Cover Story: Consider the Courage of Celebrating Hanukkah in Jewish Families This Year

With a worldwide rise in antisemitism,
the Hanukkah lights can become community affirmations

COVER STORY—Jewish families know that Hanukkah is a relatively minor festival each year, heightened across the U.S. because of its proximity with Christmas. “It’s not the Jewish Christmas,” Jews tell non-Jewish friends each December. “Hanukkah is a celebration of religious freedom.”

And that’s also why, many of our writers—Jewish and non-Jewish alike—are adding a special message this year: With a horrifying rise in hate crimes—community affirmations of our Jewish neighbors are so important. Since our founding in 2007, our publishing house has been proud to produce books with men and women from many different faith traditions, including two dozen Jewish writers.

Over the past week, 10 of those Jewish writers sent us personal notes about the deep resonance of Hanukkah this year. Please, read this cover story and share it with friends as a way to spread a little peace and hope and awareness of our religious diversity, this week. If you want to take a further step, we have added links to these authors’ books. Consider expressing your own affirmation of our religious diversity by giving a friend or loved one a book by one of these authors—or by enjoying one of their books yourself.

ALSO—FROM OUR HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton, we have this overview of customs surrounding Hannukah, which begins on Thursday, December 7, this year. Stephanie adds to our Hanukkah coverage, especially with links to latke recipes and family activities.

And Even More Holidays & Festivals

A St. Nicholas Update—

AS WE REPORTED EARLIER, this year’s December 6 Feast of St. Nicholas represents a historic milestone for fans of the “St. Nicholas Center”—the vast database of St. Nicholas fun that Michigan-based Carol Myers has been offering to families around the world for many years. This year marks the moving of Carol Myers’ St. Nicholas resources to its permanent home at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Check out our earlier story, describing the big move and a new exhibition on St. Nicholas the seminary will be dedicating on December 17.

THE UPDATE: Many readers asked us, last week, if the seminary will be streaming the dedication events on December 17 so fans of St. Nicholas everywhere can watch this milestone. The answer is: Yes! The seminary staff suggests that anyone interested in streaming the event should visit the VTS homepage that day, where they will find a link.

And—the meaning of “Advent”—

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 was the official start of the Western Christian Christmas season. As usual, Stephanie Fenton’s column about Advent also includes links to other helpful online resources. Want to create an Advent Wreath or an Advent Calendar yourself? She’s got us covered.

And—Posadas Navidenas—

COMING IN MID-DECEMBER is the Hispanic community-wide tradition of “Las Posadas,” a centuries-old reenactment of Jesus’ family coming to Bethlehem in search of a place to stay.

Buddhists celebrate with lights as well

ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 8, THIS YEAR, Buddhists celebrate light with a holiday known as Bodhi Day (or, in Zen Buddhism, Rohatsu). Stephanie Fenton has that story for us, as well.

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

Click on this movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of Disney’s newest animated film.

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:

WISH—Ed writes, “This new Disney musical fairytale pays reference to traditional classics of the studio but rejects their paternalism by focusing upon a young woman who is not waiting for a prince to come to her rescue.”
SHIFT—“What an incredible combination of sci-fi, faith and romance writer/director Brock Heasley serves up in this utterly engrossing film!“
RUSTIN—Ed writes, “The overlooked civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), often called the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, is finally getting his due, thanks to the new film directed by George C. Wolfe.”
JOAN BAEZ: I AM A NOISE—Ed urges us to see this new film and writes, “Like most of my generation, I loved Joan Baez, her clear soprano voice uniting us as we listened to her at civil rights events or played her records alone in our rooms at night sometimes so drawn in that we sang along.”
ANATOMY OF A FALL—”French director-cowriter Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall is a fascinating courtroom drama that will leave you wondering.”
THE HOLDOVERS—Ed gives 5 stars to this unusual “Christmas movie” about a disgruntled teacher (Paul Giamatti) stuck with students who can’t go home for the holidays.
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM—Ed writes, “Director/co-writer Adam Anders and writer Peter Barsocchini have served up an interesting Nativity Story by combining the Gospel accounts of Christ’s birth and then adding to them a lot of fanciful material that includes singing and dancing.”
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE—Of this four-part Netflix series, based on the best-selling novel, Ed writes, “I fell under its spell and found it hard to wait for the next episode.”

