Today I have the honor to interview Dr. Clay Stauffer, the Senior Minister at Woodmont Christian Church, my boss and dear friend! He is an incredible father to three and husband. Clay is also a very popular professor at Vanderbilt University, community leader in Nashville and the author of the recently published book, What the World Needs Now, Virtue and Character in An Age of Chaos.

Our conversation is timely addressing how to navigate the complexities of human existence in these chaotic times without losing hope. We talk about the importance of character, virtue, morality and the need for more of God in our lives and world. In the book, Clay lays out some “truths” to ground us in a media-dominated landscape of untruths. Clay is in no way jaded by the brokenness of the world. He writes, “Our faith gives us hope in this future, hope that things will be better, that God’s design for the world may more fully come into being, that we may grow to be more fulfilled, and spirit-filled people and help others to do the same.”

I really appreciated Clay’s honesty about the reality of suffering and how we can rise from it. It was fascinating to hear him speak about how he nurtures his own spiritual life; the art of living in the world without losing your soul to it. What the World Needs Now is filled with practical prescriptions for how to live with more daily peace and joy.

My favorite chapters are on how to practice resilience, lead with your faith, and love, love, love! His chapter on love is the longest in the book for a reason. Love is our best chance of prevailing in the chaos. I promise you will come away from the conversation with your soul filled with genuine hope.