Augustana Lutheran Church's two purposes for existence are:

1. to worship God
2. to serve the neighborhood in the name and love of Jesus the Christ of God

We are a worshipping congregation in downtown Minneapolis since 1866. Augustana worships God Almighty and serves the neighborhood in the name and love of Jesus the Christ of God. Augustana has historically served the neighborhood through ministries that were both created and still served by Augustana and is currently in collaborative conversations around the shape the neighborhood ministry takes today. The current ministries of Augustana are:

Crossroad Ministries, located in the church building at 11th Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets, reaches out to the community bringing the diverse people of God together as we all yearn to make a difference in the world.

Community Emergency Service, located on 19th Street and 11th Avenue South, works to meet basic physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people in a loving and personal manner while encouraging wholeness and self-sustenance.

The Augustana Care Corporation owns four and manages five campuses (one of which is across the street from the church) which include both Health Care Facilities as well as Senior Housing, and a home health agency was also started by the church, was for many years under its domain, is now independent but still deeply tied to the church.

Augustana Crossroads Preschool started in 1985 is licensed by the Minneapolis Day Care Association to prepare twenty 3- and 4-year-olds for elementary education.

on 11th Avenue two blocks
south of the Metrodome

on 11th Avenue between
7th Street and 8th Street

near Hennepin County
Medical Center

Michelene Verlautz
Pastor
mverlautz@augustanampls.org

Ordained: May 10, 2005. Married: Husband, James Verlautz. Children: Stephanie Verlautz and James Verlautz.

Education:
Drake University - Human Physiology Degree, 1981
Luther Seminary - Master of Divinity degree, 2004
St. Mary’s in Winona, Minneapolis Campus: MA Child & Adolescent Development Degree, 1989

Work History:
St. James Lutheran Church, Crystal 2005-2008
Lord of Life Church, Ramsey, 2002-2004
Nativity Lutheran Church, Saint Anthony Village Director of Family Ministry 1995-2002
Education Consultant for District 282, Saint Anthony Village 1993-1995
Student Advocate, Anoka Hennepin Schools, 1989-1993

Hobbies: reading, cooking, yoga and walking.

Jonathan Davis
Pastoral Intern
jdavis002@luthersem.edu

I am your pastoral intern for this upcoming year. I am excited about getting to know you and journeying together as we seek out God's activity here at Augustana and in the Elliot Park Neighborhood. I live in St. Paul with my wife, Lauren, and our two cats, Sammy and Charlie. In 2007, we moved to St. Paul, from my hometown of Rochester, Minn., to attend Luther Seminary. I lived in Rochester for the majority of my life, but moved to Northfield to St. Olaf College, where Lauren and I met. Lauren and I were both Religion majors and we have been married for just over three years. Lauren is a student at United Theological Seminary, and she will be starting her pastoral internship at Macalester Plymouth United Church in St. Paul this fall.

I am the third son of four children, with two older brothers and one younger sister. While I was growing up, my dad, worked as a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic. My mom was a stay-at-home parent. My dad has recently retired, and my mom has returned to her prior work as a nurse.

Throughout my young adult life, I enjoyed playing on my high school soccer team and playing trumpet in the high school band. When I first attended St. Olaf College, I had planned to seek a degree in Music Education, but after much thought and discernment, I found my true passion lay within the realms of faith and religion.

After graduating from college in 2004, I spent three years at my home congregation, Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, working as a full-time Middle School youth director.

Sheryl Saul
Administrative Assistant
ssaul@augustanampls.org

Sheryl came to know Jesus at a young age, having had the support of a Christian family. She is active in her church, where she is currently serving in mentoring and worship ministries.

She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Counseling and Psychological Services at St. Mary's University that will enable her to move into the field of vocational counseling. Most of her work experience is in medical transcription and administrative work in primary care and specialty clinics, most recently in an organ transplant department of a local hospital.

