Notes From My Church-It’s My Season, It’s My Time
PLACE: Lakewood Church-Houston, Tx
Joel Osteen, Pastor
DATE: Saturday, August 11, 2007
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
THE MUSIC:
Worship Team: Cindy Ratcliff, Steve Crawford, Da’dra Crawford Greathouse, Special Guest Jaci Velasquez, Choir & Band
Songs: Glorious, Favor, We Have Overcome, I Will Search, Glorify Your Name, So We Lift, Say So
The worship service was lively and full of energy this week. How can it not be with such inspiring and encouraging songs as Favor, We Have Overcome and Say So? I love the chorus on Favor that says, “I have a promise, a promise from heaven, it’s my season, it’s my time/for the favor of the Lord.” Then the audience participation really increases, complete with hand gestures, on ”pressed down, shaken together/running over/in the favor of God.” On We Have Overcome we sung, “we’ve got the victory, we’re on the winning side.” Great message, we win every time with God!
A pregnant Jaci Velasquez (congratulations!), who is a part of the Lakewood Summer Concert Series, joined Cindy, Steve and Da’dra on stage on Glorify Your Name. You can peep that video here. I love to hear Cindy sing this song in Spanish, so it was a bonus for me to hear Jaci’s beautiful voice sing in Spanish also. Jaci sung “Lay it Down” from the On My Knees album and it ministered on so many levels to me. Loved this part of the song:
So I’m gonna lay it down,
I’m gonna learn to trust You now,
What else can I do,
Everything I am depends on You.
And if the sun don’t come back up,
I know Your love will be enough,
I’m gonna let it be, I’m gonna let it go,
I’m gonna lay it down.
THE MESSAGE:
Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 13:5, 2 Timothy 4:14, Ephesians 4:2
Subject: The Importance of Not Being Easily Offended
Quick Notes From The Sermon:
According to Pastor Joel, one of the best things to do to live a life free of offense is to forgive quickly. The quicker you let things go, the easier it is for you. Don’t allow the offense to take root in your mind. You can’t stop the offenses from coming, but you can control how you react to them. Make a decision first thing in the morning to not get so easily offended throughout the day. Put on the full armor of God, complete with your shoes of peace. If you are in peace, you are in a position of power.
Don’t expect people to perform perfectly all the time. Sometimes you have to let things go to keep the poison out of your life. You are responsible for your own happiness. Give others the benefit of the doubt. Always believe the best and show mercy toward others. Remember that God will show towards you the same grace and mercy you show others.
Pastor Joel said that love always believes the best and covers a person’s faults. Love will always take the high road. You never know what a person is going through or has been through. We only see the surface. Don’t be quick to judge, be quick to show mercy. When you are kind to someone who is rude, you are sowing a seed. Instead of judging, choose to pray for them, not only will you be better off, but the other person will be too.
**These are my quick notes from the 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:
Did you know that Joel has a category of quotes at brainyquote? This week Joel mentioned that if you are noticing more of the negative than the positive then something is wrong with you. Something to think about.
…and that is what happened in my church this weekend. Have your church featured this week!! 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 from you! 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. 
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