Every Fourth of July, we should all make an intentional effort to name the many things that we love about our nation and its great history. My list always includes faith, church, freedom, liberty, natural beauty, the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, community, sacrifice, families, and the multiple ways that we pursue happiness and meaning in our lives. We are fortunate to live in this country even though it is far from perfect. Democracy is noisy. It will always have its flaws and challenges. Vigorous debate and the intelligent exchange of ideas......

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Clay Stauffer Morality by Jonathan Sacks A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser A Grace Revealed by Jerry Sittser A Time to Build by Yuval Levin Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman What Did Jesus Ask? edited by Elizabeth Dias Farrell Mason Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Savor by Shauna Niequist Bread of Angels by Barbara Brown Taylor The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler Jay Hutchens Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society by Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, Ryan T. Cragnun Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How......

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At the end of this month, Brad Gioia will retire as headmaster of Montgomery Bell Academy after twenty-nine years of faithfully leading the school. Brad came to MBA in 1994 from the Darlington School in Rome, GA. A graduate of the University of the South at Sewanee, he has led MBA to incredible growth and to become one of the premier all-boys schools in the nation. In recent years, I have had the chance to co-teach a class for the seniors with Brad. Our primary focus has been character, leadership, values, friendship,......

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Lots of life advice and wisdom has been shared in recent weeks with high school and college graduates. What is the best thing to tell young people who are moving on to the unknown to write their next chapter? Many of us will admit that inner work and personal growth is challenging. Pointing out the flaws and shortcomings in others is much easier to do but can be a convenient way to avoid examining our own hearts and lives. Judgment and blame are too common in this culture. In the Sermon on......

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We’ve begun  a new summer sermon series called “Questions that Matter.” Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus taught us many many things. One of his primary teaching methods was to ask deep and profound questions, ones that stir the soul and cause us to reflect. This summer, we will take a close look at some of these questions that we find in the gospels including: • Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not recognize the log in your own eye? • What will it profit you......

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It was a joy to watch our youth lead worship on Youth Sunday. “Take a Little with You” is a great Woodmont tradition! I am very proud of all of them, especially our seniors who brought the messages. These young people are graduating and preparing to move on to college. I know their families are experiencing many emotions right now. Here are some thoughts to consider during this major life transition. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional. Everything in life changes but we get to decide whether or not we will......

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It has now been seven weeks since the tragic shooting at Covenant School that rocked our community. The grieving and healing process continues in Nashville and in our families. Ribbons remain on the mailboxes as summer draws near. Next Monday night, May 22, we are hosting a special event in our sanctuary called “After Covenant” to continue the conversation about gun safety in our communities. I will be joined by two friends, former Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist and Vanderbilt trauma surgeon Dr. Alex Jahangir. All three of us care deeply about......

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M. Scott Peck begins his famous book The Road Less Travelled with the following words: “Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. Once we truly see this truth, we can transcend it.” So if life is difficult, then we can safely say that leadership is very difficult. Leadership is not for the faint of heart. It takes passion, conviction, nerve, thick skin, and resilience. Tony Jarvis says this about leadership in his classic book With Love and Prayers: “Leaders are caught in a catch-22. If a......

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