Accepting God’s Forgiveness Is Where Abundant Living Begins

Can you imagine the feeling of being utterly exposed? Of having your deepest, darkest secret or sin paraded in front of you for the whole world to see? The woman depicted in Dallas Anderson's monumental bronze sculpture, Love Without Condemnation, certainly could. You can read her story in John 8:1-11.

This important account from the life of Christ reminds us that God finds value and tremendous worth in everyone, and that our greatest "sin" is being separated from him. In this sculpture, we see Jesus placing himself squarely between the accused woman and those who condemned her...and he does the same for each of us today.

Three men face the accused woman. They are proud, religious, and unrelenting. Rocks in hand, they've come prepared to render punishment. One of the men is the accused woman's husband. With him are two "experts" of the Law. One of them holds the written law and seems to be rather sadly pointing out the unfortunate reality of the woman's situation. He looks sympathetic, but his hands are tied-after all, rules are rules. The third man stands firm, uncompromising in his strict judgment of the woman.

Jesus bends to the ground and begins writing in the dust. The men keep pressing Jesus hoping he will render a "guilty" verdict. But he doesn't. Rather, Jesus gets up and says to them, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7).

Jesus' words immediately cut to the core of the husband's heart. He drops his stone and walks away...as do each of the woman's accusers. Only Jesus and the woman are left standing there. Then Jesus asks her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she replies. "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

It is interesting to note that the sculptor of this wonderful work of art chose to show Christ's robe overlapping the covering of the woman, reminding us that Christ's forgiveness will always cover our sin. And his forgiveness is the beginning of abundant living. Anderson's sculpture, Love Without Condemnation, is located just outside the north wall of the Crystal Cathedral's famous Memorial Gardens. It is surrounded by lush green landscaping and a quiet stream beckoning all who pass by to stop and take in the beauty and meaning of its message.

About the Sculptor Love Without Condemnation is one of three works of art sculpted for the Crystal Cathedral grounds by internationally acclaimed sculptor, Dallas Anderson.

Mr. Anderson is a graduate of St. Olaf's College in Minnesota and trained at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He taught at Brigham Young University before joining Robert Schuller in Garden Grove as an artist-in-residence at the Crystal Cathedral in the early 1980s.

Proclaiming the Good News of Abundant Life in Bad-News Times

In 1946, Hollywood producer/director Frank Capra released a film that was considered a "flop" financially, yet remains one of today's most popular Christmas movies and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.

It's a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, takes place in the fictional town of Bedford Falls shortly after World War II. It traces the life of George Bailey whose mounting personal and financial troubles plunge him into an abyss of despair on Christmas Eve. Guardian angel, Clarence, arrives in George's hour of need to help him see, through a series of flashbacks, all the people he's touched and the difference he's made in his community. As a result, George discovers a life-saving truth: his has been a WONDERFUL life.

If someone were to ask you if you've had a "wonderful life" this year, what would your response be? For some, 2009 was brimming with good news, success stories, and joyful memories. For others it was filled with dashed hopes, failed dreams, financial upsets, and broken relationships. But no matter what your response, here's some GREAT news: Jesus Christ came into the world to fulfill this promise: "I have come that you might have life, and...have it more abundantly" (John 10:10, NKJV). Jesus did not call us to live the Christian life just to secure our eternity. He called us to a life that is full and overflowing and wonderfully abundant.

The positive message of abundant life is what the Hour of Power has proclaimed for nearly 40 years! And what a difference it's made! Tens of thousands of persons from around the world have written to tell us how the Hour of Power has helped them in their times of need, how we've touched their lives in profound ways, that we've even saved their lives through our faith-filled, hope-filled, positive, loving televised church services. These words are GOOD NEWS to us and remind us every day how essential our message is to the world. It's because of generous friends like you that the Hour of Power continues to bring the Good News of abundant life to the world week after week. Today, we need your help as much as ever.

As a way of saying thank you, we will send you our 2009 Hour of Power "Angel of Praise" hand-blown glass Christmas ornament. Inscribed on it in gold lettering are the words of Jesus who promised, "I have come that you might have life, and...have it more abundantly." This "Angel of Praise" stands three inches tall, with arms stretching upward and a face expressing praise for the Good News of Christmas- God has come in human flesh with the promise of abundant life! Please write to Dr. Schuller today to ask for your 2009 Hour of Power "Angel of Praise" Christmas ornament. The gift you send will keep the Good News of the Hour of Power encouraging hearts and homes around the globe.

