A New Song; The Book ~ Susan Habegger Ep. 125

What did you expect from this journey of life, and what has been your reality? We might think of bright skies, stormy nights, confusing bends, and uninvited suffering. How do we respond to that in our lives? The journey through suffering toward healing may sound complicated, but friends, it awakens courage and peace.

Today's guest is Susan Habegger of Thrive Life Skills, a beacon of hope and the author of A New Song, a transformative course in book form. We can't wait for you to get to know Susan and discover the power of her course through this episode.

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Transcript

Transcript is auto-generated.

[00:00:00] Denisha: What did you expect from this journey of life and what has been your [00:00:05]reality? We might think of bright skies and stormy nights, [00:00:10] confusing bends and uninvited suffering. How do we respond to [00:00:15] that in our lives? The journey through suffering toward healing may sound [00:00:20] complicated, but friends it awakens courage and peace.

Today's [00:00:25] guest is Susan Habegger of Thrive Life Skills and the author of a new song course. [00:00:30] We can hardly wait for you to get to know Susan through this episode. [00:00:35] Welcome to Living the Reclaim Life podcast. I'm Denisha. We're glad you're here for [00:00:40] conversations that revive hope, inspire healing, and encourage you to live a [00:00:45] vibrant life with Christ.

So grab a cup of coffee as we chat with today's guest. [00:00:50] I am thrilled to welcome back to the podcast, Susan Habegger [00:00:55] of Thrive Life Skills. Now you may remember Susan from last, I believe about [00:01:00] the fall, we had Susan on and we talked about suffering [00:01:05] and we had a conference here in Tucson and we just have so many exciting things to [00:01:10] talk through about what God has been doing in Susan's life and what she has for [00:01:15] you.

So Susan works through her humanitarian nonprofit Thrive Life [00:01:20] Skills, and their vision is to come alongside people and walk with them [00:01:25] through suffering in their circumstances to provide hope and to discover a [00:01:30] courageous and peaceful way forward. Susan, I am so excited to have you back [00:01:35] on the podcast today.

[00:01:37] Susan: I am very happy to be here. It seems like it's [00:01:40] been too long. 

[00:01:41] Denisha: I think it has been too long, but the timing is perfect [00:01:45] right now. As we talk about suffering, you have such a profound [00:01:50] way of describing suffering. We're not walking this paved, beautiful [00:01:55] road with sunflowers on each side, and that's our whole life.

There's a lot of [00:02:00] times that things can get hard. And one thing that I have really found is that [00:02:05] my desire is to avoid those hard things. You know, I want to [00:02:10] step over the potholes and the hard things in life, but I feel like you have a [00:02:15] way to help us step into the hard yet very gently and very [00:02:20] honestly.

Tell me a little bit about the last couple months and where God has been [00:02:25] leading you. 

[00:02:26] Susan: What you said about avoiding suffering, I think that [00:02:30] probably is instinctual for all of us. And those who are listening would [00:02:35] say, if I can avoid suffering, that's the road I'm going to take. And it would be [00:02:40] nice to see a road that has a sign that says no suffering here.

And then we'd know that road to take. [00:02:45] But as you said, life just isn't like that. And so [00:02:50] over the past months, I've been Doing the work that I carry [00:02:55] on for Thrive, I have traveled over the past months to various [00:03:00] places and taught about trauma and about helping their own [00:03:05] going through trauma in Uganda and Ethiopia, in Ukraine, but [00:03:10] then I have also been really working on bringing together the final details [00:03:15] of A book that we are expecting to come out later [00:03:20] this month, and we're very excited about that.

The name of the book is A New [00:03:25] Song, and Reclaim Story has been my cheering people [00:03:30] through this whole endeavor, and I'm so grateful for you, and so that has taken [00:03:35]up quite a bit of time over the past months. 

[00:03:37] Denisha: That's so exciting to see you [00:03:40] have your author's copy in your hand while we're meeting to record this [00:03:45] podcast.

