Let God Lead!

Open 5During my journalism days, I was no stranger to newsrooms and spent time in TV studios and around some well-known public figures. But back then I never thought that I would one day be interviewed on TV!

Me? Private me? Writer/Reporter me?

No. I’m more of the interviewer. I like asking the questions. But to be on the spot and have to answer questions live on TV! Me? No way.

But God!

I’m in a season of “Crossing My Jordan” and trying to go through every door the Lord opens. Yes, all that time of waiting and preparation has its purpose and rewards!

When God opened the door for me to appear on the show “Open” on BronxNet last Monday to talk about my book Waiting on God Well, I prayed and went. It was a different type of mission field. But as long as God was there, I was fine. I couldn’t have asked for a more gracious host than Bob Lee! He even let me pray on air! Glory!

Here’s the segment if you’d like to see it:

Afterwards, I took my time walking through the beautiful campus of Lehman College in the Bronx and I shot this short video:

God is doing a new thing in my life. He is opening doors that no man can shut! Praise God!

He wants to do wonderful things in your life too! Do you believe it? If you’re in a desert place, take heart! It gets better! It doesn’t always happen overnight, but it does happen!

Blessings to you as you trust and obey God! Let God lead and just watch where He takes you!

“See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)

 

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Crossing My Jordan

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The beauty of Waiting on God Well is knowing that at the right time God will step in and move in your situation.

I’m excited to announce that after much waiting, praying, dreaming, and believing, the Lord has given me the green light to move into the next chapter of my work and ministry life. I have left my fulltime job to actively pursue writing, speaking, life coaching, and hopefully more missions trips! You can learn more about it on my website www.AboundingFaith.com.

Launching out into this fulltime ministry isn’t something I take lightly. I don’t advise you to do so unless the Lord has made it clear to you that that is His next step for you at this time.

I’m thrilled because this is one of the breakthroughs I have been waiting for. And if you’ve already read my book Waiting on God Well, you know how trying this past season has been. But it was so worth it to wait on God’s timing. I have such peace about it. I can see how the Lord has used these past years at my job to help me gain skills that I could not have gotten in the newsroom or in the classroom as a teacher.

So what does this mean for you, my lovely readers? Hopefully, all good things!

It means I’ll have more time to keep encouraging you through my writing, blogging, and videos. It means I’ll be more available to speak at your events and small groups and to hopefully hold more books signings. It means I will have more time to be a Life Coach to dreamers, visionaries, and creative entreprenuers like YOU! You can learn more here.

We can also connect on Facebook and finally on Twitter.

I’m looking forward to this new chapter of my life. I’m so thankful to God and grateful that you’re on this journey with me! I hope my journey will inspire you to TRUST God no matter what!

I also hope my story will encourage you that waiting on God is worth it!

Don’t quit in the middle of your story! Persevere in prayer. Stand firm in your faith. Do what the Lord asks of you. Then wait and see how the Lord shows up and shows off in your life!

The best is yet to come, my friends!  God is Faithful. He will do everything He has promised you and more!

To God be the Glory!

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45) 

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Trust Without Borders

Faith

I took this picture during my recent family vacation upstate. I think it does a perfect job of describing this new season I’m in. The beauty about Living Beyond the Fog is that you get to see glimpses of what’s up ahead.

As you follow after God One Step at a Time, He makes things more and more clear.

I love how this picture shows what it’s like to be on the edge. The water looks inviting enough to dive right in. The sky is clear enough to see where you’re going. It may not be super close, but it looks beautiful enough to continue Moving Forward.

Transition Times can be daunting, confusing, and scary. Sometimes fear can cause people to stay on the dock instead of taking the plunge. But when you know that God is calling you out, you can rest assured that He will catch you.

I am once again reminded of when the disciples were in the boat and they saw Jesus walking on the water. They were frightened but Jesus told them not to be afraid. Then Peter had the courage to speak.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)

Was Peter out of His mind? Why in the world would he want to step out of the comfort of the boat? That’s where all his friends were. Why would he want to walk out into the unknown?

