Offering a "New Beginning" to All Who Believe!

What did Jesus look like? From a human standpoint—wouldn’t we love to know? Maybe...maybe not. Movies over the years have shown us usually a tall man, sometimes light brown hair—long, of course. More probable, though, his hair would have been much darker given his middle eastern culture. Many times, we’ve seen him on the screen looking perhaps a little too Caucasian, and usually with a beard. Did men in the 1st century even have access to the implements to shave?

On the garden grounds of the Crystal Cathedral, there’s a bronze sculpture of Jesus that raises none of these issues or questions. The sculpture shows Jesus as a baby, a smiling infant, in Mary’s loving arms. Mary is seated on a donkey, and Joseph is leading his family back home to Israel after fleeing from Herod to Egypt immediately following His miraculous Christmas birth, which brought a “new beginning” to all who believe! What a great reminder as we begin this New Year...2012!

This beautiful face of the baby Jesus is the “Christ Portrait” (the second in a series—you’ll want to collect them all) that Hour of Power wants to send to you today. Your beautiful, full-color “Christ Portrait” measures 5” x 7” and is suitable for framing. American master sculptor, J. Seward Johnson depicted the face of the baby Jesus in glistening stainless steel so that anyone standing before this statue would see their own skin tone reflected back at them in the mirror-like surface—Jesus belongs to all people of all colors of all cultures in all places.

You’re encouraged to write to the Hour of Power TODAY to receive your very own copy of this unique image of the blessed Christ Child. This “Christ Portrait,” and the statue it depicts, is exclusive to Hour of Power viewers and friends...there is none other like it anywhere in the world.

Click here to request your Christ Portrait #2 or call TOLL FREE 1-866-GET-HOPE (438-4673)

An Indescribable Gift by Sheila Schuller Coleman

Is your mailbox like mine these past few months — full of catalogues? And do you find yourself perusing them, reading each description to determine which might describe the perfect gift for one on your list?

As a writer, I admire the skill it takes to write these descriptions. However, I suspect that the writers’ task would be exponentially more difficult if there wasn’t a photo to accompany the description. Even so, as difficult as it might be, it is always possible to find the words to describe the gift.

In the Bible, the gifts that the kings brought to the Christ child are described: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The kings brought gifts to THE KING! The King of all time. The King of all kings! They brought their gifts on bended knee.

St. Paul says that it is not possible to describe this gift!
They brought their gifts to THE GIFT! Jesus is the greatest gift of all time. God sent. His Son to be born with the purpose of letting us know who God is. God, the Great I AM, revealed Himself through His Sone who walked, preached, healed and touched here on earth. God incarnate. He was THE GIFT!

In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 9:15 says this about Jesus: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

St. Paul says that it is not possible to describe this gift! There are no adequate, descriptive words.

This Christmas, I hope and pray that you will join me and your Crystal Cathedral family in thanking God, the Father, for sending His Son, Jesus, who was born to die so you and I can live. This is truly an indescribable gift. Join me this Christmas in accepting (or reaccepting) the Gift of Jesus—unwrapping it, letting Him be the core of your life—and giving this same gift to others you know and love.

Join me in thanking the King for His gift—His indescribable gift —Jesus!

You are Part of God's Hope-Filled Future for this Ministry

JEREMIAH 29:11 MIRACLE OFFERING

Crystal Cathedral Ministries’ International Board of Directors has voted to declare that the ministry and campus of the Crystal Cathedral are not for sale. The chapter 11 process has attracted multiple purchase offers, but in the end, the board believes that Crystal Cathedral Ministries’ greatest days are still ahead.

“The board feels its great responsibility to pay the vendors 100% of what is owed as soon as possible,” says Sheila Schuller Coleman, Senior Pastor, “but also a responsibility to the local members and Hour of Power viewers, internationally, to retain the ministry’s headquarters intact. Taking this kind of stand assures members and viewers of our commitment to them and to

their spiritual well-being, now and into the future. We’re asking our people to believe God’s promise as found in Jeremiah 29:11-14a (right), and to join us in prayer to seek God’s blessing of a 50 million dollar miracle!”

“We fully understand as a board that, by taking this stand of faith, the creditors will move on their own in the courts to initiate a sale process,” board member Jim Penner says, “but the final word on this campus and this ministry will be up to God Almighty. I’ll put my faith in Jesus who said in Matthew 21:22, ‘Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.’”

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity.
–JEREMIAH 29:11-14A, NKJV

Make a Miracle Faith Offering

In God We Trust

“In God we trust”...this has been the message of the positive televised Hour of Power for 42 consecutive years on weekly TV—a faith-filled message of HOPE, HELP, and ENCOURAGEMENT:

IN GOD, WE TRUST.

When all else fails...when people and circumstances disappoint us and/or let us down...this truth remains:

IN GOD, WE TRUST.

With its 42-year history of creating unique and inspiring gift items to motivate and inspire persons everywhere, the Hour of Power television ministry offers to you today a one-of-a-kind jewelry item, four words, one timeless sentence forming a cross.



Yes, you can receive this unique cross TODAY. Your IN GOD WE TRUST cross is plated in silver, and looks like the very popular white gold. However, most importantly, the MESSAGE of this cross... IN GOD WE TRUST...will inspire attention from anyone who sees it and reads it whenever it is worn. There is no other cross like it...ANYWHERE.

