Author Archives: mcgonagl@pld.com

Father’s Day

My memory, of my Grandfather Mac is of me sitting on his lap at his home and him reading the Bible and the great stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Jonah and the whale, Moses, Samson, David and Goliath and about Jesus. My Grandpa Mac died of a heart attack walking home from work at noon hour when I was three years old and he was sixty three. My own Father found his Dad dead on the city sidewalk as he also drove home for noon hour.

My Father insisted that we go to church every Sunday. My Dad came from a family of 6 kids and he was the only one that took his family to church every Sunday. My Mother also came from a family of 6 kids and they did not go to church. When I was about 12 years old my Mother asked me how I could believe in God or Jesus when you can’t see them. I asked my Mother, “Do you believe in the wind? You can’t see the wind, but you can feel the wind. I can’t see God, but I feel the presence of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in my life.

Both sides of my extended family had issues with sin in their lives, adultery, alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitutes, sexual immorality, divorce, early deaths, suicides, children out of wedlock given up for adoption. My family is probably a lot like your family. We all have problems with sin.

There is a story written in the Touchstone magazine about the truth about men and church. The research is from 1994 and the article is from 2003, but my guess is it is very appropriate still for today. Here is a quote from that shocking article: if Dad does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions, only one child in fifty will become a regular worshipper.

So today, I am humbled, grateful and thankful that my Grandpa Mac and my Dad took our family to church every Sunday back in the day.

Here is a link to the magazine article.

St. Augustine’s witness is effective today

Kevin Stephenson first discovered St. Augustine while in seminary at Oral Roberts University, and wasn’t exactly sure what to make of him. But when Kevin read the Confessions, it moved him deeply; he was able to relate to the struggles of St. Augustine on a very personal level. Kevin was also surprised to see Christianity alive and thriving on Augustine’s home continent of Africa that early in Church history; he had been under the impression that Christianity was relatively new to Africa, and didn’t realize it was one of the first apostolic mission fields. St. Augustine became a Christian in the year 384.

The Will to Win

Kansas State University basketball team used to practice in the upper gym at Ahearn Fieldhouse. If you went one story up from the level of the basketball practice facility there were openings in the hall ways into where the team was practicing. Those openings were covered with chain link fencing and had benches in front of them to allow you to watch and listen to practice. When the men’s team practiced, there were always a good number of people watching practice.

One day when I showed up to watch practice, the only two players left on the court floor were Scott Langton and Mike Evans who were the two starting guards. They were playing a game of one on one against each other. Their one on one started at the top of the key where one man would have the ball and the other played defense. The one with the ball would try to drive by the defender or step back to shoot a jump shot. This one on one game continued for quite some time and the longer it went the more physical the game became. Hand checking on the hip was turning into shoving and elbows were becoming more like forearm shivers from football.

All of a sudden Scott Langton, who was playing defense, reached up and grabbed Mike Evans by the hair with his left hand and hit Mike in the face with his right fist. Mike immediately hit Scott with a right handed fist as he threw his left arm up to break Scott’s grip on his hair. And both of them threw fists at each other four or five times and then each one of them jumped back away from each other. Nasty words were yelled at each other for a few moments. Both of them just stood there looking at each other for about 10 seconds saying nothing.

Eventually, Mike picked up the basketball and slammed it hard onto the court floor and then caught it. He walked back to the top of the key and waited. Scott stood in his spot for a few moments longer and slowly walked back to the top of the key to play defense. The game of one on one began again and it was just as physical if not a little more than before.

That team in 1976-1977 won the Big 8 championship and lost to Marquette 67-66, in the NCAA tournament, on a controversial call towards the end of the game. Mike Evans was 6’1” and Scott Langton was 5’11”. The other three starters were all 6’5” tall. That team had more fight and determination in them than you can imagine.

The will to win is extremely important. How badly do you want to win? Mike Evans and Scott Langton showed how badly they wanted to win by continuing the game of one on one and continuing to practice after they most likely would love to have quit practice at that moment.

The ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, said it best, “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

 

Memorial Day 2020

Memorial Day was started in 1868 as decoration day to remember those of our family who have passed on who served in the military. Captain Bill McGonagle was a cousin. If you have never read the story of the ‘Attack on the Liberty’ by James Ennes Jr. then you should. Here is a link to the book and here is a link to Captain Bill’s Arlington National Cemetery page. The ship and crew were abandon by President Johnson and the US Navy. The crew was under orders to never talk about the incident. Even though this was a terrible incident, Bill loved the Navy and his crew.

Navy Seal Work Out Manual

Several weeks ago I listed my Navy Seal Basic PT body weight exercise routine. I thought I should list where I got that from. So below is several links to publications that are online in pdf form.

