Cover Story: Let’s all take a ‘Forest Walk on a Friday’ with Lynne Golodner

‘I hope readers who generously pick up this book will see themselves in my stories.’

FOR OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK, we welcome back author Lynne Golodner, who has been a colleague of our publishing house since our founding in 2007. Lynne is a multi-talented author, writing coach and marketing expert. She also runs her own hybrid publishing house, which produced Forest Walk on a Friday, her new collection of personal essays. We’re pleased to share this news, because this a book that mirrors many of the themes that we know resonate with our readers.

In keeping with the spirit of her book, we asked Lynne to write a personal column to introduce her new Forest Walk on a Friday. If you find it inspiring, please share that column with friends using the easy-to-click social-media sharing buttons you’ll find on that page. That’s an easy way to spread more good news in our often troubled world, this week.

From our writers—

Celebrating Howard Brown surpassing 300,000 downloads of his Shining Brightly podcast

In December 2024, we reported that Howard Brown—a nationally known advocate for cancer patients—was himself in the midst of a life-and-death struggle with an aggressive form of leukemia. That’s why we’re celebrating with Howard and his family in this January 2025 Front Edge Publishing column—reporting that he is starting this new year with the most popular weekly podcast produced by any of the writers we have published over the past two decades.

Jeffrey Munroe on cherishing ‘Sacred Moments’

AS WE APPROACH THE 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the launch of the Reformed Journal Editor Jeffrey Munroe’s Telling Stories in the Dark—Jeffrey writes this wise, heartfelt column about the sacred nature of sharing such stories with others.

U.S. officially corrects the record on the Tulsa Race Massacre

AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY, federal investigators finally have released an in-depth report forever reframing the history Americans can accurately tell about the tragedy of letting racism run completely out of control. That’s what happened on a massive scale in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the summer of 1921. In this story, Editor David Crumm explains how to find and read this new official report—and how to understand its historic context in American life.

Holidays & Festivals

On World Religion Day, Baha’is encourage appreciation of other faiths

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS EXPERT Stephanie Fenton begins her coverage, this week, with a story about this annual Baha’I festival that promotes peaceful interfaith relationships.

Ethiopia’s colorful festival of Timkat

WHILE MOST OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD already has celebrated the annual festival of Jesus’s baptism, Ethiopia’s ancient Christian church follows a different calendar—so those colorful umbrellas and festive processions that herald that annual Christian holiday are coming this week. Stephanie Fenton has the story about the festival the Ethiopians call Timkat—one of the rare times each year when global TV-news cameras shine a light on good news from that region of Africa.

WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

Faith & Film

Highlighting good films you might miss otherwise.

Our online magazine has specialized for many years in covering news about religious and cultural diversity as reflected in new books, holidays & festivals and films. In 2024, our long-time Faith & Film columnist Edward McNulty died and we mourned his passing. As we start 2025, we will be publishing occasional columns in this space contributed by our many writers—as well as links to some of Ed’s past reviews as those films become timely again. This week, we are publishing a movie recommendation by Gail Brookshire, who was involved in the production of George A. Mason’s 2023 book, The Word Made Fresh.

Here’s an indie documentary worth seeking out

LEAP OF FAITH—Gail encourages all of us who care about bridging the chasms in American culture to learn more about the documentary Leap of Faith—no, not that old 1992 comedy by Steve Martin. This is a relative new, indie film by Nicholas Ma and Morgan Neville and it’s well worth the effort to find—or to schedule—a showing.

Cover Story: Remembering Jimmy Carter (1924-2024) and his deep faith that peace is possible

Our last interview with former President Carter in 2012 focused on his Christian faith

OUR COVER STORY, this week, is timed to coincide with our national time of mourning this remarkable world leader—both during his time in office as the American President and in his decades after leaving Washington D.C. Please share this inspiring interview with Carter via social media—to honor his memory and to spread his message that biblical values still matter in our world today.

This week’s memorial schedule: On Tuesday January 7, Carter’s body will be taken from the Carter Center in Georgia to he U.S. Navy Memorial, where he will be carried via a horse-drawn caisson to the U.S. Capitol. He will lie in state until the morning of Thursday January 9, which is the official “national day of mourning” and a federal holiday. Washington National Cathedral will host the state funeral service on January 9 with a eulogy by President Biden. After the funeral, Carter’s body will be transported back to Georgia on a military flight where he will travel by motorcade to Maranatha Baptist Church for a private funeral service with his family and close friends. After that service, Carter’s remains will be taken by motorcade back to his home for a private burial.
.

What is the religious makeup of the new Congress?

