2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL FEBRUARY 21, 2018
Many years ago, when the
Lord fi rst called me into min-
istry, I felt Him prompting me
to quit smoking. I had smoked
since I was nine years old, and
frankly, I liked it. My fl esh did
not want to quit smoking…and
it was hard.
My husband, Dave, used to
smoke, but when he decided to
quit, he just did it one day with
seemingly no struggle at all,
which only added to my frustra-
tion. I, on the other hand, quit
and started again multiple times
before I was successful.
I had to “get it” that un-
til I loved God and wanted to
please Him more than I wanted
to smoke, I was going to keep
going back to it. And the key to
loving God more than anything
and anyone else meant spending
time with Him, getting to know
Him and developing a close,
personal, intimate relationship
with Him.
See, the truth is you resem-
ble whoever you hang out with.
As I spent more and more time
“hanging out” with Jesus, the
more I began to resemble Him.
And the more I became aware
of the things in my life that
were NOT like Him.
We all have attitudes, habits
or mindsets that we wrestle with
and want to change. But it’s im-
portant to understand that on
our own, we can’t change our
heart – only God can do that. So
we have to learn to receive His
grace, which gives us the abil-
ity to do what’s right, in order
to successfully overcome the
things that are holding us back.
This happens as we experi-
ence true intimacy with God
because the more we know who
we are in Christ – that we’ve
been made righteous, or right
with God, through His blood –
the more we’ll do what’s right.
(See 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21.)
It’s not always easy, but God
will never tell us to do some-
thing without giving us the abil-
ity to do it!
We also have to trust that God
loves us and get a revelation
that salvation is a gift we must
receive, not something we can
earn or deserve by doing good
works. The truth is we could
never do enough good things
to earn God’s love and forgive-
ness. When we really get this,
we can cooperate with the Holy
Spirit, who lives in our spirit
and works in us to change us
into the image of Christ (see 2
Corinthians 3:17-18).
I love what Galatians 2:21
says about the grace of God.
In this verse the apostle Paul
says, “I do not ignore or nullify
Bret Munk 1970-2018
attended the American College
of Sports Medicine. Bret was a
former technical writer and en-
gineer. He was a life coach, per-
sonal trainer and the most amaz-
ing, very accomplished and well
respected musician. Bret was an
avid supporter of medical can-
nabis. He loved working out
and pursuing a healthy lifestyle.
He happily served as a new
board member on the Cottage
Grove Chamber of Commerce.
He was a member of the Com-
munity Observation Team and
South Lane Amateur Radio As-
sociation. He recently received
his HAM radio technician cer-
tifi cation. Bret married Layla
Beth Vaughn on Oct. 17, 2006
in Shell Beach, CA. Bret is sur-
vived by his wife, Layla Munk,
Cottage Grove, OR; parents,
Ted Munk and step-mother
Janis, TX; daughter, Jazmyn
Star Stroud and husband Kori,
daughter, Chevelle Noir Munk
all of Cottage Grove, OR; step-
son, Wyatt Trader, Pendleton,
OR; brother, Seth Munk, TX;
and one grandchild on the way.
He was preceded in death by
his mother, Linda Mason and
grandmother, Lillian Mason. A
Celebration of Life will be held
at 2 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2018 at
The Axe & Fiddle Pub, 657 E.
Main St., Cottage Grove, OR.
Memorial contributions may
be made to gofundme.com/
Layla-and-cheville-recovery.
com. Arrangements in the care
of Smith Lund Mills Funeral
Chapel, Cottage Grove, OR.
Bret Aaron Munk, 47 of
Cottage Grove, OR lost a long
battle to depression on Feb. 11,
2018. Bret was born on Nov.
10, 1970 in Austin, TX to Ted
and Linda (Mason) Munk. He
graduated from high school and
the [gracious gift of the] grace
of God [His amazing, unmerit-
ed favor], for if righteousness
comes through [observing] the
Law, then Christ died need-
lessly. [His suffering and death
would have had no purpose
whatsoever]” (AMP). We des-
perately need the gift of God’s
grace to be made righteous be-
fore God!