Yes. And it brought tears to my eyes. You guys, this book [00:03:50] is life changing. And I don't say that lightly. I don't say that with setting an [00:03:55] expectation for something that is like, Oh, that was a nice book. This book is truly life changing. [00:04:00] Last summer. We got to have you out, hug your neck in person. [00:04:05] And we had a conference called a new song and you got to teach little [00:04:10] tidbits from the book.

And then we led what we had to two [00:04:15] 12 week studies coming out of that, where ladies got to dive in [00:04:20] as a beta group as two beta groups and kind of got to dive into that first draft [00:04:25] and walk that out. And Susan, when I say life changing, that's truly [00:04:30] what we heard back from these women at the end was how did you come to a new song [00:04:35] and how are you leaving?

And it was remarkable the difference in what God did [00:04:40] in that short time. So what passage is a new song? [00:04:45] Where does that come from? What made you choose that title? As we dive into the details [00:04:50] of your incredible book. 

[00:04:51] Susan: Well, I'm going to take you back just a little [00:04:55] bit as far as where God planted that seed for a new song, [00:05:00] because it's interesting, isn't it, to look back on your life, you're doing something, [00:05:05] you're bringing something to completion.

And in many ways, oftentimes we don't even [00:05:10] realize when it started. And so sometimes. Looking back, you can [00:05:15] see the seed of where that started, and it started for me, this [00:05:20] idea about a year after I had [00:05:25] experienced suffering and trauma in a way that I had not anticipated. [00:05:30] Probably has happened for most of you who are listening.

It comes on without you knowing that [00:05:35] it's going to happen. And at that point in time, God placed in my [00:05:40] mind an instruction to start putting these thoughts down on paper. [00:05:45]And I say, In my thoughts, because it wasn't in my spirit at all yet. In [00:05:50] fact, I was pushing back on him and saying, no, no, no, I don't want to talk about this.

[00:05:55] But he continued to edge me in that direction. I had been writing courses [00:06:00] for Thrive Life Skills for many years. Things about [00:06:05] Relationships and entrepreneurship and how to learn to sew and Bible studies, all [00:06:10] those kinds of things. So the idea of putting on paper was not new to me, but [00:06:15] this was going to be new territory.

And so, [00:06:20] eventually, that idea soaked into my spirit, and I began writing [00:06:25] about the actual experience of the healing journey. [00:06:30] And the process was interesting because for the first time I wasn't [00:06:35] trying to do a step by step do this and you will be successful, [00:06:40]which is A bit where I had come from before in the things that I had [00:06:45] written, but I was paying more attention to that journey, that journey [00:06:50] of suffering.

And so the course, it turned out to be a [00:06:55] course and it was called moving forward from trauma and its intention [00:07:00] was to teach a group of people. How to help their own people [00:07:05] walk through that idea of suffering, because at that time my travel was [00:07:10] mainly overseas, I would go to other countries and spend maybe 10 days, two [00:07:15] weeks, a month, and you can't take someone through their suffering.

[00:07:20] In that amount of time. And so it was the idea of helping [00:07:25] a small group of people learn how to help their own. And so the first time [00:07:30] I went, I took that with me to Mela [00:07:35] refugee camp in Thailand, which was for the Burmese and the Myanmar [00:07:40]refugees and to various points in India. And now bless [00:07:45] your heart as.

The host saying, when is she actually going to get to answer my question? [00:07:50] But the title for the book came on that trip. I [00:07:55] was, this sounds very, what should I say? Very exciting. [00:08:00] And like, I'm throwing this in here as something really unusual, but I was [00:08:05] sitting on a rooftop in India. And so I had gone up there one morning [00:08:10] because I needed to get.

