"Great Adventure Blog"--Qualities of Manhood

[Lonnell Johnson]

Say, Hey, Dan, My Man,Thanks for inviting me to join you and your family on your “Great Adventure.” I very much enjoyed the ride. A number of things came to mind as I embarked upon this "Great Adventure." Recently I have been thinking about John Eldredge's Wild at Heart which I indicated as one of my favorite books, one of those "life-changing" works that ministered to the core of who I am and who I aspire to be. In the book, Eldredge indicates three motivations that express the essence of what it means to be a man: a man is seeking to find “a battle to fight”, “an adventure to live” and “a beauty to rescue.” Oddly enough I had recently started a file on “Qualities of Manhood” which form the core of this blog.The question of what it means to be a man I raised in the first “occasional” poem I ever wrote. At the time I really didn’t think of myself as a poet, but I decided that I would commemorate my 21st birthday, supposedly a milestone of manhood.Upon Turning Twenty-oneThe day came and went,but felt no different—a day like any other,yet why so much significance.This special date:June 17, 1963Should mean so much to me,But I felt as I did at seventeen.Was I then a man or am I yet to be?In the midst of these most turbulent times of crisis and seemingly overwhelming circumstances, I anchor myself in the truth of God’s Word, as I continue to strive to understand more fully the meaning of manhood:Though storms may overwhelm and friends may abandonWhen diseases surface to assault flesh and bone.These scenes will reveal the man I thought I could be,As words of the Psalmist comfort and remind me,When this life is over and all is said and done:Be still and know that I am God.I look into the Word of God, as a man looks into the mirror to find the core of who he really is:My True IdentityBut we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,are changed into the same image from glory to glory,even as by the Spirit of the Lord.II Corinthians 3:18I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see,Not the man I am but the man I shall become,Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.Released from shackles of a slave mentality,The bondage of Egypt I have now overcome.I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see.I smile as I keep singing of “A Brand New Me.”In my heart I have prepared for God a new home,Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.“I am what I am” is my new reality:A first-born son, model of the Father’s Kingdom.I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I see.God’s blessings in double measure overtake me,Flowing by the spirit in knowledge and wisdom,Reflected in my eyes, my true identity.I live to fulfill my prophetic destiny,As joys unfold with even greater joys to come.I look in the mirror of God’s Word and I seeReflected in my eyes, my true identity.Here is a brief discussion of those three primary drives within men that Eldredge writes about:• A battle to fight“Life is a battlefield, and the battlefield is the mind.” I have been aware of the truths of that statement most of my adult life, but I really came to grips with the intensity of “a battle to fight” when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000. In 2005 I published my testimony of my approach in combating the dreaded disease in Watch, Fight and Pray: My Personal Strategy to Combat Prostate Cancer. The book opens with a blues poem originally written after my father was diagnosed with cancer, and it has become even more meaningful during my own ongoing battle with “Old Man Crab”, the name I give to the potentially deadly disease which takes its name from the constellation Cancer which is designated as “the crab.”Final VictoryI Corinthians 15:53-57 & Romans 8:37-39Old Man Crab is mighty sneaky,always creepin and up to no good,Old Man Crab, is mighty sneaky,always creepin and up to no good,That low-down dirty rascal,Messin with folk all round the neighborhood.One dark day Old Man Crab came callin,Crawlin in like some uninvited mouse,One dark day Old Man Crab came callin,Crawlin in like some uninvited mouse,That nasty dirty devil,Sneakin in the back door of my sister’s house.First you first attacked my mama, Old Man Crab,You tried to pinch her with your greatest fears,First you first attacked my mama, Old Man Crab,You tried to pinch her with your greatest fears,But she didn’t want no she-crab soup,You tried to served with pain and bitter tears.You may have come to our house, Old Man Crab,But I’m sorry, you can’t stay.You may have come to our house, Old Man Crab,But I’m sorry, you can’t stay.Whatsonever in the world you may do,Everyday we still gonna watch, fight, and pray.Nothin’ low down on earth, Old Man Crab,Or nothin high up in heaven above,Nothin’ low down on earth, Old Man Crab,Or nothin high up in heaven above,Not even death, your creepin pardner,Can ever separate us from God’s love.So git out my face, Old Man Crab,I got your number, don’t you see.So git out my face, Old Man Crab,I got your number, don't you see.You may win this li’l biddy battle,But we show-nuff got the final victory.Some say our Savior’s comin in the mornin;Some say in the midnight hour or high noonSome say our Savior’s comin in the mornin;Some say in the midnight hour or high noonI got a feelin He’s comin backTo gather us together soon . . . and very soon.