This is how God’s grace
works in our lives: First, grace
saves us, then grace changes us.
A sinner is justifi ed by grace,
but sin is never justifi ed. Some
people think they can live any
way they want to, and God will
forgive them. But we should
never take the grace of God in
vain – sin can never be justifi ed.
Honestly, if a person is truly
born again and they love God
and want to live for Him, they
won’t want to keep sinning.
That doesn’t mean they are
suddenly perfect when they ac-
cept Christ as their Savior, but
it does mean they are making a
little more progress each day in
their relationship with God. As
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, they
Linda Quinlan
1941-2018
“are progressively being trans-
formed into His image from
[one degree of] glory to [even
more] glory….”
The changes you’re looking
for may not happen overnight.
I didn’t quit smoking overnight.
But I assure you that if you will
come into close fellowship with
God, it will do more to change
you from the inside out than
anything else in the world.
Don’t think you can’t fel-
lowship with Him if you have
sin in your life. If you have sin,
humble yourself before God
and receive His forgiveness. Be
honest with Him (He knows it
all anyway), sincerely repent
and turn away from it, and trust
Him to do in you what needs to
be done.
Ultimately, the best thing we
can do when we want to change
is simply say, “God, please
help me! I know You love me
and Your Word has the power
to change me. Help me receive
Your grace and strength to do
what’s right. Thank You for
Your faithfulness to me!”
Jesus loves you so much. He
loves you just as you are right
now, and He loves you too
much to leave you that way.
Don’t settle for less than being
everything He created you to
be! Spend time with Him, and
you will conquer the sin in your
life.
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 Un-
shakeable Trust: Find the Joy
of Trusting God at All Times
(Hachette). She hosts the En-
joying Everyday Life radio and
TV programs, which air on hun-
dreds 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.
Linda Rae Quinlan, 76 of Cottage Grove, Oregon passed away
Feb. 10, 2018. She was born March 19, 1941, in The Dalles, OR to
William and Zella (Burnet) Schilling. Linda graduated from Cot-
tage Grove High School and attended the U of O for two years. She
was a reservations agent for Northwest Airlines for 30 years. She
loved antiquing, collectables and traveling the world. Linda mar-
ried Earle Quinlan on June 27, 1975 in Honolulu, HI. She is sur-
vived by her husband Earle Quinlan, Cottage Grove, OR, daugh-
ter Lara Schilling and husband Van Synder, Eugene, OR, step-son
Steve (Ann) Quinlan, Granbury, TX and sister LaVelle Schilling,
Cottage Grove, OR. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on
Friday, Feb. 23, 2018, at Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel with
private family burial to follow at Fir Grove Cemetery, Cottage
Grove, OR. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cottage
Grove Humane Society. Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills Fu-
neral Chapel, 123 S. 7th St., Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
z
å
Carolin Trent 1931-2018
Ray Alvin Franklin
1930-2018
Carolin Ruth Trent, age 86
of Coos Bay, OR, passed away
Feb. 12, 2018. She was born
Sept. 19, 1931 in Wichita, Kan-
sas to Roy and Anna (Keller)
Weaver. She married Donald
Dean Trent March 14, 1966 in
Las Vegas, Nevada. Carolin
worked various jobs for the air-
line manufacturers in Wichita,
KS. She worked as an electrical
technician for an engineering
fi rm in Irving, TX, and in the
cafeteria for the Cottage Grove
school districts. Carolin loved
to crochet, quilt, pan for gold,
Cottage Grove, OR, daughter
Lorian (Darcie) Dunlop, Murri-
etta, CA, brother Gary Frank-
lin, Kansas City, MO, and 6
grandchildren. A visitation will
be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday,
Feb. 17, 2018 at Smith Lund
Ray Alvin Franklin, Jr., 87 of
Cottage Grove, Oregon passed
away Feb.14, 2018. He was
born April 12, 1930, in Devils
Lake, ND to Ray and Mabel
(Anderson) Franklin, Sr. Ray
graduated from Devils Lake
High School in 1948, then stud-
ied accounting for two years.
He worked as an accountant
for Libby, McNeill and Libby
for 30 years in their Minne-
apolis, MN, El Paso, TX, Los
Angeles, CA, Phoenix, AZ, San
Mateo, CA and Chicago, IL
offi ces. He enjoyed camping,
hiking in MI State parks. He
loved cross-country road trips
in a VW bus or a station wag-
on and took his family to many
national parks. He played the
trumpet in bands and orchestras
where-ever he lived. As he be-
came less mobile his interest in
auto racing grew to a deep in-
terest in NASCAR. His orga-
nized mind took great pleasure
in crossword puzzles and card
games. Ray married Eunice
Darlene Stockwell on Nov. 23,
1967, in Long Beach, CA and
lost her to brain cancer on May
23, 1990, after 22 years. He
continued to observe their an-
niversary until his death. Ray
is survived by son Ray (Chip)
(Linda) Franklin, III, San Di-
ego, CA and Naples, Italy,
daughter Karen (Ralph) Zeller,
walk on the beach to look for
glass, do hidden word puzzles,
watch sports on TV, read mys-
tery book series, collect Coke
cans and loved bowling. More
than anything she loved to do
activities with her husband Don
of almost 52 years. Carolin was
a member of the Ladies Auxil-
iary in Cottage Grove, Cottage
Grove VFW, Rock Club, Past
45 Club and Gold Club. She
donated to many charities, and
spent many years in Girl Scout-
ing and loved to camp. Carolin
is survived by her husband Don-
Mills Funeral Chapel, Cottage
Grove, Or. Inurnment at Forest
Lawn Cemetery, Cypress, CA.
Arrangement by Smith-Lund-
Mills Funeral Chapel, 123 S. 7th
St., Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
ald, daughter Paulanna Wilkin-
son, of Houston, TX; son Alan
Trent of Colorado Springs, CO;
daughter Anita Trent of Sachse,
TX; son Donald Trent of Gas-
ton, OR; brother David and wife
Evelyn Weaver of Coos Bay,
OR; seven grandchildren and
two great grandchildren. She is
preceded in death by her parents
and brothers Eugene and Benja-
min Weaver. No services will be
held at this time. Arrangements
in the care of Smith-Lund-Mills
Funeral Chapel, Cottage Grove,
OR.
Funeral & Memorial Planning
Cremation Options
e Monuments
& Memorials & e Memorials
Cemetery Options e
Monuments
Cemetery Options
e Funeral & Memorial Planning e Cremation Options e
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
z
www.smithlundmills.com
Light
theWay
to a Cure
Luminary Ceremony
Saturday, 10pm, June 23rd
Bohemia Park, CG
Give the gift to the American Cancer Society & keep the
light burning with a luminaria in memory of someone lost to cancer,
in honor of someone still fi ghting, or in special recognition
of someone who has beat the disease.
Please complete and return this form to the address below.
(Note: to order more than one Luminaria, please photocopy this form.)
WHITE LUMINARIA $5
In Honor of: ___________________________________________
In Memory of: __________________________________________
In Support of: __________________________________________
We can personalize the Luminaria for you.
Local•Affordable•Caring
Cremation & Burial
Call for an appointment,
prices and packages.
541-895-2522
125 West Oregon Ave, Creswell
LOCALLY OWNED BY THE MUSGROVE FAMILY
List some of your loved ones likes and hobbies.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Please make checks payable to
American Cancer Socitey
and mail to:
Luminaria-South Lane County
2350 Oakmont Way, STE 200
Eugene, OR 97401
å