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** The magic of the mountains
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I mentioned last week that I was writing the Editors’ Picks email from an airport. I was on my way to the Rocky Mountains for the national gathering of leaders for the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities. This movement launches and supports communities that meet the needs of the world through innovative and inclusive approaches to gathering and worshiping. (I was there because I help lead one of these 1001 communities.)

It turns out I needed the mountains, I think. Which is to say I needed the grounding and refreshing that often comes when we step into a new and beautiful place. It helps with the exhaustion I experience when I’m told how to feel ([link removed]) about current events, a phenomenon Mac Loftin explores in his latest essay. A change of scene can also help stir up energy when the numbness of acedia overtakes us ([link removed]) , which is the topic of Alejandra Oliva’s new column.

Scroll down for even more great content. Our video of the week features Colton Bernasol, who chats with me about how he is reclaiming prayer, and maybe Pentecostalism ([link removed]) , because of his family and his activism. Plus a book review about becoming companions of rivers ([link removed]) , another one about the importance of politics inside the church ([link removed]) , and more.

Jon Mathieu
Email me (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Where%20I%20go%20to%20get%20away&body=Jon%2C%20) : Where do you like to go when you need to retreat or reset?
(Lunchtime chats temporarily disabled during travel season!)
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** Mandatory mourning ([link removed])
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“You can be fired for saying too much about Palestinians getting killed, but you can also be fired for saying you don’t care about Kirk getting killed. We have been compelled to publicly grieve for Kirk.”

by Mac Loftin
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** My summer of acedia ([link removed])
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“As Kathleen Norris described and uncovered each new facet of acedia, I nodded along—yes, I knew this feeling, yes, I was mired in it.”

by Alejandra Oliva
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** VIDEO: Can prayer (or Pentecostalism) be reclaimed? ([link removed])
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People on the right have misused prayer. Folks on the left have written it off. Colton Bernasol, spurred on by his family and his activism, seeks to reclaim it.
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** In the Lectionary for October 26 (Ordinary 30C) ([link removed])
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The day of the Lord is terrifying.
by Songbok Bob Jon

Ordinary 30C archives ([link removed])
Get even more lectionary resources with Sunday’s Coming Premium, an email newsletter from the editors of the Christian Century. Learn more ([link removed]) .


** A river runs through us ([link removed])
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“In his magnificent new book, Robert Macfarlane shows how, when it comes to rivers, our purportedly rational minds have become impounded, even stagnant.”

review by Norman Wirzba


** Reclaiming “church politics” ([link removed])
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“Ross Kane asserts that the work of my church council is politics and assures me that it is both necessary and a source of good news—for our congregation and the world.”

review by Laura E. Alexander
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