Advent Stories

11/10/2014

Almost all of our Advent texts "come into the middle of things," and this is the basis of our Advent theme, God Comes Into the Midst of Life. We invite you to share your stories of when you have been acutely aware of God's action in your life. In a word or two. In a sentence or two. Anonymously or with a name. Tell your stories. Tell them here. We will share these stories and comments throughout Advent in worship and here, online, as we prepare to celebrate the story of when God came to live among us.

47 Comments

Marita Wolgast

11/20/2014 05:01:52 am

As Advent nears, I am becoming more aware that God is in the midst of the roller coaster of my life-through the celebrations, the challenges, and the losses-bringing peace.

Nicole Keating

11/24/2014 04:41:11 am

I like the band Switchfoot. For some reason the lyric from the song "Dare You To Move" was stuck in my head and then one moment, I realized what the words meant. They mean exactly what they say, "Salvation is here" It hasn't left, it isn't coming, it's present now.

Will Mittelsteadt

11/24/2014 05:29:01 am

I see God at work in my career path.
I thought about going to seminary and being a Pastor when I was young, but decided to follow my artistic passions and pursue a graphic design degree instead.
Lo and behold, a few years down the line God brought me to First Lutheran and a career in ministry, just in a different capacity than I had imagined. Now I've been here for ten years; still in awe of how God weaves my life.

Vicki Hughes

11/25/2014 04:22:31 am

I lost both of my parents within seven months of each other when I was 19 years old. God surrounded me wiht love and support to get me through that difficult time.

Eddi Devore

11/25/2014 04:32:19 am

God came into the midst of my life when he blessed me with a son. There is no greater blessing or purpose than to raise a child.

Scott Beatty

11/25/2014 07:58:34 am

God came into the midst of my life when I was born. Some people say he comes at baptism, some at first communinon. I've felt his presence my whole life every step of the way.

John Lepse

11/30/2014 09:42:53 am

I had drifted away from the church for many years and started attending First Lutheran during Lent. Pastor Dan concluded his Easter sermon by saying, "We are commanded to live Christ like lives. Now let's go out there and do it!" It was in that moment that I realized what I'd been searching for all those years. It was and is God in Christ and his resurrection. Thanks be to God!

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:13:37 am

When my kids were born.
When I was faced with cancer.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:14:10 am

God helps me to live with grace under pressure in a difficult situation at work that is more than I can handle on my own.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:15:02 am

When my 'grandbabies' were born.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:16:44 am

I believe God came into my life in the simplest of ways. The strength I needed to get through my dad's death, the tears I've cried to clean my vision, or the joy I've felt through the positive events in my life. People may say it's wrong for me to say this because I don't go to church. But I know I believe, and so does He. That's what matters. When there's nothing else, He is always there.

Ruth Ehrhardt

12/2/2014 07:18:04 am

God provided earthly mentors in my life to guide and encourage me - especially my aunt and godmother, LaNelle, who passed into eternal life at age 98 just this [Sunday] morning.

Anne Lenzen

12/2/2014 07:18:57 am

My mother, Jo Anne, died so peacefully and I was with her as she was lifted up again into her new life with Christ!

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:19:43 am

God is in the midst of my life every minute of every day! For that, I am grateful!

Gunnar Lenzen

12/2/2014 07:20:22 am

When Michael came to First Lutheran.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:21:23 am

I needed to be more patient with my special needs son and [God] helped me. I was feeling alone and isolated.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:22:05 am

In the birth of our two boys.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:22:49 am

God came into the midst of my life in divorce.

Marilyn Dyrland

12/2/2014 07:23:34 am

God gave me words for a hospitalized friend, who was suicidal, to help her see that is not what she should do.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:24:19 am

God came into the midst of my life when fear threatened to drown me.

Callie Christoffersen

12/2/2014 07:25:39 am

My family and I started sponsoring 4 year-old, Ismael, of Dominican Republic. Not only are we able to help supply for his family, but we can also help to make him happy!

