Mr. Chandler,
The world doesn't end when you are diagnosed with cancer...of any sort...unless it's stage four pancreatic, then yeah, it is pretty much over with.
But reviewing one's mortality isn't the issue of life, it is the natural outcome of our life...no one gets out alive, and we all know that...whether we think about it or not.
Well, except two who made it out alive, and lets face it, unless G-d has changed the req's...thems two are the only ones who hold that honor.
However, let us address something more immediate which is your construct called "The Village Church."
"If" your construct survives your death, then you must have done something right, which we'll call following G-d's will...however, and as always, there is that caveat which Gamaliel used to caution the fervor of the Priests...If your construct is not of G-d, then it will end.

Death isn't that terrible, in fact, dare I say it is rather easy, like a blanket being pulled up over your head as you slip into a deep sleep...life though...life is a burden, a constant struggle, a demand that is never satisfied, and yet we struggle so to keep living it.
I will pray for you, I will pray that you take this opportunity to ensure that your construct is for G-d, and that it survives you, and becomes that living testament of a man who followed G-d's will...because believe me...we need that example a lot more than we suspect.

Sheer said: "But reviewing one's mortality isn't the issue of life, it is the natural outcome of our life...no one gets out alive, and we all know that...whether we think about it or not."

Sheer, just curious how you compare or contrast your comment above with the ancient Christian perspective that, having been blinded by sin, man will fail to live aright (in accordance's with the Lord's will and with eternal values in mind) unless he very soberly takes stock of his mortality and has it in some sense continually in mind as a matter of spiritual discipline? Just in terms of what I've observed with friends or acquaintances getting difficult diagnoses, it seems to greatly aid modern Christians (in our American culture at least--I doubt those in Egypt share this problem!) in applying this ancient Christian wisdom. In our culture, it seems often there is the illusion that we can stave off death indefinitely (or at least we treat it that way).

My immediate experience also doesn't bear out your comments about cancer to Mr. Chandler either (although I recognize that in terms of general statistics they might be true). A mom at our church died of brain cancer after a two-year battle with what started as breast cancer, and the mom of a 4th grader at my daughter's school just passed away from a non-pancreatic cancer after a four-year struggle. (However, not to discourage Pastor. Chandler, another friend given a diagnosis of 4th stage colon cancer and a life expectancy of 6 months WITH treatment survives after four years and still counting against all the odds, and with a much greater conviction of the efficacy of prayer, needless to say! Ultimately, we are all in God's loving hands.)

Death isn't that terrible perhaps for the believer who humbly trusts in the mercy of God. As a physical process, it may sometimes be easier than many of the burdens we carry throughout our life, but as a spiritual reality and especially for the one who has no hope in the resurrection, it is an unnatural and terrible thing. Intuitively we all experience this, and I don't believe it is right to minimize that.

Pastor Chandler, I pray your diagnosis will aid you in the process of repentance and lead you into a deeper communion with Christ as it seems to be doing. I agree that the externals of what has been built under your watch as a pastor is not likely to survive you for very long and that ultimately this is not what really matters. May God's healing grace continue to uphold you, in whatever form He deems best!

"Sheer, just curious how you compare or contrast your comment above with the ancient Christian perspective that, having been blinded by sin, man will fail to live aright (in accordance's with the Lord's will and with eternal values in mind) unless he very soberly takes stock of his mortality and has it in some sense continually in mind as a matter of spiritual discipline?"

An interesting question, Karen.
Things to put in perspective, one of which is something that kind of surprised my grad professor because he admitted it is something he hadn't thought of...our "ancestors" both physical, and spiritual were a pack of hormone laden youths with all the life experience of a child soldier not quite unlike those youths in Sudan and Ethopia.
Quite limited, yes.
Believe it or not...our ancestors were lucky they saw twenty five, and by forty...they were stinking old.
And if you look at the development of the human brain with regards to age, the ability to cognitively process a future doesn't really occur till much later in life...in ones thirty's.
Hence, the reason why there always seems to be a call from the church elders (those who made it to the age where they can process their lives and think beyond the immediate) to the youth (those who were neck deep in life, and thus the shore of wisdom seemed to lie just over the horizon) to "think ahead" about one's mortality because in youth...you don't think about such things...you're too busy "living."
But that is the past, lets talk about the here and now...death isn't what you think it is, and for the most part, people have no clue what it is like to die.
btw, I'm a bench monkey for a pharma company, my specialty is flow-cytometry, and I've done work on cancer...I have an idea of what he's going through...metabolically.

Life is what it is...and the most anyone can do is deal with what they can deal with in their life...our mortality is just the time clock of which we act in.
I wish no ill end to Mr. Chandler, but my prayer isn't so much that Mr. Chandler survives his brain cancer as it is that my prayer is that Mr. Chandler's work here on earth survives him.

I think Matt's comments about the possibility of the expectations of a ministry out-living its founder being unbiblical really interesting. Is this expectation a result of our American-tendency towards celebrity-driven church leadership models? If a ministry is celebrity-driven by one person, then of course it will fall apart when that person leaves the scene.
Or does the expectation result from a preoccupation with the church visible, rather than being comfortable with the murkiness of church visible and looking for the church invisible? So that we consider a "failure" a visible ministry that breaks up, while the unseen fruits may go on to greater things?

This is very inspirational post. I am very impressed with author's method of writing.

I think Matt is spot on! Just a quick one... how long did the churches Paul planted last?

That is the fact. I am being emotional after reading this post.

Cancer survivors know what it's like to face death and what that means for how we live. As a survivor myself, it strengthened my faith: http://www.fivestonefight.com.

Who are we to assume anything from Ps Chandler's point of view? Are we in his position? Can we honestly say we have learnt the same lessons the same way? why then are we so quick to judge and to "speak our mind"?

I think the problem with today's Christians is, we are too smart for our pastors. They have something to learn from us, and in fact they do. But we are doing them a favor by going to church and allowing them the opportunity to hear from God. O the nerve!

I think all we can and all we should say is, Ps Matt is truly walking by faith. For who can, in his position, assure that they would have the same spirit of surrender(which I think was the WHOLE point of the interview excerpt)?!

I actually wonder, why is there so much controversy on he said she said nowadays?

God bless
MarcusDS

Matt,
The teachings of christianity: from vicarious redemption, to the love of enemies, to the urging that no thought for the morrow must be taken, no thrift, no care - but rather hate - for friends and family, to the apocalyptic wish for humanity’s end… these are immoral teachings.
When I ask a christian if all cancers in the world could be cured today with a prayer, he shuffles uneasily; he steals a glance into the empty sack of his faith as if to try to find something, then he begins, not to say that his faith has collapsed, or that he is sorry, but to claim that god moves in ways that cannot be understood by humans - an excuse that could cover any question; for if I ask him why the cancer is there in the first place – lo! - the same answer!
A dear nephew has terminal brain cancer, I hope for you both a recovery, however difficult,
Peter

Sheer.
Happy to let you know that you along with some of the best Dr's in the country are Absolutly and Completely WRONG. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer Dec 1st 2004 and I have been Cancer free for 6 years. Not a trace. So please Never tell anyone it's pretty much over.

Nice article!Thanks for sharing this post!

Jesus is Lord - He is the one true living God - He is the point