Produced and Delivered Web-TV Programming
Raising Expectations with Pastor Joe Schofield, Melba Schofield, Stefanie Thayer, Dr. Craig Thayer, Dr. Paul Hall, and Ron Greer
Never Doubt the Power of a Positive Word
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman joins the Raising Expectations team for an uplifting conversation about hope, Christian identity, compassionate ministry, and the lasting influence of words spoken with faith and love.
Friends,
Here is a special word from Sheila Schuller Coleman just for you and tonight’s “Raising Expectations “show!
"Never Doubt the Power of a Positive Word!
Have you ever considered that you carry the power of life and death in your words?
When I became friends with a homeless man, Mark, I saw firsthand that the positive words I’d been taught by my father really can save lives!
It’s my mission in life to remind others that they, too, have this within themselves. To receive and even to give words of life to others."
It’s going to be a great and informative night together!
Guest Spotlight
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman brings a deeply personal and pastoral message shaped by her Christian faith, her ministry experience, and the teachings of her father, Dr. Robert Schuller. Throughout the episode, she reflects on lessons she received about reframing negative language, encouraging people through words of hope, and recognizing practical needs as an essential part of compassionate ministry. She shares stories from her work with homeless families, children, churches, international ministries, and individuals she has encountered in everyday places. Her message centers on the belief that even one sincere and compassionate statement can plant a seed whose eventual impact may be far greater than the speaker ever sees.
Don't forget to check out our guest, Dr. Coleman's books!
"The Heart of a Warrior: Delivering the Children of the World for Christ"
"The Living Tree"
"Unearthing the Lost Treasure: Wisdom"
"Claiming The Identity of Christ’s Children: A Handbook for Families"
Never Doubt the Power of a Positive Word
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman introduces the evening’s central theme by explaining how her father taught her to examine every word and reframe messages from a positive perspective. She acknowledges that speaking this way requires intention and discipline but says Christians can express the hope of Jesus Christ through language that encourages rather than discourages. To illustrate the principle, she recalls meeting a homeless man named Mark through a weekly meal ministry she established at the Crystal Cathedral campus. When Mark told her that he did not believe in God, she responded that God believed in him. Years later, she encountered him again and learned that he had embraced Christianity and was playing guitar in a worship band. For Dr. Coleman, the experience demonstrates how words can function like seeds whose growth may remain unseen for years.
Restoring Hope Before Despair Takes Hold
The conversation expands into the relationship between encouragement, despair, and the human need for hope. Dr. Paul Hall observes that the loss of hope can be associated with suicidal despair, prompting the panel to discuss the responsibility carried by parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, counselors, and other caring adults. Dr. Coleman and the Raising Expectations team describe words as capable of producing either healthy or damaging fruit, especially when spoken repeatedly over children. Stefanie Thayer explains that an offhand criticism received in childhood can become a destructive belief that follows someone into adulthood. The speakers therefore encourage replacing inherited negative messages with Scripture-based affirmations and truthful declarations of identity. Their discussion presents hope as something that can be strengthened through intentional language, prayer, community, and compassionate attention.
Speaking Identity Over Children and Grandchildren
Dr. Coleman shares how she applies these principles within her own family by deliberately choosing affirming language for her grandchildren. Rather than calling an energetic child a “handful,” she calls him a “heartful,” reframing his liveliness as something valuable rather than burdensome. She tells the story of that grandson praying for a sibling and eventually welcoming triplets into the family, which she describes with humor and gratitude. Dr. Coleman teaches her grandchildren to describe themselves as one-in-a-million miracles, blessed and highly favored, and beloved children of the Most High God. She believes children must learn to claim their spiritual identity for themselves so they can resist harmful messages when parents and grandparents are not present. The panel agrees that repeatedly speaking loving and truthful words can help children develop healthier beliefs about their value, abilities, and purpose.
