Change

Change is Inevitable

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…” – Philippians 2:14-15 People today love to say, “People don’t really change.” Let me tell you something — this is not true! Everything is always changing: your body, your spirit, your thinking, your friends, and your job. We have the power to change, and we can do this by deciding on the kinds of thoughts we are going to have. We can absolutely change the way we think to lead a better life. For starters, take responsibility for yourself and stop blaming others.  Imagine you’re in a swamp, feeling stuck in a rut. You’re finding it difficult to maintain harmonious relationships with your spouse, parents, co-workers or your children. There is a danger of

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Hear the Word of the Lord

“So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” – 2 Kings 5:14 Yesterday, I spoke of God responding to the faith of the widowed woman of Zarephath. Let’s look at another Gentile, Naaman the Syrian, a great general who served the king of Aram but was afflicted with leprosy. One of Naaman’s servants, an Israeli girl, said, “My lord, if you go to my home in Samaria in Israel, there’s a man of God who can heal you.”  With a letter of permission from the king of Aram, and a peace offering, Naaman approached the king of Israel and told him he heard that he can heal leprosy. The king became terribly upset, thinking war will be declared if he can’t heal him. Hearing

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Metamorphosis

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18 What do you think of when you hear the word metamorphosis? If you’re like me, you may picture a lowly caterpillar emerging from a cocoon as a beautiful butterfly, or maybe you see a tiny tadpole transforming into a four-legged frog. Whatever the case, when something undergoes metamorphosis, it changes completely. It moves from an immature and undeveloped form to one that is grown up and complete.  Interestingly, the root word for the Greek word translated transformed in Scripture is metamorphoo, which is where we get the English word metamorphosis. In other words, when we come to Jesus, although we are completely loved as we are, there’s a transformation that He desires to bring about in us.

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Revolution Starts in the Heart

“‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘ Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ ” – Matthew 27:22,23 When I look at the story of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, one of the things that strikes me the most is how once the people discovered that He was not the political revolutionary they thought He was, they turned on Him. The crowds that just a while earlier had been shouting, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” were now screaming “Crucify Him and give us Barabbas!” Why did they want Barabbas? Because he was a rebel who had already led a fight against the Romans. They knew what they were looking for and Jesus was not it. Unfortunately, they missed the

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I Know What I Can Change

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,” – Ecclesiastes 9:10a I ask myself Who is in charge of the world? Many of us are starting to ask that same question. With COVID and big pharma, and now a looming war, nuclear prospects, and even before that, weird happenings all over the global network, it begs the question. If there’s some weird conspiracy theory to control the world, if some group is taking over, there’s one thing I know: There’s not a lot I can do about it.  Do you know what I can change? Do you know what you can change? I can change what I say to people in the world around me. I can change my habits. I can change my thoughts. I can change the way I treat people. I can change the things I consume. If I do life with Jesus,

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The New Thing is a Great Thing

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19 In the above Scripture, God is doing a new thing! He’s doing a new thing in your life and my life right now. The new thing God is doing in our lives often feels painful, weird or may even feel like we’re losing everything. I want you to trust at this moment that the new thing God is doing in your life is actually good. God is preparing you for a season of real victory and abundance! Maybe God is doing what feels uncomfortable in your life right now, but my prayer is for you to comprehend this: When God does a new thing in your life, in

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Cultivate the Heart of Christ

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23,24 Yesterday, we talked about how we are all leaders, how we each have influence, and how by intentionally blessing and encouraging others, we bring the essence of Jesus to a dark and hurting world. But in order to do this well, we must cultivate our Savior’s heart from the inside out. Societal transformation starts within each one of us, and after we’ve been reborn by the blood of the Lamb, it’s crucial that we bring ourselves fully before Him. When we invite the Lord’s light to search us and then submit all that we are to His refining hand, He humbles our spirits, roots our identity in His love, and plants seeds of transformation in our souls.

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Move Forward

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:13,14 One Sunday, when I first started in a pastoral role at Hour of Power, I gave a message on moving forward. After I finished preaching, I quickly changed out of my suit and into a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops and headed to downtown Orange, California, where I was pastoring another church. I started my 1999 Toyota Camry, which had over 200,000 miles and a ceiling that was beginning to sag, and as I was pulling out of the parking lot of the Crystal Cathedral, a horrible sound came from my car. Unfortunately, my transmission had gone

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Growing Together: A Visual History, and What’s to Come

In 1955, Garden Grove Community Church held its first service at the Orange Drive-in Theater. In 1961, Garden Grove Community Church held a first of its kind service in a new location — a walk in / drive sanctuary in Garden Grove (now known as Crystal Cathedral’s Arboretum). In 1970, Hour of Power was born with Dr. Robert Schuller’s mission to reach millions who couldn’t attend church. Arvella Schuller served as the program’s executive producer. In 1975, the Arboretum was overflowing with church congregants, so Dr. Schuller begins to execute his dream of building a new sanctuary on the property. In 1979, after overcoming many contracting challenges, the Crystal Cathedral held its ground-breaking ceremony. In 1990, Bobby Schuller made his first appearance on Hour of Power, singing “I Never Touched a Rainbow” as a 10-year-old. In 2000, Bobby Schuller is interviewed on Hour of Power for the first time by his

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