As Christians, love is the basis of our whole identity. Our spiritual rebirth came about because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

When asked to clarify what the greatest commandments of all were, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … your soul … your strength … your mind … and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Our love for each other is supposed to be how people distinguish us as Christ’s disciples (John 13:35). It is the root and ground of our existence (Ephesians 3:17), meant to be expressed with passion and fervency (1 Peter 4:8). It is a quality that we are to “abound” in more and more (1 Thessalonians 3:12), always getting better at it, becoming increasingly defined by it.

So if love is what we were created to share, what do you do when your love is rejected? How do you handle it when the one to whom you’ve pledged your life stops accepting the love you’re called to give?

The account of prophet Hosea is one of the most remarkable in the Bible. Against all logic and propriety, God instructed him to marry a prostitute. He wanted Hosea’s marriage to show what Heaven’s unconditional love looks like towards us. Hosea’s union with Gomer produced three children but, as expected, this woman who had long made her living in immorality was not content to stay faithful to one man. So Hosea was left to deal with a broken heart and the shame of abandonment.

He had loved her, but she had spurned his love. They had grown close, but now she had been disloyal and adulterous, rejecting him for the lust of total strangers.

Time passed, and God spoke to Hosea again. God told him to go and reaffirm his love for this woman who had been repeatedly unfaithful. This time she had reached a new low and had to be bought off the slave block, but Hosea paid the price for her redemption and bought her home. Yes, she had treated his love with contempt. She had dealt treacherously with his heart. But he welcomed her back into his life, expressing an unconditional love.

This is a true story, but it was used as a picture of God’s love for us. He showers His favor on us without measure, though in return we often don’t pay attention. At times we have acted shamefully and deemed His love an intrusion, as if it’s keeping us from what we really want. We have rejected Him in many ways – even after receiving His gift of eternal salvation – and yet He still loves us. He still remains faithful.

Even so, His love doesn’t keep Him from calling us to account for our mistreatment of Him. We pay more of a price for our rejection than we often realize. Yet He still chooses to respond with grace and mercy. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). In Him we have the model of what rejected love does. It stays faithful.

Jesus called us to this kind of love in the passage known as the Sermon on the Mount. He said to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:32-33).

“Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:35).

From the vantage point of the wedding altar, you would never have dreamed that the person you married might later become to you a kind of “enemy,” one you would need to love as an act of almost total sacrifice. And yet far too often in marriage, the relationship does indeed dwindle down to that level. Even to the point of betrayal or, sadly, to unfaithfulness.

For many, this is the beginning of the end. Some respond by rapidly moving toward a tragic divorce. Others, more protective of their reputation than even their own happiness, decide to keep the charade going. But they have no intention of liking it–much less of loving each other again.

This is not the model, however for the follower of Christ. If love is to be like His, it must love even when its overtures are returned unwanted. And for your love to be like that, it must be His love to begin with.

You can give undeserved love to your spouse because God gave undeserved love to you–repeatedly, enduringly. Love is often expressed the most to those who deserve it the least.

Ask Him to fill you with the kind of love only He can provide, then purpose to give it to your mate in a way that reflects your gratefulness to God for loving you. That’s the beauty of redeeming love. That’s the power of faithfulness.

I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.  Then you will know the Lord. – Hosea 2:20

Today’s Dare

Love is a choice, not a feeling.  It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction.  Choose today to be committed to love even if your spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it.  Say to them today in words similar to these, “I love you.  Period.  I choose to love you even if you don’t love me in return.”

First off, thanks to Big Pappy for the invite.  Been a long time since I’ve been to/Q’d Folsom.  I kind of remember why 😉

We had 14 to start, then some runners joined, then some runners left.  I was very confused.  Anyways, for those 12 who remained:

Warm-Up in cadence:  SSH, Squats, MNC, IW, Merkins, LBC’s.  After that, we did some cardio, follow me in single-file line – we bearcrawled for 3-4 segments of the tennis courts, then lunged 2-3, ski- lunge 4 on both sides (L -R), and finish with crab walk.

Painstations – pick a spot, do the exercise, rotate when I say to do so.  Big ups to Montross and Pizza Man (and me and Oompa 😉  ) for alternating in exercises at the station by partnering up.  We had curl bar, swings, goblet squats, merkins, half-moons, front raises, kick-backs, cleans, presses, and some more I can’t remember.  Good work by all, sorry it was so dark and my station signs may have been hard to understand.  Come to Painlab more often and it will fit like a hand in glove.

The Test – we had 5 groups, instead of the usual 4, still enjoyed doing this.  Set the clock, waterfall burpees.  I can’t remember what we got to, maybe 360?  So divided by 5 that’s 72 burpees per contestant?  Very glad to see the work done, remember even when you take a break, just get back to it and get going!

