Category: 3rdF

#Serving at Thanksgiving with Many Thanks

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With great apologies for the delay in this backblast, here is a followup to our Thanksgiving meal drive. The PAX were truly inspiring in reaching out. We are all called to serve, and can do so in many different ways.

Immediate thanks to Figaro for the turkey donations, along with the 20 men who did not hesitate and within 3 days quickly donated to the cause… and whom most have chosen to remain anonymous. Special thanks to Cable Guy, Frat Boy and Crab Cakes for helping with delivery. More details further below. And additional thanks to Crab Cakes and M Kara for followup support to one of our families!

Many of us don’t truly realize the experiences of the poor and needy  until we are able to observe in real life. Most of stay in our one station in life, but it can be a privilege to experience others’ stations. (see next full story, try to get through it all)

One of the most meaningful and deep scenes in a movie I have watched comes from one of the silliest movies. In the movie “Overboard” with Goldie Hahn and Kurt Russell, Hahn’s female character (Joanna) plays a very stuck up, rich woman who falls overboard at night from her yacht while near WA (state). She gets amnesia. She is ‘claimed’ by Russell’s carpenter character (Dean) to ‘compensate’ for her refusal to pay him for his services performed by him in the days before.

Joanna ends up living a poor life with Russell and his 4 boys for about a month. She experiences things she would never had in her rich world.  She learns humility living a life with little money. Eventually her memory returns and she returns to her yacht.  But she no longer acts like the ‘debutante’ who her mother and privileged husband so want. They think something is wrong with her.

Later on board the yacht, Joanna has an interaction with her servant butler (Andrew) who has been taking care of her his whole life with no thanks for his efforts:

  • Andrew: (Andrew hands Joanna her earrings after they’ve drank tequila shots below decks with the crew) You best not lose these again, madam.
  • Joanna: (perplexed) Again?
  • Andrew: You will forgive me, madam. (clearly mocking her) “Andrew! I seem to have lost my ruby earrings somewhere between 64th and 68th street, find them.”
  • Joanna: (genuinely contrite) I’ve behaved so badly. (Andrew raises his eyebrows)
  • Joanna: You’ve done all these wonderful things for me and I never even once said thank you. I’m sorry.
  • Andrew: (embarrassed) Apology accepted, ma’am. (he turns away and to the sink)
  • Joanna: (following him) Everyone on this boat thinks I’m crazy. Do you think they’re right?
  • Andrew: (turning around to face her) Oh no, madam. Oh no. You… most of us go through life with blinders on. Knowing only that little station to which we were born. But you madam, have had the… rare privilege of escaping your bonds for just a spell. To see life from an entirely new perspective. How you choose to use that information is entirely up to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlHlKi2dATw

The movie ends up with a happy ending with Joanna returning to Dean and the boys.

It is up to all of us to decide how we use information we have at hand. If you are called to serve, how are you actually serving? Are you truly seeking to serve? Are you open to learning about others less fortunate than you? Even more so, are you willing to put yourself in an uncomfortable environment to learn firsthand?

Here is a quick synopsis of this year’s turkey meals donation.  We had done turkey drives before, but some of the feedback we got was, not that it wasn’t appreciated, but that it was too much of a ‘giveaway.’ Best teach a man to fish, so to speak. But we’ve been in the Paradise community over 1 1/2 years now and we didn’t want to let Thanksgiving pass without some involvement. A plan was put together on Monday, announced to the PAX on Tuesday, enough donations received by Thursday, food bought on Friday and delivered on Saturday.

Thanks were in abundance from those receiving the meals. We had a few crying in appreciation. The names of the 10 neediest families were given to us by Kim Vinisette of SON Ministries who has been working in the community for years. F3 has a strong relationship with Kim. As we shared with the families, we asked them to also share to any others that could use food for the holiday.

We gave each family a nice presentation basket of initial food along with their turkey, an F3 flyer, a holiday card from F3 and a gift certificate of varying amounts (depending on family size) to buy additional food, ie. fresh food, dessert.

