American scholar Sam Pascoe once said that, “Christianity was born in Israel, only to be taken to Greece and morphed into a philosophy. From there it was taken to Rome and made into an institution of civil power. Eventually, it migrated into Europe where it was developed into a culture. And later, it was brought to America and made into an entrepreneurial business enterprise.” One of the questions many ask as we begin a new decade is whether or not Christianity will remain relevant and vibrant in the future. Research continues to......

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Between now and the end of January, we are accepting nominations for church leadership at woodmontchristian.org/nominate. LA Galyon will chair this year’s nominating committee which will begin meeting in February. This year, we will receive nominations for 1 Chair-Elect of the Board, 3 At Large Board Members, 7 Elders, and 30 Deacons. To serve as an elder, you must have been an active member of Woodmont for five years. To serve as a deacon, you must have been an active member of Woodmont for one year. We always want broad participation and......

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The Thanksgiving season is a time to acknowledge the fundamental difference between envy and gratitude, coveting and contentment. We live in a culture with an economic system that, to some degree, fuels itself on coveting, desire, and wanting what others already have. Are we not told over and over again by marketers and advertisers that we deserve things that are bigger, better, and nicer than what we have? Are we not told that we would be so much happier if we just went out and bought whatever it is they are promoting?......

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British New Testament scholar N.T. Wright has published numerous books over the years and lectured around the world. One of his best books is titled Simply Jesus. Wright opens the book by posing a series of questions about Jesus of Nazareth: “Who exactly was he? What did he think he was up to? What did he do and say, why was he killed, and did he rise from the dead? What might following him entail? How can we know if we are on the right track?” These are profound questions that modern-day......

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A few years ago, Brett McCracken, who writes regularly for Christianity Today, wrote a very interesting article titled “21 Challenges Facing the 21st Century Church.” It was later turned into a book titled Uncomfortable. Brett was very honest and forthright in his assessment of what the church needs to pay attention to both now and in the coming years. I recently shared this article with the Woodmont Elders. As a pastor who thinks about the future of Christianity and the Church on a regular basis, I found this article very interesting. Here......

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Years ago, Arthur Brooks gave a TED talk where he shared insight on the key to achieving happiness. That talk has now been viewed over seven hundred thousand times on YouTube. He argues that happiness is roughly fifty percent genetics, the way we are wired, and fifty percent how life plays out including major events and the ongoing decisions that we make. Specifically, he identified four key components to happiness: faith, family, community, and work. When it comes to work, Brooks argues that meaningful work and earned success is a key component......

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In his excellent book The Road to Character, David Brooks raises the following questions in the final chapter: • Toward what should I orient my life? • Who am I and what is my nature? • How do I mold my nature to make it gradually better day by day? • What virtues are the most important to cultivate and what weaknesses should I fear the most? • How can I raise my children with a true sense of who they are and a practical set of ideas about how to travel......

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