Lessons from Dr. Robert Schuller’s Ministry
A substantial portion of the program reflects on the ministry philosophy and personal example of Dr. Robert Schuller. Dr. Coleman explains that her father was frequently criticized for offering what some called a “feel-good gospel,” but she says his primary concern was reaching people who were not already connected to a church. He believed that those who were already Christians had assurance of heaven, while his calling was to communicate the gospel to people who might otherwise reject or never hear it. She recounts how his missionary uncle taught him that people in China first needed rice before they were prepared to receive a religious message. That lesson led Dr. Schuller to ask residents of Garden Grove what they needed and contributed to his well-known ministry principle, “Find a need and fill it.” The panel connects this approach with the ministry of Jesus, emphasizing that feeding people, healing them, helping them find deliverance, and assuring them of God’s love can be integral to spiritual outreach.
Compassion in Everyday Encounters
Dr. Coleman describes ordinary public encounters as opportunities to offer encouragement and recognize the dignity of others. She recounts meeting a grocery-store employee named Isaac who described his heart as small and dark and said he was not important to anyone. Dr. Coleman responded that he was important to God and continued praying for him whenever she saw him afterward. When she later saw Isaac smiling and laughing, she viewed the encounter as encouragement to keep praying and to continue planting positive words without assuming she would immediately see their results. The conversation also includes humorous examples of misunderstood comments in public places, reinforcing how quickly words can travel beyond their intended audience. The speakers encourage listeners to remain attentive during routine activities because people may be more willing to talk, receive prayer, or accept encouragement than expected.
The Heart of a Warrior and Faith During Difficult Seasons
Dr. Coleman discusses her book The Heart of a Warrior, which she says began as an assignment from God to address the spiritual needs of children. While researching the condition of young people, she encountered a statistic about rising suicide rates among 14-year-olds that deeply affected her and strengthened her commitment to prayer and ministry. She also reflects on helping prepare her father’s messages for publication, including Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!, and offers its central encouragement to listeners facing hardship. Recalling a difficult season at the Crystal Cathedral, she describes going to a prayer garden and receiving renewed strength through the words of a hymn assuring her of God’s presence and sustaining power. Dr. Coleman encourages listeners to pray, as she does, “Lord, give me the same faith in You that You have in Yourself,” especially when confronting circumstances that appear immovable. Her testimony frames courage not as the absence of fear, but as choosing to trust and move forward despite fear.
From Encouraging Words to Active Ministry
The final portion of the conversation shows how Dr. Coleman’s message extends into tangible service. She describes Hope Center of Christ, her pastoral work, and partnerships with ministries supporting children, pregnant women and mothers, homeless families, churches, and communities in Kenya. One outreach began with the purchase of sheep for women in a Kenyan village and expanded as others contributed money and the animals multiplied, eventually helping one woman obtain a cow. Dr. Coleman also discusses her desire for a permanent church property where her congregation could establish programs for children, partner with ministries serving women in crisis pregnancies, feed homeless people, create a school, and provide additional community services. Melba Schofield prays for the property, the ministries, the mothers, and the children they hope to serve. Stefanie Thayer then prays for people serving in ministry and for provision for Raising Expectations, while Dr. Craig Thayer offers a separate prayer for BBS Radio TV, its staff, its continued operation, and its protection.
Raising Expectations Through Faith, Service, and Hope
Pastor Joe Schofield closes the program by drawing together the episode’s themes of identity, prayer, courage, encouragement, and compassionate service. He describes Dr. Coleman and the Raising Expectations team as people who have served faithfully in different ways and who encourage listeners to believe they can face hardship through prayer, faith, and their identity in Christ. The hosts invite the audience to raise their expectations, pray through financial or personal difficulties, and trust that hardship does not eliminate purpose or hope. Dr. Coleman’s stories reinforce the idea that ministry can begin with something as simple as a positive statement, a meal, a prayer, a sheep, or a willingness to ask another person what they need. The episode ultimately presents encouragement as both a spiritual discipline and a practical responsibility. Its closing message invites listeners to speak life, meet needs, remain faithful, and recognize the possibilities contained within even the smallest act of love.
