Prayers PLEASE

[farmerfan]

Matt Chandler is the pastor of the Village Church here in Highland Village, since moved to Flower Mound. He has done incredible things for this church and has played a huge part in the Denton community too. He has led revivals in Abilene and done so here and has helped out a lot of the UNT community. It was just reported that he has a brain tumor. I know that he would welcome the prayer request but at the same time do not feel sorry for him.
Pied sent me the message this morning to inform me of this and I know coming from me this may seem funny but God does work in heroic ways and right now I know the Chandler family would appreciate all the prayers they can reveive. Thank you

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/

[smw358]

My prayers for Mr. Chandler.

[pied]

Thoughts and prayers for Matt, his family and his church.

[bobcatfan]

Matt Chandler is the pastor of the Village Church here in Highland Village, since moved to Flower Mound. He has done incredible things for this church and has played a huge part in the Denton community too. He has led revivals in Abilene and done so here and has helped out a lot of the UNT community. It was just reported that he has a brain tumor. I know that he would welcome the prayer request but at the same time do not feel sorry for him.
Pied sent me the message this morning to inform me of this and I know coming from me this may seem funny but God does work in heroic ways and right now I know the Chandler family would appreciate all the prayers they can reveive. Thank you

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/

Yes he does, and my prayers are with Pastor Chandler and his family.

[ThEgReAtOnE]

He has TGO and Lady TGO's prayers. I wont go into too much detail, but Matt is from the Texas City area, down south, and Lady TGO grew up as a close personal friend and classmate of Matt's. TC is certainly aware of the situation and are sending as much support and prayers, as possible. Matt grew up w/ certain "dealings" that saw him headed in the wrong path, but at a young age turned his life around dramatically. Lady TGO says he's truly one of the unique individuals in the world. If you ever met him, you walked away as an elightened or just plain different person.

If anyone has the inner-strength and understanding to fight this, it's Matt Chandler.

[farmerfan]

He has TGO and Lady TGO's prayers. I wont go into too much detail, but Matt is from the Texas City area, down south, and Lady TGO grew up as a close personal friend and classmate of Matt's. TC is certainly aware of the situation and are sending as much support and prayers, as possible. Matt grew up w/ certain "dealings" that saw him headed in the wrong path, but at a young age turned his life around dramatically. Lady TGO says he's truly one of the unique individuals in the world. If you ever met him, you walked away as an elightened or just plain different person.

If anyone has the inner-strength and understanding to fight this, it's Matt Chandler.

That is so true. I am not a regular at The Viillage but Matt is an incredible person and you are right in what you said there. Matt is very strong in his faith and this will not keep him down at all. Your words above are greatly inspiring. :notworthy

[JagFan]

Matt Chandler is the pastor of the Village Church here in Highland Village, since moved to Flower Mound. He has done incredible things for this church and has played a huge part in the Denton community too. He has led revivals in Abilene and done so here and has helped out a lot of the UNT community. It was just reported that he has a brain tumor. I know that he would welcome the prayer request but at the same time do not feel sorry for him.
Pied sent me the message this morning to inform me of this and I know coming from me this may seem funny but God does work in heroic ways and right now I know the Chandler family would appreciate all the prayers they can reveive. Thank you

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/

He is indeed a strong influence in the Denton County area. I know all of the churches around have added him, his family and church to their prayer lists.

The Village was a church about to close it's doors. It now is a mega church with a very strong congregation. They do wonderful things not only in the community but like Farmer said with the UNT students as well. This man has reached thousands and now it our turn to reach out to him.

[farmerfan]

He is indeed a strong influence in the Denton County area. I know all of the churches around have added him, his family and church to their prayer lists.

The Village was a church about to close it's doors. It now is a mega church with a very strong congregation. They do wonderful things not only in the community but like Farmer said with the UNT students as well. This man has reached thousands and now it our turn to reach out to him.

Well said Jagmom. It is our turn and I know we have a strong community here at 5ATEXASFOOTBALL. You say it so perfect when you say it is our turn to reach out to him and his family. I know we have a lot of prayer warriors on this site and I do pray that God's will is going to be done here.

[JagFan]

Well said Jagmom. It is our turn and I know we have a strong community here at 5ATEXASFOOTBALL. You say it so perfect when you say it is our turn to reach out to him and his family. I know we have a lot of prayer warriors on this site and I do pray that God's will is going to be done here.

Of that I have no doubts. ;)

[farmerfan]

Of that I have no doubts. ;)

As Brother Ben from Lakeland would say, 'Can I get an Amen'?

