2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MARCH 28, 2018
I
’ve learned from experience that feelings are fi ckle. One day
they can be up, one day they can be down, and other days they
are just all over the place!
God gave us feelings, and they are not wrong in and of them-
selves—they are an important part of enjoying life. We don’t need
to deny that we have them, but we do need to prevent them from
controlling us.
In 1 Corinthians 3:3 (AMPC), the apostle Paul is talking to new
Christians, and he says, “For you are still [unspiritual, having the
nature] of the fl esh [under the control of ordinary impulses].”
The fl esh is our desires—what we want, think and feel. And Ro-
mans 8:8 says that “those who are living the life of the fl esh [ca-
tering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot
please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.”
The Bible is saying that always doing what we feel like doing will
hinder us from doing what God wants us to do. We need to get to
the place in life where we are not controlled by our emotions so we
won’t miss out on His good plan for our lives.
I realize that some people are more emotional than others. How-
ever, with God’s help, we can get to the point where we obey God
and do what His Word says to do —regardless of our feelings.
Let me give you an example. You may know I was sexually
abused by my father for years. My mother eventually found out but
never confronted him because she was afraid of him. Needless to
say, the abuse and pain I experienced as a child deeply affected me,
and it took years for the Lord to help me receive emotional healing
and truly forgive my parents.
When they reached a point where they needed someone to help
take care of them, the Lord spoke to my heart that He wanted us to
bring my parents to St. Louis, buy them a house, and take care of
them until they died.
I shared it with Dave, secretly hoping he would resist the idea.
But he said, “If you think this is what God is leading you to do, then
we better obey Him.”
We didn’t have a lot of money in the bank, and it was going to
take most of it to do what God was asking. But the more I prayed,
the more the Lord made it clear that He wanted us to take good care
of them and treat them as if they had been the best parents in the
world.
So we moved my parents to a house just eight minutes away from
us, bought them a car and furniture, and met their every need. My
father showed some appreciation, but he still remained the same
mean and cranky man he had always been.
But one morning, three years after we had moved them to St.
Louis, my mother called to say my father had been crying all week
and asked if we could come over. Dave and I went, and that day
my father asked me to forgive him for what he had done to me as a
child. He cried and cried and also asked Dave to forgive him.
We assured him that we had forgiven him and asked if he want-
ed to ask God to forgive him and begin a relationship with Jesus
Christ. He said yes, and we all prayed right there on the spot. Ten
days later, I had the great honor of baptizing my father at church.
I can truly say that for the next four years, prior to his death at age
86, I saw a true change in my father. I know without a doubt that
he’s in Heaven. My mother had asked my forgiveness years before
this, and I had the joy of knowing her last years were peaceful.
Now, when the Lord asked me to help my parents, I certainly
didn’t feel like doing it. I had a choice to obey Him and do what
I knew was right or follow my feelings and miss out on what He
wanted to do in their lives and mine in the process.
I want you to take a moment and think about this: Are your feel-
ings preventing you from doing something God has asked you to
do? In the moment, it may seem that getting “your way” is the most
important thing or that you’ll be giving up too much if you go along
with God’s plan.
But the truth is while you can’t always control how you feel, with
God’s help, you can control what you do. And when you obey God,
He always rewards you beyond anything you can imagine.
I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord for strength in this area.
Ask for His help to choose His will over what you want, think or
feel in the moment. Because you’ll never regret making good deci-
sions, doing things God’s way!
IN MEMORIAM
Harold E. Solesbee 1942-2018
Norma Jean Oyler 1942-2018
Harold E. Solesbee, 75 of Cre-
swell, OR passed away on March
16, 2018. He was born on July
4, 1942 in Murphy, North Caroli-
na to Jerry and Annice (Kephart)
Solesbee. Harold married Janice
M. Woody on February 6, 1962 in
Cottage Grove, OR. Harold was
a lifelong logger who enjoyed
working both in the woods and
with wood. He began his career
with Bohemia Lumber Company
followed by various other logging
companies which eventually led
him to start his own. He had a love and passion for fi shing and
spending time with his family. Harold is survived by his loving
wife of 56 years Janice Solesbee, Creswell, OR; son, Kevin Solesbee
(Lori), Cottage Grove, OR; son, Jeff Solesbee (Sheri), Prineville,
OR; daughter, DeAnna Bartolini (Dan), Katy, TX; brother, Hubert
Solesbee, Roseburg, OR; brother, Lowell Solesbee, Cottage Grove,
OR; 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. A Celebration of
Life will be held at a later date. Arrangements in the care of Smith
Lund Mills Funeral Chapel, Cottage Grove, OR.
