Robert Schuller, Church With No Walls

Four generations of Robert Schuller!

Shortly after Robert Cohen Schuller IV was born my husband and our son Bobby visited his great-grandpa, Robert Harold Schuller.  I am so glad that I snapped this photo.

 Robert Anthony and Robert Harold are no longer preaching at the Crystal Cathedral.  Robert Vernon has been preaching there for the past ten months.  The church will move it's congregation in just a few weeks, and the Hour of Power televised church service will continue from the new location.  What my father-in-law started almost sixty years ago continues, although in a different way.   What my husband helped build for over thirty-two years will live-on as well.

 Our past and what we do for others is unchangeable.   It is eternal.   Like RHS always said, "anyone can count the seeds in an apple but only God can count the apples in one seed."  I am so thankful to have been a part of some amazing, life-transforming seed-planting for over half of my life.   The years I spent with my husband at both Rancho Capistrano and the Crystal Cathedral were some of the happiest times of my life.
It's never easy to say good-bye but as Albert Lord Tennyson wrote:

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

Always remember all of the great things that have been accomplished for God around the globe because one man had the courage to build a great ministry that will have positive lasting effects on society forever.
To keep up to date with our ministry projects and to help support our continued global efforts please go to Robert's  website:robertschullerministries.org and check back here regularly for information and encouragement.  Please pray for us as we continue to reach the world for Jesus. 

*Join us on May 15th ( and on the 15th of every month) at 6pm Pacific Time as we begin a new chapter in our ministry as well.  We will start "The Call" which is part of our global ministry with no walls  Please plan on joining us as my husband Robert and our son Bobby discuss the future plans for the ministry, including updates on our local and global mission projects. All you have to do is to call:  530-881-1300   When prompted key-in the code: 642848#  You can  join us any month.  Same time=6pm Pacific.  Same place=the convenience of your home or cell phone!  Invite anyone who you think could use some mid-month encouragement, any month, every month.  Same time, same easy accessibility.  Join us! Contact me if you want an MP3 recording emailed to you.

 

Donna@donnaschuller.com

The Earth is God's and Everything In It - Psalm 24:1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
Genesis 1:1-2

Genesis establishes why we should live with a theocentric (God-centered) view of life.  The earth and its inhabitants are not an evolutionary accident, devoid of moral and spiritual meaning.  Genesis encourages that our lives have significance because we are created in God's image.  As such we should honor all that God created, including Mother Earth.


It's Earth Day and what exactly does that mean?    It is a day to think globally but act locally.  To do whatever you can do in your own home to conserve and protect this beautiful earth that has been on loan to us from the great creator-God.

Here's one thing you should be doing and if not, start today.  Recycle.  I have been doing this for many years and it's really very easy.  All you have to do is to purchase a separate plastic can (I have the blue one with the recycle symbol on it) and then put the new receptacle somewhere convenient so that you will actually use it!  I would say that one third of my trash is refuse and the other two thirds are recycle.

Another fun habit I have is recycling the greeting cards that I receive from friends.  This tradition was something that began as a Christmas project when I was a young girl.  My mom always saved the Christmas cards we got from others and made the next year's gift tags with them.  It became a game to see who could do the best job of matching the carefully cut tags to the gift wrap.  I have continued that tradition in my own family and I have even taken it a step further.   I cut and re-design birthday, thank you, and other miscellaneous cards that I get in the mail.  Not only do I make some unique, one-of-kind cards but it conserves the earth a bit and it saves me money too!

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Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year. This date was designated as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution adopted by the United Nations in 2009.  Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.  It is celebrated by 192 Nations around the globe. 

Click here for more ideas on how to honor the earth 

Honor and respect God, others, yourself, and the earth.  Teach your children and grandchildren to do the same. 

Stay Flexible, Stay Young!

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When is the last time you tried something for the first time?  Think and be honest with yourself.
In the physical fitness world studies show that one sure sign of aging is the lack of flexibility.  I believe wholeheartedly that we can also apply that finding to all other areas of our life.

*Each of us should strive to constantly expand our minds by learning something new.  This should include growing in your understanding of yourself, others and God.   Sign up for a seminar or a class. If you are interested in joining us for our monthly telephone class click here.
Be opened minded regarding various subjects (be flexible!).  There are even free online courses available from Ivy League schools in the "massive open online courses" offerings.  click here to read what that means.
 If you've always wanted to paint or to write a book, go for it!  What have you got to lose?  If you say, "well, I'm 50 years old and by the time I master _____(fill in the blank) I'll be _____(fill in the blank)."  Guess what?  You'll still be that old (God willing) even if you don't dive into that thing that's been tugging at your heart! 

Did you know?

