My accountability partners have fluctuated over the years but I’m always seeking new men to add. I have to be willing to take the risk of transparency first, and although sometimes it doesn’t work out, the rewards of developing deep and trusting relationships is worth any risk. We’ve mentioned the value of starting with simple matters when we form an accountability group and growing from there as time and trust increase. We’ve also stated the importance of setting up guidelines early on which will ensure everyone involved knows what’s expected. There’s one more area worth mentioning: Many churches or organizations publish a list of “tough questions” that are beneficial to establishing an accountability group, but I don’t see them as...
If the last blog post titled “Should I Speak Up?” struck your interest then this one continues with the how part. What makes this form of relationship unique is that it’s based in the agape love that is exampled in the Bible. Love that cares for another and has that person's best interest in mind is the most difficult kind of love…...because it doesn’t always feel warm & fuzzy. The crux of this type of relationship is twofold: transparency and trust. Go throw those words around at a gathering and you’ll either get snickered at or clear the room; but these are not for the faint of heart. Most of us desiring some level of accountability have gotten here...
I recently posted on the topic of “How Do You Feel” , so here we’ll resume the very challenging theme of communication in our modern times. I’ve told friends repeatedly that I would rather they challenge me, and risk hurting my feelings if they see a questionable attitude or behavior; rather than remaining quiet while my life starts to stray off course. As a dear friend once put it to me, deviating off course by a degree or two isn’t a big deal unless you’re a pilot flying from NY to LA; in other words the longer you stay off course the worse things are going to be, and the more likely you’ll end up in unknown and undesirable...