Mary Grabe and Peg Musil

12/2/2014 07:26:30 am

God comes into the midst of our lives when the 3 year-olds sing "Away in A Manger," practice quiet time, and hear the Bible stories in Sunday School.

Carroll Cram

12/2/2014 07:27:23 am

2 Corinthians 5:17 explains what happened to me when I was 16 years old. God came knocking at my door, and I invited Him in.

Addison Wegmann

12/2/2014 07:28:14 am

God came into the midst of my life in worship, when I play, and when my aunt, Lynn, passed away.

Mason Wegmann

12/2/2014 07:28:39 am

God came into the midst of my life when my aunt, Lynn, passed away.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:29:39 am

God came into the mist of my life when it was apparent that my wife's time on earth was limited by a terminal disease. I pray her passing will be painless and peaceful.

Doug Dyrland

12/2/2014 07:31:21 am

God came into the midst of my life when He gave me strength to find the words to tell my dad it was ok to join him in heaven. He died peacefully immediately after that.

Suzi Cooper

12/2/2014 07:32:25 am

God came into the midst of my life when my patient's husband prayed for me and my family each time I treated his wife at home for a fractured shoulder. His love strengthened my love.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:33:17 am

When I have needed Him the most and when I have needed Him the least... He is always there. So thankful!!

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:33:46 am

God came into the midst of my life when I was going through my divorce.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:34:17 am

God came into the midst of my life when He healed my relationship with my son.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 07:35:53 am

Wow….June 28, 1969 was a day I thought God had left my life at 21 yrs. old. I was 28 days from delivering my second child; I had a toddler not yet three years old. I had quit working since the baby was due soon, so we were a one income family (and not a large income). That evening my life took its worst turn; my husband was with some friends in a rowboat when it capsized and he didn’t survive. I think my son had a premonition (do 2 ½ yr. olds have those?) as his Dad pulled away in the car, my son was inconsolable.
Then came the knock on the door, with the police chief and our Pastor; you don’t need to be told the worst has happened. The next days and weeks are a blur; but I got through all of them, the baby came and was healthy despite my losing 26 lbs. in this time period.
Being of an independent nature, I didn’t ask or expect help, this was the card I was dealt; I was given this job of raising these two little people, and I wasn’t sure just how it would happen but it had to be done and it had to be the very best way I knew how. There were many, many times when I felt bleak and hopeless but never gave up. Looking back I know God never left me…….I wandered off more than a few times but He kept calling me back, and eventually the light came on, with God, life is better. Period.
After 10 yrs. I married my now husband and he took on this crew of “we three” becoming the only father my children really knew. I still say, with God, life is better always.

Anonymous

12/2/2014 08:22:33 am

You will see after you read it that this is not a story about me; it is about God, how much He loves us, and how He rushes to the side of someone in deep spiritual need. It could have happened to anyone; attaching my name to the story shifts the attention away from Christ, who is the star of the show.

I was raised in Mount Pleasant, Iowa (Go Panthers!! Beat the Trojans!!). It was where my father was raised; his grandparents, both paternal and maternal, were among the folks who were instrumental in the town's early growth. (My paternal grandmother and James VanAllen's mom were in the same bridge foursome.) In the tiny little pond that was Mount Pleasant, Iowa, I was a child of a family that considered itself to be some of the bigger fishes.

Just before the start of my junior year in college (Coe) it came to light that my Dad, an officer at a local bank and the City Treasurer, had embezzled a lot of money (about $200K in today's dollars) from the city. It's impossible to describe the shock. In the weeks following, my Dad was charged, pled guilty and paid full restitution to the city with funds given to him from extended family members with retirement accounts and bank balances sufficient to allow them to come to Dad's rescue.

