Weekly Outlook - The ministry of excess space

Dear readers, You won't be receiving our weekly email newsletters next week. Don't worry — you're still on the mailing list. The Outlook staff is just taking the week off to practice sabbath.  We started this tradition three years ago, shortly after both Outlook Editor/Publisher Teri McDowell Ott and I finished our first full year at the publication. It became clear to the new staff that the pace of work at a small, independent publication is a steady race with few breaks. The staff does make use of our vacation days, but when we step away, our co-workers are required to take on extra hours to ensure that we continue to produce the materials our readers count on.  Shutting down for a full week allows all of us to collectively recharge and practice a slower pace. The word "practice" is key here. As I'm sure you're well aware, it can be quite hard to extract yourself from our world's collective culture of constant availability and relentless productivity. In fact, I'll let you in on a never-before-shared secret: the first year, all three full-time employees worked the majority of our sabbath week without telling our co-workers. In the following years, however, we've learned just how precious (and needed) this week off is. And we will try again to practice pausing. I'm personally looking forward to less screentime. I just picked up sewing and plan to practice being bad at something. My husband and I hope to get the keys to our first house on Monday (eek), and I hope to undertake some necessary cleaning before we move in. So, I will talk to you on the other side! And I hope that you can find moments of rest this next week as well. Even if it's five minutes of deep breathing, a sticky, sweaty walk with a friend, or an evening reading a book.  Peace, Rose Schrott Taylor Digital Content Editor Presbyterian Outlook

How love, faith, and community made my nursing dream possible by Alejandra Barrera Unification Commission approves job descriptions for restructured board by John A. Bolt, Outlook reporting The ministry of excess space by John A. Bolt, Outlook reporting Blessing of the backpacks by Jess Rigel The Outlook staff will be off August 4-8 for sabbath by Teri McDowell Ott What a wisdom text taught me about online dating by Katy Shevel In case you missed it... Black Elegies: Meditations on the Art of Mourning  "Black Elegies" attempts to make visible the seen and unseen registers of grief in those marked by the transatlantic slave trade. — Jordan Burton Big truths for little readers Three new children’s books explore big faith questions with beauty, joy, and hope — from Miriam’s dancing to a magical lunchbox and what the Bible really is. — A collection of authors Union Theological Seminary President Serene Jones to retire after 18 years of leadership Following a sabbatical, she’ll return to Union to teach and write. — Union Theological Seminary Summer reading: Grief, healing, and the search for meaning Amy Pagliarella offers a list of memoirs and novels that grapple with suffering, memory, and personal transformation. Rethinking psychological evaluations in the PC(USA) ordination process Jane L. Holtzclaw, Presbyterian pastor and psychiatrist, questions the PC(USA)-required psychological evaluations for ordination and offers alternatives for discernment. Stronger than the Storm: RHINO’s 20-Year legacy of hope 20 years after Katrina, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church continues to rebuild hope in New Orleans and beyond.