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.

Watch a Ripple Turn into a Wave of New Ideas

Some years ago I took a trip to Israel. One morning while there, I took a motorboat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly, in the middle of the lake, the operator of the boat cut the motor. I wondered for a moment if we were out of gas. When I inquired, the man said, "No. I thought it would be nice, Dr. Schuller, if you could just listen to the quietness out here." Soon the boat stopped rocking and the only sounds we heard were those of water lapping gently against the stern of the boat and the magnificent silence of the centuries as we sat in the very same sea Jesus had fished more than 2,000 years earlier.

We may think we know the answers to all of the important questions in our lives. We may think we have our philosophies, ideologies, theology, and psychology all neatly packaged and labeled and feel safe and secure in our knowledge. That's when it's time to cut the motor, to pause and be still and recognize the mighty presence of God, and to ask ourselves: "Am I ready for a new idea?"

Summer offers you and me an opportunity to slow down, to cut the motors of our busy lives, to sit expectantly allowing the ripple of quietness to inspire within us a wave of new ideas. Who knows where just one thought, one new idea, might take you or me in the weeks, months, and years ahead if we stop long enough to let God speak in the summer quiet.

- Robert H. Schuller

Nick Vujicic: The Blessing of an Extraordinary Life

Nick Vujicic's motto is "No arms. No legs. No worries!"

Born without limbs, Nick has achieved the seemingly impossible in his brief 25 years. Faced with countless challenges and obstacles, God has given Nick the strength to rise above what others might call impossible.

As a child growing up in Australia, Nick could not attend a mainstream school because of his physical disability, but God gave his mother the strength to fight, and the law was changed. Though Nick liked school, he often experienced rejection and cruelty because of his physical difference. "It was hard," Nick admits, "but with the support of my parents, I developed attitudes and values that helped me overcome those challenges."

Today, Nick has an unquenchable passion to share through his ministry (lifewithoutlimbs.org) the hope and genuine love he has experienced. "God has used me in countless schools, churches, prisons, orphanages, hospitals, stadiums, and individual encounters to let people know how very precious they are to him." Nick has told more than two million people in over 19 nations that "God took my life-one that others might regard as having no significance, filled me with his purpose, and showed me his plans to move hearts and lives toward him. Like me, God can help you overcome your life challenges, too." Nick Vujicic believes that if you have the passion to do something and if it's God's will, you will achieve it in good time. For example, Nick enjoys "normal" pursuits such as swimming, music, and fishing. But, how do you fish if you don't have arms? With a fishing rod with an electronic reel!

"As humans, we continually put limits on ourselves for no reason," Nick observes. "What's worse is that we put limits on God who can do all things. Instead of focusing on our capability, we need to concentrate on our availability and God's ability."

In late 2007, Nick depended on the Lord's ability to create a way for him to reach the maximum number of people, and the way was realized in part this year when Dr. Schuller invited him to be one of America's Positive Television pastors on the Hour of Power. Nick's optimistic approach, outgoing personality, and exuberant love for God resonated not only with Dr. Schuller but also with Hour of Power viewers who created quite a "buzz" on hourofpower.org following his March 15th message. Be sure to tune in to experience the blessing of this extraordinary life when Nick returns to the Hour of Power on July 12.

America & The Hour of Power

Blessed to Be a Blessing

It's been said that, as the first Constitutional Convention met in 1787, delegates from the thirteen original colonies faced a tremendous crisis. So split in their views, the founding fathers were seriously considering abandoning the idea of a constitution altogether when Benjamin Franklin rose to his feet and said, "Gentlemen, if it is true that not one single petal of a flower falls to the ground without escaping God's attention, will the distress of this nation go unheeded? Let us, therefore, determine to seek God's face." The delegates fell to their knees and prayed for God's direction and unity.

A great nation always has a great history. No nation endures for long that does not depend on God.

This July, as we celebrate our nation's birthday, we are reminded that "the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12) will be BLESSED by the God in whom its citizens put their trust. Without God, we are nothing. With God, all things are possible. We echo those sentiments at the Crystal Cathedral Ministries. God has impressively blessed this ministry over the years. In 2009-in spite of economic downturn and future uncertainties-the Hour of Power remains the longest-running, one-hour weekly-televised church service in history. That's amazing! That's a miracle! That's a blessing...thanks to persons like YOU who have continued to support the noncommercially sponsored Hour of Power for 40 years!

Millions of people have found strength for all of life's experiences through the televised worship service that upholds and shares godly values like democracy, freedom and justice-the hallmarks of a great nation-even as we proclaim to the world the unfailing love of God.

In celebration of America's 233rd birthday, we have produced a beautifully designed small book containing one of Robert H. Schuller's most celebrated messages-I Am the American Flag. This original composition, which received the Valley Forge Freedoms Foundation's 1973 Principal Award for the most outstanding sermon in the United States, has been delivered by Dr. Schuller many times on the Hour of Power, as well as in convention halls and arenas across America. The inspirational 27-page book is filled with spectacular four-color photographs that make our American history come alive. I Am the American Flag is the third of six outstanding Hour of Power Book Club offers for 2009.

This keepsake book is our gift to you this month for your faithful support of this ministry, which helps the Hour of Power to continue to bless people with inspiring, uplifting, hope-filled messages every week.

Write to us TODAY or call 1-800-549-6177. America and the world need our message. We urgently need YOUR help. Together we can be a blessing!