HOUSTON – When you say the name "Oprah," people just seem to show up! That was the case in Houston Friday as thousands were on hand at the Hobby Center for Oprah Winfrey's latest life class.
"Welcome to life class! We're here in the Lone Star state of Texas!" Oprah boomed as she sat on the stage across from Lakewood Pastor Joel Osteen.
Osteen was Oprah's guest for the taping of two Lifeclass segments titled, "Dream Big. What is the dream you hold for yourself?" A later taping would involve Pastor Rick Warren, who also taped two shows.
Both shows were completely full with more than 2,400 Oprah fans who got their tickets through a lottery held on Oprah.com.
The Houston visit comes after stops this spring in St. Louis, New York and Toronto. If fans came expecting an uplifting spiritual event, they were not disappointed.
In one early segment of the show as Osteen talked about dreams, he likened them to a fast-food restaurant.
"Your dreams will be much bigger. God's going to super-size anything you dream," he said as Oprah chimed in. "That's a tweet. Tweet God will super-size your dream. Super-size me, Jesus!" to the laughter of the packed Sarofim Hall.
After the taping, when asked what she prays for prior to such an important event, Oprah said, "We actually prayed before we started this show. What we prayed is that the words of our mouth and the meditation of heart would speak to people in a way that they could receive it from exactly the space that they most need it."
Fans came from all over the United States and from outside the country as well seeking and receiving the Oprah wisdom. Jeannie Locklear and her friend flew in from Missouri specifically for Friday's show and said she had been trying for years to get a ticket and when her number came up in the lottery, there was no doubt she'd make the trip.
"I knew that it was a life class and being all that you can be and taking charge of your life and you can do that," she said. "It's a good reminder."
Houston is the final Lifeclass stop for Oprah this year. You can bet the diehard Oprah fans who are in line are going to be monitoring her website to find out when that next Lifeclass is going to be scheduled.