Sheryl spends her spare time with her family and making various crafts. As a native Minnesotan, she also enjoys exploring the Land of 10,000 Lakes. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Minneapolis.

Caitlin (Cat) Stallman
Hamline University Intern

I am excited to introduce myself as your student intern until the end of May. I'm a senior at Hamline University with a Global Studies major, Religion minor, and a certificate of proficiency in French. I'm engaged to Gareth Nelson and we will be getting married in August! Gareth is finishing his last year as an Aerospace Engineer major at the University of Minnesota.

I grew up in Fargo and went to Oak Grove Lutheran High School. I sang in the choir, played softball, and was a student chaplain. I'm the oldest of four children with two brothers and one sister. My dad is a radiologist at MeritCare hospital in Fargo. My mom was a stay-at-home parent, but has recently started teaching again.

I am very happy to be here and I am looking forward to many great conversations.

God has lead me to be at Augustana as a teacher and director of Crossroad Preschool. From the moment I began working here, I felt I belonged and that this is what I was meant to be doing.

I am a graduate of Augsburg College. My husband, David, and I live in Lino Lakes with our daughter, Kirsten, an Augsburg College student; our son, Nathan, who attends Centennial High School; our dog, Chester; and our cat, Peanut Butter.

I am an avid reader, enjoy movies, attending my childrens' band concerts and piano recitals, watching my son play baseball and football, and enjoy going to concerts and plays. My family enjoys going to my parents' second home, a hobby farm four miles west of Pine City which is a beautiful place to relax, read and visit.

History and Heritage

Twelve Swedes and Norwegians organized the Augustana Church on April 16, 1866. As new congregations were formed in various midwestern states, the Augustana Synod was formed and the young Augustana Church of Minneapolis of 29 members affiliated with it on June 18, 1867. Lyle Schaller, America's foremost authority on church administration and life, has stated that "Augustana had it all together: youth work, missions, education, social ministry...better than any other church body, and enjoyed outstanding leadership." In a personal letter he wrote, "Yes, Augustana was a great church."

Dr. Robert Marshall, leader of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) for a decade, has said, "We need Augustana now more than ever." This is Augustana's heritage and one can hear the influences in the present leadership and membership today.

The following is an evaluation of the "Augustana spirit" by Dr. Herbert Chilstrom, leader in the Augustana Synod, the LCA, and first bishop of today's Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

WHAT WAS/IS AUGUSTANA?
By Dr. Herbert Chilstrom

I. PERSONAL PIETY

How should one define Augustana, or, more specifically, the "Augustana spirit"? Different persons, of course, would provide different answers. For me, the "Augustana spirit" has for prominent elements, among others: personal piety, dignified worship, social consciousness, and global awareness.

My grandmother embodied an important part of the "Augustana spirit" - personal piety. Taking a moment each day in the home for grace at meals, reading the Bible, hearing Psalms and hymns, and praying - this was as natural for the pious Swedish Lutheran family as eating, working, sleeping, and all the other routines of the day. In the very earliest days, when a visit from a pastor was rare, these exercises were he life-blood for the settlers.

This kind of piety did not begin after the immigrants came to America. They brought it with them from their homeland. The revivals that swept through Scandinavia had a profound impact on many of those who immigrated to America. Prominent among the leaders was Carl Olof Rosenius. His gift for bringing the message of the gospel to the common person is described by Adolf Hult in the preface to the book by Rosenius, The Believer Free from the Law. Hult writes, "Rosenius spoke and wrote for the common Christian (person)," and says that:

Here the toiler of the shop, the maid, the parent, the Christian educator, the Bible student, the man and woman of affairs (meets) one who knows them to the heart core. Rosenius converses with the soul intimately, as if he talked to its very inwards."

