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One of my stops during Sabbatical Trip 2 was to The Village Church in Dallas, TX.  I attended their worship service two weeks in a row. I also had the opportunity to observe their children's ministry for 5th grade and younger.  Here are a few thoughts from this visit: Matt Chandler and the Village Church have been taking some heat recently via social media. I was encouraged by Chandler's confession and repentance during the worship service. He was humble and gave permission for the congregation to contact any of the elders if they had been hurt by their actions.  His words and posture showed sorrow for his and others' actions Children's Ministry curriculum that is gospel centered and Jesus focused--I know this seems like a no brainer, but so much of the curriculum for kids is about morals and being good.  I appreciated Kid's Village (1st-5th) focus on the attributes of God. These are prominently placed in all of their rooms. See picture below. Repetitio...

While I was visiting The Village Church in Dallas on sabbatical, they sang this song.  I loved the chorus and it has been coming to mind throughout the day and night.  Be reminded of who God is and who you are as you listen.

Over the last few weeks, I have discovered some new authors via articles, blog posts, or books.  I thought I would share a few of them with you today. Judah Smith , author of Jesus Is __________ and this great  post Frank Viola , author of numerous books and this great  post on our identity in Christ  Eric Geiger and Josh Patterson as they collaborate with Matt Chandler on Creature of the Word Andrew Farley , author of The Naked Gospel & God Without Religion Have a great weekend!

I began reading Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler last week.  And even though I only got through the introduction, I am excited about the content of this book.  You might notice a theme in the books I am currently reading.  All of them are focused on the gospel.  You might say, "All Christian books are, right?"  I would encourage you to look to the Scriptures and see how you would personally define the "gospel." Here are just a few quotes from the introduction: Dave Harvey writes, "The Gospel is the heart of the Bible. Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the Gospel, presentation of the Gospel, or participation in the Gospel." "we have a tendency to think that the cross saves us from past sin, but after we are saved, we have to take over and clean ourselves up. This sort of thinking is devastating to the soul." "If you add to or subtract from the cross, even if it is to factor in biblically mandated religious practices l...

Check out this great resource for families for the summer.  It was written by staff at The Village Church in Texas.  Check it out here .