2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 4, 2015
Grace: The great
equalizer
I
f there’s one thing I’ve re-
alized in life, it’s that we
can never ask God for too much
grace. And we all need it—ev-
ery day, for everything we need
to do in life. Because God loves
us so much, He gave His only
begotten Son to die for our sins
so we can receive His grace,
both for our salvation and then
to help us walk out our life in
Christ with His power.
It’s so wonderful to realize
that God’s amazing grace is
available to everyone, no mat-
ter who you are or what you’ve
done. God has good plans for
every person who accepts Christ
as their Savior, and He wants us
to have the abundant life Jesus
died to give us. The key to this
great life is living in God’s great
grace.
Grace is the great equalizer.
It’s so important for us to un-
derstand that God’s grace is
available to every person on this
Earth, in whatever capacity they
need it. There is no one who
is beyond God’s reach or His
ability to save and restore their
life. I know sometimes we can
feel like we’ve done too much
wrong, and we need to earn
God’s forgiveness and grace,
but His grace is a gift—we can’t
earn or deserve it. And no one
is such a “special case” that He
cannot help them.
We look at others’ lives, and
it may look like they have it all
together. People want others to
know how “good” they are, so
many will pretend everything is
okay in order to impress some-
one. But the outward appear-
ance doesn’t always tell the
real story. We may see people’s
outward success but can’t see
the inner turmoil they’re experi-
encing, or that they have no real
peace or joy in life.
I believe this is a common
problem for many people and
the reason there is so much
strife in the world today. Strife
in our hearts causes us to com-
pare ourselves with others and
compete with them, trying to
make ourselves “better” than
them. It makes people frustrated
and confused, struggling with
so many issues in their lives be-
cause they are trying to fi gure
everything out and solve their
problems on their own.
But John 15:5 says that apart
from Jesus, “[cut off from vi-
tal union with Me] you can do
nothing” (AMP). All we have to
do is humble ourselves before
God and ask Him to help us.
We have not because we ask
not. James 4:1-3 explains in
detail why so many people are
frustrated, confused and living
in strife. Verses 2-3 say, “You
want what you don’t have, so
you scheme and kill to get it.
You are jealous of what others
have, but you can’t get it, so you
fi ght and wage war to take it
away from them. Yet you don’t
have what you want because
you don’t ask God for it. And
even when you ask, you don’t
get it because your motives are
all wrong—you want only what
Death Notice
Debra Ellen Thompson, 57, of Cottage Grove, died Jan. 27.
Arrangements by Andreason's Cremation & Burial Service in
Springfi eld.
Callie Viola
Epperson
Callie Viola Epperson, 86 of
Cottage Grove, Oregon, our
beloved mother, wife and friend
passed away peacefully on January
28, 2015. She was born November
1, 1928, in North Bend, OR to
Harvey and Elsie (Rice) Smith.
Callie graduated from Myrtle
Point High School. Callie married
her high school sweetheart, Dean
Epperson on December 8, 1946,
in Myrtle Point, OR. She and
husband, Dean enjoyed hosting card playing parties with family
and friends. She also enjoyed sewing, quilting, bird watching,
and large family events. Callie was always the host for Holiday
dinners which seemed to grow in size every year. One of Callie’s
greatest claims to fame was her chocolate chip cookies which
gained legendary status. She is survived by her daughter Penny
Berry, Springfi eld, OR, daughters
Rayme and Anna Epperson and
son, Harvey Epperson all of
Cottage Grove, OR, son Ryan
Epperson and wife Denise, Eugene,
OR, 12 grandchildren and 10
great-grandchildren. Callie was
preceded in death by her husband
Dean Raymond Epperson (2005).
Callie will be greatly missed by all
who loved her. Arrangements by
Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel,
123 S. 7th St., Cottage Grove, O R
97424.
will give you pleasure” (NLT).
We all have things on our
“wish lists,” things we want or
need or would just like to have.
And when we see someone else
with something we want, it can
stir up some strong emotions.
We can become envious and be-
gin to covet that thing.
I remember years ago, I want-
ed to be like my pastor’s wife.
She was such a sweet woman
of God, so kind and soft-spoken
and people really loved her. I,
on the other hand, was just so
outspoken and sharp with my
tongue. I wanted to be quiet
and sweet like her, so I tried
but it didn’t work. At one point,
people even started asking what
was wrong with me!
I felt a lot like Paul in Ro-
mans 7:15, when he said, “I do
not understand what I do. For
what I want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do” (NIV). I
just didn’t understand why I
couldn’t change! I wanted to
be sweeter and quieter but that
never lasted long. And just like
Paul found out in verses 24 and
25, I began to realize that I can’t
change myself—only God can.
So I asked Him to change what
needed to be changed in me.
If you’re struggling to feel
good about yourself or be what
you think you need to be, I want
to encourage you to stop trying
and start asking God for grace.
God made you who you are, and
He knows what you need and
what needs to change in your
life. He wants you to enjoy your
life while you’re in the process
of becoming all He created you
to be.