Yoga – only 8 minutes left, time to cool-down and stretch.  Doing Yoga at Folsom is…..interesting.  There was no sexual innuendo at all.  None.  Zip.  Zero.  Nada.  Nein.  Negative.  And if you believe that….

A quick word (see Moleskin), COT and pray out by Broke, which was excellent.  And big ups to Montross for reminding me of my Q fail and getting the pledge in!  Great work guys!

MOLESKIN:  On the speaker today was The Beastie Boys.  I started the exercise by asking if anyone knew who Curtis Mayfield is.  Then I asked if they knew the connection.  It’s tenuous, but here’s the truth:  if you don’t know who Curtis Mayfield is, look him up.  Amazing man who was as religious as he was charitable as he was a man’s man.  Classic and amazing songs, some you know with his group the Impressions, but in 1990 tragedy struck as he was hit by equipment on stage, and made a quadraplegic.  Nevertheless, he persisted and continued to build a legacy.  His songs are positive and moving, and then he toughed it out for nearly a decade.  True him.  The connection with The Beastie Boys?  They sampled the HELL out of all his songs, especially “Superfly” on a favorite of mine, “Egg Man”.  Hard to lift weights to Curtis Mayfield though, so I punted to Beastie Boys.

Always a pleasure Folsom, stay crazy.

Rudolph

Day 20 was a vitally important day in the Love Dare – and in your life. You came face-to-face with the glaring need of every human heart. And perhaps for the very first time, you became aware of how personal this need really is. You may have realized that nothing in your toolbox of talents and resources could repair the damage that sin leaves, and that Jesus is the only One who can supply what you’ve been missing. If you’ve received Him by faith and have turned your life over to Him to manage and lead, then His Holy Spirit is renewing your heart. His wisdom, grace, and power can now be released into everything you do. Including, not the least, your marriage.

But whether this is new territory for you or if you’ve been a follower of Jesus for quite a while, now is the time for you to firm up one thing in your mind: you need God every single day. This is not a part-time proposition. He alone can satisfy, even when all else fails you.

Your husband may be late coming home. Again. But God will always be right on time.

Your wife may let you down. Again. But God can always be trusted to deliver on His promises.

Every day you place expectations on your spouse. Sometimes they meet them. Sometimes they don’t. But never will they be able to totally satisfy all the demands you ask of them – partly because some of your demands are unreasonable, partly because your mate is human.

God, however, is not. And those who approach Him in utter dependence each day for the real needs in their life are the ones who find out just how dependable He is.

Can your spouse give you an inner peace? No. But God can. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Can your spouse enable you to be content no matter what life throws at you? No. But God can. “In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled … I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12-13).

There are needs in your life only God can fully satisfy. Though your husband or wife is able to complete some of these requirements – at least now and then – only God is able to do it all. Your need for love. Your need for acceptance. Your need for joy. It’s time to stop expecting somebody or something to keep your functioning and fulfilled on a non-stop basis. Only God can do that as you learn to depend on Him. But He wants to do it His way. “My God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

The needs of love, peace, and adequacy are real. No one is saying you shouldn’t have them. But rather than plugging into things that are unstable at best and are subject to change – your health, your money, even the affections and best intentions of your mate – plug into God instead. He’s the only One in your life that can never change. His faithfulness, His truth, and His promises to His children will always remain. That’s why you need to seek Him every day.

Our only reason for not doing this is because we really don’t trust God to supply what we need. And yet the Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). When we are seeking Him first, loving Him first, making our relationship with Him top priority, He promises to supply us with what we really need – which, actually, is all it really takes to satisfy us.

Jesus once spoke to a woman at a Samaritan well, a woman who had tried getting her needs met through a string of failed relationships. With both her life and water bucket empty, she had come to this place broken and hardened yet still desperately in need. But in Christ she found what He called “living water” (John 4:10) – a supply that wasn’t just for quenching temporary thirst. What He offered her was a drink of soul satisfaction that never quits giving and refreshing. And that is what’s available to you each morning at sunrise and each night before bed, no matter who your spouse is what they’ve done to you.

God is your everyday supply. Of everything you need.

The Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire. – Isaiah 58:1

 

Today’s Dare

Be intentional today about making time to pray and read your Bible.  Try reading a chapter out of Proverbs each day (there are thirty-one – a full month’s supply), or reading a chapter in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  As you do, immerse yourself in the love and promises God has for you.  This will add to your growth as you walk with Him.

Rucked the walking trail… got in over a mile and a half,  Kingpin got some EC after.  Good fellowship with a brother that I haven’t got to talk to much

9 at Mt Hollywood this morning.

