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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A few years ago, I had an insightful conversation with a well-known therapist in Nashville who has been in private practice for decades and has helped many families through infidelity, mistrust, suicide, alcoholism, addiction, and the unwanted challenge of managing children who decide not to grow up. This counselor has certainly seen it all over the years. We were discussing the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) and how he became filled with jealousy and anger, bitterness and resentment when his younger brother returned home and his......

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Valentine’s Day is Friday, so we see lots of messages around love this week. In his book Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer says this: “Love is the acid test of spiritual formation. The single most important question is, ‘Are we becoming more loving?’ Not are we becoming more biblically educated. Or practicing more spiritual disciplines? Or more involved in church? Those are all good things, but not the most important thing.” Ultimately, the goal in life is to become more loving. Comer says, “Would the people who know you best say you are becoming more loving, joyful, and......

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