Audre Johnson has a magnet on her refrigerator with Winston Churchill’s quote “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” If anyone knows about trips through hell, it’s Audre.
The focus of our Lent Sermon Series, Full to the Brim, this week is “Even in the Desert”. Sermons and small groups discussions center around how our lives can be full to the brim with faith, grace, generosity and love.
But what if you’re in hell?
Keep Going
Over the past 20 years, Audre lost two children to suicide, battled cancer, watched her grandchildren become orphans, and most
recently, became a widow after 57 years of marriage. Grief knocks on her door, but Audre doesn’t let it stay for long. “You have to stay positive, because going into the darkness isn’t a good thing,” she says. Audre has a way of turning her grief into something positive. After her son, Jesse, died in 2002, Audre became an advocate for organ donation and speaks to high school driver’s training students about its importance. She’s also generous with donations to HTLC as the Johnson home was always full of music, thanks to Audre’s late husband, Bob.
recently, became a widow after 57 years of marriage. Grief knocks on her door, but Audre doesn’t let it stay for long. “You have to stay positive, because going into the darkness isn’t a good thing,” she says. Audre has a way of turning her grief into something positive. After her son, Jesse, died in 2002, Audre became an advocate for organ donation and speaks to high school driver’s training students about its importance. She’s also generous with donations to HTLC as the Johnson home was always full of music, thanks to Audre’s late husband, Bob. Bob Johnson’s lifelong love of playing the drums started when he was in the elementary school band in Dassel, MN. In high school, Bob
and some friends formed a band and they played in Dassel’s first public dance in the late 1950’s. Bob met his future wife, Audre, in the 2nd grade, but sparks didn’t fly until high school when they revised a homecoming skit together during their sophomore year. Audre shares memories of proms and High School band where she admits with a laugh, “I only played the French Horn so I could be with Bob in the marching band.”
and some friends formed a band and they played in Dassel’s first public dance in the late 1950’s. Bob met his future wife, Audre, in the 2nd grade, but sparks didn’t fly until high school when they revised a homecoming skit together during their sophomore year. Audre shares memories of proms and High School band where she admits with a laugh, “I only played the French Horn so I could be with Bob in the marching band.”Bob and Audre graduated in 1962 and married after Audre completed her nursing degree in 1964. Bob worked in the carpentry trade, but always had time for his band in North Minneapolis. Although playing the drums was never his full-time career, Bob’s band always loved playing for family celebrations. Audre recalls, “Bob LOVED music! If he wasn’t listening to it in his garage, he was watching music programs on AXIS TV. The Carpenters were his favorite group and he loved the sound of the Beatles.” Bob had a great ear for identifying performers for music in general, a trait he passed along to his kids. Bob’s original 1963 drum set sits in the Johnson home where their grandkids and great-grandkids love to play on Grandpa’s drums.
The Beat Goes On
Audre’s latest gift to Holy Trinity is a drum shield, in memory of Bob. Why a drum shield? “Bob and I listen to online worship services. He loved the contemporary music of HTLC especially when Lex Lammers had a great drum part.” Bob understood the importance of balancing the sound of the instruments in a small setting and how the drums can easily overwhelm the rest of the voices and instruments. The drum shield will improve the cohesiveness of the HTLC Worship Team, especially when mixing the sound for in-person worship and livestreaming.
The past year has been especially hard for Audre. Her daughter, Nicole, encouraged her to journal her thoughts and family stories as a way to cope with her latest loss. “I’ve always been a talker, so writing is completely new to me. Someday, my grandkids may want to read my journal to understand why things in their lives happened the way they did.”
Audre Johnson has experienced more than her fair share of grief over the past 20 years. Yet she isn’t drowning in the depths of hell. For Audre, the beat goes on – her faith, her grace, her generosity and her love for others keeps her moving forward.
Written by Karen A. Taylor, Web Manager
March 1, 2022
