Today my heart is heavy. Just after 4am my best friend left me a voice-mail message, telling me that a man I greatly, greatly admire has developed a sudden and very serious medical condition.
Matt Chandler is Pastor of the Village outside Dallas, Texas. It's the congregation my best friend's parents attend. Through them, I learned about Matt and began listening to podcasts of his teachings. I've also been blessed to visit their congregation many times.
I instantly loved Matt's style of teaching. He is the first teacher of God's word that I ever heard combine solid verse by verse teaching with wicked sarcasm and humor. I don't think he came up with the formula intentionally, that's just Matt. He is smart, witty, and has a sense of humor that I totally get. But, he also has a passion for the Bible and loves to teach it...verse by verse, book by book...unapologetically.
The podcasts are such a gift. We not only get to hear Matt's teachings, but also Matt's vision for how a congregation should be run. How people should and can do life together. Everything from how to run the nursery and Sunday school for kids (they don't just babysit, they pray over those babies!), to how to raise funds for a bigger facility without doing fundraisers (no thermometers on stage for him). His teachings on sex are the most honest and challenging I've ever heard. He shares so openly about every aspect of life, it has been a vehicle for the Holy Spirit to search out every corner of my life...and has challenged me to truly strive to live as an image-bearer of our great God...every moment of every day.
Last year I got to spend some time with Matt. My friend's dad arranged a meeting for us. I thought we were just going to sit in his office for 15 minutes, and that was fine with me.
But Matt greeted me by saying 'let's get out of here'. We got in his car and he drove us to a nearby coffee shop, where he insisted on paying for my drink. We talked for an hour, me asking him every question under the sun and him pouring wisdom and honesty and encouragement on to me. After an hour, I said 'man I could ask you a million more questions'. To which he responded 'go for it'. I said, 'it's already been an hour, don't you need to get back?' 'Nope, I'm good for at least another hour...fire away'. And our conversation continued.
After 2 hours, he finally admitted he really did need to get back for a meeting. We drove back to the office and when we walked in, almost his entire staff was in the lobby waiting. It turns out, Matt was due back an hour earlier for a meeting, but he had gotten the time mixed up. They had been calling him for said hour, but Matt didn't have his cell phone with him. When Matt is meeting with someone, he truly gives them his undivided attention. No cell phones allowed.
Yesterday Matt, who is only 35, had a seizure. He hit his head and had to be rushed to the hospital. It turns out he has a small mass on his frontal lobe. Next week he'll be meeting with doctors to figure out what the next step is.
Matt's response on Twitter this morning: "I am His and confident."
I love Matt Chandler. I love how the LORD works in and through him. And I am so grateful he shares that with all of us.
Please pray for Matt and his wife Lauren and their 3 kids.
And, treat yourself to Matt's teachings. They'll change your life if you let them. As Matt puts it, it's like sitting under a waterfall of God's grace. Tonight I'm praying for an extra big dose of that grace for you Matt...
Matt's Sermons
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