We all enjoyed a great celebration of Woodmont’s 80th anniversary this weekend. Thanks to all who made it happen. In recent months, many articles have been published about the current state of Christianity and the church in America. We continue to hear about the rise of the “nones,” churches that closed or declined during the pandemic, battles over women pastors, the dangers of Christian nationalism, culture wars, and the exodus of millennials and Gen Z from the church. Most churches now stream services online, but is this the same thing as being present within......

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Vision always matters and a big part of my responsibility is to always be casting it to our leaders. As we celebrate Woodmont’s 80th birthday this month (1943-2023), I want to share with you some honest thoughts and a future vision for what I believe will continue to make our church vibrant and strong in the years ahead. Woodmont is a healthy congregation in an age where many other churches are declining. Therefore, it is important that we identify the primary factors that must continue to be present as we look to......

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We have just celebrated the birthday of our nation with fireworks, parades, cookouts, and patriotic music. We do live in a great country, although it does have its many challenges. Our Founding Fathers once said that “all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Faith played a very important role in the life of our founders, yet they built a nation that respected freedom of religion. I have always been intrigued by their specific choice of the......

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Every Fourth of July, we should all make an intentional effort to name the many things that we love about our nation and its great history. My list always includes faith, church, freedom, liberty, natural beauty, the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, community, sacrifice, families, and the multiple ways that we pursue happiness and meaning in our lives. We are fortunate to live in this country even though it is far from perfect. Democracy is noisy. It will always have its flaws and challenges. Vigorous debate and the intelligent exchange of ideas......

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