I would imagine that Peter knew that it’s better to be where Jesus is than with the crowd. I think he also was ready for some adventure.

Remarkably, Jesus obliged. “Come,” he said. (Matthew 14:29)

The Bible records that Peter got out of the boat, walked on water, and moved towards Jesus!

Peter took a risk and stepped out in faith. As a result, he got to walk on water! As long as Peter kept his gaze on Jesus, he got to do something amazing that was completely impossible on his own.

I have much to share with you in the upcoming weeks about how the Lord is leading me.

For now, I’m curious to know what is Jesus asking you to do? In what area is He is stretching you and asking you to grow in your faith?

Will you trust God to lead you one faith step at a time?

I pray you will have the faith to trust Jesus without borders! Many blessings to you!

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” (Psalm 42:7)

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

3 Lessons Learned from Luis Palau’s Visit to NYC

I’m delighted to say that ten years after I had the honor of serving at the Billy Graham Crusade in Flushing, New York in June 2005, I had the honor of serving as a counselor at Luis Palau’s festival in Central Park on July 11th!

What made last Saturday’s festival even more special is that I have been able to meet Luis Palau twice! The first time was a few years ago. He shared that he had always dreamed of doing a festival in New York City and that a few of the local Spanish churches had invited him to come. I encouraged him to come! After meeting him that first time, I had a feeling I would see him again.

Imagine how excited I was when I got to meet Luis Palau a second time just this past June at a lovely event he hosted at Chelsea Piers! I even got to give him a copy of my book Waiting on God Well! I also told him I would be counseling at his upcoming event.

In the span of one week (July 6 -11), Luis Palau had events in legendary NYC sites including Radio City Music Hall, Times Square, and finally the Great Lawn in Central Park. This really felt like my missions trip for this summer! The Gospel was proclaimed right here in my own backyard. Glory!

So I’d like to share a few lessons I learned from Luis Palau’s visit:

Beautiful Things Happen When You Wait on God! For more than twenty years, Luis Palau dreamed of hosting a festival in New York City. Over the years he’s traveled the world, but that desire was still inside of him. It was wonderful to witness God granting this desire of his heart and how God honored him. His picture was in ads all throughout the city. His event in Times Square was televised on many of the surrounding giant screens!

Modern Day Calebs Exist! I was surprised to hear that Luis Palau is 80!  He could be doing plenty of other things at his age, but he is still faithful to the call God placed on his life. At 80, he took on the Big Apple. He reminds me of Caleb from the Bible who at 85 was saying that he wanted to take on the mountainous land that God had promised him through Moses 45 years earlier (Joshua 14:6-14). I guess there really is no retiring from God’s work.

The Gospel can Still be Preached Outdoors in NYC. I loved hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ being boldly, yet kindly preached out in the open in Manhattan! At a time when some are shying away from talking about salvation through Jesus, Luis Palau and his son, Andrew, are openly proclaiming the Word. And one of the highlights of Saturday’s festival was when we all got to pray for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who made a special appearance at the event. God is at work in New York!

I could say much more, but I’ll stop for now. I pray the short video greeting below blesses you. I shot it right in Central Park. I’m so thankful that I got to experience a Luis Palau festival in person and in my hometown! Let’s see where the Lord leads him next!

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Favorite Bible Verse Episode 5

I hope you’re having a lovely summer! I recently came back from a beautiful getaway with my family, thank God. I made sure to shoot another encouraging, short video while I was away. I pray this video blesses you!

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

Daddy’s Girl (Revisited)

heart-700141_1280In honor of Father’s Day, I would like to share a post about my Heavenly Father that is still one of my favorites. I hope it blesses you whether it’s your first time reading it or you’ve read it before. 

Daddy’s Girl

Posted on January, 2013

 

Daddy's Girl

I don’t normally take photos of random people on the streets of New York City, but when I saw this duo walking in Manhattan last summer I couldn’t help but snap some pictures of them. At first glance, this is a sweet shot of a dad and daughter walking hand-in-hand along the streets of the concrete jungle in midtown. It also captures a guy secure enough in his manhood to sport a Hello Kitty bag! But that moment meant so much more to me.

