Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book reading

Joel Osteen: It's Your Time

2009-12-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

It's not easy to always be optimistic. Life can be difficult, and in hard economic times it's not just your finances that suffer. Your relationships can be strained. Your health can be stressed. Bad habits can return and negative thoughts can take over. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book reading.

When one part of your life after another takes a bad turn, you can feel like there is no end in sight, no way out. The truth is, maybe you don't have an answer. But God does! Maybe you don't have the strength. But God does!

------------------------------------

#1 New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen offers the inspirational truth that now is the time to activate your faith and accomplish your God-given dreams. It's Your Time!

Click here to start reading "It's Your Time"

It's Your Time!

2009-11-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen: It's Your Time

It's not easy to always be optimistic. Life can be difficult, and in hard economic times it's not just your finances that suffer. Your relationships can be strained. Your health can be stressed. Bad habits can return and negative thoughts can take over.

------------------------------------

#1 New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen offers the inspirational truth that now is the time to activate your faith and accomplish your God-given dreams. It's Your Time!

Click here to start reading "It's Your Time"

Meet the Prosperity Preacher

2009-11-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen: It's Your Time
God wants you to be successful in business, says Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church. It's a message that has made him the leading TV evangelist

Joel Osteen is arguably America's most popular preacher. His Lakewood Church in Northeast Houston is America's largest, attracting some 30,000 worshipers to its weekend services. But far more Americans know Osteen through TV. Over the course of the average month, some 18 million individuals tune in for one of his sermons, making him the most-watched preacher on television.

Osteen didn't even begin preaching until shortly before his father, John, who founded Lakewood, died in 1999. But since Joel took over the pulpit, attendance has quadrupled. Now Lakewood is spending $90 million to renovate the 16,000-seat Compaq Center in downtown Houston as its new home. Once Lakewood moves there in late July, Osteen predicts attendance will skyrocket.

Osteen is also a leading proponent of what is sometimes called the "prosperity gospel," which teaches that God wants people to prosper in all areas of their lives -- including material success. He outlines these beliefs in his best-seller, Your Best Life Now, which has sold over 2.5 million copies since it was first published last fall.

He recently talked with BusinessWeek Boston Bureau Chief William C. Symonds in a dusty office inside the construction zone in the Compaq Center. Here are edited excerpts from their conversation:

Q: Some of your critics say that your so-called prosperity Gospel isn't in keeping with the traditional Christian message, which has often been suspicious of material wealth. How do you respond?
A: I believe that God's dream is that we be successful in our careers, and that we be able to send our kids to college. I don't mean that everyone is going to be rich, and I preach a lot on blooming where you're planted. But I don't have the mindset that money is a bad thing.

[My views] may go against some of the older, traditional teachings. But I think we should have a mindset that God wants us to prosper in our relationships, our health, and our finances. God's desire is that we excel. And we see business leaders who are good strong Christians running [big] companies.

Q: How do you explain the growth of Lakewood? Who is coming out to your church?
A: Many of them are people who have not been to church in years, and some have not been to church at all.

Q: So what leads them to Lakewood?
A: The No. 1 thing that brings them in is our TV [broadcasts]. My assessment is that they watch for three months or so, get used to it, and then say, "Let's go out there and try it."

Q: Of course, most of the millions who watch your TV broadcasts don't live in Houston, and so can't come to Lakewood. Who's watching your broadcasts?
A: It's now 7 million people a week. I get a lot of letters and phone calls, and 99.9% of them are positive. I bet at least 30% of them will say that, "I never watched a TV preacher before, I never went to church before, but I was flipping through the channels and you made sense, you were talking about what I was going through."

Q: How would you describe your message?
A: It's a message of encouragement. I always try to put a seed of hope into people's hearts. I'm not there to teach them doctrine necessarily, but to let them know that God is a good God, and has a plan for their lives. Hopefully, that will restore their faith, or draw them into faith. So I am absolutely trying to bring them to Christianity.

Q: How much have you increased your TV broadcasts in recent years?
A: When my father died, we were on locally in Houston, and on one national cable channel. But after I took over, we really started expanding. We decided to go to the 25 largest TV markets and buy airtime on one of the four top networks [in each market]. We also were very strategic [in increasing our cable-network] airtime buys.

Q: Do you ask for money on your broadcasts, like televangelists have done in the past?
A: We never have. There are so many skeptics and so many things that turn people off. We want to give as pure and as sincere a message as possible. I didn't want people to get to the end of our broadcast and say, "What he really wants is our money."

Q: So you don't get contributions from your TV viewers?
A: It's amazing how people will give when you don't ask. Many of them send money because they believe in the message.

Q: Why are you moving to the Compaq Center?
A: We knew we needed a bigger auditorium [than the 8,000-seat auditorium the church has in its current home in Northeast Houston]. And the roads near Lakewood aren't designed for the thousands of people who come out there. On a typical Sunday, they might sit in traffic for 30 minutes. So we started looking, and word came that the Compaq Center might be available.

Q: What will happen when you move into the Compaq Center, with its 16,000 seats?
A: Practically every Houstonian has been to the Compaq Center. It attracts 2 million visitors a year. So I think we're going to grow. If everyone comes who tells me they're going to come, we're going to need a bigger auditorium. I feel we're going to see a day where we see 100,000 people come and worship with us on a weekend, between our five services.

Q: How do you explain the fact that Lakewood is so integrated, with huge numbers of blacks, Hispanics, and whites?
A: That started under my father. All I can say is that we offer a simple message. It is the love and acceptance people feel when they come here.

Q: What are the prospects for evangelical Christainity?
A: I see it continuing to grow. The election [last November] stirred it up, with the President being outspoken like he is. I think that has given more credibility to the idea that it is O.K. to be a Christian today, that it is O.K. to say "I go to church, that I love God, and live by Godly principles."

Q: Do you get involved at politics at Lakewood?
A: We really don't. We get a lot of opportunities, but it isn't my thing. We encourage people to vote, but not for any one party. And we don't have political leaders speak at Lakewood. Source

Earthly Empires

2009-11-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

How evangelical churches are borrowing from business playbook
There's no shortage of churches in Houston, deep in the heart of the Bible Belt. So it's surprising that the largest one in the city -- and in the entire country -- is tucked away in a depressed corner most Houstonians would never dream of visiting. Yet 30,000 people endure punishing traffic on the narrow roads leading to Lakewood Church every weekend to hear Pastor Joel Osteen deliver upbeat messages of hope. A youthful-looking 42-year-old with a ready smile, he reassures the thousands who show up at each of his five weekend services that "God has a great future in store for you." His services are rousing affairs that often include his wife, Victoria, leading prayers and his mother, Dodie, discussing passages from the Bible.

Osteen is so popular that he has nearly quadrupled attendance since taking over the pulpit from his late father in 1999, winning over believers from other churches as well as throngs of the "unsaved." Many are drawn first by his ubiquitous presence on television. Each week 7 million people catch the slickly produced broadcast of his Sunday sermons on national cable and network channels, for which Lakewood shells out $15 million a year. Adherents often come clutching a copy of Osteen's best-seller, Your Best Life Now, which has sold 2.5 million copies since its publication last fall.

To keep them coming back, Lakewood offers free financial counseling, low-cost bulk food, even a "fidelity group" for men with "sexual addictions." Demand is brisk for the self-help sessions. Angie Mosqueda, 34, who was brought up a Catholic, says she and her husband, Mark, first went to Lakewood in 2000 when they were on the brink of a divorce. Mark even threw her out of the house after she confessed to infidelity. But over time, Lakewood counselors "really helped us to forgive one another and start all over again," she says.

Disney Look
Osteen's flourishing Lakewood enterprise brought in $55 million in contributions last year, four times the 1999 amount, church officials say. Flush with success, Osteen is laying out $90 million to transform the massive Compaq Center in downtown Houston -- former home of the NBA's Houston Rockets -- into a church that will seat 16,000, complete with a high-tech stage for his TV shows and Sunday School for 5,000 children. After it opens in July, he predicts weekend attendance will rocket to 100,000. Says Osteen: "Other churches have not kept up, and they lose people by not changing with the times."

Pastor Joel is one of a new generation of evangelical entrepreneurs transforming their branch of Protestantism into one of the fastest-growing and most influential religious groups in America. Their runaway success is modeled unabashedly on business. They borrow tools ranging from niche marketing to MBA hiring to lift their share of U.S. churchgoers. Like Osteen, many evangelical pastors focus intently on a huge potential market -- the millions of Americans who have drifted away from mainline Protestant denominations or simply never joined a church in the first place.

To reach these untapped masses, savvy leaders are creating Sunday Schools that look like Disney World (DIS ) and church cafés with the appeal of Starbucks (SBUX ). Although most hold strict religious views, they scrap staid hymns in favor of multimedia worship and tailor a panoply of services to meet all kinds of consumer needs, from divorce counseling to help for parents of autistic kids. Like Osteen, many offer an upbeat message intertwined with a religious one. To make newcomers feel at home, some do away with standard religious symbolism -- even basics like crosses and pews -- and design churches to look more like modern entertainment halls than traditional places of worship.

Branding Whiz
So successful are some evangelicals that they're opening up branches like so many new Home Depots (HD ) or Subways. This year, the 16.4 million-member Southern Baptist Convention plans to "plant" 1,800 new churches using by-the-book niche-marketing tactics. "We have cowboy churches for people working on ranches, country music churches, even several motorcycle churches aimed at bikers," says Martin King, a spokesman for the Southern Baptists' North American Mission Board.

Branding whizzes that they are, the new church leaders are spreading their ideas through every available outlet. A line of "Biblezines" packages the New Testament in glossy magazines aimed at different market segments -- there's a hip-hop version and one aimed at teen girls. Christian music appeals to millions of youths, some of whom otherwise might never give church a second thought, serving up everything from alternative rock to punk and even "screamo" (they scream religious lyrics). California megachurch pastor Rick Warren's 2002 book, The Purpose-Driven Life, has become the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time, with more than 23 million copies sold, in part through a novel "pyro marketing" strategy. Then there's the Left Behind phenomenon, a series of action-packed, apocalyptic page-turners about those left on earth after Christ's second coming, selling more than 60 million copies since 1995.

Evangelicals' eager embrace of corporate-style growth strategies is giving them a tremendous advantage in the battle for religious market share, says Roger Finke, a Pennsylvania State University sociology professor and co-author of a new book, The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy. A new Pope has given Catholicism a burst of global publicity, but its nominal membership growth in the U.S. stems largely from the influx of Mexican immigrants. Overall, the Catholic Church's long-term decline in U.S. attendance accelerated after the recent sex-abuse scandals, there's a severe priest shortage, and parish churches and schools are closing in the wake of a financial crisis.

Similarly, the so-called mainline Protestants who dominated 20th century America have become the religious equivalent of General Motors Corp. (GM ) The large denominations -- including the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church -- have been shrinking for decades and have lost more than 1 million members in the past 10 years alone. Today, mainline Protestants account for just 16% of the U.S. population, says University of Akron political scientist John C. Green.

In contrast, evangelicalism's theological flexibility gives it the freedom to adapt to contemporary culture. With no overarching authority like the Vatican, leaders don't need to wrestle with a bureaucratic hierarchy that dictates acceptable behavior. "If you have a vision for ministry, you just do it, which makes it far easier to respond to market demand," says University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sociology professor Christian Smith.

With such low barriers to entry, the number of evangelical megachurches -- defined as those that attract at least 2,000 weekly worshippers -- has shot up to 880 from 50 in 1980, figures John N. Vaughan, founder of research outfit Church Growth Today in Bolivar, Mo. He calculates that a new megachurch emerges in the U.S. an average of every two days. Overall, white evangelicals make up more than a quarter of Americans today, experts estimate. The figures are fuzzy because there's no common definition of evangelical, which typically refers to Christians who believe the Bible is the literal work of God. They may include many Southern Baptists, nondenominational churches, and some Lutherans and Methodists. There are also nearly 25 million black Protestants who consider themselves evangelicals but largely don't share the conservative politics of most white ones. Says pollster George Gallup, who has studied religious trends for decades: "The evangelicals are the most vibrant branch of Christianity."

The triumph of evangelical Christianity is profoundly reshaping many aspects of American politics and society. Historically, much of the U.S. political and business elite has been mainline Protestant. Today, President George W. Bush and more than a dozen members of Congress, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, are evangelicals. More important, the Republican Right has been fueled by the swelling ranks of evangelicals, whose leaders tend to be conservative politically despite their progressive marketing methods. In the 1960s and '70s, prominent evangelicals like Billy Graham kept a careful separation of pulpit and politics -- even though he served as a spiritual adviser to President Richard M. Nixon. That began to change in the early 1980s, when Jerry Falwell formed the Moral Majority to express evangelicals' political views. Many of today's evangelicals hope to expand their clout even further. They're also gaining by taking their views into Corporate America. Exhibit A: the recent clash at software giant Microsoft.

