"Our Liberator... His Name is Jesus"

"What I would challenge people to embrace, today, is to fall in love with our Liberator. His name is Jesus. And if you fall in love with him, he will take you places you, never dreamed of. God's plan for our lives is much bigger than anything we can ever dream. You're talking about Possibility Thinking. Most of what has happened to me, I could have never even dreamed of. That's the big God I love and serve."

- Rear Admiral Barry C. Black, ret.
62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate
Author, From the Hood to the Hill

Is anybody there?

By Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman

In the Broadway musical, 1776, John Adams sings the lyrics, "Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Give up the fight, John! They want me to quit!"

What if John had given up the fight? What if he had quit? America exists today because a handful of brave men (and women) refused to quit, refused to give up the fight. Even though there appeared to be no hope, even though by all accounts they should never have won, they believed in the impossible and the rest is history!

My husband, Jim, my sons, and I watch the movie version of the Broadway musical, 1776, every year on the fourth of July as a family tradition. It is a delightful reminder of the faith and courage of America's founding fathers and the freedoms that we enjoy as a result.

Today, there are so many of you who are facing the impossible. Some of you have prayed and prayed and are not seeing the answers that you had hoped for. I wonder, have any of you called out in the dark silent night, "Is anybody there? Does anybody care?"

Well, this ministry is here to remind you week after week that we are here! We care! That's because Jesus cares about you! He came to earth to die to show you just how much he cares for you. And he has commissioned us to
show you that he is there for you and he will never leave you or forsake you!

So, we will not give up the fight! We will not quit! We will keep on striving until we climb over, find a pass through, or simply stay and turn this mountain into a miracle with God's help-so we can be there for you and for the many others who write and call us every week, saying:

"Sheila, I gave my life to Jesus. Thank you for saving my life."

"Sheila, I am on death row. You are my spiritual lifeline. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Sheila, I have never been to church in my life. I saw you throwing sandbags off the pulpit. I have never watched you until I was surfing the channels and saw you. I lost my twin babies this past week. Please pray for me."

Thousands and thousands of these letters, phone calls, and emails-telling of lives being saved-arrive every week. Many of them are from struggling young people who cannot afford to give.

YOU are the stars of this ministry, keeping it sparkling bright to shine God's light on viewers near and far. YOU are the stripes of this ministry, helping to move it straight forward in its God-ordained mission to save lives through a message of hope. And, in the process, YOU are saving lives!

Any gift you give this year means that hope and love and life can be born in the hearts of millions of people who cry out, "Is anybody there? Does anybody care?" Because of you, they are hearing the message, "Yes! God is there! Yes! God cares! God loves you and so do we!" Thank you for being there for us so we can let the world know that God is there for them!

Representing God's Greatest Gift: Freedom

On Sunday, July 4, 2010, America celebrates her 234th birthday. On this day, beneath the 120-foot glass ceiling of the Crystal Cathedral (and seen on the televised Hour of Power), you'll witness the raising of the giant nine-story high American flag—the world's largest indoor flying flag. The presence of this huge flag awes persons into tearful and pride-filled silence. Why does this flag flown on this holiday inside this church affect our emotions in this powerful way?

It's because God Almighty, through his Son, Jesus Christ, has proclaimed unlimited freedom, liberty, and grace for all. Forever. His love is boundless, for...

"Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

The Bible is filled with stories of human beings struggling to grasp and apply the immeasurable value of God's greatest gift—freedom. Freedom from slavery (Romans 8:15). Freedom from selfishness (Galatians 5:13). Freedom to choose leaders (1 Samuel). The Independence Day event we commemorate on July 4 is a celebration of freedom—the freedom that inspired one of the most recent, greatest, and most successful endeavors to build a nation governed by values based on God's biblical truths.

America's Declaration of Independence remains an unparalleled example of Possibility Thinking...a goal on the horizon...clearly in view...sometimes within reach, sometimes not. Whereas the Declaration of Independence announced the intention, the United States Constitution became the framework for achieving the dream. And symbolizing all the possibility-filled ideals found in these two documents is the American Flag.

In 1973, Dr. Robert H. Schuller had an inspiration. He asked himself, "If the American Flag could talk, with the wisdom of nearly two hundred years of history behind her, what would be her words for us today?" With this unique idea as his inspiration, he wrote and delivered a message from the pulpit of what was then the Garden Grove Community Church, and it was seen and heard over his new weekly televised program, Hour of Power. He titled his new message:

"I AM THE AMERICAN FLAG."

The message was received with overwhelming ovation. It immediately earned the esteemed Principal Award from the Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge for "the most outstanding sermon in the United States." This bronze medallion is still one of Dr. Schuller's most cherished awards. Since 1973, "I Am the American Flag" has been delivered several times on Hour of Power...and printed and distributed to hundreds of thousands of persons both in America and beyond her shores. The ideals of America still inspire hope in the oppressed wherever they may live.