What coaches, veterans, a Civil War hero and President Biden can teach us about the values needed in our turbulent times

Martin Davis: Tim Waltz grapples with tough lessons great coaches understand

OUR COVER STORY COLLECTION OF COLUMNS begins, this week, with journalist Martin Davis—who literally wrote the book about the wisdom of America’s high school coaches—writing about some of the tough lessons former coach Tim Walz is grappling with now he’s in the national league of American politics.

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Joe Grimm: MSU Bias Busters can help as military culture collides with political posturing

MORE THAN 30 YEARS HAVE PASSED since two veterans squared off in an American vice presidential race—and MSU Bias Busters Director Joe Grimm writes about the difficulty of sorting out some of the confusing claims about military service. That potential for confusion is why his Bias Busters team devoted an entire guidebook to understanding veterans’ lives and culture.

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Duncan Newcomer: How a Civil War hero redefined American courage for our time

CIVIL WAR SCHOLAR DUNCAN NEWCOMER writes, this week, about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who is best known as one of the most courageously effective officers in the American Civil War—helping to turn the tide more than once at Gettysburg. Now, Duncan argues, it is time to recover post-war lessons about courage that Chamberlain taught in his career as an educator and community leader.

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Jeffrey Munroe: What Joe Biden has taught us about ‘the stewardship of pain’

JOURNALIST JEFFREY MUNROE, whose new book is about the spiritual resources people draw upon to live with trauma, writes this week about Joe Biden’s legacy—now that he has stepped out of the presidential race—as a man whose character is as important as his specific policies.

 

 

Inspiring News from Our Writers—

Suzy Farbman writes about ‘Miracle Girl’ Sofia Edmonds

IN THIS SECOND PART of her column about Sofia Edmonds, Suzy Farbman explains why friends have dubbed her a “Miracle Girl.” (Note: This second part also includes a convenient link to find Part 1, if you missed it.)

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Confused? Then let MSU Bias Busters Director Joe Grimm explain …

THIS IS A VISUAL REPRESENTATION of a condition shared by several million Americans. Soon, the Michigan State University Bias Busters team will be discussing this issue with men and women who know it well—to produce a new book in their award-winning series. This week, in our Front Edge Publishing column, Bias Busters Director Joe Grimm is asking for your help with this project.

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Holidays & Festivals

Krishna Janmashtami

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton writes about the worldwide Hindu celebration of the birthday of Lord Krishna.

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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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Click on this poster from the PBS documentary to begin reading Ed McNulty’s series of columns, which he has collected from his original journals of that landmark 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. As of this week, Ed has posted 4 parts of this series marking this 60th anniversary: First, here is Part 1; then here is Part 2; followed by Part 3; and then Part 4.

Faith & Film

Click on this cover shot from Ed McNulty’s August 2024 issue of Visual Parables Journal, packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This issue includes: Twisters, Sing Sing, Touch, My Penguin Friend and many more.

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:

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Cover Story: Chris Stepien says his newest biblical novel, ‘Disciples of Doubt,’ is an invitation for readers to discover God’s love

By learning more about Mary, Chris Stepien hopes readers will glimpse ‘God’s far larger world’

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK features an interview with a long-time friend of ReadTheSpirit—Chicago-based author Chris Stepien. In an inspiring conversation with Editor David Crumm, Chris shares his heart-felt journey from his work as an award-winning, secular media professional toward his new life as an influential Catholic novelist.

Please enjoy this glimpse of Chris Stepien’s spiritual and professional transformation—and please consider sharing this cover story with friends via social media and email. We know that there are thousands of readers out there who will be enjoying Chris’s latest novel. So, please, help some of your friends discover his new book, this week.

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Our focus on Mary’s wisdom is timely this week

Feast of the Assumption

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS COLUMNIST STEPHANIE FENTON has our story this week about the ancient Christian Feast of the Assumption of Mary—also known as the Dormition of the Theotokos in Eastern Orthdox churches.

