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Tag: Lakewood Church

  • Joel Osteen Under Fire: Donald Trump is “A Good Man”

    Joel Osteen is causing controversy since a recent radio interview that took place six months ago, during which he allegedly came to the defense of GOP hopeful Donald Trump, has resurfaced.

    The pastor of the Houston-based Independent megachurch, Lakewood Church, Joel Osteen has a throng of followers at the church and around the world. He is frequently under fire for his “prosperity” preaching that doesn’t ring true with many Bible-based congregations.

    It was while promoting his book, The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today, that Joel Osteen spoke with Kilmead & Friends via Fox Radio, when the topic turned to Donald Trump.

    During the conversation, Joel Osteen called Donald Trump a “good man.”

    Now Osteen is under fire for allegedly endorsing Trump, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

    Lakewood Church has issued a statement regarding the situation, on behalf of Joel Osteen.

    “Contrary to the misinformation making the rounds on social media, Pastor Joel Osteen has not endorsed any candidate for President of the United States.”

    Joel Osteen is the victim of something that often happens when push comes to shove in an election year. Candidates are seeking high-profile endorsements at this stage of the game. Osteen commented in an interview months ago that Donald Trump is a “good person,” and someone has taken that statement–out of context–and made it into something it isn’t.

    Joel Osteen isn’t the first person this has happened to, and he certainly won’t be the last. However for now, he hasn’t endorsed Donald Trump–or anyone else.

  • Joel Osteen: Six Hecklers Removed from Sunday Service Amid Fears of Recent Charleston Church Shooting

    Joel Osteen preaches to the masses each Sunday at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, but this weekend found his sermon interrupted by hecklers. Six people were escorted from the worship service by security.

    Anwar Richardson, his wife, and small son attended Joel Osteen’s Sunday service this weekend. He spoke with Houston’s ABC13 News about what happened.

    “The praise and worship was good. His wife had just delivered a quick message. And the moment he started to preach, somebody gets up and they yell, “Joel Osteen you’re a liar,’” Richardson said.

    Richardson shot a video of the scene, which he shared on Twitter.

    Richardson explained that he and his wife became afraid when they realized there was more than just the first heckler. They had fears of what happened at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston such a short time ago.

    “After the sixth time that it occurred, my son was sleeping in my lap, and I looked at my wife and she was nervous and we just decided we have to get out of here,” he explained.

    They weren’t the only ones either. Other families began leaving the service out of fear.

    “All I could think of is you don’t know what’s going on, and I just can’t wait to find out, so I’ve gotta get out of there,” he said.

    Joel Osteen did his best to keep his composure, however.

    “He (Osteen) kept on going. He kept his composure. He really got the message out and he said no weapon formed against me shall prosper,” said another witness. “So kudos to him for delivering a good service.”

    Donald Iloff Jr. is a spokesperson for Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church. He told Houston’s ABC13 News that the hecklers were members of the controversial Church of Wells. The group hails from Wells, Texas, and is led by Sean Morris, Jacob Gardner, and Ryan Ringnald. All three men are former street preachers in their late twenties.

    Fortunately what happened at Lakewood Church while Joel Osteen and his wife, Victoria Osteen, were preaching on Sunday ended peacefully. However there must be fear in the hearts and minds of many church-goers, following the shooting in Charleston that killed nine members of a Bible study group there.

  • Joel Osteen, Lakewood Mega-Church Pastor, Recalls Beer-Infused First Date With Wife

    Joel Osteen, the well-known pastor of Lakewood Church, recalled the Houston Rockets’ back-to-back NBA championships on the 20-year anniversary of the team’s first title in 1995 and remembers his first date with his wife that became a little beer-infused.

    Joel Osteen, who now preaches in the Summit and Compaq Arena that was once home court for the Rockets, recalled the days when he had season tickets in those winning seasons.

    “Some of my best memories are Hakeem playing against Larry Bird, and Ralph Sampson too at that time…the Twin Towers,” Joel Osteen told ABC News. “Those games were incredibly exciting.”

    The mega-church paster recalled his first date with his wife Victoria, which took place at a Rockets game.

    “I had given away my season tickets and I didn’t realize it. So I had to buy tickets from the scalpers out front,” Joel Osteen said.

    Back in the day, someone from the stands was offered the chance make a shot to win a car at halftime. The nigh of his date, the person chosen was a guy from his section. The man won, and the celebration that ensued included lots of beer.