In his novel "The Hammer of God," Bo Giertz describes what a family devotional exercise may been like on a typical day in a pious Swedish home:

(They first) read the meditation for the day by Rosenius. Then they sang all the verses of hymn 440, after which the old man offered a prayer in his own words…There was thanksgiving for God's mighty works in creation, for the stern glory of winter, for the Christmas that was soon to bring its special joy, for the roof over one's head, and for the salutary discipline of pain and sickness. He prayed not only for…the aged and the sick, for the scalded child…and the sick mother…but also for the crops under the snow, for freedom from disease that threatened the farm animals, and for milder weather for the crofters and the beasts. Finally, he prayed for poverty of spirit, for a right trust in God's grace, and for the final favor of dying one day as sinners won by the Savior's merits.

This was the tradition of piety that many of our forebears carried with them to the new land. I say "many of our forbears", but certainly not all. Some embraced the freedom of the American frontier as a time to rid themselves of the piety of their past. Shortly after he arrived in Jamestown, New York in 1865, Jonas Swensson wrote in his dagbok: "Even those here who are Christian seem to me to be queer. I fear that the freedom which obtains here in all things has been perverted in many into an undisciplined spirit."

Those, however, who kept the warm piety of their tradition found in it a source of strength in time of trial. In their biography of Carl E. Lund-Quist, Emmet and Marion Eklund describe a home in the Smoky Valley of Kansas that was left motherless when Carl was only eight. But Carl's father held steady in his grief and nurtured his children, including the important daily exercise of family devotions. Would Carl Lund-Quist have come a leader in world Lutheranism and the ecumenical movement without that kind of piety in the home? I think not.

II. DIGNIFIED WORSHIP

But personal piety was not enough for our Augustana forbears. It was also important to gather in worship with other believers in the community. And not just any form of worship would suffice. It had to be the dignified worship of the church. Again, some of this can be credited to Rosenius. Though misunderstood at first, Rosenius never wavered in his insistence that those who embraced his piety must also embrace the church. Thus it is no surprise that when he died his funeral was held at St. John's Church in Stockholm and presided over by Bishop Beckman.

Following the death of Rosenius there were other revivalists who led many believers away from the church, the Lutheran confessions, and traditional worship. For the majority, however, there was what Conrad Bergendoff describes as "loyalty to the Lutheran Confessions and liturgy…winning for the Church a respect not given to individual groups living on meager revival fare."

This strong tradition came to America with the immigrants. In his description of the settlement in New Sweden, Iowa, Eric Norelius relates the familiar story of how the believers, in want of an ordained pastor, singled out their fellow layman Magnus F Håkanson as their spiritual leader. One might expect that this would be a time when they would choose an informal style of worship. But that was not the case. Norelius describes life in the congregation under Hakanson's leadership in these words: "The Word of God began to bear fruit, many were awakened to spiritual life, the youth were confirmed, the sacraments administered, the liturgy of the Swedish Church was followed."

In the course of time, and as we moved toward unity with other Lutherans, we knew our Swedish-oriented liturgy would have to go. But for those of us who grew up with that liturgy the memory of those opening intonations till lingers: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory." To confess Sunday after Sunday "that we have sinned against Thee by thought, word and deed" brought us under the penetrating light of the law and prepared us to hear the good news of the good news of the Gospel: "Thou hast promised, O heavenly Father, to receive with tender mercy all penitent sinners who turn unto Thee and with a living faith seek refuge in Thy Fatherly compassion and in the merits of the Savior, Jesus Christ."

And who can forget that endless General Prayer which covered every concern on earth? I remember as a restless boy looking at the watch of the man who often sat in our pew and timing the prayer. Though it took only three or four minutes, at that point in the service - and for one who wanted to get it over so that I could head for the basketball court - it seemed more like three or four hours! Now I read that prayer and thank God for a church that reached out in intercession to every corner of the world: "Unite, strengthen, and preserve Thy Church…Have mercy…on all nations that walk in darkness and dwell in the land of the shadow of death…Grant health and prosperity to all in authority…Endue them with grace to rule after Thy good pleasure…May Thy blessing rest upon the fruits of the earth, and give success to every lawful occupation…Let the light of Thy Word ever shine within our homes…Regard with special favor those who are being prepared for their first communion…Help and comfort the sick and the poor, the oppressed and those who mourn, the afflicted and the dying…Support us in our last hour, and after this transitory life vouchsafe unto eternal blessedness…."