Some devotionals ready for the women [00:08:15] that I was going to be meeting in various places throughout the next three weeks. And [00:08:20] I, I had the course ready, but I wasn't sure about this to say it this [00:08:25] way, what word from God I was going to give to them in a particular way. [00:08:30] And so I went up to sit early morning and ask God what he wanted me to say.[00:08:35]

And he continued to push me towards the book of Ruth. And I [00:08:40] love Ruth's story. It's just such a wonderful expression of [00:08:45] God's caring and providence and the way he's brought his plan [00:08:50] together, but I didn't want to do the book of Ruth and I let God know. [00:08:55] in no uncertain terms that I didn't want to do that.

I wanted to do [00:09:00] something different. And so he continued to push me to the point where I [00:09:05] finally, well, okay. And I opened the book of Ruth and I read through it. And by the [00:09:10] time I got to the end, I was in tears because [00:09:15] I realized that I needed to go To the book of Ruth and her [00:09:20] story, but it wasn't Ruth.

God wanted me to focus in on. [00:09:25] It was Naomi and Naomi's story is [00:09:30] so profound and raw. As she [00:09:35] speaks about her pain and her suffering, the way it [00:09:40] tastes bitter on her tongue. She can actually feel it. [00:09:45] in the taste in her mouth, what she has experienced in life. And [00:09:50] some will say that Naomi was bitter. No, she doesn't say that.

[00:09:55] She says her suffering tastes bitter to her. And perhaps some of [00:10:00] you who are listening know that feeling. And [00:10:05] also it's profound the way she includes God in that story. [00:10:10] She is very honest in her expression. of her pain, but also of [00:10:15] seeing God's hand in her pain. She sees that he has been a part of [00:10:20] it and expresses that very clearly to him.

And so [00:10:25] you go through the story and by the end of the book, we know that God has [00:10:30] brought new joys into Naomi's life, [00:10:35] new purpose, new identity. He has not [00:10:40] changed or undone the suffering that she went through. But in a [00:10:45] very real sense, he now has provided her with a [00:10:50] new song as she lifts her voice and she sings these [00:10:55] praises with the other women in her village.

And at that [00:11:00] moment, I wrote down a new song. I hadn't started [00:11:05] the book yet, but I knew that something was going to come [00:11:10] from that expression through Naomi and the way that [00:11:15] God says that he is able to provide that for not only her and others, [00:11:20] but for us very personally. So I finally answered your question.[00:11:25]

[00:11:25] Denisha: I love the journey though that got you there. That's it's amazing. 

[00:11:29] Susan: [00:11:30] We don't know, do we? And I didn't know where that was going to lead, but now [00:11:35] looking back, I know that that was the seed that he was planting in the [00:11:40]course of moving forward from trauma and in the [00:11:45] idea planted of the hope that was to come.

[00:11:48] Denisha: What types of [00:11:50] doors did that open in conversation? 

[00:11:52] Susan: You know, I was [00:11:55] unsure at first about this idea of having conversations[00:12:00] about suffering with many of the people in other [00:12:05] cultures overseas, many of those conversations are [00:12:10] hidden and avoided. and neglected. [00:12:15] I had one woman say to me in Nigeria, in a [00:12:20] particular meeting, she came to me afterwards, after the course, and she said, Susan, I [00:12:25] didn't know that I had suffered trauma until spending time [00:12:30]with you.

And I thought, Oh dear, this is not a good thing for me that I [00:12:35] bring this out in people's lives, but what she was trying to say was she [00:12:40] didn't know the root of her pain. She knew how she was feeling, she knew the [00:12:45] challenges she was having, but she didn't understand that there was a [00:12:50] reason for those responses that she was having, those reactions that she was [00:12:55] having, those challenges and struggles.

And so. For [00:13:00] her to comprehend that that had come about and those seeds had been [00:13:05] planted through things that had happened in her life was very, very important for [00:13:10]her. And so those kinds of conversations have come up over [00:13:15] and over again. The idea of being able to talk [00:13:20] about that pain, talk about those experiences.

It [00:13:25] has opened doors to a discussion that many of these people [00:13:30] had not had before. I 

[00:13:31] Denisha: think it was really profound on that note of people [00:13:35] not having those conversations when you said hidden, avoided, and neglected for many [00:13:40] years. Boy, that is so true, that we do hide our pain. We're kind of taught to stuff it [00:13:45] and keep going on, hidden, avoided, and neglected.