This all happened in the latter part of September and early October of 1964. For reasons that are not important, formal sentencing on the charge did not occur until late November. The Judge assigned to the case asked for a "pre-sentence investigation", and sentencing was scheduled for a Friday in mid to late November. I think (but am not certain) that the Judge had only two options. (1) impose the maximum sentence; or (2) impose the sentence and simultaneously suspend it, so that the Defendant - my Dad - need not serve time in prison.

I am the second of five siblings. My older sister and I were, by then, "out of the nest". The three younger kids were 12, 11 and 9. I remember worrying about how their welfare would be affected if Dad was sent to prison. No one from home called me after the Court proceedings; I heard on the 5:00 radio news that my Dad had been sentenced to 20 years at Fort Madison. I hurried home for what, of course, was the saddest day I have ever experienced. The Judge allowed Dad to spend Friday night at home but Saturday morning he had to report to prison. He hugged me tight before he left and whispered in my ear that "It won't be long, Becky."

Church the next morning was no help. I was in tears most of the time.

When I got back to my room at the dorm that evening I was beside myself with grief and fear of what lay ahead. I wasn't angry at my Dad, only sad for him, but I was beyond furious at the Judge who had taken away my mother's support and my little brothers' and sister's father.

Then a miracle happened. I tried reading my Bible and was guided to Romans 12. I was a fairly new Christian at the time and knew next to nothing about how to find help in the Word. Never mind my ignorance; the Holy Spirit put in my hands the passage I needed to read.

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and don't curse……….Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Rom. 12:14-21

It was an "Ah ha" moment for me. I realized that with God's love and help I could face and recover from such a tragic turn of events. God didn't let me down then, and never has. It was my first really big lesson in what it means to be a Christian and how anxious God is to be close to us in every single thing, every single day.

The next couple of years (Dad was paroled after 22 months) were not easy. Things got so bad that the church started bringing food baskets to help my Mother manage, and anonymous folks did things like paying for my siblings' music lessons. The doctor waived his fees when the younger kids were sick, and the man who owned the shoe store tore up Mom's check in front of her, saying he wanted to do what "little" he could to help. All around us were people of faith supporting us with prayers and checkbooks.

No one, and certainly not I, would wish a similar experience on anyone, and I can't say I'm glad it happened. But the events of that time taught me things I might otherwise never have learned, the most important of which is that God's love is real, deep, never ending and his "everlasting arms" will never let us go. "In all things, God works for the good of those who love him." Rom 8:28.

Cathy Jansa

12/7/2014 09:58:33 am

Our son graduated from St. Olaf College, so he emailed me the online link for a live stream of the St. Olaf Christmas Music Festival this Sunday afternoon. Several years ago he visited St. Olaf with his Dad and he fell in love with the campus and the school. He participated in many things at St. Olaf and had roles of leadership, but what I remember the most was that he sang in a St. Olaf choir. When I attended his first Christmas Concert at St. Olaf, I was amazed at the number of young people singing in choirs and playing in their orchestra and band. The concert at St. Olaf is not about production but is about scripture and music honoring God, and these young people literally call God into the concert. It is so lovely and spiritual that it literally takes your breath away. This year my son attended the Friday night performance and St. Olaf music will always be a part of his heart, and after listening to the concert online this afternoon, a part of mine, also.

M. K. Chawla

12/11/2014 02:12:11 am

Always - I feel his presence when I am with my wife and as I watch my children grow. I know he is with me daily when I take care of my patients. He is my support and backbone and I would be empty without him.

Brian and Laura Draeger

12/11/2014 02:12:51 am

God surrounded us with his love and strength in the midst of our son, Matthew's, battle with a critical illness.

Carol Lakin-Vecellio

12/11/2014 02:14:24 am

He directed me to befriend and visit an acquaintance dying from cancer.

Anonymous

12/11/2014 02:14:58 am

I was fortunate to have had parents who taught me as a child of how important God was in our lives!

Anonymous

12/11/2014 02:16:43 am

I cowardly seeked a way out of situations burdening me. I cleared my will to serve His live and looked for a faith only known to a lost sheep. It wasn't until I slept when I started noticing God was seeking out me. I, at that moment, became a living testimony to the Creator.

