Posted on 12/19/2009 6:37:28 PM PST by marshmallow
Houston, Texas (CNN) -- Joel Osteen strides into the former Compaq Center. Some 20,000 people are standing and singing. Purple lights softly pulse across the ceiling, and mist floats around two giant screens flashing words to the songs.
It's not a pulpit but a podium. It's not an altar but a stage. There is no cross. Instead a huge globe spins, and two massive bubbling creeks flank the stage. A lighting system softens distant corners of the massive arena and spreads colored light and smoke in strategic spots. Somehow, the space that will hold 40,000-plus on Sunday morning doesn't feel like a sports arena.
In the control room, producers watch multiple camera angles and feeds.
Smiling broadly, Osteen bounds up the few stairs to the stage, closes his eyes, lifts his hands and leads a prayer.
"God, I'm going to start this week off in faith. Expecting your goodness. Expecting to have a blessed and a prosperous week. Amen. Well, God bless you. Give him your very best today."
Welcome to Sunday morning at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. It's reportedly the nation's largest congregation and probably one of the most diverse places in America. One third of these churchgoers are Hispanic, one-third African-American and a quarter white. There are dozens of nationalities.
Osteen will give this sermon twice. He later said he knows immediately which segments to edit together into a sermon that will air on television to millions three weeks later.
Between services, he is signing his most recent book in the lobby, just past the bookstore that is one of the highest-grossing Christian bookstores in America.
His wife, Victoria, is co-pastor of the church and a best-selling author in her own right. In fact, the Osteens are not paid to be pastors at Lakewood, according to .............
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Choose what?
Can you tone down the drama a little bit.
NO!!
Read the scriptures and find out for yourself.
Deuteronomy 28, 29, 30.
God lays out the curses and blessings, and then God asks YOU to choose.
Guess you still want to blame everything on God.
What is that supposed to mean?
You keep attacking me for some reason. You're being very immature.
no screen name and Cyberant...making stuff up or repeating stuff Joel told you doesn’t make it true. And any preacher who claims to be Christian but doesn’t have a cross anywhere around for fear of offending someone and thus limiting his market area is not a Christian preacher. Nor is one who says you can get to Heaven without believing in Christ. And you can say anything you want but he does say that. And by the way, how close can you get to this guy? He’s no different from Jesse Jackson. If you’ve got the money, he’s got the time.
And then Joel spoketh, sounding a lot like the country singer Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, “We weren’t nothin’ but po’ folks. Then daddy left the Baptists and went out on his own so he wouldn’t have to pay any dues to the organization and because he knew I couldn’t be a preacher without attending and passing seminary, which he knew I couldn’t do. And, since I couldn’t make it anywhere else, I went to work in the studio ‘cause I figured workin’ one day a week was a pretty good gig. Then I found out how much God loved me when my daddy died and I annointed myself to take over and start chargin’ admission prices. Yea, those among you who are depressed and have a buck, touch my garment and you will feel good!”
One more time, any so called man of the cloth who takes a 12 million dollar advance is not of God, in my oppinion. And I can make it to Heaven just fine without this creep. And he is creepy.
“BLINKITY,BLINKITY,BLINKITY,BLINKITY,BLINKITY,BLINKITY,
BLINKITY, BLINKITY,BLINKITY,BLINKITY da’ da’ da’ dat’s all, folks!”
As I sayeth, go worship at the globe of Joel and Victoria. I’ll serve the Lord.
A decoration (or lack of it) doesn't make or break a church. My church in Raleigh, NC, is a very powerful, successful, and growing church, and their sanctuary doesn't have a cross either. Guess I've been involved with a cult this whole time...
Salvation is: safety, soundness, preservation, healing, deliverance and prosperity. Is that good enough for you ..??
But .. as usual .. when YOU don’t have a convincing argument against anything I said, all you can do is call me names.
Sorry .. but this conversation is over .. because YOU are too ignorant to carry on a discussion.
Good bye!
Hey Terry - Post 113 is for you. Learn up!
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