Is That Jason?! Run!

Twas the night before Halloween when all through The Fort every Pax was watching football, baseball or some other dumb sport.  

But down the road, on the east side they say:  Something spooky was stirring, maybe even scary was at bay. 

Not Jason or Michael or Chucky would be found, it was Drop Thrill trying to run down some needy sad clown. 

He wasn’t  thinking about a useless coaster stat, but was planning a Weinke that would cause you to scream  what’s that?!

So tell the Fartsack today that tomorrow you can’t stay. For Halloween at The Yard is definitely going to slay.

1-run
2- Wide Arm Merkins
3-Jump squats  
4-LBCs
5-Diamond merkins
6-Imperial walkers  
7-Rosalitas  
8-Slow flutters  
9-Low slow squats  
10-Lunges (10 each leg)
11-Merkins  
12-Burpees  

Thanks to the 5 men who came out for this fun and scary time. Happy Halloween! 🎃

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The Smokin Cindy Violator

Warm-Up:
SSH – 30 IC
Imperial Walkers – 20 IC
Windmills – 10 IC
Strawberry Pickers – 10 IC
Cheese Shredder
Violator
Mosey lap around Skillet

Main Thang:
Round 1: Cinder Strength

3 Rounds- MOT per Round:
Round 1- Run
Round 2- Lunges
Round 3- Nur

Goal Line: 5 Blockees (burpee w/ cinder)
10 Yard Line: Cinder Block Squat Press (Thruster)
20 Yard Line: Cinder Block Curls
30 Yard Line: Cinder Block Rows (15 per side)
40 Yard Line: Cinder Block Chest Press
50 Yard Line: Cinder Block Swings

Recovery: Overhead Carry back to Goal Line

2 Round:
Partner A: Running 50 yards and back
Partner B: Cinder Block movement (rotate each set)

1. Tricep Extension
2. Goblet Squat
3. American Hammers
4. Flutters

F3 DISCUSSION:
Raising the Next Generation in Today's Society

# 1. Opening Scripture and introduction
Opening Scripture: Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go.

Q's opening remarks:
We're going to talk about one of the most important responsibilities God has given us: raising our children.

We live in a world that is constantly competing for our children's attention, shaping their beliefs, influencing their behavior, and telling them what matters. Social media, peer pressure, technology, and cultural expectations can make parenting feel like an uphill battle.

But here's the reality: we cannot outsource our responsibility as fathers. We cannot expect the schools, coaches, churches, or our children's friends to establish the values we want them to live by.

That responsibility starts at home.

F3 teaches us to be men who live with purpose, build one another up, and lead by example. Our faith calls us to something even deeper: to raise our children to know God, love others, serve people, and stand for what is right even when it isn't popular.

The question isn't whether the world will influence our kids. It will. The question is whether we are being intentional enough to influence them first.

Opening question for the PAX:
What is the biggest challenge facing fathers who are trying to raise children with strong values in today's society?

Allow a few men to share their thoughts before moving on.

#2. The challenges facing our children

Our children are growing up in a different environment than many of us did. The fundamentals of parenting haven't changed, but the pressures on our children have multiplied.

A. Social media and outside influence

Children constantly see curated lifestyles, unrealistic expectations, online arguments, and messages about what makes a person valuable. They can start measuring their worth by popularity and approval rather than character.

B. Pressure to fit in

Kids may feel compelled to compromise their beliefs to be accepted by friends, teammates, or classmates. They need the confidence to stand up for what's right without treating others disrespectfully.

C. Parents being distracted

Work, finances, schedules, sports, and screens can consume our attention. We may provide everything our children need materially while unintentionally giving them too little of our time and attention.

Discussion questions:

* What pressures are today's kids facing that we didn't face at their age?

* Are we spending more time managing our children's schedules than developing their character?

* If our children copied our daily habits, our attitudes, and our faith, would we be satisfied with the result?

Key takeaway: Our children are always learning from us, even when we're not formally teaching them anything.

#3. Raising children through F3 values

F3's core principles are Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. Its leadership framework also emphasizes the five Fs: Fitness, Fellowship, Faith, Forward, and Fertile. We can apply these principles directly to fatherhood.

1. Fitness — Build discipline and resilience

Teach children that growth takes effort, discomfort, consistency, and patience. Fitness is not just about physical strength; it is also about learning to persevere when things get difficult.

At home: Encourage them to finish what they start, work through setbacks, and take responsibility for their commitments.

2. Fellowship — Surround them with the right people

The people around our children influence their choices, attitudes, and ambitions. We need to help them develop healthy friendships and become the kind of friend who encourages others.

At home: Know their friends, build relationships with other families, and teach them to support others rather than tear them down.

