2A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL APRIL 11, 2018
DEATH NOTICE
Wilder — Melville Lyman “Rusty” Wilder Jr. , 66, of Cottage
Grove, OR, died March 31. No service is planned. Arrangements by
Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove.
BIRTHS
Melissa and Tyler Wells of Cottage Grove welcomed a baby boy
on March 29 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center-River-
Bend.
LeighAnne and Kevin Schrouder of Cottage Grove welcomed a
baby girl on March 29 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Cen-
ter-RiverBend.
Linsey and Jordan Roeder of Cottage Grove welcomed a baby
boy on April 3 at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center-Riv-
erBend.
I
f someone asked you if you love your
life, what would you say? It seems
most people would say they don’t
love their life. But as believers in Christ, we
can learn to love the life we have.
I know what it’s like to have a miserable
life, and how wonderful it is to live with
God’s peace and joy. I remember when God
spoke to my heart and told me, “You’re not
happy because you’re selfi sh.” It wasn’t
easy to hear, but facing that truth helped me
surrender my will to God, so He could begin
working in me and help me make the chang-
es I needed to make.
I discovered that the key to loving my life
is making love – God’s love – the central
theme of my life.
God IS love – it’s not just what He does,
but who He is. He loves us unconditionally,
and when we believe that, it changes us; it
makes us confi dent and secure.
Knowing you are loved gives you cour-
age and boldness to step out and try new
things, so you don’t have to be stuck with
a negative attitude about life in general, or
in a situation you hate. It gives you security
that enables you to confront unhealthy re-
lationships, knowing you’ll be okay – and
even better than before – however things
turn out.
Here’s how God’s love works in our lives:
We receive His love for us, then we see our-
selves the way He does and love ourselves
in a healthy way, and fi nally, we let His love
fl ow through us to others.
The goal is to take in the good things God
offers us, and then go out in the world and
give to others what He has given to us! God
wants to give us His love, mercy, grace and
forgiveness, and He expects those things to
fl ow through us to the people in our world.
God created us to be loved and to love
others. First John 3:11 says, “This is the
message which you [believers] have heard
from the beginning [of your relationship
with Christ], that we should [unselfi shly]
love and seek the best for one another.”
That’s real Christianity.
If we really get down to it, how much do
we really think about what we can do for
other people? I’ve learned that when I’m fo-
cusing on myself, what I want or how I can
get others to do what I want them to do, I am
frustrated, easily offended and upset much
of the time.
I lived this way for many years, and when
I became serious about my relationship with
God and started studying His Word, I dis-
covered it wasn’t the life Jesus died to give
me. I also began to see things in my attitude
and behavior that weren’t pleasing to God.
In my journey to healing and wholeness
in my soul, I had to confront pain from
things people had done to me…abuse I had
endured from my parents and other ways I
was mistreated by people.
God revealed to me that I couldn’t have
unforgiveness in my heart and be right with
Him. Forgiving others was not a choice I
could make based on my feelings; it was a
decision of my will. While the process of
forgiveness was hard and painful, I can hon-
estly say it was worth it to be free of the
anger that was rooted in my soul.
I want to encourage you to examine your
heart today and determine if you are hold-
ing on to a grudge against someone. Pray
and ask God to help you see the truth about
yourself. If He shows you something, make
the choice to forgive, and give it all to Him.
Don’t think about what was done to you
continually; instead, pray about it and pray
for the person who hurt you. Pray that God
will bless them with the truth, so they can
repent for what they’ve done wrong and be
right with Him. If they don’t repent, then
just be thankful for the healing God has
done in you and move on.
Remember that God is love, and the more
we love like Him, the better our lives will
be. John 3:16 says, “For God so [greatly]
loved and dearly prized the world, that He
[even] gave His [One and] only begotten
Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in
Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have
eternal life.”
Be determined to love in your actions,
not just your words. Be obedient to God’s
Word and trust Him to change your heart as
you take steps of faith, following the lead-
ing of the Holy Spirit. As you do, you’ll fi nd
you’re the happiest you’ve ever been when
you’re living to love others!
For more on this topic, order Joyce’s
three-teaching CD series Keys to Loving
Your Journey. You can also contact us to re-
ceive our free magazine, Enjoying Everyday
Life, by calling (800) 727-9673 or visiting
www.joycemeyer.org.
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-
selling author and founder of Joyce Mey-
er Ministries, Inc. She has authored more
than 100 books, including BATTLEFIELD
OF THE MIND and LIVING A LIFE YOU
LOVE (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying
Everyday Life radio and TV programs,
which air on hundreds of stations world-
wide. For more information, visit www.joy-
cemeyer.org.
Please note: The views and opinions ex-
pressed throughout this publication and/or
website are those of the respective authors
and do not necessarily refl ect those of Joyce
Meyer
Rotary holds district training
z
å
Funeral & Memorial Planning
e Funeral & Memorial Planning e Cremation Options e
Cremation Options
e Monuments
& Memorials & e Memorials
Cemetery Options e
Monuments
Cemetery Options
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
TURNING 65 AND NEED HELP WITH
YOUR MEDICARE CHOICES?
Call Paul to
help simplify
the complicated.
541-517-7362
Paul Henrichs ~ Independent Agent
coverage4oregon@gmail.com
Friends & Family Sale
Over 200 Rotarians from Dis-
trict 5110 attended the annual
district training on Saturday,
April 7 with the opportunity to
learn more about Rotary, being
a Rotarian and how Rotary can
make a difference not only in
communities, but in the world.
Rotarians left with the challenge
to “Be the inspiration."
TWO DAYS ONLY
APRIL 15 & 16
FIND SAVINGS
THROUGHOUT THE STORE.
118 Gateway Blvd (Next to Bi-Mart)
Cottage Grove • 541-942-7377
Open 7 Days a Week
å