Our Community

Sharkbait and I arrived a little early to get prepared for the workout.  We walked up to the basketball court and we were asked “Are you with F3?”  I answered “Yes, are you ready for the workout?” They all answered “Yes” with excitement.  Soon there were 25 PAX who showed up for the workout. I must say, this is record attendance for me.

We took a slow mosey around the park up to the church parking lot.  We circled up for some warm-up exercise.  I had a lot of help with picking out the exercise and leading the PAX.  Here are the exercises we performed:

SSHs, Merkins, Windmills, Imperial Walkers, LBCs, FMs and Big Boy Sit-ups

Next, we lined up for leg lunges across the parking lot.  Turned around and did our best to impression of a duck walking across the road.  Our final exercise was two merkins every other parking space.  Halfway through this exercise, I spoke to the PAX about how there are times in life when things are difficult and asked what things can help you get through these times.  The kids had some great answers.  I emphasized how important it is to talk to your family and friends during these times.  We finished with one more set of merkins and wrapped up with our Circle of Trust closed by Jay.

Lastly, Sharkbait’s thoughts G-Fit:

G-fit is very fun and if you haven’t came out then you should. The kids are very energetic and are very happy at the workout. After we do the circle of pain then we play basketball or football until we’re tired. This is my favorite out of all the workouts.

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Pigskin in Paradise

I had the privilege to spend Friday evening with 22 other men and young men of the Paradise community. Conditions were, well, August in South Carolina – upper 90s with humidity. Here’s what we did…

The Thang

  • Mosey to the splash park
  • Circle up fo 10 SSH in cadence
  • 10 Merkins in cadence
  • 10 LBcs in cadence
  • Grab some wall for 10 Dips in cadence
  • 20 Calf Raises OYO
  • Mosey to the court for 10 Air Chair Claps in cadence
  • Full Court Suicides
  • Water and Powerade break
  • FOOTBALL TIME

NMM

The excitement Friday night was palpable. Bounty Hunter and I arrived 15 minutes early to set up the field. This prompted Scooter and Prescott to come running. When we started throwing the ball around the field, the park filled up fast. By the time 7:00 rolled around, there were kids EVERYWHERE. Thank you Deacon and Bolt for inviting me to lead. Thank you Fish Sticks, Barry Manilow, and Bounty Hunter for helping control the chaos. Final Score: 50 something to 40 something. For those who haven’t attended G-Fit, get out there and see what you’re missing.

I talked to the young men about community and brotherhood. We all need our friends and families when times get tough. Your brothers, regardless of skin color, religion or any other label that divides us, need you and you need them. There is nothing impossible when you are surrounded by people who will encourage and lift you up. What makes G-Fit special is it’s symbiotic relationship. We need each other. Those young men remind us to have fun. We can show them what love and brotherhood look like. Now, more than ever, we need to show love. God created us in His image and we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. Where better to live that principle than Friday nights in Paradise?

With a heart filled,

Italian Job

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No Barriers

What a beautiful day in Paradise, literally. The new workout start time of 7 PM was perfect for watching the sunset from the top of the hill at Steele Street Park. 12 Pax posted strong in which 8 were from the community. We had 3 FNGs.

The Thang:

SSH (30x), IW (20x), WM (15x), Sumo Squats (15x), MC (20x), Merkins (15x), LBCs (15x)

Mosey around the court

Drills: 7 layups with the right hand, 7 layups with the left hand.

Played knockout 2x

Played 5 on 5 up to a total score of 10. Each bucket counted as 1. Bolt and Jiffy were on the same team and played like Jordan and Pippen.

Moleskin:

We moved the G-Fit workouts in Paradise from Saturday mornings to Fridays at 7 PM. The shift in workout times is intended to engage more people from the community. An evening workout removes the common excuse of “I couldn’t wake up on time.” Moving the workouts to Fridays appears to be a good change so far.

Bolt has been making a huge impact in the community. One of the younger Pax from the community called him “Dad.” If I have to state the obvious, here it is: the younger Pax and Bolt look nothing alike but they are both in God’s family. They have built a strong, genuine relationship that wins over any social or man-made barriers. #AwesomeSauce

We need to continue to step out the bubble, out of our comfort zones to step into each other’s life to make a real impact. It’s a double blessing when that someone else doesn’t look like you or share your social status.

Peace,

Deacon

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