• An adventure to liveI thought of this particular attribute of a man after viewing Dan Haas’ video entitled “The Great Adventure.” In fact, initially I started to dash off a brief comment related to my thinking of Eldredge’s second point when I decided to expand comments into this blog on “Qualities of Manhood.” I connected Dan’s video to my poem “Man-child: Giddy-up Goin’ on the Great Adventure.” As it turned out, the piece reveals my continual striving to be the man of God that I’m called to be. I use the oxymoronic term “man-child”, the significance of which was confirmed to me when I read the insert in a fortune cookie when I dined at a Thai restaurant not long ago: “A great man never ignores the simplicity of a child.”Manchild. . . Giddy-up, going on the great adventure“Here they beheld the manto someday reign as king. . . .”The Wise MenI leaped out of bed just after the sun came up;I could not stay cause I had to be on my way.Life overflowed like a fountain and filled my cup.“Be back in a minute” was all I had to say. . . .Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, going on the great adventure.I was laughing and loving every good news day,Running with abandon into the blazing sun,With my heart wide-open and tender, pure for sure,All that really mattered to me was having fun.Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, going on the great adventure.One day a white-haired man spoke as he looked at me.“Say, little man, when you grow up to be a man,Tell me, little fella, what do you want to be?”His question made me think, just for a little whileThen I nodded my head, and I began to smile,“That’s a real long time away, far as I can see,But when I grow up to be a real grown up man,“A man-child, man-child, is what I still want to be,Man-child, a man-child, is what I still want to be.”Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, going on the great adventure.• A beauty to rescueLong before I met my wife, I would from time to time think about “the girl of my dreams.” Often I wondered if she thought about me as I thought about her and tried to imagine what she might be like. I met my “beauty to rescue” after we each simultaneously prayed fervently that we might met the love of our lives. We were married 35 years ago, and I shared this special poem with my wife on one of our anniversary celebrations.Before I Knew Youfor my beloved BrendaI thought of you long before I ever knew you.When through the mist I beheld your lovely face.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.I could not speak your name, yet somehow I knew youWould be all I could desire in style and grace.I thought of you long before I ever knew you.Alone, I saw the sunset, told myself you tooNeeded a dearest friend to share this special place.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.Alone, I passed the time and asked myself who youWere dreaming of, yet still longing to embraceI thought of you long before I ever knew you.I yearned to give my life, to share my soul with youWho would make me feel whole and fill my empty space.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.God stretched out his hand, and then He gently drew youTo me with a true love that time cannot erase.I thought of you long before I ever knew you.Before our two lives touched, my heart reached out to you.• A “real” manFor about 10 years I taught a composition and literature course at Otterbein College on relationships of men and women in the context of love and marriage. Among the topics we discussed and wrote about was “What is a real man?” and “What is a real woman?” One of the authors who offered his definition of manhood was Ernest Hemingway, who spoke of “a real man” as one who shows “grace under pressure.” Beyond Hemingway’s definition and those of others, is this designation of the measure of the man of God who follows after Christ. To the degree that we model the qualities of Jesus Christ and stand in his stead, is the degree to which we show the world what it means to be “a real man” of God or “a “real woman” of God. I am ever striving to mature to the point of arriving at the place of becoming the “perfect man,” so described in Ephesians 4:13:[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him. I continue to press on toward that mark of true manhood. Amplified BibleAn appropriate way to conclude my discussion of “qualities of manhood” is with a poem, not one of my own, but one of my favorite works that captures the essence of this subject—“If” by Rudyard Kipling:IfIf you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you;If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with triumph and disasterAnd treat those two imposters just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;If you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breath a word about your loss;If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: "Hold on";If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run -Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!Dan, thanks so much for sharing your video which proved to be remarkably stimulating. Thanks for indulging me as I waxed reflective and poetic. “You’re the man, Dan, my main man, Dan, the show-nuff Music Man.”Lonnell