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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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Inspiring News from Our Writers—

Suzy Farbman writes about her instant friendship with the resilient Sofia Edmonds

THERE WERE SO MANY ‘GodSigns’ in their first meeting that Suzy Farbman instantly sensed that her new friend was special. And, now, Sofia is letting Suzy tell her story of a global romance and later a life-threatening battle with stage IV cancer. This is Part 1 of Sofia’s triumphant story—and we will bring you Part 2 in our August 19 issue.

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What up with Jonathan Grimm?

WE’RE HEARING FROM FOLKS who already want to meet this upcoming author, so in our Front Edge Publishing column this week, Marketing Director Susan Stitt gives us a pre-pre-release “heads up” about how to find this guy online. As it turns out, he’s a whole lot of places!

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Click on this poster from the PBS documentary to begin reading Part 2 of Ed McNulty’s series of columns, which he has collected from his original journals of that landmark 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. (NOTE: If you missed Part 1 of Ed’s series in our August 12 issue, here’s a link to jump back to that debut collection of columns.)

Faith & Film

Click on this cover shot from Ed McNulty’s August 2024 issue of Visual Parables Journal, packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This issue includes: Twisters, Sing Sing, Touch, My Penguin Friend and many more.

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:

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Cover Story: Faith & Film columnist Edward McNulty recalls the 60th anniversary of the tragic and triumphant Freedom Summer

Moved by injustice, young Ed McNulty became part of that turbulent Freedom Summer

Faith and courage drew Northern and Southern activists to rise up

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK is the beginning of a remarkable series of columns, reflections and movie reviews pulled together for us in August 2024 by the veteran Faith & Film critic Edward McNulty. Now, of course, Ed is known nationally for his perspectives on the spiritual lessons we can glean from cinema. However—60 years ago in 1964—he was a young pastor driven to respond to the rampant injustices he saw in the South. He and a friend joined the wave of Northern activists who risked traveling South, where they formed working friendships with the Southerners who were risking their lives in a historic campaign to claim civil rights.

Start your journey with Ed here: Ed’s magazine-style presentation for this 60th anniversary will be published across a series of weekly ReadTheSpirit editions, starting here. As you read Ed’s various columns, you will find related links leading toward other gems. Those gems include actual “real-time” entries from Ed’s journals in 1964 as well as reviews of inspiring films about the civil rights movement.

Don’t miss the personal note at the end of Ed’s opening column today. He invites others who may have personal or family accounts of Freedom Summer to contact us and share memories. You can do that by adding a comment to Ed’s column or by emailing us at [email protected]

And, finally, our entire team at the publishing house feels honored to work with Ed, a living embodiment of lessons learned in that dangerous early era of the civil rights movement. Thank you, Ed, for all you share with us, week after week!

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And speaking of wisdom from another era …

Henry Brinton’s new novel shows how current conflicts echo the American Civil War

FANS OF HENRY BRINTON NOVELS are pleased that he is welcoming us back to the tiny riverfront town of Occoquan, Virginia, a very real place with a rich history where Henry actually resides and spins his fictional tales. In this third novel, Henry introduces us to two different periods in Occoquan’s history—one story set during the Civil War and the other story unfolding today. This link will take you to ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm’s Goodreads review of Henry’s latest novel, which—as his readers will expect—carries us through small-town drama and page-turning suspense toward a wise and satisfying conclusion. We know this is the kind of novel that regular readers of our magazine will enjoy.

In Henry’s pages, we find fun, romance, danger—and real-life spiritual wisdom to carry away with us when the fictional tale ends.

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Then, here’s a real-life 2024 case study of people responding to hatred through friendships

THIS WEEK, OUR MAGAZINE IS EXPLORING HOW TO RESPOND TO HATRED. So, we also are adding this current, real-life case study of hatred literally igniting—in the form of a Quran-burning protest—and the many ways long-standing friendships in southeast Michigan were poised to reassure the larger community.