As they thrive, though, there are growing tensions, with some mainline Protestants offended by their conservative politics and brazen marketing. "Jesus was not a capitalist; check out what [He] says about how hard it is to get into heaven if you're a rich man," says the Reverend Robert W. Edgar, general secretary of the liberal National Council of Churches.

Especially controversial are leaders like Osteen and the flamboyant Creflo A. Dollar, pastor of World Changers Church International in College Park, Ga., who preach "the prosperity gospel." They endorse material wealth and tell followers that God wants them to be prosperous. In his book, Osteen talks about how his wife, Victoria, a striking blonde who dresses fashionably, wanted to buy a fancy house some years ago, before the money rolled in. He thought it wasn't possible. "But Victoria had more faith," he wrote. "She convinced me we could live in an elegant home...and several years later, it did come to pass." Dollar, too, defends materialistic success. Dubbed "Pass-the-Dollar" by critics, he owns two Rolls Royces (RYCEY ) and travels in a Gulfstream 3 jet. "I practice what I preach, and the Bible says...that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants," says Dollar, 43, nattily attired in French cuffs and a pinstriped suit.

Hucksters?
Some evangelical leaders acknowledge that flagrant materialism can raise the specter of religious hucksterism à la Sinclair Lewis' fictional Elmer Gantry or Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. "Our goal is not to turn the church into a business," insists Warren, the founder of Saddleback megachurch in Lake Forest, Calif. After The Purpose-Driven Life made him millions, he repaid Saddleback all the salary he had taken over the years and still lives modestly. Cautions Kurt Frederickson, a director of the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.: "We have to be careful when a pastor moves into the CEO mode and becomes too market-oriented, or there might be a reaction against megachurches just as there is against Wal-Mart."

Many evangelicals say they're just trying to satisfy demands not met by traditional churches. Craig Groeschel, who launched Life Church in Edmond, Okla., in 1996, started out doing market research with non-churchgoers in the area -- and got an earful. "They said churches were full of hypocrites and were boring," he recalls. So he designed Life Church to counter those preconceptions, with lively, multimedia-filled services in a setting that's something between a rock concert and a coffee shop.

Once established, some ambitious churches are making a big business out of spreading their expertise. Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., formed a consulting arm called Willow Creek Assn. It earned $17 million last year, partly by selling marketing and management advice to 10,500 member churches from 90 denominations. Jim Mellado, the hard-charging Harvard MBA who runs it, last year brought an astonishing 110,000 church and lay leaders to conferences on topics such as effective leadership. "Our entrepreneurial impulse comes from the Biblical mandate to get the message out," says Willow Creek founder Bill Hybels, who hired Stanford MBA Greg Hawkins, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant, to handle the church's day-to-day management. Willow Creek's methods have even been lauded in a Harvard Business School case study.

Hybel's consumer-driven approach is evident at Willow Creek, where he shunned stained glass, Bibles, or even a cross for the 7,200-seat, $72 million sanctuary he recently built. The reason? Market research suggested that such traditional symbols would scare away non-churchgoers. He also gives practical advice. On a recent Wednesday evening, one of his four "teaching" pastors gave a service that started with 20 minutes of music, followed by a lengthy sermon about the Christian approach to personal finances. He told the 5,000 listeners about resisting advertising aimed at getting people to buy things they don't need and suggested they follow up at home by e-mailing questions. Like Osteen, Hybel packages self-help programs with a positive message intended to make people feel good about themselves. "When I walk out of a service, I feel completely relieved of any stress I walked in with," says Phil Earnest, 38, a sales manager who in 2003 switched to Willow Creek from the Methodist Church he found too stodgy.

So adept at the sell are some evangelicals that it can be difficult to distinguish between their religious aims and the secular style they mimic. Last December, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Tex., staged a spectacular Christmas festival, including a 500-person choir, that attracted 70,000 people even though the cheapest ticket was $20. Throughout the year, some 16,000 people take part in its sports program, which uses eight playing fields and six gyms on its $100 million, 140-acre campus. The teams, coached by church members, bring in converts, many of them children, says Executive Pastor Mike Buster.

Gushers of Cash
Kids are often a prime target audience for megachurches. The main campus of Groeschel's Life Church in Edmond, Okla., includes a "Toon Town" of 3D buildings, a 16-foot high slide, and an animatronic police chief who recites rules. All the razzmatazz has helped Life Church quadruple its Sunday school attendance to more than 2,500 a week. "The kids are bringing their parents to church," says children's pastor Scott Werner.

Such marketing and services help to create brand loyalty any CEO would envy. Willow Creek ranks in the top 5% of 250 major brands, right up with Nike (NIKE ) and John Deere (DE ), says Eric Arnson. He helped develop a consumer-brand practice that McKinsey then bought and recently did a pro bono study for Willow Creek using that methodology.

Other megachurches are franchising their good name. Life Church now has five campuses in Oklahoma and will expand into Phoenix this fall. Pastor Groeschel jumped the 1,000 miles to Arizona after market research pinpointed Phoenix as an area with a large population but few effective churches. Atlanta's Dollar, who is African American, has pushed into five countries, including Nigeria and South Africa.

All this growth, plus the tithing many evangelicals encourage, is generating gushers of cash. A traditional U.S. church typically has fewer than 200 members and an annual budget of around $100,000. The average megachurch pulls in $4.8 million, according to a 1999 study by the Hartford Seminary, one of the few surveys on the topic. The money is also fueling a megachurch building boom. First Baptist Church of Woodstock, near Atlanta, for example, has just finished a $62 million, 7,000-seat sanctuary.

Megachurch business ventures sometimes grow beyond the bounds of the church itself. In the mid-1990s, Kirbyjon Caldwell, a Wharton MBA who sold bonds for First Boston before he enrolled in seminary, formed an economic development corporation that revived a depressed neighborhood near Houston's 14,000-member Windsor Village United Methodist Church, which he heads. A former Kmart now houses a mix of church and private businesses employing 270 people, including a Christian school and a bank. New plans call for a massive center with senior housing, retailing, and a public school.

