Responding to ‘The Uncertainty and Mystery’
COVER STORY—As Americans nationwide cope with the anxiety and disruption of Coronavirus, The New York Times points out that our world lacks a strong unifying figure to calm fears as FDR once did during the Great Depression. Countering that inspirational void, many journalists and writers are working hard to find and lift up such inspiring, unifying voices every day.
LINCOLN’S WISDOM FROM MAINE
‘WE MUST RISE WITH THE OCCASION’ From Maine—where author Duncan Newcomer broadcasts his weekly public radio series Abraham Lincoln: Quiet Fire—Duncan is highlighting Lincoln’s response to deadly epidemics. Our ReadTheSpirit special issue, this week, begins with the text of Duncan’s two upcoming episodes. Please, share this story—and others on our front page this week—with friends and co-workers.
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BIAS BUSTERS:
FIGHT THE VIRUS, NOT EACH OTHER
HEROIC JOURNALISTS—One of the journalists working every day to reduce fear and combat bigotry is MSU School of Journalism’s Joe Grimm, the head of the Bias Busters teams that have produced more than a dozen books to provide fair, accurate and balanced information about racial, ethnic, religious and gender minorities. Please, read our Front Edge Publishing column this week about Joe’s work and you will discover an amazing daily resource for celebrating our cultural diversity. After you’ve read that column—share it with a friend.
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FROM ITALY: ‘FAITH IN A TIME OF CORONAVIRUS’
From Italy’s hard-hit northern region, Elisa Di Benedetto has been writing (and even appearing on U.S. radio) talking about Faith in a Time of Coronavirus. Other journalists are helping Elisa collect—and publish excerpts—of inspiring messages about spiritual resources that can help us to cope in such dire times. Elisa is a co-managing director of the International Association of Religion Journalists and is leading this effort because the IARJ’s core mission is sharing encouragement and timely story ideas with other journalists. Please, read the latest collection of these words of spiritual wisdom at the IARJ website.
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FROM WASHINGTON D.C.:
A HYMN OF GRACE
WHAT GOOD CAN COME FROM D.C.? In fact, there’s a lot of spiritual wisdom in Washington, including the ongoing work of teacher and author Benjamin Pratt. Like Elisa Di Benedetto in Italy, Ben (and his wife) live in a virtual “petri dish”—a senior-living community that is widely regarded as a high-risk setting during such a pandemic. You can see from Ben’s books on his Amazon author page that one of his pastoral specialties is caregiving—so Ben wrote this inspiring reflection on living in a season of fear. He reminds us: We certainly aren’t the first to face such seasons! In fact, great teachers—and songwriters—of the past can help us to remember that the surest antidote to fear is a return to thankfulness.
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FROM GEORGIA:
‘We Need Each Other Now More Than Ever’
DR. DAVID GUSHEE continues to teach his Sunday School class, even though his church in Georgia is like so many nationwide that have physically closed their doors temporarily. Dr. Gushee, the author of the landmark book about Christian inclusion Changing Our Mind, spoke with a reporter from Word & Way, a Missouri-based Christian magazine, about the importance of remaining connected as congregations. His class will now meet virtually for a few weeks. “I believe that we need each other now more than ever,” Gushee told Word&Way. “When I heard that our congregation was canceling church meetings for many weeks, I felt that if I didn’t right away arrange for our class to meet (at the exact same time as usual) this first week apart, that we would never do it. I wasn’t willing to let that happen.”
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DAY1’s JOB 1: BROADCASTING HOPE
A NATIONAL NETWORK OF HOPE—Want more messages of hope? Listen to the Day1 radio network, hosted by Peter Wallace for the best of mainline Protestant preaching in a radio series that stretches back 75 years! Also, beyond the audio and video at Day1, you’ll always find inspiring columns on the front page of the network’s website. (In fact, you’ll occasionally find “shout outs” to ReadTheSpirit writers.) This week on Day 1’s front page, you’ll find the full text of an inspiring sermon by the Rev. Mandy Sloan McDow, based in Los Angeles and one of the leading United Methodist preachers of our time. You’ll also find the thoughtful message from Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to his denomination. And, you’ll find one of an ongoing series of meditations from the best-selling author Frederick Buechner. Lots to enjoy at Day1!
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GOT 60 SECONDS? GET CLEAN!