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Holidays & Festivals

 

Feast of the Transfiguration

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton explains that this centuries-old feast was particularly important to the late Pope John Paul II, who added reflections on this Gospel story to the Rosary.

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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

 

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:

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William Carter’s ‘Thriving on a Riff’ explores ground-breaking spiritual realms of jazz

What a delightful mid-summer treat!

OUR COVER STORY this week with pastor, author, educator and jazz musician William Carter explores the many ways that jazz breaks down barriers between people—and cultural and spiritual realms. It’s a fascinating conversation in which Carter raises lots of provocative questions—plus we have links to videos and, of course, to jazz music as well. Please, enjoy this cover story and use the social media buttons to share this story with friends.

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And in other inspirational news—

Rusty Rosman’s ‘Two Envelopes’:
Helping families, one book—and one question—at a time

WHY DO OUR AUTHORS GO THROUGH ALL THE EFFORT OF PUBLISHING?  Often, the answer is two words: Helping people. That’s certainly the case with Rusty Rosman and her ongoing work with the new book Two Envelopes. In this Front Edge Publishing column, Rusty writes about the many ways—through many different questions—she finds her book helping readers.

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Joe Grimm:

From Kamala Harris to Suni Lee, news spotlights shine on Hmong Americans

‘There’s so much to learn! That’s why we’ve published so many books!’ That’s the valuable message of this story by the director of the Michigan State University Bias Busters project Joe Grimm. The MSU project is part of the university’s highly ranked journalism program and, in this week’s column, Grimm looks at the many ways news events are highlighting the need for Americans to learn much more about the minorities living among us. Joe also includes in this story easy links to some of the most timely Bias Busters books, which are “relevant-right-now” and you can begin reading almost immediately in Kindle versions.

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Holidays, Festivals & Observances

Lammas, Lughnassadh

Marking the harvest with centuries-old traditions

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton reports, this week, on Lammas and Lughnassadh traditions, which are particularly popular among neo-pagans as well as families with cultural roots in England, Scotland and Ireland.

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National Immunization Awareness Month

ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, each August, the CDC makes a special effort to remind Americans about National Immunization Awareness Month. This gateway into the CDC lists important links for Professionals, Parents and Patients.

Then, on this page within the CDC website, you can read the entire set of recommendations on COVID-19 and Flu shots. Why is this so important? The CDC reports: “In 2023, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and more than 75,500 people died from COVID-19. During the 2023-2024 flu season, more than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications.” Finally, this valuable link displays many pre-made graphics that are free to download and use to promote vaccination on social media.

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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

 

Click the Twisters movie poster to read Edward McNulty’s film review.

Click on this image from the cover of the July 2024 issue of Visual Parables Journal to learn more about this month’s collection of reviews and discussion ideas by film critic Edward McNulty.

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:

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Cover Story: The Power of Prayer becomes visible through an unexpected visitor

Most of us pray—but few of us pray with this much patience for strangers

COVER STORY: This week, Howard Brown—author of the inspiring memoir Shining Brightly—shares a true story of what unfolded in a small Jewish congregation in a Queens neighborhood where the faithful simply refused to give up praying for a soul endangered by life-threatening cancer.

This is a story you’re certain to want to share with friends, so please use the social media sharing buttons provided at both the “top” and “bottom” of this column—friends will appreciate this boost of inspiration.

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And in other inspirational news—

 

Jeffrey Munroe: ‘Stories in the Dark …
and Psalms in the summer sun’ 

READERS ASK: “Do you publish poetry?” Well, of course we do! Poetry is at the heart of the world’s scriptures. Today, we celebrate with our author Jeffrey Munroe that his poem GLORY was chosen as a poetry selection this month by the editors of the venerable Christian Century magazine.

