I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter. Woodmont was certainly busy, vibrant, and full of life. You have probably seen that Pope Francis passed away after giving his final Easter address. He leaves a legacy of advocating for mercy and compassion. Prayers for the Roman Catholic Church at this time and all who mourn. This Sunday, we will celebrate the baptisms of our Disciples Class at both 9:30 and 11:00 services. We are very proud of these young people who have worked hard, learned about the Christian faith, spent......

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Palm Sunday began the greatest week of the year for Christians – Holy Week. We will have a dinner on Thursday at 5:30 PM followed by a Maundy Thursday service at 6:30 PM in the chapel. We will have a special Good Friday service at noon in the sanctuary focused on the seven last words of Christ. Mike Glenn, Rubel Shelley, and Adam Neder will be our guests this year. Jesus’ decision to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy and was an emphatic statement of who he was –......

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We are now in the heart of our spring stewardship campaign with the theme “Generous Hearts.” Paul writes in II Corinthians 9: “Those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly; those who sow generously will also reap generously…the Lord loves a cheerful giver.” I am grateful to the Barretts and Harrisons for their leadership. During the month of April, we are asking all of our members to make a financial commitment to support Woodmont for another year. This campaign is what funds the basic ministries and operations of the church. Here are some of the......

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I am excited to announce my upcoming book that is being published by Abingdon Press in May titled What the World Needs Now: Virtue and Character in an Age of Chaos. This new book provides antidotes to many of the challenges that our culture is currently facing including loneliness, political polarization, rapid secularization, busyness, exhaustion, anger, outrage, division, declining moral leadership, and a loss of trust among people. My goal is to offer hope and solutions to these challenges and to talk about the timeless values that need to be passed down......

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In our spiritual leadership class on Wednesday nights, we are spending some time focusing on the concept of “Emotional Intelligence” or EQ. I have always believed that emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity go hand in hand. It is very hard to have one without the other. So many of Jesus’ teachings and questions are directly tied to “emotional intelligence,” which has five core components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. As we grow spiritually and deepen our faith, each of these areas matter. A big part of leadership is knowing and managing self. In what ways......

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We are now in Lent, a forty-day season of soul-searching and spiritual growth preparing for Easter. It is a time to ask deep, meaningful questions about faith and the bigger picture of life. I hope you will take advantage of the great classes now being offered at Woodmont on Wednesday nights. I also encourage you to read and reflect on Paul’s letter to the Philippians, also known as “the Epistle of Joy.” All of us long to experience more joy in our lives. David Brooks raises the following questions in his book The Road to Character:......

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We will begin the Lenten season this Wednesday night in the sanctuary with an Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 p.m. Lent is the forty-day period leading up to Easter. I hope you will take advantage of the excellent classes being offered here at church between now and Easter – Spiritual Leadership, Romans, & the Enneagram. Dinner is also offered each week at 5:30 p.m. Lent is a time to dive deep, do some personal reflection, give certain things up, and grow. We are now living in interesting times. Many people are concerned......

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Jim Hester and the nominating committee have been working very hard over the past month. I want to thank everybody who submitted nominations this year. We have had many excellent candidates to discuss and consider. The guiding questions the committee has been asking are: Are they in worship regularly? Are they involved in a small group or Sunday school class? Do they exhibit leadership ability? Do they support the church with time, talent, and treasure? Leadership in a church like Woodmont is essential. We count on our leaders to take their role seriously and be......

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