The presidential election season is well underway. Iowa has already voted and New Hampshire is voting today. I invite you to come join us on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 6:15 PM as Samar Ali returns to share some updated insight on what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine, and with immigration. Jonathan Haidt’s classic book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion is worth reading. Haidt deals with moral foundations, political ideology, and he has always had his finger on the pulse of these issues. Those of us......

Read More

This has been quite a winter storm this week bringing some frigid temperatures! On Monday night, January 15, the Woodmont Elders met on Zoom because of the road conditions. We talked about church leadership, and I specifically asked them what qualities they look for when nominating church leaders. A few keywords were mentioned – commitment, character, presence, teachability, faithfulness, being a good listener, and having a servant’s heart. Nominations are still open until January 31 for Chair-Elect (1), Board Member (3), Elder (7), and Deacon (30), and you can click here to......

Read More

I try to begin each new year with two basic questions. First, what lessons did you learn in 2023 based on your experiences? Second, what are your top three priorities as we begin 2024? The new year is a time to start over, wipe the slate clean, leave the past behind, and reaffirm our priorities in life. Socrates once reminded us that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Here are a few key principles as we begin 2024. 1) Name your top priorities and align your time and resources with them.......

Read More

Happy New Year and welcome to 2024! I like to begin the new year with two questions: 1. What did you learn in 2023? How did you grow? 2. What are your main priorities or goals as we begin 2024? On Wednesday night, Jan. 10, Jay and I will lead a special session in the chapel at 6:15 PM called “How to Grow in 2024.” Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM in Drowota Hall and all are welcome. Board members, elders, and deacons are requested to attend this gathering as we......

Read More

Christmas Eve is the holiest night of the year as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – the light that shines in the darkness. This is when our preparation all comes together for Christmas. Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday so we are making a few minor adjustments to the schedule this year. We will have two morning services at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. where we light the fourth candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of love. No Bridge service on Christmas Eve (back on Dec. 31).......

Read More

Thank you to everybody who participated in Walk Thru Bethlehem. It was an amazing year and we welcomed thousands to our church. I am grateful for all of the leaders who helped make it happen and to everybody who volunteered. It remains one of Woodmont’s greatest traditions! The feedback and appreciation we receive is incredible! I said on Sunday that Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn. For many of us today, there is still no room for......

Read More

For roughly 40 years now, Woodmont has been putting on Walk Thru Bethlehem for the Nashville community, and many who travel in from out of town. What first started as a live nativity scene up at South Hall in 1983 put on by our youth (to honor Anne Keith) has grown and evolved into a major community event where thousands walk through the doors of our church to experience what it was like when Christ was born. I want to thank the WTB planning committee and the many members who are working......

Read More

I hope you and your family had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was very difficult. Last Wednesday night, I lost one of my long-time, closest friends Zach Muckleroy. He and his family were driving from Fort Worth to Johnson City, TX, to visit family when a truck suddenly came across and hit them head-on. Zach and his two amazing children Judson (12), and Lindsay (9) did not survive. His wife Lauren was airlifted to an Austin hospital, has undergone multiple surgeries, and thankfully is going to make it. Please pray for her and......

Read More

Thanksgiving week is a perfect time for us to acknowledge the fundamental difference between envy and gratitude, coveting and contentment. American culture has a consumer-driven economic system that, to some degree, fuels itself on coveting and wanting what others already have. Are we not told over and over again by marketers and advertisers that we deserve things that are bigger, better, and nicer than what we have? Are we not told that we would be so much happier if we just went out and bought whatever it is they are promoting because......

Read More

When we started the Philippians series, I asked individual people and groups what bothers them the most about our culture and the current state of society. I shared some of these responses on Sunday. The answers will vary but here are some of the most common responses that I hear: • Everything is political and everybody wants to know which team you are on. • Social media is out of control and is ruining many lives. People are so obsessed with posting about their lives that they forget to simply live their......

Read More