Be Lifted by God's Love

By Sheila Schuller Coleman

Times have been tough for all of us. I don't know anyone who hasn't been affected by tough times in the past year. In fact, when people ask me to pray for them, it is often for one of the following reasons: a dire financial need, for healing (many of them from cancer), or for a ruptured relationship.

Where can we find the strength to not only endure these times, but also find delight in the midst of them? We find the strength (even delight) when we praise God for ALL things.

Praise God for cancer? Praise God for losing a job or a pension in the midst of retirement? Praise God for a ruptured relationship? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Now, I'm not meaning to be cold-hearted when I say that; I'm simply sharing with you wisdom found in God's word. As we praise God, adore him, love him - even in the midst of a horrific trial - we discover his POWer-full love for us. We feel his strong, loving hands picking us UP, giving us the strength to soar above the storm clouds.

When we are dropped by life's trials, and we praise God anyway, God's love lifts us UP! Job teaches us to trust God no matter how tough life gets (his trials and tribulations still hold the record for being most severe) when he says, "Though he [God] slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 13:15).

Trusting God with our very lives, praising him for even our challenges, living and loving him - no matter what - that's the secret to finding God's UPlifting POWer-full love!

My prayer for you, dear friends, is that you will not miss the blessings hiding in the trial - the blessings that come when you experience the POWer-full love of God that lifts you UP! I invite you to join me, dad, and our guests on Sunday mornings in January for UP messages, UP interviews, and UP music that will fill your heart and heal your soul.

Even if you don't believe it right now, say this prayer aloud with me: "Thank you, God, for (insert your trial here). Thank you, Lord, for letting me see your POWer-full love up close…from my front row seat. Thank you, Lord, for your love that lifts me UP! Amen."

Soul Care - Look to the Birds!

By Bill Gaultiere, Lead Pastor, Spiritual Formation

One day I was thinking of Jesus' words: "Don't worry. Look at the birds... Your Heavenly Father cares for them. Aren't you much more valuable than them?" (Matthew 6:25-26, paraphrased). That inspired me to sit down and do some bird watching while I prayed one day. As I watched and listened to what was going on above my head, Jesus spoke to my heart.

At first, many things distracted me: lawnmowers and grass blowers, a cold wind blowing, my own concerns and worries. But, I kept looking at the birds in the heavens (the lowest level of the kingdom of the heavens is the air right around us), and I kept listening. I discovered that, indeed, I was alive in the Kingdom of God with the Trinity, the angels, Christ followers - ancient and present - and all of God's creation, including the birds who were God's messengers to me on this day. I wrote down this prayer poem that I heard Jesus whisper to me:

Don't Worry: Live Like the Birds Don't worry:

Look at the birds; Trust my Father as they do, feeding each day from his hand.

Don't worry: Listen to the birds; Rest in my Word as they do, sitting quietly and alone on the branch.

Don't worry: Learn from the birds; Sing with my angels as they do, harmonizing with the choruses of heaven.

Don't worry: Live like the birds; Fly with my Spirit as they do, responding to the currents of my breath.

Don't worry: Love like the birds; Gather with my friends as they do, traveling in formation as my flock.

For more thoughts from Dr. Bill Gaultiere about Spiritual Formation and drawing closer to Jesus, go to http://christiansoulcare.blogspot.com/.

A Hand FULL of Miracles, a Heart FULL of Love

By Sheila Schuller Coleman for the Schuller Family

Merry Christmas to you, dear friends. This Christmas we are celebrating an amazing year of miracles and milestones.

As people everywhere are struggling with overwhelming challenges, you, our faith FULL church members and friends have shown HEROIC FAITH, continuing to support your church even when times were tough. As a result, we experienced miracle after miracle here at Crystal Cathedral!

There were weeks when we didn't know if we would be able to keep our doors open. Then, without fail, extra, unexpected, miracle gifts poured in and we had just enough! How do we begin to thank you? The year 2009 was not only a miraculous year for the ministry, but it was a milestone year for the ministry and me personally. I was totally surprised when my father and the board asked me to accept responsibility for the future of my father's legacy and this ministry. Although reluctant at first (saying yes required HEROIC FAITH, to say the least!), I was further surprised by the absolute joy and delight it has been to serve in this position. How wonder FULL it has been to serve side by side with my father. Having the opportunity to help him share the message of hope has been extremely FULL filling!

In addition to the miracles and milestones at the ministry, my husband Jim and I experienced a joy FULL milestone this year when Jason, our firstborn son of four, married the love of his life, Annie.

We praise God this Christmas for so many, many miracles. Most of all we thank him for the miracle of his Son, Jesus, who is the source of our joy, our love, and our life.

May you and your family experience miraculous milestones this Christmas! We are eternally grateful for you and your HEROIC FAITH in us. God is counting on you and me to make 2010 our 55th year as a congregation - the best year yet.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Together, We Can See, Belong, Grow & Sow!

By Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman

This last year has been filled with challenges, but even more so, bountiful blessings and fresh, new beginnings. Our ministry not only survived 2009, but I've seen our congregation - and that includes YOU and me - rededicating ourselves to the call of Christ for our church and for our lives.

Here are some of the highlights of what we accomplished together in 2009: As the new Directing Leader of two lead teams (Crystal Cathedral Congregation and Crystal Cathedral Ministries), I am now providing leadership to the rebuilding of Robert Harold Schuller's vision for this ministry through a healthy, high-functioning network of teams. A team of staff and members of our congregation spent many hours in thoughtful discussion and prayer to articulate the Vision Statement for our work here:

"To inspire and motivate people through possibility thinking to grow in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ so that they can become the persons God desires, dreams and designed them to be."

We also identified our Focused Goal, which is to continue to be a ministry, through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, that is:

"Saving lives through a message of hope."

We have begun to accomplish this goal through a newly created Ministry Process that clarifies our priority to bring others to:

1. "Come and See" (invitational Ministries) 2. "Come and Belong" (Relational Ministries) 3. "Come and Grow" (Spiritual Formation Ministries) 4. "Go and Sow" (Transformational Ministries)

Supporting the new vision, goal, and ministry process is the burgeoning network of teams made up of staff and congregation members. We based our new Team Leadership Model (organism chart vs. organizational chart) on recent successes in ministries and businesses that have adopted it.

The next few pages will reflect these exciting changes, and help you to see where you can get involved - growing through possibility thinking, a message of hope, and a loving relationship with Jesus Christ - as we come and see, come and belong, come and grow, and go and sow together!

"You Saved My Life"

By Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Founding Pastor

What is a hero? A hero is someone who personally sacrifices his or her life to save the life of another. My brother Henry, a litter bearer with the Red Cross during WWII, was such a sacrificial hero. Not many of us have the opportunity to be that kind of hero - rushing into a scene of destruction, picking up a bleeding body to save it from dying. However, we do have the opportunity to help resituate and save persons' wounded souls. People from around the world have repeatedly told me, "You saved my life!" Although these words never fail to bring a tear to my eye, I know that I was not the one who did the saving.

First and foremost, the "you" in their statement is Jesus Christ. During church services on Sunday, or through the New Hope help line, or a Sunday morning fellowship group, these people have felt the life-saving power of renewed hope that only Christ can bring.

The "you" is also YOU! YOU are a true, God-ordained hero! The gifts of your tithes, your offerings, your talents and your time make it possible for us to offer our message of hope, love and encouragement, resulting in enthusiasm replacing depression, and hope replacing hopelessness. YOU make this ministry happen. Today, in the midst of a national and international recession, our message has never been needed more. Unfortunately, our church has likewise been affected by this year's economy, with our revenues down over 30% since January 1, 2009. As a result, we trimmed every single line in our budget to weather the current economic storm. Every one of our staff has taken a 10% pay cut this year.

But I know the Lord has a powerfully positive plan for our ministry. Indeed, our best days are yet to come! God still wants to save millions of lives through our message of hope. To do so, we need your heroic faith - personally sacrificing through an ongoing commitment to this congregation and the bright future of this ministry!

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for believing in our ministry. Thank you for believing in God's life-saving message. YOU are my hero!

An Attitude of Gratitude - Part I: The Blessing of Gratefulness

By Dr. Bill Bennett

GRATITUDE IS TO BE EXPRESSED. Now, that is excellent advice because a grateful person is a happier, healthier, and holier person. But more than just good advice, this is a command from our all-knowing and loving God. Gratitude is not an option; it's an obligation. God knows what happens to the ungrateful, and that's not what he wants for you or me.

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened" (Romans 1:21). "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy..." (2 Timothy 3:1-2). "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18) .

GRATITUDE IS TO BE EXPANSIVE. We are told to give God thanks in "everything." Not just in "most things." Not just for "good things." But in "everything." Now a caution here is in order. Nowhere in the word of God are we commanded to FEEL grateful. Feelings come and go, and can be affected by the weather, your health, how rested you are, etc. The thanksgiving God commands of us has nothing to do with feelings. Whether things are good or bad, we are to be grateful.

Now lest you think, "Well, that may be easy for Paul to say," let me tell you that it was not easy for Paul, the inspired writer of these words, to say. He had been run out of Thessalonica at the threat of losing his life. He had been beaten, whipped, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned, and left for dead. Yet he wrote (in 1 Thessalonians 5:18), "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ."

In Acts 16, we are told that Paul and his partner in ministry, Silas, were beaten with rods, whipped and scourged, and thrown into prison in Philippi. But rather than sighing, they began singing. I don't know what they sang, but the lyrics may have been something like this: "Thank you Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord for making me whole. Thank you Lord for giving to me thy great salvation so rich and free."

GRATITUDE IS A BLESSING. Because of their thanksgiving, Paul and Silas were enabled by God to rise physically, psychologically, and spiritually above their circumstances. Gratefulness is a priceless gift from a loving God who desires only the best for us all.

Dr. Bill Bennett is an ordained RCA Minister serving the Crystal Cathedral as the Lead Pastor for the Evening Service. This devotion is based on a message Dr. Bennett delivered during the Evening Service on August 15, 2009. (Additional scripture references: Philippians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Luke 17:11-19.) "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ."

Donna Sivachenko: Possessing the "Light of Life"

Crystal Cathedral People

By Dr. Jim Kok, Pastor of Care Ministries

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12

Donna is a self-confessed talker. When asked to share her story with me, she warned me that if someone asks her for the time of day, she is likely to tell him or her how to build a clock. This quality adds to her delightful, lively, lovely personality.

Chicago is her birthplace. There, her mother and a terrific stepdad raised her four brothers, (one of whom was her twin, and died very young) and her. Donna's mother was a Ziegfeld Follies performer, and her dad was a genius at taking care of and fixing anything mechanical. When she was 15, the family moved to Texas.

As Donna talks about her early years of education, what stands out are all the grades she skipped, and how she started high school at age twelve. She clearly is intelligent and, to this day, a voracious reader.

She was an athlete, too, loving to play softball and other sports. Beside that, her spirit is dependent on music, and her life nearly turned toward becoming a virtuoso piano player. That was her major, along with English, at Trinity University in San Antonio, where she was a Cum Laude graduate. Donna's dad saw to it that she and her brothers were in Sunday School faithfully and, to this day, she is very close to God. She says, "I was totally immersed in God." She even took classes to become a Christian Science Practitioner, since she grew up in that tradition.

After college, Donna worked as a legal secretary, where she remained for twelve years. During that time, she was fixed up on a blind date with a brilliant accountant, Paul Sivachenko. When she was in dire need of a companion to accompany her to a party, Paul's name popped into her mind, and the rest is history.

They weren't on the same page spiritually at first. Paul was a non-participating Russian Orthodox. Donnawas a fervent and faithful Christian Science believer. It all came together after many years living in Beverly Hills, Lake Tahoe, and eventually Orange County, where they began attending the Crystal Cathedral. However, life was going to hammer them. At age 46, Paul was knocked down with a major stroke that changed their lives forever.

They were living in Lake Tahoe at the time. There, Donna had become a Campaign Manager for a neighbor, a real estate developer, who was running for the U.S. Senate from Nevada. Though he lost the election, she continued as his "right arm" as he continued to work in politics with such notables as Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Donna and Paul attended both the Reagan and Bush inaugurations. Paul's first blow was a ruptured aneurysm in his brain. It did not kill him, but medical mistakes nearly caused him to lose his life. Then a stroke paralyzed his right side and took his speech. Years of rehabilitation followed with Donna the faithful coach and cheerleader.

In the middle of the crisis, Donna happened upon the hospital chapel, and decided to go inside. She sat down in the back row, took a deep breath, and started to weep. The tears flowed like a flood and would not stop. Gradually she became aware that a man had come in and sat down close beside her. He was lightly touching her with his arm and shoulder, leaning slightly against her. He just stayed there quietly. A warm and comforting presence, he soothed her soul profoundly. Finally, she stopped crying and turned to look at the man. "No one was there," says Donna. "No one was in the room! I know it was Jesus."

With Donna's persistent and loving coaching, Paul regained enough strength to do volunteer work. His mind was clear, but words were few and he remained partially paralyzed. In his long months of rehabilitation, Paul met God deeply and profoundly here at the Crystal Cathedral. In that experience, he and Donna came together in a wonderful and meaningful way - a major blessing within this painful loss. Paul lived 22 years after his stroke, going home to be with the Lord in 2004. Their son Roger is a young tech-genius who lives with his family in Boston. Geographically he is far away, but remains very close to his mother. Donna is a treasured volunteer, serving in a variety of capacities at the Crystal Cathedral. She was recently commissioned as a Minister-of-the-Day, serving Care Ministries. She is also a MAT graduate, and has been a ministering elder for 11 years. Her most recent venture is serving as the lead volunteer on Crystal Cathedral's "Soup Kitchen" team called "Monday Meals." She loves to help, and her life experience highly qualifies her to do so. She is truly a "light of life" in this world!