And [00:13:50] what comes through a new song is the ability to tend to those parts of our story [00:13:55] that are hard. Thinking about other countries and how different cultures [00:14:00] handle suffering, is it different in other places than it is in the U. S.? [00:14:05] I don't 

[00:14:05] Susan: like to generalize too much, but in many [00:14:10] ways, cultures take on a particular way of looking [00:14:15] at the negative in their lives.

So, we in the [00:14:20] West, we speak about the negative in our lives quite [00:14:25] frequently and quite easily. It may not always be in a very personal way, but [00:14:30] we do speak about that. There are other cultures. [00:14:35] That to do that implies complaining or [00:14:40] weakness or. An assault, even on someone else in what is [00:14:45] happening, and so much of that is hidden, and it's a [00:14:50] matter of getting on with life, because this is the identity that is mine, [00:14:55] even as we look at things that are happening around the country [00:15:00] through the years, we look at.

Wars when we look at natural [00:15:05] disasters, genocide, all sorts of things, that we may look at a [00:15:10] particular area of the world and we see that particular suffering. [00:15:15] And so we think of them in our minds as suffering in [00:15:20] that way. Oh, how horrific to suffer in that way. But there are so [00:15:25] many layers of suffering for all of humankind.

So even in the [00:15:30] most visual catastrophe. There are layers of other suffering going [00:15:35]on in those people. There's still physical challenges. There's [00:15:40] abuse. There are painful relationships. All sorts of things are [00:15:45] taking place in those layers. In addition to, or [00:15:50] alongside, the war that is taking place. And so sometimes when I've [00:15:55] had conversations in places, I expect the conversation to revolve [00:16:00] around this one huge thing, and then discover that the [00:16:05] conversation has to go someplace much deeper than that.

And [00:16:10] even earlier, maybe than that, before we can get to the [00:16:15] obvious and the visual. So in many of those places, there's not been [00:16:20] the invitation to talk about those other pains. When help groups [00:16:25] go to, I will use Ukraine as an example right [00:16:30] now, because they're in the midst of this war. So when help groups go to Ukraine, the [00:16:35]conversation is intended to revolve around.

the war and the [00:16:40] effects of the war, which is very necessary and prevalent. [00:16:45]However, along with that, there are other conversations that [00:16:50] are layered in relationships with family and how that's playing out in [00:16:55] this whole experience, childhood fears that are now coming out [00:17:00] in this. So it's important that we go through the layers.

So we [00:17:05] sometimes assign a type of suffering as their identity to whatever place it [00:17:10]is. And that's something that we want to do with the new song. We want to [00:17:15] take away that identity that is tied to the suffering [00:17:20] and the pain. And discover that there is an identity, a [00:17:25] substance. of us that goes much deeper than that.

And it is only [00:17:30] then that we will be able to begin to move forward without [00:17:35]dragging that with us in a 

[00:17:36] Denisha: way. Can you give us some examples of an [00:17:40] identity that we might carry? 

[00:17:42] Susan: In some ways, it's just the [00:17:45] very clear title of whatever harm may [00:17:50] have been done to us. So, in Gulu, Uganda, we'll talk about [00:17:55] someone will say to me, the first thing they will say is, I lived through the war.

[00:18:00] In northern Uganda for some of us in various places, someone [00:18:05] who's listening, the first thing that you might think of as your identity is that you have [00:18:10] suffered abuse in somewhere in some way. And so that title is [00:18:15] your identity before you even step into anything else, because this is [00:18:20] a clear. Obvious to you thing that has happened [00:18:25]and in addition to the event that took place, then we take that [00:18:30] identity and we kind of weave it into who we are as a [00:18:35] person.

