Bio: Connie Cavanaugh speaks at more than 40 events each year all over North America. Hilarious and unforgettable, her real-life stories give the audience an easy memory tag for life-changing spiritual truth. She has led workshops at events featuring Kay Arthur, Tony Campolo, Beth Moore, Stuart and Jill Briscoe and Randy Singer. She has shared the platform with comedian Dennis Swanberg and Bible teacher Mary Kassian. Currently she is a keynote speaker for World Vision Canada’s highly popular Girls’ Nite Out, headlining 20 GNO events in 2008. She communicates spiritual truth with energy, humor, warmth, and grace. Connie counts it a great privilege to speak to women of many denominations as she devotes her life to furthering the work of God on earth.

Although she was raised in a mainline church, Connie never knew Jesus personally until, at the age of 18, a university classmate explained the gospel in terms she could understand. Connie welcomed Jesus into her life on November 19, 1973.

Connie joined Faith Baptist Church in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, her first evangelical church. Henry Blackaby -- who later co-authored Experiencing God -- baptized, discipled and married Connie and her husband Gerry in 1978. For many years Connie found fulfillment in her ministry call by serving alongside her pastor husband.

Connie completed her bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan and taught high school English for four years before choosing to raise their two daughters and one son fulltime.

As a new believer, Connie fervently wished to write and speak to women but it would be more than 20 years before her primary role as a minister’s wife and mother allowed her to pursue that dream. During those years, God allowed Connie to experience many things she would later draw on when her public ministry began.

Something Connie never expected would happen became the catalyst that thrust her into fulfilling that inner longing: Connie was spiritually sidelined by a long season of spiritual dryness. She never saw it coming, never expected it could happen to her after such a radical conversion, zealous evangelicalism and love for ministry. But God had a redemptive plan for this time of trial, using it to launch Connie into a ministry of speaking on the international stage as well as authoring the best selling book From Faking it to Finding Grace that gives hope to others who struggle with spiritual dryness.

Connie writes articles and columns in many Christian publications, both print and online. Her popular family life humor column, A Slice of Life ran in Homelife magazine for five years. She is a featured writer for On Mission magazine and a columnist for Women Alive’s e-zine and the new Canadian magazine, Beyond Ordinary Living.

Family: Connie and Gerry praise God for 30 years of marriage. Being opposites, their early years were challenging but God drew them together as only He can do. They enjoy traveling, long talks, hiking, skiing and cheering for their favorite hockey and football teams. They spend as much time as possible with Jasmine and Elijah, the children of their daughter Christine and husband Brad who live in the same town. They are also blessed to live close to their daughter Anita and her husband Kyle. Their only son, JP, lives with them.

Speaking Topics:
• Simplicity in Christ: childlike faith for a grown-up life
• Hang on to Hope: overcoming spiritual dryness
• Redemption: watching God turn our failures into His victories
• Parenting: fellow strugglers share feeble victories
• Marriage: how to thrive, not just survive, after marrying your opposite – Connie and Gerry sometimes co-teach these events
• Prayer for the Warrior Wannabe
• Christmas Pure and Simple: calming the chaos – very popular evangelistic message
• Be Not Conformed: what does it look like to live like Jesus?
• Answer the Call: finding God’s will for my life
• Facing your Giants: defining and defeating your greatest fears