COVER STORY: Two good deeds in one—Please, give the gift of reading this holiday season

Support Our Community of Authors while Shining Your Light in Our World

WHETHER YOU CELEBRATE HANUKKAH or CHRISTMAS—we know you’re looking for gifts for family and friends. This year, please consider a “double gift.” By that we mean: Giving “our books” not only will light up the lives of your loved ones, as they read, but your purchases also will help support our community of writers, whose creative energies flow through these books.

Holidays & Festivals

A St. Nicholas Update—

AS WE REPORTED LAST WEEK, this year’s December 6 Feast of St. Nicholas represents a historic milestone for fans of the “St. Nicholas Center”—the vast database of St. Nicholas fun that Michigan-based Carol Myers has been offering to families around the world for many years. This year marks the moving of Carol Myers’ St. Nicholas resources to its permanent home at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Check out our story, last week, describing the big move and a new exhibition on St. Nicholas the seminary will be dedicating on December 17.

And—the meaning of “Advent”—

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3 is the official start of the Western Christian Christmas season. As usual, Stephanie Fenton’s column about Advent also includes links to other helpful online resources. Want to create an Advent Wreath or an Advent Calendar yourself? She’s got us covered.

Hanukkah takes on a solemn resolve this year

WITH A RISE IN ANTISEMITISM WORLDWIDE, Jewish families will be lighting their Hanukkah candles with a solemn resolve to protect religious freedom, this year. Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has the story—as well as links to creative resources for everything from latkes to creating a crafts with kids.

A Check Up May Save Your Life

HOWARD BROWN, author of Shining Brightly, is widely sought after as a motivational speaker on finding the resiliency to fight cancer—hard-earned wisdom after having survived State IV cancer twice! From December 4 through 8, this year, Howard also is serving as an ambassador spreading the news of “Cancer Screen Week.” This program, co-sponsored by such major organizations as the American Cancer Society and Stand Up to Cancer, provides free resources, educational materials and online graphics to help promote screening.

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

Click on this Netflix poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of the new film, Rustin.

Click on this image to explore the November 2023 issue of Visual Parables Journal, packed with film reviews and discussion guides of movies including Killers of the Flower Moon, My Sailor My Love, Nowhere and The Life of Bayard Rustin.

Faith & Film

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

RUSTIN—Ed writes, “The overlooked civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), often called the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, is finally getting his due, thanks to the new film directed by George C. Wolfe.”
PLUS—Ed has written a second column about the challenges of rediscovering Rustin’s crucial role in the civil rights movement.
JOAN BAEZ: I AM A NOISE—Ed urges us to see this new film and writes, “Like most of my generation, I loved Joan Baez, her clear soprano voice uniting us as we listened to her at civil rights events or played her records alone in our rooms at night sometimes so drawn in that we sang along.”
ANATOMY OF A FALL—”French director-cowriter Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall is a fascinating courtroom drama that will leave you wondering.”
THE HOLDOVERS—Ed gives 5 stars to this unusual “Christmas movie” about a disgruntled teacher (Paul Giamatti) stuck with students who can’t go home for the holidays.
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM—Ed writes, “Director/co-writer Adam Anders and writer Peter Barsocchini have served up an interesting Nativity Story by combining the Gospel accounts of Christ’s birth and then adding to them a lot of fanciful material that includes singing and dancing.”
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE—Of this four-part Netflix series, based on the best-selling novel, Ed writes, “I fell under its spell and found it hard to wait for the next episode.”
THE UNKNOWN SAINT—”Moroccan screenwriter and director Alaa Eddine Aljem’s first feature film was his nation’s entry into the Oscar race in 2021. And a worthy one it is, serving as a drolly comic morality tale of greed and human planning gone awry.”
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON—”We are indebted to master filmmaker Martin Scorsese that during the process of co-writing this film he switched from making it a police procedural show centered on a white detective and focused instead on the Osage Indians who were being victimized by the greed of their white neighbors.”
MEDICINE MAN: THE BRIAN BROCK STORY—”In director Paul Michael Angell’s documentary, we discover a man whose concern for health care has benefitted hundreds of thousands of people, even though he was not a doctor.”