I was abused. That's my first identity. And then [00:18:40] perhaps I was abused because. I did not have value. [00:18:45] I really deserve this. Something in the, and the whole spider [00:18:50] web begins to grow within us and we build an identity that is [00:18:55] unhealthy and we want to undo that and release from that kind of [00:19:00] identity. 

[00:19:00] Denisha: I really appreciate your openness with that because that is exactly [00:19:05]what we see in the lives of women that come to reclaim story.

They want to reclaim [00:19:10] their story and that identity piece. Boy, we do see that. It [00:19:15]becomes almost like a shame name. That's placed over them and it does weave [00:19:20] through their life and the freedom when that comes off and they can see themselves as a [00:19:25] child of God with purpose and really begin to walk through without [00:19:30] negating the suffering, but really be able to walk through.

I think that's one of [00:19:35] the things that sets a new song apart. How many years were you [00:19:40] traveling and teaching this before? Like now, 

[00:19:43] Susan: right? So the [00:19:45] first that I went on the road when I went to India and [00:19:50] Thailand for six weeks, that first time that was in 2016. [00:19:55] So that was the first one. We got the idea. I'd written moving [00:20:00] forward from trauma and then heard in my spirit, the idea of a new [00:20:05] song, but it wasn't then until 2017, [00:20:10] 2018, when I was [00:20:15]using the curriculum, the course moving forward from trauma and [00:20:20] people in the U.

S. began to see it and read it. And I [00:20:25] remember one woman in particular, she said, I want this, I want [00:20:30] this, but I want it in a hands on something that I [00:20:35] can read and go at my own pace and in my [00:20:40] own space, my own time alone. So she said, I want you to take [00:20:45] this course and I want you to put it into something that I can use personally.

[00:20:49] Denisha: [00:20:50] And 

[00:20:50] Susan: that was the first, or maybe I should say that's the second seed then [00:20:55] of a new song, because that made sense. And I had other people begin to [00:21:00] ask for that as well. So that's when I started putting it down [00:21:05] in a way that. For lack of a better way, I'm sitting in [00:21:10] conversation with you, I'm talking to you, and I have the feeling, [00:21:15] as brazen as it sounds, that I get to come and sit with you and have a [00:21:20] conversation.

And so that writing really started in early 2018 [00:21:25] and in and out of my other traveling and teaching and writing. Now [00:21:30] it's finally come to completion and I'm not going to add one more word to it. [00:21:35]

[00:21:35] Denisha: Because it's amazing, let me tell you that. Oh, you know, we [00:21:40] have looked, when Valerie and I were kind of trying to write that, we had looked, Susan, everywhere, [00:21:45] for exactly what you have written.

We couldn't even imagine it to be as [00:21:50] potent, as transforming as it is. So when Jeff and Rhonda [00:21:55] connected us together, and we got a hold of it, started reading it, I remember telling [00:22:00] Nancy on our team, I said, this is it. She says, why is this different than anything else we've looked at? I [00:22:05] said, because there's nothing like this anywhere.

This is not like anything else we've [00:22:10] looked at. And so I think there are so many things that sets a new song apart [00:22:15] in your opinion, as the author, the experts. What are some things [00:22:20] that sets new song apart? Why should we get a new song as a healing course? Now [00:22:25] this course comes in a book, but it is really a course.

I mean, no videos, no [00:22:30] online needed. Find a park bench, grab a book and a pen. Cause it's about to get real. [00:22:35]

[00:22:36] Susan: What sets it apart. 

[00:22:38] Denisha: Don't run away. 

[00:22:38] Susan: Those of you, [00:22:40]

[00:22:41] Denisha: it's a beautiful journey. 

[00:22:43] Susan: There are so [00:22:45] many. Good things out there about suffering [00:22:50] and pain and trauma. It is one of our hot topics [00:22:55] today in the United States.

But there are several approaches, I think, to [00:23:00] come to that topic of suffering. One of them is more of a [00:23:05] clinical perspective. So you read through it. I've read through those and [00:23:10] they can be very helpful for yourself and for others that you are working [00:23:15] with, but you may come to the end and you're like, yep, yep, I'm [00:23:20] suffering.