Pew finds it’s still more Christian than the American population

MSU SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM BIAS BUSTERS founder Joe Grimm summarizes the latest data from Pew Research about the religious makeup of the new U.S. Congress.

Holidays & Festivals

Debuting Stephanie Fenton’s 2025 Global Calendar!

EVERY JANUARY, we know our readers around the world are waiting to see Stephanie Fenton’s “new” calendar of religious and cultural holidays, festivals and observances. Stephanie is unique among journalists globally in her ongoing, in-depth reporting about this always-moving, always-changing calendar that ranges from “moveable feasts” and holidays to unusual anniversaries and festivals.

WHO USES THIS CALENDAR? We’ve heard, over the years, from chaplains, social workers, media professionals, HR directors, school employees, civic leaders and a host of other professionals who use this annual calendar to chart their own community cycles in the year ahead.

PLEASE, take a look at this new calendar—and email us at [email protected] if you spot any typos—or if you find a “missing” holiday or festival or anniversary that’s especially important to you. We appreciate your kindness in alerting us to such updates that can improve the usefulness of our coverage.

Photos to Spark Your Spirit

PHOTOGRAPHER AND AUTHOR RODNEY CURTIS has just sent us this “love letter” of a column, pulling together some of his most memorable photographs from 2024. You don’t want to miss this colorful adventure!

Our Annual Best Stories Roundup—Highlighting the Top 10 stories you told us you enjoyed—and shared with friends—in 2024

‘You’ve got to read this!’

THAT’S WHAT WE HOPE OUR READERS say to their friends when we produce each weekly issue of our online magazine. Since 2007, we have published more than 900 of those “weekly issues” (meaning a fresh lineup of stories each Monday on our ReadTheSpirit.com front page). This week—as we do at the end of each year—we look back across our previous 51 issues and we highlight 10 stories that really got our readers talking in 2024! Please, enjoy this annual Top 10 list and remember to keep sharing these inspiring and thought-provoking stories with friends as we move into the New Year 2025.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from all of us—and Quentin Schultze and Michele Sider

A Rare Convergence of Hanukkah and Christmas

HOW RARE IS IT?—Most years, Hanukkah “coverage” in our magazine comes well before our Christmas “coverage.” Because the Jewish lunar calendar drifts back and forth in comparison to our secular calendar, this year’s first night of Hanukkah at sundown on Christmas Day is exceedingly rare. In the past 100 years, this convergence has occurred only in 1959, 2005 and now in 2024. This year, in so many ways, our world is markedly different than it was a year ago—so we have devoted three weekly issues of our magazine to highlighting important, timely themes in both Christian and Jewish traditions.

Let’s start with how media expert Quentin Schultze draws 20 ‘life lessons’ from ‘A Christmas Story’

IF THAT IDEA SOUNDS ASTONISHING—20 lessons from a single 94-minute holiday movie—then you’ve got to read this half of our holiday-week Cover Story. Did you know that this little 1983 “sleeper” of a movie now ranks for many as the No. 1 Christmas Movie of all time? And did you know that the man behind that movie—author Jean Shepherd—had some serious wisdom he wanted to impart with all the nostalgic humor? Please enjoy this story and share it with friends on social media! (And yes, we have included the TV-schedule information about the Christmas Story movie marathons coming up this week.)

Then, Artist Michelle Sider’s Special Hanukkah letter: ‘Let There Be Light This Holiday Season’

IN THIS MARVELOUS illustrated column, artist Michelle Sider writes about the many ways that her concern about our fragmented—and often dark—world has led her to a vocation of finding and illuminating sources of light. In addition to her “letter,” you can enjoy selections of her work. Please, read this and share it with friends on social media.

Holiday Gift Giving—

Whatever your holiday—
we’ve got a great book for that!

OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING MARKETING GURU SUSAN STITT is also an expert gift consultant! Anyone who has known Susan over the years, knows she’s got an instinct for perfect pairings of loved ones with just the right present to give for … well, for whatever holiday you’re celebrating at the end of this year. Please enjoy her Front Edge Publishing column this week, packed with lots of options grouped by general themes. Thanks, Susan, for this wonderful one-stop shopping list!

Visit us at Bluesky

Editor David Crumm and marketing guru Susan Stitt already are a part of the relatively new Bluesky social media app—and so are an ever-growing number of our writers. We look forward to seeing what you can add to this new online hub to make it feel more like a welcoming community. So, please read this Front Edge Publishing column, which explains what we’re doing on Bluesky—and provides easy links for you to come join us.

Faith & Film

Click on the movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of The Man who Invented Christmas.

