This family portrait reflects my gratitude to God on our 49th anniversary
Today, August 31, 2022, I reflect with the deepest gratitude to God for an event taking place 49 years ago. Brenda Joyce Warren and Lonnell Edward Johnson exchanged wedding vows, and that occasion always brings to mind the Providence of God that brought us together in Washington, DC. So often when I wax reflective, I also wax poetic and recall these poetic lines to describe our coming together:
We each prayed and God answered, as I remember.
Before I knew you, I reached toward you in my heart,
Where I had prepared, set aside a special place.
Until we met, I had been patiently waiting.
Our lives were entwined, and we were forever changed,
As we vowed to walk in God’s love from that moment.
We have returned to live in the Washington, DC-Northern Virginia-Maryland area to be near our daughter, Melissa, her husband, William, and our first grandson, Kingston. Our younger daughter, Angela, and her husband, Shajuan are a couple of hours away in Wilmington, DE. We are blessed to be near our family as we embark upon the next phase of our journey. Indeed, we are thrilled beyond words to see what the Lord has awaits us.
All I know is that “The Best is Yet to Come,” so sings Mack Brock, featuring Pat Barrett:
The program cover of the Sight and Sound Theatre production of “David” in Lancaster, PA
This past Friday, my family and I traveled to Lancaster, PA, where we experienced an unforgettable event: the Sight and Sound musical and dramatic performance of “David.” The production was especially meaningful to me because of my intense identification with the Psalmist, prayer warrior, and overcomer, a man after God’s own heart and mine.
As a practicing poet, I have been influenced by the Psalmist, more than any other writer. As I reflected upon that amazing production, two original psalms came to mind, which I shared in a previous blog post.
Here is one of the most amazing accounts of radical transformation ever witnessed in the lives of the people of God, where a group of 400 desperate followers who are “in distress, in debt and discontented” join David in the Cave of Adullam. When they eventually exit the cave, however, they are transformed into “David’s mighty men.” This account is recorded in I Samuel 22:1-2 and verses following.
As is often my custom, I personalize the scriptures as I compose poetry. In this case, I composed two poems: one related to the account of a man who entered into the Cave of Adullam and the other related to a man transformed into one of “David’s mighty men” who exited the cave and what he learned in the process.
A Cave of Adullam of My Own
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it,
they went down there to him.
2And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt,
and everyone who was discontented gathered to him.
So he became captain over them.
And there were about four hundred men with him.
I Samuel 22:1-2
“Your cave can be a good place”
Apostle David Pittman
In a place set aside for those who seek to hide,
Where thick darkness tries to hold back the light of day,
In debt, of no reputation, and stripped of pride,
Where obstacles on every side block my pathway;
Divorced from every resource that could comfort me,
Bankrupt and having goods of little or no worth.
Bound by lack, I have forgotten prosperity,
Though assured that seeds sown in the dark womb still give birth.
Distressed and discontented, in despair of life,
I live in a cave of Adullam of my own,
As I attempt to dispel confusion and strife
In this place where I measure how much I have grown.
In my cavern, teach me lessons I need to learn,
That I might also instruct others in return.
From the Cave of Adullam into a Mighty Man
These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: ….
2 Samuel 23:8
“Only the cave experience can produce mighty men.”
Apostle Eric L. Warren
As I prepare to leave my cave of Adullam,
I reflect and ask just what lessons did I learn.
My life is about to take yet another turn.
While continuing to pursue my destiny,
But content, I reveal my exit strategy.
Stripped of pride that I might be clothed in righteousness,
Unwavering hope has transformed former despair.
I leave behind the chains of night with no regret.
From my life spent in the cave I have much to share.
Pressing toward a new day to be released from debt,
I move beyond the seventh day into the eighth
And exit the cave as a mighty man of faith.
The following video captures the essence of what I experienced:
The Cave (Cave of Adullam by Sara Groves) by Paul Siddall founder of THE CAVE!
August is a special month, and I recently posted a blog entry celebrating the eighth month as “What will be Your Legacy Month.” August 11 is especially significant since it relates to another milestone in my life. An event of supreme significance occurred 48 years ago when I was first ordained to the Christian ministry. I am revising and reposting a reflective entry celebrating that occasion.
