Accountability - The New Ugly Word

Hello all,

I have been away for a very long time. Please forgive me. This has been a hard year for me. I have lost a lot of loved ones who are very dear to me this year including my father. As I am trying to get back on track, I thought it would be good to address the topic of men being accountable to one another. Accountability is kind of like getting your prostate checked. We as men need it but we don’t like it.  Life without accountability could mean self-destruction of ones self.

We as men not only need to hold one another up, but we need to hold one another accountable. It is the only way our society will truly change. We are living in a time where everything is a conflict. It is husband against wife, father against son or daughter, friend against friend. Everything is a conflict and we have not been taught or have not yet figured out how to resolve the conflict. This is why it is important that as men we not only hold each other up, but that we also hold each other accountable to how we choose to resolve conflict. We have to police ourselves so that we paint the picture that others see of us and not allow the media to paint their version of how they see us.

So my question to you: What kind of man are you?

                                          The Man I Am

                       If I see my brother in trouble and do not act
                            What does that really say about me?
                                          Am I a selfish man?
                                       Am I a cowardly man?
                      Am I just a useless man with a senseless creed?
                                     For if God can’t use me
                          I leave room for the world to abuse me
                                 And if God can’t reign in me
                    Then I leave room for the enemy to influence me
                           So the real question that I must ask
                           Is what does God think about me?
                               And when I ask myself this
                              It causes me to reflect on Him
                  I don’t want God to think He’s wasted His time on me
                                The life He gave on Calvary
                               To free this sinful man in me
                          How could I be so selfish to think
                   That I was the only one to deserve His grace
                             Oh but even if I did not say it
                      I surely acted it out in the way that I lived
           My brother was drowning and I did nothing to rescue him
                   Not even a hand out for fear that I might fall in
                  Wow, is this the man that God wanted me to be?
               Are my actions a reflection of His love inside of me?
                  I dare not even contemplate where I would be
        If He hadn’t given His life on a hill for the whole world to see
                              So if I must lose a part of me
                    Let it be the selfish man of my fleshly deeds
                   Let it be the foolish act of standing by silently
                     For if I truly love the God that I say I serve
                  Then let His love and His light overwhelm me
                         So that as I see my brother in danger
                       I won’t hesitate give him what he needs
                                             A hand out
                                           A strong word
                                  Holding him accountable
                                     In truth and in deed
                              And being held accountable
                       Because that man is no different from me
                                  This is The Man I Am
                               Yeah, that is The Man I Am
                                                                         by Bert Reece