Ed McNulty’s Favorite Christmas Films

ED McNULTY, for decades, published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film.

Here are some of his recommended Christmas movies that you might have overlooked:

THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017)—The film captures well what Dickens meant when he wrote, “Christmas is about hope that, in the end, our better natures will prevail.”
THE HOLDOVERS (2023)—If you missed it a year ago, this 5-star movie is easy to stream this December.
JOYEUX NOEL (2005)—Ed especially enjoyed this dramatized version of the famous World War I Christmas Truce of 1914.
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)—He also was a strong supporter of the now classic, British holiday ensemble.
ELF (2003)—And, like most of us, he always loved and recommended Elf.

Remembering Our Friend’s Prophetic Voice

ED McNULTY (1936-1924) was nationally known as a pioneer in film criticism with his prophetic style of “Faith and Film” reviews. To read more about his life—we know you will enjoy this obituary and remembrance of his remarkable life.

Much like Roger Ebert’s wife Chaz and their friends have continued to maintain his online database of film reviews—ReadTheSpirit.com magazine has decided to maintain Ed’s substantial body of work, including these 100s of his faith-and film reviews. In today’s world of streaming, viewers may choose to enjoy these films anytime. In addition, we will continue to highlight faith-and-film themes that Ed enjoyed.

Cover Story: As we gather with loved ones, how do we talk about the hardest stuff we’re facing?

Father and Daughter Howard and Emily Brown Show Us How They’re Doing It This Year

IN THIS SPECIAL COVER STORY, we focus on one of the universal truths as families gather for year-end holidays: In addition to joyous celebrations, our gatherings surface hard stuff—from misunderstandings to feuds, from new disabilities to losses of those who once were part of our circles.

How can we talk about the truly tough stuff? In this cover story, we’ve got a remarkable model for such conversations from Shining Brightly author and columnist Howard Brown in Michigan and his daughter Emily, who now is a TV journalist based in Montana. Howard has decided to pause his very popular weekly podcast—also called Shining Brightly like his memoir—because he is in the midst of a life-and-death struggle with aggressive leukemia. This is the third time that this nationally known patient advocate has grappled with deadly long-odds cancer himself. At the moment, he is trying to hang on—living one day at a time in an isolated hospital room, hoping that his chemo is working and that a bone marrow transplant in early 2025 can save his life.

Before Howard took his break from producing his weekly podcast, he published a special episode that he and Emily have titled “Climbing the Mountain.” Since this podcast went public a few days ago, Howard has received messages from friends and colleagues nationwide asking if they can share this father-daughter conversation with others. “Of course you can share it anywhere you want,” Howard says from his hospital room. “That’s why we recorded this—in the hope that people who listen may find their story reflected in our story.”

A Rare Convergence of Hanukkah and Christmas

This year, in so many ways, our world is markedly different than it was a year ago—so we will be devoting three weekly issues of our magazine to highlighting important, timely themes in both Christian and Jewish traditions. Stay tuned, because some of the stories coming your way are wonderfully moving!

You may find yourself wanting to quote from our stories, this month, or share the entire columns with friends via social media. We welcome such sharing, by the way, and publish under Creative Commons so that you can easily do so! If you are moved to help spread our stories, then we’ve done our job as a community of authors dedicated to bringing true “light”—honesty, compassion, clarity and resilience—into our world.

Here are the basics—

AUTHOR RUSTY ROSMAN compares Christmas and Hanukkah, explains why these two are not “just the same thing.” But, ultimately, she concludes there is a core value we do share across our faiths: Love of family. It’s a great “explainer” to share with friends.

BACK ON NOVEMBER 15 was the start of the 40-day Orthodox Nativity Fast—an ancient tradition in Eastern Orthodox churches as their millions of members prepare for Jesus’s birth in December.

ON DECEMBER 1, “Western Christians”—Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans—began their Advent season, often including the lighting of Advent wreaths.

Then, two special stories of unexpected interfaith sharing—

The wonders of the Honels’ Christmas tree.

MUSICIAN AND EDUCATOR ELAINE GREENBERG writes about how an unlikely childhood invitation to help decorate her neighbors’ Christmas tree led to a lifetime appreciation of religious diversity.

How our Jewish friend showed my wife and I the perfect gift to avert a Christmas tragedy

EDITOR DAVID CRUMM writes about “an interfaith miracle” in which a wise Jewish friend—the author Rusty Rosman—saved the traditional family Christmas for David’s extended family. Such holiday creativity sometimes moves in truly mysterious ways!

