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Publisher's pride: Books on bestseller lists - Since Sinai (Gonyou)

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  Today's Publisher's Pride is Since Sinai by Shannon Gonyou, which reached #81 in biographies of Judaism. Since Sinai has appeared in Amazon best-selling categories nearly every week since its release. Book Description: Raised in a heavily Catholic suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Shannon grew up focusing on two things: how to do enough good deeds to get into heaven and how to stay pure enough to escape hell. In college, she followed many of her peers into an Evangelical church known for guitars, drum, religious-based shame, and the idea that without Jesus she was nothing. But when she encountered Judaism on that same campus, a spark ignited within her and refused to be put out. Judaism felt obvious, familiar. After a falling out with her biological mother and two miscarriages, she found the courage to send the most important email of her life: she asked the local Jews by Choice program to accept her as a student. Honest and unflinching, Shannon's story of coming home to Jud...

Sacred Cities: Why Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina Hold Different Places in Faith

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  1. The Question Why do Christians and Jews share one sacred city — Jerusalem — while Muslims hold two, Mecca and Medina , and also revere Jerusalem? The answer lies not in rivalry, but in revelation and memory — how each faith locates its encounter with the Divine. 2. Judaism: Jerusalem as Covenant Center For Jews, Jerusalem is the heart of the covenant — the city chosen by God, the site of the Temple , and the place where heaven and earth meet. King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Solomon built the First Temple there, the dwelling place of God’s presence ( Shekhinah ). Even after the Temple’s destruction, Jews pray facing Jerusalem. The city symbolizes return, restoration, and divine nearness — “Next year in Jerusalem” remains the closing line of Passover. Jerusalem is not just geography; it is the axis of sacred history . 3. Christianity: Jerusalem as Fulfillment For Christians, Jerusalem is sacred because it is the stage of Christ’s passion, death, and resurre...

May/Mental Health Month: What Suicidal Ideation Really Is (From the Inside)

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  People often talk about suicidal ideation as if it fits neatly into a category: “It’s a mental illness.” “It’s trauma.” “It’s a chemical imbalance.” “It’s a cry for help.” But for many who live with it, none of those labels feel quite right. Suicidal ideation is not a single story. It’s a landscape—one that people rarely choose, but often learn to navigate quietly, privately, and with more strength than anyone realizes. For some, it begins in the body: a brain wired toward intensity, sensitivity, or despair. For others, it grows out of experience: loss, chronic stress, betrayal, exhaustion, or the slow erosion of hope. For still others, it’s existential: a deep questioning of meaning, belonging, or purpose. Most people who live with suicidal thoughts don’t want to die. They want relief. They want the pain to stop. They want a life that feels livable. They want someone to understand that the thoughts themselves are not a moral failure, not a weakness, not a character flaw...