We arrived at the park Saturday afternoon and the PAX helped deliver.

Lessons learned include…planning to spend more on each family roughly in the $100 range, buying all the food necessary for a full meal, starting much earlier, getting other groups involved to help support the cause. Maybe next year we can increase the # of families.

I have some pictures but not at the ready. Will get posted here shortly. I want to get this BB out.

*** An additional good experience came from this endeavor. One of the families, a single mom with 3 girls, had next to no furniture in their apartment.  Crab Cakes and his M Kara came through as we identified their needs and their rooms went from having nothing to being filled!  Awesome job!  We are now working on another similar situation. Will post that info soon!

Great thanks once again to the PAX.

Aye! Bolt

 

 

 

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5

Giving Tuesday – Palmetto North F3F

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Thank you for considering a contribution to support the community support efforts of your local Fort Mill and Rock Hill F3 Foundation.  For more details on the foundation itself please click <Here>.

During this season of giving please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Palmetto North F3F where the funds raised go directly into supporting the activities of the Fort and Rock pax.  Specifically these proceeds both the areas we are already supporting as well as the future service efforts in our region.  Our current efforts included:

  • 12th Man Ministries and the numerous Pax that work as mentors to help our student athletes break the performance based culture and help show them God’s love. F3F Palmetto North has supported the weekly dinners with athletes and their mentors.
  • Gfit is a weekly 1st, 2nd and 3rd F within the Paradise community where HIM step up to lead and to help mentor and be engaged in community with our neighbors
  • Reading Center is a semi-weekly, seasonal opportunity to read with the children and develop life skills for studying and reading to help children in the community get up to reading level
  • Rock Hill Children’s Attention Center is a center of children where we spend time bi-weekly with the teenage boys to engage in 1st, 2nd and 3rd F to help give them home and guidance.

Please consider a donation to support these and other efforts that your local F3F Palmetto North and any PAX will help lead across our regions.

Make contributions via PayPal – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BGSCH65PWDNV6

or send checks with ” Palmetto North F3F” in the memo line to the following address.

F3 Foundation, LLC

1645 Queens Road West

Charlotte, NC, 28207

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6

Support Thanksgiving Food Efforts in Paradise

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***** Update Thursday 9:00 pm *****
Great thanks to the PAX who have donated, and in just one day 1/2, we reached our goal!  Please, no more donations, but, if you were considering, let Bolt know in case we want to add additional families to receive food.
If you would like to volunteer to help deliver (no 2.0’s on delivery, please) to the families, please let Bolt know ASAP. Delivery is being planned for Saturday from 1-3:00 pm (before the G-Fit workout). If needed we will deliver later Saturday, or on Sunday.
For this saturday….1-3:00 pm – food delivery…followed by G-Fit with the kids at 3:00 pm  please join us and bring the 2.0’s to g-fit!!!!

I will be purchasing food tomorrow.  Today, I was able to get 10 large baskets with Thanksgiving themed ‘liners’ (for a nicer food presentation) at a near-donation price from the Humane Society thrift shop. They have supported us previously, and offered to continue to give us sports balls which we use and distribute to the kids in Paradise. We will also be getting a supply of corn, beans and yams which we will not have to purchase. This means we will be able to give the families a larger gift certificate to the grocery store to purchase any additional food items that may want outside of our basic food items (ie. dessert, etc).

Thank you! bolt *****

 

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us,  and Bolt and Deacon are seeking PAX support (quickly) in a small effort to provide full Thanksgiving meals to families in Paradise.

F3 has had a presence in Paradise for over a year and half now. In past years we have had a community turkey drive. We are changing it up this year to provide (at least) 10 full meals to specific high priority families in need. We are working with Kim at SON Ministries to identify these families. But we must move quickly in our efforts with a target delivery of this weekend 11/17-11/18 and an absolute deadline of Tuesday 11/20.