[grayowl60]

Matt Chandler is the pastor of the Village Church here in Highland Village, since moved to Flower Mound. He has done incredible things for this church and has played a huge part in the Denton community too. He has led revivals in Abilene and done so here and has helped out a lot of the UNT community. It was just reported that he has a brain tumor. I know that he would welcome the prayer request but at the same time do not feel sorry for him.
Pied sent me the message this morning to inform me of this and I know coming from me this may seem funny but God does work in heroic ways and right now I know the Chandler family would appreciate all the prayers they can reveive. Thank you

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/
done

[JagFan]

As Brother Ben from Lakeland would say, 'Can I get an Amen'?

I love brother Ben. Dr. Hatfield always says "and all Gods people say?" and we all answer Amen.

I also love how all the churches in Denton County come together, regardless of denomination in times of need. Dr. Hatfield started our prayer time with this man's name. He was on his knees and you could tell how it was affecting him. The greatest example was during Hurricane Katrina. Representatives from each church met and they divided out the hotels in the area to take care of. It was amazing to watch. The communication and the giving. I know our church raised over 100,00.00 dollars in one weekend to help as did several other churches and all they put it in a pot to help all.

[CCCSportsFan]

Lord, please touch and bless this man and his family...

[tayb]

My girlfriend and I go to the Flower-Mound campus to see him live every time I go up to visit. Such a great personality and a wonderful speaker. I listen to his podcasts all the time and I'm on his email list. Just so sad to receive that email last Thursday that he had had a seizure, even more sad to hear that there was a mass in his head, and then Tuesday we find out that the mass is a tumor. Just heart breaking. I know the Lord has a plan and Matt isn't worried but I'm stilling praying for him.

I don't really use facebook but I'm told there is a facebook group for Matt Chandler with over 25,000 members. That's just amazing.

Praying for you Matt.

[farmerfan]

I love brother Ben. Dr. Hatfield always says "and all Gods people say?" and we all answer Amen.

I also love how all the churches in Denton County come together, regardless of denomination in times of need. Dr. Hatfield started our prayer time with this man's name. He was on his knees and you could tell how it was affecting him. The greatest example was during Hurricane Katrina. Representatives from each church met and they divided out the hotels in the area to take care of. It was amazing to watch. The communication and the giving. I know our church raised over 100,00.00 dollars in one weekend to help as did several other churches and all they put it in a pot to help all.

Brother Ben and Dr. Hatfield are great men. They like the others in this community are men of God. When Pied sent me the message I was shook up, I talked to my mom right after and she helped me. It is truly inspiring to see and hear people like Ken Hatfield and Ben Smith and others in and around our community. I also know that Matt is going to be even stronger in his faith because of this time of trial and that will never be taken from him

[farmerfan]

My girlfriend and I go to the Flower-Mound campus to see him live every time I go up to visit. Such a great personality and a wonderful speaker. I listen to his podcasts all the time and I'm on his email list. Just so sad to receive that email last Thursday that he had had a seizure, even more sad to hear that there was a mass in his head, and then Tuesday we find out that the mass is a tumor. Just heart breaking. I know the Lord has a plan and Matt isn't worried but I'm stilling praying for him.

I don't really use facebook but I'm told there is a facebook group for Matt Chandler with over 25,000 members. That's just amazing.

Praying for you Matt.

It kind of makes things in the real world seem so "mundane" doesn't it? I am in aggreance with your prayer request for Matt.

[tayb]

It kind of makes things in the real world seem so "mundane" doesn't it? I am in aggreance with your prayer request for Matt.

I was so taken aback when I read that email. My girlfriend actually found out in the middle of the second quarter of the UT-a$m game and let me know. Really took the luster out of the game. Football seemed so trivial when I heard that out and that was BEFORE we even knew that there was a mass. I didn't find that out until Sunday. Been praying for him all week and certainly ain't stopping now. Surgery tomorrow. My friends and I will all be praying.

He's reached out to so many people. My family listens to his podcasts, my girlfriends family listen to his podcast, I live 4 hours away and I listen to his podcasts, his facebook support group has 25,000 members! Such a wonderful man.

[RedRage00]

Done

[farmerfan]

I was so taken aback when I read that email. My girlfriend actually found out in the middle of the second quarter of the UT-a$m game and let me know. Really took the luster out of the game. Football seemed so trivial when I heard that out and that was BEFORE we even knew that there was a mass. I didn't find that out until Sunday. Been praying for him all week and certainly ain't stopping now. Surgery tomorrow. My friends and I will all be praying.

