Steve Levitt

That would have been better than the party, but it still would have been pretty bad.

But she took me to Houston to go watch Joel Osteen in person.

Those few hours in the Compact Center, which is where he does the preaching, it was truly magical.

I would recommend it to anyone, atheist, whatever.

It was a community of people coming together in a way that was so powerful.

And I always wanted to talk to him about that.

And I tried pretty hard to get him to talk to me, but it never made any headway.

What would you have wanted to ask him?

I wanted to express to him how powerful I found his message, even though I don't even believe in God.

So when I listen to his sermons, I just substitute the word universe for Jesus and for God and treat it more like some kind of new agey thing.

But he seems to really feel what he's saying.

And he preaches this gospel of empowerment.

And at the same time, it's so counter to what many people associate with religion.

He lives in a really fancy house, and I'm sure he has tons and tons of money.

I was just curious to see if I could get him at all to talk like a regular person, which I'm sure I couldn't.

But that was my goal.

I was wondering what it was like to talk to Joel when he wasn't on stage.

I think a regular person, if you substitute the word universe, they'll be like, what are you talking about?

It doesn't make any sense.

But I kind of believe, or at least I have at times in my life believed that somehow the universe seemed to be taking care of me.