Never Doubt the Power of a Positive Word
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman joins the Raising Expectations team for an uplifting conversation about hope, Christian identity, compassionate ministry, and the lasting influence of words spoken with faith and love.
Friends,
Here is a special word from Sheila Schuller Coleman just for you and tonight’s “Raising Expectations “show!
"Never Doubt the Power of a Positive Word!
Have you ever considered that you carry the power of life and death in your words?
When I became friends with a homeless man, Mark, I saw firsthand that the positive words I’d been taught by my father really can save lives!
It’s my mission in life to remind others that they, too, have this within themselves. To receive and even to give words of life to others."
It’s going to be a great and informative night together!
Guest Spotlight
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman brings a deeply personal and pastoral message shaped by her Christian faith, her ministry experience, and the teachings of her father, Dr. Robert Schuller. Throughout the episode, she reflects on lessons she received about reframing negative language, encouraging people through words of hope, and recognizing practical needs as an essential part of compassionate ministry. She shares stories from her work with homeless families, children, churches, international ministries, and individuals she has encountered in everyday places. Her message centers on the belief that even one sincere and compassionate statement can plant a seed whose eventual impact may be far greater than the speaker ever sees.
Don't forget to check out our guest, Dr. Coleman's books!
"The Heart of a Warrior: Delivering the Children of the World for Christ"
"The Living Tree"
"Unearthing the Lost Treasure: Wisdom"
"Claiming The Identity of Christ’s Children: A Handbook for Families"
Never Doubt the Power of a Positive Word
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman introduces the evening’s central theme by explaining how her father taught her to examine every word and reframe messages from a positive perspective. She acknowledges that speaking this way requires intention and discipline but says Christians can express the hope of Jesus Christ through language that encourages rather than discourages. To illustrate the principle, she recalls meeting a homeless man named Mark through a weekly meal ministry she established at the Crystal Cathedral campus. When Mark told her that he did not believe in God, she responded that God believed in him. Years later, she encountered him again and learned that he had embraced Christianity and was playing guitar in a worship band. For Dr. Coleman, the experience demonstrates how words can function like seeds whose growth may remain unseen for years.
Restoring Hope Before Despair Takes Hold
The conversation expands into the relationship between encouragement, despair, and the human need for hope. Dr. Paul Hall observes that the loss of hope can be associated with suicidal despair, prompting the panel to discuss the responsibility carried by parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, counselors, and other caring adults. Dr. Coleman and the Raising Expectations team describe words as capable of producing either healthy or damaging fruit, especially when spoken repeatedly over children. Stefanie Thayer explains that an offhand criticism received in childhood can become a destructive belief that follows someone into adulthood. The speakers therefore encourage replacing inherited negative messages with Scripture-based affirmations and truthful declarations of identity. Their discussion presents hope as something that can be strengthened through intentional language, prayer, community, and compassionate attention.
Speaking Identity Over Children and Grandchildren
Dr. Coleman shares how she applies these principles within her own family by deliberately choosing affirming language for her grandchildren. Rather than calling an energetic child a “handful,” she calls him a “heartful,” reframing his liveliness as something valuable rather than burdensome. She tells the story of that grandson praying for a sibling and eventually welcoming triplets into the family, which she describes with humor and gratitude. Dr. Coleman teaches her grandchildren to describe themselves as one-in-a-million miracles, blessed and highly favored, and beloved children of the Most High God. She believes children must learn to claim their spiritual identity for themselves so they can resist harmful messages when parents and grandparents are not present. The panel agrees that repeatedly speaking loving and truthful words can help children develop healthier beliefs about their value, abilities, and purpose.