And, when you write (or call, or go online) to request your IN GOD WE TRUST cross...you’ll also receive a free IN GOD WE TRUST “mini poster” (5” x 7”)—just the right size to be seen and read, but not too big for your desk, countertop, or bookshelf.

Click here to receive these two IN GOD WE TRUST items at this important time.

Help Rebuild God’s House– Crystal Cathedral Ministry!

Over the last 42 years, we have heard millions of persons say, “Dr. Schuller, your ministry saved my life!” Now, we call upon YOU to help save the life of this ministry! As you may know, on October 18, 2010, Crystal Cathedral Ministries filed for the protection of chapter 11. As the economy trended down rapidly over the last two years, the services and goods that our vendors provided could not be cancelled fast enough. Even though we finished 2010 with a revenue surplus and the court is pleased with our progress, it was not enough to pay back any of our vendor debt. We can honor God and our debt to our vendors and, in the process, rebuild this magnificent, life-saving ministry. And we need YOU to help! To keep Hour of Power on the air in your home and the homes of millions of others, any gift that you’re able to give toward our ministry’s vendor debt, must be an EXTRA gift—above and beyond any current generous level of giving that you are already providing.

Join the “Rebuilding the Faith” campaign today! Our goal in one year’s time is to raise the $7.5 million owed. We will do it together—and here’s how:

When your donation is received, your name will be in the Rebuilders of the Faith book, housed forever in the Crystal Cathedral—honoring YOU in this historic time when you saved this television ministry’s life. Dedicated people time and time again have helped to rebuild God’s wonderful, redemptive plan for us,” says Sheila. “Throughout the Old Testament, God raised up builders of the faith to rebuild His house. King Hezekiah, King Josiah, Nehemiah, and Haggai—all were helped by teams of God’s people—like you—who were builders and rebuilders of the faith.”

Through your generous spirit at this key season in the life of this ministry, you’ll join these biblical heroes as a builder of the faith, helping to rebuild God’s house—Crystal Cathedral Ministries!

Surely Goodness and Mercy

WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN, WE ALWAYS HAD dinner together around the family table. Dad would conclude the dinner with a short devotional and then we were encouraged to sing a song as a family, and Dad always encouraged us to sing it with gusto! So we sang, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and I shall feast at the table spread for me...surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life!"

It was many years later that it dawned on me that these were the words of Psalm 23. And what a promise was burned into my memory from a young age-that goodness and mercy would follow me-all the days of my life.

I have seen that goodness exists hand in hand with mercy. God's mercy, God's forgiveness, God's unconditional love-IS goodness. Too often, we become disenchanted with God and think He has not heard our prayers, or hasn't been paying attention because nothing is going right. In other words, nothing is going according to our plans. And so we are discouraged, floundering, even facing a faith crisis. Where is God when we need Him?

Goodness is not what happens to us. Goodness is responding positively to whatever happens to us-no matter how difficult it may be. Goodness is viewing every problem as an opportunity to see God's mercy at work.

Would you like to be able to say that goodness and mercy have followed you every day of your life? The Lord is your Shepherd and, as you follow Him, goodness and mercy will follow you. If you stumble and fall, He will pick you up and you will experience goodness and mercy. If you take your eyes off Him and stray from His path, He will search for you and find you and you will see goodness and mercy displayed. If you are attacked and hurt, He will rescue you, deliver you, and heal your wounds. May goodness and mercy follow you-every day of your life-until you dwell in the house of the Lord forever! What a promise!

Claim it!

Beyond the Hour of Power: Helping the Lost Find New Horizons

By James Richards, Crystal Cathedral Commissioned Pastor

When I was at the lowest point in my life, I turned the television set on, and I heard a chap named Dr. Robert H. Schuller saying, “Tough times never last, but tough people do!” I thought, wow, I need to hear that message. And I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. The first thing my wife, Yvonne, and I did was to join the church in 1994, and were immediately encouraged to get involved in leadership, and I was eventually ordained as a pastor.

Someone in the church came to us and asked us if we could help some people in Pakistan who needed Bibles. We found that, not only did these people need Bibles, they needed help to form a church. In this process, we discovered that millions of people in Pakistan are trapped in degrading poverty, and that the number one reason is illiteracy. So, besides starting our first church, we started our first school. And all of it happened through our Crystal Cathedral New Horizons fellowship (www.newhorizonsmissions.com), which has helped to provide in rural Pakistan the following and more:

Seven churches with more than 3,000 Crystal Cathedral members on fire for Jesus Christ. Plus, hundreds of Bibles distributed and a Bible course for non-Christians created.

• Five schools with 600 students and nearly 400 students sponsored ($59 per student) to attend state-run schools, with the first 80 graduated.


• Emergency medical treatment for many and 400 children immunized. Many widows and orphans are fed each month, clean tap water is now brought to villages, and electricity is connected.


• Goat & Sewing Ministries launched through micro-loans, and a Computer Training Center is planned.

So, we continue the message of the Hour of Power that "God loves you and so do I." We're seeing the difference and it's growing…and growing…and growing!