Posted on 12/20/2005 4:08:06 PM PST by truthandlife
A dispute that involved the wife of Houston's most famous pastor, Joel Osteen, and a Continental Airlines flight attendant ended up delaying a flight for hours Monday. And now, Victoria Osteen's actions on that flight are in the spotlight. Also on ABC13.com: Send us a news tip | RSS feeds | ABC13 E-lert | Info mentioned on air Statements from Lakewood and Continental Following the incident on Continental flight 1602 Monday, both Lakewood Church and Continental Airlines released these statements. The Osteens run the largest church in the nation, so passengers on a Continental flight were shocked Monday when Mrs. Osteen was removed from that flight after a disturbance.
Taking time off from the high profile hustle and bustle of running a mega-church, Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen and his family boarded Continental flight 1602 Monday morning at Houston's big airport. They were bound for the slopes in Colorado.
Their trip was delayed and so was the entire flight by almost two hours. Fellow passengers blame the popular Osteens, specifically Joel's wife, Victoria.
According to passenger accounts, the Osteens were sitting in first class. Soon after the plane's door was closed, the FBI says Victoria Osteen was removed following what Continental would call only a disturbance. The Osteens' spokesman confirms it involved a flight attendant, but that's all. However, one passenger tells Eyewitness News she was alerted to the front of the plane when she heard a commotion.
"She violently ran towards the cockpit, scaring everyone around her," said passenger Knicky Van Slyke. "Everyone was terrified about what was going on. And a bunch of flight attendants ran up and had to restrain her. She was banging on the door."
"Of the cockpit?" we asked.
"Yes."
Passengers say Victoria was removed first. Joel and the children followed. Meantime, everyone waited.
"They unloaded all the luggage to get their luggage and deplaned her, Joel, and the kids," said passenger Dawn Dixon.
Passenger Chad Clay said, "They kept telling us they were waiting on some passengers to find their luggage underneath in the plane, and it was going to be delayed for looking for that luggage."
According to the Transportation Security Administration, federal air marshals were never involved. Local authorities also know nothing of this event. Continental would not discuss details.
The Osteens' spokesman denies a physical altercation, denies Victoria ever banged on the cockpit door, and says she left on her own.
"The account of the event which has come to our attention is inaccurate and overblown. The misunderstanding was minor and was resolved when Victoria voluntarily removed herself from the situation," read the statement.
The FBI says it was not voluntary. Though agents are not investigating, they will review the incident as the Osteens enjoy their Colorado vacation.
The Osteens' spokesman says they took another flight to Colorado Monday.
Nobody has been charged. As for the FBI's involvement, we're told it's standard procedure for them to review all passenger removal incidents. According to Continental, this one is a closed case.
Pastor Joel Osteen preaches to an average of 40,000 people a week at Lakewood Church services. Lakewood opened in the former home of the Rockets, Compaq Center, back in July. It took $90 million and a year and a half of renovations. Osteen's ministry is taped and aired around the world.
Ever see the movie, "Anger Management?"
What's your opinion of James Kennedy. Reason why I'm asking is that the Coral Ridge Ministry is only a few blocks from me.
A drink was spilled on her and she did not follow the instructions of the attendant. She probably wanted to get up to clean off and the attendant told her to stay in her seat and then she through a fit.
I actually knew a preacher who was the opposite of a Big Bucks preacher. He is known as the Flea Market Preacher. The Flea Market Preacher, from Georgia, travels around the country in a beat up car filled with tables and inventory. On Saturdays he sells his knick-knacks at flea markets and on Sundays he pinch hits for preachers at churches around the country. I know the Flea Market Preacher since I bought a leather fanny pack from him last summer at a flea market he was selling at. If I could find the Flea Market Preacher again, I would like to have him as a guest on one of my upcoming DUmmie FUnnies Podcasts since he had some interesting stories about his travels.
I went there for about a year, after attending First for about 2-1/2 years. First smothered me and I didn't agree with some of the things that were preached (single people were looked down on and after two full months of sermons about the godliness of familyhood and the sinfulness of singledom, as much as I loved the music there, I HAD to move on) -- but Second completely and totally ignored me. I just didn't exist.
The last straw there was when I finally got up the nerve to go to a singles Sunday school class and when they asked everyone who was new to stay seated while the others came around to welcome us, people actually reached PAST me to shake hands with a very large woman seated next to me. Not one person greeted me. Another woman got the same treatment and walked out when I did. We went to brunch and both said "Buh-bye!!" to Second for good.
Excellent post. I always like Leonard Ravenhill, so reading the quote in the middle reminded me of how far Christianity has slid in the past 35 years.
Since I'm not Catholic, Baptist, Methodist or Osteenite, I don't make any of it my GD business.
Also in STARK CONTRAST to the life being led by the Flea Market Preacher (see my previous post). The Flea Market Preacher is the REAL DEAL. I know since I saw the conditions he lives in, namely his beat up station wagon where he stores his flea market goods plus where he sleeps. Also the Flea Market Preacher is the dishevelled opposite of Joel Osteen. Maybe Osteen should travel around the country with the Flea Market Preacher selling stuff at flea markets on Saturdays and working as an itinerate preacher on Sundays to learn a little humility.
we all fall from grace now and then.....let's hope we won't get it reported ad nauseum ....
Well my son has the INSP channel on to catch the Christmas movies so being I am the one who changes the channel per his being a quad he sometimes will listen to the Preachers as I work caring for him to get from one Movie to the Next or perhaps Mark Lowry will come on.
So I hear tidbits of sermons and I must say I have heard what my heart needs to hear as I have been grieving the loss of my best friend Kolbe our canine working Lab.
