A quotation from Josh Billings

Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1871-06 (1871 ed.)

More about this quote: wist.info/billings-josh/82236/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #joshbillings #audience #challenge #congregation #discomfort #enjoyment #homily #pleasing #preacher #sermon #crowdpleaser

"A new #Crime #book to be released at the end of the month set within a #synagogue community in #Manchester draws on the #author #RutiWorrall’s intimate knowledge of synagogue life.

#Rabbi Zimmerman has seen a lot in his long career as a #congregation leader, but discovering a body at the foot of the #Torah cupboard—the Holy of Holies—is something entirely new.

For DCI Jack Madison and his team, the case plunges them into a maze of synagogue politics and tangled human relationships. Jealousy, ambition, and intrigue cloud the investigation, leading them down one dead end after another.

As they search for a motive, each suspect reveals unexpected emotional depth, making it harder to separate truth from deception. Just when they think they’re closing in, the trail goes cold once more."

https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/murder-meets-mitzvot-a-gripping-mystery-set-in-manchesters-jewish-community-2/

"The suspect #arrested for allegedly setting #fire to a #Mississippi #synagogue on Saturday confessed to the #FBI that he had targeted the #congregation due to its “#Jewish ties.”

#StephenSpencerPittman was charged on Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi.

The blaze, which tore through the #BethIsrael Congregation, the only synagogue in #Jackson, Mississippi, early Saturday morning, destroyed two of the synagogue’s #Torahs as well as its library and offices. Several other Torahs belonging to the congregation were damaged, though no injuries were reported."

https://www.jta.org/2026/01/12/default/man-charged-with-setting-fire-to-mississippi-synagogue-targeted-it-due-to-its-jewish-ties-fbi-says

"#America has no #chiefrabbi, but it is a testament to the international recognition #AngelaBuchdahl commands that a foreign-born terrorist would be under the impression that she is the person who fills this role.

For the past decade, #Buchdahl has served as #seniorrabbi at #CentralSynagogue in Midtown #Manhattan, one of the largest #Reform #congregations in the world, serving more than 3,000 households. The first woman to hold this position in the 175-year history of the #congregation, Buchdahl is also the first #AsianAmerican to be ordained as a #rabbi and among a select group of distinguished #US #rabbis to have been invited to light #Hanukkah candles at the #WhiteHouse.

Forget about "chief rabbi of America," this child of an inter-#religious and #interracial marriage hardly seemed rabbi material at all, as noted in her recently released #memoir "Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging" (Viking)."

https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2025-12-22/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-the-daughter-of-a-korean-buddhist-became-one-of-americas-most-distinguished-rabbis/0000019b-4157-d3cf-a1bf-4d7f30df0000

Another feature that makes #CongRegation unique among unconferences is there is a selection of books are made available prior to the conference, on the theme, and some can be mailed in advance of attendance. I chose one of the few women authors on the list, because women. Thanks to The Irish History Book Shop in Cong for sending on From Chaos to Creativity by Kim Bellisimo #chaos

https://congregation.ie/

https://congregation.ie/home/intro/

only a few weeks to go until Ireland's best annual unconference in the village of Cong, Co Mayo.
Entrance via blog post.
Theme for 2025 is Chaos.
(Timely, or what ?!?)

#Cong #CongRegation #Chaos

This #Christian #pastor preached a #sermon while pointing an #AR15 at the #congregation

Pastor #PhilipThornton of #LegacyFaithChurch in #Harrisburg, PA told his congregation they needed to go all out when spreading their #faith.

The illustration he used was deeply #disturbing. And it would no doubt have caused a national firestorm if this were a non- #Christian church.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD5cSJ84Hgo
https://protestia.com/2025/09/28/pastor-preaches-sermon-with-a-ar-15-strapped-to-his-chest/

#guncontrol #gunviolence #mentalillness #USA