Holiday Gift Giving—

Robert Cornwall recommends Sanctuary

ARE YOU PART OF ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF CONGREGATIONS nationwide working toward inclusion of LGBTQ friends in the coming new year? As a pastor who has led a congregation through this transition, author and columnist Robert Cornwell strongly recommends this new book to other Christians who share in a more welcoming New Year’s Resolution. He writes, in part: “A book like this can prove very helpful to congregations seeking to move toward a more open and inclusive position.” You can read Cornwell’s full review at his website, Ponderings on a Faith Journey.

Got children on your list?

WHETHER SHOPPING FOR HANUKKAH OR CHRISTMAS, Editor David Crumm recommends that parents and grandparents discover the wonders of the late great Tove Jansson, whose Moomin stories have been re-envisioned as a series of gorgeous hardcover picture-books. In two Goodreads reviews, he explains how these stories were favorites in his own childhood—and can be delightful experiences with kids in families of any faith today, as well.

Review of Tove Jansson’s Who Will Comfort Toffle?

And, a review of Jansson’s The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My
.

Whatever your holiday—
we’ve got a great book for that!

Visit us at Bluesky

Faith & Film

Click on the movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of The Man who Invented Christmas.

Ed McNulty’s Favorite Christmas Films

ED McNULTY, for decades, published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film.

Here are some of his recommended Christmas movies that you might have overlooked:

THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017)—The film captures well what Dickens meant when he wrote, “Christmas is about hope that, in the end, our better natures will prevail.”
THE HOLDOVERS (2023)—If you missed it a year ago, this 5-star movie is easy to stream this December.
JOYEUX NOEL (2005)—Ed especially enjoyed this dramatized version of the famous World War I Christmas Truce of 1914.
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)—He also was a strong supporter of the now classic, British holiday ensemble.
ELF (2003)—And, like most of us, he always loved and recommended Elf.

Remembering Our Friend’s Prophetic Voice

Cover Story: An Unusual Convergence Highlights 2024’s Version of ‘The December Dilemma’

This Year’s Convergence of Hanukkah and Christmas Has Happened only Three Times in 100 Years

COVER STORY: Our Front Edge Publishing house and our weekly online www.ReadTheSpirit.com magazine celebrate religious and cultural diversity and, after nearly two decades, we have published authors from more than a dozen world faith traditions. We are internationally known for this unique community of writers—so, it’s always a challenge in December to balance the publication of magazine stories about both Christmas and the comparatively minor Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

However, with antisemitism rising dangerously around the world, we know the cultural friction of this annual “December Dilemma” calls for more than just a reminder of civil etiquette in 2024.

Most years, Hanukkah is earlier in December and our columns explain that, no, it’s not “the Jewish Christmas.” And, no, despite images in popular culture like holiday movies and TV specials, most Jewish families do not celebrate both holidays. In fact, Hanukkah is a celebration of religious freedom and it’s one of the most universally observed milestones in Jewish families each year. (Pew Research says 80 percent of Jewish families own a menorah and light at least one menorah each year.)

Most years, Hanukkah “coverage” in our magazine comes well before the heart of Christmas “coverage.” Because the Jewish lunar calendar drifts back and forth in comparison to our secular calendar, this year’s first night of Hanukkah at sundown on Christmas Day is exceedingly rare. In the past 100 years, this convergence has occurred only in 1959, 2005 and now in 2024.

Stay tuned, because some of the stories coming your way are wonderfully moving! You may find yourself wanting to quote from our stories, this month, or share the entire columns with friends via social media. We welcome such sharing, by the way, and publish under Creative Commons so that you can easily do so!

If you are moved to help spread our stories, then we’ve done our job as a community of authors dedicated to bringing true “light”—honesty, compassion, clarity and resilience—into our world.

Let’s Start with the Basics from Rusty Rosman

Then, here’s how a savvy Mom tackled the December Dilemma

AUTHOR and STANDUP COMIC RABBI BOB ALPER shares with us a wonderful story that already is a favorite with readers of his books. This classic true story is called simply, “Mrs. Steinberg’s Christmas Tree.” If you’re a parent or grandparent, you’ll definitely smile at little “Bobby’s” clever Mom!

All Christians now are preparing for Christmas

ON DECEMBER 1, “Western Christians”—Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans—began their Advent season, often including the lighting of Advent wreaths.

Whatever your holiday—we’ve got a great book for that!

Roll up your sleeves and visit us at Bluesky

Faith & Film

Click on the movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of The Man who Invented Christmas.

Ed McNulty’s Favorite Christmas Films

ED McNULTY, for decades, published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film.