Kristy Cavinder... Flying High Full of Life

Behind the scenes of the Glory of Christmas.

On June 28, Kristen (Kristy) Cavinder was crowned Miss California 2009-only one achievement of many for this exceptional 21-year-old. From Crystal Cathedral's perspective, Kristy Cavinder has always been a bright and rising star. Kristy "grew up" at the Crystal Cathedral, with her parents and grandmother filling key church roles. And Kristy has found meaningful ways to put her unique talents to work in this ministry, as well.

A child dancer in The Glory of Christmas and The Glory of Easter in 1999, Kristy soared to new heights (90 feet to be exact) as a flying angel ('04) and solo dancer ('05-'08). "Being part of the 'Glories' was a lifelong dream," Kristy revealed. "I remember attending the 'Glories' at five years old and telling my grandmother that I had to become a dancer. She told me to practice so I could jump over the fountains without getting my dress wet-and I did! I've been dancing for 17 years and don't intend to stop any time soon. I've been blessed with the opportunity to share my love of dance and love of the Lord with thousands of people each year."

Kristy, who minored in dance at the University of Southern California (USC) and studied at New York City's American Ballet Theater, has also danced in the Disney Resort's "Electrical Light Parade" and "Parade of Dreams."

Kristy's education also included Crystal Cathedral Schools where she took an active leadership role. "During my senior year," Kristy explained, "I started the 'Broadway Our Way' program. I realized that our school provided an incredible arena to give younger students older role models to look up to." That program eventually grew into the GEL (Growing Exceptional Ladies) program where junior high girls continue to meet with senior high mentors, discussing issues like self-confidence, making healthy choices, and growing in relationship with the Lord.

Recently hired as Crystal Cathedral Children's Ministry's Team Leader, Kristy is also a parttime USC student until she graduates in December and goes on to attend graduate school next spring. As Miss California, Kristy looks forward to competing in the Miss America pageant in January 2010. When asked what this competition has meant to her, Kristy responded, "I thought it would be a fun way to perform and earn scholarship money, but it has bettered me in every area of my life. I've become more confident, poised and capable, and more refined in my ballet talent. I've also learned how to stand strong in my beliefs and ideals. I'm honored to be Miss California and hope that this title will help me encourage and equip young people to dream big and realize that, with God, they have the potential to do anything." Flying high among the stars is this "angel" of ours- Kristy Cavinder!

Let Your Daily Living Become Joyful Giving

By Robert H. Schuller

My mother had a very tough life. She was married to a good man who raised crops on an Iowa farm through some terribly difficult years. I saw my mother have some low days and I discovered what she did to change a gloomy mood into a blooming mood.

When apples were in season she would pick them, peel them, slice them, and then roll out a pie crust to bake an apple pie. Everybody was happy in the household as she started whistling and singing hymns while making her apple pies. She made each pie heaping with apples and sprinkled in lots of cinnamon. My mother never made just one pie; most of the time she made two. And she'd always say, "One is for my family. The other one is for someone who needs it." And she would often send me down the road to deliver that second pie to someone who was sick or had a very meager income. My mother had discovered that the way to put joy into life was to "forget about yourself and do something beautiful in a wonderful way for somebody else." She understood well the joy that comes through giving.

If you want to be a truly miserable person, just be as selfish as you can. I have never seen a twinkling, happy, enthusiastic person who is also stingy. It just doesn't work. Next time you're having a "down" day, recall an experience where you were really up. I can tell you when it was. It was the time you listened to somebody who needed to be heard or comforted. Or it was the time you prayed a prayer or gave a word of encouragement and positively lifted someone's spirit. It was the time you packaged a very treasured and gorgeous gift and gave it to someone you deeply love.

Jesus said, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it" (Matthew 10:39, NLT). Let your daily living become daily giving and you will have a life filled with JOY!

The Joy of Giving

Sculpted by Mehri Danielpour Weil

God can do tremendous things through a person who doesn't care who gets the credit!

An example of this selflessness is found in Luke 21:1-4, where Jesus stood watching masses of people flowing into the Jerusalem temple just as millions of people today stream into their own houses of worship. The rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the proud and the humble, the self-confident and the insecure-all were there that day.

