2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MARCH 29, 2017
P
eople look for happi-
ness in a lot of places.
Many chase after a big-
ger house, a nicer car or a better
paying job, while others seek
education, marriage or other
achievements with great pas-
sion.
While it’s certainly not wrong
to desire these things, there is
only one thing in life that can
give us true peace, joy and ful-
fi llment—God.
Matthew 6:33 is truly a scrip-
ture to live by. Jesus says, “But
seek (aim at and strive after)
fi rst of all His kingdom and His
righteousness (His way of doing
and being right), and then all
these things taken together will
be given you besides” (AMPC).
Seeking the kingdom in-
cludes seeking God Himself and
craving an intimate relationship
with Him. It’s about wanting to
know Him and not just what He
can do for you. There is quite a
difference between seeking pos-
sessions and seeking God.
I can still remember a time
years ago when I had a lot of
the “things” I wanted, but I still
wasn’t a very happy person.
Sound familiar? The truth is,
no matter what you have, if you
don’t have the peace, joy and
fulfi llment that only God can
give, then you really don’t have
anything at all!
Romans 14:17 sums this up
perfectly. It says, “The king-
dom of God is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spir-
it” (NKJV).
True satisfaction doesn’t
come from the outside—from
all of the things we can do or
buy—but it comes from within.
God wants us to live with His
righteousness, peace and joy.
They are Kingdom benefi ts, and
they are part of our inheritance
as God’s children.
The “Right” Way to Live
So many people—and even
many Christians—walk around
feeling vaguely guilty most of
the time. They feel like they’ve
made too many mistakes and
can never quite measure up. But
that’s not God’s will for us!
Second Corinthians 5:21
says, “God made him who had
no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righ-
teousness of God” (NIV).
As we begin to truly under-
stand our righteousness “in
Christ,” we will no longer wal-
low in condemnation or feel
like we have to earn God’s for-
giveness. Instead, we can live
with the confi dence and secu-
rity that God knows us better
than anyone...and He loves and
approves of us.
Supernatural Peace
I once heard a very famous
actor being interviewed about
his life and career.
I’ll never forget one of the
fi nal questions. He was asked,
“Is there anything in life you
haven’t achieved...something
you still want?” He simply an-
swered, “Inner peace.”
You see, true peace only
comes through a relationship
with Jesus Christ. God offers us
His peace that “transcends all
understanding” (see Philippi-
ans 4:7). It doesn’t come from
our circumstances, and it’s not
something we can buy.
God’s peace is vital to us
because life is unpredictable.
When the storms of life begin
to swirl around us, there is only
One Person who can give us
peace in the midst of the storm.
Jesus is the “Prince of Peace,”
and as you spend time with Him
in prayer and through His Word,
you will sense His supernatural
peace that transcends all under-
standing.
Joy for the Journey
John 10:10 says, “The thief
comes only in order to steal and
kill and destroy. I came that they
may have and enjoy life, and
have it in abundance (to the full,
till it overfl ows)” (AMPC).
God wants us to enjoy our
lives! That used to be a big
problem for me because of the
sexual, physical and emotional
abuse I endured growing up. As
a result, I never really got to be
a kid, and I never truly under-
stood what it meant to enjoy my
life.
However, joy is part of God’s
kingdom package (see Psalm
16:11). Like His peace, we can
receive and live with God’s joy
in every circumstance, regard-
less of what is going on around
us.
The dictionary partially de-
fi nes joy as “a calm delight”
and “extreme merriment.” I par-
ticularly like “a calm delight”
because even when we’re not
doing something we consider
exciting, we can still have the
joy of the Lord deep inside of
our soul.
We often look forward to the
weekend or the next fun event in
life, but God wants us to experi-
ence His joy and satisfaction ev-
ery single day. In fact, Nehemi-
ah 8:10 says, “...The joy of the
Lord is your strength” (NIV).
Through the ups and downs of
everyday life, God wants to
strengthen us for the journey
and experience His delight in
everything we do.
Fourth grader Brooke Burtowski attends Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte North Carolina
and is working on a school project about Oregon. She and classmates are contacting news orga-
nizations around the country asking residents to send post cards, maps, newspaper articles and
general information about their state to better help them with their projects. Materials can be send
to: Mrs. Dodd's Class, Charlotte Latin School at 9502 Providence Rd. Charlotte NC, 28277.
God isn’t against us having
“things”—He delights in be-
ing good to His children! But
He doesn’t want those things
to have control of us. I encour-
age you to put God fi rst in your
life. Develop a relationship with
Him and ask for His guidance
and direction. Because there is a
way to truly enjoy your life, and
it’s all found “in Him.”