Anonymous

12/11/2014 02:17:07 am

God came into the midst of my life when I discovered my egg and nut allergies.

Anonymous

12/12/2014 05:58:21 am

Reflecting on incidents of the past, I have faced several life and death situations. The most dramatic time was when I was laying on a beach area in West Africa bleeding from stab wounds to my arm.and other superficial body hits. I was walking with my work partner to an airport to claim my bags. My assignment was to unload and package goodwill grain ( from a large ship) to locals in need. I prayed earnestly that my life be spared, so that I could see my children and family. My prayers were answered and I survived this unfortunate accident. God and the angels of mercy were with me that day and I felt blessed and thankful. It was a life changing moment that is part of my continuing quest to live a Christian life.

Anonymous

12/12/2014 06:00:12 am

When I was a young woman, married, with one child, my Dad's Mother, my grandmother, became very ill with pancreatic cancer. Many of us traveled to see her, but her own children and their spouses surrounded her bed at the hospital, weeping. When my Mother came to the waiting room after my Grandmother died, I asked what she might have said. My Mother said that my Grandmother only spoke the words, "How can I help you?" I was reminded of this when I read The Gospel of Mark tonight. God was present in my Grandmother's compassion for her children, even in death.

Anonymous

12/12/2014 06:01:33 am

When I was ten, many years ago, life was simple. My Mother's parents lived in the country where they farmed 80 acres of land, milked, had chickens, worked the fields, had sheep, some stock, and two large, white horses for farming before my Grandfather got his first tractor. How would I describe a perfect Norwegian farmer who always would wear gray coveralls, except to church. I can't remember him ever saying or doing one unkind comment or act to anyone. But my Mother got the call one day that he had had a heart attack and she was to come to the farm immediately. He was my Mother's rock, so her own despair when he died took up her time. We children sort of worked it out on our own what had happened. I remember the day he was buried. I was standing away from the casket, realizing that my perfect Grandfather was being put in the ground forever. Even though I was a child of faith and had an entire family of faith, I only thought he was buried forever. The night of his funeral, I had a Technicolor dream of my Grandfather driving up to our house in his bright blue Ford, getting out of the car and walking across our vivid green lawn and walking under our huge vivid green Maple tree. He had a lovely smile on his face and walked toward me. I was stunned as I "watched" the dream. First, I was dreaming of a dead man and my Grandfather was walking to me. I raised my hand to greet him, but he passed by my shoulder. I turned to see where he went, but he had disappeared. Two more nights I had the exact same dream. I had decided that I would dream this the rest of my life, but the fourth night I didn't dream it. I guess I was given the gift of the Resurrection story at the age of 10. I will always remember his lovely smile, or happiness, maybe, and the most beautiful color of the dream. I didn't share this dream for many years until a few years ago when I told my previous Pastor and his staff during devotions when the topic was dreams. He, too, thought it was a resurrection story.

annonymous

12/14/2014 11:53:33 am

When I was 19 my dad died. One week later my oldest friend committed suicide. After my dad's funeral and being a pall bearer in my friend's funeral, there I was staring up at the ceiling in the middle of the night. In my grief I silently asked, so what now? At that moment I felt an indescribable feeling of well being come over me. It's my belief that God was telling me that all was well. He turned a horribly difficult night into one of calm and peace.

Orla Nelson

12/18/2014 01:47:48 am

While I was getting chemotherapy thirty years ago I felt God's presence every time someone took me to my treatments, listened to my story, brought food for my family and provided the professional skills that cured me.

Anonymous

12/18/2014 01:48:55 am

Thanksgiving night my mom was in the emergency room not sure what the morning would bring. As we talked, she said, "If God's plan is to take me now, that's OK." Her strength and faith amaze me every day. She makes me strong in the midst of my life.

Tracie Coppess

12/18/2014 01:49:24 am

God entered my life when I lost my dad to cancer.

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