I'm experiencing trauma. So there is that idea of [00:23:25] clinical and a new song is not. A clinical perspective, [00:23:30] although we do get to know suffering and trauma very [00:23:35] well. We get to know trauma's characteristics. We get to know its mode of [00:23:40] operation. It's very important that we do that and we may talk about that in a bit, [00:23:45] but it's not a clinical perspective.

And then there are books that share a [00:23:50] personal story of overcoming suffering. And those can be [00:23:55] so encouraging to us to see how God has [00:24:00] provided for someone and gotten them through that place where they [00:24:05] never thought they could pass. And we rejoice with them and [00:24:10] we gain courage for as well. But A New Song is not [00:24:15] my story.

Although you will get to know me [00:24:20] and my emotions and my responses to pain, perhaps some of those [00:24:25] will, in a way, give you permission. Um, for some of [00:24:30] the same emotions that catch you by surprise, but it's [00:24:35] not my story or someone else's story because I so want it to be [00:24:40] about your story. And so all the way through the book, I [00:24:45] want to be with you, but I want to be with you on your journey, [00:24:50] not you with me on my journey.

And that was a significant difference for [00:24:55] what I knew God was asking of this book. And then another [00:25:00] approach to suffering is to provide an answer or a solution to start [00:25:05]with that and then expect or require or [00:25:10] hope for that each person is going to be able to fit their experience [00:25:15] into that solution and that answer.

That can be difficult. At [00:25:20] times because we rationalize and we figure out ways and maybe we come to the [00:25:25] end of it and we say yes It's all figured out and then we walk away and say oh, but I don't think it [00:25:30] is Because I don't think that was a good fit for me [00:25:35] We've all put on that dress that we thought looked good on the hanger and then we look in the mirror.

We're [00:25:40] like No, that's not for me. It's not a good look on me. So maybe that answer isn't [00:25:45] good for you So a new song doesn't present a one Fits all [00:25:50] solution. It does not provide. a spiritual [00:25:55] answer or explanation into which you must fit your story. [00:26:00] Do we have spiritual thoughts throughout the book? Yes, but not [00:26:05] one into which you need to fit your story and then come out with healing.

That is [00:26:10] not The expectation. So I guess that a new song is set apart in the [00:26:15]negative way in what we don't do. Maybe you'd like to hear what we [00:26:20] do do. 

[00:26:20] Denisha: Yes. Yes. 

[00:26:21] Susan: And 

[00:26:23] Denisha: I think I have a little bit of a [00:26:25] glimpse into this, but if that, and I love that you can state though, this [00:26:30] is not what a new song does. So tell us what it does do.

[00:26:34] Susan: [00:26:35] I feel that a new song opens a conversation. A difficult [00:26:40]conversation and then sticks with it. Okay. And even through [00:26:45] the hard parts. So if you look on bookshelves in the [00:26:50] bookstores or the library on Amazon, if you go to [00:26:55]podcasts, you will find multitudinous. [00:27:00] Expressions of suffering, trauma, pain, how to heal, [00:27:05] all sorts of things, many conversations about suffering.

You would think that here in [00:27:10] the US, we would have it all together and we would be well on our way toward [00:27:15] healing. But the opposite is true. It seems that [00:27:20] we talk a lot about it, but we don't actually go to the point of it being [00:27:25] experiential. So you and I, we can collect a lot of [00:27:30] information about suffering and trauma and we can talk about it up and down, but we have to [00:27:35] discover how we're going to weave it into our own story and our own [00:27:40] experience.

And that is what I believe a new song does. [00:27:45] I believe that it listens to your story and then [00:27:50] helps you discover How healing can be a part of [00:27:55] that story, not negating the pain in any way, not putting it [00:28:00] aside, not wrapping it up in a pretty box, but weaving with [00:28:05] you so that it comes out as a beautiful tapestry in a real [00:28:10] way.

