He resides in Houston with his wife, Victoria, and their children. He is also the host of Joel Osteen Radio, a 24-hour channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 128. His televised messages are seen by more than 10 million viewers each week in the United States and millions more in 100 nations around the world. He has been named by numerous publications as one of the most influential Christian leaders in the world. And he encourages readers to be people of faith, for if you can see the invisible, God will do the impossible.Ībout the Author JOEL OSTEEN is the author of ten New York Times bestsellers and the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston. We need to see ourselves through the eyes of our Creator.' He says that our self-image should mirror exactly what God says about us, not what we feel or think. God sees us as more than conquerors, able to fulfill our destiny. And I will be tomorrow what I'm believing about myself right now. In Your Best Life Now, Osteen says, 'I am what I am today because of what I believed about myself yesterday. Our beliefs will prove either a barrier or vehicle as we strive to go higher, rise above our obstacles, and to live in health, abundance, and victory. Why is this important? Because we will become what we believe. Pastor Joel Osteen asks everyone to examine what he or she really believes. Copyright 2004 Publishers Weekly.Book Synopsis Live boldly and act on your most powerful beliefs with this life-changing guide to faith, positive thinking, and spiritual fulfillment. Theologically, its materialism and superficial portrayal of God as the granter of earthly wishes will alienate many Christian readers who can imagine a much bigger God. Editorially, the book would have packed more of a punch if a third of its repetitive slogans and stories had been pruned.

There are some good pockets of advice, such as letting go of past hurts and avoiding bitterness.

Osteen's message to remember others and get your mind off yourself flies in the face of the previous 200 pages. The section on giving comes as too little, too late. In seven parts, he details how readers should enlarge their vision, develop self-esteem, discover the power of thought, let go of the past, find strength through adversity, give back to others and choose to be happy. Osteen tells readers that God wants them to prosper, offering examples of obtaining an elegant mansion or a larger salary (don't ever get satisfied with where you are,he cautions). Many Christian readers will undoubtedly be put off by the book's shallow name-it-and-claim-it theology although the first chapter claims that we serve the God that created the universe, the book as a rule suggests the reverse: it's a treatise on how to get God to serve the demands of self-centered individuals. Houston megachurch pastor and inspirational TV host Osteen offers an overblown and redundant self-help debut.

Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen