Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Good Stewards?

Lakewood Church in Houston moved into its new facilities this past weekend, the old Compaq Center where the Houston Rockets used to play. To convert it to a church--complete with giant video screens, waterfalls, and a giant globe--cost around $90 million. (For pictures go to http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/071605_local_lakewood.html# and click on "See images.")

I wonder how much the waterfalls cost and how many hungry people could have been fed instead?

5 comments:

jettybetty said...

$90 million???!!!!
Can I say eeekkkk really loud???
JB

Tony Arnold said...

How in the name of Heaven do you minister to a congregation and audience that big?

And $90M? Despite all the warnings about money in the Bible, Lakewood has hit the mother-lode of rich Christians.

Wow.

Tony

Tony Arnold said...

Not on the blog subject but...you posted you liked my description and thunderstorms on my most recent blog. I thought you might like this then:

Jacob's Ladder
Rush -- Lyrics by Neil Peart

The clouds prepare for battle
In the dark and brooding silence
Bruised and sullen stormclouds
Have the light of day obscured
Looming low and ominous
In twilight premature
Thunderheads are rumbling
In a distant overture

All at once,
The clouds are parted
Light streams down
In bright unbroken beams

Follow men's eyes
As they look to the skies
The shifting shafts of shining
Weave the fabric of their dreams...


Peart is a great writer and has written 3 non-fiction books.

Tony

JMG said...

Neat imagery! I wish I could come up with stuff like that. The other night on the travel channel I heard thunderstorms described by a motorcycle-riding preacher as God riding his Harley.

As far as your comment about the size of Lakewood's congregation, I wondered about that myself.

And the amount of money involved! They have to have some mighty rich members to pay what have to be some monster mortgage payments. You could do a lot of good for a lot of needy people with just the interest they're likely having to pay. I can't imagine that they've done this on a cash basis.

I realize that these big churches attract people who wouldn't normally go to church, but I also have to wonder what the people who go there are really going for.

Jana said...

"I wonder how much the waterfalls cost and how many hungry people could have been fed instead?"

OUCH. Great question.