Jaw Dropping Surprises

By Jim Penner, Director of Business Operations, Crystal Cathedral Ministries

I went for my daily run a few days ago around sunset. At the crest of a small hill, I rounded a stand of trees to reveal that perfect elevated angle where the valley is below, the sky above, and it seems that you can see for miles. What lay before my eyes was a sky seemingly hand painted by God from light to dark blue with orange and varying shades of purple clouds. This sunset was no ordinary sunset. This was something completely unexpected-a surprise-a surprise for my eyes. The scene was so breathtaking that I began to think about the surprises in our lives. Good surprises and bad surprises. Life is filled with all kinds of surprises, but the ones we really remember are what I call "jaw dropping surprises," those times when what you just saw, or heard, or was done to you came completely out of left field-for good or bad. They are the times when something or someone literally rocks your world.

Maybe it's a doctors report-for good or bad. The cancer has come or the cancer has gone. Maybe you just found out that a baby grandchild is on the way when you daughter had previously been told she could never have children. Or it's tragic news that your grandchild was just killed in a car accident.

Maybe it's family news. Your son or your daughter announces their engagement and your mouth literally opens in a jaw dropping surprise. Excitedly you say, "Did you see who my son is marrying?" Or filled with anxiety you say, "Did you see the head case my daughter is about to marry?"

Maybe your latest jaw dropping surprise was financial. You opened that envelope in the past year and found that your retirement account lost 30 or 40 or 50 percent. Or you found that your health insurance costs were going up or your benefits were dropping.

Take a moment and think back to the last time you had a jaw dropping surprise. If you've lived life on this earth you don't have to be here very long to receive one. They are a part of life – they are inevitable. They can be painful. Tear invoking. Faith challenging. Withdraw from society inducing. They push us toward relief such as alcohol or painkillers. They push us toward cynicism and skepticism. Jaw dropping surprises can literally tear us apart- or-they can make us stronger because of one simple fact. No matter what happens to you in life, no matter how far you are pushed to the breaking point-as sure as I'm sitting here there is one fact I am convinced of- Jesus Christ is still on the throne. Receive that great gift of contentment Paul talks about in Philippians 4 by giving your cares to Jesus!

Ask Sheila: Hiding My Light Under a Bushel

Dear Sheila,

I was not a Christian when I married my husband of 23 years. Ten years ago, I gave my life to Jesus. My life has changed somewhat, but frankly I am afraid to grow too deep in my spiritual walk for fear that it will drive a wedge between my husband and me. Whenever I talk about spiritual matters with him he sneers. So, I pray and read my Bible but keep my spiritual life private. Should I keep going this direction or be more forthright about my relationship with Christ?

- Hiding My Light under a Bushel

Dear Light under a Bushel,

Your signature pretty much says it all! You've answered your own question.

I would suggest that you grow and grow and grow in the Lord. You do that by reading God's word, spending time with fellow Christians, and by praying. As you do this, your light will grow bright and brighter. You don't have to talk to your husband about your deepening relationship with Jesus-you just have to walk it. And pray for him.

Jesus didn't just come to save us for heaven in eternity. He came to save us so we can experience a bit of heaven on earth. He said, "I have come that you might have life, and...have it more abundantly " (John 10:10). As your husband sees you living a truly abundant life, he will become hungry and thirsty for the same. That's good news! In Christ,

Sheila Schuller Coleman

Crystal Cathedral People: Bill Weller "Mr. Hospitality"

By Dr. Jim Kok, Pastor of Care Ministries

Before most of our ushers and greeters arrive for duty on Sunday mornings, Bill Weller is taking care of the early arriving guests from distant places. These are the folks whose eyes fill with tears as they enter the Crystal Cathedral. They have included a 95-year-old long-time Hour of Power viewer, a wheelchair-confined "Make-a-Wish" recipient, and those who have traveled long distances to spend a memorable birthday at this special place. Bill Weller’s aim is to make sure their blessing continues. A serious-looking, welldressed man with an official demeanor, he is there to lead them to the best seats possible every Sunday morning.

His journey to this place began as a child attending Sunday School at a Christian Science church. He says he never met Jesus there. God yes. Jesus no. And after the early death of his young wife Kathryn at age 45, little spiritual activity focused his life as he continued to raise his daughter and two sons.

Bill had an engineering B.S. from UCLA, and an MBA also, but his minimal church experience led him to conclude that churches were unfriendly places. So, that part of his life never developed. He invested his life in a variety of jobs, including many years with North American Aviation and the Apollo Space Program.

Bill started to change when he met a young Crystal Cathedral pastor- in-training, Dunston Sampson, at an event at the Nixon Library. That conversation resulted in Bill stopping in at the early morning Sunday worship service in the Chapel-inthe- Sky. There he started to learn about Jesus. A few weeks later, he slipped into the 9:30 service where Robert H. Schuller was preaching. Growth was deepening, and this new place was becoming his spiritual home.

It was his Amway sideline that led to the next profound spiritual step in his life, which came sometime after he started growing at the Crystal Cathedral. Seeds had been planted and were germinating, and then one day he attended another of many Amway luncheons. They always included devotions, followed by an altar call. Bill said, "Something happened to me and I floated to the front." Bill was spiritually changed from that day forward. Today he is the committed man we see helping on Sundays - mornings and evenings.

Maybe it is that early experience, where he concluded that churches were not welcoming places, added to his deep appreciation for what he has found in Christ that made him the "Mr. Hospitality" that he is today. Whatever it is, Bill deserves that title for the way he connects with and embraces newcomers on Sundays. He is the kind of person who gives a church a positive reputation, attracting people first to the welcoming place and
then to the loving spirit of Jesus Christ.

Social Networks: Connecting You with Your Crystal Cathedral

We continue to expand our communities and social networks to connect with you where you are. Just as Dr. Schuller first reached out to the early Crystal Cathedral congregation in a drive-in theater, today we are where you are - on Facebook,Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.

Join us on Facebook, one of the most popular social networks today with millions of users and is still growing. In line with our mission to reach the unchurched, we urge you to connect through Facebook to help grow our ministry to reach out to new friends around the world. Leave messages and invite your friends to join in! Become a friend of Sheila Schuller Coleman. Join a group. Choose Hour of Power, Crystal Cathedral, and Mommy Grace with Sheila Schuller Coleman. Leave a message, add a photo, post a link, and invite your friends to join you! Become a “fan” of Hour of Power and Crystal Cathedral. Learn about important events and ministry announcements. Watch videos, read notes, and get widgets you can post on your profile to help spread the word about our ministry.

Follow us on Twitter. On this microblogging platform, we post ministry updates, daily prayers, devotions, and what's happening in our ministries. Sign up to receive tweets from Hour of Power, Crystal Cathedral, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, and Sheila Schuller Coleman. Watch video clips on YouTube. Clips include Hour of Power promo clips, unforgettable messages from great pastors, guest interviews, and incredible music.

Become a MySpace Friend. Read and comment on our blog. Find out about the upcoming Hour of Power, and read articles about the Hour of Power and Crystal Cathedral Ministries.