Action Above Intention: Why What You Do Matters Most

By Jeoff Williams, MAG Board President

My name is Jeoff Williams, and I am honored to serve as president of the Men’s Advocacy Group (MAG). This organization means something to me. More than ten years ago, while I was still serving at the Texas Department of Public Safety, I had the privilege of being part of the early work of MAG.

I want to say plainly - this work exists today because respected men like Chris Kleinert, Dr. R. Gerald Turner, Ray L. Hunt, and others who were willing to attach their names, their reputations, and their hearts to something that was not easy to talk about a decade ago.

That matters. Movements do not grow out of thin air. They grow when people with something to lose decide the mission is worth more than their comfort.

At the time, I was helping lead our first statewide Human Trafficking Unit. And I believed deeply in putting bad men in jail (and I still do). But while putting bad guys in jail was fun, I quickly realized this fight is bigger than arrests or making cases. It is bigger than the criminal justice system.

Beneath this crime is demand.

Beneath the demand is silence.

And beneath the silence is the lie that good men can remain neutral.

That is why MAG exists. MAG gives men a place to stand. A place to stand with survivors. A place to stand against demand. A place to stand in front of the culture and say, “Not here. Not around me. Not in my city.”

Today, we seem to drag almost everything into either the left or the right. This isn’t about left and right; this is about right and wrong. I want to say the uncomfortable part out loud…Buying and selling women is wrong. Grooming vulnerable girls is wrong. Treating exploitation like entertainment is wrong. That shouldn’t be controversial. It should be clarifying.

Over the last 10 years, somewhere along the way, our society started telling men that the highest possible virtue was to be harmless. Be agreeable. Quiet. Don’t offend. Don’t make anyone uncomfortable.

But harmlessness is not goodness. A harmless man avoids doing damage. A good man becomes useful in the face of damage. That is what this mission needs. Not perfect men. Thank God – because none of us are. What we need are useful men. Men with backbone. Humility. Resources. Influence. Disciplined. Men who are willing to stand for her.

And I will tell you personally that matters more to me now than it did when I was younger. These days, I take inventory more often. Maybe that comes with age. Maybe it comes from realizing I am closer to the end of my life than the beginning. And as I look back, I’m comforted by this reality that we will all be confronted with in the end - we don’t get credit for what we intended to do. We must live with what we actually did. 

Most of us hope people will measure our lives by the sum of our intentions. I wish they did, but they will not. Your life will be measured by the sum of your actions. Not what you meant to do. Not what broke your heart in private. Not what you agreed with or disagreed with quietly. What you actually did.

Scripture says, “Faith without works is dead.” Concern without action dies the same way. Compassion without action dies the same way. Conviction without action dies the same way. And I believe the Lord puts emotion in you to get you in motion.

Intentions do not rescue anyone. Actions do.

So, now I want to ask you to act. Join us. We’re not looking for men who are simply harmless; we’re looking for good men.

And then do one more thing. Think of one man. Not a category. Not some vague group. One man. Someone you know. Someone you respect. That man you’re thinking of right now is the man I want you to call. That is the man I want you to bring into this fight.

MAG members serving on valentines day

Join today. Give today. Sign up for a bus tour. Volunteer. Help us spread the word. Bring another man into the picture. Do not let this become one more thing you intended to do. Because intentions will not stand for her. Actions will.

And if you choose to stand with us, I will make you this promise: there will come a day when you will look back on that decision with gratitude.