For all their seemingly unstoppable success, evangelicals must contend with powerful forces in U.S. society. The ranks of Americans who express no religious preference have quadrupled since 1991, to 14%, according to a recent poll. Despite the megachurch surge, overall church attendance has remained fairly flat. And if anything, popular culture has become more vulgar in recent years. Still, experts like pollster Gallup see clear signs of a rising fascination with spirituality in the U.S. The September 11 attacks are one reason. So is the aging of the culturally influential Baby Boom, since spirituality tends to increase with age, he says. If so, no one is better poised than evangelicals to capitalize on the trend. Source

Joel Osteen Answers His Critics

2009-11-28T21:09:00.000-08:00

(CBS) CBS interview 60 minutes: This segment was originally broadcast on Oct. 14, 2007. It was updated on June 5, 2008.

Every once in a while, a preacher breaks through and catches the attention of the public on a national level. Joel Osteen has done that, as Byron Pitts first reported back in October.

He is the most popular preacher in the country, his services seen by over seven million viewers on TV every week.

Nine years ago Osteen was virtually unknown even in his own church in Houston. A college drop-out, he worked behind the scenes producing his father, Pastor John Osteen's, television ministry. When his father died, he stepped out in front of the camera and started to catch on. So why are so many people flocking to Joel Osteen?

Osteen's service is an uninhibited celebration that's part rock concert, part spectacular. There are no crosses, no religious symbols whatsoever. It's all taped and broadcast around the world. His service is seen in 100 foreign countries and is the most watched religious broadcast in America.

"You get ten or fifteen thousand people that are excited about God. They’re from every race and every denomination and every background. They wanna be here, they weren't drug to come to church. And so there's something about that. It creates an attitude of expectancy. And we cheer and we shout and there's joy. And I try to leave them better off than they were before," Osteen tells Pitts.

They come by the thousands to nondenominational Lakewood Church, a former basketball arena in Houston, Texas, filling it to the rafters. They come hungry to hear first hand Joel Osteen's message of empowerment and inspiration.

"My message is a message of hope that God is a good God, and that no matter what we’ve done, where we’ve been, God has a great plan for our lives. And when we walk in his ways they can take us places we’ve never dreamed of," Osteen explains.

Osteen preaches his own version of what is known as the "prosperity gospel" -- that God is a loving, forgiving God who will reward believers with health, wealth and happiness. It's the centerpiece of every sermon.

"I want you to get a bigger vision. There are exciting things in your future. Your future is filled with marked moments of blessing, increase, promotion. God has already ordained before the foundation of the world, the right people, the right opportunity. Time and chance are coming together for you. Why don’t you get your hopes up?" Osteen tells his audience. "Why don't you start believing that no matter what you have or haven't done, that your best days are still out in front of you."

It's an appealing, comforting message, and he follows it up with advice.

"If you’re not making as much progress as you would like, here's the key: don't lose any ground. Keep a good attitude and do the right thing even when it's hard. When you do that you are passing the test. And God promises you your marked moments are on their way," Osteen says.

"You said 'I like to see myself as a life coach, a motivator to help them experience the life of God that God has for them. People don’t like to be beat down and told 'You’ve done wrong.' What do you mean?" Pitts asks.

"Well, I think that most people already know what they’re doing wrong. And for me to get in here and just beat ‘em down and talk down to ‘em, I just don’t think that inspires anybody to rise higher. But I want to motivate. I wanna motivate every person to leave here to be a better father, a better husband, to break addictions to come up higher in their walk with the Lord," Osteen says.

"I mean is that being a pastor or is that being Dr. Phil or Oprah?" Pitts asks.

"No, I think we use God’s word. I think the principles that you hear Dr. Phil and some of those others talk about many times are right out of the Bible," Osteen says.

"Do you ever fear with this message of optimism you may be misleading some people? That some people think, 'Well, gee if I just think positive things about my life will turn around.' And for some people that never happens," Pitts asks.

"Yeah, I don't fear it because we don't just teach that. Cause I teach that even in the tough times you have to embrace where you are. Know that God’s giving you the strength to overcome. You can even be positive in a negative situation and it will help you stay filled with hope," Osteen tells Pitts. More

A Word from Joel Osteen

2009-11-13T13:09:00.001-08:00

Dear Amazon Customer,

I am very excited to be working with Amazon.com as an online bookseller and partner for the publication of my books. As a leader in e-commerce, Amazon.com is an informative and innovative online resource. Get ready to embark on a remarkable journey.

One that will help you break free from the past and realize your full potential as a spouse, parent, or friend. Whether you realize it or not, miracles are happening all around you. I'm confident that reading these books will lead you to accept the gift of who you were meant to be and live a life filled with more hope, joy, and victory.

Believing for God's Best,

Joel Osteen

(Here, you are shopping at Amazon Associates website. All payment and purchase will be made through Amazon.com reliable and trustful website).

A Conversation With Joel Osteen

2009-11-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen: It's Your Time

By JESSE BOGAN: June 26, 2009: Forbes.com

Forbes recently talked to the head of America's biggest megachurch about his dreams, his wealth and his life as a megapastor.

HOUSTON -- Ten years ago, Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, took over his father's ministry, stepping out from the church media room, where he edited broadcasts. Since then, he's driven it to become the largest megachurch in the U.S., with some 43,500 people attending services each week in what used to be an NBA arena. The nondenominational church that preaches optimism operates on a $70 million budget. Forbes recently talked to Osteen about his dreams, his wealth and his life as a megapastor.

Forbes: During Sunday's sermon, you preached about how we should mind our own business and stay positive. (A critic of Moses' interracial marriage was stricken with leprosy.) Am I at risk of getting a major skin illness by asking you a few professional and personal questions?

Osteen: No, you'll be fine.

What do you think has driven the growth of megachurches in the past 30 years?

My dad had a church of 90 people when I was born. It was just, over the years it continued to grow. Maybe it's just where we are in America today, and it's just an outgrowth of 30 years of people being faithful to their faith ... Sometimes we get criticized, "Joel, why did you want to build a church like this?" But we never set out to have a big church, we just never wanted to turn people away

With the second largest megachurch in the country across town from you, Edwin Young's Second Baptist Church, why is Houston such a draw?

I've thought about that myself. We are here in the South, but I don't know.

How do you envision the church in the next 30 years?

Hopefully we will continue to grow and help more people ... When I was growing up, a church of 1,000 was a big deal, but you know what, it's just a different day today. I don't know where we will be in 30 years. Will there be churches of 100,000, or will we be meeting in big stadiums? I can't fathom that now, but I don't know.

What are the main challenges and benefits of a church your size?

