A Sanctuary in the Heartland—
‘This Book is a Gift’

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK is a podcast—an audio conversation in this case—produced by the veteran podcaster Ken Kemp, who uses the signature line: “Beached White Male.” In recent years, through his podcasts and columns, Ken has explored the ever-growing circle of communities that embrace inclusivity as a part of their expression of God’s love. Ken’s message is one of hope—that we don’t have to react to change by feeling left behind, isolated or “beached.” In fact, as Ken puts it, God’s love is broad enough to make room for all of us.

As a podcaster, Ken has a welcoming voice, a storyteller’s talents and a masterful way of unfolding interviews with his guests. That’s especially true in this recent podcast-conversation with Dr. Thomas Wassink, co-author of the new book: Sanctuary.

Intrigued? Well, we can tell you: This new book is a valuable companion for the tens of thousands of congregations nationwide that are currently in the process of trying to become more inclusive. Please, listen to Ken Kemp and Dr. Thomas Wassink talk about Sanctuary’s unique journey—and, when you’re done, please share this week’s Cover Story with friends across social media and email.

In these deeply divided times, we all can use some good news about cordial, inclusive communities.

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And More from Our Community of Writers—

Weekly doses of inspiration for resilient living boost the Shining Brightly podcast

WE’RE ALL CELEBRATING, this week, two rare milestones author Howard Brown has reached with his weekly podcast, Shining Brightly. Coincidentally, he reached more than 200,000 listener downloads the same week he published his 100th episode. Please enjoy a special, inspirational “solo” message from Howard in this podcast, which you can hear along with our story about his achievement.

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Intrigued by the flames on this new book cover?

THIS WEEK, WE’RE UNVEILING the visually striking cover of Jonathan Grimm’s upcoming book, The Future Poor—How Families and Communities Can Join Together to Survive the Looming Retirement Crisis. Our Susan Stitt writes this Front Edge Publishing column about the timely nature of Jonathan’s book—and the practical help families will find in these pages. Plus, we’ve got a short video clip that unveils the entire book cover designed for us by Art Director Rick Nease, which soon will be showing up on Amazon and other quality booksellers’ websites. And we’ve got a fresh link in this column to learn more about Jonathan himself—and the new free Grim News service he’s providing to families nationwide.

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Holidays & Festivals

Sukkot

THE ANNUAL JEWISH HARVEST FESTIVAL OF SUKKOT is one of the most beloved family observances as grandparents, parents and children set up temporary shelters, also called “booths” or “sukkahs,” to remember God’s long legacy of providing for families. For this Sukkot, author Rusty Rosman writes about a very unusual keepsake in her family—a piece of woven roofing made 120 years ago by a young Jewish couple who picked and fashioned the reeds from a river in southeast Michigan.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Here are some of Ed’s final reviews:

• THE BEAR—Ed writes about why The Bear has become such a beloved TV series.
• CHESLEY BONESTELL—If you’re a nostalgic fan of science fiction, you’ll definitely want to see this documentary about the remarkable artist who envisioned the far-flung scenes that showed up in many sci-fi classics. Today, Bonestell is known as the “Father of Modern Space Art.”
• GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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Thanks to George A. Mason’s The Word Made Fresh

THIS WEEK’S COVER STORY comes to us from the heart of Texas by journalist, educator and health-care advocate Ann Worley who writes about how a new book—George A. Mason’s The Word Made Fresh—has inspired her congregation in an ongoing way. While a very “local” story, this is an important reminder to all of us about the influence of the millions of small groups spread across America’s more than 350,000 congregations. In this year of especially deep, public divisions among Christians, the idea of warm and inspiring conversations about the Bible seems like pretty good news to many of us!

Thanks, Ann—and thanks to Ann’s friends in her congregation—for sharing this story with all of us! We now invite our readers to enjoy this Cover Story—and then to share this story with friends across social media. In that process, we all are contributing in small but important ways to the health of our communities nationwide.

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And More from Our Community of Writers—

Sanctuary—

The story of Sanctuary church is Coming Out this week

OUR TRIO OF FRIENDS IN IOWA who tell their true story in the memoir, Sanctuary, have reached their own official Coming Out day. This “official book launch date” was chosen to coincide with the annual observance of National Coming Out Day this week. Please enjoy this multimedia story—complete with a short video, a book review and an overview of this congregation’s powerful story—and then share a link to this story with your friends, perhaps to mark National Coming Out Day on Friday October 11.

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Suzy Farbman—

Jane Fonda shares wisdom on aging

GodSigns COLUMNIST SUZY FARBMAN writes about a recent talk that actress Jane Fonda gave about, among other things, the journey of aging.

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Joe Grimm—

Reviewing John Gallagher’s memoir, ‘Rust Belt Reporter’

SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2007, our publishing house has been based in Southeast Michigan, so we asked one of our long-time book editors—MSU Journalism’s Joe Grimm—to provide our readers a review of Detroit Free Press veteran John Gallagher’s wise new memoir of life in an American metropolis where everything seems to have gone wrong. However, through those decades, Gallagher kept looking for signs of a comeback and his book celebrates the real evidence Gallagher sees of Detroit’s revitalization. If you care about southeast Michigan, this is a memoir you simply should not miss.

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Holidays & Festivals

Yom Kippur

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS COLUMNIST Stephane Fenton writes about the timeless spiritual power of Yom Kippur, traditionally called the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Daesara, Dussehra or Vijayadashami

HOWEVER YOU MAY SEE THIS FESTIVAL’s name spelled, you will recognize it as a major Hindu festival enjoyed by families in India and in many other parts of the world—if you read Stephanie Fenton’s column.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Here are some of Ed’s final reviews:

• THE BEAR—Ed writes about why The Bear has become such a beloved TV series.
• CHESLEY BONESTELL—If you’re a nostalgic fan of science fiction, you’ll definitely want to see this documentary about the remarkable artist who envisioned the far-flung scenes that showed up in many sci-fi classics. Today, Bonestell is known as the “Father of Modern Space Art.”
• GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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A Lifetime Love of Family, Stories, Social Justice—and Cinema

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK shares stories from the life of Faith & Film Critic Edward McNulty—who eventually was called by his denomination “the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s favorite film critic.” He lived his life with a passion for social justice and the arts that he detailed for readers in magazines, books, workshops and sermons.

First, read this obituary and photo gallery researched and prepared by his family.

Then, read this personal reflection on his legacy by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm.

When you’re done, please take a moment to share these inspiring stories with friends via social media. That simple step helps to spread a bit more good news in our troubled world.

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And from our community of writers—

A Chaldean Catholic Celebration

PHOTOGRAPHER and AUTHOR Rodney Curtis invites us to accompany him on a photographic celebration with a Chaldean family, a rare opportunity to meet some of our neighbors who follow a Christian tradition that dates back millennia to the time and language of Jesus.

You definitely will enjoy Rodney’s gallery of photographs—but you may be intrigued by the references to Chaldean tradition. If so, we’ve got a book for that, produced by the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters project: 100 Questions and Answers about Chaldean Americans.

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A Circle of Spiritual Connections

I AM NOT SURE WHETHER AUTHOR BILL TAMMEUS was aware of this, but the late Ed McNulty was one of the Presbyterian readers who sent us a link to this article about the national Guns to Gardens program that was carried by the Presbyterian News Service this summer. Then, just as we were finalizing this week’s issue of ReadTheSpirit with Ed’s obituary, an author friend in Chicago, Chris Stepien, sent us a link to Bill Tammeus’ new column about this same program, Guns to Gardens—which is coming to Kansas City on October 12.

In editing this magazine, we pay attention to convergences of ideas like this and, in turn, we are recommending that you find inspiration in Bill’s column about Guns to Gardens, too. And—if you do read Bill’s column there’s a bonus at the end: Bill has added a “Book Corner” review of Chris Stepien’s new novel about Jesus’ mother Mary.

And so the circle of connections turns and turns. I realize that this was a long way of explaining why we’re linking to this column by Bill, today—but it illustrates the ongoing creative power of this national network of writers we represent. Thanks to everyone out there—Chris, Bill and the late Ed—for lifting up good news like this!

 

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Holidays & Observances

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Welcoming Rosh Hashana 5785

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton writes about the Jewish High Holidays starting this week.

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Dates of St. Francis Blessings Vary Every Year

SINCE THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS falls on a Friday this year (October 4), some congregations that offer blessings of animals are moving the event to other dates—including Sunday October 6 this year. If you enjoy these services, you may want to inquire early about blessings in your region. Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has our story for us.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Here are Ed’s final reviews:

• SCOOP—Faith-and-film critic Ed McNulty says this is a powerful dramatization of the British TV journalists who brought Prince Andrew to the BBC in 2019, talking about his experiences with child predator Jeffrey Epstein.
• AM I RACIST?—Ed warns viewers against what he describes as a deeply troubling film that currently is making the rounds across the U.S.
• THE BEAR—Ed writes about why The Bear has become such a beloved TV series.
• CHESLEY BONESTELL—If you’re a nostalgic fan of science fiction, you’ll definitely want to see this documentary about the remarkable artist who envisioned the far-flung scenes that showed up in many sci-fi classics. Today, Bonestell is known as the “Father of Modern Space Art.”
• WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT—Ed writes, “As Holocaust stories go, this is very mild, and thus a suitable film for introducing children to the subject.”
• GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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Two Authors Whose Faith and Conscience Move Them to Prophetically Help Others

THIS WEEK’s COVER STORY is actually a magazine-style collection of stories on a single theme: “When do our faith and conscience compel us to speak out?”

