Praying around a bullet hole A prayer of lament after the Minneapolis ICE shooting, naming grief, honoring the life lost and calling for healing and hope.

Praying around a bullet hole

Teri McDowell Ott offers a prayer of lament after the Minneapolis ICE shooting, naming grief, honoring the life lost and calling the church to witness, healing and hope.

@terimott.bsky.social
#Minnesota

Writing this editorial led me to reach out and reconnect with the pastor who helped me overcome the “I’m not good enough” obstacle to go into ministry.

Anybody else need this today? I certainly needed this.

I Want This Jane Kenyon Poem Read Aloud at My Funeral Jane Kenyon’s “The Pond at Dusk” is a quiet, mischievous reckoning with nature and mortality. Our critic A.O. Scott plumbs its depths.

I Want This Poem Read Aloud at My Funeral www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Beautiful reading experience of this poem.

“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance.” ~ James Baldwin

Easter as a Word of freedom, preached by the marginalized, felt like the best direction to go this year.

WEBINAR | Smarter Than You Think: Trusting Readers with Subtlety, Nuance, and the Pleasures of Uncertainty - Craft Talks Readers love putting two and two together for themselves, but too often—out of insecurity—writers forget to provide readers the space to discern and discover.

Readers love putting two and two together for themselves, but too often we don't leave them space.✨Join Brevity editor Dinty W. Moore for SMARTER THAN YOU THINK, a lesson on Trusting Your Readers. April 16, 3 PM ET📷Recordings Available. Sign up here: writingcraft.com/event/webina...

😂😂😂😂

The transformative power of Easter joy - The Presbyterian Outlook A barista’s joy transforms a routine Starbucks visit into a lesson on contagious, life-changing joy—shared, uncontained, and deeply felt.

The transformative power of Easter joy

A barista’s joy transforms Teri McDowell Ott's routine Starbucks visit into a lesson on contagious, life-changing joy — shared, uncontained, and deeply felt.

@Terimott.bsky.social #Easter

Dear Aunt Osibe and Uncle Ernest: A letter to my ancestors - The Presbyterian Outlook Gail Henderson-Belsito remembers two people who embodied all that is civil and right.

Dear Aunt Osibe and Uncle Ernest: A letter to my ancestors

Gail Henderson-Belsito remembers two people who embodied all that is civil and right.

#BlackWriters #BlackExcellence

Time for a hike!

This is one of my favorite photos by @photos-by-jcw.bsky.social

The setting sun illuminates raindrops from a passing storm.

Good morning! It's time for the #BlueSkyArtShow. This week's theme is #sunlight.

Black Hills, SD (35mm chrome scan)

#photography
#Nikon
#35mm
#EastCoastKin
#SouthDakota

Prints: www.jonathancwatson.com/Galleries/As...

@photos-by-jcw.bsky.social Jonathan takes beautiful photos!

Sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Moses H. Cone Memorial Park (NC).

Sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC).

Sunday #stunday

#photography
#EastCoastKin
#Nikon
#sunset
#NC

Weekly Roundup: March 7 Here’s the weekly roundup from A Public Witness. In addition to a report on new curriculum standards in Oklahoma and a conversation with a Palestinian pastor that are free for anyone to read, paid sub...

Our roundup features insights from @robertdownen.bsky.social, @noelsims.bsky.social, @justinelliott.bsky.social, @josh-kaplan.bsky.social, @amierjeski.bsky.social, @johnphudson.bsky.social, @khoureld.bsky.social, @derosejason.bsky.social, @terimott.bsky.social, @um-insight.bsky.social, & more! (8/8)

The @presoutlook.bsky.social staff asked me to record this editorial, and I love what they did with it!

I’m thrilled that my friend Amy Frykholm’s novel is doing so well!

Struggling with loneliness? Searching for resources to foster meaningful conversations in your community? Our latest Fresh Outlook Bible study guide, "Friendship," is now available.
This four-session study is perfect for small groups and churches.

Get your copy today at https://buff.ly/49zXeda .

If you’re looking for a Lent devotional, I hope you’ll consider the Outlook’s. Bobby and Ginna are beautiful writers and storytellers. I loved working with them on this daily devotional. @presoutlook.bsky.social

#blueskyartshow
#pattern
#photography
#ICM
#Nikon

Chicago honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Inauguration Day prayer - The Presbyterian Outlook Inauguration Day prayer: Seek God’s guidance, justice, and peace; pray for leaders' wisdom and strength to build a beloved community for all.

Inauguration Day prayer

January 20, 2025, marks the inauguration of America's new president as well as the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life. Teri McDowell Ott pens a prayer to help us hold all this together.

#Inauguration #MLKJr @terimott.bsky.social

We are all public theologians - The Presbyterian Outlook This reflection inspires you to claim your call, use your unique medium, and speak hope into the world as a public theologian.

We are all public theologians

"Your life, your words, your actions speak of your beliefs and profess your faith. Your medium is whatever blank canvas God unfurls for you to share the good news," writes Teri McDowell Ott.

@terimott.bsky.social

Immensely proud to have images included in some of this year’s top stories in this fine publication!

Christmas Eve worship reflection: Beloved Community and Luke 2 A reflection on 'beloved community' and inclusion for pastors prepping for Christmas Eve worship.

Christmas Eve — December 24, 2024

Teri McDowell Ott reflects on the spirit of beloved community. Christ's birth is a symbol of peace and inclusivity, she writes, welcoming even those we might exclude.

#ChristmasEve #pcusa @terimott.bsky.social

Great Beginnings : Capturing Readers, Agents and Publishers from Word One - CRAFT TALKS Learn what makes your writing sparkle from word one, and how to express your own voice and style on the page while compelling readers to turn the page to find out what happens next.

Trying something new - a webinar where we learn it, do it, and get immediate feedback! All about beginnings--books, essays, stories--how do we hook our readers, heighten their interest and hold their attention from word one?

Wednesday, $25, Please join me! writingcraft.com/event/great-...

The courage to stay curious Hard certainties kill the possibilities between us and the potential before us

It’s a hard time in a hard world. In my latest Substack I reflect on how I am trying to stay open, curious and tender-hearted. #amwriting #binders #writing