n 2004, Women of Faith sent out hundreds of surveys to women, asking them to share something very private and personal. What were their struggles? What were their undisclosed pains? What were their points of greatest need? And if they could sit down with counselor and Women of Faith speaker Marilyn Meberg, what would they ask her?

The response was overwhelming, and questions poured in. Women all across the country wrote their “Dear Marilyn” letters. They were willing to draw back the curtain and show Marilyn their secret places. They shared their stories of betrayed confidences, childhood abuses, misspent youths, disappointed expectations, soul-shattering tragedies, and confusion about God’s purposes. Each came to the table with questions that are awkward to ask and even harder to answer. “Enough is enough—do I have grounds for divorce?” “What does God think about my homosexual past?” “How do I deal with my overbearing mother-in-law?” “Can God forgive my son’s suicide?”

These emotionally charged questions came with heartfelt pleas for sound, biblical advice. In this first book in the Since You Asked series, Marilyn responds to the questions about relationships — questions on separation, divorce, desertion, infidelity, sex, pornography, submission, in-laws, exes, adolescents, remarriage, abuse, forgiveness, homosexuality, and suicide.

Thank you to all the women out there who had the courage to speak up. Since you asked, women across the country now have the chance to find hope and light for the darkest corners of their lives.