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 STORYFrom 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.

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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.

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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 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

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: 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!

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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.

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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.

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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?”.

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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.

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

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

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: In ‘We Survived the End of the World,’ Native American author Steven Charleston urges readers to become prophets of hope

Like Native American prophets voicing hope in the midst of trauma, Charleston asks us—

‘I hope you will see this as a personal invitation to join me and millions of others.’

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK welcomes back the venerable Native American theologian, teacher and author Steven Charleston for an interview about what may be the most important book he has ever written: We Survived the End of the World—Lessons from Native America on Apocalypse and Hope.

Please, read this inspiring interview with Charleston and take a moment to share this Cover Story with friends via social media and email. We want Charleston’s message of hope and resilience to reach people nationwide.

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News from Our Authors—

What makes a great podcast?

HOWARD BROWN, author and host of the Shining Brightly podcast, shares his “Top 10 Tips for Building a Successful Podcast.” That’s our Front Edge Publishing column for this week.

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Opportunity to Stream with Dr. David Gushee

ON OCTOBER 1, our online magazine’s weekly Cover Story focused on Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee’s new book, Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies.

THIS WEEK, Dr. Gushee is offering a three-session “workshop” through Global Immersion.

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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.

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Remembering Baha’i founders

OCTOBER 16-17Million of Baha’is worldwide will celebrate the “Twin Holy Birthdays,” as adherents of the faith rejoice in the birth anniversaries of the two figures most central to their faith: Baha’u’llah and the Bab.

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

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

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: Hersch Wilson’s ‘Dog Lessons’ is a warm-hearted human biography measured in 18 dogs

Love dogs? You’ll love this book!

COVER STORY—There’s something special about the bonds we form with the animals we welcome into our homes. For Hersch Wilson, dogs have been those beloved companions throughout his long and varied life. Now, this talented storyteller weaves together a lifetime of lessons he says he’s learned from his canine companions in a new memoir, Dog Lessons. Please enjoy our Cover Story interview with Hersch this week and share it with friends and family via social media and email.

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And even more good news!

A Virginia Barnes & Noble experiments with local author events

THANKS TO AUTHOR MARTIN DAVIS, this column will come as very good news to authors we know nationwide—who have been turned down by Barnes & Noble managers when they asked about the possibility of a local-author event. In this column, Martin writes about what he describes as an experimental program with a Virginia B&N that is benefitting both local authors and the store itself. Please, share this column via social media and email. We’d like to have lots of people spread this good news to open more opportunities for authors.

 

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And speaking of author events

Laura Elizabeth welcomes invitations from book clubs

THIS WEEK, cozy mystery writer Laura Elizabeth is both thanking those groups that have welcomed her already to talk about her new island-based mystery—and reaching out to let other groups know that she’s available. Laura writes:

Now that the book is available for purchase on Amazon and via other booksellers, I wanted to also share with you an exciting opportunity starting to take off. I have been invited to attend (virtually and locally, in person) multiple book clubs. These have been such a great way to speak directly with readers and to discuss the characters, the writing process, and things like starting a passion project, building community, and starting over. My website includes book club discussion questions. However, when I visit with clubs, I prepare additional questions to get the conversations going! If you are interested in having me join an upcoming meeting of your book club or other gathering of friends, please reach out via my website and we can get that event added to our calendars!

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Dr. David Gushee

LAST WEEK, we heard from many readers who appreciated our magazine’s Cover Story, focusing on the new book by Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee, called Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies.

As we anticipated, not everyone agrees with every point Dr. Gushee is making in this timely new book about the dangers of “Christian Nationalism” in the 2024 American election—but we are impressed by the thoughtful responses from so many of you. That’s the reason Dr. Gushee wrote this book—to spark individual reflection and group discussion.

THIS WEEK, Dr. Gushee has written his own summary of the central argument in this new book, a column that he published internationally via the Baptist News Global wire service.

 

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Holidays & Festivals

Happy Thanksgiving—Now and Then …

TODAY (OCTOBER 9) IS THANKSGIVING DAY IN CANADAOur column shares some of the “astonishing” thoughts Canadians are sharing with each other, today, about the need for gratitude and for pausing to simply appreciate all the goodness in our world. Now, that is a refreshing idea, isn’t it? Perhaps our American readers might pick up a tip or two from our friends to the North as we plan for our own celebrations next month. (And don’t miss the delicious recipe links at the bottom of this column!).

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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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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.

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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 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: Dr. David Gushee joins historians and sociologists in warning against the dangers of Christian extremism

Scholars critical of Donald Trump target the ‘Christian Nationalist’ movement supporting him

COVER STORY—The reason many historians, sociologists and now Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee are weighing in with dire warnings about the 2024 presidential campaign is that their research shows the re-election of Donald Trump would dramatically alter the course of American democracy.