God will give you grace for
your case. That’s why I call
Him the Great Equalizer. We
never have to settle for less than
God’s best in our lives when we
have access to His grace—His
power to do the things we can’t
do in our own strength—at all
times. God’s grace has no limit,
it won’t run out. It is available
to any and all who will humble
themselves and receive it. Re-
member, we can never ask Him
for too much grace. He always
knows exactly what we need.
And He is always ready and
willing to help us—each and
every one.
Joyce Meyer is a New York
Times bestselling author and
founder of Joyce Meyer Min-
istries, Inc. She has authored
more than 100 books, including
Battlefi eld of the Mind and Liv-
ing Courageously (Hachette).
She hosts the Enjoying Ev-
eryday Life radio and TV pro-
grams, which air on hundreds
of stations worldwide. For more
information, visit www.joyce-
meyer.org.
McCormick makes Navy his career
Patrick Kelly McCormick,
formerly of Cottage Grove, has
been serving in the U.S. Navy
for 14 years. During that time,
he served as guard to the pastor
as well as to the ministerial as-
sistant and has made three tours
overseas. He will continue to
serve his country until retire-
ment.
Pat was born to Grace and
Jason McCormick in the old
Cottage Grove Hospital. He
attended Harrison Elementary
School for a short time before
moving away.
Pat's mother, Grace, also served
in the U.S. Army for 17 years
and retired as a sergeant. She
previously lived in Cottage
Grove also.
BIRTHS
Jan. 25, 2015
Jan. 26, 2015
To Lindsey and JoRell Medina
of Creswell, a daughter.
To Lacy and Walter Stowell, Jr.
of Drain, a daughter.
South Lane Physical Therapy LLC
Quality Local Care…
CHRISTY KARCHER
PT, OCS, Cert. MDT
Conveniently located within RiverSide Fitness with
FREE and unlimited access to the Gym Facility for
Physical Therapy Patients.
Orthopedic • Sport • Spine
W. STU HOGG
PT, OCS, COMT
303 Main Street, Cottage Grove OR 97424
Phone: 541.942.6482 Fax: 541.942.6483
Why Choose Us
David A. Vann
April 12, 1950 –
January 29, 2015
Th e world lost a friend today.
Dave was once described as
“everyone’s best friend” and he
was. Dave was born April 12,
1950 in Myrtle Creek Oregon,
his parents were Alvin and
Gloria Vann. He had two
sisters, Merilyne Burke and
Jeris Vann. He was raised in
Dorena and had too many
friends to count across the whole State. Aft er he graduated from
Cottage Grove High School in 1968 he attended LCC and the
plan was to get certifi ed to be a welder, but ... he spent the summer
logging and never looked back. He loved being a logger, he said
once “I just sometimes feel like letting out a big shout when I’m
on a mountaintop”. He loved hunting, fi shing and trapping. He
tolerated hiking because his wife liked it. He and Marilyn were
married on June 11. 1971, he was 21, she was 17. Th ey had four
children, Steven (Meghan), Nancy (Darren), Nicole (Nick) and
Cliff (Melissa) and 13 grandchildren, Alivea, Brianna, William,
Kate, Wyatt, Annie, Edie, Andy, Danny, Kenny, Mike, Sam and
Jack. All four of their children live within a mile of their home
because “a family that works together, plays together, stays
together”. To say they are a close family is a big understatement.
His grandchildren will forever remember the water fi ghts with
Poppa. Aft er his family, hunting, and other get-togethers,
trapping was his top enjoyment in life. He received some traps for
Christmas when he was 14 years old and a lifetime of enjoyment
was the result. He was proud of his accomplishments in that
area and happy to share equipment, time and knowledge with
anyone who showed interest, young or old. He was instrumental
in getting the Oregon Youth Trapper Day started for the Oregon
Trappers Association. In August 2013 he was inducted into the
Oregon Trappers Hall of Fame and received multiple awards
for excellence in fur handling. He was a lifetime member of the
National Trappers Association and the Fur Takers of America
He and his family were big supporters with time and fi nances at
the annual Oregon Trappers Association Rendezvous at Waldo
Lake. Dave was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis in 2010.
Th is terrible disease takes too many people too soon. He will
be terribly missed by his family, he was a great husband and
father and the best Poppa ever. A Celebration of Life will be held
February 7, 2015 at 2:00 PM at the Dorena Grange, Dorena,
OR. Dress is casual. Pie and coff ee will be served following the
service. Please sign the quest book at smithlundmills.com.
Pat is married to Megan and
has four children, Kayla, Kyle,
Cameron and Camilla.
No subcontracting
At S'#."5R5L/(5R5#lls
we do not subcontract our services
for cremations, grave digging or removals.
Because we perform all of our own work,
we can assure you – our customer –
that everything will be done right.
(541) 942-0185
123 S. 7th St., Cottage Grove
Visit smithlundmills.com for more information.
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