Where can we find St. Nicholas this December? Try the Virginia Theological Seminary

World’s Largest St. Nicholas Database Is Moving

Virginia Theological Seminary’s exhibit is ready for the December 6 Feast of St. Nicholas

THIS WEEK, WE ARE CELEBRATING WITH ALL THE WORLD’S ST. NICHOLAS FANS—and in particular we are celebrating with our long-time friend, educator and writer Carol Myers in Holland, Michigan, the creator of the world’s largest database of online St. Nicholas resources.

Please, read our cover story this week and share it with friends who may enjoy marking St. Nicholas Day on December 6 as a way to remember some of the heroic lessons of this saint beloved by millions around the world. If you enjoy this story, please share it on social media or via email. Spreading a little good news like this is especially appreciated in our troubled world, these days.

Holidays & Festivals

Happy Thanksgiving!

OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH, IN CANADA, already have celebrated their Thanksgiving. Now, it’s time for Americans to dig into the traditional feast—while expressing our gratitude for all we have received. Our Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has the story, plus—as always—Stephanie has added some delicious links to online recipes and links to DIY family activities, as well.

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

And More Good News From Our Authors—

Laura Elizabeth invites readers to decorate their Christmas trees with a bit of island magic.

WE’RE ALWAYS INSPIRED BY OUR AUTHORS’ CREATIVITY and, just in time for Christmas, we are impressed that cozy mystery author Laura Elizabeth is offering an array of Christmas tree ornaments as well as beautiful color photographs—all suitable as holiday gifts for the cozy mystery lover on your shopping list.

Howard Brown

You might see this man smiling from your airline seat

Howard Brown’s story featured in two European magazines for travelers

HOWARD BROWN, author of the popular, inspirational memoir Shining Brightly, is a great example of the way our community of authors reaches out around the world. In this news story, we explain why Howard’s smiling face may turn up in an airline seat pocket, facing you this holiday season if you’re flying into Europe.

Click on this movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of The Holdovers.

Faith & Film

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

THE HOLDOVERS—Ed gives 5 stars to this unusual “Christmas movie” about a disgruntled teacher (Paul Giamatti) stuck with students who can’t go home for the holidays.
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM—Ed writes, “Director/co-writer Adam Anders and writer Peter Barsocchini have served up an interesting Nativity Story by combining the Gospel accounts of Christ’s birth and then adding to them a lot of fanciful material that includes singing and dancing.”
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE—Of this four-part Netflix series, based on the best-selling novel, Ed writes, “I fell under its spell and found it hard to wait for the next episode.”
THE UNKNOWN SAINT—”Moroccan screenwriter and director Alaa Eddine Aljem’s first feature film was his nation’s entry into the Oscar race in 2021. And a worthy one it is, serving as a drolly comic morality tale of greed and human planning gone awry.”
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON—”We are indebted to master filmmaker Martin Scorsese that during the process of co-writing this film he switched from making it a police procedural show centered on a white detective and focused instead on the Osage Indians who were being victimized by the greed of their white neighbors.”
MEDICINE MAN: THE BRIAN BROCK STORY—”In director Paul Michael Angell’s documentary, we discover a man whose concern for health care has benefitted hundreds of thousands of people, even though he was not a doctor.”
MY SAILOR, MY LOVE—”Director Klaus Härö’s film could be seen as a variation on the classic story Beauty and the Beast, with James Cosmo’s grumpy, retired sea captain Howard a good stand-in for the Beast.”
NOWHERE—”Director Albert Pintó’s film is a paean to motherhood, a story in which a timid woman discovers an indomitable will to survive, not for herself, but for her new-born child who is totally dependent upon her.”
FLORA AND SON—”Director/writer John Carney has given us a delightful ode to mother-son relationship.”

