Notes From My Church

October 19, 2006 · Filed Under Notes From My Church 

Place: Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
          Joel Osteen, Pastor

Date:  Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006
Time:   7:00 p.m.

The Music: Cindy Cruse Ratcliff and Israel started worship services with the upbeat song “Favor of the Lord”. The audience really loved the part of the song that said, “pressed down, shaken together, running over in the favor of God”. As always, it was great to have Israel in attendance. Dove Award winning siblings Steve Crawford and Da’dra Crawford Greathouse of the group Anointed also lent their beautiful voices to the worship.

Some of the songs sung were “Highly Exalted”, “I Will Sing”, “Everywhere That I Go”, “The Freedom We Know” and “Mighty To Save”. During praise and worship the audience normally stands the entire worship service. It is great to be able to sing along with the lyrics on the big screen.  The lyrics to the song “Mighty To Save” was particulary touching to me this week. It reminded me that God is able to do anything and I can just relax and know that He is in full control. You know I have to leave you with some of the lyrics:

“Savior, He can move mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me
All of my fears and failures
And fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender.”

During tithes and offering, Steve and Da’dra sung the song “Revive Us Again” from their self-titled album. They put a lot of energy into the song and once again the crowd was on their feet. The music is an integral part of the Lakewood experience and this service was no exception.  The lyrics to the songs, the wonderful voices of the choir and praise team and the band make for a blessed time.

The Message: This week Joel preached about letting God be in control of your everyday life. He used Proverbs 3:6 and John 15:5 as his reference scriptures. He said that God would only be involved in what we allowed him to be involved in. Acknowledging God throughout the day by saying small prayers as the day progressed would help to make your day much smoother.

He suggested praying to God constantly as you went about your daily duties. He noted that he often just prayed under his breath. This kept God in tune with him and made his day better. Referencing John 15:5, Joel emphasized the importance of abiding in God’s presence. He said that abiding meant something to do on a daily basis.

I thought this message was a thought provoking one because we often pray once a day and go about our business. This message encouraged everyone to include God in everything. Even things that we think that God is not concerned about. It reminded me that God is concerned about all that I say, think and do. He wants to be included in all aspects of my life. There is no item that is too small. 

Joel mentioned things like including God in your work environment, your home duties and your children and their schools. It takes the  pressure off of us to be able to talk to God all day about anything and everything. God is really concerned about us and that is good to know. Thank you, Pastor Joel for a great message!!

The Atmosphere: In my opinion, the air is always filled with expectancy and excitement at Lakewood. You can see it in just about any face you come across. It is always such a blessing to be greeted several times by ushers that always seem to have a big smile and a “God Bless You” ready. I can imagine that to some people it is the only kind thing they hear and see all day.

My kids love to go to children’s church because they always have a great time. They insist on wearing tennis shoes because they do a lot of jumping up and down during their praise and worship. There are a lot of great things going on at Lakewood. There is something for everyone to get involved in.

 

……..and that is what happened in my church this week. You can always watch live and archived services at http://www.lakewood.cc/ or http://www.joelosteen.com/. What was it like in your church this week? The entire universe is filled with God’s love and grace. We would love to here about what is going on in your church. Post a comment or e-mail me at dominique@1800gospel.com and tell us all about the music, the message and the atmosphere at your church.

Dominique

 

 

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