Girls Gone Wise

Feature Article #1

The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women

Forbes recently published their list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Reading through the Forbes list, and the reflections of nine of these “powerful” women, made me think about how very differently things work in the economy of God. For the Christian, “power” has an entirely different meaning.

Mary Kassian | August 28th, 2009 | Continued

Feature Article #2

The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness

In the sixties, when Betty Friedan diagnosed her fellow wives and daughters as the victims of “the problem with no name,” American women reported themselves happier, on average, than did men. Today, that statistic has reversed. Male happiness has inched up, while female happiness has declined…. Feminism pumped its best medicine into woman’s veins, but somehow, it merely exacerbated the disease.

Mary Kassian | May 27th, 2009 | Continued

Feature Article #3

A Parable of Restoration

After a lengthy, intensive restoration project, one of the greatest masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance has been restored to its original splendor and returned to its home at the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The Madonna del Cardellino was painted by Raphael in 1505 for the wedding of his friend, a wealthy Florentine merchant. It [...]

Mary Kassian | May 22nd, 2009 | Continued

Feature Article #4

Exposed !

She’s a sexy, assertive, self-assured woman, and she’s perfected the subtle art of attracting men. She knows how to flirt with her eyes, seductively tilt her head, and position her body in a provocative way… Who is this woman? You might be surprised to learn that the description (with a few minor fashion updates) comes from the pages of Isaiah. And it may surprise you even more to learn that her behavior was so reprehensible to God, that he punished her and her like-minded girlfriends.

Mary Kassian | April 29th, 2009 | Continued

Feature Article #5

I Am Woman

“I am strong! I am invincible! I am WOMAN!” I remember striding down the school hallway with a couple of girlfriends, belting out the words of Helen Reddy’s chart-topping song. We were perched on the verge of womanhood. And we were confident that we would be the first generation to get the meaning of womanhood right.

Mary Kassian | April 27th, 2009 | Continued

About Mary

Mary Kassian is an award winning author, internationally renowned speaker, and a distinguished professor at Southern Baptist Seminary. She has published several books, Bible studies and videos, including: In My Father’s House: Finding Your Heart’s True Home, Conversation Peace, Vertically Inclined, and the Feminist Mistake.
Mary graduated from the faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine from the University [...]

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About Mary

Christ Our Coming King

In the late 1800’s, a New York journalist asked a theologian named A.B. Simpson if he knew when Christ was coming back to earth. “Yes,” replied Simpson. “and I will tell you if you promise to print what I say, references and all.” The reporter agreed. “Then put this down: ‘This gospel of the kingdom [...]

22Dec2009 | Dannah Gresh | 0 comments | Continued

Paper Stars

Last year, just before Christmas, I spoke at a Ladies Christmas Tea about the wonder of the Season. The title of my talk was “Paper Star.” I shared how the simple paper stars hanging on my tree remind me of my family history and traditions. There’s so much more to the ornament than meets the [...]

18Dec2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

A Top-Secret-John-Piper-Family Recipe Just In Time For Christmas

OK, I admit it I’m a John Piper groupie. Love everything he writes, says, thinks. Been like this since I discovered Desiring God. (Was it over a decade ago?) Two years ago, I met his wife Noel. We kinda had dinner. (Not name dropping. It’s true. One of the greatest honors of my life. I [...]

17Dec2009 | Dannah Gresh | 0 comments | Continued

The Curse of the Good Girl

Being good is bad. Being bad is good. That’s the message communicated in Rachel Simmons’ book, The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. “Our culture is teaching girls to embrace a version of selfhood that sharply curtails their power and potential,” says Simmons. “In particular, the pressure to be [...]

7Dec2009 | Mary Kassian | 3 comments | Continued

The Abstinent Vampire Attraction

Vampires aside, last year’s block-buster movie, Twilight, has provoked some interesting research. New research from the University of Missouri shows that the reason teenage girls have fallen hard for the Twilight book and film series has to do with its portrayal of a traditional, abstinent romantic relationship. In the series, vampire Edward Cullen doesn’t want [...]

3Dec2009 | Mary Kassian | 6 comments | Continued

Wise vs. Wild Contrast #20: Teachability

We’ve come to the end of the story, and to the last point of contrast between the wild and the wise. The simple young man who lacked sense and the wily seductress who caused his downfall are examples of two individuals who failed to walk in the way of wisdom. The Sage urged his son to pay close attention to their mistakes, so that he might learn from them. That’s why he told the story. And that’s why he wrote his book.

2Dec2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Wise vs. Wild Contrast #19: Sustainability

Have you noticed how prevalent disrespect toward men has become? In the sixties, women complained that men victimized and disrespected them. Now the tables have turned. Our sons, husbands, fathers, and men-friends are subjected to malicious jokes and attitudes that wouldn’t be tolerated toward any other group. Women portray them asselfish, lazy, inconsiderate, hormone-crazed buffoons. They gleefully slander and tear them down simply because they are male.

1Dec2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Sexual Purity Starts at Seven

By the time she is sixteen, a Christian girl has a 50/50 chance of surviving life without the experiences of sexual sin, eating disorders and depression. Parents who “did everything right” can’t understand how it happened when their daughter falls on the wrong side of the stats. What they don’t know is that they may [...]

30Nov2009 | Dannah Gresh | 2 comments | Continued

Wise vs. Wild Contrast #18: Influence

I’m amazed at the number of women that think they are immune to the power of negative influence. They think they’re strong enough, and that they’ve walked with the Lord long enough, to be above the threat. So they start taking foolish risks in relationships. They let down their defenses, transgress boundaries, crash and burn-and then wonder how it happened to them.

20Nov2009 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued

Wise vs. Wild Contrast #17: Speech

We’ve all heard the old saying, “flattery will get you nowhere.” But the truth is, flattery works, and works remarkably well. Call it what you will-apple-polishing, boot-licking, back-scratching, soft-soaping, currying favor, toadying, candy-talking, buttering-up, kissing-up, managing up, or a host of other more crass terms -smooth talk can and often does pay off. In the hands of someone who knows how to use it, it can be a dangerous manipulative weapon.

19Nov2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Leading in the Moment

Here is my speaking outline for my keynote for this afternoon’s LifeWay National Women’s Leadership Forum. You can also scroll down to the bottom of the post and download it in a pdf file. There are over 600 women’s ministry leaders at the forum this year… enough to start a revolution.
MOMENTum. . . Leading in the [...]

13Nov2009 | Mary Kassian | 7 comments | Continued

Summary Chart

Click the link to download a pdf chart of the 20 Points of Contrast between the Wild Thing of Proverbs 7 and a Girl-Gone-Wise. As I mentioned at the LifeWay National Women’s Forum in Nashville today, the 20 Points of Contrast serve as a great template for the target issues that need to be addressed [...]

12Nov2009 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued