8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL June 10, 2015
Amy Callahan of the
Nonprofi t Association
of Oregon addressed
a gathering of repre-
sentatives of several
of Cottage Grove's
nonprofi ts Monday.
www.shoppelocal.biz
photo by Jon Stinnett
Former Grover returns to talk nonprofi ts
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A former Cottage Grove
resident and nonprofi t em-
ployee came back to town
Monday to share information
about her new employer and
gauge the need for resources
for the Cottage Grove area’s
not-for-profi t organizations.
Amy Callahan worked for
the Cottage Grove Commu-
nity Hospital Foundation until
about a year ago and previous-
ly served as publisher of the
Cottage Grove Sentinel, but on
Monday, Callahan appeared
at the Healing Matrix down-
town to talk about her work
in Portland with the Nonprofi t
Association of Oregon, which
works to “strengthen the col-
lective voice, leadership, and
capacity of nonprofi ts to enrich
the lives of all Oregonians,”
according to its website.
Callahan was joined by
about a dozen representatives
of several Cottage Grove-area
nonprofi ts, including Sus-
tainable Cottage Grove, the
Be Your Best campaign and
the Cottage Grove Museum.
While fi rst sharing details
about her position with the
organization, the meeting later
became a more informal dis-
cussion of the obstacles facing
many nonprofi ts, including
those in Cottage Grove.
“I wanted to check in with
Cottage Grove, to talk about
what nonprofi ts might need
and help bring resources to
the table,” Callahan said. She
explained that the NAO works
to support all nonprofi ts in
Oregon. The organization is
membership based, she said,
with organizations paying
dues priced by their size, to
the tune of about 1000 mem-
berships statewide. The NAO
offers the services of con-
sultants to its members, and
it also operates training net-
works in Medford, Portland,
Bend and Eugene. Callahan
said her visit to Cottage Grove
was part of a larger effort to
involve the NAO in the devel-
opments of rural communities
like Cottage Grove.
“I know we have a great
group of people here that are
doing a lot of good, and I also
know the diffi culty of needing
something and trying to gain
access to it,” she said.
Nonprofi ts are the second-
largest sector of the Oregon
economy, Callahan pointed
out, second only to manufac-
turing. In gauging the needs
of the nonprofi ts present on
Monday, many participants
stated that a comprehensive
look at what nonprofi ts are
operating in Cottage Grove,
in addition to the potential
economic impact those orga-
nizations provide, could be a
key to the future success of the
nonprofi t sector.
“All of us are on different
boards, and it would help us to
know what sector we’re a part
of,” Jim Gilroy said. “I don’t
think many people are used to
thinking of nonprofi ts as an
economic sector.”
Rob Dickinson pointed out
the need to attract funding
from outside Cottage Grove to
its nonprofi ts, adding that sev-
eral community organizations
sometimes fi nd themselves
vying for those dollars.
“Most of these groups are
doing good work but strug-
gling fi nancially,” he said.
Cathy Bellavita pointed out
that many organizations are
also unaware of proper bud-
geting processes. Callahan
pointed out that nonprofi ts
may also need to envision new
ways to measure their impact
on their communities.
Jody Rolnick said that the
issues facing local nonprof-
its were “universal” and “not
unique to Cottage Grove.”
“We just have fewer resourc-
es to deal with them,” Rolnick
said. Callahan agreed, saying
she is often frustrated with
trying to educate Portlanders
about the needs of Oregon’s
rural communities.
If you want to golf with
me, bring a hardhat
BY NED HICKSON
News Media Corporation
T
hough I’ve only been golf-
ing a few times in my life,
it was clear that my reputation
had preceded me at the course
last weekend. I know this because
golfers immediately traded ball
caps for hardhats, then scurried
down into the sand bunkers like
allied forces preparing for heavy
fi re.
As I took a practice swing, the
surrounding trees emptied of all
bird species — not in a smooth,
organized pattern, but in a fren-
zied explosion of fl apping and
panicked birdsong that left three
Canada geese lying unconscious
in the rough.
(Speaking of which, I’d like to
take this opportunity to apologize
once again for the tragic death of
that swan near the putting green.
Had I known the difference be-
tween a putter and a pitching
wedge, things might’ve turned
out differently for that majestic
creature.)
Because of my past experi-
ences, I was determined to make
things different this time.
How?
By becoming more comfort-
able with the game. I immediately
went online for help and, thanks
to the power of the Internet, found
myself on a pornography website
after typing in the fi rst term on
my list: Mixed foursome.
For anyone else who might be
looking to the Internet for golf-
term clarifi cations, I’d also sug-
gest avoiding scotch foursome,
shag bag, hooded club, loose im-
pediments and (this really goes
without saying) woodie.
While these are all legitimate
golfi ng terms, try explaining that
to your editor after she fi nds you
on a web page linked to the golf
term double-d. (Which, by the
way, means when a driver is used
on the fairway after it has also
been used to tee off—so THERE,
Ms. Smarty Pants!)
After getting a handle on the
game’s terminology, the next
thing on my list was golf eti-
quette. For a lot of people, one
of the things that keep them from
actually trying golf is the fear of
unintentionally doing something
that, as a result of not knowing
the proper etiquette, gets them
clubbed to death by someone
with a 9-iron. That’s because, to
the outside observer, things that
seem to warrant a good clubbing
are actually no big deal.
