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Tribute to Billy Graham

As I work on the flyer for my upcoming women’s conference, I’m delighted to find this flyer that I gave out with such joy when Billy Graham came to town! My Mom and I got to serve as prayer counselors at the crusade and my Mom also served as an usher and sang in the choir! My Dad went to the crusade and my Senior Pastor got to say an opening prayer from the platform. It was truly a blessed time!

I’m still so honored to have gotten to serve at Billy Graham’s last crusade in NYC.  In Book 4 I’m mentioning how his ministry helped me during some critical times in my early Christian walk.

What a life Billy Graham lived and what a legacy he leaves behind for all of us! I feel like I’ve lost a friend but it’s also as if he’s passed the torch to us.

I’m so grateful for Billy Graham’s commitment to faithfully preaching the Word of God! I’d like to share a few lessons I’ve learned from Billy Graham’s life:

Preach the Word of God with boldness! Billy Graham traveled the world sharing about God’s unconditional love for us and how we can have eternal life in heaven through Jesus. Glory! Don’t be shy about sharing your faith. Ask the Lord to give you the courage and the right words to say to your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and anyone else the Lord leads you to.

Live a life of integrity! I’m so glad that Billy Graham was faithful to Christ and didn’t get sidetracked by any scandals. He lived knowing that God was watching him. Billy Graham used his gifts to glorify God.  As I listen to people paying tribute to Billy Graham, I keep hearing people describe him as a man of integrity. Let’s live a life worthy of our calls whether we’re serving in a church setting, the marketplace or in our homes.

Fight the good fight of faith! Billy lived to be 99 years old. What an accomplishment! But the true beauty is that he served Jesus until the end. The inscription on his gravestone will read, “Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ” and includes the Bible verse John 14:6 which says, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” How fitting that Billy Graham would point to Christ even on his tombstone!

The Bible says that being absent from the body means being present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8 ). I’m happy that Billy is finally home.

As for us, we get to continue proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ until Jesus returns or takes us home. Don’t give in to discouragement. Don’t let the world dim your light! Keep shining for Christ and obeying His lead. Billy Graham showed us it’s possible to live a life of faith and integrity.

I’d like to leave you with a few quotes from Billy Graham that I found on this site:

  • “I am not going to Heaven because I have preached to great crowds or read the Bible many times. I’m going to Heaven just like the thief on the cross who said in that last moment: ‘Lord, remember me.’”
  • “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”
  • “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
  • “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’”
  • “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”
  • “God has given us two hands – one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.”
  • “I’ve read the last page of the Bible. It’s all going to turn out all right.”

To learn more about Billy Graham, click here.

Please feel free to share your kind memories of Billy Graham or favorite quotes from him below. Blessings!

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

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Early Bird Registration Now Open for Abounding Faith’s Women’s Conference

 

Don’t miss Abounding Faith’s Mighty Women of Valor Women’s Conference on April 14! Come to this lovely time of refreshing and inspiration expecting God to meet us in a special way!

Invite your friends to join you at this empowering event that includes an encouraging Bible-based word and group discussion, a time of sweet fellowship with other dynamic women of different ages and backgrounds, door prizes, light breakfast and the opportunity to buy copies of my books.

***The Early Bird rate of $20 is only available until February 28th. Reserve your spot today by registering here.

I’m looking forward to sharing more conference news in the upcoming weeks.

Hope to see you on April 14th! Register today!

So what does a Mighty Woman of Valor look like to you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Blessings!

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Register for Abounding Faith’s Mighty Women of Valor Women’s Conference!

Audacious Dreamer and Doer, you’re invited to Abounding Faith’s Mighty Women of Valor Women’s Conference on Saturday, April 14th for a lovely time of refreshing and inspiration! Come and be blessed by an encouraging Bible-based word and by sweet fellowship with other dynamic women. This will be an intimate gathering where you can connect and pray with your beautiful sisters of diverse ages and backgrounds

There will also be door prizes, light breakfast and the opportunity to buy copies of my books Crossing Your Jordan River, Abounding Faith and Waiting on God Well that are inspiring Pastors, Pastors’ wives, missionaries, chaplains, ministry leaders and those just starting out on their Christian walk.

*** Attention Early Birds! If you register from February 12 – February 28th, the rate is only $20!

Online registration from March 1 – April 12 is the regular rate of $25.

Onsite registration on April 14 is $30.

***Ready to get that special Early Bird rate available only from 2/12 – 2/28? Fantastic! Click here to go to the registration page. Please note that all sales are final. No refunds are available.

Speaker Bio:
Nancy Gavilanes is an Author, Speaker, Life Coach, Evangelist and Entrepreneur who has a passion to encourage people to grow in their love for and their faith in God! That love has compelled her to go on short-term missions trips to five countries (and counting) and on numerous outreaches in New York City. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and has written for various publications including The New York Times. She is the author of Crossing Your Jordan River: How to Possess and Prosper in Your Promised Land, Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! She has spoken to various groups including to Christians working at the United Nations as well as at Nyack College, The Bowery Mission’s Women’s Center and has given her brief testimony at her home church Times Square Church. You can learn more about Nancy at www.AboundingFaith.com.

