About You:
Living Faith: Describe your vocation in life.
Steve Givens: Through my words (spoken, written, sung), my work (spiritual direction, retreat direction and administration) and my actions and attitudes, I hope to encourage others toward an intimate and authentic relationship with God and Jesus. I believe my creativity flows from my own encounter with the Divine. I believe that kindness and the way we respond to others matters deeply and affects others’ journey toward God.
LF: Give a brief bio.
SG: The bio as listed is fine with one change. Since I no longer blog for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, perhaps say this: He HAS BEEN a monthly “Faith Perspectives” columnist…(or take it out…whatever…).
LF: Do you reach out to readers online via a website or social media?
SG: GivensCreative.com and Instagram.com/stevegivens/.
LF: Share a little about your ministry or daily work. (A day in the life looks like…?)
SG: Since retiring from full-time employment as a university administrator about three years ago, my life is a little more relaxed. I begin each day with a time of prayer and reflection, utilizing scripture, online prayer resources and videos, music and quiet reflection. (Only THEN can I do the Wordle, the Mini Crossword and the Connections puzzle on the NY Times games page!)
I then turn to any writing assignments or work related to my position as executive director of the Bridges Foundation, which offers the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola in everyday life for those in the St. Louis area and beyond. I attend a myriad of meetings for Bridges, as well as for boards on which I serve, including the Ignatian Volunteer Corps and the Aquinas Institute of Theology. I try to keep Mondays and Fridays a little lighter, leaving time for weekend trips and time with our five grandchildren, all of whom live in the St. Louis area.
I also meet during the week with individuals for spiritual direction and retreat planning.
Afternoons are more relaxed, including time for walks and hikes, music sessions with friends, reading and (sometimes) naps.
LF: How long have you been writing, or when did you start?
SG: I have always been interested in reading and writing (my sister taught me to read before kindergarten), and I started writing for my elementary school “paper” in 8th grade. During high school I turned to mostly poetry and song lyrics (pretty bad ones…), and so it wasn’t until college at the University of Missouri-St. Louis that I started to consider writing as an occupation or vocation. I started writing professionally right after college and worked as a freelance journalist, magazine editor and PR writer for many years of my career before turning to administration. But for the past 40 years, I have consistently written for publication, mostly in religious publications, music magazines and university publications.
LF: What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
SG: I think focus and avoidance of procrastination are sometimes difficult for me, which is why I do better with strict deadlines. Give me a deadline, and it will get done. But an open project with no specific due date tends to linger in my to-do box. I think that’s why I do better with short projects than longer ones. It’s harder for me to stay focused and committed to larger ones.
LF: How many books have you written, and which is your favorite? If you haven’t written a book, name a favorite that you’ve enjoyed.
SG: I’ve written eight books and dozens and dozens of booklets, pamphlets and devotionals. I guess my favorite is Embraced by God: Facing Chemotherapy with Faith, my memoir of my time dealing with a rare blood disease and its treatment, although I also enjoyed writing a three-book children’s adventure series called The Triangle Club (now out of print).
LF: Where do you live today, and is that different from where you grew up?
SG: I live in the western suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, about 20 miles from where I grew up in North St. Louis City. I have always lived in the St. Louis-area (the Lou!) other than a three-year stint in England when our children were young.
LF: Three words your best friend would use to describe you.
SG: (Hopefully…): Kind, creative and passionate about my faith and life.
LF: One additional thing you would want a Living Faith reader to know about you that we haven’t covered above. (A hobby, something silly or fun, an accomplishment, or an interesting fact?)
SG: I have a pretty large collection of autographs and autographed books, personally collected during my years in university administration and travel. (Favorites include Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut, Mary Oliver and Annie Dillard). But during COVID, I started a project to reach out to other authors and have them send notes and bookplates for books I already had. This I have assembled into one bookcase as a gift for my grandchildren in the future. Many of the books have notes written to THEM from the authors. How the five of them will someday divide all that up will be up to them.
About Faith:
LF: When did you first know that God loved you?
SG: Although my family was not all that religious (beyond dropping us off for Church and encouraging us to continue through confirmation in 8th grade), I actually took to the idea of a personal God who loved me and “having a friend” in Jesus at a pretty early age, maybe 7-8. I was raised in the United Church of Christ but attended youth groups, Bible studies and vacation Bible schools in a myriad of churches and denominations. I attended a Lutheran grade school and a Catholic high school. All that combined, along with some wonderful teachers, mentors and pastors, served as the foundation of my adult faith.
LF: Describe a prayer practice that is meaningful to you.
SG: I think one of the most powerful ways I pray is through the Examen, or the examination of consciousness, which is a daily reflection on my day and where I have seen God in it. St. Ignatius of Loyola said it’s the one prayer we should never skip. It leads to a deeper awareness of God in my life and to deeper gratitude because of that. It’s simple, fairly quick and life-changing.
LF: What’s something you’ve learned from the Bible or from the Mass or the Sacraments that has always stayed with you?
SG: During Mass, my most sacred moment comes when we pray, “Lord, I am not worthy to enter under your roof, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” I don’t earn or deserve that moment of grace and communion; it’s the ultimate gift I receive. I try never to take that for granted.
LF: What excites you about being a Catholic?
SG: I think it’s two things: It’s the universal nature of being Catholic, that I can walk into any Catholic church in the world and (despite even language differences) feel that I am at home in the liturgy and Sacraments and joined with everyone around me as the Body of Christ. The second thing is the Eucharist—this perfect gift we have been given to share in the humanity and divinity of Christ and become the Body of Christ for one another. All that being said, I relish and honor the traditions of other Christians and enjoy the opportunity for ecumenical fellowship and worship.
About the Bible:
LF: What’s your favorite Bible story, psalm, proverb or parable and why?
SG: Oh, where to begin? Matthew 25 has always been my go-to Bible story—“What we do for the least of these we do for Jesus.” I always try to remember that. How I approach anyone in the world and how I react to them when they are in need. I always try to remember that I could be doing those things for Jesus.
I also like the Parable of the Mustard Seed. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to be perfect, fully-formed Christians for God to love us. We just need a little faith to get us started. God will do the rest in and through us. It’s also a good reminder for the work of evangelization. Sometimes all we can do is plant some seeds. That’s what I would like to think happens in Living Faith.
LF: Do you have a favorite Gospel? If so, which one? Elaborate if you wish.
SG: I think Luke. It has something to do with Jesus reaching those on the borders and edges of society. Beginning with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem and continuing to Samaritans, the poor and the outcast, Luke shows Jesus wants a relationship with everyone, regardless of their backgrounds or lack of traditional religious faith. That’s good news for all of us.
LF: If you could spend a day with a person mentioned in the Bible (besides Jesus), whom would you choose?
SG: The Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well. I would want to hear her side of the story, to hear what it felt like to be so known and cared by someone she didn’t know, someone she would least expect to receive kindness from. What does it feel like to be seen so deeply—sins, scars and failings—and still be so accepted and loved?
About Living Faith:
LF: How long have you been writing for Living Faith?
SG: I think since 1988.
LF: Do you ever get to meet your Living Faith readers? What do you talk about?
SG: I love to meet readers. My favorite thing is introducing myself to someone at a retreat or event and seeing their gears turning, like “Where do I know that name from?” It’s always great fun when they make that connection, and we are able to connect more deeply because of that shared experience. I’ve entered into correspondence with a few readers over the years and have even entered into spiritual direction with individuals because they first read my words in Living Faith.
LF: What is one thing you love about Living Faith?
SG: Writing for Living Faith for so long has been an incredible blessing in my life. I feel like I am a small cog in a much bigger machine that has the potential to reach so many people. I love the idea that I am reaching people that I will never meet or hear from, that I am perhaps giving them something they really need to hear on a tough day. It’s like sending a child out into the world and never knowing how they are going to change the people they meet.
*The interview was edited for clarity and conformity to style. No meaning was altered in the process.