Lessons from Dr. Robert Schuller’s Ministry
A substantial portion of the program reflects on the ministry philosophy and personal example of Dr. Robert Schuller. Dr. Coleman explains that her father was frequently criticized for offering what some called a “feel-good gospel,” but she says his primary concern was reaching people who were not already connected to a church. He believed that those who were already Christians had assurance of heaven, while his calling was to communicate the gospel to people who might otherwise reject or never hear it. She recounts how his missionary uncle taught him that people in China first needed rice before they were prepared to receive a religious message. That lesson led Dr. Schuller to ask residents of Garden Grove what they needed and contributed to his well-known ministry principle, “Find a need and fill it.” The panel connects this approach with the ministry of Jesus, emphasizing that feeding people, healing them, helping them find deliverance, and assuring them of God’s love can be integral to spiritual outreach.
Compassion in Everyday Encounters
Dr. Coleman describes ordinary public encounters as opportunities to offer encouragement and recognize the dignity of others. She recounts meeting a grocery-store employee named Isaac who described his heart as small and dark and said he was not important to anyone. Dr. Coleman responded that he was important to God and continued praying for him whenever she saw him afterward. When she later saw Isaac smiling and laughing, she viewed the encounter as encouragement to keep praying and to continue planting positive words without assuming she would immediately see their results. The conversation also includes humorous examples of misunderstood comments in public places, reinforcing how quickly words can travel beyond their intended audience. The speakers encourage listeners to remain attentive during routine activities because people may be more willing to talk, receive prayer, or accept encouragement than expected.
The Heart of a Warrior and Faith During Difficult Seasons
Dr. Coleman discusses her book The Heart of a Warrior, which she says began as an assignment from God to address the spiritual needs of children. While researching the condition of young people, she encountered a statistic about rising suicide rates among 14-year-olds that deeply affected her and strengthened her commitment to prayer and ministry. She also reflects on helping prepare her father’s messages for publication, including Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!, and offers its central encouragement to listeners facing hardship. Recalling a difficult season at the Crystal Cathedral, she describes going to a prayer garden and receiving renewed strength through the words of a hymn assuring her of God’s presence and sustaining power. Dr. Coleman encourages listeners to pray, as she does, “Lord, give me the same faith in You that You have in Yourself,” especially when confronting circumstances that appear immovable. Her testimony frames courage not as the absence of fear, but as choosing to trust and move forward despite fear.
From Encouraging Words to Active Ministry
The final portion of the conversation shows how Dr. Coleman’s message extends into tangible service. She describes Hope Center of Christ, her pastoral work, and partnerships with ministries supporting children, pregnant women and mothers, homeless families, churches, and communities in Kenya. One outreach began with the purchase of sheep for women in a Kenyan village and expanded as others contributed money and the animals multiplied, eventually helping one woman obtain a cow. Dr. Coleman also discusses her desire for a permanent church property where her congregation could establish programs for children, partner with ministries serving women in crisis pregnancies, feed homeless people, create a school, and provide additional community services. Melba Schofield prays for the property, the ministries, the mothers, and the children they hope to serve. Stefanie Thayer then prays for people serving in ministry and for provision for Raising Expectations, while Dr. Craig Thayer offers a separate prayer for BBS Radio TV, its staff, its continued operation, and its protection.
Raising Expectations Through Faith, Service, and Hope
Pastor Joe Schofield closes the program by drawing together the episode’s themes of identity, prayer, courage, encouragement, and compassionate service. He describes Dr. Coleman and the Raising Expectations team as people who have served faithfully in different ways and who encourage listeners to believe they can face hardship through prayer, faith, and their identity in Christ. The hosts invite the audience to raise their expectations, pray through financial or personal difficulties, and trust that hardship does not eliminate purpose or hope. Dr. Coleman’s stories reinforce the idea that ministry can begin with something as simple as a positive statement, a meal, a prayer, a sheep, or a willingness to ask another person what they need. The episode ultimately presents encouragement as both a spiritual discipline and a practical responsibility. Its closing message invites listeners to speak life, meet needs, remain faithful, and recognize the possibilities contained within even the smallest act of love.
SONS of LIBERTY Radio with Bradlee Dean
How Is The Lawless Society Working Out For You, America?
