WELCOME!
Once again, thanks to readers like you,
we’ve got your feedback to share …
Want a FREE …
Lift Detroit in Prayer Bumper Sticker?
Tell Us Why You Want One
WE’RE ENJOYING inspiring Emails from readers who want to display a “Lift Detroit in Prayer” sticker on their vehicles—and we will be sending them their bumper stickers this week.
Here’s the background: Our 2009 Lift-Your-City-in-Prayer Resource Page has lots of inspiring information and ideas about joining in prayer for your core communities. Detroit is the major city closest to our Home Office, so we personally supported that effort this year.
This week, we also published news from a Chicago-area prayer walk—it’s an inspiring story, so take a look if you missed it.
HERE’s an example of reader emails—this one written by Tony H from Michigan: “I am not a resident of the city of Detroit, however, I am a commuter to the downtown district. My work as a artist and as a student at the College for Creative Studies has moved my work to focus more on the decay—and development—of our urban landscape. Detroit is a big part of my life and is once again going to be a big part of America’s future just it was in the past. With just a yellow bumper sticker, I believe people will respond with a more positive attitude for our diamond in the rough. Living in the Metro area I believe I can also do good with the sticker by promoting the concept of what it means to be apart of a city—even if someone lives in Livonia or Royal Oak, they are still a part of Detroit. The borders shown on a map or mailing address do not co-exist with the conceptual borders layed out by me or others who understand where I’mm coming from.”
Tony, that’s a terrific note! Couldn’t have expressed this better ourselves!
THEN, we also got this note from reader Alex T in Ocala, Florida: “The reason I would like to display the sticker is because I used to live and work in Detroit. I know, now more then ever, they need all the help and prayers they can get. Prayer works and I know that more then anyone because of events in my own life.”
Again, Thank you! Alex, that’s exactly the expansive spirit we’re trying to promote!
Want one of our last 2009 bumper stickers? We’ve got a little stack left in the Home Office and we’ll mail you one—Free—if you’ll send us a note explaining why you want to display the sticker.
Why Do We Celebrate the High Holidays?
Why Tell You about “Small” Films?
Because …
WHY DO WE make such a point of publishing stories about the Jewish High Holidays? And, why do we tell you about “small” films like the marvelous-yet-exotic Kazakhstan movie, “Tulpan”? Surely these are things that mainly interest spiritual and cultural minorities in our world, today.
Why do we highlight these things? Because, as readers, you keep telling us that you trust ReadTheSpirit to tell you about important, inspiring voices in our world today—and sometimes those voices come from our Jewish neighbors. Sometimes, those voices come from the arid steppes of Asia.
This week, for instance, we published an in-depth interview with Dr. Gary Anderson, a Notre Dame Bible scholar whose new book offers a whole new “take” on the Jewish-Christian origins of the of “Sin.” One Bible-study teacher immediately sent word this week that she was thrilled to find this interview with Gary Anderson—because the lessons about sin and grace in that interview fit perfectly with some of her own lesson plans in coming weeks.
If she follows up and shares this information with her class, we’ll try to share word with you, our readers. That’s just one small example of how ReadTheSpirit works best for you.
If you’re just getting ready to attend a small group at your church this weekend, stop by Bible Here and Now—a new Christian Bible study resource we’re offering, aimed specifically at teens and youth groups.
And, if you’re a film fan, please join us in saluting PBS’ highly regarded “P.O.V” series this week!
One of the “P.O.V.” broadcasts that we recommended here at ReadTheSpirit—“The Inheritance,” a haunting Holocaust documentary—just won an Emmy this week! We obviously weren’t alone in singling out that documentary as special!
Simon Kilmurry, Executive Director of “P.O.V.,” sent this word along: “We’re thrilled that ‘Inheritance’ has been recognized by the Academy with this Emmy Award. The dedication of independent documentary filmmakers to tell these stories is truly remarkable, and to be honored by our peers is great affirmation of this work.”
Similarly, after our review of “Tulpan” this week, Patrick Ogle of the non-profit film group Facets, based in Chicago, sent along word encouraging us—to keep lifting up talented independent filmmakers.
A lot of this effort has to be word-of-Web-site these days, because the rest of American news media is imploding. And, trying to book “small,” independent films into a tour of U.S. theaters can be almost impossible these days. Patrick points out that just the cost of the film prints needed for a theatrical release can be prohibitive.
So, finally, a huge “Thank you!” to you—our readers—for following ReadTheSpirit and spreading word about our articles, reviews and Web sites!
You’re the real spiritual energy behind this project.
Why not send an Email, today, to a friend—recommending that they join you in reading along! You’re part of an important global effort just by reading along with us—and spreading the word to others.
PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU THINK:
This is a good time to sign up for our Monday-morning ReadTheSpirit Planner by Email—it’s
free and you can cancel it any time you’d like to do so. The Planner
goes out each week to readers who want more of an “inside track” on
what we’re seeing on the horizon, plus it’s got a popular “holidays”
section.
Not only do we welcome your notes—but our readers enjoy them as well. You can do this
anytime by clicking on the “Comment” links at the end of each story.
You also can Email ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm. We’re also reachable on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and other social-networking sites as well.
(Originally published at https://readthespirit.com/)
