So it Begins

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of my family’s favorite fiction books. In one of the most famous battle scenes, the severely outnumbered army of Rohan, led by King Theoden, take refuge in the fortress of Helm’s Deep to prepare against the oncoming onslaught of evil. As expected, Saruman’s vast army —Orcs, Uruk-hai, and other dark warriors—march into the valley. Both sides stand in battle formation, weapons drawn, muscles taught, poised for the fight. As the hoards of evil warriors approach the wall, and the Elven archers launch a flurry of arrows to rain down on them from above, King Theoden grimly announces, “So it begins.”

Those were the words my husband quoted yesterday when I sliced open the box that landed on my doorstep, and extracted a freshly printed copy of my new book, Girls Gone Wise… “So it begins!”

The months of writing, and the many recent preparations of study questions, leader’s guide, charts, quizzes, resources, website programming (Oh how I wish I were not my own I.T. department!!!)… the sleepless nights, early mornings, sacrifices, prayers, and labor are all for this moment—for this battle. I’ve written and published several books and Bible studies, but I have a sense that this particular one is deeply significant, and will be the Helm’s Deep of great battle and victory.

The book must have already trickled into some stores, because my day began with an email from a woman who was deeply impacted by the Girls Gone Wise message. This afternoon, I had my first live Girls Gone Wise radio interview. The lines were jammed with women who wanted to get advice and offer testimonies about being wise and not wild. Early tomorrow everything begins in earnest, with a trip to the True Woman Conference in Chattanooga, where the book will be launched.

Now that the heavy preparation is finished, I hope to get back to blogging regularly—a task that I’ve set aside of late. Make sure to have a look around the website to see all the new Girls Gone Wise resources. I’ve put together a lot of great downloadable helps for people who want to study the book. There’s a personal journal, chapter questions, quizzes, challenges, leader’s guide, and a Girls Gone Wise forum – everything you’ll need to help you study the book with a friend or small group of friends.

In May, I’ll be launching a video book blog, for online viewing. Moody will be sponsoring a special promotion, so make sure and keep posted.
If you are a blogger, and interested in doing a book review, send me an email with your address, and I’ll make sure to get a review copy out to you.

For those of you near Chattanooga, it’s not to late to register for the True Woman conference next weekend. Hope to see you there!

© Mary A. Kassian

Permissions: You are permitted to reproduce this material on your blog or website given that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you provide the appropriate credit and a link to this website. Any printed copy or exceptions to the above must be approved by Girls Gone Wise. Please include the following statement on any internet copy: © Mary A. Kassian, Girls Gone Wise. Visit Mary’s Website at: GirlsGoneWise.com

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Category: Blog, Ministry Note