All Things R Pawsible
--
Thru Christ Hoo
Haz Roast Beef
Week 16 (Part 2) of 52 Churches in 52 Weeks:
A Cat, Joel Osteen and Front Row Seating at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas
If I had a cat for every time Arby’s offered me a free cat with purchase of a roast beef sandwich, I would now have a cat.
But I didn’t take the cat. Now I kinda wished I had.
Three hours before I arrived at Lakewood Church to gawk at Joel Osteen preach live-and-in-person at the largest megachurch in the U.S., my stomach started to perform a Texas two-step, prompting me to grab a bite at the Arby’s in Nacogdoches.
When I had received my grub, I turned to my left and was greeted by a stray cat who was politely staring at me through the glass entrance door, sitting on his hind legs like he was begging me to snap a picture and create a really bad lolcats meme.
‘SCUSE ME SIR HOO HAZ ROAST BEEF, DO U HAZ MOMENT 2 TALK BOUT JEBUS CHRIST,
R LORD AN SAVOR?
“Sorry cat, I’m already going to church and don’t have no time for this,” I apologized in my own head, having emerged with the mutant ability to telepathically communicate with cats in an attempt to be more entertaining in this intro.
“But all things r pawsible thru Christ hoo haz roast beef?” was his cat-pun rebuttal, eyes locked onto the foil-wrapped sandwich on my tray.
“Maybe another time,” I lied like Professor X after one-too-many visits from Jehovah’s Witnesses at the X-Men mansion.
“Meow is the purr-fect time…” he would have said if it wasn’t for me walking away to have a Fancy Feast of my own. As I sipped a bottle of Dasani and mulled over the early stages of schizophrenia, I amusingly watched the stray cat turn over on his back while clawing at an invisible piece of yarn to regain my attention.
“Who’s cat is that?”, I asked the two fast food workers.
“Just a stray that just keeps comin’ back,” said the one guy who I had shot down for a packet of Arby’s sauce. “We’ve been feeding him and can’t get rid of him. You can have him if you want him.”
Wait.
“You charged me $1.69 for bottled water, and you’re offering me a cat for free?!?”
They LOL’d. Instead of taking them up on the offer, I declined. There was no way I was going to be able to transport a cat 1500 miles north. So I chomped down on my roast beef sandwich, leaving the stray cat to stare at the glass door from the outside-looking-in.
There’s that oldies song “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Well, the emotional fallout from a break-up is just as unique as the relationship that was forged over time. When my former long-term girlfriend had traded me in like a used car, replacing me for a newer model boyfriend who was fueled by beer pong and bad decisions, my heart felt more shattered than Humpty Dumpty after being shoved from the Empire State Building.
This is probably the part where you would expect to see ‘dumped ex-boyfriend takes victim mentality approach, harbors a deep resentment, then pays a little visit to new-lover with chainsaw’. That wasn’t the case (although considered). Despite my secret frustrations, I wanted her to be happy, but I needed to be happy too and that meant learning my mistakes, take full responsibility for things I had control over, and try to move on. So I began to reconstruct my physical self, working out six times a week, tracking my diet patterns, and lost 30 pounds in three months. I began reading the books that I had grown to avoid to increase my self-education. I took the mentality that if I knew what I wanted, I would find a way to get it. It was a slow progression, but the big picture began to take shape like a few minutes after taking a Polaroid.
The weekend we parted ways, she saw my changes but I still had to go off the grid for good with her new lifestyle. Before I did, I had one final request to maintain my dignity while gracefully bowing out of her life:
“I need to say goodbye to your parents.”
I had to. I was apart of the family through it’s roughest times, doing what I could to be supportive where her Mom showed me the art of living despite cancer trying to contaminate her body, her Dad having the strength of Samson on Red Bull to pull the family together with a modern-day Christian masculinity. The family was an inspiration and had grown for the better through the hardships faced. The night I came over to bid a fond farewell, I genuinely thanked them for showing me the blueprint in the Christian household I hoped to create someday for my future family. When I asked what type of modern resources helped them to power their faith, they both were advocates of one man, someone’s who messages were applicable for the trials they battled together. That man?
“Joel Osteen”
When it was time for me to make my exit, we hugged, shook hands, and the final goodbyes were said. The door was closed on a significant chapter of my life, and I was a sudden stray to the this family. I took one final stare at the closed door, looking from the outside-looking-in.