FIRST, we are featuring a unique conversation between bestselling Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee and his former student financial expert Jonathan Grimm, talking about the moral teachings of Jesus that should prompt millions of Americans to think about the deeply conflicted state of our nation and our world today.

This is a video conversation you’ll want to share with friends—and may find yourself quoting in coming weeks as we contend with the complex issues in this political season.

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SECOND, Jonathan Grimm is launching his own major new effort to help the millions of Americans who are facing a looming retirement crisis. That’s a situation that Grimm details in his new book, written in part because of the social conscience that his mentor Dr. Gushee helped to spark in him years ago. We can avoid that financial crisis, Grimm believes, if we understand more about the powerful financial, social and cultural forces that are pushing us toward that critical shortfall. AND—like his mentor Dr. Gushee—Grimm is committed to producing free weekly columns that will be valuable in helping readers nationwide understand the challenges we face. So, please, check out his new offering—The (free) Grimm News service—and please consider signing up yourself.

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THIRD, Dr. Gushee has issued a public challenge to men and women of faith and conscience nationwide to consider co-signing the “Christian Faith and Democracy” statement about core Christian values that call for “a multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-generational democracy, where every voice is valued and every person afforded the opportunity to participate fully and freely in the life of the community.” Original sponsors of this online effort include Jim Wallis through the Georgetown Center for Faith & Justice as well as Walter Brueggemann, Diana Butler Bass, Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, EJ Dionne, Adam Hamilton, Brian McLaren, Miroslav Volf—and, like Dr. Gushee, another member of our own community of authors: Bill Wylie-Kellermann. This letter was designed as specifically “Christian” so that it could serve as a direct counter to groups of “Christian Nationalists” who are calling for much different outcomes in the 2024 elections.

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THEN FOURTH, we have a review of Dr. Gushee’s new book about Jesus’ moral teachings by veteran journalist Bill Tammeus. In his review, Tammeus starts by citing the all-time-best-selling author about Christianity’s relevance in our world—C.S. Lewis. Then, Bill makes intriguing comparisons with Gushee’s book. Also, if you read to the end of Tammeus’ column—you will find a couple of other news items of moral concern in our troubled world.

Thanks Bill for your weekly contributions that so thoughtfully inspire and provoke us! If you missed it last week, you’ll also want to read Bill’s column about the legacy of “9/11.” Bill writes about this observance, each year, from the viewpoint of a family member of a loved one who perished that day. To read more of Bill’s reflections on the legacy of 9/11—including Bill’s powerful recommendations for “unplugging” extremism in America—get a copy of his memoir, Love, Loss and Endurance.(If you missed it, you’ll also want to read Bill’s column a week ago about the legacy of “9/11.”)

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Holidays & Observances

 

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Planning for Rosh Hashana 5785?

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton looks ahead to the Jewish High Holidays coming in less than a month from now.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• SCOOP—Faith-and-film critic Ed McNulty says this is a powerful dramatization of the British TV journalists who brought Prince Andrew to the BBC in 2019, talking about his experiences with child predator Jeffrey Epstein.
• AM I RACIST?—Ed warns viewers against what he describes as a deeply troubling film that currently is making the rounds across the U.S.
• THE BEAR—Ed writes about why The Bear has become such a beloved TV series.
• CHESLEY BONESTELL—If you’re a nostalgic fan of science fiction, you’ll definitely want to see this documentary about the remarkable artist who envisioned the far-flung scenes that showed up in many sci-fi classics. Today, Bonestell is known as the “Father of Modern Space Art.”
• WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT—Ed writes, “As Holocaust stories go, this is very mild, and thus a suitable film for introducing children to the subject.”
• GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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The world’s leading independent Catholic newspaper ‘has long punched above its weight.’

