Interview with Sue Provost, 'My goal is to see my book actually presented in retreat form.'

Sue Provost is an active spiritual director, religious education teacher for both children and adults, and author of Where is God in Your Life?: Three Retreats in Christian Spirituality. Her vocation in the practice of spiritual direction supports lay men and women, as well as clergy and those in ministry formation, in discernment of God’s gifting and God’s calling.

Sue has a master’s degree in Spiritual Formation from Regis University, in Denver Colorado. She is on the board of directors for the national headquarters of Small Christian Communities Connect (SCCC), as well as being the chairperson for SCC in her local parish. She is a teacher of religious education to both children and adults. She writes a daily blog about the message of Jesus on her site “Let Your Life Sing” . Sue goal in writing this daily blog is to bring awareness of God walking with us on this earthly journey.

Her desire is to share her understanding of God’s love with others, so they can experience what she found in her own relationship with God. She feels that communication with God through prayer is the essential element needed to be able to see God’s movement in their lives.

You can visit Sue’s website at www.sueprovost.com.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Sue. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you've been writing?

A: I am a resident of Henderson, Nev., and I am married with four children and four grandchildren. I am an active spiritual director and I have a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Regis University in Denver, Colo. I am a teacher of religious education and spirituality for both children and adults and I present workshops called “Nourishing Your Soul” to local women’s groups. This is my first book. So I guess that I have been a writer for only a short time, approximately a year. The book has come out of my ministry which is helping people to see the loving God who is active in their lives.

Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

A: My book explores the teachings expressed by Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich and is an examination of the six stages of a person’s faith journey:

(1)recognition of God;

(2)the life of discipleship;

(3)the productive life;

(4)the journey inward and meeting the wall;

(5)the journey outward;

(6)and the life of love.

Most people can achieve stages one through three within their church community, but there is little support currently available to help a person realize stages four through six. Where is God in your Life and the workshops designed around my teachings offer a platform to help people arrive at the final three profound levels when traveling the road to faith.

The problem that many people face, who are looking to move forward on their spiritual journey, is where to begin. You can begin on page one, but I advise before cracking open the first pages of my book that you throw away any notion you may have about a punishing God and open your heart to discover the God of love.

The book includes three different two-day workshops for varying levels of a person’s faith experience (novice to veteran). The main topics include: spirituality, understanding the soul, Christian spirituality, God’s presence, prayer, and spirituality within the community. Where is God in your Life can be read individually or it can be used as the foundation in a retreat setting. The book provides seminar plans that are organized in such detail that the group leader simply needs to show up—the readings, the music, the time schedule, the ice breaker activities (including an amusing project that requires a roll of toilet paper) are prearranged to achieve an insightful, fun, and structured experience.

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?

A: I would have to say that time was the biggest challenge I faced in writing my book. Four hundred pages do not get written in a day, or a week, or a month. However, this book was not a burden to write. It flowed from God to my soul to the paper. It surprised me how easy it was to write because it was something I am very passionate about. God has been good to me throughout my life and has given me many gifts. Out of this love of God for me and gratitude for all that God has given me, came my desire to share my understanding of God’s love with others. There are many people in this world that feel lost and abandoned. They are not aware that there is someone who loves them deeply and wants them to feel that love.

Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it? Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?

A:
EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact:
Promotional Services Department
Tel: 1-800-AUTHORS
Fax: 812-355-4078
Email: promotions@iuniverse.com
(When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)

Where is God in Your Life?
Three Retreats in Christian Spirituality

HENDERSON, NV - The spiritual quest is not just one of many things we attempt to accomplish in our lives. It is our life.

This reality, presented by spiritual director and clinician Susan M. Provost, in Where is God in Your Life? Three Retreats in Christian Spirituality (published by Trafford Publishing) outlines this spiritual quest as the goal Christians have committed to that encompasses their entire being. But once the decision to commit to Christ has been made, people may not know how to begin developing that relationship with Christ. Provost knows that quite often, people need to be given the tools necessary to develop a relationship with God and to understand how that relationship is celebrated in the community. Provost’s three two-day workshops are a program that will show readers and participants how to recognize God in their lives and to feel His love. The workshops help people to continue their spiritual journey to a greater connection with God and to see the importance of the Christian faith as a spiritual roadmap on the path to God. Provost’s program and book show how Christians eventually discover that success, productivity, and the constant drive to acquire things do not fill or satisfy the soul within us. “We burn out from what has become a road to spiritual death," Provost says. "We look for someone to convince us that we are of value for who we really are, not what we and our culture chooses to label us. We look for someone who we do not have to prove that we are worth something. We look to connect with the Creator, the Savior, and the Spirit of the God who loves us. Our soul yearns to make that connection and to feel whole, to feel significant, and to feel loved.” Where is God in Your Life will show you how.

This information is available on my website:

http://www.sueprovost.com/BookInformation.html

Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV? What are your upcoming plans for doing so?

A: Since my book is of a religious nature, I do speak to church groups regarding my book. My goal is to see my book actually presented in retreat form.

Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

A: I do not have an agent. I suppose if one is a bestselling author, agents will be clamoring to be a representative of that author. I am not a bestselling author, just a person with a message about the love of God. So therefore, I would have to say that God is my agent. God is who prompted me to write this book and if it is his will that it be successful, it will happen.

Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?

A: Unfortunately there was no media blitz.

Q: Do you plan subsequent books?

A: Yes, I am currently working on a book based upon my blog, http://letyourlifesing.blogspot.com called “God Blogs” by Sue Provost

Q: Thank you for your interview, Sue. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

A: My book can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and directly from Trafford Publishing. I also have my own inventory of books. So someone can contact me directly if they are unable to acquire copies from the other sources.

Where is God in Your Life?

Available from: www.trafford.com, www.bn.com, and www.amazon.com


As stated above, I have a blog in which I try to post to on a daily basis http://letyourlifesing.blogspot.com.

I have a website dedicated to promoting the message of Jesus in a positive and loving way http://sueprovost.com

Thank you for the opportunity to appear on your blog!