Joel Osteen The Smiling Preacher

[This excerpt is from www.christiantoday.com. You can find the full article here:

Night of Hope In London
]

Over 5,000 gathered at London's Wembley Arena last night to hear an inspirational message by Joel and Victoria Osteen of Lakewood Church, the largest church in the US.

"Don't magnify your problems, magnify God," Joel Osteen told the crowd.

He went on to share his life story, starting from when he was a college student in Oklahoma, to the moment he met his wife Victoria at a jewellery shop in Houston, to when he gave his first "nervous" sermon at Lakewood Church.

Joel also gave a message about living a positive life in God's favour. "You need to see yourself the way you want to be," he encouraged the crowd.

"It's not enough to see it - you need to learn to say it."

He emphasised that we are children of the Most High God, and because of this, we must live favour-minded.

Victoria Osteen later took to the stage, urging the crowd to "encourage one another, starting with your mouth."

Joel and Victoria Osteen weren't the only ones who graced the stage. Joel's mother, Dodie Osteen, also came on to testify how God saved her from severe liver cancer in 1981, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. The Osteens' two children, Jonathan and Alexandra, also shared a Bible verse and sang on stage.

The Osteens kicked off their UK tour Tuesday at the Odyssey Arena Belfast in Northern Ireland and will speak at the NEC Arena in Birmingham tonight.

"A Night of Hope" featured praise, worship and prayer with electrifying music from Dove Award-winning Cindy Cruse Ratcliff and the Lakewood band and ensemble.

Lakewood Church of Houston, Texas, is the largest and fastest growing church in the US with nearly 40,000 attendees.

Lakewood Church's weekly services are also broadcast on television in the US and around the world in over 100 nations.

According to Nielsen Media Research, Joel Osteen is the most watched minister in the US and reaches 95 per cent of all US television households.

In 2005, Lakewood began holding worship services in its new 16,000-seat facility in Houston. The facility, formerly known as the Compaq Centre and home to the Houston Rockets, was acquired by Lakewood in January of 2004 and took 18 months to renovate at a cost of $95m.

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For the rest of the article: Joel Osteen Night of Hope In London

[ From Go.com, a short report on Joel Osteen's interview on Good Morning America. ]
Oct. 20, 2005 — Author and televangelist Joel Osteen attributes much of his success to his positive message.

Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, which is attended by more than 40,000 people and the services are watched by millions on television. Osteen's father, a Pentecostal preacher, started the Lakewood church with a few dozen members in 1959.

Related: 'Your Best Life Now' by Joel Osteen

"I think it has to do with the fact that I am positive and I preach a message of hope and encouragement," Osteen said of his success. "I don't believe in beating people down. We believe in making it simple and practical," he added.

"I think a lot of it is just God's blessings and favor," he said.

Osteen delivers a similar message in his best-selling book, "Your Best Life Now: Seven Steps to Living at Your Full Potential," and his new book "Daily Readings From Your Best Life Now: 90 Devotions for Living at Your Full Potential," which is coming out next week. His new book is a reworking of his first book into 90 bite-sized pieces for daily reading and inspiration.

"I just challenge you to change your attitude," he said. "It's a choice you make. Thank God you're alive and breathing. There are a lot of people in this world that are a lot worse off than all of us."

"Just believe that God has a great future for us and life is what we choose to make of it so we have to make the most of it," he added.

Osteen has faced criticism for recently commenting on a cable TV program that non-Christians may not go to heaven.

"I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven," he said on CNN. "I don't know … I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God … I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know."

Osteen has since apologized.

"I just don't like to take the approach of just being the judge of who's going to heaven and hell," he said.

"I'm here to present the gospel, which is called good news," he added.

Asked about whether Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers' religious faith should be a consideration as the Senate prepares to take up her nomination, Osteen said: "Well, I don't think it should hurt you in any way. To me, having faith gives you character and helps you walk in integrity."

"But I think you have to be qualified on all points," he added.

[ From the ABC News / Good Morning America site. ]

Oct. 20, 2005 — Author and televangelist Joel Osteen attributes much of his success to his positive message.

Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, which is attended by more than 40,000 people and the services are watched by millions on television. Osteen's father, a Pentecostal preacher, started the Lakewood church with a few dozen members in 1959.

Click here for the rest of the Joel Osteen article. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1232949

[ From the ABC News/ Good Morning America site. ]

Oct. 20, 2005 — Houston televangelist Joel Osteen writes in his book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living At Your Full Potential," that people will become what they believe. Truly believing this is not so simple, so Osteen outlines seven steps: Enlarge Your Vision, Develop a Healthy Self-Image, Discover the Power of Your Thoughts and Words, Let Go of the Past, Find Strength Through Adversity, Live to Give, and Choose to Be Happy.

Click here for the rest of the Joel Osteen article. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1229551&page=1

[ Listen to a short NPR report by Capella Tucker on Joel Osteen and their new megachurch. ]

All Things Considered, July 18, 2005 ·

When it moved into a 16,000-seat building, Houston's Lakewood Church became the largest in the United States. The megachurch, which includes waterfalls in one enormous building, reflects a different direction from other churches, which are investing in satellite facilities. Lakewood's leader, Rev. Joel Osteen, says people will feel comfortable coming to a church service in a venue they've already attended for a game or concert. Capella Tucker of Houston Public Radio reports.