Cover Story: Give the gift of Spirit this holiday season

IT’S NOT TOO LATE

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS—There’s still time to order ReadTheSpirit books before the holidays! You’ll be encouraging our authors—and doing something good for yourself and your friends by giving books like This Far By Faith, the inspiring (and funny) memoir of pastor and pioneering “green” activist Faith Fowler. That’s one of our best sellers, guaranteed to provide hours of reading enjoyment—and a spiritual boost that makes readers want to get up, get out and help other people, just like Faith herself. Or maybe you prefer a book with spiritual wisdom—and recipes, too! Perhaps you want to learn more about immigrants to America in the new year, a vulnerable group in this era of global tensions. Or, you simply want some good news about all the values that truly do unite Americans, even now. Please, check out our ReadTheSpirit bookstore. On behalf of all of our authors—we appreciate you thinking about these books as year-end gifts.

LOVE MOVIES?
Another gift to consider for friends who enjoy making faith-and-film connections is a year’s subscription to Visual Parables Journal. Visit faith-and-film columnist Ed McNulty’s home page and click on the link at the top of the page to “Visual Parables Journal.” Each month, you’ll get a new issue of the Journal packed with complete study guides to recent movies (and often more than one classic film as well). Plus, with a year’s subscription, you get access to all the back issues, too. It’s fun for individuals who love to think about the movies they are seeing—and a sure-fired way to spark discussion in your small group.

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Remembering heroes …

GODSIGNS—Columnist Suzy Farbman brings us a heartwarming, real-life story of a convergence that reaches to the stars—yes, quite literally. At the loss of astronaut John Glenn in recent days, most Americans are remembering those courageous fellows who took us into outer space half a century ago. In fact, many of those early astronauts have been models of gracious behavior throughout their lives. This week’s GodSigns column is about one woman’s friendship with Neil Armstrong—sparked because of a special memory of her late grandfather.

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HOLIDAYS

Check out all the holidays! Visit www.InterfaithHolidays.com

HISPANIC CHRISTMAS—The elaborate Hispanic countdown to Christmas officially begins December 16 with Las Posadas—or Posadas Navidenas—across Mexico, in Guatemala and in regions of the United States.

WARM YOUR HEART—Here’s a holiday gift idea (for yourself or someone you love) that we guarantee you won’t find in other American magazines this year: The terrific new Winter collection from Ruth Burgess and the Iona Community’s Wild Goose Publications. And, the book includes one of the all-time most popular columns by our own Benjamin Pratt: Angel in the Dump.

POCKET CHURCH—This free Christmas gift is one of the most creative ideas we’ve heard about from readers nationwide, this year. Pastor Sarah Teichmann and her husband Erik of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are the creative force behind this mini-video series they call Pocket Church. Sarah emailed us this explanation: “Pocket Church began as a way to connect people to their faith while they were on vacation or on the road. Take church with you! These little videos are right there in your pocket—on your phone or tablet. Faith formation can happen in the pew as well as on the run.” Intrigued? The easiest way to explore this idea is right here. If you dig a little bit, you’ll also discover—and enjoy—Sarah’s Cooking with Clergy video series! No kidding!

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FILM, FAITH
& POPULAR CULTURE

ED McNULTY—Enjoy all of the free resources from Ed McNulty’s faith-and-film website: VisualParables.org.

Among Ed’s latest movie reviews are:

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