Love Never Fails
Notes From My Church-2/10/07
PLACE: Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC: Praise and worship was led by Cindy Ratcliffe & Steve Crawford this week. It started with several uptempo songs that are definite audience favorites because of the energy and fast tempo. First up was Israel and New Breed’s “Come in From the Outside” , Lakewood’s “Cover the Earth” and one of my favorites “Salvation is Here”.
Cindy and Steve sung lead on the classic gospel song “The Wonderful Cross”. Their rendition was awesome and it took me right back to the church I grew up in where I heard those types of songs on a constant basis. Other songs sung were “Jesus Paid It All”, “Majesty”, Kirk Franklin’s “My Life, My Love, My All” and “Abundantly”.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: Romans 12:16
Subject: Having The Right Expectations in Our Relationships
Sermon Synopsis: Pastor Joel spoke this week on not putting too much pressure on our relationships. He said too often we expect too much from our relationships and we need to realize that there is no such thing as a perfect boss, friend or spouse. In order to have good relationships we have to give others room to be themselves. He said we should be careful not to focus on the negative aspects or the relationship would be poisoned. We should give the people in our lives the grace to be human. Focus more on the good qualities and overlook the things we don’t like.
Joel reminded us that we can’t change people, only God can do that. When you nag people you only help bring out the negative. Focus on the good and you will receive good back in return. He also said we should quit depending on the people around us to keep us happy. He said our joy is our own personal responsibility. Don’t depend on others for that. People will let you down. Go to God for help and he will give you what you need. Sometimes we want things from others that they are not able to give. Take the pressure off of the people around you and stop making them feel as if they need to make you happy. Give others the grace to be who they are and trust God to give you what you need and desire.
**Of course, this is only a very short summary of Pastor Joel’s sermon. To get the full effect you can watch this service and other archived services at http://www.lakewood.cc/ or http://www.joelosteen.com/.
Of course I always enjoy hearing Joel speak, but Victoria is great to listen to also. She is always bubbly and seems to be a lot of fun to be around. During each service she speaks and today she mentioned something that I thought was a great reminder. She said the presence of God is always with us and we should ask ourselves what do we do in His presence. Do we take advantage of it? Do we realize the power that we have on a constant basis? I loved this thought because we often try to take care of things on our own as we go about our lives. The power of God that is in and around us all the time is our constant help and is waiting for us to ask for help.
THE ATMOSPHERE: On Sunday afternoon Lakewood had Family Day. They had a bunch of blow ups for the kids to play around in, video games, balloons, basketball and snacks. My kids had a blast and I got a chance to see parts of the building I don’t normally get a chance to go to.
My family and I met Dodie Osteen and she was so gracious to us. My husband chatted with her about an emergency that occurred in the service earlier that day and she was so sweet to my two little ones. I have not had a chance to meet Joel and Victoria yet but I look forward to it.
……..and that is what happened in my church this week. What was it like in your church this week? The entire universe is filled with God’s love and grace. We would love to hear about your church service. 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
Gospel Grammy Winners
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards aired last night on CBS. Israel and New Breed had four nominations and they won one for Best Traditional Gospel Album. Kirk Franklin received 2 golden statues and Yolanda Adams received one for Best Gospel Performance.
The nominees for Best Gospel Song were all great choices. If I were choosing, there would be no way I could pick just one. All of the songs are awesome.The nominees were: The Blessing Of Abraham (Donald Lawrence), Imagine Me (Kirk Franklin), Mountain Of God (Brown Bannister & Mac Powell), Not Forgotten (Israel & New Breed) and Victory (Tye Tribbett).
I have heard Israel sing “Not Forgotten” at church and the energy was unbelievable. I love the heartfelt lyrics of “Imagine Me” and the energy of Tye Tribbett is irresistible. What else can be said about Donald Lawrence? He is a great performer and a gifted songwriter. I guess there has to be one winner. But to me all of these songs are winners. They touch all of us in different ways and uplift our spirits when we need it.
The winners are listed below:
Best Gospel Performance-Yolanda Adams-Victory
Track from: The Gospel — Soundtrack
Verity Records
Best Gospel Song- Kirk Franklin-Imagine Me
songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
Fo Yo Soul/Verity/Zomba
Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album-Jonny Lang-Turn Around
A&M Records
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album-Third Day-Wherever You Are
Essential Records
Best Traditional Gospel Album-Israel & New Breed-Alive In South Africa
Integrity Gospel
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album-Kirk Franklin-Hero
grammy awards kirk franklin israel and new breed tye tribbett yolanda adams donald lawrence t-bone
Trust In God
