Dreamers

In the episode - Dreamers  . . .

"If you can Dream it, you can Do it!" He would say.

We met face-to-face one Sunday morning, standing at the entrance to the church after a service held for over 2,500 people.

As we shook hands, our eyes locked together, suddenly I was the only person in this long line of visitors; he greeted me by name with a broad smile as we left the church. It was only the third time we had met, and he remembered my name?

Out of multitudes of people, this man sees every day - how was that possible? Many called him a dreamer. I would come to know him as Dr. Schuller. The lead pastor of Garden Grove Community Church, or at that time, The Crystal Cathedral.

His sermon moved me emotionally much more than I expected. With a booming voice and a wave of his hand, he proclaimed,

"Today's accomplishments were yesterday's impossibilities."

His ministry had stood the test of time and ridicule. Seated in a magnificent all-glass structure with a blue sky above, surrounded by a garden of palm trees, I examined the expressions of the people around me. They, too, were captivated. Listening intently. His passion for his calling was inspirational.

Little did I know this pastor would have a profound effect on my thinking and my life. "Possibility Thinking," he called it. Philosophy with a pragmatic approach to positive results.

To me, this practice has always been known as positive thinking. Decades of young people had read Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's book, The Power of Positive Thinking.

While living in Los Angeles in 1986, the Los Angeles Times announced that Dr. Peale would be speaking at The Crystal Cathedral. I wanted to see it. My first thought was; The Crystal, what? Where is this "Cathedral?" To my surprise, Garden Grove, California, was less than 50 miles from my apartment in Santa Monica. Sunday morning traffic in Los Angeles was light, not the typical freeway parking lot. The drive would be an easy one.

So, without hesitation, Lori and I decided to make the trip to Garden Grove one month before Dr. Peale was to speak. "I'm sure there will be a crowd; let's go early to get the lay of the land. Maybe we can find a way to secure a seat for Dr. Peale's presentation."

We made the trip, and that Sunday morning changed my life. How, you ask? Seated on the balcony, I became intrigued with this idea of possibility thinking: Schuller's presentation, his body language, the use of his voice, and his facial expressions. This pastor focused on the positive possibilities for your life. Not the typical "You're a sinner! Repent!" What every person listening to that day experienced were positive affirmations like this one;

"I would rather attempt to do something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed!"

So, it was that day, from the thrill of the experience, we decided, YES, we're coming back to this church - every week. Through this man, God was changing the world.

Or it was the creator changing me. It didn't matter. 

Suddenly, the lights were turned on; ideas began to leap through my mind, a powerful affirmation of my worth, my newfound awareness of "possibility thinking," my innate abilities, and my aspiration to be the best young educator.

No, it never came to me in those words, but the commitment was engaging and absolute.

It's hard to believe that was over 35 years ago. Much has changed, but what remains is that spark this dreamer lit in me years ago. A flame that grows daily into a new vision for my life.

We all dream. What's yours? The magic of possibility thinking is renewed every day through faith. Believe in yourself; today is a new day; you were put on this earth for a purpose. Discover that purpose; you, too, can change the world. How will you touch someone's life today?

It starts with a dream . . .

This is Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.