Verified. 921 posts. The day before, he had preached to 30,000 people packed into 4 ninety-minute high-octane services and had now gone full tilt on one stage or another since daybreak. WebApril Simons is wife of Pastor Gary Simons, Sister to Joel Osteen. So when Joel was sitting there and getting ready to preachhe was so nervousI was sitting behind him, and I leaned up to say something to him, and in that split second the Lord spoke to me down in my spirit, and he said, Lisa, I am transitioning you to work with your brother, and just as you served your dad, I want you to serve your brother as pastor of this church. I knew that was the Lord who had said that to me, and I was just so happy after that., Dodie, whose oft-repeated story of surviving metastatic liver cancer serves as a premier warrant for belief in miraculous healing, also finds it easy to accept her sons success as part of a divine plan. Victoria Osteen also hosts a regular segment on Houston radio station 89.3 KSBJ. Nobody! Iloff, who worked for a time in the White House during the senior Bush administration, admitted that he was tempted at one time to try to get Joel to be more political. Preaching a consistently upbeat, can-do message that some detractors refer to as Christianity Litereferences to biblical passages are few, and he rarely takes a stand on controversial political issueshes attracted one of the largest and most diverse flocks this side of the Vatican. Ariella, Christiana, Elliana, Savannah, and Garrison are their five kids, and theyve been hitched for quite some time. Like his father, Joel often speaks of Gods desire that his children do well financially, and prayers at church services frequently invoke God for jobs and promotions and good homes and good cars. We get as much counsel as we can. All youve got to do is accept the free gift of Gods salvation., Quite appealing, to be sure, but what about Jesus observation that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few? On this day, the vaguely dominatrix look of her high-heeled black boots, black mock turtleneck sweater, and long black leather coat with silver buttons down the front was erased by the warm friendliness she showered on her adorers: Hi, sweetheart. A few minutes later, however, Joel changed his mindsomething came over him, he saysand called back to tell his dad that he would do it. WebJoel Osteen visited the jewelry store in 1985 to purchase a new watch battery, and it was there that she first met him. Gary and April have been married for nearly 25 years and have 5 children, Christiana, Garrison, Savannah, Elliana and Arriella. Simon & Schuster released Osteens first book, Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole, for sale on October 14, 2008. April Simons is the Co-Pastor of We Are The Church Triumphant along with her husband, Gary Simons. ! (The Houston Press would later assert that the jingle ranked as one of the most successful marketing campaigns in the citys history.) None of the family members seem inclined to fear that affluence poses much of a danger. Are they on the strongest station in a market at a time with the highest number of homes watching television? I dont know that I have a good answer on that, he said. Theres a real beauty about the way we work together. Prior to a Continental Airlines trip from Houston, Texas to Vail, Colorado, on December 19, 2005, Sharon Brown, a flight attendant, accused Victoria Osteen of assault. He also oversees an extensive Sunday school program, which is expected to involve 10,000 youngsters now that theyve moved into the Compaq Center. Virtually every key person I interviewed noted that We had eighteen thousand people walk the aisles [at Lakewood] last year to mark a new or renewed relationship with Jesus and that thousands of others from across the country and around the world write or call each week to tell of giving their lives to the Lord.. When the time came, Joel and Victoria stepped onto the stage, and Joel gave his standard greeting: We welcome you to Lakewood. Word of Faith advocates also urge people to claim material blessings, including new cars, new houses, and financial windfalls. Her family moved to Houston, Texas, when she was 2 years old when her father accepted a job with NASA, a space research organisation (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Tell them they dont have to go. Joel often makes the same point: God is not mad at you; he is not trying to send you down into darkness. Crescent argued that the space should be put to more varied use and that giving a religious organization exclusive access to a city-owned facility violated the separation of church and state. He seems completely unaffected and can be funny without straining to be a comic. You know, Daddy, I think one day he may be standing in front of that camera instead of behind it. Later that same week, on January 23, John Osteen died of a heart attack at age 77. I dont know.I just think that only God will judge a persons heart. The Federal Aviation Administration fined Victoria Osteen $3,000 for interfering with a crew member, and the Osteen family was taken from the plane which Osteen paid without argument in order to move beyond the incident. An outside group approves compensation. (In addition to contributing a substantial portion of his earnings from the book to the church, Joel has stopped taking his $200,000 salary.) A lively struggle ensued. Joels organization has clearly met the competence test, and even his detractors concede that he is an enormously charismatic young man with no apparent dark side or hidden agenda. Web6 HOUR VERSION of my mom, Dodie Osteen, reads healing scriptures, prays and shares her story of being healed of cancer. Simons subsequently left to establish the High Point Church, in Arlington, modeled along Lakewood lines. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. After his death in 1999, Dodie remains an integral part of Lakewood Church, ministering alongside her son Pastor Joel Osteen and two of her other children, Dr. Paul Osteen and Lisa Comes. It kept me going. I watch you three times a day. You are so uplifting. Yet Joel Osteen is on a remarkable arc, and its more than fair to speculate that he is nowhere near his peak. Some fans applauded them ecstatically or squealed with delight; others handed them flowers or reached out to touch them, tears of joy streaming down their faces. 