-George Foreman regained the heavyweight championship of the world at age 45.
-The great actor,  Morgan Freeman was virtually unknown until he was 50.
-Willy Shoemaker won the Kentucky Derby at 54.
-Grandma Moses started painting when she was 78 and was still doing one-woman art shows well into her nineties.
-At age 83 architect Frank Lloyd Wright was asked which of his masterpieces was his best and he answered, "the next one!"
-Titian painted his famous "Allegory of the Battle of Lepanto" when he was 84


 *Nourish your soul by volunteering.  Even if you are a busy working person, make sure that you carve out at least an hour or two a month where you help others without expectation of getting something in return.  Don't prejudge a person or an organization.  Get involved and help!

*Take care of your body.   Take time to exercise.  Your physical body is the only one that you will ever have.  Treat your body with respect by making your workouts as much a priority as your shopping expeditions, your lunch appointments, your television watching or your movie going.
If you work in an office all day make sure that you forget the elevator and opt for the stairs when you can.  Instead of plopping down in a restaurant and checking your Facebook during lunch as you power down your "fast food",  slow down and "smell the roses."  Consider packing a nutritious lunch the night before and enjoy consuming it outside by walking to and finding a park bench or even a small patch of grass.  Sit quietly alone without your smart phone and watch as people walk by.  You'll be amazed at the thoughts you will entertain and you will feel refreshed when you return to your office.
 Even if you don't go to an office, make sure that you go outside and breathe some fresh air each day.  Feel the sun as it warms your skin and also notice the sounds and the smells which will help you connect to your creator.

*Stretch your whole person each day.   Challenge your body, your mind, and your soul.   It might feel uncomfortable at first but do it anyway.  Take baby steps so you can succeed.  New Year's resolutions and goal setting should be a year-long commitment.  The reason most people do not reach the goals they set for themselves is that they set unrealistic ones without proper accountability and encouragement.   If you need help or advice contact me and I can help you sort it all out.

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"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will."    Romans 12:2

Remember-The Tomb Is Empty!

Almost two weeks after Easter and the tomb is empty.  Emptiness of any kind can leave behind disappointment, discouragement, anxiety and sadness; the "what now"?   This must be how most of the disciples were left feeling before Jesus reappeared to them and "breathed on them."   With his breath he inspired them to become more.  In the Greek language the word inspire means to "breathe the breath of life into" and this is what had to happen in order for the disciples to fill their void with the promise of a new beginning.   God did this in the very beginning, as recorded in Genesis, when he "breathed the breath of life" into Adam. 
 There are times where we all feel an emptiness or a struggle in our lives as well.  Such is life:  the ebb and flow of victory to disappointment, elation to defeat, and so on and so forth.  

This past Sunday I heard a great message at the Laguna Beach Presbyterian Church.  It was the Sunday after the resurrection, a time to reflect on our joys and victories, our disappointments, hurts, and past mistakes.   The pastor, Dr. Jerry Tankersley reminded us that Easter is ground zero for our faith and for our life.   It represents the beginning of a life where light overcomes darkness,  hope triumphs over despair, and doubt is conquered by faith.
Even if your dreams have been squelched over time now is the moment to resurrect them!  Easter reminds us that success often comes after a defeat and that all things happen for a reason and for a purpose.   For Christians our entire faith hinges on this promise.

This photo is of my fig tree.  Every year it loses all of it's leaves and if I didn't know better I would think it was dead.   Yet each Spring I see it bud and then suddenly one day I look out and the tree is once again full of beautiful fig leaves.  You know what else is so great?  By the summer I will once again be able to pick it's delicious fruit and in fact there will be so much fruit that it will feed many birds and insects as well.  In addition I will need to give a lot of the figs away, otherwise they will spoil.     
That's the way the cycle of life works.  An idea sprouts and grows only through nurture.  Suddenly expansion occurs and you witness a healthy organism where you can see it's beauty through it's fruitfulness.  Then, naturally, cyclically comes the shedding, the cutting-back, the contraction.  We know that all of life is contracting and expanding on a daily basis.
 When we come through our winters, conquer our giants and move on, we find new life, fresh fruit.  We entertain powerful visions for our future.  In fact, sometimes we are so fruitful, and we have so much to be thankful, we need to give some away!

"By their fruit you will recognize them."    Matthew 7:16

Remember that the tomb is empty.    Like a glass of water which is half-full.   Once the water is gone you will need to fill it back up.   What will you feel your life with?  What inspires you, gives you new hope and a fresh perspective?
It's your new Spring, your new beginning.  You decide.  
 God wants to breathe the breath of life into you too.

"Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.  And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"          John 20:21, 22

Now is the time to renew your health in body, mind, and soul.   If you need an extra boost to begin your personal Spring the right way then join my husband and I via telephone on Monday, April 15th at 6pm Pacific Time.
In order to sign-up click here.   Then click on the "donate" button and for a suggested donation of $29.95 you will be sent the call-in numbers and codes and you will be on your way to discovering
what it is that you need to do to fulfill your purpose and your mission in life.   We would love to have you join us for a very lively and interactive discussion on overcoming setbacks, healing from past wounds, and setting realistic goals for a productive and fruitful future.   It's a great class so please consider joining us. 

God is blessing you,
Donna
donna@donnaschuller.com