If you have questions or are interested in sponsoring this empowering event for world-changing women in New York City, please email info@aboundingfaith.com.

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Gifted to Serve

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Don’t you love that the Holy Spirit gives us gifts to be a blessing to others? What are you doing with the unique gifts God gave you? Have you asked God how He’d like you to use those gifts to honor Him?

I hope you’ll take time to continually seek God’s will for your life and Pray, Dream, Do and Repeat!

What has God placed on your heart to accomplish this year? Feel free to share it below.

If you’d like help living your God-given dream, I’d be delighted to be your Life Coach. You can learn more about life coaching and book writing coaching at www.AboundingFaith.com. Blessings!

 

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

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For more encouragement, read my books Crossing Your Jordan River: How to Possess and Prosper in Your Promised Land, Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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

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Happy 5th Blogiversary!

How in the world has private me been blogging for five straight years? Only God could do that!

I still remember how hard it was to launch this blog. There were tons of reasons why I shouldn’t have started blogging.

I have a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and have written for various publications including The New York Times, but I wasn’t used to writing publicly about my faith. I was trained to tell other people’s stories. But the more I started to share some of my insights and life lessons I’ve learned, the more positive reaction I got from readers.

I’m not techie by any stretch of the imagination. I remember spending hours reading and watching videos about the technical side of starting a blog. I made tons of calls to the support lines for help the weekend I launched my site. I still marvel that this site ever went live.

I was also going through a very rough time in my life. I was in tears most of the time I launched this blog. This blog easily could have been one big rant, but I was determined to create something beautiful and to write words that would inspire and uplift readers.

All my fears and concerns could have stopped me from publishing my first post, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that God wanted me to start this blog and that it was time to honor Him with my writing gift. What a journey it’s been!

I was worried that I might quickly run out of things to say, but God has been faithful to give me ideas for what to share here. As I poured out my thoughts on the screen, God filled me with fresh ideas (or manna) to help others on their faith journey.

I’ve written on good days and not-so-good days. I’m grateful that this blog has been a safe place for me to share my writing, photos, videos and designs.

By God’s grace, I’m still here. And you’re still here, too! I pray you have been encouraged by my posts!

I’m delighted that I’ve written three books during these years of blogging, and I’m thrilled that Book 4 is with my early readers. I plan to share parts of my testimony and some blog posts in my new book so stay tuned!

This year I also plan to have my second women’s conference. I will be sharing more info shortly.

In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy the Miraculous and Lovely moments in your life! God really is closer than you think, and He desires to spend precious time with you! Blessings to you on your faith journey!

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

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Crossing Your Jordan River: How to Possess and Prosper in Your Promised Land, Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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

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Please Take Abounding Faith’s 2017 Reader Survey!

 

It’s that time of the year again when I ask you to kindly share your thoughts with me by taking Abounding Faith’s 2017 Reader Survey. There are just a few questions in the short survey. Whether you have been reading my blog since the beginning and have read all three of my books, or you’re new to Abounding Faith, I look forward to hearing your thoughtful comments about what has blessed you and what you’d like to see more of in the future.

Your feedback will help me as I prayerfully prepare for next year and beyond.

My hope is to continue encouraging you on your faith journey through my blog, books, events, social media posts, YouTube Channel, online store items and more. I pray you will be inspired to continue living your God-given dreams!

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughtful feedback. The survey will be open until Wednesday, November 29th. Blessings!

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Crossing Your Jordan River: How to Possess and Prosper in Your Promised Land, Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Chapel in the City at Nyack College

I have felt drawn to Nyack College for a few years now. The Lord saw it fit for me to speak at the chapel service on Tuesday evening. What a blessing! It was truly another God-given dream that came to pass in His perfect timing. All glory to God!

What a sweet surprise to see the announcement on the screen pictured above! I had to snap a pic.

I’m so grateful to the staff and students at Nyack who made me feel so welcome.

I don’t normally go out on Halloween evening, but this was worth it.  And since the attack in Tribeca was just blocks away from where we were, I’m glad we got to pray for New York during chapel time.

It was a privilege and honor to get to encourage these students who are seeking after God’s plan for their life at such a young age. Here are just some of the students that were in chapel Tuesday evening.

Speaking at Nyack College ranks right up there with speaking to the group of Christians working at the United Nations and giving my brief testimony at Times Square Church. I am delighted with the doors the Lord is opening for me in this season. I’m so grateful that God opens doors that no man can shut!

Honestly, it’s an honor to get to speak about the Lord out on the street, in the subway, on the mission field,  in nursing homes and shelters, as well as one-on-one with strangers and friends.

We’re called to let our light shine! “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mathew 5:16)

Who will you share the gospel with today or this week at work, home, school or in your neighborhood? We all have a testimony to share about God’s amazing love and His faithfulness! You don’t need a microphone, pulpit or stage. Just pray and ask God to give you the right words to say with love.

Blessings to you as you go about doing the good works that God has ordained for you to do! And thanks for your prayers and encouragement! I look forward to walking through many more doors that God opens for me. Thanks for staying on this journey with me!

