For Alexandra Osteen, growing up in a megachurch and being raised by world-famous parents was surprisingly normal. The daughter of Lakewood Church's Joel and Victoria Osteen, Alexandra has made a name for herself in recent years as a worship leader for her Houston congregation and a powerful voice in Lakewood music, with her new album, Oh, how valuable it is,this month.
“They've always been my parents, and I could brag about them for days,” Alexandra Osteen told Crosswalk Headlines. “They're amazing parents, and they're the same person onstage that they are at home.”
Lakewood Church is the fourth-largest church in the United States, with 45,000 people attending each week and millions more watching on television and online around the world. Alexandra was about 7 years old when the church moved to the old Summit/Compaq Center, former home of the NBA's Houston Rockets.
“As I grew up, I… [that] “This is not normal,” she said of the church's size. “This is the hand of God who has blessed us and given us this ministry. We have to steward it and do our best and always point to Jesus.”
Oh, how splendid! The 13-song album features collaborations with Tauren Wells and Alexander Pappas, as well as songs written by Brandon Lake, Steven Furtick, Joel Osteen, Mitch Wong and Chris Brown.
She said the album is a testimony to “the goodness of God that we've seen in our lives.” The album was recorded live at Lakewood Church.
“These songs are all inspired directly from the Bible, from the stories and testimonies we've seen God do at Lakewood, from witnessing His goodness in our own lives and the lives of others,” Alexandra Osteen said.
The first single from the album, OutnumberedWells also contributed to the song, which was co-written by Joel Osteen.
“There's a really beautiful story behind this song, and it actually started with my dad,” Alexandra says. “He woke up one day and felt like God had given him the lyrics to this song, and it was based on a message he had spoken at church that weekend.”
Joel Osteen's sermon centered on the story of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. Chronicles 2begging God to give the Israelites victory over the great army.
“[Jehoshaphat] “I looked up to God and said, 'Aren't you the God in heaven? I look up to you and I know you'll fight my battles,'” Alexandra Osteen said. “The message of this song is so powerful and it's a declaration that can be made in any situation. It just says the enemy is outnumbered because we know that with the Lord on our side, the enemy is always outnumbered,” she added. “Some people say, 'You and God are the majority,' and that's true, but without you, God is the majority.”
She said Lakewood Music is “not trying to be the coolest band” but writing songs that will make an impact on Lakewood Church and praying that those songs will make an impact on the world. The goal, she said, is “to continue to spread the gospel and hope of Jesus.”
“All of us who release Christian and worship music have the same goal: to exalt the name of Jesus,” she says, “and we love the different creative ways to express and share the heart of Jesus.”
Watch: Lakewood Music | Outnumbered (featuring Tauren Wells)
Photo credit: ©Lakewood Music
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