In retrospect, I must confess that there is one thing about our Augustana worship tradition that puzzles me - the infrequency with which we celebrated the Eucharist. In all my growing up years and early ministry, the practice was to have the Lord's Supper once every three months - four times a year. From my mother and from a member of one of the congregations I served - who resisted the move to celebrate once a month - I learned that the reason seemed to be that the Sacrament was held in such high regard that one should not celebrate it too often lest it lose some of its holiness and dignity.

Now, of course, many of our congregations have moved to weekly communion. I support this change. I believe that a worship service is not complete unless the Sacrament is offered and celebrated. But sometimes I reflect on our sacramental tradition and ask myself whether we have in fact made it so common, so accessible, so ordinary that we have lost something of that spirit which Isaiah felt in the presence of God: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)

My experience with our Augustana liturgy also gives me pause to ask questions about all of the attempts at "contemporary" worship in the church today. I'm not an ostrich. I know change is inevitable. I know we must consider multicultural and cross-generation issues when we design our worship service. But I'm often reminded of the Lutheran couple who took their young family to a church that had bought hook, line, and sinker into a worship format that was entirely casual and which changed every week. One Sunday morning their eight-year-old asked, "Mom and Dad, when are we going to church again?"

No, we can't go back. But we can ask whether the strong elements of worship that need to be repeated week in and week out - most of which were a part of the Augustana liturgy - are these being lost in the shuffle as we try to please every taste?

III. SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

The third element, which, in my judgment, characterized the "Augustana spirit," was social consciousness. It was not enough to practice personal piety and to worship; these must have an outlet in service in the world. Coming out of the Augustana tradition, we might assume that this was normal for all churches. But that was not the case, not even for other Lutheran churches. For his doctoral dissertation Dr. Lloyd Svendsbye, former president of Luther Seminary, studied the patterns of social involvement of Lutheran churches in America and came to the conclusion that Augustana and the former United Lutheran Church in America stood out among the others. Those of us who grew up with it took for granted that the church would provide these things - hospitals, orphanages, social service agencies, homes for the aged, institutions for the severely handicapped, and more. It may be true that there was a certain degree of self-interest involved in those ministries. At a time when publicly supported agencies and institutions were either crude or non-existent, it was important that we cared for our own. But from these seeds have sprouted many of the premier social ministry services of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bethphage Mission is a good example. What started in two small houses in the tiny village of Axtell, Nebraska, is today a ministry that brings healing to the handicapped in fifteen states and two countries abroad. It was no surprise to me, but a pleasant discovery, that when I came upon grandmother's last will and testament a few years ago, Bethphage was included for a gift from her estate.

We from Augustana can take nor more than our share of the credit for the fact that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is today the largest provider of services to the elderly - larger than any religious or secular organization. But we can say that it was that vision of a church serving the needy - a vision integral to who we were in Augustana - that has helped to make us in the ELCA who we are today. All of this involvement in social service grew out of the conviction that "faith, itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17).

In his "Markings," Dag Hammarskjöld writes about the importance of his inner life of contemplation. But it is always contemplation for the sake of equipping oneself for service in the world. The "road to sanctification," wrote Hammarskjöld, "necessarily passes through action." In his interpretation of Hammarskjöld's writing, Gustaf Aulén comments that "Such quietness does not call only for pause in a life overspent with work; it calls for constant, restful communion with god in order to find strength." When Augustana was at its best, personal and family piety and public worship always sought for ways to express that faith in social service.

