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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Clay Stauffer Morality by Jonathan Sacks A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser A Grace Revealed by Jerry Sittser A Time to Build by Yuval Levin Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman What Did Jesus Ask? edited by Elizabeth Dias Farrell Mason Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Savor by Shauna Niequist Bread of Angels by Barbara Brown Taylor The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler Jay Hutchens Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society by Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, Ryan T. Cragnun Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How......

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At the end of this month, Brad Gioia will retire as headmaster of Montgomery Bell Academy after twenty-nine years of faithfully leading the school. Brad came to MBA in 1994 from the Darlington School in Rome, GA. A graduate of the University of the South at Sewanee, he has led MBA to incredible growth and to become one of the premier all-boys schools in the nation. In recent years, I have had the chance to co-teach a class for the seniors with Brad. Our primary focus has been character, leadership, values, friendship,......

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Lots of life advice and wisdom has been shared in recent weeks with high school and college graduates. What is the best thing to tell young people who are moving on to the unknown to write their next chapter? Many of us will admit that inner work and personal growth is challenging. Pointing out the flaws and shortcomings in others is much easier to do but can be a convenient way to avoid examining our own hearts and lives. Judgment and blame are too common in this culture. In the Sermon on......

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We’ve begun  a new summer sermon series called “Questions that Matter.” Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus taught us many many things. One of his primary teaching methods was to ask deep and profound questions, ones that stir the soul and cause us to reflect. This summer, we will take a close look at some of these questions that we find in the gospels including: • Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not recognize the log in your own eye? • What will it profit you......

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