OUR COVER STORY, this week, features 4 short videos from the authors of a major new history of the world’s leading independent Catholic newspaper: The National Catholic Reporter. If you’re following headline news stories in autumn 2024, the timeliness of this new book is obvious. The roles of the Catholic church, Catholic teachings and Catholic culture are all showing up in front-page stories. So, please read about this remarkable new book that, overall, brings a message of “hope” that we all can use in our troubled world right now. And, also, share this story with friends who may want to know about this new book. By taking a moment to share this story via social media or email, you’re helping to spread the good news our writers are producing every week.

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And more from our writers—

 

What does it mean to be part of a ‘global conversation’?

IN OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING COLUMN, this week, Shining Brightly author Howard Brown writes about how our community of authors truly is reaching around the world. For example, in this week’s Cover Story (above), we point out that the new NCR book already is being promoted by booksellers from Australia to the UK. In this Front Edge column, Howard highlights the importance of a network he has joined that is broadcasting out of South Africa to connect and empower authors around the world.

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Turning masterpieces of architecture into a landscape of new music

THAT’S THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE COLUMNIST Suzy Farbman writes about this week in her GodSigns column. ‘Albert Kahn,’ a newly composed piano sonata recently debuted at Detroit’s iconic Fisher Building along with huge projected images of many of Kahn’s designs.

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Holidays & Observances

Remembering 9/11—

JOURNALIST and AUTHOR BILL TAMMEUS writes about marking the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. This year’s column is headlined “The failure behind 9/11 continues to produce a broken world.” Bill writes about this observance, each year, from the viewpoint of a family member of a loved one who perished that day. To read more of Bill’s reflections on the legacy of 9/11—including Bill’s powerful recommendations for “unplugging” extremism in America—get a copy of his memoir, Love, Loss and Endurance.

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Equinox, Mabon

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton writes about the traditions of welcoming fall by marking Mabon or the Equinox.

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Already planning for Rosh Hashana 5785?

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton looks ahead to the Jewish High Holidays coming in less than a month from now.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• SCOOP—Faith-and-film critic Ed McNulty says this is a powerful dramatization of the British TV journalists who brought Prince Andrew to the BBC in 2019, talking about his experiences with child predator Jeffrey Epstein.
• AM I RACIST?—Ed warns viewers against what he describes as a deeply troubling film that currently is making the rounds across the U.S.
• THE BEAR—Ed writes about why The Bear has become such a beloved TV series.
• CHESLEY BONESTELL—If you’re a nostalgic fan of science fiction, you’ll definitely want to see this documentary about the remarkable artist who envisioned the far-flung scenes that showed up in many sci-fi classics. Today, Bonestell is known as the “Father of Modern Space Art.”
• WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT—Ed writes, “As Holocaust stories go, this is very mild, and thus a suitable film for introducing children to the subject.”
• GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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Laura Elizabeth’s Personal Invitation to Return to the Little Island Where Mysteries Just Keep Washing Up

OUR COVER STORY, this week, comes in two parts as we celebrate the return of cozy mystery author Laura. Elizabeth’s friends on tiny Mongin Island off the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina. First, Laura herself updates us with a host of opportunities on the horizon from book appearances to four dinner-theater versions of her second mystery in Georgia in early 2025. That part of our Cover Story appears in our Front Edge Publishing website this week.

Then Second, Editor David Crumm has posted his own overview of this new novel, explaining in this Goodreads column why the cozy mystery formula is such a welcoming genre for so many readers.

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And more from our writers—

End of Summer Postcards from Rodney Curtis

ALL WE CAN SAY IS: You’ve simply got to visit author-and-photojournalist Rodney Curtis’s website to enjoy these gorgeous photographs from an end-of-summer Great Lakes getaway.

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Where on earth (and in the heavens) are all those people going?

ONE OF THE MAJOR RELIGION-NEWS TRENDS our writers have been following in recent years is the so-called “Rise of the Nones”—or, more properly, the rising tide of Americans who don’t give pollsters a specific religious affiliation. Now, 1 in 4 Americans are “unaffiliated.”

FIRST, we are linking, this week, to a very thoughtful overview of fresh Pew Research data by Calvin University scholar Debra Rienstra, which was just published by our colleagues over at the Reformed Journal. (We now co-sponsor the Reformed Journal Books publishing imprint, which debuted with Telling Stories in the Dark.) Debra’s September 7 headline is: Religious Churn in America—A New Study.

THEN, SECOND, please read about the little Illinois church that said, “Goodbye!” However—rather than simply vanishing without another word, the congregation and its pastor found their story going viral. MSU Bias Busters founder Joe Grimm writes about this story that’s sweeping the country—and the valuable lessons we all can take away from it.

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Holidays & Festivals

 

Already planning for Rosh Hashana 5785?