He's reached out to so many people. My family listens to his podcasts, my girlfriends family listen to his podcast, I live 4 hours away and I listen to his podcasts, his facebook support group has 25,000 members! Such a wonderful man.

He is indeed a great man. I have not listened to all of his podcasts but I have listened to some. He is truly one of the great leaders this country has, to be honest I love his style because he is well, "full of vinegar", you may not like hearing his message but he preaches it like it is, no sugar coating. Good thing is, he is still around and I am sure he will continue to preach God's word and all of us that hear it will be better off for it.

[pied]

Never have heard him, nor his podcasts, but I do know many people really love his message. 34 may sound old to many on this board, but it is really young to be dealing with this sort of thing. It's wonderful that he has so many that are there to support him and his family.

[tayb]

Surgery was scheduled for this morning at 10:45 and presumably lasted several hours. There is no info yet on how it went but the village church website says they will be sending out email and updating their page sometime tonight or Saturday morning.

For anyone interested in checking in but not on the email list here is their website. http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/

[JagFan]

Surgery was scheduled for this morning at 10:45 and presumably lasted several hours. There is no info yet on how it went but the village church website says they will be sending out email and updating their page sometime tonight or Saturday morning.

For anyone interested in checking in but not on the email list here is their website. http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/

Thank you for the updates.

[okt0ber]

I keep seeing this guy on Facebook, too. I was like who is this guy...

[JagFan]

I keep seeing this guy on Facebook, too. I was like who is this guy...

Well now you know. He has done tremendous things in this community. One of the most respected and liked ministers in this area. That is saying a lot since there is pretty much a church on every corner in Denton County.

[tayb]

Apparently an earlier surgery took much longer than expected so Matt's surgery was delayed until 2:30PM. Assuming it went as expected he should be getting out of surgery sometime soon. Probably won't hear anything about how it went until late tonight or tomorrow morning though.

[farmerfan]

The website has reported he is doing fine in recovery and the surgery was a success. That is good to hear.

Here is a link to a blog Matt wrote

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/hvpastor/

[JagFan]

Update from today:

Update from our elders regarding Matt's recovery:
Today at 1:57pm
The doctors have ordered Matt to get as much rest as possible in the next few days. For that reason and because his hospital room cannot accommodate many people, visitation is being limited to family members only until further notice.

Matt will have a CT scan done today as is routine after brain surgery, and he is expected to come out of ICU on Sunday. When praying, pray that the Lord give everyone patience as we navigate through the next few days of recovery.

We promise to update you whenever possible. Thank you for your testimony of prayers and for being the Church.

[85Roughneck]

Matt Chandler is the pastor of the Village Church here in Highland Village, since moved to Flower Mound. He has done incredible things for this church and has played a huge part in the Denton community too. He has led revivals in Abilene and done so here and has helped out a lot of the UNT community. It was just reported that he has a brain tumor. I know that he would welcome the prayer request but at the same time do not feel sorry for him.
Pied sent me the message this morning to inform me of this and I know coming from me this may seem funny but God does work in heroic ways and right now I know the Chandler family would appreciate all the prayers they can reveive. Thank you

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/

not funny at all ... actually I see it as expected. I get the same thing a lot of times FarmerFan. It doesn't matter what others think. you keep on spreading the word in your own way.

my prayers go out to his man and his family andchurch community. numbers 6:24

[tayb]

Latest update from the church... :(

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/

Dear church,
In the first chapter of Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes that whatever imprisonments, beatings and trials he may have suffered, they all “serve to advance the gospel” of Jesus Christ. We implore you to keep the gospel of Christ as the main focus as we walk with Matt and Lauren through this trial.

On Tuesday, Dr. Barnett informed Matt and Lauren that the findings of the pathology report revealed a malignant brain tumor that was not encapsulated. The surgery to remove the tumor, the doctor said, was an extremely positive first step; however, because of the nature of the tumor, he was not able to remove all of it.

Matt, who is being released from the hospital today, is meeting with a neuro-oncologist this week to outline the next steps of the recovery process. There is a range of treatment possibilities but the exact course of action has not yet been determined. He will continue outpatient rehab.

The Lord is calling Matt and Lauren and The Village Church body to endure this trial. It will be a challenging road for Matt, his family and our church body. The gospel is our hope and the Lord is our strength. Matt and Lauren continue to find solace and hope in Christ. They weep facing this trial, but not as those without hope and perspective. The gospel clarifies their suffering and promises more of Christ through it all.