3. Faith — Put God at the center

Faith must be more than attending church on Sunday. Our children should see it in our honesty, humility, patience, treatment of others, and willingness to admit when we are wrong.

At home: Pray together, read Scripture, talk about God in everyday situations, and demonstrate what it means to trust Him during difficult times.

4. Forward — Lead with purpose

F3 challenges men to be leaders who move forward with intention. Fatherhood requires the same mindset. We should not simply react to problems after they arise; we should prepare our children to make wise decisions before they face pressure.

At home: Talk through real-life situations, establish clear expectations, and teach them to think about the consequences of their decisions.

5. Fertile — Invest in the next generation

Being fertile in F3 means leaving a legacy by multiplying leaders. As fathers, we have an opportunity to raise children who carry forward faith, service, integrity, and responsibility into their own families and communities.

At home: Teach your children to serve, help others, take responsibility, and eventually become leaders themselves.

Discussion questions:

* Which F3 principle are you most intentional about teaching your children? Which one needs more attention?

* Are we teaching our children to make good decisions when nobody is watching?

* What does it look like to lead our families rather than simply provide for them?

Key takeaway: We aren't just raising children to succeed in the world. We are raising future adults who should know who they are, what they believe, and how to serve others.

#4. Putting faith into action at home

Scripture: Joshua 24:15
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

This is not a call to be perfect fathers. It is a call to be intentional fathers.

Here are five practical ways to put our faith and F3 principles into action.

Lead by example, not just by authority.

If we expect honesty, we must be honest. If we expect respect, we must show respect. If we expect our children to take responsibility, we must own our mistakes.

Set boundaries with purpose.

Establish reasonable expectations for screen time, online activity, behavior, friendships, and responsibilities. Explain the values behind the boundaries, and adjust them as children mature.

Make faith part of everyday life.

Pray at meals or bedtime, discuss Scripture, attend church, and talk about how faith informs decisions at school, in sports, and with friends.

Make it safe for your children to talk to you.

Listen before reacting. They should know they can bring you difficult questions, mistakes, doubts, and concerns without being automatically shamed or dismissed. Accountability and grace belong together.

Build a community of accountability.

In F3, we surround ourselves with men who challenge us to get better. Our families benefit when we have trusted friends, mentors, church members, and other parents who reinforce the values we're teaching.

Discussion questions:

* What is one change you could make this week to become a more intentional father?

* How do we balance holding our children accountable with showing them grace?

* How can the PAX help each other become better fathers instead of assuming everyone has to figure it out alone?

Q's challenge: Don't confuse raising obedient children with raising mature adults. Our goal is not merely to control their behavior while they live under our roof. It is to help them develop the wisdom and character to make good decisions when we're no longer standing beside them.

#5. Personal commitment and closing prayer
Final round: One commitment
Encourage specific commitments, such as:

* Spend 15 uninterrupted minutes each day talking with my child.

* Pray with my children several times this week.

* Have an honest conversation about social media, peer pressure, or character.

* Apologize to my child for an area where my example has fallen short.

* Connect with another father in the PAX and hold each other accountable.

Closing remarks from the Q:
We are not going to get everything right. There will be days when work wears us down, our patience runs thin, and we fall short of the example we want to set.

But our children don't need perfect fathers. They need present fathers, accountable fathers, faithful fathers, and fathers who are willing to get back up when they fall short.

The world will teach our children plenty. Our responsibility is to make sure they also learn the truth, integrity, discipline, humility, courage, and love that come from a life rooted in God.

F3 calls us to become better men and leaders. That leadership cannot stop when we leave the AO. It has to follow us home.

Our greatest legacy will not be our job titles, our bank accounts, our athletic achievements, or the things we own. It will be the character we build in our children and the faith we pass on to the next generation.

Let's hold each other accountable, lead our families with purpose, and remember that the work of raising the next generation starts with the men we choose to be today.

MARY:
Flutter Kicks with Cinderblock IC 20 Reps
Big Boys with Cinderblock IC "Up" 10 Reps
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Read your newsletter
COT: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift and responsibility of being fathers. Give us wisdom to guide our children, patience to listen to them, courage to stand for what is right, and humility to admit when we fall short. Help us protect them without smothering them, hold them accountable while showing them grace, and demonstrate Your love through our actions. Strengthen the men of F3 to encourage and hold one another accountable as we lead our families. May our children see Your character in the way we live, and may the faith we practice today become a foundation for generations to come. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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KB BOP for Farmers

Site Q let me know there would be a shovel flag handoff this morning so expected a large crowd. Means different paces needed to be accommodated, perfect for a BOP. Arrived early to set-up and get a prerun in, because I'm old and need the warmup, plus it's been a long week. Jogging around the parking lot next to the school I was able to watch the cars start to roll in. This energized me which is what I needed. I love F3 workouts for the fellowship; the fitness is a bonus. Time to work.