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton looks ahead to the Jewish High Holidays coming in less than a month from now.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• GOOD ONE—Ed highly recommends this indie coming-of-age film that unfolds over a hike in upstate New York.
• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• ALIEN: ROMULUS—Ed tells us this film is plenty scary in keeping with the Alien franchise.
• THE FABULOUS FOUR—Ed says we may enjoy this movie if we like typical comedies about “rambunctious senior citizens.”
• IT ENDS WITH US—“Director/star Justin Baldoni’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel starts as a passionately romantic tale that turns into a dark cautionary tale.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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 So how did this Michigan-based author transport herself so completely to this distant land?

OUR COVER STORY, this week, welcomes back our good friend and author Lynne Golodner—whose nonfiction work includes a book published by ReadTheSpirit about spiritual traditions related to bread. However, these days, she’s becoming better known as a novelist with a demanding book-a-year schedule. One year ago, we recommended Lynne’s first novel to our magazine’s readership (and, yes, there’s a link to learn more about that first novel at the end of this new Cover Story).

In the brand new Cave of Secrets, Lynne pulled off an astonishing feat for a novelist. She immersed herself sufficiently in Scottish life that she was able to set her suspenseful new tale in a multi-layered community that feels authentic to people who know their Scottish heritage.

First, please enjoy this Cover Story in which we asked Lynne to describe how she achieved this feat of authentic storytelling in an admittedly distant land.

And, then, ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm—who has deep family roots in Scotland—has posted his review of her novel on his Goodreads homepage.

So, you can learn more about how the novelist built this story—then learn why we think it’s so compelling. And, in the end, we hope you’ll order a copy of her book and tell your friends about this delightful tale.

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And more from our writers—

Congratulations to the ‘Sanctuary’ team in Iowa City

LAST WEEK, the courageous church in Iowa City where folks dared to move from their evangelical roots to become a fully inclusive Christian community that welcomes everyone celebrated their 25th anniversary and the start of a pre-sale period of their memoir, titled Sanctuary: Queering a Church in the Heartland. In this week’s Front Edge Publishing column, we tell you what happened as a result of that first week of support for this inspiring effort.

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Dr. David Gushee: Wrestling with American Values

‘Regarding Election 2024—Eight Things I see’

AS THE FALL 2024 ELECTION NEARS, the dozens of authors and journalists in our ReadTheSpirit community are naturally reflecting on moral issues and American values they see playing out in our deeply divided nation.

In this earlier issue of ReadTheSpirit, we featured columns from four of our writers, representing a range of perspectives about those issues. Then, last week, we published two more related columns.

This week, we are linking to a Baptist News Global column written by Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee, which he titled, “Regarding Election 2024—Eight Things I See.” We are hoping that, like the previous columns we have highlighted, Dr. Gushee’s approach to these issues might help spark constructive conversations among friends, family and small groups in congregations.

And if Dr. Gushee’s work on inclusion over the years has inspired you, then you may also want to read the latest book review on the theme of inclusion from our friend, pastor and author Robert Cornwall, who is recommending the new book The Widening of God’s Mercy, by Christopher and Richard Hayes. Along the way, Bob also includes another strong recommendation for Dr. Gushee’s Changing Our Mind. Thanks, Bob, for all you do in covering such helpful new books!

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Suzy Farbman: The Story of Timber Ridge

Sometimes, while creating a special place—we wind up creating our better selves.

IN HER GodSigns column this week, Suzy Farbman writes about “Timber Ridge”—a special farm and lake-side retreat that she and her late husband Burton created in northern Michigan. Along the way, they created memories that continue to shape their family.

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Holidays & Festivals

Labor Day is about more than trips, picnics and sales

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton writes this week about the history of the American tradition of Labor Day, and the ways that some mainline religious groups have tried to lift up moral issues concerning the treatment of workers.

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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

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• HAROLD and the PURPLE CRAYON—”Director Carlos Saldanha’s adaptation of the beloved 1955 children’s classic by Crockett Johnson gives us the adult version of the original series about a four-year old and his magical purple crayon who lives inside a book.”
• ALIEN: ROMULUS—Ed tells us this film is plenty scary in keeping with the Alien franchise.
• THE FABULOUS FOUR—Ed says we may enjoy this movie if we like typical comedies about “rambunctious senior citizens.”
• IT ENDS WITH US—“Director/star Justin Baldoni’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel starts as a passionately romantic tale that turns into a dark cautionary tale.”
• MY PENGUIN FRIEND—“I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
• SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison..

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