Whenever I look at this picture and I see how the burly dad is gently guiding along his daughter and how he’s even carrying her backpack for her, I’m reminded of my walk with my Heavenly Father. In many ways I am like that little girl who is walking alongside her dad. I don’t have to worry about where I’m going or how to get there because my “Abba” Father is leading the way. He’s not standing far off. He’s right beside me. I don’t even have to carry all the weight of the world on my shoulders because my Heavenly Father is there to carry it for me!

Yes, the Bible says that as Christians who have the Holy Spirit living inside of us we can call God Our Father. “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:15-16).

I don’t know about you, but I love that I can go to the God of the universe and can call Him Dad! And I love that my Father hears me and acts on my behalf. He wants His children to trust and lean on Him. The Bible says,”Cast all your anxiety on Him (God) because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Jesus tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

If you’re feeling tired, alone or weary today, I pray that God would remind you or reveal Himself to you as your loving Father. Your biological father may have disappointed you, but your Heavenly Father will not fail you!

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

 

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

What’s Been Happening at Abounding Faith?

The first half of this year has been quite a whirlwind. All Glory to God! I’ve got lots of news to share. In case you were wondering what I’ve been up to lately, here goes:

  • It’s been so exciting to celebrate the launch of my first book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! It’s been so well-received. My Pastor even told the congregation that everyone should keep a copy of my book close to where they have their Bible so they can refer to it. Wow, what an honor! I love hearing how the book is touching people. If you’ve read it and it’s been a blessing to you, please write a review on Amazon or feel free to leave a comment below.
  • I recently got to speak and run the whole service at my friend’s church in Upstate, NY, which was such a blessing! If you’d like to invite me to come speak at your church or event, click here.
  • I recently posted my 30th short, encouraging video on my YouTube Channel. To view videos shot during my recent Epic European Adventure and videos filmed in the Caribbean, Honduras, and Peru, click here.
  • Did you know that I have a “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF that I created especially for those who sign up to have my weekly encouraging posts from this blog e-mailed to them? Each writing prompt is meant to inspire you as you reflect on what God is doing in your life! You can sign up here.
  • Do you need help navigating through a transition time? One-on-One Life Coaching and Group Life Coaching sessions are available! I’d be delighted to be your Life Coach. To learn more, click here.

I know that’s a lot to cover. God is moving and I’m excited! I’m so thankful that you’re taking this journey with me! Let’s see what the Lord does next. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Let’s keep believing God for the best. May the second half of the year be even better than the first! Blessings!

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

Remove the Limits From God

The above video is very special to me because it’s the final video I shot on the last day of my Epic European Adventure! That day I woke up in Amsterdam, had lunch in Bruge, Belgium, and then crossed the English Channel on a ferry from France to London. It was an extraordinary and fitting way to end the trip.

There are so many reasons why I call this trip Epic. For starters, it was a tour of many of the major European cities including Paris, Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, parts of Switzerland, and Munich. It even included lunch in Austria one day. And on my way to and from the meeting city of London I even had layovers in Ireland. So that alone is Amazing! God blessed me and protected me in all those countries.

I saw mountains including the Swiss Alps! I took river cruises along the Seine River in Paris and the Rhine River in Germany and took a gondola ride in Venice! I saw castles in Germany and windmills in Amsterdam. I saw the Mona Lisa up close and personal and went inside the famed Notre Dame Cathedral. If that wasn’t enough, the Lord even allowed me to start my trip by visiting the London Olympic stadium!

I’ve come back with stories, videos, and memories galore! The butterfly in me is still glowing and rejoicing. The reporter in me had her iPhone in one pocket and her camera in the other pocket. I was ready to record and document all the sights and sounds at a moment’s notice so that I could report back to my friends and family about how wonderful the trip was.

God’s favor was upon me so much so that members from the tour group noticed and remarked that I was “lucky”. I had to say, “I’m blessed!”

