Joel Osteen Celebrates 50th Birthday With Praises From Fans, Leaders
Pastor Joel Osteen celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday with a myriad of wishes from family members, other Christian leaders and fans.
Osteen’s wife and co-pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Victoria Osteen, wished her husband of 26 years a happy birthday on Twitter. “Happy birthday to my wonderful husband @JoelOsteen!” she tweeted.
His sister, Lisa Comes, associate pastor at Lakewood Church, also took to the Twitterverse to wish Osteen a happy birthday. “Happy birthday to my amazing brother Joel Osteen with our awesome brother Paul Osteen,” she wrote, attaching a photo of the three siblings together.
Other spiritual leaders posted birthday messages to Osteen on Twitter.
“A big Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people @JoelOsteen!!! Have a great one, Joel,” Max Lucado tweeted.
Lisa Bevere wrote, “Happy Birthday @JoelOsteen you add strength and courage to all who encounter you! Pray this is a year of harvest for you!”
T.D. Jakes also asked his “Twitter family” to join him in wishing his friend a happy birthday.
In addition, thousands of Osteen’s followers gave him praise and wished him a happy birthday via Facebook, calling him a “blessing, great speaker, a gift from God and inspiring.”
The well-known preacher recently spoke about aging and mortality as he approached his half-century birthday.
When asked if he thinks about his mortality, Osteen told The Huffington Post: “I don’t think about it a whole lot but from time to time I realize I’ve probably already lived more than I’m going to have left to live on the second half. [My mortality] comes into play at times, but I try to be the best each day and appreciate each day as a gift.”
The pastor also said he tries to stay youthful by eating healthy, exercising and leading a balanced life.
“A big part of [aging well] is your genes. It’s just hereditary,” Osteen commented. “I think another part of it is living life happy and having a relaxed attitude. I eat right and I exercise … getting enough recreation, working hard and being emotionally, spiritually and physically in balance.”
Osteen was born on March 5, 1963, as one of five children to his mother, Dolores Pilgrim, and his father, John Osteen, who founded Lakewood Church.
Joel Osteen produced Lakewood’s television program for 17 years before he became the congregation’s leader after his father passed away in 1999. The church is now considered one of the largest in the country, with a weekly attendance of 43,000 people.
