That’s Church…..

Four PAX took the DRP this morning, answered the call and got better because of it. 

QIC: Squirrel

The Pax: Chitwood, Striker and MadBum 

Warm Up:
SSH, Good mornings and Windmills

The Thang:  Deck-O-Rama

The Q spread the cards across the parking lot at Camelot and each Pax took their turn dealing the pain today. 

• 100M    Lunge walk
• 20           Incline Merkins
• 18            Backward Lunge
• 25           Squats
• 25           Plank Jacks
• 100        SSH
• 17            LBCs
• 15            Hand release Merkins
• 60 Sec Low plank
• 25           Mountain Climbers
• 100        Calf raises
• 13           High slow flutter
• 12           WWII Situps
• 14          Alternating Side Squats
• 25          Rammer Jammer Yeller Hammers
• 19           Ranger Merkins
• 18           Squat Thrusts
• 15           Lunges
• 90 Sec High Plank
• 14           Heels to heaven
• 18           Merkins
• 25          Burpees
• 25          Monkey Humpers….followed immediately by
• 17           Monkey Humpers
• 25          Long Slow Squats
• 100        Long Slow Flutter (4-count to 50)
• 12           Hand release Merkins

We finished the session off with some BroasterTag stretching, Name-O-Rama and MadBum led us out in prayer….after the pax reminded the Q to get my head in the game and pray it out (DUH).   Although the crew was small it was full of mirth, merriment, laughter and joy.   

Good work men!

MOLESKINE: 

YHC was waiting on visitors from Maryland.  My former co-worker’s daughter was running the Spartan Super in Fayetteville and we were hosting them for a couple nights.  What a great time to catch up, I thought.  Passing the time until their arrival I was trimming the bushes when it hit me…..I haven’t seen Eric since the wheels fell off.  My wheels fell off. 

A passing comment my loving wife made a few weeks back came back to me, “you used to be able to adapt to things on the fly easily.”  Yep, she was right.  I pondered this for a while…why did the (old) wheels fell off and how is life different now?

Delivering the hard facts and big vision and leading others to success was fun, exciting and natural. Whether it was in combat or on the business front-lines accomplishing the mission got my blood flowing. 

This is who I was.  No, that is how I lived.  The “wheels” were big decisions, snap judgements, knowing what others were going to do or not do and maintaining a freakishly thorough situational awareness. And then the wheels fell off.

Wanna know what happened? How I figured out how to do life differently?

I reframed.  Reframed life, perspective and church. 

I met people.  I made friends, real friends and not co-worker friends.  I started caring more about relationships than getting the mission done.  I met men regularly; to pray, challenge each other, study, and love.  That’s church.

As I kept thinking on what happened I recalled several things my son, Lucas, would do.  He’d greet folks confidently and with a big smile hug ’em without exception.  That’s church.

He looked out for the underdog and not allow the bullies to pick on “the little kid” or the “different kid”, even though Lucas was 135 pounds and 5′ 5″.  That’s church.

Luke worked a paper route all summer and then gave most all his earnings to feed the poor.  When I asked him if he wanted to put some in the bank, his response was, “I’m pretty blessed, they need it more than I do.”  That’s church.

He signed up for summer mission trips to help people in West Virginia, South Dakota, Colorado, Kentucky.  He swung hammers, hauled dirt, lifted shingles, sweated and laughed exuberantly.  That’s church.

So yeah, I was a bit melancholy before my friend stopped in for the weekend.  And you know what?  While I don’t make the warrior decisions of yester-year, I make decisions about where to meet my friends (the Pax), how to serve my wife, when to set time aside to write a Moleskine that matters.

Through each of us God reaches people, touches souls, changes hearts, and that’s Church!  Of course church is and can be corporate worship and that is a good thing.  Church often happens when we share life together, when we look out for each other, where we cheer the good news and weep at the sad.  Church is standing together during difficult times and reveling in each other’s success’.

Yeah, my wheels fell off.  And you know what?  I’m ok with that.  God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, and put me in a place where I am surrounded by fantastic men to make a difference.  My wheels fell off…and now I’m growin’ wings!

Aye!