I could go on and on about how Amazing the trip was, but I’d like to share part of the reason why I went in the first place.

Back when I was 15, my parents gave my sister and me the incredible gift of a trip to Italy and Greece with my high school. It was a beautiful trip (and that’s when I got to go to the Olympic stadium in Athens) but it left me longing to go back to Italy. As I grew up, I dreamed of going back and just wandering around the quaint and narrow streets of Italy much like Belle does in France in “Beauty and the Beast”.

But the timing was never right. I went on to travel all around the world through work, vacation, and missions but Italy was still on my mind.

A few years ago, I was at a sleepover with a few church friends and they asked the question, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” The only thing I could think to say was, “I’d go to Italy by myself.”

To think that I mustered up the courage to GO to Italy and all throughout Europe just a few weeks ago, is simply awe-inspiring for me. I faced down one of my fears and went. And God honored me, protected me, and allowed me to see more of His beauty and splendor than I could have ever imagined.

Which brings me back to the video above. You’re looking at one very satisfied woman of God in that video! (I’m also freezing because it was windy out on the deck, and I also had to shoot it with my regular camera so I didn’t have the benefit of using my front-facing camera to see where I was aiming, but I digress).

There is something so special and empowering about facing down your fears and letting God walk you through them. I pray that you will all experience that in your lives.

Please remove the limits off of God! Let Him be God in your life! Just watch what He will do. Let Him Amaze you!

And yes, it took me lots of years to finally get back to Italy, but it was worth the wait!

Many blessings to you and many happy adventures even in your own neck of the woods!

“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

 

Greetings from my Epic European Vacation

I’ve just come back from traveling through some of the major cities of Europe such as Venice, Paris, Florence, London, Munich, and Amsterdam. God allowed so many of my dreams to come true during this trip. I am amazed by His love for me and by how beautiful His world is! It really is Miraculous and Lovely!

I took some time to record some short, encouraging videos from many of these cities. I pray that they will bless you!  The video above was shot in Munich, Germany where I was reminded to let God lead you and surprise you!

Here are links to a few more videos:

Don’t give up in the middle of your story! It gets better!

We must go through the valley to stand upon the mountaintop of God!

I stand in awe of all of the beauty God has created!

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

3 Lessons from Writing a Book

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It’s one thing to write a book. It’s a whole other thing to share it with family, friends, and even strangers. It’s been such a lovely experience so far. I’m so touched by the feedback I’m getting about my book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough.

I’d like to share just some thoughts about what I’ve learned about this process thus far:

God’s plans are way bigger than ours! I grew up writing in diaries, making my own mini-magazines, and studied journalism. But when it came time to lay down journalism, writing a book was so far from my mind. This book started out as simply an e-book, but I’m glad that I kept moving forward and now have a printed version. The response has been such a blessing. Anything that happens from here on out is sprinkles and cherries on top! “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3: 20-21).

We need to share our stories. People are saying they can relate to my writing, and that they are also finding it hard to wait on God. Private me could have remained silent, but I kept feeling the Lord tell me to write. And now others are being blessed. Glory! God wastes nothing. We all have a story to tell and people need to hear it. What lessons has God been showing you? What miraculous things has He done in your life? You don’t have to shout it from the roof tops, per se. Just pray and tell the next person that God places on your heart. You never know how blessed they may be. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).

People can surprise you in good and bad ways. I’ve been so delighted to see some of my closest friends rejoice with me over this milestone in my life. You can tell when people are genuinely happy for you and it makes such a difference. Even friends I haven’t seen for a few years are showing up to celebrate with me. How wonderful! Then there are others that seem bent on staying away from the party. That’s ok. It’s best to leave those folks to the Lord. At times like these, it’s important to ask the Lord to help you discern who is for you and who is not. It’s also a good time to practice forgiving and showing mercy and grace. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

I’m sure I’ll have more lessons to share down the line. In the meantime, I hope you have a miraculous and lovely Holy Week! He is Risen!

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement, read my new book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.