I had seen his face on books, but didn’t actually know who Joel Osteen was, other than he was a smiling televangelist with great hair. I subscribed to the daily Joel Osteen messages on Facebook and watched his sermons on YouTube. I’m not gonna lie and say I read every message or it changed my life in any way, but what he preached could resonate. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of sin, his one-of-kind messages would focus on the goodness of God, simplifying the gospel with inspirational reinforcement.
For Week 16 to cement my commitment of visiting 52 Churches in 52 Weeks, I drove to Houston and witnessed the most influential televangelist of this generation preach live in person at Lakewood Church, rather than sitting at my computer screen where I pick my nose on the certain occasion.
Scenically tucked beneath a metal forest of high-rise skyscrapers on the banks of a flowing concrete stream called Highway 59, Lakewood Church is like no other. Founded in 1959 by Joel’s father, John Osteen, the congregation started in the back of an abandoned feed store. As Joel said, Houston “stayed away by the thousands”, with an average attendance of 90 people a week. Despite the congregation’s struggles, John Osteen was changing and remained faithful in the adverse times. Transitioning from Southern Baptist to a charismatic independent church, the introduction of weekly television broadcasts helped attendance grow to over 5,000. As a young adult, Joel was content behind-the-scenes by shepherding the TV production for 17 years. Finally, at his father’s request, Joel preached his first sermon at Lakewood in 1999. Six days later, John passed away of a sudden heart attack. After the funeral, Joel stepped up to carry the mantle of Lakewood and was installed as the Senior Pastor. It’s never been the same since.
Under Joel Osteen’s guidance, attendance skyrocketed faster than Houston’s space program. His rising star spanned the globe with televised sermons, currently reaching 100 countries with an estimated 7 million views each week. The release of his first book, “Your Best Life Now”, remained on the The New York Times Best Seller list for 200+ weeks and sold 4 million copies. Lakewood was light-years ahead of the curve, becoming the largest congregation in the United States with an average gathering of 43,000+ worshipers per week. Attendance had grown so large by 2003, Lakewood Church would need to eventually purchase the Compaq Center, the former home of the Houston Rockets, to house the increase of Christians visiting the church. Needless to say, Lakewood Church is in a spiritual universe of it’s own.
After my Communion experience, I escaped to the arena which was filling up rapidly and settled for a seat on the second level. Figuring I had come so far so why settle, I gambled with five minutes before the start of worship to find a better view. On my way navigating to the other end, I snapped a picture of the production area and caught the attention of a security usher.
“Hi there. Is this your first time at Lakewood?” he inquired. I figured that my odd choice of picture-selection was a sign of unconventional behavior, so I schmoozed that it was indeed my first time at Lakewood, and I had drove through a 70-degree climate change to be here. He asked if I was alone, and I confirmed I was. Based on his observation, this was the part he was deciding whether to let me pass through or to have security escort me from the premises. Instead, he said:
“If it’s your first time here, let’s get you up near the front. Follow me.”
Roland was his name and guided me to the front while we exchanged pleasantries. He worked with some other security ushers (all with earbuds) and found me an open spot in the fourth row from the front of a 16,000-seat church arena. I’m sure it helped that I was going solo and I was a prime candidate to easily fill-in empty seats for the cameras, but even if Roland hadn’t found me a spot, I appreciated he had taken time to show genuine interest.
And it didn’t just stop with Roland. Before the service, I interacted with several members of Lakewood’s staff, which included janitors, security guards, bookstore employees, Communion volunteers, you name it. As a whole, everyone was a true class act with a smile on their face to answer my questions, and genuinely made me feel at home (well… if my home was a former professional sports arena). For the ginormous size of this church where it would have been easy if things got disordered or chaotic, there was someone at every corner who wanted to assist to make my visit an enjoyable experience.
In retrospect, maybe I was just glad to be talking to people and not a cat.
January 24, 2015–7:00 pm Worship Service: Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas
Welcome to Lakewood
God is so much bigger than anything you will ever face. His desire is that you live life as a champion, not someone who is defeated. If you are going through a challenge today, claim victory and expect it to be yours. Doing so will cause you to walk with a greater sense of assurance and peace.
Remember, God wants you to live abundantly. That’s why it’s so important for you to be in agreement with Him, knowing that He wants to shower you with His goodness every day. Live your life with expectancy; expecting Him to give you victory in every area. — Lakewood Church bulletin for January 23–30, 2015
The worship concert for Christ kick-started with the uptempo musical talents of Bethel Music. No organ music here. The atmosphere was dynamic, each powerful drumbeat felt like a hand clap from God, each musical note breathing with the Holy Spirit. On each side of the rotating golden globe, a choir of singers clapped to synchronize the congregation in a cherubim beat. The worship music was so uplifting, it wouldn’t have surprised me if the handicap section arose from their wheelchairs and started to perform the Harlem Shake.
