St Louis SuperStars; A Dynamo Choir; Across the Wide Missouri; “You Talk to Mormons?” “CSL Rocks!”

The last two days here in St. Louis, Missouri, have been AMAZING! Suzanne was invited to speak at the Center for Spiritual Living on Fee Fee Road. (My first thought was this must be a happy group… who else could go to church on a street named after a poodle?) On Saturday evening, we presented a private viewing of the Messages of Hope documentary (since it is being considered for a major network, the film’s producer can’t officially release it for public showings). We had a full house in CSL’s sanctuary, and the most enthusiastic audiences we have ever experienced. It was a fantastic evening, and we were warmly welcomed by the wonderful CSL community.  

The Q&A session after the documentary was lively, and Suzanne got to sign a lot of her books. My Lovely Bride came to bed “wired” with enthusiasm and gratitude for the response to the film and her discussion afterwards. Good thing she was able to get to sleep, because on Sunday morning, she was the principal speaker for both services. We were very impressed by the amazing love and spirit-filled congregation, and even more by the Gateway to Agape Choir, led by a dynamo named Pooki, who had more energy than most college basketball teams (and a wonderful connection with Spirit). 

The choir topped off their performance with a musical selection accented with kazoos. (Okay, I can’t resist… Mizzou Kazoos…). We also took the liberty of inviting Pooki and the Gateway to Agape Choir to The Villages in January for a special concert. Pooki is also a friend of Karen Taylor-Good and Stowe Shockey, so maybe we can get them to sing together… “watch this space” for more information on this amazing choir. 

Suzanne’s Sunday messages were tailored for Mother’s Day, and filled with evidence she had received from mothers who had either sat with her for readings or come through from the other side with messages for their loved ones. It was a beautiful morning, and again, we were much impressed by the warmth and love of everyone at CSL St. Louis. These beautiful flowers (azaleas, I think) outside of CSL’s front door caught my attention, and reminded me to “slow down and smell the flowers”…

We had a break in the afternoon, and got on our two-wheeled chariots at Creve Coeur Park for a 15 mile bike ride. (Creve Coeur is French for broken heart, and is the name of the lake named for an Indian girl whose broken heart led to her suicide off a cliff here). We rode across the muddy Missouri River to the Katy Bike Trail, at 237 miles the nation’s longest rails-to-trails project. It follows much of explorers Lewis and Clark’s route across the state in 1804-1806 exploring the Louisiana Purchase. It was a beautiful ride, but quite brisk at 65F and a 15 mph northwest wind to cycle against for the first half of the ride. (The view of the river was obstructed by the chain link fence erected after Lewis and Clark’s trip; it is designed to prevent nitwits from falling into the river and drowning; in the Old Days, such stupidity was considered “personal responsibility”… maybe we should reconsider trying to keep everyone from making fools of themselves and let Darwin’s Law take its toll. It would sure improve the view.)

Sunday evening saw us back at CSL for Suzanne to present her new Making the Connection talk. While everyone was arriving, I was describing this blog to one couple… I mentioned that last summer I wrote about how I got down on my hands and knees to talk to a marmot in Sequoia National Park. The husband asked, “You talk to Mormons on your hands and knees?” “Dude, whatever works!”

Suzanne’s evening presentation was enthusiastically well-received, but was not without its comic moments. Just as she pressed the “Next” button on her remote to change to slide #2, the computer froze up. Quick on her feet, she asked the choir members to sing while she fixed the computer. The choir and most of the attendees instantly started singing Bob Marley’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, which had been one of the hits at the morning services. It made everyone laugh, and this group is big on laughter!

The evening continued with love, enthusiasm and joy, and we are looking forward to returning to the Center for Spiritual Living in September. “CSL Rocks!”