<See also below schedule of events in Paradise over the Thanksgiving holiday>

Each meal will consist of a turkey and all side dishes (list below) needed for a full meal. THANK YOU TO FIGARO (Montrio Belton) who will purchase all of our needed turkeys! This means we just need the side dish item package.

*** As of 11/14 8:15 am, WE ONLY NEED 5 MORE FULL SIDE ORDERS! Full orders are about $30 unless you want to add few items, ie. dessert) ***

HOW TO SUPPORT

  • Purchase the side items on your own. IF YOU PLAN ON PURCHASING THE FOOD ON YOUR OWN, PLEASE LET BOLT KNOW IMMEDIATELY FOR TRACKING PURPOSES!
  • Partner up with another PAX to purchase the items.
  • Donate any money amount to Bolt via Paypal. Send to: thenewpauko@hotmail.com
  • Pledge: If you want to commit but can’t do PayPal, just let Bolt know ASAP and he will cover your pledge until he sees you next.
  • From there, meet up or schedule pickup with Bolt or deliver to 3728 Leela Palace Way in Waterstone near Tega Cay.
  • Assist in delivery to families in Paradise.

Paradise Schedule of Thanksgiving events

  • Sunday, November 18. Volunteer at “Harvest of Thanks and Poor Man’s Meal”, a community meal held at Jerusalem Baptist Church in the Life Center. It would be great to have F3 support at this community event. More details to come via Twitter.
  • Weekend 11/17-11/18 through Tue 11/20. Help to deliver our holiday meals.
  • Saturday, 3:00 pm,  11/24. Post at G-Fit with a holiday pizza/food party following.

Thank you to everyone for your support on this endeavor and to all PAX that have joined us in Paradise!

Aye! Bolt …….. Always open for suggestions!!!

Food side list –  (You can shop anywhere and you can alter this list as you see fit. Pics below are from Harris Teeter. This link may take you to the shopping cart: https://shop.harristeeter.com/store/C39878905#/cart)

Required:  8-10 lbs potatoes, stuffing @ 12 oz, green beans @ 30 oz, corn @ 30 oz, collard greens @ 30 oz, cranberry sauce @ 14 oz, gravy @ 18 oz, mac and cheese @ 3 boxes 20 oz.  This list includes mostly canned foods because delivery will be days before Thanksgiving.

Possible additional:  celery, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, rolls/biscuits, DESSERT.

( I don’t think these screenshots have turned out too well. Will try to improve.)

 

 

 

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8

Charter Band-aids for Little Warriors – PreBlast

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As most of the PAX in the Fort and Rock regions knows my 5 year old daughter (Emma) is a leukemia survivor. We still make a trip every 4 weeks to get blood drawn to check her counts at Levine Children’s Hospital. We also stepped up and raised money last year (Christmas time) for a fellow brother bout-time out of Area 51 son Jennings who has leukemia also.

It has come to my attention that the budgets have been cut in some of the pediatric departments and the first thing to go is usually the character band aids. You say how important is to have these band-aids? Well as far as the cancer kids go every time the have their PORT’s (Port is a small medical appliance that is installed beneath the skin. A catheter connects the port to a vein) which for some kids is traumatic they get a band-aid over it. For others that are done with treatment such as my daughter Emma has to go back for the next 21 years to get checked (mainly blood counts). This not always easy for instance this past Wednesday she was poked 3 times. Well at the end the band aid can put a smile on a child’s face. This also goes for those kiddos that have to constantly get blood work done not just cancer kids.

So what I am challenging you to do is every week you go grocery shopping buy at least one box or more of character band-aids girls or boys. Also Spread the word in every COT. I will tweet out what AO’s I will be at and if anyone wants to step up and help me collect that would be awesome.

I also challenge others in different regions to pull together and do the same thing. My goal is to gather as much as possible and split it between Levine Children’s Hospital and Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital (St. Jude Affiliate Clinic) before Christmas.

Let a simple act of kindness put a smile on a little fighters face.

AYE. Lets do this.

