Houston pastor and author Joel Osteen, drew about 37,000 people to a Chicago ballpark for \u201cAmerica\u2019s Night of Hope\u201d Saturday.<\/p>\n
Preaching\u00a0hope amid global economic fears that followed the downgrading of America\u2019s credit rating the preceding night, the 48-year-old pastor proclaimed that \u201ca resurrection God\u201d was capable of \u201cbreathing new life,\u201d\u00a0according to the\u00a0Chicago Sun -Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n “You wouldn\u2019t be alive unless God had another victory in store for you. You need to get ready, because jubilee is on the way,\u201d he told them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a message that rang true for many in the crowd \u2014 which erupted in applause and cheers throughout the event..<\/p>\n Osteen\u2019s message has inspired millions around the country and in Houston, where his multimillion-dollar ministry has its headquarters.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got such a warm, positive message. It\u2019s infectious,\u201d said Mike Jasinski, 29, of Ingleside. \u201cYou can\u2019t help smiling when he starts talking.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he rediscovered his faith during Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He has been watching Osteen\u2019s television program for years, and seeing the minister Saturday was a reminder of how faith changed his life, he said.<\/p>\n Osteen kicked off the event by welcoming the crowd and touching on his religious philosophy, followed by a message from his wife, also a minister at their Lakewood Church. \u201cThis world, this economy would like us to believe \u2018I can\u2019t,\u2019 that we\u2019re hopeless, we\u2019re helpless and our hands are tied,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we\u2019re going to celebrate the \u2018I can.\u2019 \u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n