You have done a wonderful job respecting the family, and we ask that you continue to do this. They are processing all of this together and need you to give them precious space. Please do not visit them at their house unless personally invited by the Chandlers. The best way to serve the family is to continue to be faithful in prayer. Specifically, pray for the following:


Wisdom for all the coming decisions
Strength and peace to endure
The kids’ (Audrey, Reid and Norah) hearts; pray the Lord is merciful as they process and that their little hearts do not grow embittered
The Chandlers and The Village would suffer well because of the gospel and for the sake of Christ’s name

As you hurt and weep for the family, do not do it alone. Gather with your home group and with other believers in homes and pray together. This is a time to walk together with others and to endure this trial in community. If you wish, send cards and letters to Matt and Lauren at 2101 Justin Road, Flower Mound, TX 75028.

We will continue to keep you informed as new information is made available. Please be patient with the frequency of the updates. May God strengthen us all and may His glory shine brightly through this.

[pied]

Sad to hear that. Continued prayers.

[JagFan]

Will keep him and his family (includes church family) in my prayers.

[farmerfan]

Was just going to report on thjis. Thanks for sharing the email with us TAYB.

[jrock210]

At Master's Commission we always watch his podcast's.
He's a great pastor and done some great stuff.
My prayers are for him.

[drgnbkr]

God bless and protect....

[JagFan]

A new post came in today on Matt's treatment plan and he has asked for specific prayers. Please keep him and his family in your prayers throughout this time.


http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/

[JagFan]

One year later. Clean CT scan :)

Great story and update on Matt Candler in the DMN.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/112610dnmetpastorcancer.3fcb92b.html

[smw358]

Praise God!

[jtk1519]

One Year Later

This Saturday, Dec. 4 marks the one-year anniversary of the 7-8 hour craniotomy that removed a malignant cancerous tumor from my brain and started a year of radiation, chemo and recovery. To say that we’ve been doing some reflecting as a family would be an understatement. So on the one-year anniversary here are a few random thoughts I’ve had:

He really is enough.

For years I have taught that simple sentence to people, and I believed with everything in me that it was true. Seeing it personally has been another story, like the difference between seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon and actually seeing it. I found out on Nov. 26 that I had a mass on my frontal lobe, on Tuesday Dec. 1 that I was going to need surgery soon and that the scans “didn’t look good,” and on Dec. 4 had a good portion of my right frontal lobe removed. I’ll be honest, that season was terrifying, and we wept. I wept with Lauren, my friends, family members, partners in ministry and by myself. Leading up to the surgery if I saw one of my children, particularly my oldest daughter Audrey, it was a fight to hold myself together. Under all of that fear and all those tears there was this quiet confidence, this firm foundation, this unshakable promise, and we never lost it. The world would sink in the days and months to come but we continually found our footing in the truth that He is in control of all things and loves me deeply (Romans 8:28-39).

The only thing that matters is I am His.

If you ask people about me, depending on who they are, they will tell you I am a husband, father, preacher, leader, son, brother, friend, etc. When we were prepping for surgery, they went over this long list of things that were “possibilities.” I could lose the ability to speak, walk and lose short-term or long-term memories. The list was much longer, but I think you get the point. I am primarily known as a pastor and preacher, but here’s the truth that slammed into me when I was wrestling with God over this surgery. One day I am not going to preach or pastor; one day I am not going to be Lauren’s husband or my kid’s father. All the things that define me here will be gone, and I will simply be His. I’m still meditating on that. That’s all I really am…His. Now, while He gives me breath there are sermons to preach and people to shepherd, children to impart the glory of God to and an extremely beautiful wife to love. All these things are shadows of a greater reality. (Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 2:17)

If it’s not by grace alone, I’m in a lot of trouble.

Jonathan Edwards was right to resolve, “to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” The thought of dying, though repulsive to most of us, brings an uncanny clarity to life. I was told in mid-December that what I had was fatal and that the average lifespan was 2-3 years after diagnosis. So I have at max, 2 years left (I want to quote Twain here on statistics but don’t want to answer the e-mails and complaints in the comment section I would get). When you hear that kind of news, you do some real soul searching and here is something disturbing I found out about me. I don’t trust all my motivations in ministry. Now don’t get me wrong. I deeply, deeply love the God of the Bible. I love to proclaim Him and think about Him and talk about Him to anyone who’ll listen, but I learned in college that when I do that, good things happen and by good things I mean good things for me. People want to hear me teach; they pay me money. I’m actually “famous” in some circles. What a dangerous culture we live in. In some places being used powerfully by God can get you killed and here it makes you “famous.” Hear me confess this. I like it. I like that people download me, watch videos of me, want my take on things and I believe that there is a part of me (that’s hopefully dying) that likes it not just because it makes much of Jesus but makes much of me. That is an embarrassing truth about me, and I have fasted and prayed that God would put it to death. So to quote Lecrae “If Heaven ain’t a gift then I ain’t getting in.”

