On February 11th, off-duty officers at Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood megachurch in Houston, Texas, shot and killed a female shooter. Police identified the shooter as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno. Unfortunately, the shooter’s 7-year-old child and a 57-year-old man were shot and critically wounded in the crossfire.
In the first Sunday service since the shooting incident, Paster Joel Osteen delivered a sermon focused on “restoration and healing.” The atmosphere was heavy with emotion as Osteen preached hope to his congregation and community, who were deeply affected by the incident.
Osteen stepped onto the stage for the 8:30 a.m. service. He warmly greeted the packed auditorium before leading them in a prayer to begin the service. “Lord, we think of your faithfulness, especially this week, Lord, what you brought us through,” Osteen said. “We don’t take it for granted. Your angels were watching over each one of us.”
He acknowledged that the shooting could have been more deadly, resulting in far more significant harm. “We don’t take it for granted. Your angels were watching over each one of us,” he said.
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Osteen went on to offer prayers for the shooter’s 7-year-old boy named “Samuel,” asking God for mercy and healing. Samuel sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Houston’s Children’s Hospital in critical condition. Three days after the incident, Samuel’s grandmother, Walli Carranza, shared online that he had suffered damage to “a portion of his frontal lobe” due to the gunshot.
“Half of his right skull had to be surgically removed during two surgeries done in less than 24 hours,” Carranza wrote. “He was in cardiac arrest multiple times, and no one can determine whether he has significant brain activity,” she said.
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During the service, the pastor got very emotional and also prayed for the shooter and her family. “I just ask you, Lord, to heal the hurts in that family,” he said. On narrating the incident, the celebrity pastor expressed his disbelief in the senseless act of violence.
“I never dreamed something like this would happen,” he said. He recounted that on that day, he had just finished a meeting and was walking to his office. People then informed him about “some kind of incident” at the church. Upon returning to his office, he received a text from Houston Police Chief Troy Finner asking if he was okay.
ALSO READ: Off-Duty Police Officers Kill Female Shooter in Texas Church
“And I texted back. I said, ‘I’m OK, but I don’t know what’s going on,'” Osteen said. He also added that the church was lucky to have law enforcement. During his address, Osteen also took a moment to acknowledge the bravery and dedication of the church’s security team, referring to them as “heroes.”
When it was time to preach, Osteen delivered a sermon on the concept of defining moments. He spoke about how moments like this could make someone choose to live in fear.
“That’s where we are at Lakewood,” Osteen said. “This troubled woman came in and tried to harm. This is a critical moment. As a church, we can shrink back; it’s dangerous, let’s hide our life. Let’s go under the radar.’ But this is a time to shine brighter than ever, to share more hope, to dig down deep and say, ‘We will not fear, for our God is stronger, our God is greater,” he concluded.
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