When Law Gives Way: Justice, Accountability, and the Cost of a Lawless Society
Summary
Law, Love, and the Meaning of Obedience
Bradley Dean opens the live program by responding to a statement that loving one's neighbor should override concerns about illegal entry into the country. He argues that Christian love does not abolish moral law and presents obedience as a response of gratitude rather than fear or legalism. Drawing from the Ten Commandments, Matthew, Romans, Galatians, and other biblical passages, he contends that love for God and neighbor is expressed through moral boundaries against murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and covetousness. He rejects the idea that kindness requires setting aside judgment, insisting that mercy without justice can injure the people it is meant to help. The section establishes the episode's central claim that lowering moral and legal standards produces disorder rather than compassion.
Sentencing, Recidivism, and a System of Indulgence
The program repeatedly contrasts biblical justice with modern prison sentences and rehabilitation practices. Dean and the prerecorded educational narration cite recidivism, incarceration costs, consecutive life sentences, plea agreements, and an interview with a remorseless murder suspect to argue that weak consequences fail to deter crime. Dean characterizes the correctional system as financially invested in imprisonment while society, entertainment, and institutions continue exposing people to criminal behavior. He argues that public officials and citizens share responsibility when they tolerate judges or systems that he believes substitute man's rules for God's statutes. These numerical and legal claims remain the program's assertions and were not independently verified.
From Animal Activism to Cultural Disorientation
Dean plays a restaurant clip in which a woman pleads for a rescued chicken named Snow and later an environmental protest clip involving grief over felled trees. He interprets the clips as evidence that a society can elevate animals or nature while neglecting human life and moral responsibility. The discussion expands into criticism of changing cultural views concerning sexuality, gender, object relationships, and government policies affecting children. Dean presents these developments as consequences of abandoning a biblical understanding of human identity. Because the episode addresses highly contested social and political issues, the summary preserves these points as Dean's interpretations rather than established conclusions.
Equal Justice and Officials Who Seek Special Treatment
The later portion examines public officials and law-enforcement leaders whom Dean says behave as though ordinary rules do not apply to them. Clips include a Nevada traffic stop involving Governor Lombardo, a report about Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor seeking leniency after a golf-cart stop, and a partially garbled Lancaster County traffic-stop video involving a judge. Dean praises accountability in the Tampa case but criticizes officers who allow officials to leave without consequences. He argues that every exception granted to a powerful person weakens public confidence and encourages lawlessness below. His recurring standard is impartial enforcement: condemn wrongdoing, protect the innocent, and apply the law without regard to office or status.
Judgment, Scripture, and the Duty to Speak
Dean challenges the common use of 'judge not' from Matthew 7, arguing that the passage condemns hypocritical judgment rather than all moral discernment. He continues through the surrounding verses, references the distinction between holy things and what Jesus calls dogs or swine, and connects this to biblical instructions to distinguish good from evil. In Dean's view, churches and political institutions have failed by avoiding difficult judgments and allowing cultural pressure to replace Scripture. Repeated promotions invite listeners to church services, events, media resources, and financial support, reinforcing the program's explicitly Christian mission. The host calls on listeners to examine themselves first and then speak and act consistently with the standards they profess.
The Final Question for America
The episode closes with reports and commentary concerning a Minnesota deportation case, alleged preferential treatment, Canadian legislation described in the program as restricting biblical speech, repeat offenders, and the accountability of judges and elected officials. Dean argues that a false peace emerges when wrongdoing is left unchallenged and that protecting children and the innocent requires enforceable consequences. He warns that citizens empower corruption when they refuse to hold institutions accountable, pointing to unresolved abuse allegations and the Epstein files as examples in his broader argument. His concluding question asks listeners what conduct they are no longer willing to tolerate and whether a lawless society has produced the freedom, safety, and justice they expected. He ends by connecting natural civic lessons to spiritual teaching and announces the next broadcast and Sunday church program.
