By:  Ellis                                       S.R. No. 318
    1-1                           SENATE RESOLUTION
    1-2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
    1-3  recognize Dr. John Osteen for his achievements and his outstanding
    1-4  service as pastor of Lakewood Church; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, John Osteen became pastor of Lakewood Church in
    1-6  1969; he spends several weeks each year on personal teaching
    1-7  missions around the world; and
    1-8        WHEREAS, Born in 1921 in Paris, Texas, Dr. Osteen grew
    1-9  up without attending church regularly; in spite of his misspent
   1-10  youth, when he was 18 years old he felt a yearning for spiritual
   1-11  growth and began to attend church regularly; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, A man of spiritual depth and devotion, John Osteen
   1-13  preached his first sermon two months later; soon he was ordained
   1-14  as a Southern Baptist minister and pastored churches in Texas and
   1-15  California; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, Over the next few years he ministered faithfully
   1-17  to the needs of the people he served; he was a member of the
   1-18  Texas Southern Baptist Executive Board and helped create tremendous
   1-19  spiritual growth in Baytown's Central Baptist Church; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, Inspirational and caring, he served for several
   1-21  years as a substitute pastor to Baptist churches with vacant
   1-22  pulpits; one of these churches was Hibbard Memorial Baptist Church
   1-23  in Houston, where he was appointed full-time pastor in 1958; and
    2-1        WHEREAS, Dr. Osteen holds a bachelor's degree from John Brown
    2-2  University, a master's degree from Northern Baptist Seminary, a
    2-3  doctor of letters degree from Indiana Christian University, and a
    2-4  doctor of divinity degree from Oral Roberts University in
    2-5  Tulsa, Oklahoma; and
    2-6        WHEREAS, A passionate and eloquent spokesman on behalf of
    2-7  causes close to his heart, Dr. Osteen and his wife, Dodie, discovered
    2-8  that their baby daughter, Lisa, had cerebral palsy in 1958; Dr. Osteen
    2-9  began to study and teach what the New Testament says about healing
   2-10  and the Holy Spirit; he literally practiced what he preached with
   2-11  Lisa, and she recovered completely; today she is a normal, healthy
   2-12  young woman; and
   2-13        WHEREAS, As a direct result of this extraordinary experience,
   2-14  a new church was born in 1959, and he became its pastor; it was first
   2-15  known as Lakewood Baptist Church; later it became Lakewood Church; and
   2-16        WHEREAS, From 1961 to 1969, John Osteen carried his mission
   2-17  and evangelistic work to such foreign countries as the Philippines,
   2-18  India, and Mexico; in 1969 he returned to the pastorate of
   2-19  Lakewood Church; and
   2-20        WHEREAS, Dr. John Osteen has dedicated his time and his
   2-21  energy unselfishly to the members of his church as well as countless
   2-22  other souls; now, therefore, be it
   2-23        RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
   2-24  73rd Legislature, hereby commend Dr. John Osteen and applaud his
   2-25  many noteworthy achievements in his illustrious career as a pastor;
    3-1  and, be it further
    3-2        RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
    3-3  him as a token of great respect from the Texas Senate.
    3-4                                 _____________________________________
    3-5                                        President of the Senate
    3-6                                      I hereby certify that the
    3-7                                 above Resolution was adopted by
    3-8                                 the Senate on February 24, 1993.
    3-9                                 _____________________________________
   3-10                                        Secretary of the Senate
   3-11                                 _____________________________________
   3-12                                         Member, Texas Senate