Prayer for my pastor, Matt Chandler

After a Norman Rockwell sort of Thanksgiving, I checked my email as I gathered belongings to load into the car for the trip back to my mom's, where we would spend the night. I saw one from our church that I thought was a Thanksgiving note from our pastor, Matt Chandler, but it was a prayer request for him.

Pray for Matt. He suffered a seizure Thursday morning, falling and hitting his head. He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital where they ran several tests and will run more tests next week. He is home resting with his family, the elders, and friends.

Next, a Twitter update from Matt that said a small mass had been found on his frontal lobe; that he would see a neurosurgeon early next week. Then he added, " I am His and confident."

Everyone I know who is in Matt's pastoral care is praying. I notice that many, many others across the nation, even world, have joined. I saw a facebook status of a friend who lives in the state of Washington, asking for prayer, and I asked, "how do you know my pastor?". Oh, yeah, I think, "He does speak all over the country (add world), and is friends with Mark Driscoll, and John Piper, and so many others." This is good and I am pleased so many are praying for my pastor. More prayer, more power. The world just got real small in my mind.

What I know is we pray for healing. We pray for peace for his beautiful family. And we wait for God to take care of the one he lifted up to pastor The Village Church because Matt is HIS!

And this morning, I lay awake in prayer. And I am pondering the things this pastor has taught me, how God has used him in my life and in the lives of the others I know, and I praise the living God for His wisdom. When I came to the Village, I was done with church. Even more so, I was totally done with pastors. Matt's name for what I am is a "Recovering Skeptic". I had been part of a church where the pastor was an angry, abusive man. God heals all, but this man refused help for many years and I witnessed things that hardened my heart like a rock. God heals! He healed my hard, cold heart. God can heal the brokenness in my former church and in the family of that former pastor. He could even heal the broken relationships between myself and them, if we remain soft to his will. If My God can heal that sickness, I know He will take the best care of "His Matt". And I pray for my pastor with a new heart, a healed heart, and a heart of mercy and love that is brand new.

Please join me in praying for Matt Chandler, his beautiful wife, Lauren, and their 3 babies.

Grateful for all He has done and will do!
God is faithful, He is mighty!

Updates at The Village Church Facebook page.