalk of front schoolyard and back while PAX #2 performs excercises then switches out until team reaches said number of excercises combined as a team

50 burbees, 100 overhead hand claps, 150 Merkins, 200 bigboys, 250 squats. All PAX held plank until 6 was in.

BOMBS were followed by a short 3rd F then a nice friendly mosey back to the AO. Once we reached the AO and fireplex demonstrated his dancing abilities thanks to music from the gentleman on the Harley. we finished up with a round of HOWLING MONKEYS all PAX held monkey humper position while all PAX 1 at a time performed 10 monkey humpers

3rd F Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens Iron so one person sharpens another at f3 first state the Q is physically sharpening all PAX that post in return all those PAX are sharpening the Q’s leadership abilities. At the end of the beatdown we all come together in a COT were we all come together and sharpen each other physically, mentally and emotionally

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Kickball

QIC: Semi

Kickball

Warm-a-Rama
20 seal jacks i/c
21 crab flipper i/c
20 plank jacks i/c
20 harry rockets i/c
10 monkey jumpers i/c for site Q RIH
20 ssh i/c
20 Imperial walkers i/c
20 Windmill i/c
20 seal wave i/c

THE THANG

Mosey to ballfields

PAX divides into teams

Batter kicks pitch and bear crawls to first base, side shuffle to second base, nur to third base, and side shuffle home
Batter completes trip around bases even if out
Batting team does 3 burpees per out.
Teams switch every 4 outs.

3rd F

Thanked other HIM for commitment and comrodery. Probe other HIM on hiatus to get back to coming out. Pray about Gtown adding another day or starting a site in Millsboro.

Mosey back to circle

NUMBER-RAMA
NAME-A-RAMA
COT

8 HIM showed today: Semi, Doubtfire, Chattahoochee, Quarto, Ruxpin, Yukon, Bolt, Woodstock

25° this morning

A special thank you to Wilson for being a good sport!

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O Holy Hill

Date: 12/24/2020

AO: CHOP, Milton, DE.

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 25 IC

Bolt 46’s IC (4 Count) – 16 squats to halfway down (Q Lost Count).  15 squats halfway to full down.  15 full squats.

Cherry Pickers – 20 IC 

The Thang

Mosey @.5 miles to O Holy Hill. 

PAX performed 12 hydraulic squats in cadence with a weird 6 count, 12 best form LBC’s in 4 count cadence, & 12 best form merkins in 4 count cadence.  Once complete Pax will nur up the hill and run down and plank for the 6.  PAX completed 11 hydraulic squats in cadence, 11 best form LBC’s in cadence, & 11 best form merkins in cadence.  Nur up the hill and run down and plank for the 6.  Rinse and repeat in descending order until time became a factor.  HIM completed 5 evolutions down through the round of 8. 

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 12/24/20 – see below for Billy Graham & Ron Hutchcraft posts gleaned from the Internet…

In His Own Words – Billy Graham’s 1993 Christmas Message

December 21, 2020

The joyful Christmas message of peace on earth and goodwill to men seems clouded this year by events at home and around the world that dramatize the terrible increase in violence and crime.

We live in a world dangerously torn by hate and conflict, and people feel powerless to do anything about it.  Many also know that their own hearts are driven by destructive passions and motives they cannot seem to control or change.

The decline in moral values is having a tragic effect on our society.  People are concerned about their children, their families and their country and are desperately searching for answers.  In taking God and religion out of our lives, we have lost our moral and spiritual bearings.

This Christmas season let us consider our spiritual heritage. Let us listen carefully to the angels’ words that continue to offer us hope, especially at this critical time.

“Fear not.”  the angels said on that starry night in Bethlehem. “For I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be for all the people.  For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

In a world more needy than ever, let us open our hearts to the child in the manger, who can bring us new life and new power over the violence, crime, and evils of our day.

 A CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL KIT – #2596

The occasion was a city-wide art contest. They were told to paint paintings entitled “Peace.” While the judges were understandably attracted to this beautiful pastural scene that a local painter had painted. It was a green pasture. It was the puffy white clouds and the beautiful blue sky and a little boy going by with a fishing pole over his shoulder and a quiet brook and some birds. That got second place. First place – well, the picture was of an angry, stormy day at the seashore as the ocean was beating against the cliffs and the cliffs were stark and dark because of the darkness of the storm. The sky in this painting was angry and black, green and purple. You had to look twice to figure out what in world this had to do with peace. But if you looked halfway up the cliff these little baby birds were nestled underneath the wing of their mother, and they were sleeping totally oblivious to the storm that was howling all around them. Now it’s the Christmas season. It’s supposed to be about peace; but, if you feel the holiday pressure like I do, seems more like a storm, a stress which leads us into those birds.

Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “A Christmas Survival Kit.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 30:15, “in quietness and trust is your strength.” What a great verse for the chaos that Christmas has become. You’re in the middle of it right now. The shopping – the entertaining – and getting all the cards out – “Oh, who did we forget. They sent us a card; we better send them one.” – All of the church events that are going on – maintaining all the family traditions that the kids insist on or you do – the guests are coming – family time – you know, they’re flying in – they’re driving in. Suddenly the Christmas season seems more like “Stress on Earth” than “Peace on Earth,” and then God speaks “in quietness and trust is your strength.”

If you are going to protect the heart of Christmas and not succumb to the hassle of Christmas, you must protect a quiet spot at the beginning of each day where quietness and trust will be your strength. Think about those birds in that painting. Peace was not the absence of a storm, it was peace right in the middle of it. They found their quiet spot. Well, the secret is the same for you. The more hectic the season is, the harder it is to get your quiet time with the Lord and the more you need it.

It would be tragic if Jesus gets lost in the process of you getting ready for His birthday. If anything, make your time with Jesus more top priority than ever. First of all because Christmas becomes an idol if it crowds out Christ. Secondly, you need to be with Him to keep everything in proportion. Unload your concerns on Him. Focus on the relationship with Jesus. It’s a love relationship above all else. Eliminate the overload. Ask the Lord if there’s things you can eliminate. Simplify as you ask for His wisdom. What’s your Christmas survival kit? “Quietness and trust is your strength.” It comes from non-negotiable times spent with the Prince of Peace, not peace that’s the absence of a storm but peace right in the middle of a storm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

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