Ordination is the public recognition of a response of an individual to the call of God to serve. The recognition of this inner prompting to be of greater service may have transpired a considerable time prior to the actual ordination ceremony. I recall as a child being aware of the presence of God, and as I grew older and developed a closer connection to the Bible, I remember reading the passage from Isaiah 6 where the glory of God overwhelms the Prophet, who responds to the question: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us.” Isaiah answers by saying, “Here am I, send me.” This simple response resonated within me for years, and I publicly acknowledged that I had heard and accepted the call in 1974 at age 32.
Such an entry point for service can begin with “the new birth” experience when one accepts Jesus Christ as savior and endeavors to follow in his steps. A child, however, who gratefully and joyfully accepts the blessings of the Father, eventually matures to the point of being about the “Father’s business.” Some consider ordination a kind of “rite of passage” which commences with a higher level of service in ministering to the Body of Christ, expressed in Ephesians 4:11-13:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
In reflecting upon my ordination ceremony, I also recall a prayer of consecration, the laying on of hands, and a word of prophecy, all of which have been sources of inspiration and direction over the years. I wrote an original psalm inspired by that experience, and I later dedicated it to other fellow servants who continue to respond to God, those who heard His voice and answered
The Call of God
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, Ephesians 4:1
The call of God resounds like a repeated name From the lips of a beloved friend who knows us. We wait and clearly hear our name and see the flame Lighting the path to fulfill God’s divine purpose As we choose to embrace a higher destiny. This holy calling only God can verify. We know our ears cannot hear; our eyes cannot see; Yet from the depths of our hearts, we cannot deny That we have truly heard and seen what few will know. We must, therefore, arise and strive to reach the place Where the mighty rivers of understanding flow, And we must never doubt God’s purpose and His grace. In the unbroken line of all those ordained of God, We stand. Having heard, we rise to heed the call of God.
August 11 is a “double lovely” day since it is also the birthday of my 6-year-old grandson, Kingston Edward Simkins, who answers, in part, the question raised in the monthlong celebration of What will be Your Legacy Month.”
Kingston and Grandpapa love to read together
Kingston Edward Simkins is part of my legacy that I believe will extend for generations to come. The lyrics to “The Blessing,” a powerful benediction by Elevation Worship featuring Kari Jobe and Mark Carney, express my innermost desire:
Although August has no Federal holidays to celebrate, the eighth month offers this provocative designation: August is “What will be your legacy?” month. Gone-ta-pott.com, the holiday website, offers this definition and elaborates upon the month-long celebration with this comment:
“A legacy is what someone or something is remembered for or what they have left behind that is remembered, revered or has influenced current events and the present day. . . What Will Your Legacy Be Month is a month for people to reflect on their past and present actions and vow to make positive changes that will affect generations. We have to remember the seeds, whether positive or negative, that we plant in our children’s lives. This observance is about making the right choices so our children and their children will make the right choices. Everything we do will grow and reflect our teachings. So teach your children well.”
This inspirational video by FellowshipStories.com also reminds us that “Legacies lead… Legacies light the way. What will be your legacy?”
In thinking about the legacy that I desire to leave, I recall the words of the late Rev. Billy Graham:
“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”
Eleven years ago, I also composed a personal psalm after reflecting on what I would like for others to remember about me:
When All Is Said and Done
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant;
you were faithful over a few things,
I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Matthew 25:21
When all things of this life on earth are said and done
And all accounts settled, may this be said of me:
He was a good husband, father, and faithful son,
Who sought to serve the Master with integrity.
May God find a branded bondslave who came to learn
Firsthand that to run to serve is life’s highest goal,
Beyond fame, acclaim, wealth, or status one can earn.
That I loved God with all my heart and mind and soul:
A son who practiced obedience as a lifestyle,
Seeking to please the Lord and follow each command,
With an attitude of gratitude all the while,
Giving praise to Christ before whom we all shall stand.
For all those who follow, I leave this legacy,
As the mighty man of faith God called me to be.
Don Moen offers this musical reminder: “When All is Said and Done,” a capstone to my reflection on the legacy I hope to leave, not only in August but every day I draw breath.
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