Interview with Susan Panzica

This week I am honored and happy to post an interview with blogging friend Susan Panzica!

Welcome Susan, I am glad you agreed to a blog interview. It is always fun to learn a bit more about the faithful writers behind the ‘blogs of note’. Your writing home Eternity Café is a great place to visit while enjoying a cup of coffee. Let's linger around today and listen as you tell your story… 

Please, introduce yourself and tell us some funny or interesting tidbits about your background. 

First let me thank you for this interview. One of the best parts of blogging is getting to “meet” wonderful new friends in the blogosphere, you being one of them.

When I think of my background, I think sad, not funny. I grew up in a broken, dysfunction Jewish family, not religious but culturally Jewish. But there are always funny tidbits if you look for them. For example, my hometown as a little girl was Massapequa, NY. Because the population was half Jewish and half Italian, we referred to it as “Matza-pizza.” Now I’m married to an Italian, so my children are little “matza-pizzas.” 

Some people find it interesting that I’m a very good cook, because if you know me, you’ll know that I am one of the pickiest eaters alive. I guess if I like it, it must be good! 

Your personal testimony on your website is fascinating, Susan! Please share how you, as a Jewish young woman, came to believe in Yeshua. 

My testimony I Was a Jewish Tax Collector can be found on my blog. My friends and I spent many nights at bars, dancing the nights away. One night we met the band, who had come to Christ the previous month. They shared the gospel with us, and something clicked, something deep inside. We talked many times over the next few weeks, and we started reading the Bible. I had many questions, and God provided answers. The “God shaped hole” in my heart was filled. That’s the short version. There’s much that came before and after, but that was the start of my journey. It wasn’t until I became a Christian that I learned what it really meant to be a Jew.

You have a love for writing and teaching. How do you combine the two?

I’m a natural born teacher. When I hear something encouraging or enlightening, I immediately want to share it with others. Writing came along recently as another avenue to share the message. Now that I’m immersed in the writing world, my appreciation for writers has multiplied exponentially. And I’ve grown to love what I previously feared. Funny how that happens. 

Some of your speaking topics really triggered my interest, ‘time in a bottle’ and ‘fear is a four letter word’. How do you pick your topics and do you have a favorite one you enjoy teaching on? 

Nearly all of my speaking topics are born out of personal experience. Using the examples you selected, “Time in a Bottle” looks at the finite amount of time each day and how we fill it up. We can’t make time; we can only spend it. And my spending habits caused my life to be impoverished.

Fear was my constant companion for as long as I can remember. I say “Fear is a Four Letter Word” because the first mention of fear is found in the Garden of Eden after the fall - the subtitle to this message is “Conquer the Curse.” Speaking on overcoming fear is a favorite topic of mine not only because it is my testimony, but also because so resonates with women. 

My other favorite topic is the subject of my book-in-progress “i know You are, but what am i?” which biblically answers the age-old ‘who am I’ question. There’s a great deal written about the names of God (and rightly so!), but not very much about who He made us to be. If we can grasp who He made us to be, we can do what He calls us to do. 

As far as your writing is concerned, what are your plans (or dreams) for the near future? 

My ultimate goal for writing is to publish the book series about our identity in Christ, with versions for youth and children. In the very near future, on my blog, I will be sharing what I call “people posts” featuring unexpected “ordinary” people like you and me who exemplify these identities in their daily lives.

What is your drive behind blogging?

I never heard of blogging 3 years ago. Now I can’t stop! I will be blogging whether or not I do any other writing. For me, it is ministry. I love sharing everyday illustrations that illuminate divine truths, parables of sorts, and I especially love connecting with my readers, most of whom are not bloggers.

Do you have any authors or specific books that have been an inspiration to you?

Anything by Francine Rivers, Max Lucado, or Francis Chan

A book that spoke to me deeply many years ago – “Hinds Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard 

And of course – the Bible 

If you were asked to design the bumper sticker that would change the world, what would it say? 

Great question! To be limited to so few words is challenging for a gabber like me! Maybe I’d need a billboard ;) But what I’d want to share to change the world: you are loved - unconditionally 

What is on top of your list of ‘places-to-visit’? 

I would love to go on a mission trip to Uganda or Haiti OR to vacation in Monaco or Australia. How do I reconcile these diametrically opposed locations? I have no idea! But my daughter went to Uganda last year, and the work they are doing there is amazing. And all my life, I’ve just loved to travel.

Any words of encouragement for all the wonderful people in blogging land?

They are wonderful, aren’t they? My encouragement would be – be true to your calling. I’m an encourager, and my blog reflects that. At least, I hope it does. Many view blogging as a platform-builder, which it is. But it is so much more than that. It is a way to connect with visitors and leave an imprint on their hearts. And it is reciprocal. The blessings in blogging can be surprising and are always bountiful.

Thank you Susan, for this interview and for sharing part of your life and writing journey with us!

If you have never done so before, feel free to visit Susan's blog and website and leave her a word of encouragement! Her weblog is a great inspirational place to visit, her posts offer a healthy variety of topics, photo's, meditations and Youtube songs. Her website holds Susan's personal testimony (which is really a delight to read!) and information about her speaking engagements.

weblog: Eternity Cafe

website: Susan Panzica