COVER STORY: Ready for Christmas? Kara Eidson’s ‘Stay Awhile’ reminds us that hospitality is a divine pursuit

How will your family celebrate this season?

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK IS SO TIMELY! Why is it so timely? Not only does the Christmas season begin for the world’s 2.4 billion Christians with the start of the Eastern Orthodox Nativity Fast on November 15—but our tragically divided world needs the message Kara Eidson is sharing: Hospitality.

Hospitality is one of the oldest sacred values shared by the world’s great religious traditions and it’s the central theme of this new pre-Christmas guidebook to individual daily reflections, group discussion—and fun congregational activities. Please read this cover story in which Editor David Crumm is joined by the Rev. Megan Walther in talking with Kara Eidson about how the creative ideas in this book just might help heal divided communities. And, when you’re done reading, don’t miss the short video by Kara—and, please, share this whole message of hope with friends this week via social media and email.

Why a cozy mystery, like ‘All Is Now Lost,’ is a perfect holiday gift!

WE’VE GOT A GREAT HOLIDAY IDEA FOR YOU: Did you know that cozy mysteries are a red-hot gift-giving idea in 2023? It’s true. And, in this week’s Front Edge Publishing column, we share several good reasons that Laura Elizabeth’s brand-new Book 1 in The Island Mysteries series is perfect for someone on your shopping list.

Planning for the Holidays?

Our authors want to help—

HOWARD BROWN, author of the popular, inspirational memoir Shining Brightly, is a great example of the way our community of authors want to help you make the holidays special. As our regular readers know, Howard is one of our many Jewish writers—but for Christmas as well as Hanukkah this year Howard is offering to create custom-written bookplates for gift giving. All you have to do is order a copy of Shining Brightly from Amazon.

Then, visit Howard’s website and write him a note on his Contact page (there’s a “contact” link in the upper-right corner). Tell Howard what. you would like your author-autographed bookplate to say for your holiday gift giving. He will mail it to you well before Hanukkah or Christmas—or whatever holiday gift-giving occasion you’ve got on your horizon. Need a “host gift” for a New Year’s party? Act right now and you’ll have a uniquely memorable gift to share.

Holidays & Festivals

From the East: The ancient tradition of the Nativity Fast begins

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15—The American Thanksgiving is still be around the corner, but millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe are turning toward the season of Jesus’s birth—which they refer to as the Nativity—with the start of the Nativity Fast. Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has our story.

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

Click on the movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of the Netflix film ‘All the Light We Cannot See’

Click on this image to explore the new November 2023 issue of Visual Parables Journal, packed with film reviews and discussion guides of movies including Killers of the Flower Moon, My Sailor My Love, Nowhere and The Life of Bayard Rustin.

Faith & Film

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

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE—Of this four-part Netflix series, based on the best-selling novel, Ed writes, “I fell under its spell and found it hard to wait for the next episode.”
THE UNKNOWN SAINT—”Moroccan screenwriter and director Alaa Eddine Aljem’s first feature film was his nation’s entry into the Oscar race in 2021. And a worthy one it is, serving as a drolly comic morality tale of greed and human planning gone awry.”
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON—”We are indebted to master filmmaker Martin Scorsese that during the process of co-writing this film he switched from making it a police procedural show centered on a white detective and focused instead on the Osage Indians who were being victimized by the greed of their white neighbors.”
MEDICINE MAN: THE BRIAN BROCK STORY—”In director Paul Michael Angell’s documentary, we discover a man whose concern for health care has benefitted hundreds of thousands of people, even though he was not a doctor.”
MY SAILOR, MY LOVE—”Director Klaus Härö’s film could be seen as a variation on the classic story Beauty and the Beast, with James Cosmo’s grumpy, retired sea captain Howard a good stand-in for the Beast.”
NOWHERE—”Director Albert Pintó’s film is a paean to motherhood, a story in which a timid woman discovers an indomitable will to survive, not for herself, but for her new-born child who is totally dependent upon her.”
FLORA AND SON—”Director/writer John Carney has given us a delightful ode to mother-son relationship.”