IV. GLOBAL AWARENESS

Finally, there is global awareness. Go. Everett Arden notes in his history of the Augustana Church that it took nearly two decades after its formation in 1860 for the church to send out its first missionaries. That's no surprise to those of us who know the stories of the early years of settlement in a new land. Emory Lindquist shares this comment from the diary of Pastor Erland Carlsson when Carlsson first arrived in Chicago: "There was not a single family among the members of the congregation who could giver hospitality to their pastor. They lived either in poor 'shanties' or in a small crowded room." My own paternal great grandparents came to west-central Minnesota in the 1850's and settled in an area that Norelius describes as the "the world's end." There were no European settlements beyond them on the open prairies. And there were "giants in the earth" to contend with - drought, crop disease, locust plagues, conflict with the Native Americans whose land had been taken from them through deceit and with meager and often delayed payment, and disease. We can add loneliness, inadequate diet - and much more. They did well just to survive. (I mention here parenthetically that I have the family Bible that my great-grandparents carried with them from Sweden. In the back are the names and birth dates of the children. Of the eight, only five lived to adulthood.)

But even though it took some time for them to become directly engaged in global mission, Arden notes that the interest was there; they carried it with them from Sweden. He writes:

The religious revivals which were sweeping across Scandinavia during (the mid-nineteenth century) awakened a wide-spread interest in the world mission of the church…It is not surprising, therefore, to find the Scandinavian immigrants…giving a good deal of attention to foreign missions even before thy had organized themselves into an independent synod.

Peter Fjellstedt was the father of world missions in the Church of Sweden. When I visited Sweden some years ago, I saw my maternal great-grandfather's dagbok in which he recorded his daily income and disbursements as a shoemaker in the shadow of the Lund Cathedral. Among the disbursements in the mid-1870's were entries for support of Onesimus, an Ethiopian convert who was studying in Stockholm, and "the new church in Boston." With the aid of Euene Brodeen I leaned that it had to be Resurrection Church in Roxbury, know predominantly African American.

This concern for world mission came to America with pioneer pastors who saw themselves as missionaries among their own people and as leaders who reminded their flocks of the "other sheep" in far away lands. Arden notes that in the very first issue of the official newspaper of the Augustana Synod in 1863 there is the following announcement:

…it will be the aim of (this newspaper) to devote itself more seriously than ever to the cause of missions. Doubtless many of its friends will appreciate this because they love to hear about the struggles, difficulties, victories, and general progress of the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

That interest in world missions continued throughout the life of Augustana. Many of us were members of the "Junior Mission Band." Many of our grandmothers, mothers, and wives were members of that remarkable group called "The Women's Missionary Society." And some of us in Sunday school poked the kid next to us and made jokes about the missionary Minnie who sat on a tack. But we also learned about the George Andersons and the Cunninghams and the Fribergs and V. Eugene Johnsons in Tanganyika; and the Akins and Esther Anderson and the Anders Hansons and the Lindells and the Vikners in China. These few represent so many who served the church around the world. Through it all, serious and humorous, we got the message. And the message was that this church believed it had a call to bring the word of grace to the whole world.

V. POSTSCRIPT

These four areas constitute much of the "Augustana spirit": warm piety, dignified worship, social consciousness, and global awareness. One could add to these even more items such as ecumenism, theological education, youth ministry, evangelism, stewardship education, women's and men's work, and much more.

I can think of no better conclusion than to cite the words of Dr. P.O. Bersell, spoken exactly 50 years ago on the occasion of the centennial of the organization of the congregation in New Sweden Iowa. Bersell wrote:

We are not ashamed of our humble origin, for with it goes a divine destiny. We would be entirely unworthy of our heritage if we had no historic appreciation of the cultural and spiritual lineage of our Church in the direct line of succession to the fruits of the ministry of the Lutheran Church in old Sweden. We will not forget the pit out of which we were digged nor the rock from which we were hewn. We have come out of centuries of preaching and teaching of the evangelical faith, and out of the great revival movements in Sweden…These have left an indelible impress on our Church. Perhaps a century from now this contribution to American Lutheranism will be appreciated still more, if we remain to our trust and faithful to our mission.

