You’re on the run this holiday weekend! Hopefully, you’re finding time for family and friends. And, as our good friend in Texas, comic-book artist Robert Luedke, puts it this week: “When all else seems dark in our lives, let’s be thankful that we still have the ability to laugh!”
So, we’ll be quick! Here are spiritual gems to light your way …
DON’T MISS OUR “10 Best Bets for Holiday Shopping” …
We made this list a week ago—but we welcome you to be “checkin’ it twice!”
Thanks to all the readers who sent us notes about the great ideas in this list of 10 “awe-inspiring” books—and thanks for sending us even more tips for holiday shopping. (NOTE: Stay tuned next week for more great ideas, based on many of your suggestions, which we’ve sorted through to add a few more holiday lights.)
MARK YOUR CALENDAR TO CATCH: “The National Tree”
This made-for-Hallmark movie tells the story of a grouchy Dad and a cool-but-restless son who “win” a contest to provide the American Christmas tree in Washington D.C. They live in the Pacific Northwest and their road-trip across America is a wonderful adventure to remind us all what’s possible with a little inspiration, a dose of youthful new-media and some courage in the face of danger. Watch it!
REMIND YOURSELF OF AMERICA’S ORIGINAL PEOPLE
A special holiday gift to all of us, this week, is our Conversation With Kent Nerburn, the popular author about American Indian culture. Kent’s “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” already is a classic spiritual memoir and Kent is following it this holiday season with “The Wolf at Twilight,” completing the story and taking us deeper into the experiences of Native peoples over the past 100 years.
You won’t find many opportunities to meet Kent in this kind of in-depth format. He’s a thoughtful storyteller with a rich background in religious studies and the fine arts. Pour a cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa—and enjoy meeting Kent.
TWO MORE GIFTS, Before We Go …
ReadTheSpirit is a great big online magazine these days and it’s easy to miss terrific offerings.
Want some inspiration … you can use? Check out Dr. Wayne Baker’s inspirational series this week on “Generosity,” the value that lies behind our Thankfulness. Dr. Baker shares 4 uplifting stories—from an organization that recycles running shoes, to pay-it-forward organ donations, to a “mobile” farmer’s market.
Want to share a “thankful” thought … and join in a new Advent prayer? We’ve got all of that over in Bible Here and Now, our new, free, weekly resource for Christian youth groups. You’ll find teenagers already chiming in—and the Advent prayer is free to reproduce and use wherever you live.
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/)