Cover Story: Our partnership with Reformed Journal to debut with the inspiring ‘Telling Stories in the Dark’

Our publishing house welcomes these compassionate Christian voices of resilience and hope

COVER STORY—Today, Front Edge Publishing is joining with the new Reformed Journal Books in unveiling the cover of our first joint venture in what both teams of media professionals hope will become an ongoing series bringing readers thoughtful, helpful books for individual reflection, group discussions and educational programs.

Please read this story and share this good news with friends via social media and email. That small act—sharing our stories—spread a bit of hope and healing in our troubled world. Please, help us spread this good news.

From our authors—

Howard Brown, George A. Mason and Suzy Farbman

Encouraging Spiritual Resilience in a Time of Darkness

THE THEME OF SPIRITUAL RESILIENCE is central to the ongoing work of many of our writers. We are especially proud of the interfaith range of responses to the troubles in our world right now.

So first, we want to thank many of our friends for sending us messages of encouragement about our ReadTheSpirit cover story last week by Howard Brown, titled: Our Hearts Are Heavy, but We Must Keep Sharing Our Light with Others. Addressing the overwhelming violence globally and the rise in hate crimes across the U.S. is a challenging mission and Howard Brown walks a careful line in that cover story, pointing out practical ways we all can continue to do good work in our world. Of course, Howard has been involved in international peacemaking and interfaith work for many years as a representative of various Jewish organizations. Thank you, Howard, for your ongoing work!

SECOND, George A. Mason, author of the new Word Made Fresh, this week added a unique online meditation and prayer from his Christian perspective. George was in Israel when the attack from Gaza was launched, so feels especially close to that conflict. If you click on this link, you will jump to the first page of George’s multi-page reflection. Thank you, George!

And a final “thanks” as well to more than a dozen of our writers who have personally emailed our home office this week, asking how they can help to share some kind of positive message.

THIRD: Our longtime GodSigns author and columnist, Suzy Farbman, writes this week about an important truth about this journey through grief: It is long. We need to remember and honor that truth as we reach out to our neighbors. Please read and share Suzy’s column with friends, as well.

Dr. David Gushee

‘The Kingdom Ethics Podcast is Back!’

WITH THOSE WORDS, Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee announced this week to his readers around the world that he is rejoining “my indefatigable protégé and friend Jeremy Hall … for an informal discussion about the various topics in my new book, Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies. If you listen in, maybe it’s almost like joining a book club discussion about the book. The first episode is here—or is available wherever you listen to podcasts.”

On October 1, our ReadTheSpirit interview with Dr. Gushee focused on this important new book. For a deeper dive into Dr. Gushee’s global approach to Christian ethics, you’ll want a copy of Introducing Christian Ethics, a unique book that also includes audio and video from Dr. Gushee.

Holidays & Festivals

Light up the darkness! It’s Diwali.

MORE THAN A BILLION PEOPLE celebrate the Indian festival of lights, including observances in the United States. Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Feton has the story for us.

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

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

BROTHER OUTSIDER: THE LIFE OF BAYARD RUSTIN—Ed recommends that we look back and watch this 2003 film—as background for the upcoming biopic Rustin, which hits theaters November 3 and is streamed on Netflix the 17^th.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON—Ed writes, “We are indebted to master filmmaker Martin Scorsese that during the process of co-writing this film he switched from making it a police procedural show centered on a white detective and focused instead on the Osage Indians who were being victimized by the greed of their white neighbors.”
MEDICINE MAN: THE BRIAN BROCK STORY—”In director Paul Michael Angell’s documentary, we discover a man whose concern for health care has benefitted hundreds of thousands of people, even though he was not a doctor.”
MY SAILOR, MY LOVE—”Director Klaus Härö’s film could be seen as a variation on the classic story Beauty and the Beast, with James Cosmo’s grumpy, retired sea captain Howard a good stand-in for the Beast.”
NOWHERE—”Director Albert Pintó’s film is a paean to motherhood, a story in which a timid woman discovers an indomitable will to survive, not for herself, but for her new-born child who is totally dependent upon her.”
FLORA AND SON—”Director/writer John Carney has given us a delightful ode to mother-son relationship.”
FREETOWN—”Director Garrett Batty’s is a faith film but not one that preaches at you. His script, which he wrote with co-writer Melissa Leilani Larson, tells the true story of a small group of Liberian Morman missionaries caught up in one of the civil wars that ravished that nation.”
SIMPLE JUSTICE—”This 1993 docudrama from the PBS series American Experience is a wonderful history lesson filling in the details of the Supreme Court’s decision that knocked down the separate-but-equal decision.”
FREMONT—”Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali’s film about a refugee from Afghanistan is the second immigrant or refugee film that I have seen within the same week. But it is as different from The Swimmers as possible.”
THE SWIMMERS—Ed highly recommends this film, based on a true story, about “two teenage girls who were among the Syrians forced to flee their war-torn nation and risk the dangerous waters of the Aegean Sea.”