The challenge is to always make it feel personal, or personable, or whatever the word is, and not feel like you are coming into a big area with 20,000 people, where it's like, "I didn't go to church today, I went to a basketball game."
The benefits are when you have that many resources you can have a great staff, you can have great music and great programs. We just have a variety of things we can offer people. I love the fact that we have people that do their taxes every year, give kids back-to-school backpacks, such a wide variety of things.

As churches get bigger, offer more services, do you foresee it being a challenge to maintain tax exemption status for "religious activities" or are you already seeing that?

Maybe I am not up to speed on this much, coming from the other side, the ministry side. I don't think so. I think as we do things, it's all ministry oriented. We are not out there doing something so we can make money.

How far does your ministry reach?

Yesterday, I probably met people from a dozen different countries, it goes all over the world through television, so it's a different day with the media and the way the satellites and the cable take it all over the world. I hope we can just penetrate more countries and, you know, bring more hope to people ... I don't want to say it's a weird thing, I shouldn't put it that way, but it's an unusual thing that for some reason people that don't normally go to church, I think I have a way--not just me--but of making things not too--and I don't mean this wrong--but not too religious. You know, make it for the everyday person.

----------------------------------

You've been questioned repeatedly about wealth. Do you think your wealth should be anybody else's business?

I try to be open because people are skeptical of ministers, and especially TV preachers, and they've seen so many of them go the wrong way. So I feel like sometimes I have to go overboard to make mine available. I don't mind saying, you know, that I don't take a salary from the church, and God has blessed me with more money than I could imagine from my books. It's been printed all over so I don't feel like I am hiding anything.

How much have you made from your books? Have you said what you've made from that?

No, with my publisher, I can't tell, but it has been published if you want to look. I feel like I shouldn't tell just because I told them I wouldn't. [Editors' Note: He reportedly was poised to make $13 million on his second book deal, Become a Better You; his first book, Your Best Life Now, sold more than 5 million copies and several spin-offs; his third book, It's Your Time, comes out in November.]

Does personal monetary wealth get in the way of your duties as a pastor?

I don't think so. I think anybody can let money get in the way, whether you have $1,000 or a $100 million. I never did this for money, never dreamed I would make those kinds of funds, but I don't do anything different now than what I did eight years ago when I started. I am still focused at the church and give it my best every week.

What do you like doing besides being at church?

I like sports, and I enjoy playing basketball and lifting weights. My biggest hobby is hanging out with my family and kids ... Victoria and I, this is our day off, we are going to drive in the country in a couple hours ... I tell you, we travel a lot, but I don't have a lot of other big hobbies. I am not into cars and boats and all that kind of stuff. We just live a pretty simple life.

How much do you donate to Lakewood, I'd heard you are the largest donor?

I don't really like to say what I donate. We donate not just to Lakewood, but we donate to other causes, and I just would rather put in that we believe in giving, we believe what we minister. The reason why is that sometimes people see it as bragging, and I get criticized if I do or if I don't.

What is your most prized material possession?

This might sound corny but probably one of the most prized things I have is a watch that my father gave me. I got that when he died. My house is worth more and my cars and stuff.

Your books are wildly popular, not to mention you brought nearly 50,000 people to Yankees Stadium in April. Should Forbes add you to its Billionaires List?

[Laughs.] No, I would love to be there one day only so I could help more people, but no we don't have that kind of wealth. Again, I never did even dream it ... but you know what, I don't think it has changed our lifestyle, it's just given us the opportunity to help more people. Source

Get Joel Osteen's book - It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor.

Stepping into Your Divine Destiny

2009-11-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen: It's Your Time

If you will do the ordinary, God will do the extraordinary.

When I first start ministering, I was very intimidated, very unsure of myself. I would hear other ministers who were so dynamic. Many of them could not only speak exceptionally well, but they could even sing incredibly well. At the end of their sermons, they'd just burst out into song, and they were so effective, they'd almost give you chill bumps.

I'd think, God, why can't I sing like that? Why don't I have their gift? But one day I realize God has given me what I need. If they have it and I don't, it must mean that I don't need it. And, yes, they may be able to sing exceptionally well, but I know this: Their jokes aren't as good as mine.
---------------------------------------------
In the Scripture, when Lazarus died, Jesus said to the disciples, "Roll away the stones and I'll raise Lazarus." It's interesting: Jesus could have rolled away the stone. Here Jesus was about to raise a dead man. But it was the principle; God expects us to do what we can and then He will do what we can't.

If you will do the natural, God will do the supernatural. If you will do the ordinary, God will do the extraordinary. But God will not do for you what you can do for yourself.

"Well," you say,"Joel, I never get promoted. I never get any good breaks."

Let me ask you: Are you rolling away the stone? Do you make work on time each day? Are you giving it your best? Are you productive? Do you have a good attitude? If you will do what you can, God will do what you cannot.

Back to PART 5 - It's Time to Stretch | Buy Joel's "It's Your Time" Here

PART 5 - It's Time to Stretch

2009-11-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Finally, Joel's concluded the book with It’s Time To Stretch. We stretch to grow. We stretch to build strength. We stretch to reach beyond previous levels of accomplishment and fulfillment. The final chapters will motivate you to step into your divine destiny, to stay open for something new, to find your place of blessing and to believe for a supernatural year. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read online.

Inspiring chapters in this book, include:

Stepping into Your Divine Destiny read excerpt
Stay Open for Something New
Finding Your Place of Blessing
Believe for a Supernatural Year

-----------------------------------
If you like this book: It's Your Time, you might also like:

All Things Work Together for Our Good

2009-11-12T20:57:00.000-08:00

I read about a young woman whose father underwent a heart transplant. Though at first he seemed to be doing well, several months later he died. She was in another city, working on her master's degree, when she learned of his passing. She packed and went to the airport to catch the first flight to her father's town. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read online.

Often the biggest challenges offer the greatest and most surprising rewards.

She was so upset, so heartbroken. While waiting for her flight, her grief overcame her. She wept uncontrollably. SHe did not see the man come up, but she felt those loving arms around her and then she heard a voice saying, "Ma'am, what's wrong?"

She recognized the voice. She looked up and it was Kevin Costner, the actor and director. Struck by her sadness, he had stopped to offer this stranger his help. She explained that her father had passed away. The actor comforted her, staying with her so long he missed his own flight.
---------------------------------------------
As he walked her to her boarding gate, Costner mentioned that he would be returning to her city to film a movie. He asked her to stop by and let him know what she was doing. Several months later, she was driving in heavy traffic near her home. She realized the backup was caused by a movie crew working in a nearby park. She wondered if it was Kevin Costner's movie, but then she thought she should not interrupt even if it was.