Bersell adds these words about the "Augustana spirit":

"…the spirit of our church is unique in its blending of orthodoxy and piety, its heart-throb of warm, evangelical Christianity, and its soul-expression of true ecumenicity whose center and power is in Christ."

Top of Page

The stories and testimonies you will find in this section are from the lives and hearts of Augustana members of all ages. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we have enjoyed collecting these testimonies to the joy and strength found in living a life of faith in Jesus Christ. If you would like further conversation with the writers of these stories, please write your request in an email to mverlautz@augustanampls.org

STRENGTH AND FAITH
Koester and O.C., whose writings are included below, responded to questions focusing on what has given them strength in difficult times of their lives. Enjoy their responses.

FROM KOESTER:

At some point many people will see their well-run lives disintegrate. What enables someone to pick up the pieces?

The event I immediately remember is when, as an anesthetist, I had an ideal position for me: I worked for seven doctors in a clinic, did surgery at a modern Catholic hospital. Had good salary, apartment, car, was pampered—but my heart was still, after years of running, was being pulled back to "My Call", serving God overseas. I remember it was midnight at my kitchen table; it was as thought God spoke directly tome in a voice I understood. "Choose this day who you will serve—God or the good life." This was it—the choice, like a last chance. I was weeping, but in my heart of hearts I loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him-no matter what! So, I told Him so, then I slept. The next morning I went to Dr. Dave, head doctor of the clinic, and told him of my decision. Word got around and I was reminded that his could be a foolish decision. Well, I still held out, maybe LBI, which opened in a week, would have no place for me and I wouldn't have to go. Guess what! That letter asking if there was room for me had wings! A few days later a response saying "Come, we are holding a room for you." The patience, love, and forgiveness of the Lord paved the way. My how life changed! Material things no longer were so important. Africa didn't even have a gas machine!

In these times, where did you look to find God?
1. I found God in beautiful hymns from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago via radio.
2. The Bible, of course.
3. I found him in the way He led me-step-by-step incidents that called my attention to Him.

What evidences did you see of God?
I guess I finally became more mature in my thinking and praying and He opened my eyes to see how really awesome He was/is! How real answered prayer-even for a husband when the Mission Personnel Committee told me my hopes would be "slim to nil."

What kind of God did you expect to find?
A patient, loving Lord that I had always known from I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

FROM O.C.:

Oh, the broken bones! Just one part of my life.
Broken bones have been a big part of my life. I have broken many, but will talk about just a few of them.

My first experience came over 50 years ago on a skating rink across from the LBI fourplex where I lived. I was working there at the time. Things were going well until a little fat girl came around the rink going the wrong way, bumped into me and down I went. I got up took my partners hand again but realized something was wrong with my right wrist; it didn't feel right. I pushed up my sleeve and my arm looked like a question mark. Something was out of place. Before long, a kind fellow worker had brought me to what was then Swedish hospital. As I lay on the operating table waiting for Dr. Friberg to set my wrist, tears were streaming down my face. I was thanking God for doctors and nurses, for the hospital and for the friend who had brought me there. It was assumed that I had broken no other bones and I was sent home.

But the story had just begun. There were other falls, but we go fast forward to about 30 years ago. I was walking one February morning to meet my driver to go to work. A lady on 35th and Portland had not shoveled her walk. In a February thaw the ice had melted and froze again. It was a foggy morning and it was like walking on wet glass and down I went. I got my ride to work but sensed that something was wrong. A kind fellow worker brought me to the hospital. An x-ray showed no broken bones in my neck, and I was sent home. As I prepared to make supper for my husband, I took some meatballs out of the refrigerator and sniffed at them, but I could not smell them. Nor could I taste my food, a strange sensation.

