Greetings!What a crew! So many folks turned out on Saturday to work on the grounds and the building! We’re grateful for the participation, and as Matt mentioned Sunday, the joyful interaction as we worked side-by-side. I loved seeing so many smiling faces and busy hands at work. What an encouragement! Thank you for contributing in such a tangible way to help us have a lovely place for disciple mak...  Read More

Greetings!We’re excited about Saturday’s workday! We get started at 8:30 and end up around noon, with lunch provided. As we’ve mentioned before, we’ll be moving things that are stored all over the building and off the church campus, to the right spot to get set for beginning our Bible Study Groups on April 10th. We hope that we have a big group to team up for the inside and work on the grounds, to...  Read More

Greetings!Matt, Chris, Butch, Andy, and I joined designer and builders this afternoon to do the final “punch list” for our building renovation and expansion. With blue tape handy, various little details (all small) were noted to put the finishing touches on this project so that we can start using it soon. We are really pleased with the roominess of the spaces, as we’ve been making space for making...  Read More

Greetings!From snow to spring, we’re just glad that we can enjoy it all together! Sunday was lovely, with the snow lingering and the warm temperatures and blue skies brightening our day.The finishing touches continue to take place on the building renovation and the new addition. There are a number of small things that will put us into action soon on making use of this beautiful new space for disci...  Read More

Greetings!Even though Spring can’t make its mind up if it’s spring or winter, we’ve made our mind up . It’s time (nearly) to start back our Bible Study Groups (a.k.a. Sunday School)! We talked with the construction company today and it seems clear, Lord willing, that we’ll be able to start back with what we’ve missed for 2 years, meeting to study the Word together before our worship services. Be r...  Read More

Good afternoon,I've loved having South Woodsians filling parts of the building prior to the worship service for the past month or so. At 9:00 this past Sunday morning, we had a room full of preschool volunteers going through training and a room of Bible Study Group leaders prepping to re–begin Romans shortly. Things we haven't done in a while are hinting at their upcoming return.Speaking of that, ...  Read More

Greetings!I know that Sunday’s announcement (see below) about my resignation as pastor at South Woods to accept a new position as Director of Pastoral Mentoring and Care for the Pillar Network came as a surprise. It’s something that Karen and I have sought the Lord on for some time and know the peace of the Lord in this decision. While it’s difficult to step down from what I’ve loved doing for 44 ...  Read More

Greetings!It’s good to be back in Memphis and back into the swing of life together at South Woods. I loved being back in the pulpit on Sunday and getting to see folks that I have prayed for throughout the time away. Thank you for the sabbatical. It is a wonderful investment that you make in your pastors and our wives to give us those times of focus, study, prayer, writing, catching up on discussio...  Read More

Good afternoon,In what has likely been an upside–down week for many of us, Sunday morning helped to reorient, turning things right side up. I appreciate Chris stepping in and ably leading us in both praying and singing. I sincerely hope the sermon from Acts 18 helped to stir a vision for how both being a disciple (being taught) and making disciples (teaching others) fits within God's aim for our l...  Read More

Good afternoon,Chris reminded us Sunday that "trouble takes on a different hue when we hold it up to the light of a sinless Savior dying in our place." If you missed that helpful sermon from Acts 18, and its reorienting of troubles, you can read or watch it here: (https://subspla.sh/v6s66qh)This coming Sunday we'll pick up with the story of Apollos, an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures, who n...  Read More

The better a pastor teaches his congregation to rightly interpret Scripture, the better they’ll be able to understand biblical church leadership and desire the change themselves, which will lead to a far smoother transition.  Read More

A plurality of elders ends up sharing the load of pastoral ministry. Though the weight of some burdens might overwhelm a single, isolated elder, carrying that same burden with men you trust makes it more bearable.  Read More

The last time I personally attended T4G was 10 years ago. But every year it’s been held since, a number of folks from our congregation went, returning with some version of Dr. Duncan’s comment. Of course, while they’d tell me about the sermon(s) I needed to stream and show off the stacks of books they received, inevitably their visage would visibly brighten as they recounted the joys of singing with thousands of gospel–loving people.   Read More

The church’s mission isn’t merely one person casting from a pier; it’s a host of men and women holding their part of the net.  Read More

It’s not just that how you think affects what you do. What you do affects how you think.  Read More

Adopting an unreached people group helped our local church to serve missionaries overseas. But it served even more than that. It proved to be good for our pastors, our city, our congregation, and the world.  Read More

In the hustling whirl of elder ministry, let’s not neglect the most basic responsibility: setting an example for living, loving, serving, and caring for one another in the body.  Read More

Church discipline helps the church focus on unity, purity, and maturity. Apart from ongoing discipline of members, the congregation drifts from the gospel and the church as Christ’s bride.  Read More

Afternoon,In preparing for Sunday, I read Chris' sermon on Acts 18 over the weekend. I found it to be faithful, clear, persuasive, and applicable. A few hours later, unfortunately, inches of slush ensured that none of us would hear that sermon until this coming Sunday. Do be praying for Chris as he continues to meditate upon Acts 18 and Corinth.We'll also be observing the Lord's Supper together th...  Read More

Good afternoon,I hope the two weeks we spent in Athens proved to aid your thinking concerning who God is (week 1) and how we might tell others about Him (week 2). If you missed Sunday's sermon on how Paul's evangelism might help to shape our own, you can watch/read that sermon here or, as always, on the South Woods app.Speaking of evangelism, tomorrow night Pastor Phil will introduce Andy Johnson'...  Read More

Greetings! Happy New Year!With the first Update in 2022, I’m excited about the year ahead. We’ve journeyed through some rather interesting days the past couple of years. Throughout, we’ve seen the Lord’s faithfulness in sustaining us in the faith, enriching worship, teaching us to trust Him, deepening devotion lives, and serving one another. We’ve learned some things the hard way through the adver...  Read More

Greetings!2022 is upon us! I’m so thankful for the last Sunday of the year’s time of worship. We sang, prayed, confessed sins, confessed our faith together, and heard an exceptional exposition from the Word. Pastor Chris expounded a difficult text, that of the killing of the baby boys around Bethlehem by a raging, maniacal Herod. Yet throughout, as Chris helped us to see, even in the tragedies abo...  Read More

Good afternoon,What a joy Sunday was, considering Immanuel––God with us––through song, sermon, and Scripture readings. If you missed Sunday's sermon from Matthew 1:18–25, you can watch or read that here: (God With Us, Matthew 1:18-25)Thank you to Jim, Nancy, the choir, children's choir, parents of the children's choir, sound geniuses, and instrumentalists for helping us to consider Christ Sunday n...  Read More

Greetings!We had a beautiful day to worship on Sunday. Those attending got a look at the new carpet and new paint in our worship area. They’re still working on the trim but the bright look is certainly welcomed.I love to help believers see how important their time in God’s Word is for the whole of their Christian lives. On Sunday, we spent time considering the example of the Bereans who welcomed t...  Read More