SO I'M HERE IN HOUSTON,

TEXAS, IN THIS HUGE ARENA.

I'M NOT GOING TO A MUSIC

CONCERT OR A SPORTING

EVENT.

I'M GOING TO CHURCH.

WELCOME TO LAKEWOOD.

* HE LOVES YOU

* AND ME

Kristi: IT IS THE

LARGEST CHURCH IN AMERICA.

OVER 44,000 PEOPLE OF EVERY

RACE, ORIGIN, AND

NATIONALITY MEET IN THIS OLD

BASKETBALL ARENA EVERY

WEEKEND.

* OH, HOW HE LOVES YOU

* AND ME

Kristi: TURN BACK THE

HANDS OF TIME TO 1959.

PASTOR JOHN OSTEEN AND 90

OTHER CHRISTIANS DECIDE TO

TURN AN OLD FEED STORE INTO

A CHURCH ON THE NORTH SIDE

OF HOUSTON.

THEIR GOAL WAS SIMPLE: TO

LEAD PEOPLE TO THE POWER AND

LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST BY

PLOWING THROUGH

DENOMINATIONAL WALLS.

FOUR DECADES LATER, THE

BATON WAS PASSED TO HIS SON,

JOEL.

IN LESS THAN 10 YEARS, THE

MINISTRY HAS CATAPULTED TO

WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION,

DRAWING VISITORS FROM ALL

OVER THE WORLD.

EACH WEEK OVER SEVEN MILLION

VIEWERS TUNE IN TO HEAR A

WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND

HOPE FROM THE SMILING

PASTOR.

BUT JOEL IS NOT WITHOUT HIS

CRITICS.

SOME CHRISTIANS HAVE

CRITICIZED HIM FOR AVOIDING

SIN, SATAN, AND HELL IN HIS

SERMONS.

AND OTHERS SAY HE LACKS A

SEMINARY DEGREE, AND ACCUSES

OF HIM WATERING DOWN THE

MESSAGE.

RECENTLY I GOT TOGETHER WITH

JOEL, AND WHAT I FOUND THAT

THE MAN IN THE PULPIT IS

JUST AS CHARMING IN PERSON,

WITH HIS LAUGH AND DOWN HOME

CHARM FOR TELLING STORIES.

Reporter: WHAT MAKES

YOU MAD?

THERE ISN'T A LOT THAT

MAKES ME MAD.

Reporter: DO YOU WANT

ME TO TELL YOU WHAT YOUR

WIFE SAID?

WHEN SOME PEOPLE ARE LATE.

THAT COULD BE IT.

BECAUSE WE START ON TIME,

AND WE HAVE THE DIGITAL

CLOCKS.

AND I SAID, VICTORIA, IF I

WASN'T HERE, WHAT WOULD YOU

DO?

SHE SAID, I GET I'D GET

ANOTHER HUSBAND.

Reporter: JOEL MARRIED

HIS WIFE 20 YEARS AGO, AND

SHE IS NOT ONLY HIS WIFE,

BUT HIS BEST FRIEND.

WE'LL MEET HER LATER ON.

HOW DOES THIS SHY TEXAS MAN

GET IN FRONT OF OF MILLIONS

PEOPLE EVERY SUNDAY?

IS IT NERVE-RACKING?

IT USED TO BE.

BUT I JUST RELY ON THE LORD

TO HELP ME.

I THINK HE GIVES YOU GRACE

TO DO IT.

BUT I THINK I'M TALKING TO

THAT GROUP THERE.

Reporter: ARE YOU STILL

SHY?

I'M STILL SHY.

I'M STILL RESERVED.

I THINK THAT'S JUST MY

PERSONALITY.

Reporter: THIS IS THE

FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER WENT

TO YOUR CHURCH, AND IT IS SO

OVERWHELMING EXCITING.

YOU WALK IN AND IT IS PART

ROCK CONCERT AND PART

SPORTING EVENT.

I LIKE TO HAVE A

CELEBRATION EVERY SERVICE.

IT MAY FEEL LIKE A ROCK

CONCERT OR A PEP RALLY, BUT

THERE ARE ENOUGH THINGS

PULLING US DOWN IN LIFE.

I LIKE TO COME IN AND SAY,

WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE

WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US.

WE'VE ALL GOT CHALLENGES AND

REASONS NOT TO CELEBRATE,

BUT THAT'S WHAT FAITH IS

ABOUT, GOD, WE'RE JUST GOING

TO CELEBRATE YOU.

Reporter: YOU HAVE

40,000 PEOPLE.

HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO MEET

THEIR NEEDS INDIVIDUALLY?

WE HAVE A GREAT SUPPORT

SYSTEM.

WE HAVE ABOUT 4,000 TO 5,000

VOLUNTEERS.

MY FATHER GOT US STARTED IN

THIS.

WE BELIEVE EVERY BELIEVER IS

A MINISTER.

Reporter: AND NO ONE IS

LEFT OUT.

ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN.

IN THEIR STATE-OF-THE-ART

FACILITY, THEY HAVE A CHURCH

FOR THE CHILDREN.

AND IT TOTALLY ROCKS.

WE KNEW IF WE COULD GET

THE KIDS WANTING TO COME TO

CHURCH, THEN THE PARENTS

WILL COME.

Reporter: HOW IN THE

WORLD ARE YOU ABLE TO GET

BLACKS, WHITES, MEXICANS,

ASIANS, YOUNG, OLD, POOR,

RICH IN ONE PLACE?

MY DAD'S MESSAGE WAS A

MESSAGE OF HOPE AND LOVE,

AND IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYBODY

CAME.

EVEN WHEN MY FATHER DIED, I

TOLD VICTORIA, I'M YOUNG,

I'M WHITE, I DON'T KNOW IF

I'LL REACH EVERYBODY LIKE MY

DAD, BUT I WAS THRILLED TO

SAY THE SAME THING CARRIES

ON.

WHEN I LOOK OUT THERE, I

THINK THIS IS WHAT HEAVEN IS

GOING TO BE LIKE.

IT'S REALLY NEAT.

Reporter: JOEL'S

PASSION TO BRING THE GOSPEL

TO EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD

IS SHARED BY HIS WIFE OF 20

YEARS, VICTORIA.

I CHATTED WITH VICTORIA A

LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER ROLE IN

THE MINISTER.

ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT YOU

AND JOEL, IT SEEMS YOU GUYS

ARE A TEAM.

EVEN DURING THE SERVICE, YOU

GET UP AND YOU MINISTER AS

WELL.

IT IS VERY EASY FOR ME TO

JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IN

THEIR FAMILY LIFE AND IN

THEIR CHILDREN.

IT IS JUST VERY NATURAL.

TO ME, IT IS WHAT I FEEL

COMFORTABLE DOING.

Reporter: WHAT IS YOUR

HEART?

WHAT IS THE CORE MESSAGE

THAT YOU TEACH?

I FEEL LIKE MY MESSAGE IS

TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT GOD

IS A GOOD GOD, HE IS ON

THEIR SIDE.

NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE IN

LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT HAS

HAPPENED, HE STILL HAS A

GREAT PLAN FOR THEM.

Reporter: 20 YEARS FROM

NOW -- BECAUSE YOU'RE IN A

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACE

THAN YOU WERE 20 YEARS

BEFORE.

20 YEARS FROM NOW, WHERE DO

YOU SEE YOURSELF?

THAT'S SUCH A RESUME

QUESTION.

I DON'T KNOW.

I WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN

MYSELF HERE 10 YEARS AGO.

YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER

CONVINCED WE WOULD HAVE THE

BUILDING THAT I GREW UP

SEEING THE ROCKETS PLAY

BASKETBALL AND WE'D HAD THE

MINISTRY.

I HOPE TO SAY WE'LL HAVE

MORE INFLUENCE AND WE'LL BE

ABLE TO HELP MORE PEOPLE.

THAT'S MY PRAY EVERY DAY,

GOD, LET US NOT HAVE A YEAR

WE GO DOWN AND GET

STAGNANT.

TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Reporter: THE KEY TO

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IS

SIMPLE, TO LEAD PEOPLE TO A

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LOVE

OF JESUS CHRIST.

WE NEVER LIKE TO CLOSE

OUR BROADCAST WITHOUT GIVING

YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE

JESUS THE LORD OF YOUR

LIFE.

WOULD YOU PRAY WITH ME?

I NEVER LIKE TO HAVE A

SERVICE WITHOUT GIVING AN

INVITATION.

I NEVER LIKE TO WRITE A BOOK

WITHOUT GIVING THE

INVITATION, AND JUST

PRESENTING THAT TRUTH, THAT

I BELIEVE THIS IS THE WHOLE

KEY OF LIVING A FULFILLED

LIFE, TO BECOMING A BETTER

YOU.

I REALLY BELIEVE IT STARTS

THERE.

AND IF YOUR HEART IS

PLIABLE, THAT THEY'LL

RECEIVE THE LOVE THAT JESUS

HAS DIED AND SHED HIS BLOOD

FOR.