WARMUP: Moseyed/walked with bells from COT to the large parking lot by the school. Only 2 exercises called: SSH & Burpees. Did these a few times and we were ready to work.

THE THANG: BOP was on display at a light pole, explained the BOP and then had the PAX count off in groups of 4. With 4 groups created I let the PAX know that each group would farmer carry coupons, which were also located at the same light pole, to the other end of the lot and back. Group 1 would carry and upon return would alert Group 2 that it was their turn, so forth and so on. Rotated the farmers carry throughout the workout. Most groups had the pleasure of 4 carries, my group -#4 only had 3 carries. Most PAX made it into the 20rep block of the BOP and a couple of HIMs completed the BOP. Fun was had by all. BOP and coupons for farmer carry listed below:

Farmer Carry Coupons
2 – 45lb plates
2 – 45lb dumbbells
2- 35lb dumbbells
1 – 50lb Ruck + 1 – 50lb bucket

KB BOP Reps & Exercises:
50 – KB Swings – 2 handed
50 – KB Goblet Squats
50 – KB Single Arm Bent Over Rows (25 ea side)
50 – Straight Leg Raises Over KB (count both sides)
40 – KB Dead Lift to Curl to OH Press
40 – KB Goblet Reverse Lunges
40 – KB Lying Pullovers
40 – KB Side Bends
30 – KB Swings – 1 handed
30 – KB Glute Bridges
30 – KB Romanian Dead Lifts
30 – KB American Hammers
20 – KB Snatches (10 ea arm)
20 – KB Plank Single Arm Rows
20 – KB Figure 8s
20 – KB Big Boy Situps
10 – KB Thrusters
10 – KB Man Makers
10 – KB Halos (each direction)
10 – KB Around the Body Passes (each direction)

MARY: No Time

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bethel Men Serve, 4Bs, Trash Pickup

COT: STK!

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Noah’s Ark – Just the Animals.

WARMUP: very warm already

THE THANG: mosey around the islands of parking. Stop at one side and establish our workout area. The theme is Noah’s Ark so we did as many animal related workouts as we could do (and do it twice) because there were no solo animals. All exercises incorporated getting from one end of the lot to the other across 9 parking spaces.
First up
Alligator walk across the lot and back
25 monkey humpers on either end
Kangaroo hops (broad jumps )
Bunny hop
Take a mosey lap
Next
Animal related stretching
Down dog
Scorpion (down dog with leg up and over)
Flying squirrel
Arm circles (Eagle wings)
Row boats (to save yourself)
Last up
Crab walk
Duck walk
Gorilla shuffle (sideways)
Penguin walk

(Forgot inch worms)

MARY: flutter kicks and dying cockroaches
ANNOUNCEMENTS: yes
COT: yes

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Healthy perseverance

WARMUP:
Mosey to stop sign for some imperial walkers
Mosey to main school entrance for some side straddle hops
Mosey to benches at R wing pickup for step-ups, irkins, and derkins

THE THANG: mosey down the hill to the traffic light on Hwy 21 for 11’s

Bottom: jump squats
Light pole 1/2 way up: big boy sit ups

Mosey back COT

MARY: flutter
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
COT: https://www.kcrg.com/2026/09/08/iowa-band-member-collapsed-heat-hawkeyes-football-game-taken-off-life-support/

  • healthy perseverance: Leaders are hardwired to push through discomfort, mask their pain, and show up for their people no matter the physical cost.
  • Where in your life are you pretending to the world that you are completely fine?
  • Vertical Accountability: relationship between you and the standard you hold yourself to.
  • Why is it so difficult for high-performing men to raise their hands and say, "I am hitting my limit, I need to sit this out"?
  • Horizontal Accountability: relationship with peers.
  • Are we actively looking at the faces of those around us, and able to see when someone is silently red-lining or are we too focused on our own performance?

Iowa band member dies after collapsing in the heat at Hawkeye football game

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“The joy is often found in the work you are avoiding”

WARMUP:

  • Moroccan night club
  • windmill
  • Cherry Pickers

THE THANG:
Partner Exercise
50 Sit-ups with Block Press
75 Diamond Merkins with Block
100 Flutter Kick with Block Press
75 Squats with Block
50 Tricep Extensions with Block
75 Curls with Block
Repeat
MARY:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
COT:
We discussed…
"The joy is often found in the work you are avoiding"
"We suffer more in imagination than we do in reality"
"We have two ears and one mouth"
"It is impossible to learns what you already know"
"The trials we face will introduce us to our strengths"

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