I have never been a Navy Seal and don’t pretend to be one. Just amazed at their workouts and have ‘tried’ to do them. My Basic PT that I do is somewhat of a warm-up. You want a real work out try Rear Admiral Smith’s ‘burn out PT’ on page 260-263 of the first publication listed below. As the Admiral says, “Have Fun!”

The Navy Seal Physical Fitness Guide
1997 pamphlet

Naval Special Warfare Physical Training Guide 
2012 pamphlet a little more updated

Naval Special Warfare BUDS/Injury Prevention
2012 pamphlet on specific stretches to prevent injury during BUDS.

The Special Operations Forces Nutrition Guide
2012 pamphlet on eating (I have the 1994 model)

 

Navy Seal Workout PT

With schools being closed, I got to wondering about our athletes and being able to work out from now until football starts up again, if they can’t get to the weight room. So here is my workout that I used to do in my 40’s when I had no weights and didn’t want to join a club. I actually started doing this workout again recently, just to do a body weight workout. It was tough on my core when I first started back up again.

Basic Physical Training (PT) Activities for Warm-up, Flexibility, Strength

Jumping Jacks                                            25   Reps                           60 Seconds
½ Jumping Jacks (hands to shoulder)    25                                       60
Up-Back-Overs                                          5 each                                60
(swing arms, legs, rotate torso and head around and around)
Crunches (back 10 inches off deck)      40-80                                  60
(Do all variations of crunches)
Pushups (regular)                                      20                                       60
Flutter Kicks                                                15 each side                     30
Butterfly Stetch                                           2                                        30
ITB Stretch                                                   2 each side                      60
(lay on back, knee up & over body to the side)
3 Way Hurdlers Stretch                              2 each side                     180
(sit on floor, foot at crotch, not at butt)
Swimmers Stretch                                       2                                        30
(sit on floor cross legged, clasp hands behind back, thumbs down, bend over, raise arms)
Pushups (diamond)                                     20                                      60
Towel Situps                                                 20                                      60
(Rolled up towel under lower back)
Pushups (wide stance)                                20                                      60
One Legged Squats                                     10 each side                    60
Supine back Stretch                                    1                                        30
(lay on back, knees to chest, hold legs with arms tight)
Torso Prone Stretch                                    2                                        30
(lay on belly, push yourself up with arms, crotch flat on ground)
Prone Superman                                         10 each side                     60
(lay on belly, arms out in front, raise right arm and left leg, alternate)
Vee Ups                                                         30                                       60
(lay on back, legs in air, arms above head, now raise arms and body towards feet)
Donkey Kicks                                                 20 each side                    60
(on hands and knees, extend one leg straight back, alternate)
Hand to Knee Squat                                     10                                      30
(finger tips past your knees)
Posterior Shoulder Stretch                          2                                        30
(arms straight in front, palms outward, clasp fingers, stretch forward)
Tricep Stretch                                                 2 each side                      60
Illipsoas Stretch (Russian Dancer)               2 each side                      60
(forward lunge, both hands on forward knee, straight back)
Standing Quad Stretch                                  2 each side                      60
(hold ankle behind back with both hands if possible)
Standing Toe Pointers                                   30                                      60
(raise your heels off the deck high as can)
Gastroc/Soleus Stretch                                  2 each side                      60
(on stairs with knee straight and knee bent)
Pullups                                                              Max you can do              60
Dips                                                                   Max you can do              60
Rope Climb                                                      1                                         15
Repeat starting at crunches and do 2 or 3 times or when you can do the workout fast and easy, add numbers to everything, but the stretches.

St Patrick’s Day 2020

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and we need to laugh a little I think. This small parade comes to us from Cork, Ireland and hopefully it brings a smile to your face.

Fight

Some assistant football coaches are always assigned to a place in the press box or in one corner of the stadium to get a higher view of the field of play. The view from higher up allows the entire field to be seen from a better angle. They can see all 22 players on the field and can see potential possibilities for play calling on both sides of the ball. The coaches in the press box are then in contact with the coaches on the sidelines to help with suggestions and other ideas.

When we pray, we call to God for help, who is in a higher location and can see our lives from a better view point.

In a football game we know we are in a battle, a physical game that is about defeating our opponent on the field of play. In our lives most of us have no idea we are in a battle. It is a spiritual battle against satan and his fallen angels.

Coach Larry Toner said in a talk on prayer, “Bring someone to church with you who likes to fight” because that is what we are in, is a fight against satan.

This is the mentality we need to bring to prayer. We are fighting for our children, our spouses, our extended families, our churches, our friends and our own souls.

Do you see your prayer life as a fight against evil? Let me encourage you to call on the Most High God to look your life over and help you call some new plays.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.