And the continuation of the MASSive interviews! 
This time the questions come from my dear friend and sister in Christ, Hannah. The questions may be different but the rules are the same. So, if you want to join in the fun and be interviewed by me, just leave me a comment asking for it. I’ll send you 5 questions and the fun will continue!
So, the rules… again:
- Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
- I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
- You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
- You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
- When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
And the questions:
(Note: Once again, the questions will be in blue to make the interview easier to follow)
1. I have been smitten by your poetic writing from the first time I stumbled
upon your blog! You obviously have a talent in literary arts. Do you write
poems? If so, would you be willing to share one with the rest of us?
You’re not gonna make this easy on me, are you? LOL First, I’m honored that you like my writing. I have a background in literary studies and I can ramble on about comedic theories for hours, but I truly lack any real literary talent. I think if you see something special in my writing, it must truly be God’s hand and not my own. As for poetry, I have over the years written a few really horrendous verses. If I don’t share one with you, however, you’ll just think I’m being modest…but I refuse to be held accountable for damages incurred. LOL This was originally written as a “gift sonnet” for a friend, but I don’t think they will mind if I share it - and I’m fairly certain they thought it was a very questionable gift to begin with. I apologize to you all beforehand.
Elusive
I have found that thing which is and yet cannot be.
Its elusive fragile wings have lit upon snow-withered leaves,
painting over browns and greys with vivid flights of beauty
as mind and fancy fight to one another cleave.
As ashes that have grown too cold for time much too long,
Dark night extinguishes day with its gentle breathy sighs
And the moon begins to hum evening’s quiet sleepy song.
But with morning’s stir, buried embers find the strength to rise.
In hours neither here nor there, in worlds that do not exist,
Destiny plays a magical tune snaring all within her alluring net.
Many dare to struggle free, too proud they fought to resist
As magical worlds are ours to own who never saw a threat.
In all our days, life’s sunlit beams shine through our many tears
breaking patterns into varied lights which color all our years.
2. How did you come up with the name Vixious? What does that name mean to
you?
Once upon a time, long, long ago,…uhmm, in a galaxy far, far away…I chose the name Vixious. It is exactly as you would think; a cross between vixen and vicious. It pretty much defined who and what I was at the time. I thought myself very clever for coming up with the name and it actually floats around the Internet quite frequently now. At that time, however, it was fairly original as far as names went and so it made me original. The name has now followed me around for longer that this explanation and I keep it for exactly three reasons -
- There are a lot of people who know me and have known me as Vixious and so I’d never probably really be rid of the name, plus it would cause confusion to keep switching.
- It is a reminder of a time when I had not yet accepted Christ into my life and my life revolved around me - my unhappiness, my foolish pride, my conceit. I really have been in the past a very unkind person whose ship was set on auto-pilot for destruction. It helps to remember that.
- And, it’s a reminder that I still am Vixious. I’m a Christian, but I’m still a fairly intelligent, vibrant, sexy woman. I’m still human. I don’t really want to forget that either. My name, my icon, my blog banner, they’re all about being very human, making choices, failing occasionally, and picking yourself back up and trying again.
3. In your response to Shalene’s question regarding a group you lead called
Christians in Action, you explained that this group’s ministry is expressed
in “creative movements and dance”. Are you by chance a professional dancer?
If yes, what is your area of expertise?
Nope, not a professional dancer. I define professional dancer as someone who can get paid to dance and no one is really throwing money at me. (*looks at what she said* you know what I mean LOL) I do have training in ballet and modern/jazz, but I’m in no way professional at it. I simply dance for God. That’s really why I do it and why I love it. It’s not so much the dancing as the interpretation of God’s love into movement. The main focus of our choreography is on interpretation and not on any steps - whatever gets His message across works. Actually, I originally fought desperately to keep the word “dance” out of the CIA description because it left such a bad taste in many religious mouths (dancing not CIA). I have since mellowed out quite a bit and let them call it whatever they like. I’ve got an audience of One, they cannot judge me. (I, also, have a lot of scriptural references to dance in my arsenal now - that helps LOL)
4. You mentioned ASL (American Sign Language) as a part of CIA’s expressive ministry. Are you fluent
in ASL?
This is a question I really didn’t want to answer mainly because I can’t answer in the affirmative. I wish I could tell you yes, Hannah. Unfortunately, no, and I’m not going to lead you on. I wish I was. I’ve picked up a good deal since we began, but I’m a long, long way from fluent. ASL is a smart thing to use in interpretive movement because half the vocabulary is already a visual representation of a thing or action. Also, there is a grace to it that people are captivated by. If there’s ever an ASL interpreter in the room, all eyes tend to be focused on the interpreter even if you can’t understand the language. However, I will never classify anything CIA does as sign interpretation - we use interpretive signing to convey a message. There are legitimate reasons for this. Most significantly, 95% of our audience is not hearing impaired and has no knowledge of ASL. I said half of ASL was a visual representation of something, the other half is a specific vocabulary that only carries a particular meaning if you’ve studied the language and its idiosyncrasies. So we blend ASL with interpretive movement so that it becomes a thing that I hope, in all honesty, anyone and everyone can and will understand. We do have an ASL speaker on our team and we have worked with hearing impaired groups within our community to interpret songs and scripture. So, I hate to disappoint you, MASS, but I am lacking in this area.
5. If you had a chance to meet and counsel with one of the biblical
characters: Sarah, Ruth or Esther, who would you meet with and why?
Okay, incredibly tough question. I want to take the cowards way out and say all, because it’s such a difficult choice to make. LOL However, I think if I were very, very honest, I would have to say Ruth. All these women are models for us and I would really love the counsel of any of them, but Ruth is, I believe, more relevant to me. She was a young woman who suddenly found herself without the protection of a man. Instead of doing the expected, she made the bold move to follow her mother-in-law into a foreign land and accept her faith and beliefs as her own. That would have taken great courage. But it is the hope there that draws me. She was not of the chosen people, but she became one of God’s people as she changed her ways and allowed God to claim her life. It wasn’t easy; she had to work for what she had, but she was blessed. She finds marriage again, has a child, has a family. I would want counsel from a woman with that kind of strength of character. A woman who could give up everything and move forward because her heart tells her to do so. A woman who rebuilds her life and family with grace and determination. Yes, I think I’d want to sit with her awhile. Maybe something would rub off on me.
I think I actually talked more this time and for that I apologize, and I’m sure I still didn’t do half of them justice, but I enjoyed the task. I think its not only a learning experience for you, but also for me.