This is territory that scholars typically shy away from—but the urgency of their warnings is palpable and timely. Please read our Cover Story this week and consider sharing a link to the article with friends. Dr. Gushee’s book is designed for individual reflection and small-group discussion, especially in congregations that want to discuss their relationship to America’s centuries-old democratic values.

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and speaking of activists …

… it turns out that book-banning activists are few

IN OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING COLUMN, this week, we thank The Washington Post for reporting that reveals the tiny number of individuals who are carrying out political and verbal attacks on our libraries for allegedly inappropriate books.

 


And now, please—
meet 3 remarkably wise women

Kalyani Pardeshi’s anti-bullying message

THIS WEEK, resiliency expert and author Howard Brown brings his growing podcast audience an interview with Canada-based anti-bullying educator Kalyani Pardeshi, who grew up in South Africa in an Indian family. Please, enjoy Howard’s conversation with Kalyani in which she describes her unique toolbox of techniques for tackling the roots of bullying.

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Meet Ann Bell Worley and her family

A NEW FAMILY WEBSITE RAISES AWARENESS OF ‘PANS’—Our colleague, writer and editor Ann Bell Worley, has just launched a website to raise awareness of families living with PANS. What is that? Well, read our story and share it with friends if you’d like to learn more and help Ann with her effort.

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Laura Elizabeth

Transports us to a new part of the world

THAT’S WHAT COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR KATHY MANOS PENN is telling her readers. Kathy writes that Laura Elizabeth has achieved that marvelous ability to transport readers in her own debut mystery, set on historic Daufuskie Island along the Atlantic Coast. Don’t take our word for it—for weeks, we’ve been telling readers about Laura’s wonderful mystery, which is available on Amazon right now.

Click here to read Kathy’s column in the Georgia-based online news magazine sponsored by Appen Media.

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Holidays & Festivals

The Feast of St. Francis

INTERESTED IN PET BLESSINGS? Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton points out that the growing number of pet blessings, associated with St. Francis’ feast day, are sprinkled across the autumn calendar. The biggest annual blessing, each year, already took place in New York City on October 1, but others are coming later this week. Please, enjoy Stephanie’s column about St. Francis and share it with friends via social media.

AND HERE’S A ST. FRANCIS MOVIE TIP: Our Faith & Film columnist Ed McNulty suggests we look at a 2007 Italian production that is more than three hours long.

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 this movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of the new film ‘The Swimmers,’ now streaming on Netflix.

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.

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

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Repairing our World, tikkun olam: What kind of world are we trying to restore? Two Christian leaders speak out.

George A. Mason and David Gushee speak out against extremism and Christian Nationalism

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF READ THE SPIRIT MAGAZINE appears on Yom Kippur (and Stephanie Fenton’s column about this Jewish observance is linked below).

Our special “Cover Story” this week recognizes the urgency of repairing the divisions in our world—a calling often described as “tikkun olam” in Judaism—and our story focuses on two Christian leaders who are prophetically speaking out agains the dangers of Christian Nationalism. The rising tide of hate speech and hateful actions—including record rates of antisemitism as documented by the ADL—calls for all of us to get involved in helping to confront extremism and encourage communities to recognize the dangers of escalating violence.

Please read our Cover Story for this Yom Kippur week—focusing on the latest efforts by Christian leaders George A. Mason, David Gushee and others—and share this story with friends who may share these concerns.

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Holidays & Festivals


Yom Kippur

THE HOLIEST DAY OF THE JEWISH YEAR started at sunset on Sunday September 24 this year—a solemn 25-hour fast that includes participation in traditional services for millions of Jewish families. This year is especially memorable, because it is the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria attacked on the holiday. Stephanie Fenton has our Yom Kippur story with lots of fascinating links for additional reading—and recipes for break-the-fast meals.

 

Meskel festival in Ethiopia

A UNIQUE CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONAcross Ethiopian Orthodox Christian and Eritrean Orthodox Christian communities, bonfires on the eve of Meskel remind families of an ancient story.

Michaelmas

WITH A SPECIAL EMPHASIS IN IRELAND AND THE UKBeyond honoring St. Michael the Archangel, Michaelmas has taken on a seasonal association through the centuries, signaling the beginning of autumn.

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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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From Our Authors

Howard Brown (and lots and lots of friends)

… speaking of renewing our world, one welcoming smile at a time

IN OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING COLUMN, this week, Howard Brown writes about his energized readers are sharing kindness and a little bit of sunshine each day. Howard actually dares readers to try to avoid smiling as you meet some of his many Shining Brightly friends. C’mon, couldn’t you use a smile right now?

