Finish Well….(Outpost)
Seventeen Pax, took the Daily Red Pill (DRP) this morning and got better. Take a minute…17! That’s a great turnout.@Mcfly @Colt @Flying Tomato @Scout @Xbox @Rafiki @Josey/Flagman @T-bone @FroYo @Meat Sweats @Witch Doctor @Rifleman (Anthony Jones) @Aruba (Steve Odom) @Bluegrass @NAPALM
The Pax: FNG Matt O’Reilly (Steinbrenner), Flying Tomato, Josey, Scout, McFly, Colt, Xbox, Rafiki, T-Bone, FroYo, MeatSweats, Witch Doctor, Rifleman, Aruba, Bluegrass and Napalm (Q: Squirrel)
The Scene: High 50’s, clear. A wonderful morning to be out in the Gloom
Warm Up: Good Mornings, SSH, Windmills, Right-over-left foot stretch & flapjack
The Thang:
Each exercise is done with a coupon:
- 50 Blockees…as Poacher says, “well that escalated quickly”
- 100 Over Head Press’
- 150 (Plyo-R/Standard/Plyo-L =1) Merkins…we stopped a bit early on these or we’d have been here all day
- 200 Windshield Wipers (each foot strike = 1)
- 250 Alpo’s
- 300 Squats (or Getting up from Shabbat Dinner and that is a squat right there)
While Pax 1 is doing the exercise his partner is running the loop around the parking lot. Since we’ve mentioned Poacher already I’m calling this run around the parking lot Bus Running – Israel’s number one workout. The buses stop a block away from the stop. People run the bus while screaming “Nahag” (driver). The sprint is extreme high intensity. If your really good you get to smack the back of the bus and that’s a work out.
Announcements/Prayer requests:
- New AO (Alcatraz) launches Wednesday, May 31st @6pm. Location is the Old Aberdeen Elementary (meeting in front parking lot) on Rte 1
2. Prayers for Adam and Brian (Bluegrass’) co-worker as they face difficult situations.
a. We pray that Adam finds his way out of the pit of addiction.
b. We pray for Brian after an accident that ended badly and will impact himself and other families as well. May God make the best of this horrible situation. Also, we ask that the Lord uses Bluegrass and his leadership in this time.
3. REMINDER: New AO (Alcatraz) launches soon!
Wednesday May 31st at 6pm
Old Aberdeen Elementary (meeting in front parking lot): https://goo.gl/maps/9QD3bFaeHfkKDAnX8
4. Roadhouse is hosting the Murph. Saturday, May 27th, 7:30am at The Dojang (80 Oakmont Circle, Pinehurst)
5. On Memorial Day UGA is leading anyone who wants to join him in honoring his Father, Chief William Carlson. UGA’s father was assigned to the Delta Force and was killed in action in 2003 during Operation Enduring Freedom. UGA started a memorial workout around 6 years ago in his honor. Hit UGA up if you want to join him.
Flying Tomato led us out in prayer
MOLESKINE: Exodus (Finish well)
Dylan Thomas, penned these words as a man contemplating the coming death of his father.:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should rage and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Rodney Dangerfield quoted it as well in the movie ‘Back to School’. Another classic.
The poem seems written for those on their deathbed, challenging them to fight to cling to life. Solidly in my mid-50’s my thoughts are that when the season comes that I do not cling to life, but instead run headlong into the arms of Jesus. I challenge myself (and you) to live the life you have left to the fullest…now. When the time comes I pray we don’t kick and scream into the arms of death, but cross the finish line well knowing there is something better waiting for us. For me, as a Christian, that’s the kingdom of God. For you it may be named something different; the Universe, creator, or whatever your faith walk has you believe.
Last week Rifleman had a great VQ which revolved around scripture. This week I’m taking a page from that playbook, but (from what I know of it) a Jewish viewpoint. I’m not quoting scripture but holding up one of the Jewish elders and someone who finished well. I looked waaay back in the Old Testament and came upon Moses.
Y’all know Moses right? If you’ve read the Bible, you know that the second book is called Exodus.
The setting: desert.
The Thang: a mosey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in a new land. But it’s a bumpy ride, to say the least.
The Q: Moses (leading the Israeli Pax)
Here’s some Moses history:
- He had a totally unique relationship with the Creator (God) and “would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Here’s an example of how unique, in Exodus 33 Moses and God have a bit of mumblechatter where Moses is asking for God to go with the Israelites and asks (requests?), “Now show me your glory.”
- In a life that was filled with choices, Moses chose God in every decision. (Ok, maybe not the Egyptian in the desert…that was a bad choice and dare I say before he knew God)
- God confronts Moses in the burning bush, which led Moses to choose belief over doubt
- Moses and the nation trusted the blood of the lamb to protect them on the night of the Passover
- He’s the guy who parted the Red Sea. Ok, God did that, but Moses was the tool He used to make it happen
- Moses and the nation of Israel were given the choice to either have entry into the Promised Land or to have the presence of God
- And Moses was human. Remember when he got angry and belittled God? He took credit for what only God could do, and suffered the consequences of the painful choice of pride…he wasn’t allowed to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land.
Ok there’s your Moses history lesson.
Now let’s get to the meat of the Moleskine.
This morning, I want you to think of life as if it were a race. Ask any of the Pax who are runners (the good ones, not Scout) and they will tell you there is an art to finishing well in a race. History is filled with the tales of men who started off well but didn’t make it to the finish line. Their greed, selfishness, lust, laziness, or whatever caused them to collapse before they reached the end.
I have seen too many of our elder men collapse in the last years of their life. They falter for whatever reason (moral failure, lack of purpose, think they ‘deserve’ to live on easy street, etc.) When I think of these men, whom I once respected, I shake my head and think …What a shame. He was such a great teacher, father, husband, business man…now look at him. He had everything together, but he quit.
We have no idea how long this race ahead of us will last. It’s a race we start the moment we took our first breath. My question of late is, “How am I going to finish?”
Moses was a man who chose to finish well.
Even those of us who may say, “I’ve screwed up so bad my life isn’t worth copying.”
BOLLOCKS! Make it that way!
Finish well.
Don’t check out because you’re tired. Don’t quit because you’re retiring. Don’t say, “I did that when I was younger, now it’s the younger generations turn.”
Most of the F3 Sandhill Pax are older men, I mean not OLD…just older than most of the F3 Nation. Let’s face it, if you’re over 50 you’re past your prime. And yet, we still have the responsibility to teach younger men how to be dads, husbands, employees and employers who live outstanding lives. Those coming behind us need to see what a good man looks like as they grow older. Don’t give them examples of how Not to be; grumpy, angry, seething, bitter, can’t do, etc. Instead, give them examples of how to be; joyful, curious, understanding, can do, etc.
One of the greatest realities of Moses’ life is that he never quit serving.
It can be so tempting to get to a point and either think you have arrived and don’t need to grow anymore, or that you resign yourself and settle in that this is just how you are.
Don’t you dare think you have arrived.
So…how will you choose to finish?
Stop during the race?
Pause for a rest and never start again?
Lose your purpose of why you started the race to begin with?
Run the best you can?
Choose well. Finish well.
Aye!