In the ministry, I find myself on the front lines of people’s deepest pain. A young mother diagnosed with cancer; a husband deciding to leave a marriage; alcoholism, addiction, severe depression, suicide, bankruptcy, financial struggles, miscarriages, the sudden loss of a loved one, and much more. Ministers get invited into situations that many others never see or even hear about. All human beings suffer to various degrees. This is simply inevitable. What is fascinating is how different people process and handle their pain and grief in a variety of ways. Some seek......

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Retired Harvard theologian Harvey Cox has observed that at some point in the middle of the twentieth century, Christianity began its gradual transition into what he calls the “Age of the Spirit.” However, it is clear that “spirituality” means different things to different people. In his book The Future of Faith, published exactly ten years ago, Cox argues that there are three basic reasons why spirituality remains on the rise. First, it is a form of tacit protest that demonstrates why a growing number of people are dissatisfied with shrinking the faith (Christianity......

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Blake McMeans grew up in Knoxville, TN and was one of the top recruited tennis players in the nation.  He was smart, driven, good looking, and was absolutely dominant on the tennis court, winning tournament after tournament.  He was recruited by numerous colleges but accepted a scholarship to play tennis at the University of Tennessee, his father’s alma mater.  On the night of November 10, 1994, his life changed forever.  Blake went out drinking and partying with his future fraternity brothers on the Knoxville strip.  He then got into his car to......

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George Barna has been researching and identifying religious trends in America for many decades.  Having authored over fifty books, he is the founder of the Barna Group and leads the American Culture and Faith Institute in northern California.  In a book published just a few years ago titled America at the Crossroads, Barna says this: “What we believe about the existence and nature of God, the veracity and reliability of the Bible, the means to and nature of eternal salvation, the concepts of truth, love, forgiveness, power, purpose, and sin – these......

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The end of a year is a reminder that time moves forward and presses on whether we are ready or not. Change is the only constant. Christmas has come and gone. Trees and decorations are coming down. Everything is on sale. Somebody once told the story of a department store return desk the day after Christmas. It had a long line with people returning gifts: sweaters, tools, jewelry, toys, and other things they did not want. At the end of the line was somebody holding the baby Jesus, seeking to take him back. Will the hope, peace, joy,......

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A number of years ago, there was an old tenured professor at Harvard Divinity School who was being subjected to considerable ridicule because of his belief in the virgin birth of Jesus. One day, one of his younger colleagues challenged the old professor for holding what was regarded as an intellectually irresponsible position. The younger professor said, “Do you mean to tell me that if some young woman from Boston came into the hospital and said she was going to have a baby, that she was a virgin, and that an angel......

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This past weekend, President George H. W. Bush passed away at the age of 94. Bush was elected President of the United States when I was only eight years old. When I was in fourth grade at Presbyterian Day School in Memphis, I had the chance to go hear him speak live. It was an experience I will never forget. President Bush served our country well. Before being elected President, he was Vice President under Ronald Reagan, Director of the CIA under President Gerald Ford, Ambassador to the United Nations under President......

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Is it possible to be spiritually mature and emotionally immature? New York pastor Peter Scazzero has emphatically said no for years.  In his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, he talks about how he had to first learn this lesson the hard way.  There were three factors that brought him to this realization, all of which will hit close to home for all clergy and religious leaders. First, he became frustrated, unhappy, overworked, and lost his sense of joy.  He was burned out and needed a break. Second, he became angry, bitter, and depressed. ......

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Every human being longs to be happy, but we all recognize that happiness is fleeting.  It comes and goes. One day we are up, the next day we’re down.  One day we are on top of the world, the next day, the world has run us over.     Our founding fathers said that we have a God-given right to life, liberty, and the “pursuit” of happiness.  Everybody enters this pursuit very differently.  In his book The Happiness Hypothesis, NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt identifies three different theories of human happiness.    The first theory is the “progress......

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The leadership of Woodmont has rolled out a vision for the future. It is a bold vision and one that looks down the road to future generations. I am reminded of a minister I once heard who said, “I would rather try to do something great for God and fail than to try nothing at all and succeed.” I echo that sentiment. This vision has us building on the seventy-five-year history and tradition of Woodmont. This vision is grounded in faith and scripture (I Cor 3:10-11). This vision is one that we have......

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