As was the custom, the offering was collected in a box as people entered into or departed from the temple. The rich took great delight in watching their sizeable donations fall into the offering box within eyeshot of everyone. But, out of the massive crowd, Jesus noticed just one person—a woman who’d been without a husband and provider for a number of years, yet still managed to sustain her meager existence with extremely limited resources. Jesus watched the widow reach down for her tiny, tattered bag, hold it up to her weary face, peer in to see its contents, and then tip it upside down to allow two tiny coins to fall into her open palm. Without hesitating, she dropped both coins quietly into the collection box.

Having observed this, Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly...this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she...has given everything she has” (Luke 21:3-4, NLT).

The Joy of Giving bronze statue, sculpted by Mehri Danielpour Weil, is a lovely, yet simple, depiction of the story in Luke 21 about the woman who gave all that she had to God...not a portion of abundance...but all that she had. This bronze is a tribute to the tens of thousands of persons on the lower end of the economic scale who give their financial support week after week, month after month, year after year to make the ministry message of the Hour of Power possible.

About the Sculptor

Born in Teheran, Iran, Mehri Danielpour Weil immigrated to the United States with her parents and two brothers at the age of eight. Raised in New York, she studied there until 1965 when she moved to Florida with her husband, Sayid, and their two children, Debbie and Richard.

Most of Mehri's sculptures since 1968 have been commissioned work including over two hundred busts of children, adults, heads of state, corporate executives and well-known sports figures. Today she enjoys sculpting large architectural figures, including the life-size bronze she created for the Crystal Cathedral in 1999, The Joy of Giving, now located in the ministry's Welcoming Center in Garden Grove, California.

Out of the ashes... four tiny angels!

The blessing of Christian community.

On November 22, 2008, while New Zealanders Rowan and Margaret Smiley were away in Auckland, the power supply to their house shorted out. Consequently, their kauri (all-wood) villa burned to the ground. Here's their story...

The Monday after the fire, we visited the burn site with our pastor. When we returned to our home all that was left was some charcoal and the shells of the refrigerators. Everything was gone; the heat had been so intense that the brass taps had disappeared, and the glass and pewter had melted. Trees 100 meters away had caught fire. Among the debris we sighted some white objects. As we cleared away the rubble, there in the ashes were four tiny china angels from a set of six that we had collected from the Crystal Cathedral Ministries over the years. Three of the four were intact, the fourth was split perfectly in two and we were able to repair it.

The survival of these angels, in what must have been intense heat, has been told over and over by us and by the Crystal Cathedral Ministries staff in Australia. It has caused many to think about God and what they believe. We are so blessed to have a fantastic community surrounding us and caring friends and family around the country and the world. This experience has affirmed in us a number of valuable lessons:

1. People matter.

2. It is harder to receive than to give.

3. God doesn't send adversity, but he does give us the strength to handle it.

4. You can witness even when you aren't present.

5. God can take our worst nightmares and use them for good. We are so very grateful for the support and prayers from the team at this ministry!

Rowan & Margaret Smiley

Christ Rising

Sculpted by Frederick Hart

This wonderfully flowing and anatomically perfect display of the human form, by one of America's pre-eminent contemporary sculptors, brilliantly combines two of Christianity's most recognized symbols. Here, Frederick Hart takes the shape of the cross and the image of the crucifix and transforms them into a crucified, yet living Savior, rising with his arms and pierced hands outstretched, forever reminding us of the cross and the priceless value of his sacrifice upon it.

This beautiful piece, which was a gift from architect Dale Johnson, can be seen in the Chapel in the Sky at the top of the Richard Neutra designed Tower of Hope on the grounds of the Crystal Cathedral.

About the Sculptor

Frederick Hart (1943 - 1999) was an American sculptor who was best known for his public monuments and works of art in bronze, marble, and clear acrylic (a technique he pioneered and coined as "sculpting with light"). Hart is recognized for creating work that is classically traditional in its adherence to the idealized human figure, radical in its sensuality, and innovative in its materials.

He gained international stature for his The Creation Sculptures on the west façade of Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The Creation Sculptures were completed in 1990 almost twenty years after Hart began work on them. In 2004, Frederick Hart was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States Government - only one of numerous prestigious awards Hart received for his work.

Hart's legacy is diverse and widespread. He was an inventive revolutionary. His works are physical and sensuous, yet spiritual, direct, graceful and subtle. Though his life was cut short (he died in 1999, two days after doctors discovered he had lung cancer), the influence and beauty of Frederick Hart's work lives on through his art, rippling out from the Crystal Cathedral and around the world.