God Will Give You Hope

What a delight it is to be at the Crystal Cathedral. It's a beautiful sunny day in Southern California and it's warm. And I'm here with Dr. Schuller, who has blessed us in so many ways and inspired us. I remember a few years ago, coming out and having dinner with Dr. Schuller and his dear wife Arvella. I'd just written a book called, "Failing Forward." Dr. Schuller had taught me so much about possibility thinking and how to fail correctly.

He is my mentor in that area. So, when the very first book came off the press, I held onto it, and when I came out to Los Angeles to have dinner with the Schullers, I gave Dr. Schuller that book. It was the first book and I wanted to give it to him because he is like the godfather failing forward. I have a picture of Dr. Schuller holding up my book, and it's in my office today. So when I see it, I'm reminded of what you have taught me.

All of us at the Crystal Cathedral and all of us that watch his TV program throughout America and around the world could all say from our hearts to Dr. Schuller, thank you. Thank you for teaching us possibility thinking. Thank you, for teaching us how to fail forward.

Let me tell you how I came to writing the book, "Failing Forward." My wife and I were going on a cruise to see the fjords of Norway and about two weeks before we were ready to leave on the cruise, I looked on the calendar, and I realized it was a two-week cruise. So I said to my wife Margaret, "Sweetheart, don't you think that's a little long? Does it take that much time to see the fjords or Norway? I mean, God created the heaven's and earth in only six days. Can't we go for a week and take pictures? So, we talked it all out and, nonetheless, had a marvelous two-week cruise.

Anyone out there who doesn't believe in compromise has never been married. We compromised - we made a deal that I would go on the two-week cruise with her if she would let me write a book, so that at least while I'm watching the fjords of Norway, I could be doing something profitable.

We had this wonderful suite at the front of the ship lined with windows. So, while we spent those endless days looking at the beautiful fjords of Norway, I could write my book. I like to write by hand, so I'm sitting at a desk right by the windows writing my "failing forward" book and all of a sudden, there'd be a fjord and I'd say, "Hey babe. Look, look, there's a fjord! Wow. That's something." A little bit later, I'd say, "Honey, honey, look, look, another fjord."

Throughout the two-week cruise, I wrote the book. As I wrote, Margaret would pull off the pages, read them, and make suggestions and corrections. As we disembark from the ship at the end of the cruise, she had this manuscript written on legal pads under her arms. As we're halfway to shore, she stops and turns around and says, "John, I love the book. I love the book!"

I said, "Thanks honey. Tell me, what do you like about the book?"

"Oh," she said, "your candidness. On every page of this book, you talk about your failures and you're so open and you're so honest. When the reader picks up this "Failing Forward" book, they're going to be so encouraged because they're going to identify with all your failures. But, there's one problem. You didn't get all your failures in that book. I see a series! Failure 101, 201, 301, 401. You have a whole series of books to write on failure."