Warm-Up:

10 Burpees

The Thang:

Mosey to the monster of a hill called Baptist Hill, or K2.  Whichever you prefer, it sucks really bad.  Exercise called here is my go to one, Triple Nickel.  Start at the bottom with 5 HR Merkins, run to top, 5 Bobby Hurley’s, then run back down.  Complete this for 5 rounds.  This was brutal.

Next mosey to the wall behind BB&T.  5 different exercises were called here.

5 Burpees

10 Hip Slappers

15 Mike Tysons’s

20 Imperial Walker Squat

25 Peter Parker

Then run a lap around the bank.  Plan was to complete this for 5 rounds, but with time running low we were able to complete 3 rounds.

Next start our mosey towards flag, stopping at the wall beside Ida Rankin.  Here we did 3 exercises.

10 Dips

10 Step Ups

10 Derkins

Complete for 3 rounds.  Then mosey back to flag. Time

COT

Announcements

Prayer Requests

Nameorama

Good work today men!!

Sister Act

12 men at Midoriyama on 10/22.  Went like this

Warm-up:

10 Burpees

The Thang:

Mosey to fishing pier hill.  Exercise called is Triple Nickel.  5 Burpees at the top, run to bottom and perform 5 Diamond Merkins, run to top.  Complete this for a total of 5 rounds.  This hill never gets any easier, this will get you!!

Next mosey towards playground, stopping at 3 different light poles and perform some exercises.

Pole #1: 5 LBC (ic), 5 Freddie Mercuries (ic), 5 Flutter kicks (ic), 5 American Hammers (ic)

Pole #2: 10 LBC(ic), 10 Freddie Mercuries (ic), 10 Flutter Kicks (ic), 10 AH(ic)

Pole #3: 15 LBC(ic), 15 Freddie Mercuries(ic), 15 Flutter Kicks (ic),  15 AH(ic)

Finally arrive at the playground for the last exercise to be called.

5 Pullup-Ups

10 HR Merkins

15 Big Boys

20 Jump Lunges

25 Mountain Climbers

Then run lap around parking lot.  Complete this for 5 rounds.  Time

COT

Announcements

Prayer Request

Nameorama

Appreciate the opportunity to lead rotod.

Sister Act

The previous day and dare lead to no other conclusion that this. Thankfully, it’s a conclusion you can live with—today, tomorrow, and forever.

Jesus has come “to seek and to save” you (Luke 19:10). Everything you’ve failed at and haven’t been able to do, every minute you’ve wasted trying to fix things your own way—all of it can be forgiven and made right by putting your life into the hands of the One who first gave it to you.

Maybe you’ve never done this.  Then today is your day.  “Now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Maybe you did it years ago, but you’ve wandered far from your spiritual roots.  Then “repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).  Even if you’ve already made Christ your way of life and have never stopped walking in fellowship with Him, the following Scriptures will be a grateful reminder of all He’s done for you.

The Bible says we are sinful from birth, from the moment we arrive.  “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).  “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6).  It’s not as though God sends innocent people to hell.

We deserve it.  We simply can’t be good enough to live with a pure and holy God.

However, “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (I John 4:9).  “Although He existed in the form of god, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant…He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).  “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (I Peter 2:24).  By His death, He made invalid the very idea that you are unloved and devalued.  If you ever feel that way, you’re not looking at the cross.  He proved His love for you there.

Love like this cannot be fully understood.  “One will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).

Nor can love like this be earned.  “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But it must be received.  “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

And when you have received this new life and love as your own, you are free to love in ways you’ve never been capable before.

“This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers…This is His command; to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us” (I John 3:16, 23 NIV).  “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4:8).

He was willing to love you even though you didn’t deserve it, even when you didn’t love back.  He was able to see all your flaws and imperfections and still choose to love you.  His love made the greatest sacrifice to meet your greatest need.  As a result, you are able (by His grace) to walk in the fullness and blessing of His love.  Now and forever.

This means you now share this same love with your spouse.  You can love even when you’re not loved in return.  You can see all their flaws and imperfections and still choose to love.  And though you can’t meet their needs the way God can, you can become His instrument to meet the needs of your spouse.  As result, he or she can walk in the fullness and blessing of your love.  Now and till death.

True love is found in Christ alone.  And after you have received His gift of new life by accepting His death in your place and His forgiveness for your sins, you are finally ready to live the dare.

While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

–Romans 5:6

Today’s Dare

Dare to take God at His Word.  Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation.  Dare to pray “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner.  But You have shown Your love for me by dying to forgive my sins, and You have proven Your power to save me from death by Your resurrection.  Lord, change my heart, and save me by Your grace.”

Write about what this experience has been like for you.  Even if you are only renewing your commitment to receive and express His love, what has He shown you today?

