Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, had a famous sign on his desk that read, "The Buck Stops Here."  By placing the sign on his desk, President Truman was stating categorically that he was responsible for all decisions made in the Oval Office.

 No one else was to take the blame for the way the country was governed.  Sadly, responsibility seems to be a word that's missing from the vocabulary of men in our country.

 Listen to these chilling facts.  24 million children (34 percent) have absent biological fathers.  Nearly 20 million children (27 percent) live in single-parent homes. 1.35 million births (33 percent of all births) in 2000 occurred out of wedlock.

 Stephen Clark, in his book Man and Woman in Christ says, "Men assume social responsibility most naturally and effectively when (1) it is clear to them that the primary responsibility for the well being of others rests on them and that others are relying on them, and (2) when they have been trained from an early age by the men in their lives to recognize and assume that responsibility faithfully."

 One of the things the apostle Paul meant when he said, "Act like men..." in 1 Corinthians 16:13, was for us to identify and accept our God given mission as men.

 We find not only our purpose, but also the enablement to fulfill it in Jesus Christ.

 Men, are you carrying out the responsibilities that God has given you?  Do you know what they are?  I encourage you to begin a quest of discovery; it's quite an adventure, but you can do it.

 Remember, Jesus took away our sins, not our backbones.