This week, Diane Bunch of Harrison shares her brother's miraculous journey through prostate cancer.

The food was great, they said, but the dozen people gathered around the tables came for the conversation. They came to talk about death.

Faith Briefs

Each week over the past three months, the Times Free Press has been answering reader questions related to religion and faith.

Students grabbed loaves of bread off the wooden shelves, counting each product in Hebrew before handing the bread to customers.

Chattanooga residents had the opportunity to learn from the newest shaliach Tuesday night during his first public presentation at the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga. Amit Matityau discussed the ongoing political stalemate in Israel.

With heads bowed, the students prayed for their school, their classmates and their country.

Bryan College will be under new direction next summer as longtime President Stephen Livesay plans to retire.

Congregants and visitors to Hickory Valley Baptist Church on Sunday learned firsthand about missionary work happening thousands of miles away.

Could you even imagine a sports car with such a powerful, finely tuned, rotary engine, whose rotor, drive shaft and subunits work together so smoothly that the engine can hit 42,000 rpm and achieve 100% energy efficiency?

It is irony at its finest, I suppose, that has me writing this particular column on a very rare half day off for me.

It's amazing to think that without light, there is complete darkness.

This week, Mary Jane Sylar describes the gift of being with her husband in his final minutes.

Question: How do different religions view cremation?

PERFORMANCES

Ending Islamophobia in the United States requires recognizing that the hatred of Muslims is rooted in cultural racism and is part of a national system that marginalizes people of the faith, said Todd Green, associate professor of religion at Luther College.

Steve Brown eased himself onto the table, careful not to irritate his back, an uncomfortable pain he has lived with for years. Leaning forward slightly, the 52-year-old gazed over the top of his black-frame glasses at a sight that had become unfamiliar in the past decade: a doctor.

Last week, Southeast Tennessee residents had several opportunities to join Christians United for Israel, one of the largest pro-Israel advocacy groups in the country.

This week, Merrillyn Seib describes her late husband's path through his final days of life.

When it comes to finding our place in this world, let's consider two categories.

Imagine Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," only with a crab-pot thief and a young man with Down syndrome, instead of Tom and Huck. And instead of the mighty Mississippi, imagine the estuaries of North Carolina. And instead of skipping school to run away, imagine running away to attend school (well, wrestling school).

My oldest daughter, now 18 years old, has always been one of the most amazing people I know.

Editor's note: This article is part of a series answering your biggest religious questions. Each week, we will answer one submitted faith question. To send a submission, visit timesfreepress.com/religionquestions or email wmassey@timesfreepress.com.