You want to swing your club
and take a six-inch gouge out of
an otherwise perfect lawn?
Fine.
Want to drink a beer AND drive
an electric go-cart through the
woods?
Perfectly acceptable.
However, walk between some-
one’s ball and a small hole in the
ground, and there’s a good chance
you’ll be found fl oating in a water
hazard. The thing to remember is
that you will undoubtedly make
some mistakes your fi rst time on
the course, and that’s to be ex-
pected.
What won’t be expected is a
hollowed-out golf club that can
be loaded with tees and used as a
blow gun should you need to de-
fend yourself.
But you didn’t hear that from
me. This brings us to the actual
fundamentals of playing golf
— which begins with fi nding
your “natural swing.” Ask any
golfer the secret to doing this, and
they’ll tell you its all about having
the proper grip. To achieve this,
make sure the back of your left
hand and the palm of your right
hand are both facing your target.
Then, in a smooth arc, bring them
up to your mouth while making
sure not to spill your beer.
After a couple of practice swigs,
place your beer back in the cooler
and you’re ready to tee-off.
This may not improve your
swing much, but it will provide
you with a legitimate excuse as to
why you shot a 167 on a par 72
course.
And if that isn’t enough, you
can always claim that playing in
a mixed foursome was just too
darned distracting.
Is it time for a security check?
I
n today’s society, insecu-
rity is an epidemic. Too
many people—including many
Christians—walk around timid,
afraid, lacking confi dence and
feeling bad about themselves.
But when Jesus died on the
cross for us, something hap-
pened that I like to call “the di-
vine exchange.” He took away
our sins and everything we are
not, and then He made us per-
fect in Him.
God wants you to be confi -
dent, bold, fearless and free.
He wants you to be healthy and
whole—fully able to pursue
your destiny. And He desires for
you to feel good about yourself
and your relationship with Him.
There’s no comparison
Insecure people tend to com-
pare themselves with other peo-
ple and feel a need to “keep up”
with them.
For years I tried to be like
everybody else. I tried to be
steady and easy-going like my
husband, Dave. Then I tried to
be like my pastor’s wife, who
was super sweet and sensitive.
But the truth is that we are only
anointed to be ourselves!
For example, it’s amazing
how excited you can be about
your prayer life until you happen
to compare notes with someone
else who gets up before daylight
each morning and prays for four
hours.
Now, if you don’t know who
you are in Christ, you suddenly
feel like your prayer life is noth-
ing. Then, just to keep up, you
frustrate yourself trying to do
What are you looking at?
Too many times we look at
ourselves when we should be
looking at God. We focus on all
of our own weaknesses, and be-
fore we know it, we are timid,
fearful, and convinced that ev-
erything is too hard to accom-
plish.
If this is you, then Philippi-
ans 3:3 can change your life. It
says to “…put no confi dence or
dependence [on what we are] in
the fl esh….”
Some people look at their
weaknesses and think, I could
never do something great for
God. Then there are others who
look at their own strengths and
think, I don’t need help…I can
do this on my own.
Regardless of what we can
or cannot do, God wants all of
our confi dence to be in Him.
Because the truth is, apart from
Him, we can do nothing!
David was one person who
knew who he was in Christ. The
entire army of Israel was too
frightened to fi ght the giant, Go-
liath. But David wasn’t. Why?
Because he was looking at God
and not himself. He knew that
his God could do anything. As a
result, he walked straight out to
the battlefi eld and killed Goliath
with a stone and a slingshot.
You, too, can have this “Da-
vid” kind of confi dence. You
can become a giant-killer when
you learn who you are Christ.
Make a bold move
lieve Him for big things.
Ephesians 3:20 says that God
is able to “…do superabundant-
ly, far over and above all that we
[dare] ask or think [infi nitely
beyond our highest prayers,
desires, thoughts, hopes, or
dreams].”
I believe God is just waiting
for some of you to boldly step
out and ask Him for things that
go beyond your mind or what
you think is possible. Our in-
securities will make us feel like
we’re not worthy to even ask.
But remember, in God’s econ-
omy, you don’t get what you
deserve—you get what Jesus
deserves!
Wherever you are in your
journey with the Lord, He wants
you to know that you are right
with Him. You may not be per-
fect, but God sees you as per-
fect because of His Son. And
because of this, you can go for-
ward with boldness, joy and the
divine confi dence you need to
fulfi ll your destiny.
God wants you to feel good
about yourself. He wants you to
be bold, to be fearless — to be-
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113896
Gain the confi dence
of knowing who you
are in Christ
what they are doing.
How do I know? Because this
happened to me years ago. As
a result, I got myself a clock,
locked myself in a room and
declared to everyone, “I’m go-
ing to pray for four hours a day!
I’m not coming out of here, and
you can’t come in!” Everything
went well until I fell asleep fi ve
minutes after I began.
God made you an original,
and He has a unique plan just
for you. Comparing yourself to
others just leads to frustration.
But having the confi dence and
freedom to be yourself leads to
peace and joy.