and yes… he seems to be a bit like the anthony robbins style. hence the “Discover the Champion in You” thing!

Joel’s father, John Osteen, a former Southern Baptist pastor who became Charismatic in the late 1950s, founded Lakewood Church on Mother’s Day, 1959.

Osteen’s father developed Lakewood into a body of approximately 6,000 members with an active television ministry, crusades, conferences, missionary support and food distribution. He died of a heart attack in 1999. Having produced his father’s television program for years, Joel Osteen–despite having preached only one time in his life, the week before John Osteen’s death–succeeded him on October 3, 1999.

Despite concerns regarding Osteen’s selection (mainly due to his lack of experience in preaching and concerns about the son of a famous minister being able to “fill the shoes” of the father), Osteen’s low-key, positive style resonated with crowds. Adopting the slogan “Discover the Champion in You,” Lakewood eventually had to hold six weekly services in its 7,800 seat sanctuary, before moving to a new facility, the former Compaq Center which can seat over 16,000 at one time, in July 2005.

Osteen lives in the Houston area with his wife Victoria and two children, Jonathan and Alexandra.

What kind of pasta – fettucine, penne, spaghetti, lasagna??

Is he like a Christian version of an Anthony Robbins style motivational speaker?

but… he’s the pasta of a big fat mega church in texas.

i think he may have been on craig s’ blog recently on the frontpage of something like BRW????

By the way, who’s Joel Osteen? That’s about the 4th time I’ve heard his name come up in the last week.