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77

PRE BLAST F3 The Fort 6th Annual Invergence

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Men of  The Fort,

On Friday, September 21st, we will celebrate 6 years of Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith in the Fort Mill area with our annual F3 Invergence party.   Bring a beverage, some food to share, and enjoy a relaxing evening with your brothers.   We’ll have presentations from your local leadership, take a look back at the previous year, and look ahead to what’s in store for 2019  F3 The Fort and F3 Nation.     This is the premier 2nd F event of the year so mark your calendars now,  and plan on being at Rush Pavilion on Friday night, September 21st.

This is a great FNG opportunity!

This is a Pax only event.  Make it up to your M and 2.0’s next weekend.
What:  Fort Mill Invergence (6th anniversary party)
When:  Friday, September 21, 5:30pm – 10:00pm
Where:  Bruce T. Rush Pavillion at the Anne Springs Greenway
Bring:  Food, drink, chair, cash (to cover the pavillion rental/donations to the F3 Foundation)
Please use the link below to RSVP and list what food you will bring:
6th year F3 The Fort Invergence Food Sign Up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CAFAE2FA7FD0-f3thefort

 

 

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9

Poverty Simulation

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Event Title: Poverty Simulation

Event Date: Saturday, October 13th, 2018

Event Time: 9 am to Noon

Event Location: First Baptist Church Fort Mill (121 Monroe White St, Fort Mill, SC 29715)

Event Description:

The North Palmetto F3 Foundation is hosting a Poverty Simulation to raise awareness about the struggles underprivileged people face. Participants will role play different families encountering the realities of life with a shortage of money while navigating complex systems that hinder the impoverished. Participants will:

  • Cultivate empathy, respect, and passion for those living below the poverty line
  • Develop a deeper understanding of the systemic barriers faced by people living in poverty
  • Expand awareness of the impact of poverty on your service population
  • Brainstorm ways to mitigate challenges in resource/service access for your service population
  • Identify actionable steps to make an impact in your community

Get involved. Use the link below sign up as a volunteer or a participant. Feel free to contact Penny Pincher, Chicken Hawk or Deacon with questions.

Relevant Links:

North Palmetto F3 Foundation’s Website – https://f3thefort.com/f3-foundation/

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8

Prayer Convergence for FMSD

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Matthew 18:20  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Calling All PAX of Fort Mill to step up and live out the 3rd F that is the “Dynamite” of F3. What better way to start off the school year than to go to the schools, physically go, and pray?!?  Most of us have children that attend these schools, neighbors, friends and family that work at these schools and some of the PAX work in these schools. Regardless of how we are connected to them, we are all impacted by what happens in these schools and this is a chance for us to live out what we are called to do.

What: The Fort PAX (at least 2, preferably 3 or more at each location!) converging at every school in the FMSD, to pray for the school leadership, every employee of the school, students, the safety of the school, etc.

When: Sunday, August 26th,  6:00PM

How (do I get involved):  Click the SignUp Genius below! Pick a school, grab a few fellow PAX and show up, ready to pray. We will post some details about format.  Post the number of PAX and where you posted with the hashtag #F3TheFortPrays4FMSD when you are done.

Why: Evil looks for every opportunity to cause chaos in schools.  We pray, in the name of Jesus, to keep any and all evil from these schools, administrators, teachers, children and families. We pray that God uses the believers in these school to be a light unto those that do not know him (students and adults alike).

We realize this is week after school started, but sometimes “better late than never” applies.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4da9a72ea6fa7-prayer

 

I was inspired by First Baptist North Spartanburg.  If you go to the (approx) 16 minute mark of the video below, you will see Pastor Mike Hamlet as he leads his church members through this entire process.  While we plan to lay out some specifics around the prayers, we will not have this type of set-up. This is for our reference.

 

 

Contact Beacon for questions. Aye!

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8

F3 The Fort Convergence to Honor our own Badger

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YHC (Cake Boss) got a text back in March from Atticus that one of our own has been diagnosed with liver cancer and it was aggressive. This hit close to home in many ways as my sister passed away in October from liver cancer and it was still very tough to realize the finality of her passing.