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And Jeffrey on: ‘What might a prophet say …‘

IN HIS LONG CAREER in ministry, teaching, preaching and journalism, Jeffrey Monroe—Editor of The Reformed Journal—has become a sought-after resource for other teachers, preachers and writers on tough subjects—like What a prophet might say about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump?

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Rabbi Bob Alper on Bob Newhart:

It takes a comic to mourn a comic

THE 127-YEAR-OLD FORWARD magazine turned to standup comic and author Bob Alper to help mourn the passing of standup pioneer Bob Newhart. (In fact, Newhart used to tell audiences, “I was a standup comic before we were called ‘standup’—because, you know, sometimes I like to sit down.”) Here is Bob Alper’s tribute to Newhart, headlined: When Bob Newhart was my rabbi — and I was his.

To learn more about Bob Alper’s wit and wisdom in book form, check out his Amazon author page.

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Joe Grimm:

Scholars and teachers help to preserve the treasures of the endangered Hmong language

IN RECENT WEEKS, regular readers have seen a series of stories about Hmong communities, transplanted to America after the end of the Vietnam War, since the Hmong were American allies in that conflict and then became refugees. This summer, Joe Grimm’s Bias Busters project at the Michigan State University School of Journalism, published the first book for general readers to introduce this culturally rich group of Americans with 100 Questions and Answers, including videos. This week, Joe writes about nationwide efforts among educators to preserve this endangered language. The regional locations of these efforts may surprise you, because significant efforts are coming from the heart of the Midwest.

 

 

Holidays & Festivals.

 

 

Selassie’s 132nd birthday

AS STEPHANIE FENTON REPORTS, we are likely to see more celebrations of Haile Selassie’s birthday on July 23 this year because of awareness of the Rastafari movement from the recent feature film, Bob Marley: One Love. Care to learn more? Stephanie’s column includes a link to Ed McNulty’s review of the Marley biopic.

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Tammuz 17 and the Three Weeks

THIS WEEK, STEPHANIE also writes about annual Jewish observances starting in late July in 2024 to remember and mourn historical misfortunes of the Jewish people.

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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

 

Click on this movie poster to read Edward McNulty’s film review.

Click on this image from the cover of the July 2024 issue of Visual Parables Journal to learn more about this month’s collection of reviews and discussion ideas by film critic Edward McNulty.

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:

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Cover Story: The 10 Best Overlooked Spiritual Books of the 21st Century so far

A Response to The New York Times:

Millions are looking for inspiration in their reading

BOOK LOVERS nationwide are abuzz this week about the five-day roll-out of The New York Times’s audacious decision to name the 100 best books of the 21st Century—less than a quarter of the way into this new century. Whether you love the new Times list or hate it—everybody who has seen the list has an opinion, mainly about what’s missing.

Well, we think a lot of books are missing! That’s especially true of important books in the general realm of spirituality, the special focus of our weekly magazine for the past 17 years. So, Editor David Crumm decided to join in the national conversation with this Cover Story listing a spiritually minded Top 10 list of 21st Century publishing milestones that were overlooked by The Times.

The whole point of this Cover Story is to encourage our thousands of readers to celebrate reading—and to chime in as well. If you care about books that should be on such a list, we provide our email address to let us know what you’d like to highlight. This is a wonderful invitation to share some great ideas for inspirational reading with others!

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And in other inspirational news—

 

Rusty Rosman’s unique book about end-of-life planning is becoming ‘Local News’ nationwide

ALL OF US AT OUR PUBLISHING HOUSE were amazed this week to see the news of Rusty Rosman’s book about end-of-life planning spread like wildfire through regional newspapers coast to coast.

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Rodney Curtis

A Colorful Bucket o’ Photos and Stories

PHOTOGRAPHER AND AUTHOR RODNEY CURTIS sends us two fun stories packed with photos this week:

‘There’s Food Back Here!’ A composting story.

AND: A HOT Ann Arbor Wedding. We know our readers enjoy seeing some of Rodney’s photography of couples getting married—so here’s another fun album from a recent wedding.

