Have you ever heard of Pastor Joel Osteen?
355185
I have. He is the Pastor in Texas with the Mega church.\nHe is always smiling and talking real calm.
35447
A few months ago a friend and I were talking about Benny Hinn, questioning his ministry.  I had never actually seen Benny Hinn before; I had only heard about what goes on at his crusade meetings.  We had nothing positive to say.  \n\nNow, at the time, I had a throat infection that was getting stronger and stronger by the day.  A few days after I had been talking with my friend, I turned on Christian TV and saw Benny Hinn.  I thought I had better actually watch, since I'd been saying some pretty bad things about him, with no evidence to back up my scepticism.\n\nI was critical during the whole show.  At the end, Benny was sitting on a couch, talking to the camera, praying for sick people watching.  He was calling out various physical problems that God was healing.  Just when I thought, "This is ridiculous" and was about to turn off the TV, Benny said something like, "Someone has just been healed of a throat infection."  I heard it, and, started to wonder if it could actually be possible.  I swallowed and the pain was totally gone.  I could breath normally for the first time in about a week.  I was radically healed.  The next day I woke up, almost expecting the infection to be back, but it was gone, for good.\n\nWhat I learned from this:  DO NOT JUDGE!!!  As far as I know there is absolutely nothing unbiblical that goes on at Benny Hinn's meetings.  The Bible is clear that Jesus "stripes" (or wounds) were for our healing (as His death was for our eternal life).  Whether miraculously or over time, I believe it is always God's will for us to be healed, as sickness and death are a part of the curse He came to remove.  We just need to hear it preached from the Bible in context (faith comes by hearing), and believe, as we believed when we were born again.
21954
I met the Lord through my older brother...I was going to commit suicide (my brother did not know this) he asked me if I wanted to go, I said I was not dressed, he said he would wait, I could not think of any other excuse, so I went to Church..\n\nI called the Pastor a Jesus Freak and I told him that he was crazy to believe in God and Jesus and the Bible was written by man not God..little did I know that our Lord, had other plans for me..\n\nThe following week I went back to Church to condemn them once more, but before I could say anything, the Pastor asked who would like to be baptized, without even realizing it, my hand went straight up into the air..I was baptized and asked Jesus into my heart that very afternoon on August 28, 1978..\n\nI was immediately delivered from drugs, swearing, and hatred for those that had done me wrong..Our Heavenly Father bestowed down upon me His Holy Spirit, which cleansed my heart from all unrightousness..Our Heavenly Father, who forgave my past sins, placed within my heart His Glorious and wonderful Love, His Joy unspeakable and His Peace that Passeth all Understanding..\n\nI can go unto my Lord in prayer, when satan comes to attack..for Greater is He Who is in me..that he who is in the world.. \n\nMy Faith means EVERYTHING to me..The Lord is my helper and my provider..He will always be there for me..when no one else is...For He will never leave me nor forsake me..Amen\n\nLet this my prayer be, More and More of Thee and less and less of me..Amen \n\nLet His Will be done..not mine...Amen
603320
Why don't you come to my church. It's not all black and it's not Baptist but our Pastor is black and he is considered to be one of the most gifted Pastor's in this country.\n\nAlso the Southern Baptists helped us with a loan guarantee to build our new church building.\n\nClick on the My Pastor button to learn more! http://web.express56.com/~bromar/
854152
I would not doubt it. He was pastor of a Charismatic church. They get big bucks. Think of Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch, Kenneth Copeland, Keneth Hagan, and so on.
21379
Ok here is a try.  A guy told me this the other day...\n\nThese 3 pastors enjoyed going around to elderly people's homes and sharing religous inspirations with them.  They felt they had to do this, as a lot of old folks couldn't make it out of the house.\n\nOne day the 3 pastors stopped by an elderly woman's house.  She was really excited to see them, as she doesn't get any visitors except for her son who drops off groceries once a week.\n\nShe invited the pastors in and welcomed them to sit in her living room.  The pastors began reading versus to her and did their usual thing.\n\nOne of the pastors spotted a bowl of peanuts on the table and began eating them.  As time went on and they spoke with the lady about religion, an hour had passed in no time.  The pastor eating the peanuts realized that he had nearly finished off the entire bowl.  The pastor was embarrased as he could tell the elderly lady didn't have much money and probably had a hard time affording food.\n\nThe pastor apologized to the lady for eating nearly her whole bowl of peanuts.  He assured her, he would replace them the next day.\n\nThe elderly lady replied "Don't worry about it, since I lost my teeth years ago...I haven't been able to eat chocolate covered peanuts.  I only suck the chocolate off of them!"
