This from a reader:

Praise God for his faithfulness and loving kindness – to both of us. Though you have a tumor in your brain that is discernible by doctors we all have tumors. I have mine, and it eats at me too. The one thing I envy of you, is that your tumor is “socially acceptable.” You can send emails talking about your treatment and get encouragement. But my tumor is not kosher to talk about – hardly even in church. My battle, though, like yours, “is between faith and fear, between imagination and promise, between hope and discouragement, between excitement and dread.” Can God heal me? Will he? Does he want to? Why doesn’t he? I dare to have faith to. I dare to have hope. But I doubt a lot too.

I think a true church is one where any problem, any sin, any tumor is open for discussion because absent that it really isn’t a church but a collection of religious people singing songs.