08
Oct 2018
WHY ARE WE DOING A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN RIGHT NOW? This is the result of over several years of visioning and strategic planning by the church’s leadership. Multiple boards and committees have analyzed and discussed our need for additional space. We have significant support from lead donors and longtime members. We have experienced tremendous growth at Woodmont in recent years which has resulted in some “good problems.” This is the time to do it. WHAT ARE THE BASIC COMPONENTS OF THIS CAMPAIGN? 1) Adding five additional children’s classrooms , a gathering area, and......
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18
Sep 2018
In conversations that I have had over the years with those who are not Christian or who might call themselves disengaged or disillusioned Christians, the subject of hypocrisy often arises. How can Christians say they believe what Jesus taught if they fail to live it? To be more specific, how can you read the Sermon on the Mount but still support war and violence? How can you claim to believe in forgiveness but hold onto grudges and resentments forever? How can you love your neighbor but judge those who are different? How......
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28
Aug 2018
There is constant speculation and anxiety in our culture about the future of American Christianity and the role of the church in the coming years. What will the faith look like ten, twenty, or fifty years from now? Why will some churches be forced to close their doors while others in the same zip codes thrive and grow? Nobody holds a crystal ball but all ministers and Christian leaders should think about these questions because the decisions we make now play a big role in shaping and molding the future. These decisions......
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24
Aug 2018
At Woodmont Christian Preschool, learning isn’t just cracking a book open and dispelling information. It goes much deeper. With a holistic philosophy of serving kids intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically, creatively, and spiritually, the preschool aims to create future innovators and problem solvers, those who have a true love for the process of learning. “Our children are always encouraged to try new things, think out of the box, succeed, fail, regroup, and try again,” said Preschool Director Martha Brothers Duff, who is in her fifth year as director. Preschool Director Martha Brothers Duff......
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07
Aug 2018
My priorities for this current sabbatical include rest, renewal, visioning, writing, and quality time with my family. We just returned from a family trip to the Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, where we celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of Megan’s parents, Bob and Jeanne Partridge. They were college sweethearts at DePauw University and got married at age 22, right after graduation in 1968. It was a joy to celebrate with them and to see how their love has grown and deepened over the years. Unfortunately, fifty-year wedding anniversaries are not as common......
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31
Jul 2018
I once heard a well-known minister from California say the following words emphatically: “Spiritual emptiness is a universal disease.” How do we know that this is true? Take a look at our culture. Look at the rising levels of depression, suicide, anxiety, loneliness, alcoholism, drug addiction, anger, fear, hate, and incivility. Each of these things points to rising levels of spiritual emptiness and a culture that needs spiritual renewal and revitalization. This is not an attempt to paint a completely pessimistic and dismal picture of where we are. Many are able to......
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17
Jul 2018
We have been celebrating 75 years of faith at Woodmont, dating back to 1943. But what does it mean to live a life of faith? There are many misunderstandings in our culture of what it means. At its very core, this question lies at the heart of all theology, a field that will never be exhausted or mastered. Having faith in God does not mean that everything in life will work out just the way we plan. It does not mean that we will be spared hardship and pain, tragedy, and suffering.......
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10
Jul 2018
This Sunday we will officially celebrate the 75th birthday of Woodmont Christian Church. There will be two worship services in the morning (9:30 & 11:00, No Bridge service because of the banquet), a special concert at 3:00 pm in the sanctuary, and a banquet at 5:00 pm in Drowota Hall with Governor Haslam speaking. Woodmont Christian Church has been sustained over the past 75 years by many factors, among them faith, hope, and love. FAITH. Faith in the one true God who created all of us in his image, who sustains us......
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03
Jul 2018
We now find ourselves living in an age where many consider themselves “spiritual but not religious.” There are many reasons why people feel this way: church seems boring; they’ve been hurt by organized religion; there’s a clear disconnect between Jesus and those who claim to follow him; there are alternative ways to find community; there is a lack of trust in religious institutions; people have used the church to push political agendas. It is common knowledge now that the fastest-growing religious group in our culture happens to be the “nones” – those......
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26
Jun 2018
Over the past week, I have had a number of church members reach out to me in various ways (emails, texts, phone calls) regarding what is happening in our country pertaining to immigration and the southern border. As you might expect, these members do not all share the same views on this topic. On Sunday, I made the comment that if this was a simple topic with an easy solution, it would have been solved a long time ago. It is not simple. Both Democratic Administrations (Carter, Clinton, Obama) and Republican Administrations......
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