Badger was EHed as part of the Knight’s Bridge PAX. Was a regular at Alcatraz but got very involved with Stealth Baseball and travel for work, but was still an advocate for F3 and a PAX member forever. Jiffy was one of Badger’s EH’s and is a legacy that will live in The Fort.

Through church, I saw the many prayer requests were coming in for Badger since I am a Deacon and last week I saw the call for hospice was made. Never a good sign! A group of us went to Badger’s house on Sunday and prayed with him and his wife as the time was getting short. Monday morning while leaving workout a text from Badger’s M mentioned the nurse said it would only be hours. By the time I got out of the shower, Badger had passed. 60 days from diagnoses

While at the house the conversation with Decibel, Becky and his mother in-law it was clear Badger had all is trust in Jesus and that there was “NO DOUBT” where he was spending eternity. Missing Badger will be tough for his M, Kids, family, Stealth Baseball, friends and many others but the Joy of having “NO DOUBT” where he is and that those who call Jesus Lord will see him again is overwhelming any sadness.

Here is the workout that we did to honor Badger. 124 men in The Fort with 100’s across F3 Nation wearing Badger Red on Thursday AOs for our brother.

Sir Topham Hat led the COP and asked that the PAX be silent and really reflect would it means for all of to be there and remember Badger the man!

Senator Tressel:

The Thang:
Mosey from the big lot to the small grass circle near the back entrance to the stadium.  SWITZER
I took a few minutes to tell my group about my friendship with Matt.  Matt and his family lived a few houses down from my family in Knightsbridge before they moved a few years ago.   Our families got to know each other and we did the normal neighborly things like backyard cookouts, Halloween celebrations, birthday parties, playing with our kids together, and helping each other with home projects.    My daughter Claire babysat their kids, and my son Sam and their son Brayden became fast friends.   The Gieslers were great neighbors and friends, and we enjoyed spending time with them.
Matt played late night soccer so he didn’t make many F3 workouts during the week, but he joined us (me, Decibel, Trucker) at Alcatraz for Saturday workouts.
My wife called me one day to inform me about Matt’s cancer and that it was quite serious.  I couldn’t believe it.  He was just 39 years old.   Matt and his family moved to a new neighborhood a few years ago so I had not seen him in a while.  But, I sent him a text message offering my encouragement and support.  I texted Matt several times over the past 2 months and let him know that we were all praying for him.  Decibel, Trucker, Jiffy, Change Order, and I visited Matt a few weeks ago at his home.  We just hung out together, had a few laughs, talked about what Matt was going through, and we prayed together.    The group had plans to get together this past Wednesday, but sadly, Matt died before we could meet again.  I am very, very sad for the loss of my friend at such a young age, and I grieve for Becky, his children, his Mom and Dad, and his sisters and brothers.  I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to spend time with Matt before he passed away so suddenly.
On to the workout:
Line up facing the driveway leading to Munn Road for Jacob’s Ladder.  Run to the 2nd light, do a burpee, run back and loop around the grass circle.  Repeat for 1-7 burpees at the light.   Plank at the base of the drive way and wait for the 6.  Right arm/left arm high, 6″ hold and recover.
Mosey to the grass field outside the stadium for Jack Webb.  Start with 1/4 and work up to 10/40.
Freddie Merc x 20, Rosalita x 20, Hello Dolly x 20.  Superman hold x 3
Meet the rest of the Pax on the football field for COT.
Trucker:
Here’s my WO: mosy to football field. in honor of Badger being 39; 39 merkins, 39 squats, 39 CCD, 39 LBCs. Since he was a football and soccer fan, run up and down the stadium stands from one end to the other. In end zone, Jake Webb’s 1-4 ratio but stop at 39 arm raises. Sprint every 10 yard line from end zone to end zone. At each 10 yard line do 1 merkin to 5 squats. Increase by 1/5 up to 5/25, then descend back to 1/5 at opposite 10yd line. Head to fence, toe touches holding onto fence for 39 reps. Spoke James 1:12 at COT. We lost a humble friend. Loved opening house for us to sit around fire pit and drink a beer and fellowship; a great family man.
Decibel:
MERKINS X25
ALTERNATING LUNGES X25
TOE TAPS X25
TONY HAWK
BURPEE X15 Soccer Run
GORILLA HUMPER X20
IMPERIAL WALKER X20
EMPTY WHEELBARROW
SQUATS X20
LBCs X39 E2K X20
EACH SIDE
ROSALITA X25
Soccer Run During the workout we keep 3 soccer balls moving at all time to honor Badger’s love for soccer. Badger was a man I respected to the utmost. He was not a guy that sought attention or glory, but he was always there when you needed him. He was in short a dependable guy. He loved his family and was a loyal friend. I was able to sit and talk with him after his sickness and his braveness and faith shown through at that time. He did not want to leave his family but was also welcoming of heaven. I am at peace because I know he is at peace. One thing I learned from the experience was not to wait to sit down with friends and be real. Let them know how you feel about them and always make sure they are walking with God.
Jiffy:
Here my workout : Mosey over to the side of the parking lot and circled up the Pax. Started with reminding them that this was a silent workout. I asked them to keep Becky and the family in their thoughts to provide her strength and comfort. We got started with the workout – 5 burpees OYO. There were 3 rows of cones setup. Started first bear crawling to the first, then running to the second, then bear crawling to the last. At each cone do 10 merkins. Once you hit the last cone run back. Repeat with 10 wide arm merkins at each cone. Switched to legs with lunge walk to the first cone, run to the next, lunge walk to the last. At each cone do 5 bomb jacks. Run back. Repeat again with 10 squats. We circled up and did a set of 10 LBCs and then 10 American Hammers. Next in sequence – 10 merkins, 10 plank jacks, 10 wide arm merkins, 10 plank jacks and then 10 diamond merkins. We paused and shared with them that I’m involved with F3 because of Matt. I shared how weeks after Matt first moved in across the street he had a party. At the time I had never heard of F3. In his basement I met a number of the guys leading today’s Q. A couple of weeks later Matt got me to my first workout at Alcatraz. I shared that F3 has had a very positive impact on my life and I would be forever grateful. We returned to do more cone work. First a straight suicide. Then the bear crawl sequence with 10 dry docks and 10 dips, the the lunge walk sequence with 10 monkey humpers. Circled up again and did the sequence of 10s again of merkins, plank jacks, wide arm merkins, plank jacks and diamond merkins. We paused and talked with the Pax about how Matt got diagnosed just 60 days ago. I shared how Matt was a great man and a servant leader to his family. I shared that his introduction to F3 had a lasting impact on me. I challenged the Pax (and myself) on what impact am I having, how am I using my time. Returned to the workout with 5 burpees. We wrapped up with some ab work and headed over the stadium. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the Convergence and to Matt
Men of The Fort:
There will be a 60 day challenge coming to continue remembering Matt/Badger….be prepared
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9

WHETSTONE – now what?

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So you just got paired up with a whetstone partner…now what? Some partnerships will occur more naturally than others, don’t let this stop you from being consistent. If you happen to get stuck, pick a few of the questions below to discuss.

