SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2016
7 A
‘I believe’ is just the beginning
Faith in God is an amazing
gift. It starts the moment your
heart says: I believe Jesus is
God’s Son and that He came to
rescue me. That alone is an
incredible truth. But I wonder
how many Christians decide
that’s where their faith ends,
when the truth is, there’s so
much more to believe for in this
life!
One of the reasons I think
this happens is because many
Christians feel they don’t meas-
ure up to what they think they
should be. They get stuck
focusing on their weaknesses
and mistakes, rather than focus-
ing on who God is and what
He’s doing in and around them.
John 3:17 (AMPC) tells us,
“God did not send the Son into
the world in order to judge (to
reject, to condemn, to pass sen-
tence on) the world, but that the
world might find salvation and
be made safe and sound
through Him.”
Jesus is not only your Savior;
He’s your advocate. And He
wants you to start believing
God for much more than a trip
to heaven.
Faith is the answer to every
problem you face
The Bible says the just shall
live by faith (Hebrews 10:38).
In other words, faith is an atti-
tude that can become your way
of life — and there is no better
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way I can think of to live.
Faith replaces fear and worry
with peace and joy. It purifies
the heart, fills us with the Holy
Spirit, brings blessing and
hope, receives provision, pro-
duces all kinds of positive
results, and quenches all the
fiery darts of the enemy.
The Bible says that faith is a
shield (Ephesians 6:16). So
when the enemy starts to fire
off darts of fear and insecurity,
you can get behind your shield
of faith and keep going forward
with God.
But here’s the thing: A shield
won’t do you any good unless
it's lifted up. You need to raise
up your shield by praying, say-
ing, and doing things that line
up with God’s Word.
Second Peter 1:5 (AMPC)
says to “employ every effort in
exercising your faith to develop
virtue (excellence, resolution,
Christian energy).”
If you will exercise your
faith to become more like
Christ Himself, the way you
think will change. The things
you say will change. You will
begin to live with greater love
and compassion. And it will
become very natural for you to
encourage others in their faith.
I encourage you to put your
faith into action in a practical
way. Make a habit of getting up
in the morning and thanking
God for what He’s done in your
life. Praise Him for what He's
going to do. Release your faith
for what you know you need
from Him that day.
And ask Him to prepare you
for whatever challenges may
come your way.
Faith becomes a part
of who you are
Something I’ve learned over
the years is that you cannot
change yourself. It’s spending
time with God that transforms
you.
One of the things the apostle
Paul prayed for the Ephesian
church was that the Holy Spirit
would reveal Himself in their
inner being and personality-that
they would see who God had
created them to be through
Christ (Ephesians 3:16-17
AMPC).
God wants us to be firmly
rooted in the love of Christ so
we can take authority over our
enemy. And He wants us to be
so stirred up in His love that we
can’t help but share it with oth-
ers. I believe if every Christian
were doing this today, it would-
n’t take a lot of time for the
entire world to hear and believe
the good news of the Gospel.
Faith leaves a footprint for
others to follow
Ultimately, it’s not the things
we do but our faith that pleases
God. He wants us to have faith
for incredible things. And when
we look to the heroes of faith in
Hebrews 11, we see how God
was able to work in their lives
because they believed.
Hebrews 11:13 (AMPC)
says that they were “controlled
and sustained by their faith.”
And their faith still inspires us
today.
Noah prepared an ark to save
his family. It took many years
to build it, and he was made fun
of every single day because
where he lived, there was no
rain. The Bible says that by
faith, Noah “became heir of the
righteousness that is in keeping
with faith” (Hebrews 11:7
NIV).
By faith, Abraham prepared
to sacrifice his son Isaac, with
the hope that God might raise
him from the dead (vv. 17-19).
Rahab was a prostitute but
she chose to believe that God
could use her in a mighty way.
And because of her faith, she
and her family were saved (v.
31).
What will be your great story
of faith?
First John 5:4 (AMPC) says,
“For whatever is born of God is
victorious over the world; and
this is the victory that conquers
the world, even our faith.”
Decide today that, with God,
the impossible is possible.
Amazing things can happen
when you choose to believe.
So be bold in asking God to
reveal what His promises mean
for you, and never stop believ-
ing for them to be fulfilled.
Florence Unitarians to celebrate Day of the Dead
The community is invited to
the
Florence
Unitarian
Universalist
Fellowship
(FUUF) from 10 to 11 a.m. on
Sunday, Oct. 30, to celebrate
the sacred Day of the Dead.
