Brawny Man and the Job 29 Man
by Steve Watters on 09/04/2007 at 5:19 PM
I thought to pull this post from last year out of the vault after recently finishing the book of Job in my devotional reading.
Well, guys there's a new standard for masculinity you need to be aware of -- the Brawny Man. For years, he just had his picture on paper towels, but now he's whipping men into shape to be the man their wives and girlfriends want. At BrawnyMan.com you can catch the story of 8 men who get made over by Mr. Brawny.
The program blends lots of tongue-in-cheek humor with straight-up reality show material that at times actually tries to make a point about what a well-rounded man looks like. Of course, the primary goal is to sell a lot of paper towels -- or at least enough to cover the thousand or so rolls used in the production of the series. Who knew paper towels could be used in so many manly activities? Could Brawny paper towels replace duct tape in the contemporary man's tool chest?
Some of the best points Mr. Brawny makes have to do with men being responsible protectors and thoughtful romancers. Of course, the big message Georgia-Pacific hopes men catch is that they need to do more around the house ... using a lot of Brawny paper towels.
He may never get his picture on products in grocery stores or get his own clever Web production, but my favorite role model is still Job. While none of us would want to experience the kind of suffering Job endured, the profile that emerges in Job 29 is a perfect male counterpart to the Proverbs 31 woman we often hear about.
Job 29 holds up a man who is blessed by intimacy with God and his family and is respected and honored by young and old alike. Why is he honored? Because he is a strong protector who rescues the poor and the fatherless, cares for the widow and the dying man among other compassionate acts. But he's also a man of justice and righteousness who breaks the fangs of the wicked and snatches victims from the wicked's teeth.
Months from now, the Brawny man model may go the way of the urban cowboy, the metrosexual and other fads of male models, yet Job, one of the oldest stories in the Bible continues to hold up a timeless model for today's men.
I noticed in the time since I posted this that the Brawny Man camp has come and gone -- at least the competition I mentioned is no longer anywhere to be found. Job 29 appears to still be available online.
1. Jacob said the following at 8:33 PM on Sep 4:
The Brawny Man sounds a lot like what John Eldridge thinks men should be like....sadly, flannel isn't for everyone. Thank God for Christ's example of manhood. He who humbled himself, even to the point of death on the cross, washed the feet of sinners and ministered to the sick. Servant leadership is what being a man is all about: serving and loving others like Christ did. Even to the point of laying down our rights and desires, like Christ did, so that others might be lifted up.
2. Samuel PG said the following at 9:34 PM on Sep 4:
Thanks for this post, Steve. It is a good reminder of true manhood, something I always need.
3. Vincenzo said the following at 8:38 AM on Sep 5:
I think King David is a great model for manhood. He loved God, wrote poetry, fought battles, loved women (mayble a little too much LOL), and when he was connfronted with his sin, he was quick to repent.
4. Franklin said the following at 10:24 AM on Sep 5:
What Jacob says is correct, BUT there is another side to Christ that seems to be either forgotten or put on the side lines.
Jacob talks about Jesus being the Lamb of God, but He is also the Lion of Judah.
Who do you think wrote on Belshazzar's wall? Dan 5:25-28
"This is the inscription that was written:
Mene , Mene , Tekel , Parsin
26 This is what these words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
Can you say 'Whos your Daddy now' any louder than that?
What about the rider of the white horse? Rev 19:11-16
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
Mouth that is a sharp sword? Thats pretty hardcore. Rule with an iron scepter --- wow! etc... etc...
What I think is amazing is how Jesus is portrayed as a weakling while the devil is shown as being a macho man (just watch Southpark). Thats ridiculous; the truth is completely the other way around.
5. florida_grl said the following at 6:50 PM on Sep 5:
Vincenzo said:
"I think King David is a great model for manhood. He loved God, wrote poetry, fought battles, loved women (mayble a little too much LOL), and when he was connfronted with his sin, he was quick to repent."
I think you got it right.
that's the kinda man I'll def marry. Until then...well, gotta work on being the Proverbs 31 woman.
6. Melissa said the following at 9:50 PM on Sep 5:
King David is indeed a good role model, but I'm a big fan of his best friend Jonathan. He was a brave and intelligent warrior in his own right, and he was humbly willing to concede what was rightfully his (the throne, being Saul's son) to the man that God clearly had called. He was a loyal, humble friend who put his own life in danger by protecting David from King Saul, and he willingly did all this "behind the scenes" without the same kind of rousing receptions that David received!
7. Ken said the following at 1:49 PM on Oct 3:
Regarding Jacob's comment about this being the kind of man John Eldredge tries to espouse, I would have to disagree strongly.
Where do you get the idea of flannel from his books at all? I think what John talks about is a man finding his way back to the Father and being a real man.
Some facets of outdoor life might be included but I hardly got the image of a Brawney man outfitted with flannel from his books.
8. Ken said the following at 1:50 PM on Oct 3:
Jacob, could you please cite some examples of where think John Eldredge advocates that men be more like the Brawney man?
I hardly got that picture from his books or his writings.
9. BDB said the following at 2:56 PM on Oct 3:
The best way to understand the appeal of flannel is to use a chainsaw to cut down a tree in the woods on a chilly fall day...