News from Interfaith Resources

Mental Health Books by Justice Saint Rain One silver lining in the pandemic is the new awareness many people gained for working to maintain good mental health. This post is to tell you about what Interfaith Resources is thinking about and how we are trying to help. First let's talk about a writer and then I'll tell you about some products. This post is featuring the writer Justice Saint Rain, who has written eight books offerings his own understanding how of a spiritual perspective can aid the process of emotional healing. Justice started with a book for Baha'is called Falling [...]

It's Teacher Appreciation Week - and it is also the end of a very difficult school year. It is also the week before Mother's Day. Now is a great time to honor teachers, mothers and students. Whether your kids were being taught in-person or virtually, everyone (including parents) worked twice as hard this year as any other year. Let them know how much you appreciate their super-human effort. Teacher Appreciation Card with Envelope In addition to our Teacher Appreciation Note Cards and Mini-Teaching Cards, for teachers, we have a wide range of low-cost gifts that would be perfect for both teachers and students. [...]

While the end is finally in sight, a year of pandemic worries has gotten most of us a bit stressed. Imagine, then, what our kids and grandkids are feeling. They don't have the maturity and coping skills that we've spent a lifetime developing. CuddleBuddy's Comfort Coins CuddleBuddy's Comfort Coins To help more kids deal with their fears and anxieties, we've expanded the concept of CuddleBunnies with three new CuddleBuddies that will appeal to a wider range of kids. More than just a group of fuzzy toys, Cuddlebuddies teach kids how to regulate their own emotions when they are worried, stressed or upset. CuddleBuddies are soft plush toy animals [...]

I don't know about you but I've been home a lot. Spring is here, I'm vaccinated, and I'm looking forward to going places in my car. I want to go visit people. I want to go shopping and to events. It is time to see my car more in a parking lot and less in my driveway. While they are out and about, our cars can roll quietly along, or they can help establish positive social norms in our community. What does that mean? It means that a simple window decal or bumper sticker can create an expectation of what is normal [...]

So much snow outside here. If I didn't have to shovel the van out, fill orders and move the sheep, I'd curl up with a good book. In case you feel the same, let me tell you about five (two of them on sale). World Scripture World Scripture – A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts NOT what someone says the different religions teach, but the actual sacred texts of scores of religions spread out side by side – by topic. This is a “Must Have” for anyone interested in comparative religion, and a fascinating read. More than a sampling, this [...]

Hope you had a happy Groundhogs Day. This is also World Interfaith Harmony Week. Feb 1-7 is a time where all interfaith groups can make statements at the same time, showing how powerful a movement this is. This is a time where all people with goodwill in their hearts can stand together to proclaim their shared values. I know this letter is going out to those who care about peace and harmony in their communities. For those of you who purchase items for institutions to be given to new graduates, this is a good time to get your order together. Just a [...]

Dear Friends!  I forgot to remind you all about the beautiful 2021 Multifaith Calendar. Consequently, I have more left than I expected. That means I'm putting them on sale for 10% off for the next week (while supplies last). Multifaith 2021 Calendar Cover This Year's Multifaith Calendar is Lovely.  Both beautiful and educational, the popular Multifaith Calendar carries you through a year of celebration, remembrance and reverence by highlighting the holidays and holy days of 14 different major religions. In addition to listing each special day on the calendar day itself, the publishers have added brief descriptions of each day along the left side [...]

This week we are excited to share with you a guest post by one of our favorite authors, Patrick E McLean. With so many sources of stress bombarding us from every side, he offers Hope as the tool that will get us through to the other side. In the United States, the richest country in the world, every measure of mental health is plummeting. And has been before the pandemic. In a recent survey CDC entitled, "Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic" a full 10 percent of the U.S. population had seriously considered suicide in the month [...]

Interfaith Window Decal Interfaith Window Decals Promote a Positive Social Norm of Inclusion A few weeks ago I wrote about the value of creating a "social norm" that encouraged people to lean towards unity and inclusion. One of the tools I suggested was our popular "No Room in My Heart for Prejudice" window decals. So many people took me up on the idea of buying them in bulk and giving them out to friends that I decided to do the same thing with my Interfaith Window Decals. This design has attracted many people to the idea of interfaith fellowship. The only problem [...]

Whether we do it consciously or unconsciously, most of us try to abide by what we perceive to be the social norms of our group. The more localized or personal the group we identify with, the more strongly we are influenced by their norms. For hundreds of years, the social norm of white people was to consider themselves superior. Depending on where you lived, that norm might have been expressed subtly, or it might have been expressed overtly through blatantly racist statements and actions. Over the course of my lifetime, I've seen that social norm shift. Even when it was still a [...]

The news these days is heartbreaking. Like you, I continually ask myself what more I could be doing to promote racial harmony and understanding. Many of you must feel the same. Sales of our No Room in my heart for prejudice items have been high. Few anti-prejudice designs make as clear a statement or offer an image whose meaning is as instantly understood. The message is so simple and clear that even young children have “explained” to me that the prejudice “doesn’t fit inside the heart.” And yet, the big red heart is inviting and non-confrontational. It is a perfect balance of [...]

As much of the country reopens, we are staying vigilant about cleanliness and keeping to an every-other-day shipping schedule to reduce outside exposure. We know that the comfort our materials bring to people who are under stress is valuable, so we will continue to serve hospitals, schools, care facilities, churches, and everyone else as safely as possible. We are here to serve you in your service to others.  Let us know how we can help.

In January, we sent out 2,000 free samples of our Comfort and Healing booklet along with a coupon code for 25% off, expiring May 1st. Little did we know that by May 1st, the need for them would be astronomical. Consequently, we are extending the sale for another two weeks.  (Since our 3rd printing was more expensive, we can't keep this up forever.)

Lately I've been thinking to myself that everything will be all right in the end. If everything is not all right - this must not be the end. I don't know who said that first. One thing I'm trying during these plague times is to do a little better job of maintaining my own positive attitude. I'm finding three things helpful: 1 -   I'm more grounded on days I have a purpose, someone to help or at least a list. Today, I'm writing this post. 2 -   I feel gratitude when I remember to pray for at least a few of the [...]

Providing spiritual care is being responsive to the religious needs of patients, families and those you serve. This post is a sample of well-known prayers for healing from a diverse group of religions. They are from our Interfaith book of Comfort & Healing , which is organized by topic, and many are also in the Interfaith Prayer Book, which is organized by religion.