As most readers know, I love country music. But, I also try to think through country songs. Tracy Byrd’s new one (and friends): The Truth About Men made me think yesterday. Seeing the video (which I won’t post due to some material that I will not post on my blog) made me sad for the state of affairs among men in this world. Unfortunately, Christian men are NOT immune to these things. Not all of these things are sinful, but just read the lyrics (more thoughts later):

We don’t like to go out shoppin’,
We don’t care what’s on sale.
We just want to sit with a bag full of chips,
Watchin’ the NFL.
When you come over at half-time,
An’ say: “Does this dress fit too tight?”
We just look you in the eye with a big fat lie,
An say:”Uh, uh: Looks just right.”

Well, that’s the truth about men.
Yeah, that’s the truth about us.
We like to hunt and golf on our days off,
Scratch, an’ spit, an cuss.
It don’t matter what line we hand you,
When we come draggin’ in.
We ain’t wrong; we ain’t sorry,
An’ it’s probably gonna happen again.

We hate watchin’ “Steel Magnolias”.
We like “Rambo” an’ “Die Hard 4”.
Jump up and down like fools when we see the new tools,
At the Home Depot store.
We don’t really wanna take you to dinner,
At some fancy restaurant.
The only reason we do is ’cause we know it leads to,
The one thing that we all want.

Well, that’s the truth about men.
Yeah, that’s the truth about guys.
We’d rather play guitars and work on cars,
Than work on the problems in our lives.
An’ though we might say it to you,
Every now and then,
We ain’t wrong; we ain’t sorry,
An’ it’s probably gonna happen again.

Well, if you want to know what we’re all thinkin’,
It’s nothing too complex.
It’s just somethin’ cold for drinkin’,
And a whole lot of s-e……

Yes, that’s the truth about men.
Yeah, that’s the truth about us.
We like to hunt and golf an’ drive around, lost,
Scratch, an’ spit, an’ a whole lot of other disgustin’ stuff.
It don’t matter what line we hand you,
When we come a-crawlin’ in.
We ain’t wrong; we ain’t sorry,
An’ it’s probably gonna happen again.

We ain’t wrong; we ain’t sorry,
An’ it’s probably gonna happen;
Sure, it’s gonna happen;
You know it’s gonna happen again.
An’ that’s the truth about men.

You know it, son.

I want to give you a comparison:
John Piper’s definition of biblical manhood: (this does not involve not playing golf, or watching the NFL, or having sex with your wife):

AT THE HEART OF MATURE MASCULINITY IS A SENSE OF
BENEVOLENT RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD, PROVIDE FOR AND
PROTECT WOMEN IN WAYS APPROPRIATE TO A MAN’S
DIFFERING RELATIONSHIPS.

And if you need better descriptions: 1 Tim 2, Titus 1, Eph 5 – those are better qualifications.
Ladies: how can we as women encourage Biblical leadership and character to the men in our lives? For more on this topic: read Gary Thomas’s Sacred Influence and Carolyn Mahaney’s Feminine Appeal.
I am very thankful for the men in my life who live differently than this model that Tracy Byrd sings about. They live with God as their focus, encouraging their wives, treating other women as sisters in Christ. Thank you for giving me good role models and standards.