Back at the hospital Dr. Noran, a neurologist, took a piece of soap from the washroom and asked me if I could smell it. I couldn't. Next I was given a CT scan and was told that the inside of my brain was like a tiger in a cage! I had suffered a concussion and was told that my brain had bounced from the back of my head to my forehead and that I would likely not regain my senses of smell and taste because nerve ends had been damaged. I was to take three dilantin a day to prevent seizures and three Tylenol for the concussion headaches that began. That began a time of trouble that has followed me ever since.

Meanwhile, I puzzled over a Bible verse that I had not paid attention to before. Psalm 51:8, "Fill me with joy and gladness, let the bones that thou hast broken rejoice." And I asked myself, "Does God break our bones?" I happen to believe that everything that happens to a Christian is either sent or permitted by God. He has a directive and permissive will. Of course, we know that foolish and risky behavior can bring harm and illness, but we're not talking about that here. God can bring good out of experiences like broken bones!

In August 2001, I fell in my bathroom, hitting the back of my head. The wind was knocked out of me! I couldn't breathe; I couldn't make a sound. But I managed to get to my bed and after a sleepless night called a neighbor for help. An ambulance took me to nearby where several scans and x-rays showed that I had collapsed one lung, and fractured ribs on both sides. They also showed, that I had a spot on the collapsed lung. And that spot would not have been discovered if I had not fallen. I can thank God for that fall. Now that spot is being watched carefully, because it's in a place where it would be hard to do a biopsy. The hospital sent me to a nursing home for therapy and the periodic scans continue.

Now I must insert that I believe in guardian angels! And the stay in that nursing home, taking therapy, and learning breathing exercises confirmed their presence. After my husband died, my stepdaughter left a note in my Bible at Psalm 91 asking me to read verses 1-6 and 9-11 every night at bedtime. I did this and I soon memorized those verses. The last words I now recite are, "Because you have made the lord your refuge, the most higher habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent, for he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways." Every night I thank God after saying these verses that he guards and guides and provides.

Back to the nursing home. One night, maybe I was half asleep, maybe it was an apparition, a hallucination or a vision, but I saw a seated figure coming toward me, very white and very wide. It seemed to float to my bed and stopped by my side. It must have been an angel with its wings outspread! Another time, I saw beside my bed two men, dressed like soldiers, standing tall, not saying anything, but seeming to be on guard duty. I do believe in guardian angels and I thank God for them.

My troubles are not over, because long-term use of dilantin results in poor balance and clumsiness so I tend to fall for the slightest reasons. I am confined to a walker, needing help of various kinds to stay in my apartment.

Broken bones can be an interesting study, by the way. I read in a medical column that bones which have been broken and healed are stronger than they wre I the first place. Are we not "fearfully and wonderfully made?"

Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:18, not that we are to thank God for everything that happens to us, but "to give thanks in all circumstances!" I can do so with osteoporosis (brittle bone) and poor balance, because I know He is with me. I can even thank Him for the fall that collapsed my lung and brought to light the suspicious spot on my lung.

In everything give thanks "and all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."

One verse that has become precious to me is II Corinthians 4:16, "So we do not lose heart, though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day." Every day, think of it. Abraham Lincoln said the best thing about the future is that it comes just one day at a time. Scripture tells us, "As thy day, so shall thy strength be." And I have read, "Don't try to do tomorrow's work with today's strength." The Lord gives strength one day at a time for that day. His grace is sufficient for each day and it is new every morning!

So we go on! Serving him with whatever we still have. I'm grateful that I can still do some limited volunteer tasks at my church. The fellowship is worth the trips often arranged by Metro Mobility. I was the oldest in my family. Three siblings younger than I have been taken from this life and I might wonder "Why am I still here?" But, on days when I feel I would like the Lord to swoop down and take me to Himself, where I will have a new body, I remind myself that perhaps I am still here because there is more for me to learn, or more for me to do. And I thank him that "I can do all things in him who strengthens me," one day at a time!

O.C. is 88 years old and has been a member of Augustana for 53 years!