A Lakewood Sunday

I’ve been all over the world but Houston has a special spot for me. I’ve always felt at home here. It’s one of those cities where the minute a fly in, I can breathe a little bit easier. Whenever things get too overwhelming, I try to make a visit. The past couple of weeks has been tough but I’m not complaining. It’s all part of the process of moving to a new town, new job, new everything. It’s just an adjustment period, that’s all. But I needed a breather badly and my birthday weekend seemed like the perfect time to do so.

Whenever I’m in town, I always make it a point to visit Lakewood Church. Not just because my cousin is part of their choir and they have arguably one of the best praise and worship ensembles ever. I go because of the preaching. Call it Christianity Lite or Prosperity Gospel. I like Joel Osteen and I don’t care who knows it.

I must admit that if you’re looking for deep theological teaching, you’re not going to find it here. Instead, their church caters to those who are deeply discouraged, facing hardships, dealing with unfair circumstances and struggling with addictions. Basically, they give a lot of hope to a lot of people through the Word of God. And who needs a reminder once in a while how much God is for them? I certainly do. A lot of people tolerate Pastor Joel at best or bash him big time at worse. I wasn’t really fond of it him back in the day when I’d catch his sermons on TV. But man, no one can argue that God is present at that place. Anyone who has ever been to Lakewood could attest to that. And the fruits of their ministry is unquestionable.

Their praise and worship time was nothing too over the top. No trendy music or skinny jeans. Just pure worship music. I like how they pick songs that speak about Jesus. Some contemporary Christian songs nowadays don’t even mention His name. The message was simple, straightforward and sensible. He would mention Scriptures once in a while and they would be projected on screen. I’m not saying I’m a biblical scholar but I’ve been a Christian my whole life. I didn’t hear anything said today (or on any of the days that I’ve attended) that’s contrary to the Word.

Although I still have a couple of days to go, I know I won’t go home empty-handed. This was a pretty good spiritual pit stop before I head back to the front lines. And God know how much I needed this. I couldn’t ask for more awesome birthday treat.