My friend, Mary Kassian, is a strong woman. She exudes humble confidence in the Lord. She is tough and tender, determined and kind, a true “steel magnolia.” She knows when to bend and when to be immovable, when to console and when to confront, how to be both a peacemaker and a warrior. Mary is the right kind of strong. I can’t think of anyone better to help you navigate the challenge of living in a world that celebrates and promotes a very different kind of strength. The seven strength-building habits Mary unpacks from God’s Word are foundational. This book will not leave you unchanged. I wholeheartedly commend it.
I needed this book! It gave me permission to be strong but invited me to a holy weakness that allows God’s strength to shine in me. For every woman who is walking well with God and thinks she may be spiritually strong, Mary challenges you to examine the vestiges of weakness to which you may be blinded, and invites you to a new revival of Truth.
Mary Kassian invites the reader into a robust conversation in The Right Kind of Strong. My twenty-something-year-old fierce self could’ve desperately used this, but even now, my fifty-something-year-old self is deeply encouraged and challenged by these truths. I appreciate the enormous amount of wisdom and inspiration contained here. I love this book. Mary’s insight into the right kind of strength provides women with a worthy pursuit: being courageous enough to live for God’s glory, no matter the cost. She’s gutsy enough in the book to be painfully honest and tackles some tough issues head on with theological truth. But she couples the theology lessons with practical help as she provides seven strength-building habits with the contrast of seven strength-sapping habits. This is a thorough work that provides women with spine-strengthening theology plus practical help! I want every woman I know to have this resource. (I’ll be buying a lot of copies! It’s a great investment.)
Mary Kassian’s “The Right Kind of Strong” is the right kind of book for the culture we, as Jesus adoring Christians, have been placed in. Around us are a plethora of voices, images, tweets, blogs, influencers, appealing to that nagging mumble inside of us all that tells us not to be weak. Naturally, we rarely silence this voice with humility before God and submission to His word that would then lead us to discover the kind of strength that He delights in. And it’s for that reason alone that Mary’s book is the theological compass for our lost and drifting girls, women, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. Mary’s words have theological depth, humor, and culture relevance. By reading and receiving them, we might not have less weak women, but we will have more women that have found their strength in a Savior who’s really good at making the weak strong.
In a society that is increasingly obsessed with empowering women for all the wrong reasons, this book is a refreshing challenge to be strong in the Lord. In her typical no-nonsense style, Mary A. Kassian gives us a clear punch list of seven habits to develop as we swim against the cultural tide and avoid at all costs the behavior of weak-willed women found in II Timothy 3. Mary’s wise biblical instruction coupled with down to earth illustrations are a winning combination. This book will be a valuable addition to the library of women in all ages and stages who are truly seeking to be spiritually strong to God’s glory.
I was the eighth-grade girls wrestling champion. Now, decades later I want to know how to demonstrate strength as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, and an ambassador for the Gospel, while walking with the humility Christ calls me to. That’s why I’m grateful for this book, The Right Kind of Strong. In the wise style we’ve come to expect from her, Mary Kassian discredits cultural messages about strong womanhood while pointing us to the source of true strength, God’s Word.
Compelling. Radical. Beautiful. Mary did an excellent job of showing us why a strong woman isn’t built on power and hustle, but on humbly acknowledging our need for Christ and embracing His strength in our lives. We pray this book inspires many generations of Christian women to rise up and become the right kind of strong women for God’s glory!
Mary Kassian has given a gift to Christian women by reclaiming the word “strong” from a culture that has distorted what God meant for women today. Building upon 2 Timothy 3, Mary paints a much needed, clear picture of a strong woman who is a follower of Christ. A must read for women, especially leaders, today.
Mary Kassian has written a timely book in our era of overturning the historical wrongs done to women. We definitely need more strong women in every generation! But Mary’s book shows us that this is not a new trend. God has always wanted His daughters to be strong—’in the strength of His might’ (Eph. 6:10). Mary flips your expectations in this book. If you are expecting girly fluff, you won’t find it. If you are expecting self-centered girl power, you won’t find that, either. Instead, you will be challenged to develop the kind of discernment, wisdom, and spiritual habits that will ensure that you are truly a strong woman to the end. A great resource for discipling women of all ages!
In a time when women-empowerment messages are at an all time high, I couldn’t imagine a more needed message than the one found in The Right Kind of Strong. By unpacking the scripture in relatable and refreshing ways, Mary Kassian exposes how surprisingly flimsy the “strength” being peddled by the world is. In this book you’ll find an experienced guide and trusted friend in Mary, as she graciously leads you to discover what makes for a truly strong woman.