Norma Jean Oyler, 75, of Cre-
swell OR passed away on March
10, 2018. She was born
on Sept. 29, 1942, in Huntington
Park, CA to Lester E. and Donn Ree
(Tustin) Oyler.
Norma received her Bachelor’s
Degree from Pacifi c University,
and her Master’s Degree from the
University of Oregon. Norma was
a high school English teacher in
Bend, OR and an ESL teacher in
Tigard, OR. She enjoyed grammar,
writing, and astronomy. Norma was a member of the NEA (Nation-
al Education Association), OEA (Oregon Education Association),
Tigard Education Association, Historical Association, and Planning
Association. She was the Mayor, Maid Marion, Onion Queen, and
Citizen of the Year of Sherwood, OR. Norma is survived by her sis-
ter, Letty Fotta of Dexter, OR. Private inurnment will be in Walker
Union Cemetery, Walker, OR. Arrangements in the care of Smith-
Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel, Cottage Grove, OR.
BIRTHS
Brandi Smith and Devin Brown of Cottage Grove welcomed a
baby girl on March 22 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center
RiverBend.
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DEATH NOTICES
Levings — Catharine Ann Levings, 83, of Cottage Grove, OR
, died March 22. No service is planned. Arrangements by Smith-
Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove.
Pulse – Luella Fay Pulse, 105
of Cottage Grove, OR passed
away on March 19, 2018. No
services are planned. Arrange-
ments in the care of Smith Lund
Mills Funeral Chapel, Cottage
Grove, OR.
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123 South 7th,
Cottage Grove, Oregon
th
123
South
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541-942-0185 •www.smithlundmills.com
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Claudia Carol
Bowman Hutto
1943-2018
A Celebration of Life will
be held in July 2018, at the
Paul & Marian Th ies Fami-
ly Property in Scotts Valley,
Yoncalla, Oregon, for Claudia
Carol Bowman Hutto. She
died unexpectedly aft er a
brief battle with a lung infec-
tion. She was 74.
She was born to Marian (Clark) and Milton (Mick) Bowman
in Tacoma, WA on July 31, 1943. Th e family lived in Suplee, Ore-
gon for a time and later moved in to a small house on what is now
called G & C Farms on Scotts Valley Road in Yoncalla, Oregon.
She graduated from Yoncalla High School in 1961.
Claudia was a homemaker until her children reached school
age, then she went to work as Librarian for Yoncalla High School.
She eventually transferred districts to Sutherlin High School as
the Front Offi ce Secretary where she worked until she was trans-
ferred to West Elementary School shortly before retiring.
Claudia enjoyed drawing, painting, sewing and quilting. She
loved to bird-watch which she did from the front porch and while
traveling to the various outdoor concerts and music venues she
enjoyed going to with George. She looked forward to going to the
opera, especially on New Year’s Eve and musicals throughout the
year. She always had a good time entertaining friends and family,
canning and cooking. She didn’t even mind sharing the kitchen
or cooking together as long as anyone helping didn’t mind an-
swering when asked if you had added enough salt!
Survivors in addition to her husband George Hutto include
her son, Jim Th ies, his wife Lori, of Coquille; her daughter, Shan-
non Grove, and partner, Paul Kodros, of Dallas, TX; step-daugh-
ters Cindy Th ies of Springfi eld, Oregon; Cheryl (Th ies) Kearns
and husband, Kevin, of Cottage Grove, Oregon; Allison Kane of
Burnaby, BC; Stephanie (Hutto) Peterson and husband Adam of
Bend, Oregon; Emma (Hutto) Malkin and husband Eytan of Van-
couver BC; and her brother, Kenneth Bowman Bonnie (Shirley),
of Kent, Washington. Claudia also had 10 cherished grandchil-
dren and 14 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents Milton and Mari-
an; her step-father, Paul; a brother, Gary; a daughter in law, Becky
and several aunts and uncles.
“Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who
want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. Th e
ones who would do anything to see you smile & who love you no
matter what.” (Author Unknown)
Arrangements in the care of Smith Lund Mills Funeral
Chapel, Cottage Grove, OR.
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