Zima asked YHC to sub for him as Q of TheYard this past past weekend. I had planned on saying yes anyway, but there was no way I could say “no” when provided an idea for the Weinke. We all know Zima’s ideas are notoriously terrible.

The Board of Pain is a mid-summer special of Jekyll. The idea was to bring this gift to TheYard, in a moderate flavor. Enter the “Board of Discomfort”. Same great exercises, but half the reps and recovery-run distance.

YHC added in some questions and contemplations on the 3rdF theme of the month: Margin. After each exercises, Pax were to read the one of the questions/do’s/don’ts taken from the theme document, and give it some thought as they ran the recovery segments.

Warm-up
Mosey around the FMMS parking lot to the basketball courts, then circle up for warm-up.

– SSH x15 (IC)
– Windmills x10 (slow and IC)
– Imperial Walkers x10 (IC)
– Peter Parkers x12 (IC)
– Parker Peters x12 (IC)
– Low Slow Squats x10 (IC)

Shmosey to the covered area near the basketball courts for a quick discussion about Magins. YHC read the introduction from the theme document, then instructed pax on the Board of Discomfort.

* Burpees – 30
* Calf Raises – 75
—-> 25 regular
—-> 25 toes pointed in
—-> 25 toes pointed out)
* Ski Abs – 50
* Merkins – 50
* Deep Squats – 50
* LBCs – 100
* Carolina Dry Docks – 50
* Russian Twists – 50
* Mac Tar Jai– 50
* Jump Squats – 50
* Mountain Climbers – 50
* Shoulder Raises – 100
* Mary Catherines (ie Jumping Lunge) – 50
* Hello Dolly – 100
==== This was as far as we got =====
* Wide Arm Merkins – 50
* Squat Jacks – 50
* Nippler– 50
* Burpees – 30

During run recovery after each exercise, pax where to think about the appropriate question/thought.

* After Burpees –> How have you squandered the Margin in your life in the past?
* After Calf Raises –> How can you consume less to give more?
* After Ski Abs –> How can/have you create a safety net to protect your time with God, Spouse, and your children?
* After Merkins –> Who do you look to as a model for generosity? What do they do differently?
* After Deep Squats –> How can you fully trust God with the resources you have been given? Not just money.
* After LBCs –> How much time per week do you give to the most important things in your life?
* After Carolina Dry Docks –> How available are you to respond to God?
* After Russian Twists –> Do build margin into your schedule to spend time with God
* After Mac Tar Jai –> Do live life open handed
* After Jump Squats –> Do focus your resources on areas that are of significance
* After Mountain Climbers –> Do say no to many good things to say yes to the best things
* After Shoulder Raises –> Don’t hoard the blessings God has given you
* After Mary Catherines –> Don’t be afraid to say NO to a demand that interferes with creating Margin
* After Hello Dolly –> Don’t try to build margin with speed
* After Wide Arm Merkins –> Don’t be fooled that what you consider “required” is really an excuse and a distraction.

At COT, we talked about how intensional use of our margins is like exercise: if we aren’t working to improve how we are using them, we are sliding backwards. A particular definition of Margins struck me as appropriate for the theme of the month: “an amount by which something is won or falls short”. Our individual battles to expand God’s Kingdom is often won or lost in the margins.

Thank you men of TheYard for allowing me the opportunity to lead. It was an honor to serve such a fine group of pax.