    “So all of his friends are around me and they jump up and throw their hands in the air, and they all had cups of beer with no lids. So that beer went up in the air and you know how things happen in slow motion. I’m thinking Oh Lord don’t let this beer come down on Victoria…I didn’t even know her. But it totally came down all over Victoria,” said Osteen.

    Joel Osteen said it’s a good thing to remember all of the special moments in one’s life.

    “I believe it’s good to remember the victories, remember the great things that happened in your life, even sports-wise,” he said. “…to go back and say this was good for the city.”

    Joel Osteen commented that the spirit of the winning team permeates the building that now celebrates millions of followers’ faith.

    “This building is where we crowned champions with the Rockets in basketball. In the same way, we tell people we’re crowning champions in life,” he shares. “God can help you overcome addictions and bad habits and help you reach your dreams. We feel like it’s still a place of crowning champions.”

  • Joel Osteen Urges Gratitude, Not Just on Christmas

    Joel Osteen, senior pastor of the Lakewood mega-church in Houston, Texas, urges people to express gratitude each and every day of their lives–and not just on Christmas Day.

    In a recent interview, Osteen said he never dreamed he would be a minister, or head a flock of more than 43,000 believers, but he has grown to appreciate God’s plan.

    “One lesson I’ve learned is to trust, believe that God’s in control, because when I started doing this I never dreamed I’d be a minister. But through it all, I see that God directed my steps the whole way,” he said.

    “I always think it’s important to get up every morning and find something to be grateful for. I find that how you start the day many times determine what kind of day it’s going to become,” he added.

    Joel Osteen says he perfectly understands how one’s problems can seem insurmountable, but he urges people to give thanks just the same–even if it’s just your average Tuesday.

    “It’s easy to think ‘Oh man, I don’t feel like going to work. I’ve got all these problems,’ or there’s so much negativity coming. But if you get up and think well, ‘I thank God that I’ve got my health or my family,’ whatever it is I believe when you start the day like that, it’s gonna feel better,” he said.

    He explained that he focuses on hope and the “abundant mentality” in his ministry because dealing with challenges is something everyone around the world experiences.

    “I find when I give hope I’m speaking to most of the world because everybody faces issues,” Osteen said. “I think when you have an abundant mentality, you believe that you can rise higher. You believe that God has given you gifts and talents. You believe that where you are is not where you’re supposed to stay. You have to take the limits off of God, you have to make room for him to do something new in your life.”

    Do you think Joel Osteen’s message of gratitude will impact those outside of his flock this Christmas season? Might they follow his example and express their gratitude throughout the year as well?

    In today’s insanity–both around the world and in local communities–it seems pretty much everyone could use a little dose of hope.

  • Joel Osteen ‘Sirius’ About His Ministry

    Joel Osteen ‘Sirius’ About His Ministry

    Joel Osteen has long been serious about his ministry, and now he is ‘Sirius’ about it, too. The pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas–the largest Protestant church in the United States–now has his own SiriusXM channel to help him spread his messages.

    Osteen preaches to an average of 40,000 people every week at the megachurch and his sermons are already broadcast on the Trinity television network. This will give the 51-year-old pastor even more connections to those unable to see him preach in person.

    This coming Sunday Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria are set to appear at Yankee Stadium in New York where Joel will preach to a huge crowd as part of his ‘A Night of Hope’ annual event. This will be recorded for broadcast later on his new SiriusXM channel.

    Post by Joel Osteen Ministries.

    “It’s another way to get our message out,” the pastor says.

    He also said SiriusXM approached him about developing his own channel about five years ago with the idea but the time wasn’t right.

    “Five years ago we were still growing,” said Osteen, who studied both television and radio as part of his education at Oral Roberts University. “I didn’t think we could put the time and energy into it that we can now. We’re much more established and have a bigger library. It feels really right now.”

    The channel will feature a time for live call-ins, too. Joel Osteen says he is thinking about taking those calls on Tuesday mornings. SiriusXM will announce soon when the station will begin operation. This new means of connecting to more people will no doubt further Osteen’s ministry.

    Scott Greenstein is the president of SiriusXM. He believes people who aren’t inclined to watch one of Joel’s television broadcasts might check him out on their car radio. He claims he was attracted to Osteen because he’s a charismatic preacher with a wide following as well as a back catalog of material perfect for programming purposes.

