On Friday morning, September 2nd, thirty-four year old Liza Fletcher got up early to go for a run as she often did many mornings. Running was her passion and her outlet. It was the way she stayed in shape and handled stress as a pre-k teacher at St. Mary’s School, a wife, and a mother of two young boys. But this run was different because she didn’t return. She was tracked down and then forcefully abducted right next to the University of Memphis campus around 4:20 a.m. Surveillance cameras showed a GMC......

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One early morning in the fall of 1936, ten-year-old Frederick Buechner and his younger brother were playing happily in their room. Their father walked down the hall, checked on them, and then he proceeded down to the garage where he started the family Chevy and waited for the exhaust to kill him. The family did not attend the funeral, and rarely talked about the tragic death. They quickly relocated to Bermuda to get a new start. Why do people do it? Take their own lives when it leaves a trail of emotional......

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Could Christians teach our culture how to be civil again? Could we demonstrate what it looks like to listen intently to one another? Before his death in the fall of 2020, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks expressed his deep concern about the death of civility in western culture. Not only has this become a secular problem in politics and the public square, but also a big problem among believers of the same faith tradition. “Civility is more than good manners. It is a recognition that violent speech leads to violent deeds; that listening respectfully......

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Relationships matter in life. The quality of your relationships will always determine the quality of your life. It’s a simple and timeless truth. The pandemic was so difficult because relationships were cut off. We were told to stay apart. Christianity is based on the opposite of “social distancing.” Jesus had issues with many aspects of organized religion, but he was a master of cultivating relationships. My friend Rubel Shelly, who has taught and preached at Woodmont, wrote a great book years ago titled I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian…and I......

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Christians come in many different forms. You can find conservative Christians, fundamentalist Christians, liberal Christians, cultural Christians and multiple other variations of the faith. Many would argue that Jesus did not come to start a new religion but to offer a better way of living within the context of Judaism grounded in love, forgiveness, compassion, and healing. This is the essence of the kingdom of God that was the heart of his message. If that is the case, then why are some of today’s Christians the angriest, most judgmental, most fearful, and......

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As we begin a new church year this month, I invite you to pray for the new leaders who have accepted new roles. Leadership in the church is very important. Also, I want to make you aware of some staffing updates and changes that are going into effect this month. Rev. Jay Hutchens will serve as our Executive Minister of Small Groups & Discipleship. He is helping me with some strategic initiatives from our spring visioning process as well as some staff supervision and administration. Jay brings many years of ministry experience......

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C. S. Lewis once defined humility as, “not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” What does humility look like in action? How can we heed the words of the Micah and “walk humbly with God?” How can we keep from maintaining an overly exalted opinion of ourselves in an age of competition, egos, rugged individualism, social media, and self-righteousness? There are three simple phrases that I think we should all learn to use more and more. First of all, we should not be afraid to say, “I WAS WRONG.”......

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Clay Stauffer • From Strength to Strength – Arthur Brooks • What We Wish Were True – Tallu Quinn • The Life We Are Looking For – Andy Crouch • When Jesus Came to Harvard – Harvey Cox • The Story of You – Ian Cron • How to Reach the West Again – Tim Keller   Roy Stauffer • The Stranger in the Lifeboat – Mitch Albom • Never – Ken Follet • Duty and Destiny, the Life and Faith of Churchill – Gary Smith • Aging, Growing Old in Church......

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