Later in the day she drove by the same spot. This time something compelled her to stop. She learned that it was Costner's movie. She told a security guard that he had invited her to stop by. He took her to meet Costner. The Academy Award winner was just as kind and warm to her as he had been at the airport. He invited her to watch the scene being filmed.

After a few minutes, an executive in charge of the production came and sat to the young lady, just being friendly. He explained the scene being filmed and the role of each crew member. She found it easy to talk to him. Soon, they were bantering like old friends.

That night, the lady called her mother and said, "Today I met the man of my dreams. I'm going to marry him."

Sure enough, they began dating, fell in love, and one year later, they were married. Who would have thought that crying in an airport would turn out into a significant piece of her puzzle? God used that moment like a connecting piece, to connect her with her future husband.
---------------------------------------------
That is an amazing story, I know. But we have an amazing Father in Heaven. God has the pieces to the puzzle of your life. Because it is incomplete, that puzzle may not make sense right now. Don't get discouraged. There is another piece coming. This one will complete you.

Back to PART 4 - It's Time to Trust | Get Joel's "It's Your Time" book Here

PART 4 - It's Time to Trust

2009-11-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

This part builds your resolve by reminding you of those things you can trust; that all things work together for good, that God remembers you, that you can gain strength through adversity and that there will come an anointing of ease. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read online.

Chapters to read, include:

All Things Work Together for Our Good read excerpt
God Remembers You
Gaining Strength Through Adversity
The Anointing of Ease

Next: PART 5 - It's Time to Stretch
-----------------------------------
If you like this book: It's Your Time, you might also like:

It's Your Time: Be a Bounce-Back Person

2009-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

After Hurricane Ike roared trough Houston, we lost many huge oak trees, some of them four or five feet around. Those trees, which looked as sturdy as can be, were no match for the 100-mile-an-hour winds. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book red online.
There was just one type of tree that seemed to fare better than most others in this powerful storm-the skinny, flimsy palm tree. Do you know why palms held up so well?

God put bounce-back in the palm tree. It may get bent over by the forces of the nature, but it is only a matter of time before the palm stands tall once again. Palm trees don't sweat storms. They weather them. During Hurricane Ike, our plam trees were not worried. They weren't depressed or thinking, Oh, no. Another hurricane. This will be the one. I'm sure this will tear me up by the roots.

I learned something even more amazing about palms. Biologists say that during a hurricane when a plam tree is being bent and pushed over, its root system is actually strengthened by the stress, which gives it new opportunities to growth.

When the storm is over, the palm tree smiles and says, "I knew this would be a bad one. I knew i would be battered. But what do you know? I came back up stronger than I was before. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I'll grow a little taller."

Bend with hard times and then grow.

That's what God says will happen to each of us, if we just stay in faith. Psalm 92:12 says: "The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree."

Back to PART 3 - It's Time for Restoration | Get "It's Your Time" book Here

PART 3 - It's Time for Restoration

2009-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

In this part, Joel offers you the tool of forgiveness and renewal. These tools include God's ability to turn back time, your power to come back from setbacks and to bounce back from disappointments. Restoration comes too from living a resurrected life and from holding on to your promise of a better day. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read online.

Chapters on this section:

God Can Turn Back Time
You Have Comeback Power
Be a Bounce-Back Person read excerpt
Living a Resurrected Life
Your Sunday is Coming

Next PART 4 - It's Time to Trust
-----------------------------------
If you like this book: It's Your Time, you might also like:

It's Your Time: Praying Bold Prayers

2009-11-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read online.

One of my most creative friends nearly didn’t have the chance to share his talents with the world. His mother became pregnant with him when she was seventeen and unmarried. She was white. His father was black. This was 1971 in a small Iowa town.

The girl’s parents strongly encouraged her to have an abortion. In fact, they gave her an ultimatum: Either abort the baby or get out of their home. She chose to have the baby.

Once a promising concert pianist, she ended up in San Diego, eight months’ pregnant, alone and confused, battling a drug addiction.

A lady talked to her on the street one day about God’s love and forgiveness. And that day, she made a decision for Christ. The lady gave her a Bible. She flipped through it, saw the name Israel time and again. She thought to herself, I will name my baby Israel. She didn’t know much about God. She didn’t know how to pray. But she said boldly, “God, I’m committing my little baby to You. I’m asking You to use him to do great things.”
-----------------------------
The teen mother passed her musical gifts on to her child. God took care of the rest. Her son grew up with incredible musical gifts. He could play practically any instrument. He could write songs. He could arrange music. As he grew older, he began writing worship sons that declared God’s goodness. He put together his own band, and supernatural doors opened.

Today we all know and love Israel Houghton. He is one of the great worship leaders and great songwriters of our time. Israel and his band, New Breed, have won Grammy Awards, and praise around the world for their uplifting music.

That’s what happens when you pray bold prayers. Israel could become a statistic. He could just have foundered, never finding his purpose. But I believe that because this mother dared pray a bold prayers, his life was set on an extraordinary path.

It’s time for favor.

Back to PART 2 - It's Time to for Favor | Get Joel's "It's Your Time" book Here

PART 2 - It's Time for Favor

2009-11-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

It’s Time For Favor is the faith fortification section. Here you can bulk up with encouragement to pray bold prayers, to seek thriving over surviving, to choose faith over fear, to expect favor in your future and to speak faith-filled words. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read.

Read the chapters:

Praying Bold Prayers read excerpt
Thriving, Not Just Surviving
Choosing Faith Over Fear
Favor Has Been Released in Your Future
Speaking Faith-Filled Words

Next: PART 3 - It's Time for Restoration
-----------------------------------
If you like this book: It's Your Time, you might also like:

Seizing Your God-Given Opportunities

2009-11-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

Marie worked at a small restaurant near Los Angeles. She waited on tables, cooked cleaned, basically did it all. One day her boss, the owner, said that more and more customers were requesting desserts. At that time the restaurant didn’t offer any. The boss told Marie she had to come in earlier to make desserts every morning. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read.

Her first reaction was frustration.

I already work hard enough, she thought. This is not fair.

But instead of getting bitter, Marie decided to accept the new duty as a challenge. She set her sights on creating the best desserts she possibly could.

Marie’s pies caught on. Customers loved them. In fact, people came to the restaurant just to have a piece of her pie. Her pies became so popular Marie decided to open her own pie company.

She took a step of faith and things quickly fell into place. Eventually, Marie Callender’s company had 110 restaurants and an entire line of frozen pies and entrees sold in supermarkets!
---------------------------------------------

It doesn’t matter where you are right now; God has moments of favor for you, too. You may not be able to figure it out, but that’s okay. That’s not your job. Your job is to believe. God’s already figured it out.

You may have suffered some bad breaks. You may have tried and failed. Now you may be sitting on the sidelines of life, not expecting anything good. Shake off that defeated mentality. Rise up and say, “This is a new day. It may not have happened in the past, but it will happen someday. I know God has moments of favor coming my way!”

It’s time to believe.

Back to PART 1 - It's Time to Believe | Get joel's "It's Your Time" book Here

PART 1 - It's Time to Believe

2009-11-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

The book begins with a section entitled: It’s Time To Believe because tough times require strong faith, because this too will pass, because big problems precede bigger things to come, because every disappointment gives us fresh opportunities and because each season of scarcity gives way to new seasons of increase.

It’s time to reaffirm your belief that you are one of our Father’s children. You are made in His image and He loves you.

Encouraging chapters are:

You're Closer Than You Think! read excerpt
It's Your Time
Seizing Your God-Given Opportunities read excerpt
New Seasons of Increase
You Are Your Father's Child.

Next: PART 2 - It's Time for Favor
-----------------------------------
If you like this book: It's Your Time, you might also like:

You're Closer Than You Think!

2009-11-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

While on vacation in Colorado, I woke up early for a hike. The three mile trail ran to the peak of Beaver Creek Mountain. At the base there was a sign saying it should take about three hours to reach the top. When I looked up to my destination, I was intimidated. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read online.

“I’m almost to the top. I know I can make it.”

The trail was extremely steep. The altitude at the base was 8,000 feet above sea level. The peak stood at more than 11,000 feet.

Just walking up the first set of stairs I began breathing heavier than normal. I had to remind myself to take it easy. At home in Houston, I run several miles a few times a week and I play a lot of basketball. But the elevation there is only fifty feet above sea level. The thinner air in Colorado had me doubting whether I could make it to the top.

I started out with just my cell phone and a bottle of water. Determined, I set a pretty good pace. The first fifteen minutes seemed fairly easy. The next fifteen minutes was more and more difficult. I felt as though I was carrying an extra load. I had to stop every so often to catch my breath.

About forty-five minutes into my hike, the trail got extremely steep; almost like I was climbing straight up. My pathway snaked skyward through thick stands of Aspen and Ponderosa pine. The view was both beautiful and daunting. I’m in shape from running and playing basketball. But my legs were burning and my chest was pounding.
---------------------------------------------
As I climbed over a big ridge, I had to stop for air. Sweat was pouring off my body. I thought: If there’s another two hours like this I don’t know if I can make it.

Up to that point, I had not seen anyone else on the path. But then this older gentleman came around a curve, headed down the mountain. He wore a t-shirt, shorts and hiking shoes and carried a walking stick. He seemed cool and calm. And he read me pretty well.

As we passed, he said something that changed my whole perspective. He smiled kindly and said in a calm voice: “You are closer than you think.”

Hearing those words, I felt rejuvenated, as if he’d breathed new life into my lungs. Energy surged through my body. My legs grew stronger. I caught a second wind. From that point forward, with every stride I repeated those words of encouragement: “I will make it. I’m closer than I think.”

Even though the climb was difficult; even though my muscles and lungs were burning, I kept saying, “I’m almost to the top. I know I can make it.” And sure enough, just ten minutes later, I clambered over these big boulders and there was a beautiful sight: The summit.
---------------------------------------------
According to the sign at the base, it was supposed to be a three hour hike. But I’d made it in just under an hour! I was much closer than I’d thought when I passed that gentleman on the trail. Yet, without his encouraging words I might have turned around. I might have talked myself out of continuing because I thought I had two more hours to go.

The other hiker knew I was just ten minutes from my goal. My perspective was limited, and so was my thinking. I only knew what I’d read on the sign. When the older fellow came down from the mountain top, he gave me a fresh perspective. He knew more about the trail ahead of me, just as God knows more about what lies ahead for you.

I don’t know where you are headed, what your dreams are, or how many obstacles you have to overcome. But I encourage you to let these words reach deep down into your spirit. Receive them by faith.

You are closer than you think.

Back to PART 1 - It's Time to Believe | Get Joel's "it's Your Time" book Here

Introduction

2009-11-12T01:57:00.000-08:00

My desire is to speak faith into the lives of others, encouraging them when they are discouraged, calling forth the seeds of greatness God planted within, assuring them that their best days are ahead.

This book filled with hopeful messages is intended to do just that. My prayer is to inspire you and to expand your vision so you might find the courage to overcome any obstacles and accomplish your dreams. God has great things in store for you. A new season is coming. I hope my words ignite your faith and increase God’s favor in your life. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read.

Psalm 84:11 says no good thing will God withhold to those who walk uprightly. When you have a heart to please God and when you live a life of excellence and integrity--being your best each day, living with purpose and passion and with a desire to help others—God’s promise is that He will not withhold what you need to become, or what He has created you to be.

God will not withhold wisdom, creativity, good breaks, the right connections, strength, joy or victory.

-----------------------------------------

You may have been through challenging times. The economic downturn has affected people of all ages and every income. Millions have lost their jobs. Millions more have seen their savings depleted. Many have lost their homes. Relationships have been strained. We’ve all been tested.

History has shown that depressions and recessions surely do cause suffering, but they also serve as catalysts for inspiration, creativity, and new levels of achievement that make for better lives and a better world. Many of the world’s strongest corporations and family businesses were forged in times such as these. Some doors have closed but others will open.

To give you strength and fortify your faith, I’ve put this book together in five parts. Each is designed to build on the other. The goal is not simply to inspire and motivate you but to help you see that God’s plan is at work in your life. He walks with you.

You may not perceive a way out right now, but He does. You may feel that you don’t have all that it will take to emerge stronger, but He does. With God in your heart, you will persevere and prevail. Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read.

~Joel Osteen
Go to: PART 1 - It's Time to Believe

About the Author: Joel Osteen

2009-11-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen is a native Texan and the Pastor of Lakewood Church, which according to Church Growth Today is America's largest and fastest growing church with over 38,000 attendees. According to Nielsen Media Research, Joel is the most watched inspirational figure in America.

His weekly sermon is broadcast into television markets across the U.S. where it is viewed by seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month. His weekly broadcast is also seen in almost 100 nations around the world.

