The Outlook staff will be off August 3-7 for Sabbath
Outlook Editor Teri McDowell Ott explains why the staff will step away for a week of Sabbath and why play is essential to our personal, spiritual and organizational flourishing.
More Stories from this Author
A Sabbath prayer
Teri McDowell Ott shares a Sabbath prayer on rest, play and freedom from productivity guilt.
Order of worship — August 9, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost — August 9, 2026
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Elijah's encounter with God in the silence, exploring what exhausted leaders can learn about rest, perspective and returning to the work God has given them.
The state of our union
On America’s 250th anniversary, faith communities model a fragile but hopeful vision of unity grounded in truth, repentance and shared responsibility, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
The curtain between us
What happens when we truly listen to one another’s stories? Teri McDowell Ott considers how storytelling can dissolve barriers, challenge assumptions, and create space for transformation.
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost — June 21, 2026
When the gospel unsettles families, traditions and expectations, Jesus reminds his followers not to be afraid but to trust the God who sends them, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Order of worship — June 21, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Presbyterian Outlook board honors Jimmie R. Hawkins with E.T. Thompson Award
The Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins, preacher, pastor, author and advocate, will be honored with the legacy award during the Outlook’s Facebook Live interview on June 4, 2026.
Order of worship — May 24, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Day of Pentecost — May 24, 2026
For Pentecost Sunday, editor Teri McDowell Ott wonders what we would venture to do if we trusted the Holy Spirit to use us.
Hoping for the ocean
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Psalm 47's call to stillness as both divine command and open invitation — exploring how silence, doubt, and sacred pause open us to the presence of God.
Worlds we imagine, worlds we make
Teri McDowell Ott explores how imagination shapes the future — and why Beloved Community calls us to build a more just and inclusive world.
Easter Sunday — April 5, 2026
Teri McDowell Ott explores how Matthew’s resurrection story unsettles our certainties — and sends us out with fear, joy and hope to proclaim that death does not have the final word.
Order of worship — April 5, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Grief that tells the truth
Grief isn’t something to fix or silence. It’s a story that needs to be heard. Honoring our grief is part of the path toward healing and resurrection hope, writes Teri McDowell Ott.
Order of worship — March 1, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Second Sunday in Lent — March 1, 2026
Salvation is not a shortcut around pain, writes Teri McDowell Ott. It is God’s promise that pain will not have the final word.
Our longing to be understood
Teri McDowell Ott reflects on Leslie Jamison's “The Empathy Exams” to show that real empathy isn’t about fixing pain, but choosing to truly see and understand it.
A prayer after the killing of Alex Pretti
May God teach us how to grieve honestly, protect one another fiercely, and choose life. A prayer by Teri McDowell Ott.
Your light was made to shine
Small churches aren’t inadequate, writes Teri McDowell Ott. When congregations trust their God-given gifts, they rediscover confidence and shine as Christ’s light.
Order of worship — January 25, 2026
You are welcome to use this liturgy in your online worship services and distribute it to your congregation.
Third Sunday after the Epiphany — January 25, 2026
Teri McDowell Ott explores what it means to love, release, and trust God with the futures we cannot control.
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.
A prayer for Advent: Because Christ has come
Teri McDowell Ott invites us to rest in Christ’s tender and healing presence in a weary world. Through Jesus, nothing lies beyond redemption.