A Present Help
Frequently remind yourself that God is with you, that He will never fail you, that you can count upon Him. Say these words, “God is with me, helping me.” This will give you a new sense of comfort. New hope will flood your mind. New ideas will come. A new sense of power will be felt. As a result you will rise above your trouble.
When a particular trouble arises, before you do anything else about it, sit down quietly, repeat this text a half dozen times, and put your full faith in it.
……from Norman Vincent Peale’s Thought Conditioners
Notes From My Church-Thank God for Religious Freedom!
PLACE:Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC:
Worship was led this week by Cindy Ratcliff, Steve Crawford and Dadra Greathouse. The service started on an upbeat note with Lakewood’s “Salvation is Here”, “Sweeter” and “You Are Good”. Next up were the beautifully melodic “All My Life”, “Show Me Your Glory” and “O The Glory of His Presence”. Dadra sung lead on “Show Me Your Glory” and “O The Glory of His Presence” and she did a wonderful job. These songs, recorded by Karen Clark Sheard, really drew the audience in and created an atmosphere that allowed God’s presence to be felt. You can enjoy this classic song via video at Faith Based Blog.
Although Israel is missed when he is not a part of the worship service, his songs are a great reminder of him. His song “Favor” is a favorite of mine and the audience always enjoys the energy of the song. The chorus reminds us that God has promised blessings in abundance for us: “I have a promise/a promise from heaven/it’s my season/it’s my time/for the favor of the Lord”.
The great worship song “Here I Am To Worship” and Donald Lawrence’s “Healed” closed out another great worship service.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: Exodus 3:17, Joel 2:25. Isaiah 60:1, Mark 5:28
Subject: Getting Up So God Can Bring You Out
Sermon Synopsis:
Pastor Joel spoke this week on getting in a position that allows God to help you realize your dreams. He said that life is not always fair and it has a way of pushing you down. It is easy to lose your joy and faith. Remind yourself that even though life is not fair, God is fair. If you stay in faith and not get bitter, God will turn things around for you.
Pastor Joel said that we should draw a line in the sand and declare that we are taking back all that has been taken from us. God wants to restore all that has been lost. The key is you have to have a vision for it. Have a restoration mentality. Get up every morning expecting great things to happen in your life. The only thing stopping God from helping you is that you have lost your enthusiasm. Most people are waiting on God, but God is waiting on us. Everything you are facing today is subject to change. All it takes is one touch of God’s favor and things can be turned around.
Pastor Joel advised that we should reprogram ourselves. He said we should start seeing ourselves in a different light. When you have limited defeated thinking, you are setting limits on your life. Faith works both ways. God has no favorites, what He does for one He will do for another. Get rid of the victim mentality and develop a new image of yourself on the inside.
Pastor Joel tearfully told the story of his father’s early days of poverty and lack. He told of going back to his father’s hometown with him, and in many cases seeing the same poverty in people’s lives sixty years later. He explained how his father broke the cycle of poverty in his family by taking a stand and declaring that God’s desire for him was to live a prosperous life. Because of the stand that he took, God blessed him in abundance and the cycle of poverty was broken in his family.
According to Pastor Joel, God is keeping all the records. Don’t live with worry and defeat when life does not go as you’ve planned. God is a God of justice and He will pay you back for every injustice done to you. He will not only pay you back, He will take into your promised land.
**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/. You can also sign up for the free podcasts or call 1-800-487-0565 for copies of the sermons.
THE ATMOSPHERE:
Seeing hands raised in praise to God during worship, I was immediately thankful for the religious freedom we all enjoy in America. There are still many places in the world where such religious freedom is not possible. It is a blessing to be able to go to church and praise God without fear of persecution.
……and that is what happened in my church this weekend. What was it like in your place of worship 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.
Gospel Music News!
1. J. Moss explains “that breathing thing” he does when he sings.~Story
2. Holy Revival Radio is the first professional gospel music internet radio station in Milwaukee
3. Despite the governor’s veto, the $60 million black gospel music complex is still planned for Lauderhill. ~Story
4. Christians were a big presence on American Idol 2007.~Story
5. Conferences: For Ladies Only-October 18-20, 2007-Dallas, Tx
Shekinah Youth Conference-June 29-July 1-Jamaica Queens
Power of God Convocation-June 17-22, 2007-Lindenwold, NJ
Women On The Frontline-August 8-11, 2007-Orlando, FL
Notes From My Church-Siempre de la Bienvenida
PLACE:Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, June 2, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC:
Praise and worship with the Lakewood team is always an awesome event! The front team, choir, and band do a wonderful job week after week. The guest speaker, John Maxwell, asked if our worship was this great every week. He stated that people would come back from heaven just to attend a Lakewood worship service! I certainly agree, worship is great all the time!
Worship was led this week by Cindy Ratcliff, Steve Crawford and Dadra Greathouse. Lakewood’s “Sing”, Israel’s “Everywhere That I Go” and “Again I Say Rejoice” started the service with a great upbeat tempo. Next up was Chris Tomlin’s “Indescribable”, which was led by Cindy. What a lyrically beautiful song! The chorus of the song gives praise to an all-powerful God for his awesomeness.
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
“Majesty”, and my personal favorite, “Always Welcome” were sung next. I always love when “Always Welcome” is sung, because I love the simplicity and sincerity of the lyrics. My favorite portion of the song is the part that says, “you draw me in to where you dwell, and I’m welcome”. It is a wonderful thing to know that we are always welcome into where God dwells. Cindy sung a portion of the lyrics in Spanish and it was a beautiful touch. ~siempre dé la bienvenida-always welcome~
Worship ended with “We Win” and “God Great God”. The choir did a stellar job on “God Great God”. Great energy, and the vocals were on point.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: Acts 26
Subject: How To Be An I Can Person
The Message was presented by John Maxwell, best selling author and speaker
Sermon Synopsis:
John Maxwell spoke on how to become a person with an I can attitude. He said that we all should be like Paul, who affirmed to himself that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. We should constantly tell ourselves that we have the power, attitude, action and God on our side, which enables us to become a confident person.
Mr. Maxwell said that confidence is a very important and necessary strength to possess. He said that confidence is a result of following your passion and that it energizes your life and infuses it with energy. Confidence is a result of finding your strengths. We all have spiritual gifts and won’t be held responsible for gifts we don’t have. We should stop working on our weaknesses, and concentrate on our strengths.
According to Mr. Maxwell, confidence and passion is gained by doing what you do well. The biggest step to walking in your purpose is to know Jesus Christ as your savior. We are all unique and special and God has a definite plan for each of our lives.
**Of course, this is only a very short summary of John Maxwell’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/.
THE ATMOSPHERE:
The audience really enjoyed hearing John Maxwell. His sermon was funny, thought provoking, and engaging. He told some wonderful stories that you can watch at the archives on the Lakewood website. The audience really enjoyed hearing him speak and his passion for teaching leadership principles was evident. Thanks to Dr. Paul for introducing him to Lakewood.
……and that is what happened in my church this weekend. What was it like in your place of worship 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.