I suck at praying.

I didn’t think I did before this. I thought it was a strength, but I was wrong. When you realize that all you are is His, you realize or at least I did, that I don’t stay connected to Him as I have been commanded to. I would spend some time praying in the morning, but my life wasn’t saturated in it. I lived like I put my time in and now I can handle this. So again, I confess that I went into hundreds of meetings over my first seven years as pastor of The Village without asking for direction and wisdom, without asking for power and clarity. Although I knew I wasn’t wise enough, experienced enough or seasoned enough, I went and tried to be what they needed. I have grown exponentially in this area this year and I’m hoping that when I’m done with my race, I would be known not just as a faithful preacher of God’s Word but a man who communed with his Father without ceasing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

If God grants me another 100 years, I couldn’t begin to thank all of you who have prayed, encouraged, sent me cards, letters, books, money, prayer blankets (BTW I sat under everyone of those blankets and received your prayers in Jesus’ name), pictures, paintings and poems. Things came in from all over the world, and the entire Chandler family felt the tangible love of God made visible through His saints.

If I kept going this would be too long to be considered a blog so I’ll stop here for now and write some more next week — including one of the biggest, most painful lessons I’ve learned.

Christ’s blessing to you all,
Matt Chandler

http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/?p=758

[F18mustang]

Wow, that is absolutely amazing. A true testament to the power of prayer.

[JagFan]

Wow, that is absolutely amazing. A true testament to the power of prayer.

Yes it is.

[CCCSportsFan]

WOW, praise God :notworthy

[drgnbkr]

Amazing stuff! Brain cancer is tough to beat, but God is pretty tough.:notworthy

[NSMustangProud]

Just a note...I'm not sure where he's being treated, but Methodist Hospital in Houston is doing alot of new and neat things for brain cancer...my coworker just had the worst kind of brain tumor you could have (neuroblastoma)...not sure I spelled it correctly. She is doing wonderful. They used what they call wafers.

[F18mustang]

Just a note...I'm not sure where he's being treated, but Methodist Hospital in Houston is doing alot of new and neat things for brain cancer...my coworker just had the worst kind of brain tumor you could have (neuroblastoma)...not sure I spelled it correctly. She is doing wonderful. They used what they call wafers.

I have a special place in my heart for these people and I love to hear positive stories about someone's recovery from brain cancer.

My grandmother died of Glioblastoma Multiforme in 2003, the rarest type of brain tumor. Only 2-3 cases out of 100,000 are GBM.

Anyway its so refreshing and touching to hear stories like this. Thank you JTK for posting that update.

[farmerfan]

To Him be the GLORY!!!!!

[JagFan]

To Him be the GLORY!!!!!

Amen!!

This song has been going through my head all morning.

On My Knees, by Jaci Velasquez

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gArr7gyiMBY&feature=related

[4th and 1]

God still moves, in the heart's of His people, God still moves!

[farmerfan]

This is a very inspirational sermon Matt gave as discusses what he was going through

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tr9YbzPgS8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sct5ZEt0ps4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwAo5IktVQo&feature=related

[jtk1519]

Happy to pass along that Matt had an MRI today and it came back completely clear. He's officially off chemo now. His next appointment is in 3 months and they're just for monitoring from here on out.

[JagFan]

Happy to pass along that Matt had an MRI today and it came back completely clear. He's officially off chemo now. His next appointment is in 3 months and they're just for monitoring from here on out.

Praise!! thank you for sharing this. I was thinking about him just the other day.

[jtk1519]

Matt had another MRI several days ago and it is still completely clean. I believe his MRI's are only an annual event now.

A pretty recent photo of Matt, Lauren and the kids from Lauren's blog...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0E1k1Jc9qq4/TuTSNhHl_YI/AAAAAAAABYM/aYOZkGD2rqw/s720/Chandler40.JPG

[Favpack]

Thanks for the update!

[JagFan]

Praise! Great news- thanks for updating us JTK1519.

[marcusdrillmom]

Wonderful news

[Dawg Fan]

:yes:

[Farmersmom]

I went to the Village Church this past Sunday for the first time and Matt spoke and I have to tell you I like him much better than Ed Young. He is not so commercialized and that is what I like most about him other than he seem's to be very genuine. God is definetly using him as a vessel. Praise The Lord!

[Bobcat81]

Awesome news!

I'll post this anyway in good faith for Pastor Matt Chandler and his family,


"No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.”

Psalm 91:10-16