As a young girl just out of high school, I was eager to experiment with the craft of writing. So I hunted down the writers and teachers in my church and asked for their advice. My quest for guidance led me to the office of John Loftness, one of the pastors of Covenant Life Church (and a former English teacher). He told me that if I wanted to write, I needed to read. Read good books. Read a lot of good books.
Then he gave me some pointers on how to profit most from the books I read. For starters, he insisted that I should always read the preface and the introduction. Many people tend to skip over these, he explained, but they are essential to comprehending the author’s message and perspective.
We’re going to take Mr. Loftness’ sage advice. Instead of beginning with chapter one, your first assignment is to read the Preface and the Introduction of Twelve Extraordinary Women. And I’m not resorting to hyperbole when I say that they are worth the price of the book. Rarely have I read opening content that so fascinated and inspired me to keep reading. Oh, and the introduction is chock full of Scripture references, some of which you may want to look up on your own.
So, you have your assignment. Here’s your question:
How does your life feel ordinary and how can it be truly extraordinary?
We are not so much looking for the most cleverly worded answer here. Rather, we want real-life, personal illustrations of your thoughts, feelings and circumstances, and how this book’s message invades your every-day world.
Please have your answer (300 words or less) in by midnight (that’s close of business day for a mom) Thursday, July 20. We’ll post one response, and add our own reflections to the conversation. Until next Friday then, happy reading!
UPDATE: By request, we have postponed the deadline for the first Girltalk Book Club assignment to Thursday, August 3 in order to give everyone time to order and receive their books.