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Holidays & Festivals

Ullambana / Obon

CHECK LOCAL EVENT LISTINGS, if you are interested in finding a regional Obon festival in your part of the world. This colorful, deeply meaningful observance is held in Japanese communities from mid-July through August, as Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton reports for us.

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Selassie’s 132nd birthday

AS STEPHANIE FENTON REPORTS, we are likely to see more celebrations of Haile Selassie’s birthday this year because of awareness of the Rastafari movement from the recent feature film, Bob Marley: One Love. Care to learn more? Stephanie’s column includes a link to Ed McNulty’s review of the Marley biopic.
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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

 

Click on this image from the cover of the July 2024 issue of Visual Parables Journal to learn more about this month’s collection of reviews and discussion ideas by film critic Edward McNulty.

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:

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Cover Story: Kathy Callahan’s ‘Puppy Planet’ asks—What is the culture and language of our furry friends?

‘This book is about empathy … for these beings we are welcoming into our homes.’

COVER STORY—Have you ever stopped to think about the “culture” and “language” of the young dogs—the puppies—that millions of families have adopted? Our first instinct, these days, may be to enroll ourselves in “dog training” classes—to teach some pre-determined “commands” to our canine friends. However, in this remarkable book, Callahan starts by inviting readers to explore the personalities and the cultural backgrounds of our new visitors. She even describes how to begin speaking with your dog. No kidding!

Over the last 17 years, our online magazine has occasionally covered innovative books about animals as part of our overall commitment to encourage compassion in our troubled world. If you’re already a dog lover, we’re certain you will want to read this week’s Cover Story—and then you may want to share it with friends as well. Please, do!

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And speaking of compassion …

‘Compassion Is in Fashion’

THAT’S THE MESSAGE in Episode 85 of Howard Brown’s popular podcast, Shining Brightly. To listen to this inspiring conversation with Ali Horriyat, go to Howard Brown’s home page and, in the middle of that page, you’ll find Episode 85. Howard describes Dubai native Ali Horriyat as “a purpose-driven human.” Throughout his life, Horriyat has developed a daily discipline of focusing on helping others who he encounters. Eventually, he left his career in finance to focus on spreading this message. You’re guaranteed to feel better after listening to Howard and Ali discuss the daily importance of empathy and acts of kindness.

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And in other news—

Suzy Farbman—

Where is she now?

THAT’S SUZY (left) WITH HER SISTER RECENTLY in a European tour that reconnected Suzy with many vivid family memories. Can you tell where this photo was taken? Read the column to see a more complete version of this snapshot.

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Rusty Rosman ‘easing tensions when a loved one dies’

MICHIGAN’S OAKLAND PRESS published a profile of Rusty Rosman, this week, because of her work with Two Envelopes, a new book focused on helping families to respond in a caring when a loved one dies. Special thanks to journalist Mark E. Lett for this thoughtful article introducing Rusty’s work to more folks who will benefit from this remarkable woman’s wisdom.

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What’s your religious region?

THIS WEEK in The Washington Post, the data-reporting team produced a remarkably vivid look at distinctive religious communities across the U.S. We don’t normally recommend Post stories because of the “paywall,” but find a way to explore this interactive multi-media report. It’s fascinating!

Does this make you want to learn more about religion in the United States?

THE BEST STARTING POINT is the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters series, now 22 books—and counting. All are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. This Bias Busters series is an award-winning resource “answering questions everyone is asking, but nobody seems to be answering.”

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Holidays & Festivals

Selassie’s 132nd birthday

AS STEPHANIE FENTON REPORTS, we are likely to see more celebrations of Haile Selassie’s birthday this year because of awareness of the Rastafari movement from the recent feature film, Bob Marley: One Love. Care to learn more? Stephanie’s column includes a link to Ed McNulty’s review of the Marley biopic.
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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

 

Click this movie poster for “Thelma” to read Edward McNulty’s review.

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:

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