If you’d like to invite me to speak at your church, school, conference, retreat, or outreach event, you can learn more by clicking here.

As you pursue your God-given dreams, I hope you’ll Pray, Dream, Do and Repeat!  I hope these designs from Abounding Faith’s online store inspire you!

For more encouragement, follow Abounding Faith on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Blessings!

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Crossing Your Jordan River: How to Possess and Prosper in Your Promised Land, Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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

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Roctober 2017 Reflections

What a blessing this Roctober has been! There have been some ups and downs, but overall it was another rocking October, thank God!

I’m so grateful to my family and friends who help to make this month so special! This month included a trip back to my birthday castle as well as flowers, a ferry ride around Manhattan, mariachi singers, cake and the non-alcoholic pina colada pictured above.

I also got to go back and lead the service at Central Delaware Trinity Covenant. It was sweet seeing my friends there and getting to do everything from choosing the bulletin cover, to choosing the songs, preaching the sermon and greeting folks on the way out. It’s still surreal to see my name outside one of their church buildings. God is Good!

Although this was my third time visiting this congregation, it was my first time at this particular church building so I was thrilled to see horses right across the street! This city girl loves horses! It was another special birthday gift from the Lord.

We also wrapped up the study of Crossing Your Jordan River. It’s been such a blessing to see and hear how the book encouraged this group. We celebrated with yummy food and this beautiful birthday fruit tart!

Amid the celebrations, I’ve also had some really productive meetings throughout the month and still have one very important speaking engagement. I look forward to sharing more about that soon.

In the meantime, thank you for your prayers and encouragement. I pray you are seeing God’s fingerprints in your life! If you’d like more encouragement in between blog posts, please make sure to follow Abounding Faith on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

If you’d like another look at the “God’s Princess Diaries” series that I shot during my first visit to my birthday castle, you can find the short and encouraging videos on Abounding Faith’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

Blessings!

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

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Crossing Your Jordan River: How to Possess and Prosper in Your Promised Land, Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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

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First Look at Abounding Faith’s New “NY Blessings” Collection!

I’m excited to share the latest additions to Abounding Faith’s online store! I hope the new “NY Blessings” collection will inspire you as you live by Abounding Faith!

The “NY Blessings” collection includes sporty T-shirts that are great to wear on group outreaches or outings. The motivational mug and journal are perfect for your quiet times. The tote bag, magnet and keychain make great gifts for any occasion.

I’ve used the term “NY Blessings” for some time now, but the ideas for these designs only came together this summer.

It’s nice to take a break sometimes from creating with words to create with images. It’s as if the more I create and pour out, the more the Lord fills me with new ideas. Glory!

Whether I’m writing, speaking or designing, I hope whatever the Lord allows me to create inspires you to live your God-given dreams and reminds you that God is Good!

If you’d like to see your state represented in a similar design, please let me know and I will consider adding a few items to the online store. For now, I hope you like the “NY Blessings” collection. May it encourage you and your friends as you go out to be a blessing and get blessed! I’d love to see photos of you and whichever items you choose to buy.

Thanks so much for your support! Your support of Abounding Faith’s online store, books, events and more help me to continue encouraging others on their faith journey. Blessings!

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

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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

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Reflections on Abounding Faith’s SOAR Women’s Conference!

God did it again! He gave me a dream/desire and then let me live that dream! He placed the word SOAR in my heart as a theme for this year, and He gave me the desire to have a women’s conference. After much praying and planning, the day finally arrived.

I’m so grateful to all the women who came to my very first women’s conference on Saturday! They were all so gracious and encouraging. We had a lovely time of fellowship, learning about God-given dreams, and praying and sharing some of those dreams.

I’m so touched by the feedback the ladies shared with me!  Here’s what one of the guests said was the best part of the conference for her:

“I was encouraged to pray and seek God for my life’s purpose.”

Wow, that statement alone is priceless and means my mission for this conference was accomplished!

Here’s a quick video from another guest. Priscilla is one of the leaders of Queens, NY AGLOW.

Here are a few pics with highlights from Saturday’s conference held at Open Bible Church International:

Here are some of the audacious dreamers & doers who wrote their dreams on our Dream Wall. (Inspired by Missions.Me and the Dream Walls our teams got to do with school kids on missions trips to Honduras and Peru).

The ladies were already asking about my next conference. Praise God!

I’m already praying about possibly having a co-ed conference in the fall. I hope you’re getting my monthly updates so you won’t miss any news.  If you’d like to be added to my mailing list, please email me at info@aboundingfaith.com.

I’d also love to come speak at your event! You can learn more about inviting me to come speak to your group here.

I’m grateful to my loving family, my fabulous volunteers, and my generous sponsors for all their support and encouragement.

A special thank you to my friends at Our Daily Bread and TBN NY for providing prizes and giveaways for my guests.

 

Here is a short video recap I shot after the conference:God is moving. I’m excited! Thanks for staying on this faith journey with me!

I pray you will be inspired to live your God-given dreams! God is Good and God loves YOU! Blessings!

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

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! 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. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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

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