On The Fly

In this episode - Don’t Throw Away Yesterday . . .    On Friday, October 22nd, Lori and I celebrated another special wedding anniversary. We decided to take a day and drive to Orange County for a fabulous lunch. While in Orange County, we strolled the church grounds where we were married, reminiscing about that day 33 years ago. Garden Grove Community Church, at that time, was called the Crystal Cathedral. Father time certainly has a way of dimming the past. We strolled the campus now called Christ Cathedral, part of the Catholic Dioceses. To my astonishment, it was as if the history had been completely erased. As we took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the beautiful gardens, I was reminded of all the life-changing experiences we had as church members. And how Robert H. Schuller had affected the lives of millions over the 50 plus years of his ministry. You see, Dr. Schuller epitomized the philosophy of Possibility Thinking, always dreaming about tomorrow. Many only witnes...

In this episode - Possibility Thinking . . . Dateline - November 22, 1987. “Doctor Schuller, Lori, and I have decided to marry and I’m wondering what’s the “Possibility” of you performing our ceremony?” With a broad smile, Dr. Robert H. Schuller winked at me and said, “It’s a very good possibility. However, my schedule is rather busy, so  you will need to contact my secretary to make the arrangements.” So, the next day, Lori called. “What date are you considering?” She asked. “October 22nd, next year, possibly a morning ceremony.” “I’m afraid he’s out of town that day. The earliest he is available is 6:00 pm.” “That’s fine, we can work with that.” After confirmation with Dr. Schuller’s secretary, Lori called the events manager for weddings the following day. “Who is your Pastor?” “Doctor Schuller.” With a professional demeanor, but apparent disbelief in her voice, “You do know Dr. Schuller does not perform wedding ceremonies anymore? Also, our time slots for weddings and recep...

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 ...