Today, We’re Launching a New Resource for Caregivers & Families

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DISCOVER FRESH IDEAS, INSPIRATION, NEWS—AND INVITATIONS TO LEARN FROM EXPERTS.

APRIL 2021 marks the launch of a permanent resource-section within ReadTheSpirit magazine—which we will pack with helpful news, week by week, for America’s more than 50 million unpaid caregivers. We hope you’ll help us spread the news by sharing a simple Web address to find the stories and other resources in this new section. You can get there on any online device simply by typing in: www.CaregiversPortal.com

What’s new this week?

Visit this Caregivers home page right now and you’ll find:

• AN INVITATION FROM AUTHOR BILL TAMMEUS to sign up for a free Zoom class he’s teaching on April 22, 2021, about “How to Write Your Spiritual Will.” That’s a unique opportunity to spend time learning from this veteran journalist and wise teacher.
• ALSO, WE’VE GOT NEWS ABOUT THE VALUE OF MEDITATION for often-stressed caregivers. This story—both in text and audio versions—is part of the Journalism Solutions Network that is focusing on publishing news about the challenges of caregiving.
• FINALLY, YOU CAN SEE VIDEO of our nationwide launch event for the book Now What? A Guide to the Gifts and Challenges of Aging. This 49-minute video has now become a free online resource. It’s an information-packed video you can share, featuring brief messages from experts who can help you spark discussions in your family, community or congregation about caregiving.

PLEASE? Visit the Caregivers home page—and invite friends to join you. It takes just a moment to share this news via social media or email. As a result, you could raise fresh interest in helping caregivers in your community. (And, quite frankly, that’s all of us, because most Americans at some point in their lives will wind up as caregivers.)

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Holidays & Festivals

Planning Ahead for Ramadan

SOME REASSURING NEWS FOR MUSLIMS

STEPHANIE FENTON has the story about the world’s Muslim communities approaching their second fasting month of Ramadan under pandemic restrictions. Among the reassuring news reports: A British study indicates that last year’s Ramadan, which unfolded at the start of the pandemic, did not lead to an increase in COVID. Also, Muslim authorities are reassuring faithful families that continuing to receive vaccinations—even if an appointment falls during Ramadan—will not violate the strict fasting rules. This is a great column to share with friends and co-workers.

CARE TO READ MORE? We’ve got books related to Ramadan, including: The Beauty of Ramadan and Our Muslim Neighbors and 100 Questions and Answers About Muslim Americans with a Guide to Islamic Holidays..

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From Our Authors

Suzy Farbman: A Boy Finally Finds His Dream Car

THIS WEEK, God Signs columnist Suzy Farbman introduces to a “boy” who finally found his dream car, an Excalibur from famed designer Brooks Stevens, who developed products ranging from beer bottles and Harley Davison motorcycles to the contemporary Wienermobile.

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Martin Davis: ‘Don’t Count Titles. Count These Instead—’

JOURNALIST MARTIN DAVIS, author of an upcoming book about the wisdom of America’s high school coaches, published a column on his own website headlined What Every Parent Should Know Before Their Children Begin High School Sports. Marty reports to us that he was surprised at the immediate positive reaction to this column. We think you’ll appreciate his advice, as well, and may want to share it with friends.

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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 discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

1. CRIP CAMP—Ed writes, “Directors Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht have given us an inspiring stand up and cheer film about outsiders knocking and kicking at the door of society until at last it is opened.”
2. THE SOUND OF METAL—”Deserving of its Best Picture Oscar nomination, this is an immersive film centering on a musician going deaf.”
3. DOLLY PARTON: HERE I AM—”You don’t have to be a Dolly Parton fan to appreciate Francis Whately’s heart-felt documentary about the singer/song writer. The music alone should make it enjoyable, and the comments of a stage full of friends and admirers will add to your knowledge of the singer.” Related to this documentary film, which is streaming on Netflix right now, Ed also recommends a book about Dolly Parton. Here is his review of Unlikely Angel by Lydia Hamesseley.
4. THE DIG—“Director Simon Stone and writer Moira Buffini’s adaptation of John Preston’s fact-based novel deals with classism as well as archaeological excavation, friendship, and romance. Beautifully photographed, it could serve well as family entertainment in that one of the characters is a winsome boy eager to explore the world and who finds a substitute father in the main male character.”
5. MANGROVE—”Americans have Aaron Sorkin’s social justice film The Trial of the Chicago 7 and now our British cousins have Steve McQueen’s masterful Mangrove, the true story of The Mangrove Nine. Just as Selma led to the passage of major voting legislation by exposing the depth and violence of racism, so the trial of West African-Brits brought about similar exposure and passage of anti-racist legislation in the UK.” The film is streaming now for free on Amazon Prime in the Small Axe series of films.
6. VIA AMAZON: SEE THE ENTIRE ‘SMALL AXE’ SERIES—Ed also reviews and recommends other films in Steve McQueen’s series of films, which are clustered under the series title Small Axe on Amazon Prime. After Mangrove, Ed’s other Small Axe reviews are Lovers Rock, Red, White and Blue, Alex Wheatle and Education.
7. COME BEFORE WINTER—”There have been numerous films about the martyred German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but Kevin Ekvall’s  2017 docudrama gives us an unusual take on him by pairing his story with that of a British team commissioned to broadcast anti-Hitler views and false stories to deceive the enemy.” The film also is streaming on Amazon.
8. BOOGIE—”Director/writer Eddie Huang comes up with a new twist for a basketball film—a Chinese-American player. Alfred ‘Boogie’ Chin (Taylor Takahashi) is the player living in Queens, New York.”
9. BOBBY JO: UNDER THE INFLUENCE—This is a thrilling documentary, well produced by Brent L. Jones, his wife Donna, and a skilled team of local cinematographers. It’s about the real-life hero Bobby Jo Reed, who moved from homeless to helper of hundreds.
10. BLACK EARTH RISING—”NetflixWriter/director Hugo Blick’s suspenseful eight-part political thriller is set in the aftermath of the horrible Rwandan genocide of the 90s.“

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