There is a special energy
about this time of the year.
According to myth, the veil
between the world of the living
and that of the dead is thinnest.
At this time, many cultures
commune with loved ones who
have passed beyond the veil.
In Mexico, to honor the
dead, people bring food and
instruments to the cemetery for
a night of singing and music to
celebrate lost loves.
The public is invited to bring
pictures and objects to honor
those who have passed over.
Sally Wantz and Nin Bebeau
will lead this simple celebra-
tion, titled “The Thin Veil.”
The FUUF, 87738 Highway
101, is wheelchair accessible.
Each service concludes with
refreshments and dialogue cir-
cle.
For more information, call
541-997-2840.
Spirituali-Tea to celebrate birth of The Bab of Persia
UIL IS T
Q
ER
FUNDRA
Purchase a ticket for $5.00 to
enter into a drawing on Friday
November 18th at 5:30pm to win
this fabulous quilt
made by New Life Lutheran
Church Quilters Guild!
Stop by at 2100 Spruce Street
(right behind Grocery Outlet) to purchase a ticket.
Meggan Haslett, Director
541-999-6026 or email: abchristianprek@gmail.com
On Monday, Oct 31, begin-
ning at 6:30 p.m., everyone is
invited to join a group from
varied spiritual paths to cele-
brate the birth of The Bab.
In Shiraz, Persia, during the
months of May and June, 1844,
a new religion emerged, cen-
tered around
The Bab, a humble young
merchant and mystic.
The Bab’s revolutionary
movement began when 18 spir-
itual seekers independently
sought out and discovered The
Bab’s new revelation. The Bab
taught that the primary mission
of his new faith was to
announce the imminent advent
of another prophet, “Him
Family Owned
BUSINESS
For 77 years and four generations, Johnston Motor
Company has provided Ford vehicles and auto services
in Western Lane County. Its history with cars and
Oregon goes back further than that, however.
“My grandfather Ed Johnston worked for Ford
Motor Company in Portland, in its Model A assembly
plant. He worked there until the Great Depression, when
they shut it down,” said Brian Johnston, current owner
of Johnston Motor Company. “He started working as a
traveling troubleshooter for Ford. ... He traveled around
to dealerships and solved problems that mechanics
couldn’t fi x.”
Aft er eight years, Ed Johnston decided he wanted
to own his own dealership and began looking at current
dealerships around Oregon. He visited Florence and
Gold Beach, and decided to purchase Florence’s Ponsler
Ford Dealership from Jack Ponsler in 1939.
Ed, his wife, and two junior high-aged kids moved
to the area.
“Th ey ran the dealership during certain times of
economic changes,” Brian said. “Th ere were diff erent
things they had to face — like during the war, they had
a hard time getting cars, since everything was going
toward the war eff ort.”
Stuart, Ed’s son and Brian’s father, returned
from the military in 1945 and started working at the
dealership full time.
“He took it over in the late 1940s,” Brian said. “My
grandfather kind of phased out and my dad phased in.
My dad had been involved with it up until he passed
away.”
SPOTLIGHT
In a similar manner, Brian phased into Johnston
Motor Company in 1980. By 1990, Stuart had phased
out.
Paul, Brian’s son, said, “I miss seeing Grandpa
around here. When I was working here in the
summertime, he would be walking in and out. He’d
come in and check the mail and stuff . You’d always see
him walking around in his suspenders. Th e image is
burned into my mind.”
“Th is is generation No. 4,” Brian said of Paul and
his younger brother, who works at Johnston Motor
Company in the summer.
Paul said, “I started working here and kind of fell
in love with it. I really enjoy working with my dad and
being around the cars and the family. It’s where I want
to be.”
Brian works in the business end of the company,
and Paul works in much of rest of the business.
“We try to fi ll in each other’s diff erent spots,” Brian
said. “He teaches me the technical stuff that I don’t have
a clue how it works. It’s amazing what some of these
cars can do now, with voice commands, and navigation
systems and all these diff erent technical things. ... For
these guys, they are teachers. If you are a teacher, you
need to know your subject matter really well. Th e sales
people — both Paul and Jim — they are really good.”
Paul’s more technical nature allows him to work
with the service department and the body and repair
aspects.
“I’m always trying to teach him more of the
business, too. Th ere’s a lot to that,” Brian said. “Th e
thing about this business is that it’s always
changing — the market changes, the product
changes. You’re always trying to fi gure out
what you need to do to get what people
need.”