COVER STORY: Our Hearts Are Heavy, but We Must Keep Sharing Our Light with Others

‘They hate me—but they don’t even know me.’

COVER STORY—From the opening of Howard Brown’s special ReadTheSpirit Cover Story this week …

Our world is imploding and exploding—all at the same time. Where I live in the Midwest, we still are reeling from the trauma of two vulnerable neighbors murdered in their homes.

So, this week, all of our ReadTheSpirit community of readers and writers are taking a moment from our regular weekly coverage to reflect on the challenge we all face of confronting hate—and renewing our hope and constructive community relationships even in the midst of horror, violence and sorrow.

Please read this special cover story—and consider the suggestions Howard makes for sharing a message of resilience and hope.

Holidays & Festivals

Remembering the Saints!

THE AMERICAN CELEBRATION OF HALLOWEEN may have all but obscured the spiritual roots of this powerful Christian milestone—a call to remember the saints—but Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton writes about the full sweep and power of these observances. For example: Did you know that Dia de los Muertos is far more than a spooky Mexican-American observance? For millions of families, it is an annual call to remember all those who have passed.

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

Click on the movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of Killers of the Flower Moon.

To learn more, click on this cover image from the October 2023 issue of Visual Parables Journal, edited by Edward McNulty and packed with reviews and discussion guides to movies, including The Swimmers, Amerikatsi, Fremont and Flora & Son.

Faith & Film

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

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON—Ed writes, “We are indebted to master filmmaker Martin Scorsese that during the process of co-writing this film he switched from making it a police procedural show centered on a white detective and focused instead on the Osage Indians who were being victimized by the greed of their white neighbors.”
MEDICINE MAN: THE BRIAN BROCK STORY—”In director Paul Michael Angell’s documentary, we discover a man whose concern for health care has benefitted hundreds of thousands of people, even though he was not a doctor.”
MY SAILOR, MY LOVE—”Director Klaus Härö’s film could be seen as a variation on the classic story Beauty and the Beast, with James Cosmo’s grumpy, retired sea captain Howard a good stand-in for the Beast.”
NOWHERE—”Director Albert Pintó’s film is a paean to motherhood, a story in which a timid woman discovers an indomitable will to survive, not for herself, but for her new-born child who is totally dependent upon her.”
JOURNEY to BETHLEHEM and RUSTIN—Ed also previews these two movies available in November that he urges us not to miss.
FLORA AND SON—”Director/writer John Carney has given us a delightful ode to mother-son relationship.”
FREETOWN—”Director Garrett Batty’s is a faith film but not one that preaches at you. His script, which he wrote with co-writer Melissa Leilani Larson, tells the true story of a small group of Liberian Morman missionaries caught up in one of the civil wars that ravished that nation.”
FREMONT—”Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali’s film about a refugee from Afghanistan is the second immigrant or refugee film that I have seen within the same week. But it is as different from The Swimmers as possible.”
THE SWIMMERS—Ed highly recommends this film, based on a true story, about “two teenage girls who were among the Syrians forced to flee their war-torn nation and risk the dangerous waters of the Aegean Sea.”

COVER STORY: Peggy Fletcher Stack and Kathleen Peterson invite families to explore ‘A World of Faith’

It’s a inspiring, eye-opening ‘family gift’ for the holidays!