  • Agree to the three Ps
    • Proximity requires the Stone to physically meet with his Blade. While it is fine (good even) for them to also talk on the telephone and email, that is not a replacement for the physical meeting where they can look each other in the eye. Hard looks and straight talk (tempered by love) get results. That cannot be done virtually.
      • How will you ensure this occurs?
    • To be Purposeful, the meeting between the Stone and the Blade must be more than the kind of inconsequential pizza party a Club would have—it must be a Grinder with a particular Outcome in mind: the Acceleration of the Blade’s Preparedness. The Stone’s task within the Whetstone is to help the Blade get ready for the expected and be ready for the unexpected by both encouraging him to turn Pro and providing him with the Bricks he will need to build his own Guardrails. Just as a Workout should Accelerate the Q’s Fitness, a Grinder should Accelerate the Blade’s proper personal alignment.
      • Set an agenda to start with, this will help you stay on point.
    • There is no set rule for the periodicity of the Grinder. It must be frequent enough to be Effective but not so frequent that the Stone and Blade smother each other. This is something both men must determine through trial and error. However, because a Grinder (by design) is a Movement away from the Status Quo it will cause pain and it is man’s general hardwiring to avoid pain. As a result, the Stone must be deliberate to ensure periodicity. Otherwise, his Blade will drift away to something easier.
      • What cadence will you establish?
    • Get to know the other guys family
    • Stick to the 3 Fs
      • How and where are you posting?
      • How is your diet?
      • How are you growing in your faith?
    • How is your relationship with your wife?
    • What can I hold you accountable to? What two questions do you want me to ask you this week?
    • Establish trust and agree, that what’s discussed together will not be shared unless the other has agreed.

There is no script to follow for Whetstone relationships, be open and honest with eachother and where you need accountability in your life.

Aye

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2

F3 The Fort – Relaunch of WHETSTONE

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F3 The Fort – Relaunch of WHETSTONE

WHETSTONE relaunches in the Fort officially on Saturday April 21 and what better way than to relaunch with a CONVERGENCE! Any excuse to gather for a common beat down, interwoven with messages on why/how we need WHETSTONE followed by a short chat post COT. Maximus has a beyond style workout planed. 0700 at Fort Mill High School. Note, all other area AOs will be closed (TheFort, The Yard, Alcatraz, and The Deep).

WHETSTONE

As you may already know, the mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. This means that ALL of our bootcamps, runs, rucks, kettlebells are means to a much greater end…to strengthen the lives of other men in order to become and to develop HIMs.

Just as no man casually drifts into being physically fit, no man drifts into becoming a HIM. The current of our culture toward isolation, addiction, and mediocrity is strong. Therefore, you must intentionally direct your life against this current in the direction of personal growth…or you will, by default, drift toward sad clown-ness.

While all of us have made some measure of progress in the realm of physical fitness, many of us still lack the deeper dimension of HIM-ness that cannot be developed in a COT, Coffeeteria, or happy hour. Committing to WHETSTONE is a proactive step into this dimension. In the end, our workouts, CSAUP events, and happy hours will eventually fade, but how we have influenced and been influenced by one another will be our legacy.

SO WHAT IS WHETSTONE?

  • WHETSTONE is a committed relationship between two men. One (the Stone) serves as a mentor to the other (the Blade), you can serve as both Stone and Blade in most partnerships.
  • Although the Stone and Blade may indeed be friends, the WHESTONE differs from a typical friendship. The purpose of the WHETSTONE is the deliberate sharpening effort in helping men to hone the skills and character qualities that comprise the High Impact Man (HIM) he is called to be.
  • As with anything F3, WHETSTONE is free, voluntary, at-your-own-risk, and you can modify as needed.

THE WHETSTONE COMMITMENT

We’ve seen that meaningful WHETSTONE relationships revolve around the following five things:

  • Consistency – there is no set rule for frequency, but it must be frequent enough to be effective but not too frequent to be overburdening. Every other week seems to be a good cadence, with a one year commitment.
  • Confidentiality – To go deep, you must have trust and transparency. Therefore, one man needs the permission of the other to share anything personal discussed during a Whetstone meeting.
  • Courageous Humility – Just as the meeting of a physical blade and stone creates friction against both objects, a Whetstone relationship is not supposed to be a “smooth” process. This WILL most likely be uncomfortable initially. These are “muscles” that many of us are not in the habit of flexing. So just like you were probably sore at your first several F3 beatdowns (and probably are still sore at times) expect to be “sore” in this. Courageously, and Humbly, “embrace the suck” and grow.
  • Curriculum – Although there is no prescribed curriculum to follow, there are ample topics to guide your conversations. Its recommended to have a few standard questions to check in with each other, i.e. how are your 1st F, 2nd F, and 3rd F going lately; what’s happening at home; where are you struggling; where can I help keep you accountable; etc. Additionally we recommend checkout the awesome content on the QSource posts found on the F3Nation website. Try to establish a specific topic or question for each gathering, the monthly 3rdF theme posts are a great starter as well.
  • Communication – although phone and email are good, it does not replace physical meeting where you can look each other in the eye. It is strongly encourage it find a partner that you can meet face to face.

HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR WHETSTONE?

There are many things we are good at; merkins, eating, CSAUP events, but match making is not one of them. Thus we will NOT create the Farmers Only dating site for finding a WHETSTONE partner. Finding a partner is your responsibility. We’ve tried to play match maker in the past, and overwhelmingly we’ve seen that WHETSTONE partners that have proactively found each other were significantly more likely to have a meaningful relationship.

But we won’t just leave you out there alone searching for a WHETSTONE partner in the gloom by yourself. We ask you to complete the WHETSTONE INTEREST FORM, in which you will provide us the info for three (3) PAX that you would want to engage in a WHETSTONE relationship. To help you avoid that awkward moment at the high school dance, we’ll send a note to your three (3) PAX informing them that you’d like talk with them about WHETSTONE. From there on, it is on you. They know that you’re interested in improving yourself and investing in them.

You control your own destiny, so take control and find a WHETSTONE partner that can influence you and that you can invest in.

IF YOU WANT TO JUST TALK TO YOUR THREE PAX ON YOUR OWN, GREAT, JUST SEND US A NOTE ON TWITTER WITH HOW YOUR PARTNER IS!

WHETSTONE SUPPORT

We want to see you succeed. We want to see you as a HIM in your marriage, your job, with your kids and in the community. We’ll help push monthly content for you and your WHETSTONE partner to discuss, that’s the easy part, having the honest dialog with your partner is the hard part.

Give us a follow on twitter @F3FortWhetstone, join the conversation, tell the Nation that you’re actively engaged in WHETSTONE and share ideas.

COMMON EXCUSES:

We’ve all heard them, so we took the liberty of short-circuiting your excuses:

“I already have an accountability partner.” That’s great! All of us should have a few men in our Shield Lock. Whetstone, however, is different than accountability. It’s a purposeful mentorship requiring one man to courageously (and humbly) step into a Stone role and another to humbly (and courageously) step into a Blade role.

“I’m not qualified to be Stone where I assume a leadership role in the life of another man.” ALL of you are potential Stones. Have you ever learned from failure? Ever overcome a challenge? Ever passed through one of the milestones of manhood (marriage, parenting, owning a home, etc.)? Then you have something to offer. A large part of being a Stone is about recognizing one’s life experiences (and resulting lessons learned) as a gift to be shared with another. Your struggles allow the Blade to be more transparent about his own challenges.  On the flipside, knowing that you are serving as a Stone for another man may just force you to step up your game, walk a little straighter, and address some of those hindrances that have dogged you for too long.

“I don’t need to be a Blade where I am led by another man.” If you really think this, then it shows that you very much need to be a Blade. The fact is that ALL of you are potential Blades. None of us has this thing called life figured out, and development doesn’t stop till we reach the finish line. Humbly admitting your need for the intentional influence of another man and courageously extending your trust in him leads to a kind of personal development not found many other ways.

“I just don’t have time for this.” Actually, we’d challenge you to rethink this logic.  Each man is given 24 hours in a day.  You have the same amount of time as every other man on the big ball.  No more, no less.  Priorities are what consume our time.  Honestly assess your schedule, which is a reflection of your life’s priorities, and ask yourself if you are truly investing in the things that matter most. How a man invests the time he’s been given ultimately determines his life’s legacy. So, is sharpening the life of another man OR being sharpened by another man worth investing an hour every couple weeks? We think so.

READY TO START YOUR WHETSTONE JOURNEY? FILL OUR THE WHETSTON INTEREST FORM AND JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON TWITTER @F3FortWhetstone

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