I was so pumped for worship, I could have walked on water.
The moment Joel Osteen hit the stage, everyone in attendance looked at him like he had just fed the thousands in attendance with two aquarium fish. He opened his mouth and his glistening teeth were whiter than the transfiguration, his black curly hair glimmering in the spotlights like a halo was above him. He raised his hands to lead a prayer, and Lakewood’s bubblers turned from water into wine. As everyone gazed at him in astonishment, the kind Maryland woman who was seated on my left leaned to me and whispered, “He looks much shorter than on television.” So okay, maybe not everyone was impressed.
What you don’t see on camera is what happens when the Osteens sit in the front row when the band plays another tune. Right on cue, a flurry of crying worshipers rushed towards the front to meet him. This must be a common occurrence, since the security bodyguards were prepared to block the aisle. I’m unsure what was said, but a few minutes later was Prayer Partners, where worshipers came to the front and prayed with a church volunteer. A selected few who were turned down earlier were now granted a chance to pray with Joel Osteen. I lost count of how many Kleenox boxes were passed out.
“This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess: My mind is alert, My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God. I will never be the same. Never, never, never. I will never be the same. In Jesus name. Amen.”
With grace and charm radiating from his on-stage presence, a smiling Joel Osteen related to the thousands in attendance by mentioning that if we’re being completely honest with ourselves, we all have secret frustrations. God could remove the obstacles, but it doesn’t happen. Sometimes He takes a long time to take action, but “with the right attitude, it won’t work against you, it will work for you.”
Osteen transitioned to how God used Paul in amazing ways, basically writing half of the New Testament. Yet, despite how Paul witnessed the power of God’s healing, Paul had a secret frustration, his “thorn in the flesh”. Despite Paul imploring God to have his thorn removed, what’s interesting is that God didn’t remove it.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
What I appreciated about Osteen’s sermon is he didn’t just say, “God will make everything better!” Instead, he preached with practicality, emphasizing to not focus on the thorn and why’s of life as a result of our secret frustrations that can sap or sour life. Instead, it can be used as a reminder to how much we need God, himself included when he preaches. If Paul had focused on his thorn during his ministry, he never would have done what he accomplished. No one needs to put their life on hold due to a secret frustration.
“Paul thought that his thorn was to keep him from being too proud, too puffed up. Maybe that was true, only God knows. That secret frustration may just be a time of testing, where you have to prove to God that you’re gonna be content, do your best, even when things aren’t going your way. You’re gonna keep giving even when you’re not receiving. You’re gonna keep trying even though the doors are closing. You’re gonna keep doing the right thing even though you’re not getting the right results. God could be using that to grow you up and develop your character. Some things you can only learn through the trial of your faith. You can’t learn it from reading a book, listening to a message, you learn it through experience. The Scripture says “our faith is tried in the fire of affliction”. That’s where our spiritual muscles are developed. You can’t get stronger if you don’t ever put any pressure on those muscles, you gotta work ‘em out, or exercise your faith. That can be uncomfortable, you don’t like it, it’s not easy, but if you’ll stick with it, it’s not working against you, it’s working for you. You’re getting stronger. You’re growing. you’re getting prepared for new levels… We can all trust God in the good times, that’s easy. I’m asking ya tonight, can you trust him with the secret frustrations? …The question is not “can you trust God”, but more importantly, “can God trust you”. Will you pass that test?
Witnessing a church service as powerful as Lakewood Church coupled with a resonating message from Joel Osteen, I left feeling like things had come full circle with my former flame and the family that was so instrumental in my life. If I wanted to be completely vulnerable about it, although I loved her and wanted to be with her during that period of weakness in my life, I had to take full responsibility for what was happening to me. I was spiralling deeper and deeper into someone I didn’t want to be during that relationship, and I was losing value of my own self-worth. Originally, I was motivated to change for her in hopes of reconciling. Eventually, that began to change. As I was doing something to beat my secret frustrations, I noticed that God was using the fallout as a trial of affliction to grow me up and reconstruct something better within myself. Through the pain, I was making the situation into the best thing to ever happen in my life. “The One” wasn’t her. The One was me.
Even when we may feel like a lonely stray, looking from the outside-looking-in after the doors in life have closed on something we really want (like a relationship or a roast beef sandwich), we have the power through Christ to look for something new within ourselves to change for the better.
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