Joel Osteen: standing by your woman

Note the bottom of the marqee in front of Lakewood Church on the SW Frwy in Houston.

It used to just say Joel Osteen, pastor.

We noticed a few weeks ago they added Victoria Osteen to the pastorial marquee credits.

I took this as Joel Osteen's symbolic gesture of affirmation of his wife, following her embarrassing removal from an airliner following some sort of dispute with a flight attendant a few months ago.

I'm not an Osteen basher. One thing I like about his TV show is that he doesn't ask you to send him money in exchange for, say, praying for you, like some of the TV preachers. Sure, they sell books and DVDs and stuff via the little text messages that will appear on the bottom of your TV screen, but at least it's not an outright plea to SEND ME MONEY AND I'LL PRAY THAT YOU DON'T GO TO HELL.

I also like the multicultural look of his congregation. They're from all walks of life, as the saying goes. I've gone there a couple times to get a first-hand look. I took some photos but never posted them.

My late mother used to watch his show on Sunday mornings on Channel 11. She'd say, "I like that young man."

She also liked how he always told a joke or two in his sermon.

That's how I started watching him on occassion. One common thread I've noticed in his sermons is that they're basically common sense advice.

Lord knows, this world is fucked up enough that common sense sometimes seems in short supply.

Like a few weeks ago he told everyone not to be too "over controlling" of your children (or anyone else) after they've reached a certain stage in life cause it's basically just not a good idea. And it'll drive you nuts. He didn't say it'd drive you nuts; that was my interpretation, based on personal experience.

I would imagine my mother would like the new look of the church marquee where Joel gives his wife equal billing, despite the recent airliner incident and the attendant embarrassing news coverage.

Yeah, Mrs. Osteen probably screwed up and let her emotions overtake her common sense. But that's no reason for her husband to throw her under the bus. He did the exact opposite, judging from the new-look church marquee.

Like the late Tammy Wynette once sang in "Stand By Your Man," Joel's standing by his woman.