NO KIDDING! This little video is going—ahhh, well, we won’t say “viral” anymore, will we? Spotted from the World Health Organization by our Publisher John Hile, it takes just a minute to watch—and it will change the way you wash your hands forever! (If you don’t see a video screen below, then hop over to YouTube to see it there.)
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Holidays & Festivals
Click this cover to visit Amazon.
A MEMORABLE LENT
A PERFECT YEAR FOR ‘OUR LENT’—Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton reported on the start of Lent recently for 2 billion Christians: “With Lent quickly approaching and Easter on the horizon, Western Christians enter the season of repentance.” (Click to read more.)
The annual observance of Lent—the season of spiritual reflection leading to Easter—is growing across the U.S. Around the world, 2 billion men and women mark Lent as a part of the Christian calendar.
If you’re looking for an inspiring book to read day-by-day along your own Lenten journey this year, we recommend Our Lent: Things We Carry.
These 40 daily stories by David Crumm highlight 40 “things” that Jesus and his followers encountered in the final days of his life, which is the biblical story Christians remember as Easter approaches. Then, each chapter connects the Bible lesson with our own daily lives—as well as the lives of men and women who are celebrated in our culture, including the spiritual writer Thomas Merton, the actress and singer Judy Garland, the country musician Merle Haggard and even the beloved Cat in the Hat.
St. Patrick without a Parade
HOLIDAYS COLUMNIST STEPHANIE FENTON has the story with links for recipes you can enjoy at home, even some books and other resources you’ll enjoy as you Think Irish this week.
Equinox / Ostara / Nowruz
‘WELCOME SPRING!’ That’s what people are saying across the Northern Hemisphere, marked by the vernal equinox. Though the names and specific rituals differ, the theme throughout all of the above holidays is joy in the promises of new life; a specific joy that comes with the spring season. As the darkness of winter lifts, communities rejoice.
Care to see all of our Holidays & Festivals columns? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the address InterfaithHolidays.com
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FAITH & FILM
HOMEBOUND?
TRY SPIRITUAL STREAMING
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 are these 10 recommending movies that are guaranteed to lift your spirits—and are available for streaming right now via Amazon and/or Netflix. (Psst! This list of 10 actually recommends a full dozen films.)
- A MAN NAMED OVE—“This quirky parable might be saying that Universe is not as cold and indifferent to our fate as some believe.” (Currently streaming free on Amazon Prime)
- BABE—Although there are still adults who have not seen Babe because they mistakenly think that it is “just a children’s film,” many more have discovered that both the humor and the insights into relationships make this a film literally for “children of all ages.” (Rent on Amazon Prime)
- BAGDAD CAFE—”This wonderful visual parable of grace grew out of a trip that German filmmaker Percy Adlon and his wife Eleonore made across the U.S. in 1984.” (Rent on Amazon Prime)
- ECHO IN THE CANYON—”Director Andrew Slater has assembled a galaxy of musicians and uses Grammy award-winning musician Jakob Dylan as his host to demonstrate the timelessness of these songs.” (Stream on Netflix; rent on Amazon Prime)
- FIDDLER ON THE ROOF—Why not relax with a true classic? (Streaming free on Amazon Prime) And, if you really love the movie—you can also watch Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles, because the 2019 documentary can now be rented on Amazon Prime. (Rent on Amazon Prime)
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON—I love it when I come across another peacemaking film, especially when unexpectedly, as in such films as Babe, the Iron Giant, and now this one—all of them so-called “children’s films.” (Rent on Amazon Prime) And, while you’re at it, you can stream the sequel as well: How to Train Your Dragon 2, which Ed also recommends. (Rent on Amazon Prime)
- A LITTLE CHAOS—”This beautiful costume drama is about a female garden architect taking on the assignment of designing and supervising the building of an important part of the lavish gardens of the new Versailles residence that King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman) is building just outside of Paris.” (Stream on Netflix; rent on Amazon Prime)
- MARY POPPINS RETURNS—”Although she seems a bit more reserved than an angel, the umbrella air-born Mary Poppins is a good stand-in for one for the Banks family in the two movies about her.” (Stream on Netflix; rent on Amazon Prime)
- THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING—”The title of director James Marsh’s biography of the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is taken from the scientist’s quest to discover the one equation that will account for the existence of the universe. Quite an ambitious undertaking!” (Stream on Netflix; rent on Amazon Prime.)
- THE TWO POPES—”Brazilian director Fernando Merilles makes theological discourse exciting in this speculative film about the encounters between Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) and Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins).” (Stream on Netflix)
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