In 2004, his first book Your Best Life Now was released by Time Warner and debuted at the top of the New York Times bestsellers list and quickly rising to #1. It remained on the New York Times list for more than 2 years and has sold more than 4 million copies. His next book, Become a Better You, was released in October of 2007 and was an instant New York Times bestseller, remaining on the list for more than 7 months and selling more than 1.6 million copies.

Pastor Joel Osteen: Q&A

2009-11-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

By LAURA FITZPATRICK Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read.
Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009
TIME.com

I read that 40% of your worldwide audience are nonbelievers. What do you think it is about your message that resonates so widely?

We're doing our best to give people hope, to lift their spirits and to teach them how to live an abundant life. I believe, as a Christian, that that starts with a relationship with Christ. But once you're past that, the teachings of the Bible and the Scripture are practical for anybody of any faith. When you talk about how to have a good attitude or how to forgive somebody that did you wrong or how to just overcome difficulty, I think that resonates with people. These days there are so many things trying to pull us down, with the economy and the swine flu. I really think there's something [that affects people] on the inside when somebody tells them, like I do, God's still in control. He's got good things in store for your life. And when you trust, when you believe, you can see amazing things happen.

You say in your book that these hard times make you feel like a man on a mission. Tell me more about the book.

I wanted to write something to say seasons come and seasons go. This season may be difficult, but there's a new season coming. You've got to keep your hopes up. You've got to believe that God has something great in your future.

How do you respond to criticisms that that sort of relentless optimism may be one of the things that got us into this mess in the first place?

I've never heard that criticism. But I think the opposite [of my message] would be to be negative, to be bitter, to say, "You know what? I've reached my limits, and this is as good as my life gets." I don't think that's the way God wants us to live.

You see so many people down on their luck. Do you ever start feeling down?

It's easy to be overwhelmed. At our church yesterday I was praying for some parents, and their little daughter had cancer. I cry worse than them when I pray for them. But more than ever, that's when I want to instill into you hope — to let you know that God's going to give you strength for this battle. He's going to give you peace, and you've got to dare to trust him.

Considering the hard economic times, is there any part of your message that you've adapted?

I've probably been more focused on lifting people's spirits. My first two books were about how to improve or how to reach your full potential. But this new book is all about just inspiring people in their faith. The last year or so, I've just felt like every time I get up in front of people, I need to do my best to somehow lift their spirits.

In your 2004 book, Your Best Life Now, you wrote, "God wants to give you your own house," even if it feels out of reach. What do you say to someone who took that advice and has now gone into foreclosure?

I would tell them to keep believing. I don't necessarily correlate that message with the housing crisis. My thing is to believe that you can rise higher. My thing is to believe that God can bless you in your career. You have potential and gifts and talents on the inside. Don't just get stuck there and say, "Well, this is all my family has ever done."

My father grew up during the Great Depression. And they were very poor. They were the ones that got the Christmas basket because they were the poorest family. But my dad made a decision when he was 17. He said, "My children are not going to be raised like this. They're not going to be raised not having enough food and milk to drink." So he made a difference with his life. He used what God put on the inside.

I believe that God has put gifts and talents and ability on the inside of every one of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe that you're a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation.

What message do you want to leave people with?

I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors. And you won't get stuck here, but you can rise higher. You're closer than you think. Source.

Get Joel Osteen's book - It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor.

Joel Osteen: 'Faith Is Easy,' Even During Tough Times

2009-11-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

By KATIE ESCHERICH Joel Osteen: It's Your Time book read.
Nov. 3, 2009

ABCNews.com: Good Morning America

In tough times, Pastor Joel Osteen said his message is simple: God is good.

Joel Osteen offers religious insights from his new book, "It's Your Time."

"In difficult times, we're not supposed to quit believing, we're not supposed to quit growing," Osteen said today on "Good Morning America."

"I want to give every person the hope to believe."

Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, is the most-watched TV minister in America and a two-time best-selling author. Although times may seem difficult, this could be the best time of your life, he writes in "It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor."

Osteen acknowledged that challenges and struggles, such as those brought on by the economic recession, can dampen people's faith. But, he said, happiness isn't the result of prosperity, and people shouldn't cease living and striving because of suffering and failure.

Addressing such doubts in his book, Osteen tells readers how to avoid becoming a prisoner of fear, doubt and worry.

"If you listen to those negative thoughts, you will likely become discouraged and give up on your dreams," he writes. "Many times, we miss out on God's best because we give up too soon. We don't realize how close we are to victory."

On "GMA," he said, "There's so much negative news, people just kind of put their lives on hold, their dreams on hold. God is sovereign, sometimes God takes us through detours. … My thing is just God arms you with strength for every battle."

Using the example of a woman in labor, Osteen writes that people would be able to achieve much more if they didn't have the option of turning back.

"Truth be told, if a woman in labor had a choice, she'd probably say, 'I don't want to do this anymore. It's too difficult. I can't stand it,'" he writes. "But she doesn't have a choice. The doctor, the nurse, the husband keep saying, "Push! Push! Push!" Before long, she pushes that baby out. And in a few minutes she forgets all about the pain because she's holding the promise. She's holding that little child."

The same principle applies in our daily lives, he writes, because "the greatest difficulty always comes right before the birth of a dream."
-----------------------------

'Be Grateful' Each Day
In the book, Osteen reminds readers to keep going, keep believing and hold onto your faith.

"Another few days of believing, another few weeks of doing the right thing, or another few months of staying in faith and you will see that promise come to pass," he writes.

Losing a job, savings or a home or health, or [having a] relationship problem are all challenges that can be overcome, said Osteen.

Each day, he said, make a commitment to get up and be grateful.

"You'll enjoy your life more. … Every day is a gift that God's given us," he said. "God never promised that every day would be perfect."

Osteen's said his focus on self-esteem and individual achievement doesn't contradict a Christian emphasis on the collective good and helping others.

"You have to first love yourself before you can properly love your neighbor," he said. "You're a person of purpose and destiny."

Many people overcomplicate faith, he said, adding that Jesus told simple stories.

"Faith is easy, I think people complicate it," he said. "My message is simple: that God is good. … You can be who he created you to be."

The Bible, he said, is full of examples of persevering through difficult times.

"The scripture said in life you will have difficulties," he said.

The key is to tell yourself this "is a difficult season, but I'm not going to be bitter today. … This is another day that God has given me." Source.

Get Joel Osteen's book - It's Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God's Favor.