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Larry Buxton

 

… and speaking of ‘the power of a smile’

LARRY BUXTON’s Leading with Spirit video, this month, is all about “the power of a smile.” Please click here to visit Larry’s website to watch (and share with friends) this inspiring 3-minute video. As Larry talks about why we should smile, he says at one point: “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” … “a smile for some mysterious reason activates a sense of gratitude smiling is like opening a window and letting a fresh spring breeze flow through your spirit.” That’s right: It’s an inspiring little video meditation you’ll likely want to quote this week.

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Laura Elizabeth

Meet Carr Jepson, owner of Books & Brew (and a part-time detective)

COZY-MYSTERY AUTHOR LAURA ELIZABETH was invited to write a special character sketch for the popular Dru’s Book Musings website. Over the years, “Dru” has been honored for her work in promoting mysteries—especially cozy mysteries—by innovative approaches to blogging. In this instance, Dru invited Laura to write a sketch in the voice of her novel’s main character, Carr Jepson, who opens up the Books & Brew shop on a historic island along the Atlantic coast—but soon finds herself neck-deep in helping police solve a tragic murder.

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Jack Harnish

Women worldwide plan to read Jack’s inspiring 30 Days with E. Stanley Jones

OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF WRITERS is celebrating with Jack Harnish over the news that the worldwide Women in Faith organization has selected Jack’s book 30 Days with E. Stanley Jones for the organization’s 2024 recommended-leading list. If you click on this link, you can read the group’s multi-page 2024 list of reading recommendations and you’ll find Jack as the first book on page 9, where the actual book listings begin in this PDF. This remarkable organization was founded in 1869 so that women of faith could “get things done” in the world—including immediately establishing one of India’s first women’s colleges. Since then, these women have encouraged education around the world through programs that include their carefully selected annual reading lists. (If you would like to order your own copy of Jack’s book right now, here’s a direct link to its Amazon page.)

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Click on this movie poster for The Inventor to read Ed McNulty’s review of the movie.

Click on this collage to learn more about the September 2023 issue of Ed McNulty’s Visual Parables Journal, packed with faith-and-film movie reviews and discussion guides. The September issue includes such popular movies as Golda, Sitting in Bars with Cake, Daughters of the Dust, War Sailor and The Hill.

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.

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

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Cover Story: Lynne Golodner’s ‘Woman of Valor’ is a five-senses immersion into a rich world of Jewish faith and family life

Celebrate the Jewish New Year with this story of a vibrant Jewish community

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK coincides with the first days of the Jewish New Year 5784. If you’re Jewish, you’ll love this novel by Lynne Golodner because it warmly embraces family life and community culture. If you’re not Jewish, but have always wanted to learn more about what life is like inside an observant Jewish neighborhood—then you’ll find yourself quickly immersed in Lynne’s novel, as well. Right now—please enjoy our cover story featuring an interview with Lynne—and share it with friends to help spread awareness of the importance of religious diversity in our world.

 

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From Our Authors

Laura Elizabeth

‘A tale of advocating, commitment, and believing in something bigger than yourself’

LAST WEEK, our magazine reported on the launch of Laura Elizabeth’s unique cozy mystery, which is based on the real-life, historic Daufuskie Island off the Atlantic Coast.

NOW—we’re also pleased to see other news media chiming in with their own recommendations of this novel. And, we are especially thrilled to see media from that part of the U.S. affirming that Laura really captured the beauty and culture of local island life. In this week’s Front Edge column, we share one of the most glowing regional endorsements of Laura’s novel, describing how well she evokes the particular island that she and her family have come to love.

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Holidays & Festivals

Yom Kippur

THE HOLIEST DAY OF THE JEWISH YEAR starts at sundown on Sunday September 24 this year—a solemn 25-hour fast that includes participation in traditional services for millions of Jewish families. This year is especially memorable, because it is the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria attacked on the holiday. Stephanie Fenton has our Yom Kippur story with lots of fascinating links for additional reading—and recipes for break-the-fast meals.

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And for Jains, Paryushan Parva

THIS ANNUAL PERIOD OF FORGIVENESS AND RENEWAL is one of the most important festivals in the Jain year, as Stephanie Fenton explains.

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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 movie poster to read Ed McNulty’s review of War Sailor on Netflix.

Click on this collage to learn more about the September 2023 issue of Ed McNulty’s Visual Parables Journal, packed with faith-and-film movie reviews and discussion guides. The September issue includes such popular movies as Golda, Sitting in Bars with Cake, Daughters of the Dust, War Sailor and The Hill.

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.

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

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