For more on this topic, or-
der Joyce’s four-teaching CD
series Pursuing What Matters
Most. You can also contact us to
receive our free magazine, En-
joying Everyday Life, by call-
ing (800) 727-9673 or visiting
www.joycemeyer.org.
Ladies, join Joyce Meyer
for the 35th Annual Love Life
Women’s Conference Septem-
ber 21-23 in Saint Louis, MO.
Grant Gording, BC-HIS
Jon Dailey 1957-2017
Jon Charles Dailey, 59,
passed away March 12, 2017
from complications of a long
standing illness. He was born
April 9, 1957.
Jon is survived by Carrie
Dailey, his children, Jon Jr.,
Adam, Molly, Jacob and Gra-
cie, a brother, Edmond, three
sisters, Karen, Shannon and
Heather, and three grandchil-
dren.
Jon worked as a mechanic,
heavy equipment operator and
truck driver.
His hobbies included RC
car racing, fi shing and tinker-
ing on clocks and any small
engine. He loved gardening
and music, along with his lit-
tle dog, Thor. He had many
friends.
A Celebration of Life will
be held at Pass Creek Park in
Curtin on his birthday, Sunday,
April 9 from 1-5 p.m. All who
knew Jon, friends and family,
are welcome to attend.
Jenna Buetow
Board Certifi ed in
Hearing Instrument Sciences
Hearing Consultant
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1498 E. Main St., CG
541-942-8444
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BIRTHS
Tara and Ben Blount of Cottage Grove welcomed a baby girl on March 19 at PeaceHealth Sacred
Heart Medical Center-RiverBend.
For more information, go to
www.joycemeyer.org/lovelife.
Joyce Meyer is a New York
Times bestselling author and
founder of Joyce Meyer Min-
istries, Inc. She has authored
more than 100 books, includ-
ing Battlefi eld of the Mind and
Seize the Day: Living on Pur-
pose and Making Every Day
Count (Hachette). She hosts the
Enjoying Everyday Life radio
and TV programs, which air on
hundreds of stations worldwide.
For more information, visit
www.joycemeyer.org.
Please note: The views and
opinions expressed throughout
this publication and/or web-
site are those of the respective
authors and do not necessari-
ly refl ect those of Joyce Meyer
Ministries.
Please Celebrate the 4th of July Safely!
123 South 7th,
Cottage Grove, Oregon
th
123
South
7
,
Cottage
Grove, Oregon
541-942-0185 •www.smithlundmills.com
Kelsey and Adam Dimock of Cottage Grove welcomed a baby boy on March 20 at PeaceHealth
Sacred Heart Medical Center-RiverBend.
z
www.smithlundmills.com
å
Ami and Jacob Jones of Cottage Grove welcomed a baby girl
on March 20 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center-Riv-
erBend.
Erica and Matt Seckler of Cottage Grove welcomed a baby boy
on March 22 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center-Riv-
erBend.
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Frances Ball 1936-2017
Frances Ball a long-time resident of Cottage Grove, OR went home into eternity with our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ the morning of March 23rd.
Frances was born at home June 17, 1936 in Itasca, Texas to Th omas Albert and Sarah Pearl
Dennis. She was the sixth born of seven children.
On December 10, 1977 she married Roland (Lanny) Ball and the two of them owned and op-
erated Franny’s Country Home, a licensed home for the elderly in Yoncalla, OR. Aft er retiring in
2005 and selling the beloved farm the two settled in Cottage Grove. She was a long time member of
South Lane Christian Center and most recently Old Time Gospel Fellowship. She loved her garden
in the summer that produced squash and watermelon, windmills and sheep. She was a compas-
sionate and giving person who cared deeply for people who had fallen on hard times, even at times
taking complete strangers into her home to feed, clothe and shelter them. She was an amazing wife,
daughter, mama, grandma, great grandma, great-great grandma, aunt and friend.
She is survived by her husband, Lanny, of 39 years son Randy Rape (Denise) of Creswell,
daughter, Debra Tennis (Joe) of Cottage Grove, daughter, Kimberly Sabin (Dan) of Cottage Grove,
brother, Bill Dennis and sister, Barbara Dennis of Cottage Grove, many cherished grandchildren,
nieces, nephews and friends.
She was preceded in death by her Daddy and Mama, brothers Jess, James, and Bobby; sister
Sally and grandson Derrick.
A funeral service and potluck reception wi ll be held Saturday April 1st, 2017 at 1:00 pm at
Living Faith Assembly located at 467 S 10th St. in Cottage Grove.
In lieu of fl owers the family asks you make a donation to Th e Eugene Mission or St Jude’s Chil-
dren’s Hospital in memory of Frances Ball.
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