Pledge: done

Disclaimer: We’re all idiots for showing up in the drizzle

Warm Up: Frankenstein Walks x20 (Holding bricks forward like Frankenstein), Bat Wings WITH BRICKS

Dead Hang to 300 Squats: Mosey to playground, pair up, 1 PAX dead hangs to failure while the other performs squats, switch back and forth until 300 squats completed.

Serpentine Fence Traverse: All PAX form a line at the start of the split rail fence. One after the other switch between going over then under from post to post.

Wax On, Wax Off 13s: What does Halloween have to do with Karate Kid? Mosey to bank parking lot. Take two bricks in plank or bear crawl position, complete 12 Wax On, Wax Off (as if waxing the asphalt) exercises, run to end of parking lot with bricks and complete 1 Lurker Lateral Lunge holding bricks head high (or higher for greater challenge), run back and do 11 Wax On, Wax Off then 2 Lurker Lateral Lunges and so forth OYO
(This movement was harder and took longer than planned…perhaps 7s would have been better, but 13 sounded cool for in keeping with the Halloween theme)

Boo-urpees/Spearthrow: Mosey down Riverwood to Martha Rivers Way. 5 Boo-urpees, spear throw (signs dressed up as ghosts) with 5 boo-urpee penalty. (Ran overtime due to wax on/off and had to cut this short. Would have like to do way more boo-urpees…)

Announcements: Christmastown 5k, Start training for BRR Ruck or Run

Scripture: Luke 13:30 And behold, they are last that shall be first; and they are first that shall be last.
The F3 connection here is how we pick up the 6. The first, in this case, will be the last.

Name-O-Rama: Fun with Bricks

YHC Signed up to Q Starkville this evening and this is how it whent down.

Warm Up
10 Man makers, 20 Big Boys, 30 Squats.
4x
Then We Did several Exercises while Lunging in some fashion between each court.
The tunes were great and the tales of the P200 from Tater Hole were Fantastic.
We repeated Back and forth through the tennis courts and then back to do a few more sets of the above.

Time:

C.O.T.

The Bed Pan is FUll

As men who are part of F3, we are all looking to accelerate in Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. Truly accelerating and improving yourself isn’t easy, but one the best things you can do to grow and improve is to set goals. If you are looking to accelerate and improve your 1st F – Fitness – I have an opportunity for you.

Set a goal to run in the Palmetto 200! Then, let me know you are going to run it and mark your calendars to join vans full of HIMs from Gastonia as we make the journey from Columbia, SC to Charleston, SC on March 27-28, 2020! It is as simple as that.
If you’re unaware, the Palmetto 200 is a 200 mile relay race from Columbia, SC to Charleston, SC (see link at the bottom of the page for more info). We will be participating as a 12-man relay team, which means you will have 11 other High Impact Men to help with this journey. Each team member will run 3 separate legs that can range from 2.5 – 10 miles. You may be saying “10 miles!!!” Most legs are actually around the 3-6 mile range and we will work with you to get an assignment you can handle.
You can do it and you have 5 months to prepare! Let me say that again, YOU CAN DO IT! The sore legs and suffering are worth it though to spend good quality time with your friends and push each other past what you thought you could do! You’ll laugh. You’ll hurt. You’ll laugh some more. You’ll have stories and memories that will last a lifetime. While my friends were running in the Tuna last weekend, I was stuck at home reading tweets and Slack posts, wishing I was there! So, I’m in for this one!

Now, the major announcement portion of the program! We already have several commits so far. Dark Helmet will be running with Gastonia! That’s right, F3 Nation’s Q of Culture will be joining us on the P200! Why, you may ask, is he running with us? Well that’s because Huckleberry has also committed to running the P200. Seriously, those are 2 HUGE commits! Several other vets including Broke, Medicine Woman, Breaker Breaker, Allen Tate and YHC will also be running. How much more motivation do you need?

Message me on Slack or Groupme (or text me at 7042805388) and let me know if you want to participate AND let me know if you are a Hard Commit (HC) or Soft Commit (SC). I will consider you a SC unless you specifically tell me you are an HC! I need HCs by Dec 3 to get the teams registered. It will cost $131.50 each to enter the race (12 man team, $1575/team). That includes a $100 discount per team on registration through December 15 (hence, the 12/3 deadline). I’ll be collecting registration money in early December. Depending on who is on your team and what the group decides, you may need to plan to chip in on van rental and 1-2 nights in a hotel.

If you have questions, reach out to me. If you want to know more about how relays work in general or hear about other’s experiences on a relay, ask at a workout. Chances are someone at your workout has participated in one at some point.

Here’s the link I promised: https://www.malakseries.com/palmetto-200

With all that said, let’s get to it fellas!

-Montross