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Well, this isn't the first time something like this has happened and it won't be the last.  \n\nI agree he is better known than people on here seem to realize.  I think this is far more deliberate than some think.\nHowever, none of the men you mention are my pastor, so none of them speak much to my perspective, and I am certainly not under their spiritual authority. \nDo I have similar values?  Yes.  Is the fall of any of these men going to affect my voting or worldview? No.\n\nNew Life Church is just that, a church not a denomination. Their membership rolls are about 14k.  \n\nYikes!  They've even made Wiki!!!  LOL  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Life_Church\n\nYour question is legitimate.  I don't agree with your conclusion. ; )\n\n(And why are you posting questions I feel obliged to answer? LOL)
1115090
I live in Southaven, Mississippi which is just outside of Memphis, TN.  I have not heard of him but I will keep my ears open!
866717
Yes!  They have great voices and I like their music.  This is what I love about them:  I pasted it and copied it:  \n\nAt the heart of their ministry is a deep commitment to speaking the truth about family issues, sexual purity and the grace of God. "We have to admit, our backgrounds are pretty unusual," says Denise. "None of our parents are divorced, we all have sisters (not a brother in the bunch!) and we all have remained sexually pure and drug-free." So how can they possible relate to kids who aren't from stable families, who are struggling with temptation and losing the battle? "Though outwardly our lives may look picture perfect, inside we each know that only through God's love and grace are we able to overcome obstacles in our daily walk."\n\n\nHere is more about them and their history if anyone reads your question and wants to know more about them: http://www.cmo.com/cmo/cmo/data/pog.htm\n\nHappy Thanksgiving everyone.
993165
I am a Christian Pastor ans author.\nI ask God to direct my footsteps everyday so that it may be possible for me to do what He wants me to in my life.\nI also answer questions honestly and to the best of my ability on Y/A.
364159
been wondering about him myself, haven't seen him in a while..maybe he is hiking and preaching in the wilderness?\nGOD BLESS!
1133179
I have also. My hubby was saved at one in Oregon. We plan on going to another in a few weeks. THey are a blast and help you fellowship with other Christians. I learn so much from them.
688477
Hi Howard,\nI met the DuaneClark once, a few weekends ago. I was walking to the corner market for a loaf of bread when I had to pass by a neighborhood church. I was somewhat acquainted with the structure as it was always mentioned in the newspaper's community section. Known as "The loft," folks would gather there on Thursday evenings for poetry readings.\nHowever, this day happened to be a Saturday afternoon and a pair of gentlemen greeted me as I walked by. They invited me inside to sample an hour of their presentation. Ok, I went inside and found myself to be a prospective new recruit for their brand of religion.\n\nMost of the pews were filled with hooded monks chanting a haunting rhythm. There were others who like me, were wearing their regular denims. The service began like most others that church-goers would be familiar with. A grand master of ceremonies led the group through some songs and gave a sermon. Near the end of the hour it was time for their ritual of "laying on of the hands." Some of the parishioners would come forward and ask for prayers for their ailments or for a sick grand mum who fell down in the tub. All the hooded dudes whose faces could not readily be seen would all place a hand on the person and their combined energies were presumed to have a strength and expedite a solution to the problem.\n\nOK now, there was another new guy in the pews who was watching eagerly. I recognized DuaneClark from a wanted poster viewed earlier at the post office. When he saw a chance, he approached the ring of conspirators and described how he was always moving around and never able to settle down. The hooded goons closed in upon him, all to make a physical connection. The master of ceremonies began a prayer, a dogmatic mix of logic and pure hocus-pocus. I immediately saw the effects of the procedure as the tension went out of DuaneClark's body. When the beseeching was near an end, the master asked, "Are the brothers ready?"\n\nA suspenseful few moments passed until he almost shouted, "NOW!"\n\nOn that cue, the brothers began to pummel their hapless victim. Continually delivering blows over head and to the solar plexus until DuaneClark was down on the floor getting stomped. After another minute, the grand Pooh-Bah decided the treatment administered was sufficient to induce a relaxing calm that would assuage the nervousness of DuaneClark for a long, long time.\n\nI can't say for certain if DuaneClark got the comeuppance he deserved as I had a loaf of bread to buy and some other errands to do that day. I hope for you Howard, that you do find a sense of closure to this difficult episode of life.\n\n-Ryan
817664
Not a priets, a fundamentalist minister.  His name is Ted HAggard and he was the leader of a huge church and one of the largest politically active funamental Christian organizations in the country.
292207
Yes, he talks to me through his word, the Old and New Testaments.\n\nI talk to him through prayer.
304361
I study with shepherds chapel online,Pastor Murray is a very good teacher. I have learned more about the Bible since I have started watching the Bible Study Hour than I have in my whole life. If you have felt like there was more to the Bible than you have been taught, give them a listen.
327321
It sounds like your guest speaker was expressing his own opinion; or maybe he was referring to the growth of the pornography industry over the past couple of decades. It's a multi-billion-dollar-per-year industry and that means A LOT of people are buying the stuff. And it stands to reason that if a lot of people are buying it, then at least some of them must be churchgoers.  But think about it: These simple facts, recited in a sermon, might get your senior pastor into a lot of trouble with his congregation; could even cost him his job.  \n\nNow are you really surprised that he's never mentioned it?