Willow Praise Church - Passion for Jesus, Compassion for Others

June has been a busy month of Graduations and vacation traveling. I had two nephews and a neice graduated from High School, so I made what has been an annual pilgrimage to visit family in Minnesota for the past 27 years. Family is important to Candy and I and so the pilgrimage which gave us about 50 hours in the car together to reflect on our lives.

Here is a couple of reflection during this season.

1. Cleveland ranked #1 as the most miserable city in America. http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/11/americas-most-miserable-cities-business...
- 71,000 less people in Cleveland in the past 5 years
- In Northern Ohio 309 public officials in the past 10 years and Cleveland currently has 12 top tier officials that are under investigations which are serious to their position of service.
My response to this is the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

2. Many are going through difficult trials physically, spiritually and relationally. The Daily news is enough to put a person into depression, but hearing the personal challenges that good people face on a daily place reminds us of how fragle we are right now. The prolonged downturn has put many in a difficult place. My conclusion is to actively be in prayer and acts of compassion.

The challenges are great, but the God we serve is greater. May the Lord give us strategies to overcome our current context.

God Bless!
Pastor Larry

Find a moment this week to praise Jesus for your many blessings. Have a blessed and healthy week.

Psalm 103:2-3
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our report? And to who has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised , and we did not esteem Him. Surely, He was borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before it's shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked-But with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

 This past Sunday the service was a season of prayer, and especially praying for strength in the inner man. Galatians 6:10, “Be strong in the Lord in the power of His might. Ephesians 3:14-19 is Paul's apostolic prayer, and in verse 16 prayer is, “to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

Youth Group went down to Chagrin River last Tuesday and eleven youth and two adults were baptized.  I love going to the river for water baptisms, as it is the way that Jesus himself was baptized. 
Check out the Photos.  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=513273&id=1466124232&ref=mf

Wednesday we had a guest, Dr. Gregory Thompson who shared on social justice.  He related a story of Mother Theresa who was shadowed by a couple of reporters.  As she walked down the street she noticed a leper whose wounds were oozing.  She stooped down and with her own garment began to wipe the leper's wounds.  One reported spoke out loud and said I wouldn't do that for a million bucks. Mother Theresa heard the comment and said, "neither would I".