Acts of Faith

Beloved Friends, Acts of Faith, more affectionately known as "the purple book," has truly taken on a life of its own. It has crossed gender lines to foster understanding, racial divides to create peace, religious barriers to encourage tolerance, and has become somewhat of a lantern for those seeking a better way of life. I have been told it has saved lives, renewed faith, created vision and healed wounds. Some day it has comforted them. Others say it has enlightened them. It has changed perspectives for some, directions for others and lives for many. I can take no credit for any of this. In fact, I give the credit to those of you who were willingly seeking, open and easy for whatever blessing you received from your interaction with this book. My goal in writing the book was to provide a service. At that time I never imagined how greatly I would be served. The kindness, generosity and love I have received in a response to this book has been, at times, overwhelming. Because we live in a world and during a time when we are untrusting, almost afraid of one another; we can forget how loving and supportive people can be. We also live in an environment where we tend to think of one another as them and us; the haves and the have nots. My experience during both the writing and promotion of Acts of Faith has served as a valuable reminder of how alike we all are. We all cry. We all hurt. We all want to do better. We all learn and we all grow. I have grown tremendously since the publication of Acts of Faith. In both my personal and professional life, I have grown in the realization of just how precious life is and how blessed we are to be alive. I have grown to appreciate the delicate balance between surviving and flourishing. I have grown in the realization of the awesome responsibility one undertakes when they seek to serve. More important, I have grown stronger in my faith and belief that God is happy when His children are happy. You and I are God's precious children. Acts of Faith has brought an incredible amount of happiness into my life. For this, I am grateful. I am happy that so many are searching for the truth about life and about themselves. I am happy that people from all walks of life, all social backgrounds are developing a deeper sense of awareness and connection to the beauty of life and the glory of God. I am grateful that from a very rocky beginning in life, I have been entrusted by the Creator to bring forth a message of truth and healing. I am grateful that healing is available and that many have found the healing that they sought in the pages of this little purple book. People often ask me, "What are your plans for the future? What will you do next?" They are somewhat taken aback by my casual response, "I haven't got a clue!" Acts of Faith has taught me the value of surrender and the wisdom of not getting bogged down in all the details of life. I know that God has a plan for me and for us. I know that when you have pure intent and a loving desire, God will not forsake you. I wanted to show my appreciation to you by offering this gift edition of Acts of Faith as a special way of letting you know how much your love and support has meant to me. Give it to a friend or a loved one, or present it to yourself as a reminder that when you act on faith, you rarely go wrong and you are always blessed. Thank you for blessing me with your love.

Iyanla Vanzant is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen books that have been translated into twenty-three languages, and the host and executive producer of the award-winning Iyanla: Fix My Life, the #1 reality show on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. As Founder of Inner Visions World Wide, Iyanla is actively engaged in personal development courses and ongoing training programs for spiritual life coaches, and ordained ministers at Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development.