Question of the Week

MAKING MY LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE

Some of you may have seen the movie "Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It's about a man who keeps a list of all the things he wants to do before he kicks the bucket. After finding out his time on earth may be cut short, he decides it's time to get as much checked off the list as possible. Seeing the movie, coupled with having the "C" word knock on our family's door, I began to consider what my bucket list might have on it and decided to share with you three things I have yet to check off.

Out of all seven continents, I have only been on two. I've traveled more than I ever dreamed I would, seeing such countries as Canada, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, England, Denmark, Sweden, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, not to mention the Bahamas and 38 of the 50 US states, including Hawaii. But my desire is to have my feet touch all seven continents. I have five more to go.

For me, traveling fulfills one of my deepest heart desires, but running a close second is singing. I grew up in a very musical family and watching Mom sing every weekend in nightclubs made it look so easy. With that kind of an influence, it was as natural for me to pick up a microphone as it was to bake a cake... she taught me how to do both with ease. Today, we each use our talent to glorify His name but I still have a longing to sing those same standards she use to sing. One day, I would love to record some of those old tunes myself.

Recording is not as costly as traveling to five more continents but going to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City for three months might come close. I have always dreamed of enrolling in one of the three month internships at IHOP-KC. The program is designed to immerse you in a deeper walk of intimacy with Jesus as well as expand the prophetic giftings. Although I could take my two youngest teens with me, I haven't figured out how to be gone from my husband for that long a time. Besides the cost of the internship, housing, and food, saving for this would have to include numerous trips back and forth so we could all see each other. Maybe this one is too big a dream.

Have I sight my sights too high or fallen short when it comes to grabbing at the abundance He promises? Already, I've had the opportunity to travel, visiting places all over the world. More recently, I've accomplished some extreme personal challenges I thought I would never face. Yet each new adventure has been totally Spirit led and truly purpose driven. Some have accused me of going through a mid-life crisis while others think my new found hobbies are pretty cool. My check boxes continues to grow and I've finally decided nothing on the list is impossible unless He says no.

Please share three things you have on your bucket list...
I'd love to know!

Cyberpsalmist

Question of the Week

The first time I went bowling, I thought, "No sweat, I can handle this. Just throw the ball down the alley and hope for the best." Little did I know the weight, aim and release of the ball had everything to do with my success at knocking down the pins. After numerous gutter balls and one very embarrassing moment, I realized I had a lot to learn.

As I write this blog, I am sitting in a noise-ridden, teen populated bowling alley, where two of my children are members of a league. The exhilarating sound of balls striking pins means the music playing over the sound system is taking a back seat. In front of me is a rack of balls in all sizes, colors and weights.

Normally, I would pick up the lightest ball I could find and assume that because of it's weight, I had a good chance of sending it straight down the lane. But that's not always true. Too light a ball can be a detriment. When a ball is too heavy, the weight makes it almost impossible to swing your arm and get the momentum you need to strike the pins.

Not only is weight important, aiming the ball means everything. There's a pocket bowlers look for where the ball can strike down the most pins. I found out the marked arrows in the lane are there to help you with just that.

Another technique that is crucial is knowing when to release the ball. When it's time to swing your arm into action, you must follow through and let the ball go at just the right place before letting go. Dropping to soon means less forward motion; letting go too late doesn't take advantage of the momentum already in progress.

So much to think about! Why can't I just have some fun and forget all of this technique mumbo-jumbo? Can't I just throw the ball down the alley and hope for the best like I said earlier? The last time I did that, I under-estimated my strength (bowling with too light a ball) and sent it two lanes to the left! After that, I decided I better learn a little bit more about bowling.

That was soooo embarrassing!!!

Question of the Week- Tell me about one of your most embarrassing moments

Question of the Week

COMING ATTRACTIONS

I was thinking about one of my favorite movies the other day. I realize most of you would not have this title on your top 10 list but it most certainly sits high on mine. Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer opened nationwide in living color around March of 1965. It might have been the era I grew up in, the architecture of the old theater, or the fact that this true story slightly mimicked my own life which contributes to the fact that this movie ranks very high on my list.

I grew up in a day and time when movies stayed in theaters for months and only one movie showed at a time. The Stardusk Drive-In was my parent's favorite theater because they could pile us all in the back of the station wagon in our pajamas with a grocery bag full of popcorn and a thermos jug of Kool-Aid. What made the venue inexpensive and family-friendly was the fact that they were charged by the carload instead of by the head and conveniently located on the grounds just below the huge screen were several rows of swing sets for bored, restless children.

The movie I'm talking about was not shown at the drive-in.

It played at the beautiful, historic Sheboygan Theater. I still remember the midnight blue ceiling of the theater with it's realistic sparkling stars. The interior resembled a summer evening in a romantic Spanish garden. Happy to have any seat on the floor, I dreamed of sitting in the box seats above me, just like in the movies. I anticipated the opening of the velvety scarlet colored curtains which revealed the shimmering silver screen.

Little did I know that same movie screen would also reveal a piece of my life. Just as Maria longed to devote her existence to the Lord through music and a life-long commitment to the church, I shared the same passions. At a very young age, I asked my parents if I could visit a convent to either prove or put to rest my desire to become a nun. Like Maria Von Trapp, I had a permanent song in my heart but my desire for children always seemed to get in the way of choosing a life of celibacy.

Four children and many songs later, I look back on the way that movie impacted me. I needed Maria to show me that I could serve the Lord just as fervently outside the convent as in. I needed the Mother Superior's advice to follow my heart and I sincerely needed Captain Von Trapp to instill hope that a Lover and a Rescuer would soon come for me as well. Whether it was the era, the building or the movie's mirror imaging, the "Sound of Music" was a coming attraction of my life.

What movie has made a big impact on your life and why?

I'd love to know...

Cyberpsalmist

Chrissy Larson

MUSIC TO MY EARS

Lately, I'v been thinking about how music affects me. I have cd's in my car that rotate, going from my player to the visor storage case and then to the house. Some have a shorter season than others while others rarely get the eject button.

It's been said that music is the universal language. I know this statement is true from first-hand experience. On my first missions trip to Jamaica, I was performing a sound check with an instrument that had a built-in rhythm section and used a drum beat to test the sound system. As soon as it began to play, people stopped what they were doing and started to clap or dance along. Before the beat started, folks wondered who I might be and what my business was there. But after the rhythm filled the room, nothing mattered.

My mood will often dictate what I want to listen to. If I feel like putting an exclamation point on my emotions, I'll choose accordingly. On the other hand, if I need an adjustment in attitude, I will use certain music genre's to accomplish that. I saw a wall plaque that defined this appropriately... "Music is what feelings sound like."

Technically, music is the art of organizing sounds and silence. The composer decides which instruments to use and when, along with when to let the song breathe. The Bible describes that moment as a selah, or intentional space given for the purpose of meditation. Not all writers and composers give regard to the fact that music is therapeutic, whether they like it or not. It can be either positive or negative. I learned one of the best lessons from an instructional DVD series which pointed out that measures of rests were just as significant as the measures with music.

Music affects people in more ways than I have described here. It truly speaks a language

everyone understands, can enhance your mood or change your frame of mind, and provides

either healing or harm. Anyway you define it, it's music to my ears.

If your life was a song, what would the title be? Why?

I'd love to know...

Cyberpsalmist

Chrissy Larson