Warm-a-Rama:

Quick mosey around the amphitheater returning to center field for warm up:  47 birthday side straddle hops, 7 (slow) weed pickers, 7 (slow) tumble weeds, and moved to the winky board for some fun.

The Thing:

We did 4 Progression Rounds with each round having 3 exercises of Upper/Lower Body, Travel acorss field, Abs/Core.  Each round elevated in rep count with 5 Sets each found with reps elevating from 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, move to next round (thanks to @The Situation, who really authored this Q and YHC borrowed from it).

5 sets of each round, increasing from 5 Reps to 10, 15, 20, 25:

• Round 1: Makhtar Merkins, No-Surrenders travel across the field, Big Boy Situps
• Round 2: Squats, travel by Bear Crawl travel across the field, American Hammers
• Round 3: Carolina Dry Docks, Lunges travel across the field, Flutter Kicks
• Round 4: Monkey Humpers, Duck Walk travel across the field, LBC’s

With 12 minutes remaining in the beatdown, we took a rest-lap around the field returning to the amphitheater stage.  Pax gathered in a plank position circle with a Merkin cadence to “Bring Salley Up, Bring Salley Down”, which never disappoints.   We closed out with a Round of Mary – E-Tool led us through a round of Flutter Kicks / Freddie Mercury, Icy-Hot with Big Boy Situps, One-Scoop with Pickel Pointers, and Surf-n-Turf with his SNF-Alphabet version of 6-inches/Box-Cutter/who knows what….

Circle of Trust:

YHC turned 47 this week and shared some gratitude reflection.  Backblasts are about the PAX, not the Q, but, I share the following because it’s about you – the Pax of The Clinic, Lions Den, Catbox, Murph City, CSAUP’s, and all F3 Cherokee, you are role models.

YHC was the epitome of SadClown Syndrome at my first post.   And, my “hospital birthday” was just another example of a sad day for YHC having spent my b-day in the hospital with my daughter a few years ago following a serious trauma that led me to anger with the Lord (8/26/19).

This week, I was proud to lead on my birthday.  I was honored to spend a few hours with F3 Pax on my birthday.  And, I’m grateful to God for the life he has blessed me with.  Yeah, my life has a lot of messy going on…..but, this years birthday is about renewal, wholeness, and strength through submission, reliance on the Lord, and reliance on my Fellows.

I learned that from the Pax of F3-Cherokee.  To “Live right, Lead Right” requires a few things I missed along the way.

Somewhere in my own journey, I got lost on “Live Right”.  My version of Living Right was virtuous (misled) – serve and love others/family/friends, help others, carry burdens of others, lead others, mourn / celebrate with others.

Sounds like all good stuff, right…but there’s a fatel flaw….. I carried the notion that I had broad shoulders and man-skills to those things well. I have none of those things without the Lord at the center of all things every day, every minute.  And my union with the Lord isn’t really possible without Fellowship of good Men living life along side me.  I missed the mark – I kept “monthly business review” relationship with my love of the Lord.  And, my “fellowship” was work and family……the last place my “mess” needs to show up with is with my family.

Don’t get me wrong, “my version” of life had served me well for much of my adult years.  But, that fatel flaw of independence, broad shoulders eventually leads to SadClown, which is a scary place.

We are not strong without the Fellowship of Men actively in our lives.  We are not created for Independence; we are created for Dependence and Submission to the Lord and to walk with other Men.

I recently stumbled across Ephesians 5.28 and was struck by these words, “….husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies” – What?  Love our own bodies?  Is that narcissistic, self centered?  I am an amateur in my study of scripture, but, digging further in this idea of loving ourselves as Men took on a new meaning.  Jesus modeled this perfect in his love for the church by loving and caring for himself first.  He modeled perfect Fellowship with Men and Union with God the Father.

I’m still a little perplexed by it, but, I believe there is a God ordained trifecta that exists in the name of F3 (Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith) that men require and are often starved of oxygen it gives us but we fail to know we require it.  I can’t explain the magic of this trifecta; but, I’m greatful to have found it.

F3 is the most authentic group of men I have ever encountered.  You teach me that I am only whole and of any value to others, if and only when I care for myself.  Our beatdowns are fun – but our Fellowship and Faith in action change lives.  I find myself fragile sometimes in this growth.  But, heading into my 47th year on Earth – I’m grateful to you Pax of F3 Cherokee.

Thanks for humoring me in sharing a bit of that this in the COT this morning, now onto the COT backblast close.

Gracie shared as the six-man and prayers are needed for his wife’s health and recovery from a recent incident during a distance running event.  Prayers for E-Tool and his family.  Prayers for the country of Afganistan, for leadership, and those in the middle of hardship.

Godspeed!