Joel Osteen

Joel Osteen
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Small Bio:
Joel Scott Osteen is an American televangelist in Houston, Texas. Osteen's televised sermons are seen by over 7 million viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries.  


"Don't waste your energy trying to convince people to understand you. Your time is too valuable to try to prove yourself to people." - Joel Osteen

Interesting info:
1)   He lives in a $10.5 million home, which boasts six bedrooms, six bathrooms, three elevators, five fireplaces, a guest house, and pool house, and he also owns his former home, valued at $2.9 million.

2)   His estimated net worth is over $40 million. “Joel Osteen, whose book sales and related stuff generates a reported $55 million, claims an individual should not feel guilt for possessing lots of material wealth. Instead, one needs to thank and praise God for the acquired wealth,”

3)   He no longer takes his $200,000 salary from the Lakewood church.

4)   Prior to becoming a pastor, Osteen had a fear of public speaking.

5)   The megachurch Osteen pastors, Lakewood, was started in 1959 by his father, John Osteen, in a small feed store, The Guardian reported.  For 17 years, Osteen ran his father’s television ministry behind the scenes, never intending to become a preacher himself. He has said he always planned to remain behind the camera and never in front of it. A college dropout, Osteen resisted his father’s frequent invitations to follow in his footsteps as a pastor for years.

6)   Once Joel Osteen became the pastor, Lakewood quickly quadrupled its membership, reported the Guardian.

7)   His first book, released in 2004, “Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential,” has since sold more than 10 million copies.

8)   Osteen met his wife, Victoria, at a jewelry store. Their first date was at the church he now pastors with her.

9)   Osteen’s services include no crosses or religious symbols at all, which is one aspect of his ministry that sparks frequent intense debate among other Christians.