I see your point. Having Olsteen in your area is like a salvage ship wrecking company from another country wanting to come into our non industrial other than fishing bay that is my back yard and want to salvage the Navy MothBall fleet and sell the scraps to China who we hear want to use the stuff to build up their arsonals. All funded by a plan from Congress with our tax money. NO THANKS.
Why, what does living in poverty have to do with anything? I don't think Osteen should be taking people's offerings for his vacations, but he makes millions selling books which is his money. One major difference between the two is how many souls do they reach. Osteen reaches millions. In the body of Christ, it takes all kinds.
I have had my spirits lifted from him playing in the background too.
My local Catholic church years ago moved the 8th grade Catichism upstairs so we could not attend.
There are crappy people everywhere, but God will use even the crappiest if they allow him to.
We all fall short.
I take whatever is offered daily if it helps me stay on the right path.
Oh, I'm so glad you have heard some good messages, anyway, especially at this rough time since Kolbe's trip to the RB.
I always do, too, although right now I am in a rough patch of my own that seems to have no end and the "good stuff" doesn't last very long for me, even when I'm actively seeking it.
When this all started, I called around and looked online for a prayer partner, since I couldn't get to church anymore (perfume allergies finally did me in a few years back). We see "Lakewood" "Oasis of Love" bumper stickers all over town, so I thought I would call or check their website. Did both--there was no outreach at all! I was shocked, but not totally surprised.
The "mothball fleet" you refer to, is it near you or do you mean at Suisun? Are there several ports where they are berthed--and is this US Navy you mean? If so, I'll PM you a funny story to tell on myself.
LOL! Off topic, but regarding flight attendants, I had a good friend who was a very attractive female. The female flight attendants treated her like dirt ... without provocation. She was a nice, fun, happy person and men fell all over her. Flight attendants took an instant dislkiing to her. I suppose some of them believe they are superior to the public they serve and don't like it when someone bursts their bubble.
Back on topic, if I were going to make a supposition based on the limited fact-reporting by a main stream media that works overtime to tarnish all that is good & right in America, I'd suppose the flight attendant was either a gay male or a has-been female who was more than happy to provoke an already anxious famous Christian traveler. Being a flight attendant is not exactly the glamour job it was in it's heyday. Even so, many still walk around with a lot of attitude.
For the record, I believe the Olsteen's have already denied the story as reported by a media that hates conservatives, church-goers, Christmas, Republicans and red-state Americans for goodness sake.
I look forward to hearing the rest of the story.
Oh yeah, 2nd is HUGE. I just now went to their website to see if they still do the Christmas parade, but nope. I put "Christmas" in their search box and got nothing relating to Christmas at all! It was all about "College ministry" on all the largest campuses. (They have so many that they have to distinguish the largest from the smallest!)
I don't know which shopping center they're annexing, but it's probably the one by the parking garage, where Antone's used to be and some other things--maybe a Rice Epicurean or plain Rice Food Market? No, that's not right. That would be the west side of Voss and just south of Woodway. Would you believe they have a shuttle bus just to get the sanctuary--or any of the other outbuildings?
I haven't been by there in a while, either--but all the other corners are extensive commercial properties.
I used to like the Wednesday night free suppers; more casual and friendlier, which wasn't saying much.
I tend to come to FR when the times get tough.
Have not been so low for years though.
Partly having my thyroxine levels too high has me coming and going with short term memory loss, I could not even get on the net due to lack of abilities when I tried too.
Hope things ease up for you also.
Strange to be down at such a wonderful time of year.
Yes I am talking about Suisan Bay Fleet.
The county commish came by to ask how the son was doing one day and we got to talkin about the salvage company and jokingly I said it would be awful to see the ships from Benecia (I migrated up here from that area 20 ago) parked out in my backyard being salvaged. His jaw dropped and rendered speechless for a nano then said That is exactly what they have coming.
Heh heh I got pro active as many others did and rumor has it the company is now looking else where.
And it has been years since I actively protested. The last thing I protesed was Hillary after we got her to sign 3 books smooch up with my son and the night before say on Letterman that Freepers/Right wingers don't come through her book signings. We went out joined some PNW Freepers and the Oregonian wrote up the story. LOL LOL That was fun.
When that corner was populated, it was a Piggly Wiggly store. Did Antone's completely disappear from Houston? Oh jeez! Memories... We moved to Houston in '57, had house built in Briagrove (not Park, plain Briargrove). I remember when the closest grocery store was the Weingarten's which would now be catty cornered across the street from the Galleria if it was still there. Then there was the Lewis & Coker situated on Westheimer in front of Tanglewood.
I knew Second was darned big because last time I drove by they had some kind of presence near San Felipe and Voss where the original Church was on Woodway. Lots of traffic around that whole area attending Second. I had also read about another satellite church they were establishing out along 10.
Dr. Riley was Pastor while I attended Second. I remember one evening he and his family were at our home visiting. His son was graduating from high school and somehow the prom was brought up. Not being the shy one in the family I asked Dr. Riley if his son was going to be allowed to dance at the prom. Dr. Riley told me "We've done our best to instill values and moral, now it will be his turn to decide what he chooses to do."
My poor parents! The things they had to put up with when I was involved. I loved to go visiting when I was a child. It never occured to me then I wasn't always invited. I thought nothing about dropping in for a chat with the architect who designed our house or the orthopoedic who took care of the broken bones in our neighbourhood, etc. Mom was always called and she'd come retrieve me. I'd have been mortified if my son had pulled the same stuff I did.
*Twilight Zone* We lived in "Park," lol. But that was the 2nd time here. I'll FReepmail ya; still owe you one, anyway.
Ha! Good for you! Will send FReepmail so these good people can get back to bashing Joel and Miss Victoria. I just wanted to know what the story was, but ended up reading this whole darn thread.
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