Here are some of his recommended Christmas movies that you might have overlooked:

THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017)—The film captures well what Dickens meant when he wrote, “Christmas is about hope that, in the end, our better natures will prevail.”
THE HOLDOVERS (2023)—If you missed it a year ago, this 5-star movie is easy to stream this December.
JOYEUX NOEL (2005)—Ed especially enjoyed this dramatized version of the famous World War I Christmas Truce of 1914.
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)—He also was a strong supporter of the now classic, British holiday ensemble.
ELF (2003)—And, like most of us, he always loved and recommended Elf.

Remembering Our Friend’s Prophetic Voice

COVER STORY: Remembering educator Harold Heie’s art of helping Americans to talk constructively with each other, even in tough times.

Harold was a Bridge Builder who Devoted Himself to Teaching Civility

THIS WEEK’S COVER STORY begins this way—NOVEMBER 2024—To Dr. Harold Heie, our friend: This is a heart-felt salute to your remarkable life. We’ve lost you just when your gifts are needed so urgently in the deeply divided America that we know you loved so much. Please enjoy our memories of Dr. Harold Heie’s timely wisdom about constructive conversations—and share it with friends this week via social media. Although he has died, Dr. Heie’s work lives on through his books, which we highlight in this column.

Are you inspired, right now, to take a positive step toward greater civility? Get a copy of Dr. Heie’s book, Reforming American Politics—and you’ll also be helping his wisdom to live on.

And a Bridge Builder Who Continues to Promote Civility Every Day—

AUTHOR and JOURNALIST JEFFREY MUNROE lives out values very similar to those that Dr. Harold Heie taught—through the pages of the online Reformed Journal magazine and through a series of books Jeff and his team are publishing under their Reformed Journal Books banner. In this timely column in Reformed Journal, Jeff reassures us that we can continue to build healthy communities if we work together. The column makes Jeff’s case for continuing to support his team’s ongoing work in publishing—so we encourage all of our readers to consider his wise words this week. He headlines this column aptly: You are not alone!

Celebrating three messengers of hope

GodSigns columnist Suzy Farman writes about three friends—all connected in a circle of hope that includes the wedding in this photo.

What a ‘Grand’ idea for a New Year’s Resolution!

AUTHOR RUSTY ROSMAN has been helping families nationwide with her new book, Two Envelopes. So, we know her book is a terrific New Year’s Resolution for people you love who would like to let their families know what they want to unfold after they die. We know! That sounds somber, but just read this new article about Rusty’s work—as featured in Grand magazine—and you’ll understand how helpful this can be.

Roll up your sleeves and visit us at Bluesky

Editor David Crumm and marketing guru Susan Stitt already are a part of the relatively new Bluesky social media app. We look forward to seeing what you can add to this new online hub to make it feel more like a welcoming community. So, please read this week’s Front Edge Publishing column, which explains what we’re doing on Bluesky—and provides easy links for you to come join us.

Two fresh perspectives on the future of Bluesky

THE GLOBAL JURY IS STILL “OUT” on the future of Bluesky (and the earlier Threads, for that matter). Here are two recent perspectives that may help you make your own choices about Bluesky:

Washington Post, headlined “X is Elon’s world. Threads is a mess. Is Bluesky any better? The virtual town square, once framed by Twitter, is now fragmented as people flee to bluer pastures.”

New York Times, headlined “Bluesky, Smiling at Me—Bluesky has a hint of the old Twitter magic, but the feeling of freedom it offers might be even better.”

Holidays & Festivals

All Christians now are preparing for Christmas

NOW, ON DECEMBER 1, “Western Christians”—Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans—began their Advent season, often including the lighting of Advent wreaths.

THEN, THIS WEEK ON DECEMBER 6: Millions of Christians, especially many families in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas Day—recalling the compassionate bishop who modeled the generosity of our contemporary Santa Claus.

WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

Faith & Film

Click on the movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of The Man who Invented Christmas.

Ed McNulty’s Favorite Christmas Films

ED McNULTY, for decades, published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film.

Here are some of his recommended Christmas movies that you might have overlooked:

THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017)—The film captures well what Dickens meant when he wrote, “Christmas is about hope that, in the end, our better natures will prevail.”
THE HOLDOVERS (2023)—If you missed it a year ago, this 5-star movie is easy to stream this December.
JOYEUX NOEL (2005)—Ed especially enjoyed this dramatized version of the famous World War I Christmas Truce of 1914.
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)—He also was a strong supporter of the now classic, British holiday ensemble.
ELF (2003)—And, like most of us, he always loved and recommended Elf.

Remembering Our Friend’s Prophetic Voice

Link