Part 2 of 4 in the Month of Love: Love for Spouse (With Help from Lauren Chandler)
“Think I should wear my sandals in the snow???” I asked Hubster. It was 4:30 in the morning. We were loading up the car to go to the airport. Snow was pummeling our town, roads and suitcases…
“Sure.” Hubster answered assuredly. “We’ll be in Naples by eleven o’clock this morning. Forecast: Warm and toasty.”
Confidence received, off I trotted, sportin’ my sandals, thru’ the snow, plopping down in the car. Thankful we left early, traversing the unplowed roads to the airport which were scary sketchy.
Arriving safely, we got our bags checked and whizzed thru’ security. Amazingly, all departing flights read “on time”. Starbucks in hand, John and I waited to board our 7:00 o’clock flight.
Knowing several folks on the plane, we enjoyed hearing about their destinations: Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, and we were heading to our beloved Naples as the snow poured forth from the sky. Calgon take me away….
Fast forward five hours, two Starbucks, deplaning, re-boarding and two de-icings later, 100% of our plane’s passengers missed their connections.
Safe to say my sandaled feet possessed some frozen toes. Maybe I’ll think twice before I show off in the snow again.
How do you handle a change in your schedule? Some of our fellow passengers were none too happy. Being married almost thirty-two years has helped us in times like these.
Your love for your spouse can make or break adversity. We just made the best of it and were glad to have arrived when we did.
Cancelled or delayed flights aren’t really that big of a deal. Discovering a malignant tumor in your brain is. (More on that frightening discovery for the Chandlers in a minute…)
Allow me to introduce you to a darling young wife and Mom named Lauren Chandler. Just so happens her husband is Matt Chandler, the pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, Texas. (www.thevillagechurch.net )
Before we get to Lauren’s book, you must know John and I discovered Matt’s preaching thanks to Campus Outreach on the University of Kentucky’s campus. (www.colex.org ) It was Campus Outreach who ministered to our two younger boys while they were at UK, inviting them to their New Year’s Conference in Nashville one year and Chattanooga another year, where Matt was one of their speakers.
Matt was all they could talk about. Soon after that, John and I were blessed to hear Matt preach at the Together for the Gospel event in Louisville at the Yum Center. (www.t4g.org) Powerfully-gifted-by-God defines Matt’s preaching.
I learned of Lauren’s book thanks to Ann Voskamp’s blog, www.aholyexperience.com. Ann wrote the forward of Lauren’s book, Steadfast Love.
I quickly nabbed the book, knowing we readers would learn of the trial Lauren and her family endured after discovering the tumor in Matt’s brain. Much to my surprise, while Lauren shares some of their cancer journey, her writing is largely more about her steadfast love for the Lord.
This book would be great for small groups, Bible study groups, etc. as each chapter is akin to a mini-Bible study in and of itself. Lauren not only walks us thru’ Psalm 107, she includes many various Scriptures and stories from the Bible pointing us to character traits to either avoid or emulate. Other storms she’s encountered, besides Matt’s cancer, are also included, offering hope to inspire us all to press on.
You’ll never read the phrase steadfast love the same again. Your love for the Lord will grow as will your trust in Him and His Sovereignty.
When Lauren does address Matt’s brain surgery and treatments, she candidly shares they felt like the church would go on and she would be able to go on, even with their three young children, should God not heal Matt. Her stalwart faith especially at such a young age is inspiring. Her resolve reminds me of my dear friend Gwen Paten and her family’s cancer journey.
A few years ago, several of us were at a Beth Moore conference. Docs had just told Gwen her husband Mike’s cancer had spread throughout his body and he may live another two weeks at the most, but there she was praising the Lord on the front row. Those of us observing this melted into a puddle of tears.
Gwen and Lauren each are examples of Job when he said in Job 1:21 – “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (NIV)
The Lord did indeed heal Matt, altho’ Lauren says they were told brain tumors are never truly cured. She closes with, “We put our trust not in Matt’s health, but in the Lord of steadfast love.”
If you’d like to hear Lauren tell more of her story, catch her interview on the Eric Metaxas Show. (www.metaxastalk.com) It aired January 28th and you can listen to the podcast of it.) She was a mere seventeen years old when she first met Matt!
Fun fact: Lauren and Matt are about to host a conference on marriage, based on Matt’s book The Mingling of Souls. (www.minglingofsouls.com) Lifeway recently did a story on the 10 Marital Nevers well worth your time. You’ll get to see how Lauren’s love for Matt and their marriage is a beautiful, Godly example.
Please join me in lifting up the Chandler family in prayer, for their ministry, their church, and their health. What they’re doing to advance the Gospel is far reaching.
“WHOEVER IS WISE, LET HIM ATTEND TO THESE THINGS; LET THEM CONSIDER THE STEADFAST LOVE OF THE LORD.” PSALM 107:42-43
A beautiful quote to close comes from Chapter Nine:
“Who is wise and understanding? May we be counted among them. May a holy fear of the Lord lead us to lives that are free, open, and generous. May we anchor our souls in the One whom the Scriptures reveal–in His steadfast love, not in our earthly wisdom–so that we may be immovable in the midst of the storm.”
‘Til next time!