Joel Osteen Out of the Closet ... In a good way.

I thought this post was very interesting, the Blog is from New Man magazine.

The New Man Report
Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Osteen Out of the Closet ... In a Good Way
I'm not a big fan of Joel Osteen. Not that he needs my support. The popular "smiling preacher" leads the largest church in America, writes best-selling books and has a huge TV ministry. I don’t have a beef with Osteen personally. He seems like a nice guy. It’s just that I find his sermons a little fluffy. To me the brand of faith he promotes seems like Christianity lite. A little biblical truth supplemented with a lot of pop psychology.

Still, I have to give credit where credit is due. And this week I applaud Osteen for a courageous stance he took on the issue of homosexuality.

It all started when son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Jay and a group of gays and lesbians attended Osteen’s Lakewood Church in an effort to influence the famous pastor’s view on the issue of homosexuality. Jay Bakker is part of a coalition of organizations that advocate for complete acceptance of homosexuality. Osteen welcomed the group and met with them after the service. But according to Lakewood’s spokesman, Donald Iloff, Osteen did not bow to the group’s pressure.

“It was a very cordial, very nice meeting,” Iloff said. “But ultimately through our conversations, we continued to disagree with … Jay's position.”

Additionally, Iloff said that, at the church, they “believe homosexuality is sin” and that “it is disobedience under God.”

Osteen’s stance was important for a couple of reasons. First, the visit to Lakewood was the first stop for the pro-gay group (they’re calling it “The American Family Outing”) in a 6-stop campaign that will move on to other influential churches such as Willow Creek and Saddleback. I’m glad Osteen set the tone by taking a tough stand for biblical truth. It sent a message to the other churches on the gay activists’ list not to be intimidated into compromising their beliefs.

Osteen has been evasive about the controversial issue until now. So in a way the group’s visit occasioned a “coming out” moment for him, a time when Osteen could weigh in on an important topic. And he passed the test. He resisted the pressure.

Osteen may still not be my favorite preacher, but today I’m impressed.


posted by Drew Dyck at 3:41 PM
http://www.newmanmag.com/newmanreport/2008/05/osteen-out-of-closet-in-good-way.html

Florescent Sunshine

Have you ever seen florescent sunshine
In a world of white and gray
With stainless steel facilities
I see it everyday

Florescent sunshine world dwellers
Spend their days alone
Escaping momentarily by way of telephone

This world is made of mostly brick
Two hundred sixty three
Of this I am quite sure my friend
For I count them frequently

The breeze always blows from the north
Through man made vents and shafts
And you know florescent sunshine
Can't warm those chilly drafts

You lie in bed wide awake
Pushing problems out of sight
With mounting feelings of agitation
As the noise goes on all night

In your room, all alone
Under incondescent light
Dreaming of the better days
Before you were locked up tight

You awaken yet one more day
In this endless bland routine
Still longing for the family and friends
That in your dreams you've seen

Cause you're nothing now to anyone
Except the judge and jury
So sit back and relax my friends
In here there is no hurry

Because in this place all time has stopped
Outside it continues fine
And you wonder where your loved ones are
While in your cracked sublime.

And if I am freed from here
I'll dare not look behind
But I'll never be the same again
After my days of florescent sunshine.

Greg Hergott wrote this poem.
Greg has spent a lot of time living this reality. I've known Greg since he was a young boy and then when he started to get into trouble I visited him a few times in a juvenile detention center. I connected back up with Greg as I became involved in the Jail Ministry at the Columbus Rescue Mission. I count him a friend.
Please pray for Greg. He is spending time again in a Federal Detention center