Life with Others: The Village Church | Hamilton, OH

The Gospel-Centered Community

In today's culture, the word "community" has almost lost its meaning. It's used so often, but what does it really look like to share our lives in the church through the gospel? Will Walker and Robert Thune offer thought-provoking questions to confront your small group head-on with the transforming power of the gospel.

God calls us to be "devoted to one another in love" (Romans 12:10). What does this look like for us today? How can we be the kind of church member who makes a real difference?

This timely book explores what church is, why being part of it is exciting, and why it’s worthy of our love and commitment. He sets out eight privileges and responsibilities of a church member: to belong, to welcome, to gather, to care, to serve, to honor, to witness and to send. (See the smaller, separate books on each of these below!)

Whether you're new to your local church or have been attending for some time, this book will re-energise you with God’s vision for the local church.

These smaller books in the Love Your Church series focus on a particular aspect of living together with the church, for the church, as the church.

Hardship in life - whether it’s one moment, a long season, or chronic suffering - can create an environment that makes it difficult to know where God is, what he wants for us or from us, and how we might be able to survive (let alone spiritually thrive!) while difficulty lingers.

- Local Emergency Services
  #: 911
- National Sexual Assault Hotline
  #: (800) 656-4673
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
  #: (800) 422-4453
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
  #: (800) 799-7233
- National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
  #: 988 • Chat online
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline
  #: (800) 662-4357
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Crisis Text Line
  Text HOME to 741741

If you’d like some expert counsel and care, these resources recommend a few places to start?
- Local Counseling & Care (The Village)
- Local Addiction & Recovery Resources (The Village)
- Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF)
  - Find a Counselor
There are a wide variety of helps for a wide variety of questions, concerns, and issues. For that reason, here are a few series of resources and authors we recommend:
- Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF)
  - Resources
  - Minibooks
- Ask the Christian Counselor Book Series
- The Gospel for Real Life Book Series
- A Small Book… Series by Ed Welch:
- Recommended Authors:
Also, here are a few general resources on hardship and suffering:
Abuse can take various forms. Below are some resources to help you see, understand, and seek healing from a few of the many ways abuse can show up in a person’s life.
Whether you feel like you’re living life in a fog or have diagnosed depression or anxiety, here are a few resources to help you see how the Lord meets you where you are.
Even though sickness, physical suffering, and death are expected experiences in this life, we aren’t immune from being affected by it - directly or indirectly. Whether we’re learning to live with grief over our own suffering or that of another, the gospel helps us come to grips with loss.
- Grieving a Suicide: Help for the Aftershock by David Powlison
Both the presence and absence of relationships can be complicated sources of confusion, frustration, and sadness in our lives.
Unhealthy Relationships
Singleness
- 7 Myths About Singleness by Sam Allberry
- Singleness Ever After: A Biblical Vision for the Significance of Singleness by Dani Treweek
Marriage and Divorce:
- Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make by Paul Tripp
Substance abuse and addiction aren’t foreign to the church or surprising to God. The Lord offers help through his people, his word, and the good news of Jesus.
The way we see, value, and treat our bodies are susceptible to the same lies that affect every other area of our lives.
Sexually-related temptations, sins, and struggles affect many in the church - both young and old, men and women.
Whether you were unexpectedly thrust into a caregiving situation or are wanting to voluntarily step in to help someone, bearing that burden can be its own form of hardship.
Dealing with difficult things isn’t unique to adults. Here are a few resources specifically geared towards helping children and teens work through a variety of tough topics.
Many of us have a hard time with hard questions, hard times, and hard feelings. We may be persuaded towards disbelief, discouragement, and a general feeling that God is displeased or disinterested in us.
While technology in and of itself may not be a hardship, what it draws out of us - and what we can let ourselves be drawn into - means our relationship with the digital world can wreak havoc on the relationship with have with the Lord, others, or ourselves.
Anything from a psychiatric diagnosis to chronic pain to some other form of disability can introduce unique stresses, questions, and burdens for people to carry.

Next Steps Page