COVER STORY—Have you already started your holiday shopping this year? A World of Faith is the perfect gift for individuals young and old—especially for families who welcome learning more about the inspiring, colorful diversity of our world’s many faith traditions. In fact, the book’s endorsements include a glowing recommendation by former president Jimmy Carter, who knows a bit about global peacemaking. Please enjoy this interview with the author and share this story with friends, this week.

Author Peggy Fletcher Stack tells us, “This book gives me hope—and my hope now is that children and parents and grandparents and teachers will be moved toward hope as they explore these pages.”

We heartily agree—and hope for interfaith peacemaking is sorely needed in our world right now!

News from Our Authors—

Suzy Farbman—

A GodSign from the natural world on a lake in Switzerland

OUR BELOVED GodSigns columnist Suzy Farbman returns from a journey to Europe with a story about an auspicious connection she made while visiting Switzerland.

Martin Davis—

A Creative Opening at Barnes & Noble

WE CONTINUE TO BE THANKFUL for the initiative by Martin Davis and other authors who are working with a Barnes & Noble store in Virginia. They have collectively demonstrated the value of organizing local author events within a BN store. Lots of our readers asked for more information about what’s happening with Barnes & Noble nationally to allow such regional innovation. Our Front Edge Publishing story, this week, reports further evidence of BN management’s commitment to local innovation. Please read this story and share it with friends to encourage further regional experiments with authors.

Howard Brown—

SPECIAL THANKS TO PODCAST LISTENERS who helped Howard Brown, this week, “blow way past” the milestone of 20,000 downloads we were marking in last week’s column, headlined: “Howard Brown’s Top 10 Tips for Building a Successful Podcast.”

And thanks to everyone who helped to amplify the news of that Top 10 column. It’s packed with helpful information for anyone who already has a podcast or is thinking about launching one. Many of our readers helped to spread the news about that column.

THIS WEEK, Howard keeps the sunshine flowing via his podcast by welcoming an expert on contemporary dating and the eternal search for True Love. You can enjoy that podcast No. 49 by visiting Howard’s website and clicking on “What Is True Love?”.

Holidays & Festivals

Pope Francis reminds us of St Thérèse of Liseux’s ‘Little Way’

LEAVE IT TO THE VATICAN to add a bit of an arcane historical reference to one of Pope Francis’s most eloquent apostolic letters. We explain more about Francis’s inspiring message—and the historical reference—in our Holidays & Festivals column.

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

Click this movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of the film Flora and Son.

Faith & Film

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

THE ORIGIN OF EVIL—Ed writes, “The title of Sébastien Marnier’s intriguing thriller sounds like a metaphysical treatise examining the Genesis myth of the Fall, but it is far more prosaic, focusing upon the patriarch of a wealthy family and a long-lost illegitimate daughter trying to reconnect with her father.”
FLORA AND SON—”Director/writer John Carney has given us a delightful ode to mother-son relationship.”
FREETOWN—”Director Garrett Batty’s is a faith film but not one that preaches at you. His script, which he wrote with co-writer Melissa Leilani Larson, tells the true story of a small group of Liberian Morman missionaries caught up in one of the civil wars that ravished that nation.”
FREMONT—”Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali’s film about a refugee from Afghanistan is the second immigrant or refugee film that I have seen within the same week. But it is as different from The Swimmers as possible.”
THE SWIMMERS—Ed highly recommends this film, based on a true story, about “two teenage girls who were among the Syrians forced to flee their war-torn nation and risk the dangerous waters of the Aegean Sea.”
THE INVENTOR—”The title of the new film by writer Jim Capobianco (and co-director with Pierre-Luc Granjon) refers to the 16th century genius Leonardo da Vinci, voiced in this delightful, animated film by Stephen Fry.”
THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER—”André Øvredal’s horror film is based on just one chapter, the Captain’s Log, from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel Dracula.”
WAR SAILOR—”Norwegian director/ writer Gunnar Vikene has given us a grim visual parable about an overlooked group of World War II combatants—Norwegian merchant sailors drafted into the war effort when Germany invaded their country.”