One-year anniversary of COVID-19 closings

Day1’s Great Preaching Is Now in Book Form

Thank God for media ministries like Peter Wallace’s Day1, the network that has been sharing regular inspiration through American radio stations—and now the Internet—since the end of World War II. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Peter and his team were well-equipped as long-time veterans in providing virtual pulpits to the most talented men and women in ministry.

Now, as the world reaches the historic milestone of a year without in-person church services—at least in many parts of the world—Peter reminds us of one spiritual lifeline we need to preserve and promote: the fine art of preaching. The book’s title comes from a stirring Diana Butler Bass sermon, Bread Enough for All.

Please read our cover story and share it with friends. In this story, you’ll learn a lot about the reach of Day1’s media ministry—and you’ll find a preview of some of this book’s gems.

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Soaring in the World of Golf, a God Signs story

COLUMNIST SUZY FARBMAN, this week, invites us into the world of golf for a story of a young man who was determined to play at the highest levels on the amateur side of the game—and wound up rubbing shoulders with the greatest in the game.

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Holidays & Festivals

Purim: Heroism, happiness & cookies, too!

STEPHANIE FENTON tells the story of Purim with links to a couple of our other writers, including a delicious hamantaschen recipe from Bobbie Lewis. Enjoy!

Lent: Christian Season of Reflection

MOST AMERICAN CHRISTIANS have entered the season of Lent that leads to Easter, as our Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton reports. Orthodox Christians will begin their Great Lent in March. This is often a season when men and women enjoy inspirational reading and Susan Stitt recommends some great reading in our Front Edge Publishing column.

NEW FROM MARILYN McENTYRE FOR LENT is a book that is sure to delight anyone who loves to reflect on great writing. Forty common phrases, like “going about our business,” become doorways into 40 lectio divina-style reflections, perfect for daily spiritual reflection. We asked Marilyn to write a column about the story behind this new book—and she did.

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WANT TO SEE ALL THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just visit  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 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. MANGROVE—Ed writes, “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.”
2. 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.
3. LONG TIME COMING: A 1955 BASEBALL STORY—Ed also recommends a documentary about a breakthrough in race relations in 1955 involving black and white Little League teams.
4. 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.“
5. DARA OF JASENOVAC—”Every year another filmmaker reveals new aspects of the Holocaust. Peter (Predrag) Antonijević’s Oscar-nominated film reveals that a vast number of Serbs also perished with other victims of Nazi hatred. This is the first film set in the Croatian extermination camp Jasenovac.”
6. SIR—Ed writes, “You don’t have to be a romantic to love director-writer Rohena Gera’s gently paced story of love between an upper-class Indian man and a widowed servant. This French-Indian production is set mostly in a modern apartment in Mumbai, but the question it raises in its tag line, Is Love Enough, is universal.”
7. FANNIE LOU HAMER on YOUTUBE—Ed headlines this column, 3 Books on Racism and a YouTube Video. This really is the story of Ed’s own recent reading and viewing (via YouTube) about the history of the civil rights movement and racism in America. As long-time readers know, Ed was personally involved in that movement many decades ago and had several experiences himself with civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer.
8. PIECES OF A WOMAN—Ed writes, “Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó’s first English-language feature is for those who prefer a study of marital and in-law relationships to endless cycles of chases and things blowing up.”
9. NOMADLAND—Ed give this 5 stars and writes, “Frances McDormand, optioning Jessica Bruder’s 2017 nonfiction book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century writer, made a wise choice when she joined forces with director/writer Chloé Zhao.”
10. LAND—Five stars also go to this film. “Actress Robin Wright made a wise decision in choosing screenwriters Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam to write the script for her directorial debut. Her story of a grieving women seeking escape in the solitary wilderness of the mountains, only to discover the need for community is one of the best films I have seen for reigniting hope during this time of pandemic.”.

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