Matt Chandler is pastor of The Village Church in the Dallas area. Last Thanksgiving he discovered that he had a malignant tumor in his brain. Doctors were able to remove much, but not all of it, and he was given the prognosis of 2-4 years to live.
He is in his mid-thirties with two young children.
How does a pastor respond? In his talk at T4G, Chandler reveals that he simply did what he had been preparing his people to do — suffer with a deep and abiding trust in the goodness of all God’s actions and His providence over our lives. This is a message that is really worth hearing and heeding.
After Chandler spoke, C. J. Mahaney summarized with some of his own thoughts, and provided a number of helpful resources on this topic. Among them were:
- D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord: Reflections on Suffering and Evil
- John Piper, “Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffer” (audio)
- Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Estes, When God Weeps
- Jerry Bridges, Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts
- John Piper & Justin Taylor, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God
- David Powlison’s chapter, “God’s Grace in Your Suffering,” in Suffering and the Sovereignty of God
- Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul — excerpts from Charles Spurgeon’s sermons on suffering
Words of Grace 