Sometimes it's encouraging and sometimes it's raw. Sometimes it's [00:28:15] pretty. And sometimes you might say, I can't believe she put those words on paper, but a new [00:28:20] song is with you in that journey. 

[00:28:22] Denisha: When you said that you can't believe she [00:28:25] put those words on paper. I remember one of the gals in our beta group, she [00:28:30] came forward and said, Susan has written things that have been on my heart that I had [00:28:35] no words for.

So that experiential way that you write, [00:28:40] Really, really spoke to her in our next episode. I'd love to talk about a [00:28:45] little more about what you just said about not negating the pain that this book doesn't negate the [00:28:50] pain, but it allows us to safely walk into [00:28:55] what we've encountered, what we've suffered from.

[00:28:58] Susan: Yes. So give us a [00:29:00] few little details. Well, it is a book and it is a [00:29:05] book that is about suffering and our stories. And so [00:29:10] there are sometimes some dark things. There are [00:29:15] sometimes some difficult things to read, but it [00:29:20] is also beautiful and encouraging. And in fact, it is [00:29:25] beautiful in the visual. I have a [00:29:30]wonderful son in law and grandsons who are artistic.

And [00:29:35] so I wanted to include. The beauty of art in the [00:29:40] book, I think it's necessary for this not to be a black and white book [00:29:45] or grayscale book. We're talking about suffering and pain. We need [00:29:50] some beauty woven in around that. And so it is. It does have [00:29:55]color and I hope that encourages you as you read through it and come [00:30:00] to those moments when your heart can lift to the beauty and you can [00:30:05] begin to see that and include that.

It's a book that you can and [00:30:10] should write in. There are empty pages, there [00:30:15] are places where you will stop for what we call a bend in the road [00:30:20] and you will have some things to think about. I don't want to call them [00:30:25] assignments, they're invitations, opportunities to grow, and so you [00:30:30] will want to be able to write in it.

And I also hope, in addition [00:30:35] to that, that it is a book that you can go back to. There will be some who [00:30:40] will read and glance through and get a few tidbits and maybe, you know, put it on the [00:30:45] shelf. It's very pretty on the outside. So it makes a nice statement on your bookshelf. But [00:30:50] then there will be others of you who really Take it and make it [00:30:55] a part of you and you a part of it, and you might [00:31:00] discover that in weeks and months to come, something comes back to you.

You recognize [00:31:05] maybe a feeling that you read about that you weren't having yet, and now three months later, you [00:31:10] experience it. You say, Wait a minute. I remember. I think a new song talked about that. I'm going to go back [00:31:15] and look at that. And suddenly that portion comes alive to you again. [00:31:20] Maybe you add and change or at least add to some of the answers and thoughts that you wrote.

[00:31:25] So I do hope it's a book that you go back to. 

[00:31:28] Denisha: almost two years ago in a couple [00:31:30] months, I think is when you first sent it over to us, maybe September of [00:31:35] 22. And when we first got, I have gone back so [00:31:40] many times and I can tell you where my rough edges are in [00:31:45] life because I've gone back to the forgiveness.

chapters. I've gone back to the [00:31:50] boundaries chapters. I mean, Susan, each of these sections of this [00:31:55] course really could be its own book. And that is one of the [00:32:00] things that I think it's such a gift to be able to go, you know what? I think I could put some better boundary. I've [00:32:05] done better. You know, I've like learned right from a new song I've learned I've implemented things, but [00:32:10] maybe in this particular circumstance, I need to go back and revisit that.

So Even though it is not in a [00:32:15] beautiful cover, it's in a three ring binder in my home. I have gone back to it and [00:32:20] reflected back on that. So it is very exciting to have this in print. And you could have very [00:32:25] easily, which I think at one point we talked about, done a journal and a book. [00:32:30] And instead it is a 400 page book.

That I can do [00:32:35] on my time and I can get it from Amazon and anything I can get from [00:32:40] Amazon is really a blessing in my life. So tell us a little bit, how do we [00:32:45] get the book? When is it going to be available? I know this episode is going to [00:32:50] air on the 15th of April. So. Give us a little bit of hidden details that we wouldn't [00:32:55] know if we didn't know you.

[00:32:58] Susan: As you said, Denisha, I'm [00:33:00] sitting here and I can pick it up and hold the book in my hand. It is a proof copy. [00:33:05] And there are a couple of things that I want to adjust in it. There are a [00:33:10] couple of images that I want to bring to life a little bit more. So we are making those [00:33:15] changes right now. And then We'll hopefully upload it again this [00:33:20]weekend.

And then I want another proof copy in my hands. So what it [00:33:25] looks like is towards the end of April. So we're hoping and praying for this to be all [00:33:30] done by the end of April. So hopefully by April 30th, you will be able to go on [00:33:35] Amazon and type in a new song. Now I want to tell you, and this was not [00:33:40] something that I checked because God gave me the title.

It's a new song, our [00:33:45] journey toward healing. But if you just type in a new song, there are several books [00:33:50] titled a new song. Okay. So you want to be sure that it's the really [00:33:55]pretty one with the sunrise on the front and the bird in the tree. And it says our journey [00:34:00]toward healing, but you should be able to go on towards the end of the month.

And we will be putting out [00:34:05] notices when it's live. 

[00:34:06] Denisha: Oh, so will we, we are very excited to be a part of your book [00:34:10] launch. And so you will see it on our social media as well. And I [00:34:15] just want to say, if you have gone through the course already in our little beta groups, [00:34:20] or after you dive into the book, would you go on Amazon and leave Susan a [00:34:25] review that is such a huge help in putting it.

Further up in the search engines and just [00:34:30] helping more people to come across a new song and help to transform their [00:34:35] life as they go through their journey toward healing. So Susan, we're so excited [00:34:40] and we can't wait to hold this book. We'll probably have to like record a video of like unboxing or [00:34:45] something.

Like this feels like it's like our little baby too, here with you. We're so excited for [00:34:50] you. At Reclaim Story, we really believe that healing happens in community, [00:34:55] and we believe in creating a safe space for that to happen. So in August, [00:35:00] we are going to be launching small groups off of a new song, and this [00:35:05] time the ladies will actually get a Look in their hand.

Last time we're emailing them chapters weeks at a [00:35:10] time as it's going through the editing process. That was so fun, but this time you will have the [00:35:15] book and you will be able to either go at your own pace or go along with the group, but we want to be here to [00:35:20] support you. We are certified coaches here. And so to be able to walk with you [00:35:25] and ask questions as Susan's.

book already does the amazing journey and the [00:35:30] walk, but we would love to come alongside you and just provide a safe space and community. [00:35:35] So if you were interested in that, first of all, Amazon, a new song by [00:35:40] Susan Habegger, and if you go to reclaim story. com on our homepage, you [00:35:45] can sign up to be on our waiting list for our life groups that are going to be starting doing a [00:35:50] new song in August.

Well, Susan, I can't wait to have you back next week as we talk [00:35:55] a little bit more about why we should pursue healing and how that brings hope to our [00:36:00] lives. We hope that you'll join us in two weeks and Susan, thank you so much for being here. [00:36:05]

[00:36:05] Susan: It has been a joy and I look forward to talking with you again.

[00:36:08] Denisha: Thanks for [00:36:10] listening. I pray you found hope in today's conversation and maybe even feel a [00:36:15] little less alone in your story. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram [00:36:20] at reclaimed story. Want to learn more about living a reclaimed life and how [00:36:25] you can be a part of our growing community of reclaimers?

Check out our website at [00:36:30] reclaimedstory. com. All of those links and more will be in the show notes. And if [00:36:35] you enjoyed this inspirational podcast, be sure to subscribe, rate, and [00:36:40] review. Not only will you be the first one to know when new content comes out, but it is [00:36:45] also a huge help in helping us reach more people to live the reclaimed [00:36:50] life.