How Is The Lawless Society Working Out For You, America?
When Law Gives Way: Justice, Accountability, and the Cost of a Lawless Society
Summary
Law, Love, and the Meaning of Obedience
Bradley Dean opens the live program by responding to a statement that loving one's neighbor should override concerns about illegal entry into the country. He argues that Christian love does not abolish moral law and presents obedience as a response of gratitude rather than fear or legalism. Drawing from the Ten Commandments, Matthew, Romans, Galatians, and other biblical passages, he contends that love for God and neighbor is expressed through moral boundaries against murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and covetousness. He rejects the idea that kindness requires setting aside judgment, insisting that mercy without justice can injure the people it is meant to help. The section establishes the episode's central claim that lowering moral and legal standards produces disorder rather than compassion.
Sentencing, Recidivism, and a System of Indulgence
The program repeatedly contrasts biblical justice with modern prison sentences and rehabilitation practices. Dean and the prerecorded educational narration cite recidivism, incarceration costs, consecutive life sentences, plea agreements, and an interview with a remorseless murder suspect to argue that weak consequences fail to deter crime. Dean characterizes the correctional system as financially invested in imprisonment while society, entertainment, and institutions continue exposing people to criminal behavior. He argues that public officials and citizens share responsibility when they tolerate judges or systems that he believes substitute man's rules for God's statutes. These numerical and legal claims remain the program's assertions and were not independently verified.
From Animal Activism to Cultural Disorientation
Dean plays a restaurant clip in which a woman pleads for a rescued chicken named Snow and later an environmental protest clip involving grief over felled trees. He interprets the clips as evidence that a society can elevate animals or nature while neglecting human life and moral responsibility. The discussion expands into criticism of changing cultural views concerning sexuality, gender, object relationships, and government policies affecting children. Dean presents these developments as consequences of abandoning a biblical understanding of human identity. Because the episode addresses highly contested social and political issues, the summary preserves these points as Dean's interpretations rather than established conclusions.
Equal Justice and Officials Who Seek Special Treatment
The later portion examines public officials and law-enforcement leaders whom Dean says behave as though ordinary rules do not apply to them. Clips include a Nevada traffic stop involving Governor Lombardo, a report about Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor seeking leniency after a golf-cart stop, and a partially garbled Lancaster County traffic-stop video involving a judge. Dean praises accountability in the Tampa case but criticizes officers who allow officials to leave without consequences. He argues that every exception granted to a powerful person weakens public confidence and encourages lawlessness below. His recurring standard is impartial enforcement: condemn wrongdoing, protect the innocent, and apply the law without regard to office or status.
Judgment, Scripture, and the Duty to Speak
Dean challenges the common use of 'judge not' from Matthew 7, arguing that the passage condemns hypocritical judgment rather than all moral discernment. He continues through the surrounding verses, references the distinction between holy things and what Jesus calls dogs or swine, and connects this to biblical instructions to distinguish good from evil. In Dean's view, churches and political institutions have failed by avoiding difficult judgments and allowing cultural pressure to replace Scripture. Repeated promotions invite listeners to church services, events, media resources, and financial support, reinforcing the program's explicitly Christian mission. The host calls on listeners to examine themselves first and then speak and act consistently with the standards they profess.
The Final Question for America
The episode closes with reports and commentary concerning a Minnesota deportation case, alleged preferential treatment, Canadian legislation described in the program as restricting biblical speech, repeat offenders, and the accountability of judges and elected officials. Dean argues that a false peace emerges when wrongdoing is left unchallenged and that protecting children and the innocent requires enforceable consequences. He warns that citizens empower corruption when they refuse to hold institutions accountable, pointing to unresolved abuse allegations and the Epstein files as examples in his broader argument. His concluding question asks listeners what conduct they are no longer willing to tolerate and whether a lawless society has produced the freedom, safety, and justice they expected. He ends by connecting natural civic lessons to spiritual teaching and announces the next broadcast and Sunday church program.