[Dan Haas]

I forgot to mention, regarding losing a post or a letter over which one has long labored.... brother, I feel your pain! Been there! You nonetheless see the bright side, now isn't that just like you?

[Dan Haas]

Lonnell, Dr.J, heart-and-soul brother of mine, and my poet laureate:'

As you often do, you reached me. You named something I did not articulate, but felt. It is innocence indeed that is elemental to that frame of mind required to "see the kingdom of God." And both poems spoke of this. The first one leaves me no wonder that you grew into a poet. Fine poetry committed to memory, like scripture, is further appreciated as we grow, for it remains there in the heart. When I was but 3 years old, my mother helped me memorize the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Of course, I had no idea what it meant "in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity." But as I grew, I did come to understand.

My daughter informs me that a package has arrived for me "from Ambassador Press." (I'm in central PA through next summer, but have kept my mailing address down there in DE.) I'll be down to Rachel's for Thanksgiving, and am looking forward to whatever lagniappe(s) you may have sent me.

The picture of the little girl, above, is a friend's daughter. Both of his children are the kind of people I wanna be "when I grow up." Her name is Grace.

Life does indeed have loveliness to sell

[Lonnell Johnson]

Dan,

As has happened a number of times before, I wrote a lengthy comment in response to your comment and the exquisite photo of your granddaughter (I assume), and I also included one of my poems that captured the essence of what you tried to communicate with your comment and with the photograph. I had just about completed the response, and blip! The entire comment was lost. It was late and I was too frustrated to try and send it again. This morning after my time of prayer and meditation, I was working on a new book that I’m writing, and I was thinking of the about the subject of “innocence” when the poem that I had included in my long lost comment came to mind:“A Blush of Innocence.” In the original lost commentary I explained the original inspiration for the piece which was an experience that occurred more than 30 years ago when I taught Children’s Fellowship, and I had gone away for a period of time and returned a few years later. One of the young girls that I taught had blossomed into a beautiful young lady, and I was amazed at how quickly she had grown up. She was not even aware of my presence, and she probably didn’t even remember me, but I marveled at her poise and maturity. After a few moments of talking back and forth with her friends, someone said something humorous, and she began to blush. In that instance, I recognized that glimpse of innocence in her eyes, a precious glint that you wish you could freeze frame and keep forever in your heart and mind. Later I came to recognize a similar look in my daughters’ eyes, and when I completed the poem inspired by the experience with the young girl, I dedicated “A Blush of Innocence” to them. Your comment about your desire to be like a child when you grow up expresses my same sentiments in “Man-child, Giddy-up Going on the Great Adventure.” The photo also reflects this same idea. In thinking about innocence, I came to realize that this trait is not only present in little girls but little boys also have this quality until it is somehow tainted or corrupted or defiled. Having such thoughts, I revised “A Blush of Innocence” and added a scripture as an epigraph or introduction and modified the language so that it refers to children rather than just girls.

Once again I see that all things work together for the good, for if I had sent you the original message with the copy of the poem with no revisions, I may not have experienced this remarkable epiphany that your comment and photo generated. By the way, the radiant light captured by the camera gives it an even more angelic effect. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Thanks for sharing your comments and the photos.

In the original comments that I had intended to send to you I also included another poem which I was required to memorize when I was a junior in high school (that was fifty years ago), and I still know it by heart. The first stanza of “Barter” by Sara Teasdale came to mind as I was thinking about the beauty of children. I trust you will enjoy both poems.

Your friend and brother,

Lonnell






Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

Sara Teasdale



A Blush of Innocence

Remember now your Creator in the days
in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come,
and the years draw near when you say,
"I have no pleasure in them":
Ecclesiastes 12:1

A blush of innocence upon the face
Of budding children at a tender age
Is the rare reward of those who trace
The essence of youth to its purest stage.
The heart of a child is an open garden
Where the rarest of flowers flourish and grow,
Though time schemes and devises to harden
The heart with weeds and walls that hide the glow.
Pure innocence blooms in a young child’s eyes.
Look upon the glowing face and cherish
The petals, the bud where such beauty lies,
For fruit shall come and the blossom perish.
Though beauty spans beyond adolescence,
No smile outshines a blush of innocence.


Lonnell E. Johnson
From Stone upon Stone: Psalms of Remembrance
Revised 11-22-08

[Dan Haas]

Quite a first "occasional" poem!

Upon Turning Twenty-one

The day came and went,
but felt no different—
a day like any other,
yet why so much significance.
This special date:
June 17, 1963
Should mean so much to me,
But I felt as I did at seventeen.
Was I then a man or am I yet to be?

I felt that way when I turned 55! Guess I'm a man-child, too. I know kids who are like what I wanna be "when I grow up"!