Sermons
TVC Home Groups are currently meeting in various neighborhoods all around Nashville. For more information please visit the 
Dinners By Decade: Join us this season as we continue our Dinners by Decade series. This is an opportunity for you to get together with other TVCers in the same age group for a potluck meal. Keep an eye on the 
Sermons Podcast: Listen to TVC Bible studies online by visiting our 
Paid childcare workers are needed for Wednesday mornings, Tuesday evenings & Friday evenings, as well as teaching positions open for our new Saturday night service. 
Restore Ministries Classes: The Village Chapel is hosting four 8-week counseling classes this fall - Women's Journey to Freedom, Men's Journey to Freedom, Women's Boundaries, and Men's Journey to a Life of Courage. To sign up, please visit Books To Help You Grow And Mature
Even God Rested by Kim Thomas (2003 Harvest House Publishers) Feel overwhelmed? About run out of gas? Soul exhausted? Maybe you need to get some rest. Discover your God-designed need to pause... to be restored and refreshed. With bite-sized, practical ideas, Kim shows you how to cease from those things that drain you and feast on delight and refreshment from the Lord.
Living in the Sacred Now by Kim Thomas (Harvest House Publishers). Ever felt like you are living an "in between" life? Like you were always living in between this and that? At the risk of sounding biased, this is one of the best books I've read on how to live a meaningful life now, in the present moment. Kim helps us learn how to avoid living in the regret of the past and the fear of the future. Through these 39 vignettes, Kim paints pictures of real life that will make you laugh outloud, weep for joy, and find yourself saying "Oh, that's what I've been feeling all along and didn't know it!" (If you have trouble finding copies of this book, call or email The Village Chapel.)
Hearing God by Dallas Willard (InterVarsity Press). Can we move from a prayer life that is essentially presenting God with a list of things to do? Is there a way that prayer can move from communicating with God to communing with God? In this classic, originally published as Is Search of Guidance, Dallas leads us to see prayer as not just a device or technique, but as a means of living in a conversational relationship with the Lord. 228 pages
Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard (1998 HarperCollins Publishers). If you are turned off by "consumer Christianity" and "bumper-sticker faith" then this book is a must read. Willard presents a fresh and energizing look at what Jesus actually taught and then goes on to unfold the kind of dynamic life Jesus calls us to. According to Willard, Christianity is not just about "sin management"; it’s not just about admittance to heaven, it’s about living life now as followers of Jesus, life to its fullest, as members of His kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard (Harper Collins Publishers). 265 pages of rich inspiration and practical advice to help us understand the importance of the spiritual disciplines. Discussion includes topics like What is human life? What is spiritual life? How does God change our lives? What role do things like solitude, silence, fasting, prayer, sacrifice, study, worship, confession and submission play in helping us experience life to its fullest?
Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller (2000 Bethany House Publishers) Miller writes what we all feel but don’t quite know how to say. He is part Christian mystic, part Biblical theologian, part poet, and part prophet. As Eugene Peterson says of this book "Every time Calvin Miller picks up an old truth or an old saint, the ‘old’ disappears."
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (1990, 2000 Multnomah Publishers). From the back cover: "Most of us believe in God’s grace – in theory. But somehow we can’t seem to apply it in our daily lives. We continue to see Him as a small-minded book-keeper, tallying our failures and successes on a score sheet." In this world of image conscious religious celebrities, Manning’s honesty and humility bring a refreshing account of a heart in need of God’s gracious love.
Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning (2000 Harper Collins) 181 pages of stories and insights of how a deep and ruthless trust in God’s uncompromising love can transform the human heart.
Coffeehouse Theology by Jim Thomas (Harvest House Publishers). This book was honored with a Silver Medallion Award from the ECPA in the theology category and was written to offer a conversational approach to answering some of the questions most often asked about the Christian faith. It sprang from a seminar I've done around the country entitled "Did Adam and Eve Have Bellybuttons?"
The chapter titles tell you about the subject matter: What is Truth and Why Does it Matter? What’s the Difference Between Belief and Knowledge? How do We Know that God Exists? What is Christian Faith? How do We Know the Bible is God’s Word? What’s so Special About Jesus? How Should we Handle Doubt? Why Does God Allow so Much Pain and Suffering? and the last chapter: When God Asked Questions. (Can be purchased through the church)
Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli (1998 NavPress). The former editor of The Door magazine, Yaconelli has been described as "the lay pastor of a small church for people who ‘don’t like church’." This book will rekindle the fire and passion in any calloused soul. Even the chapter titles arouse curiosity in the most jaded cynic: Dangerous Wonder, Risky Curiosity, Wild Abandon, Daring Playfulness, Wild-eyed Listening, Irresponsible Passion, Happy Terror, Naïve Grace and Childlike Faith.
The Journey by Alister McGrath (1999 Doubleday) Drawing from the lives of Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Anselm of Canterbury, John Bunyon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Stott and C. S. Lewis, McGrath presents spiritual living as a wonderful pilgrimage, a journey which both leads us somewhere and helps us to grow and develop as we travel along.