    Joel Osteen took over Lakewood Church when his father–who was minister there at the time–passed away. He has grown the ministry considerably. This collaboration with SiriusXM means it will likely grow even larger.

    Image via YouTube

  • Joel Osteen: $600,000 Stolen From Church Safe

    Joel Osteen is known for his gigantic church and huge following. Lakewood Church was broken into over the weekend and as much as $600,000 in cash and checks were stolen from a safe inside the church. The safe also contained the credit card information of several church congregants.

    A church employee became aware of the break in on Monday morning and quickly alerted the authorities and other church members. The Lakewood church has more than 40,000 members and both Joel and his wife lead televised services from the church that are broadcast to millions of people each week.

    “We were heartbroken to learn today that funds were stolen from the church over the weekend,” Lakewood officials said.

    The church is working closely with the Houston Police Department to investigate the theft. The police have not arrested anyone and church officials were not offering many details for fear of compromising the investigation.

    Church members who had credit card information on file in the safe were told to contact their credit card companies and monitor their accounts closely to determine if the thieves had tried to use the credit card information.

    The police did not say exactly how much money was in to the safe, but the church said that their was at least $600,000 worth of money inside. Of that money, $400,000 of it was checks and $200,000 was cash.

    The church said that the money in the safe was limited to what had been donated at church services on March 8 and March 9, 2014.

    Image via JoelOsteen.com

  • Joel Osteen: Lakewood Church Robbed of $600,000 in Tithes

    Joel Osteen is the pastor of the Lakewood Church in Houston. His sermons inspire people around the globe. There is clearly one–maybe more than one–person who hasn’t felt that inspiration, however, because the mega-church was robbed over the weekend of $600,000 in member’s and visitor’s tithes.

    Cash, checks and credit card payments were stolen from the Houston church’s safe over the weekend. The money came from member’s and visitor’s tithes from the March 8th and 9th services. A church employee who retired from the local sheriff’s office made the discovery on Monday morning. The church sent an email to all of its 40,000 members.

    “The funds were fully insured, and we are working with our insurance company to restore the stolen funds to the church,” the statement read.

    A church spokesman, Donald Iloff, Jr., explained that he couldn’t comment on the theft.

    “Lakewood Church is working in conjunction with the Houston Police Department to investigate this matter. We do not want to compromise the investigation by commenting at this time,” he said.

    It’s uncertain if the tweet is related, but Joel Osteen posted the following via his Twitter account on Monday, March 10th.

    Lakewood Church is a nondenominational Christian church. Located along Houston’s Southwest Freeway, the congregation is the largest in the U.S. Joel Osteen preached his first sermon at the urging of his father, John Osteen, back in 1999. A week later, the senior Osteen died of a sudden heart attack and his son has preached in his church ever since. Under Joel Osteen’s leadership, the Lakewood Church membership grew from 5,000 to 43,000 people. Osteen’s wife, Victoria Osteen, now serves as associate pastor. Neither of the Osteen’s attended or graduated from a divinity school.

    It will be interesting to see if Houston Police Department investigators are able to solve the mystery of who broke into and robbed the Lakewood Church. While thieves are no doubt brazen, it takes an especially shameless person or persons to steal from a church.

    Image via YouTube

  • Megachurch Thieves Get Cash, Checks, Credit Card Info

    The well known pastor Joel Osteen and his Houston megachurch has been robbed – the thieves getting away with cash, checks, and credit card information from a church safe.

    Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said Tuesday that no arrests have been made in the theft that occurred at Lakewood Church.

    The goods in the safe contained the offerings that were given on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9. Investigators believe the safe was broken into between 2:30 pm Sunday and 8:30 am Monday. Lakewood followers have been advised to monitor their accounts.

    The megachurch discovered the theft on Monday, and informed churchgoers of the burglary via email.

    Lakewood Church must really do well on the weekends, as authorities are investigating that approximately $600,000 ($200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks) was stolen from that safe. Osteen’s megachurch is one of the largest congregations in the country.

    The church has been known to see more than 40,000 people attend weekly services, and Osteen’s televised sermons reach nearly 100 countries.

    Church officials say there’s no data breach and the stolen funds are insured. However, followers’ credit card information was in donation envelopes. They also commented that they are cooperating with police.

    In a statement issued Monday, Lakewood Church said, “We are working with the police to fully investigate the incident. The funds were fully insured, and we are working with our insurance company to restore the stolen funds to the church.”

    The Houston Police Department is investigating the matter.

    Image via YouTube