Posted on 12/21/2005 6:53:14 AM PST by truthandlife
A dispute involving the wife of Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen delayed holiday travel plans for a planeload of passengers, but few details were released Tuesday.
At least some people aboard the Continental Airlines flight were less than pleased after waiting about two hours at Bush Intercontinental Airport while the Osteens left the plane and their luggage was removed, said a woman who witnessed the incident.
"She was just abusive," said Sheila Steele, who said she was sitting behind Victoria Osteen. "She was just like one of those divas."
A church spokesman said the couple and their children left the plane voluntarily after the incident Monday and took another flight to Vail, Colo.
However, FBI Special Agent Luz Garcia said the Osteens were asked to leave the jetliner after an "altercation." She said Victoria Osteen "failed to comply" with instructions from the flight attendant. She added that no one was detained.
The incident occurred in the first class section on Flight 1602. Continental spokeswoman Julie King declined to give details.
The Osteens could not be reached for comment, and the Chronicle was unable to contact other passengers to corroborate Steele's version of events. However, the Vail Daily newspaper reported similar accounts of the incident from other first-class passengers.
Passenger Barbara Griffith told the Colorado paper that Joel Osteen was "very calm, very professional."
Lakewood Church spokesman Donald Iloff said Victoria Osteen contacted a flight attendant after noticing that a liquid had been spilled on her seat. The spill apparently was not cleaned up to her satisfaction, Iloff said. The family left the plane voluntarily and took another flight, Iloff said.
The airline issued a statement saying corporate policy forbids identifying passengers.
"There have been various accounts regarding events that occurred on one of our flights," the statement added. "We can confirm that there are no remaining issues between (Continental Airlines) and those passengers, and therefore, both parties feel no further comment is necessary."
Steele said Victoria Osteen was upset about liquid on her pull-down tray and asked a flight attendant to have it cleaned. When the attendant, who was carrying paperwork to the cockpit, told her she couldn't do it immediately, Osteen replied, "Fine, get me a stewardess who can," Steele said.
She said Victoria Osteen pushed a flight attendant and tried to get into the cockpit. Passengers quoted in the Colorado paper did not address those details.
Soon after, authorities were called to the plane, she said, although it was not clear Tuesday whether they were airline officials.
Garcia said Continental officials contacted the FBI about the incident. The agency decided not to investigate.
"It was quickly resolved between the airline and the Osteens," Garcia said.
Steele said she and other passengers were upset that they had to wait about two hours while the Osteens' baggage was removed from the plane.
Joel Osteen is a nationally known author of self-help books.
He became pastor of Lakewood Church in October 1999, building it into what some observers say is the largest church in the U.S.
Victoria Osteen also preaches and plays a significant role at the church.
The congregation in July moved into the 16,000-seat Compaq Center.
My personal taste is for the old Hymns and Psalms. They just seem to have more "meat" to them than a lot of the contemporary praise & worship music. To me, it's the difference between a 16oz Porterhouse and a bag of Pixie Stix candy.
"Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art."
versus
"We love you Lord, we love you, we love you" (repeat 8x)
But, I digress. If the preaching is sound and truthful, God's work will be accomplished:
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." ~Is 55:10-11
"Does that mean Heaven
gets its IS equipment
from Hewlett Packard?"
Unknown, but I know where Hell gets its equipment from...
Rule #1: Never take 'self-help' advice from anyone that sounds like, and has the mannerisms of, Tom Daschle.
Osteen gives me the creeps.
John Hagy on the other hand...the preacher tells it like it is brother!
Let's face it....airlines ain't what they used to be.
There's more to this story than meets the eye. Most airlines now suck royally...and the employees have rotten attitudes.
I agree - if I paide X number of $'s for a first class seat and found something nasty I would expect that seat to be clean. Yes - I can hear people complaining that a pastor and his wife have no business affording such things but... *rolls eyes*.
They're human, they proved it, let's move on. :-)
It would appear that Mrs. Pastor Osteen is a "Do you know who I am?" sort of babe.
Disagree totally. Do what you wish. Keep turning people off.
Meanwhile, Joel, and I, will spread the Gospel. We'll see in heaven who has the greater crowns.
We call them 7-11 hymns. 7 words, repeated 11 times.
Yea, at least Sharpton and Jackson only jet to Aspen for the Holidays.
I agree.. I am a Catholic and live in Houston and do not attend their church services. But the things this couple has done for people worldwide is amazing. Everybody makes mistakes. She is human.
Obviously yet another contrived attempt to make Christians look bad.
Our place in the Kingdom of Heaven isn't measured by numbers - it's measured by our faithfulness in what we were given, as explained in the parable of the talents.
For every megachurch, there are hundreds of smaller churches faithfully spreading the Gospel of Christ in quieter, "smaller" ways.
Let's agree in Christian brotherhood that God can use as many techniques as He wants to spread His gospel.
Yep, I agree with that. I think there is a place for Joel Osteen, for Joyce Meyer, for Kenneth Copeland, for Billy Graham, and for the Pope. Something to reach everyone.
But no place for ItsOurTimeNow?
He takes these sort of double steps in the direction he is speaking. I guess that's the same sort of thing -- meeting you halfway.
There was this man stranded on a deserted island for 10 years. Finally he saw a passing freighter, lighted his signal fire and was rescued. He asked the landing party to help him recover his meager belongings from his living quarters. When they approached his living quarters, the first mate leading the ship's party noticed three huts in the clearing.
First mate: I notice you have three huts. What are they for?
Man: The hut on the left is where I live. The hut on the right is where I go to church.
First mate: What about the hut in the middle?
Man: Oh, that? That's where I used to go to church.
Nah. He's a motivational speaker. He wants everyone to realize the CHAMPION in themselves.
Look at it this way. Is the airline going to risk losing money and holding a flight for hours because of a mere misunderstanding? Probably not. I'm guessing Victoria avoided jail by being famous.
My niece calls some of these new songs "7-11 songs". That is, seven lines of verse sang eleven times. That's not to say she doesn't enjoy those songs, just an observation of hers and others.
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