Mary Kassian

Home, Sweet Mission Field (for singles)

If you and/or your local church are looking for ways to evangelize, opening your home is one of the best methods for reaching the lost. Most of us, however, are not using our homes as we should to reach our neighbors, friends, and relatives. Tragically, many of us don’t even know our neighbors. Yet through hospitality, we can meet our neighbors and be a lighthouse in spiritually dark neighborhoods.

20May2009 | Carolyn McCulley | 0 comments | Continued

Beauty at Any Cost

Today’s women are pursuing beauty at any cost. That’s the conclusion of a YWCA report on the consequences of America’s beauty obsession on women and girls. “From new levels of spending on cosmetic alteration to health risks and to the emergence of a ‘mean girls’ culture, the lifelong burden of an unattainable beauty and body image is taking a terrible toll in all areas of women’s lives, from economic well-being to health to interpersonal relationships.”

14May2009 | Mary Kassian | 10 comments | Continued

Is Meek for the Weak?

Is the meek person a human mouse infected with a sense of his or her own inferiority? Last month, psychotherapist Mary Jaksch gave blog subscribers some advice on “How to Ditch Meekness and Walk Tall.”… Nowadays, “meekness” carries the stigma of cowardly acquiescence. But the meekness of the Bible - the meekness manifested by God and given to the saints - is a strong, active, volitional, courageous attitude.

12May2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Singular Hospitality

Lydia was a single woman, head of a household consisting mainly of servants. It was probably in her house that the first church in Philippi began to meet. Perhaps it was in her house that the church gathered to take up a collection to send Paul as he endured house arrest in Rome…It’s hard to know what precisely happened in Lydia’s home, except for this fact — her first act of ministry as a believer was to offer her home and hospitality.

11May2009 | Carolyn McCulley | 1 comment | Continued

Mary’s CliffNotes on Authority & Submission (Part 2)

One of the most dramatic signs of the change of seasons in Canada is the migration of the birds. Last weekend, Brent and I were mesmerized when dozens upon dozens of V-formations passed overhead…What strikes me as significant is the intuitive sense of order that these birds have. And what’s more, the beauty, freedom, and benefit that the order affords. Without it, they would never be able to fly so high, so long, or so far.

9May2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Authentic Beauty

In a culture that mocks our longing for tender romance, in a world where fairy tales never seem to come true - do young women dare hope for more? For every young woman asking that question, this book is an invitation to begin a never-ending love story with the Prince of her dreams. According to Ludy, Authentic Beauty is living a life fully set- apart for Him.

8May2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

Mary’s CliffNotes on Authority & Submission (Part 1)

Too often, we get all emotional about the “S-Word” without having a clue as to why and how submission (and more importantly, authority) function in the larger scheme of things. God’s view on authority and submission is radically different than the world’s. That’s why I’ve put together the following CliffNotes overview of the Bible’s teaching on the topic:

6May2009 | Mary Kassian | 0 comments | Continued

On Doormats, Brain Trashing and Blow Up Dolls

I got a big kick out of the comments floating around the blogosphere after the True Woman conference last October. Many were astonished that anyone could possibly believe in the Bible’s directives for a Christian wife to cultivate a submissive spirit… They concluded that the only people who would promote such an outrageous, horribly outdated notion are selfish, abusive, boorish men, or terribly misguided women who are passive, docile, and slightly brain-dead… a few bulbs short of a chandelier, so to speak.

5May2009 | Mary Kassian | 9 comments | Continued

Mercy Project

The Mercy Project is the educational outreach component of the CareNet Pregnancy Center of Northwest Houston. In Mercy Project classes, volunteers from the community seek to teach women with crisis pregnancies specific skills needed to become better parents, to learn a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their babies, and gain valuable skills necessary for personal [...]

4May2009 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued

Girls Gone Skank

“Instead of advancing women’s social and professional empowerment, popular culture appears to be backsliding into the blatant sexual exploitation of women and girls at younger and younger ages.” That’s the conclusion of Patrice Opplinger, assistant professor of mass communications at Boston University. In “Girls Gone Skank,” Opplinger investigates the effects of mass marketed sexual images and cultural trends on the attitudes of young girls and describes the ways in which girls are increasingly taught to go to outrageous lengths in seeking male attention.

1May2009 | Mary Kassian | 1 comment | Continued

Single & Fully Feminine

Of the seven qualities Paul urges Titus to have older women teach to younger women, only two are explicitly directed at married women and one to mothers. That leaves at least four for all women, married or single. The following are some ways in which God has given me the grace to apply the Titus 2 virtues in my life and genuinely enjoy my femininity as a single woman.

30Apr2009 | Carolyn McCulley | 2 comments | Continued

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.

29Apr2009 | Mary Kassian | 2 comments | Continued