Johnston Motor Company provides
parts, repairs, an auto body shop and new
and used cars for clients in Western Lane
County, basically, “anything that a large store
can,” according to Brian.
“Th e car business isn’t necessarily
about cars. It’s about people and how they
interface with the business. Th at’s the fun
part about it, when people get excited. When
you’re buying a car and are excited about it
and happy, it’s a good, positive feeling and
energy. It’s what we try to promote here, that
type of relationship with our customers,” he
said.
And the long history in the area helps prove the
lasting legacy of the Johnston Motor Company.
Th e dealership started off in downtown Florence.
Stuart built the current building at 2150 Highway 101
in 1957, in what was then the northern reach of town.
“Th e town has kind of moved its way out here,”
Brian said.
Twenty-one employees make up the “family” of
Johnston Motor Company.
“We’re always trying to fi gure out how we can be
the best that we can. What I mean is how we can make
it comfortable for the customer and make it easier for
them to come in, and give them a reason to come in. You
do that with employees that you know and trust. I think
we have some great employees. It’s a family atmosphere,
yet we all work hard and depend on each other,” Brian
said.
Paul added, “A lot of good employees and a lot of
loyal customers.”
“Th at’s really the key to this thing: having the loyal
employees who take care of the customers in a way that
makes them want to come back. Th e employees are the
kind of people who want to have happy customers and
want everything to go smooth. It just kind of all works,
and works for us,” Brian said.
Because of the staff ’s excellent service and care for
the community, Johnston Motor Company consistently
ranks in the top 10 percent of Ford customer survey
responses.
“Th e people I sell cars to are my customers,” Brian
said. “I want to make sure that they are taken care of. I
want to protect them. Nobody cares about that customer
more than I do, and more than Paul does. Th ey are our
neighbors and friends.”
With 77 years under their belts, the Johnston
family has found the best way to work with the market
in the Florence community.
“We’re in our niche,” Brian said. “I love it; it’s fun.
It gets in your blood and is exciting. I’ve been doing it for
36 years, so that’s a long time.”
For those looking for new or used Ford cars,
crossovers, SUVs or trucks, Johnston Motor Company is
the best and most consistent resource, and will continue
to be in the next generations.
“Th is excitement and energy, Paul feels that here.
I think he likes what kind of business it is. And I think
my grandfather and father would be very excited to see
him working here. I think he’ll do really well,” Brian said.
whom God shall make mani-
fest,” who would fulfill the
prophecies of past religions
and usher in a new global era of
peace and unity.
The main goal of the Baha’i
Faith centers around the peace-
ful unification of the entire
human race.
The gathering will end at 8
p.m. with prayers for the
requests left in the Prayer Pole
in the garden of the Florence
Playhouse and those shared by
the group.
The Heintz home is located
at 875 Seventh St.
For more information call
Suzanne Mann-Heintz at 541-
590 0779.
Latter-Day Saints hold
Fall Celebration Saturday
The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints is hostin-
ga Fall Celebration and Happy
Halloween Party on Saturday,
Oct. 29. There will be lots of
games and treats — no tricks.
This is a fun and safe, not
scary, way to celebrate fall.
Costumes are optional but
encouraged. Bring your bag to
fill with treats. Activities for
all ages begin at 6:30 p.m. at
2705 Munsel Lake Road, just
north of North Fork Road.
All are invited to attend and
join in the fun.
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MARINE & EQUIPMENT SALES
OREGON COAST’S SUPERSTORE
• We off er complete auto, boat & RV
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• Boat, RV and Vehicle Storage
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Veteran Owned & Operated
J IM & B ONNIE J OHNSTON , O WNERS
2530 Hwy. 101, Florence • 541-997-4505
We offer Custom Engraving!
Jewelry, Name plates, ID
bracelets, Pet tags and more.
• Plates
Sterling Silver Jewelry
• Collectible Hand Carved Eggs
• Gallery Pieces
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• Glass Art • Earrings
Pendants
• Gift items and
MORE ON SALE!
Silver Sand Dollar
Gallery Jewelry and Gifts
Ask about low APR fi nancing. Financing through major fi nancial institutions.
(541) 997-3475 • 2150 Hwy. 101, Florence
Browse Our Current Inventory online at: www.johnstonmotorcompany.com
1499 Bay Street (Old Port Building)
On-Site
Parking
541-997-0111
Closed
Sun.-Mon.