160 9 shares Like Most relevant Top fan Bea Durand Your mom, Paul, Lisa, Tamara, Joel, and You. She founded the Lakewood Church Womens Ministry, which empowers women at every stage of lifeat home, in relationships, and at workas a result of her commitment and passion. Gary and April have been married for almost 25 years. Joel readily acknowledges that he is not an exegetical preacher who begins with a passage of scripture and expounds upon its meaning for his congregation. I kid about being the least likely to take the church, but in one sense, this is all I have ever known. Today Ill be taught the word of God. April Osteen Simons, shares positive, hope-filled, practical insight on becoming a better YOU in every area of your life--mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. The Osteens define salvation as both a transformation in ones earthly life and the promise of eternal life in heaven. Victoria is an inspiration and role model for women who are juggling responsibilities both inside and outside the home as a wife and mother of two. She used to assist with her mothers jewellery company when she was a student at the University of Houston. Next, Joel led a prayer for healing, prosperity, new beginnings, and a full measure of joy and peace. As Joel sat down, Lakewood executive director Duncan Dodds announced that the pastor would not have time to listen to testimonies or to personalize his inscriptions. As a family ministry, Lakewood cannot belong to the ECFA, nor is it required to submit 990 forms to the IRS listing income and major expenses, including the salaries of its five highest-paid officials. Joel Osteen visited the jewelry store in 1985 to purchase a new watch battery, and it was there that she first met him. Dont tell people theyre going to hell. ! I thought he was the last one. April Simons is the Co-Pastor of We Are The Church Triumphant along with her husband, Gary Simons. I had to say I dont know. I may give a whole sermon and give the scripture at the endThis is what Jesus meant when he said this, that, and the other. I know doctrine is good. In fact, Lakewood soon ran out of room, so Joel enlarged the field of his dreams, convinced that if we hold another service, they will come. When they added a second service in January 2000, attendance doubled. Another plausible choice was Jim Graff, who is married to the third Osteen daughter, Tamara, and who was the pastor of a church in Victoria. NOT EVERYONE WAS INITIALLY ENTHUSIASTIC about Joels becoming the pastor at Lakewood. On an average Sunday, the congregation appears to be about evenly divided among whites, blacks, and Hispanics, with a growing number of Asians, who seem to have a better-than-average chance of being shown on television. Maybe its just Gods favor and blessing., Lisa told me about the first Lakewood service after their fathers funeral. Some of the most vitriolic criticism comes from biblical literalists who use their Web sites to attack him as a devil in disguisea flashy, smiley, jokey human being who is a stench unto God for twisting Gods holy Word and for preaching the doctrines of devils and demons. Specifically, they charge him with being a Word of Faith preacher. Faith healers often espouse this teaching because it provides a convenient explanation for failures; the supplicant lacks the faith to name it and claim it. (In the process, it also gives healers an inflated rate of apparent success, as people claim cures they have not yet experienced, lest doubt thwart Gods willingness to heal them.) He has what he says he has. n wedded to adore. Joel and Victoria live in a large home in tony Tanglewood, as do Lisa and Kevin Comes; Dodies townhouse is a stones throw from the senior president Bushs, and Paul lives on a small ranch near Tomball. All of this was magnified on five giant screens and dozens of smaller monitors spaced throughout the auditorium and underscored by a saxophone whose smoky sensuality sounded better suited for Saturday night than Sunday morning. The site also offers tapes, CDs, videos, and books for salebookstore sales account for more than $3 million of the churchs annual incomeand makes it possible for donors to contribute online. Who is April Osteen Simons husband? Follow. When Osteen was just two years old, her family relocated to Houston, Texas, as a result of her father taking a job with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Once there, Joel congratulated them, urged them to get into a good Bible church if they didnt intend to keep coming to LakewoodThis is not the only good churchand gave each of them a small folder entitled Your Next Step to a New Beginning, which set forth a bare outline of Christian beliefs, encouraged them to be baptized in water, and invited them to attend an eight-week New Beginnings class taught on Sunday evenings by Paul. From the start, however, Lakewood had a great spirit. Simon & Schuster published childrens books by Osteen in January 2009 Little Simons footprint. The whole family lives in a 17,000 As if he had an endorsement deal with Nike, he repeatedly recommended that instead of putting off those things that were nagging at our conscience, we should just do it! Despite that note of insistence, his conversational tone invited knowing smiles rather than guilty tears, and his entire manner conveyed encouragement rather than accusation. John soon agreed, with the understanding that they would never use the program to ask for money. But these restrictions detracted little from the excitement. Joel Osteen Little Sister Will Lose Her Church In Foreclosure Auction June 3: Will Joel Save Her? We have just discovered that April Simons, the sister of Joel Osteen, will lose her church in Arlington (on the auction block) for defaulting on a $32 million loan. FOR JOEL Osteen, the 42-year-old pastor of Houstons mammoth Lakewood Church and the face of the worlds most popular religious television program, Mondays have become devoted to meeting his public. We dont set our own salaries, Lisa pointed out. Gary and April have been married for nearly 25 Since 1990, April is married to worship and praise leader, Pastor Gary Simons. The couple has been married for well over three decades, and have five children named Ariella, Christiana, Elliana, Savannah, and Garrison. Their son, Garrison, is father to a girl named Penelope, and their oldest child, Christiana, is mother to a son named Dean Levi. Thats my point., Well aware of the criticism, Joel said, People will probably laugh, but I dont feel like I am a prosperity preacher.
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