It's time to breathe.

An August Abstention: Part II

Hi Readers,

Last year, I embraced the scary idea of taking a month-long break from posts on Substack, for the month of August.

You can read more about that here:

At the time, I was worried about doing it, because I believe strongly in the Midwestern Gospel of hard work, and I don’t often give myself the grace that I so fervently believe God gives us all.

What I found, though, was that an August Abstention gave me new energy and creativity heading into the busy fall season. I know that will be even more true this September, as we look toward the November U.S. Presidential Election, and I am certain that Christian Nationalism will continue to be rampant throughout American political rhetoric and ideology. I know I need to be at my best to cover these topics thoroughly and attentively, with sensitivity, patience, and my best listening ears.

Throughout the month of August, while I won’t be posting regularly on Substack, I will be listening. I’m hoping to finally read a few more books that have long been on my must-read list and languishing in the Kindle that I’ve left on Airplane mode … I’m excited to share with you what I’ve read and what I’ve learned at the end of the month.

In a few weeks, I’m also starting an exciting new writing assignment that I can’t wait to share with you. AND on Aug. 18, I will be officially installed as Pastor of Visitation and Public Theology at Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, under new Minneapolis-Area Synod Bishop Jen Nagel. (If you’re in the area, you’re officially invited to attend! More info here).

AND - Disciples of White Jesus will be launching just six months from September, and I know promotions and information about it will be ramping up as well, and I can’t wait to share more of those stories, work, and research with you.

This is what I shared with you at the end of last year’s post about my August break, and the words I thought were important to share again here:

As I approach nearly (now TWO years!) as a writer on Substack, gosh, it’s pretty amazing what this community has given to me. You have helped me to value my own writing and given me the confidence that my words matter. You’ve dug me out of a deep, deep well of pitching ghosting and unpaid freelance articles that sometimes got lost in a slush pile. You’ve helped me reclaim my identity as a journalist and a writer, years after leaving my job as a full-time sports reporter; and you’ve walked with me through a bittersweet, grief and love-filled ending to my time as a solo pastor to a rural congregation in Southwestern Minnesota.

As I look at our list of subscribers, please know that I cherish each and every one of you - and I AM SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE! You all come from different places all over the U.S. and the world - and our connections vary from online acquaintances, to real-life family and friends, and former and present colleagues and fellow writers and pastors. It’s my deep love for the community that exists here that has made it so hard for me to make this call to take a break - and still it’s that same deep love that makes me know that I owe it not only to myself but to you, to know when it’s time to step away (as Jesus and the mystics and the Desert Mothers and Fathers remind me) to go into the wilderness and renew my soul for the work that God has set before me.

If it makes sense for your life, I want to encourage you to find your way into an August renewal break as well. What is something you do, routinely, that you could stop for a bit in order to create space for creativity and new life? What are areas inside of you, in your relationships as well, that have been neglected in favor of productivity, and now need to be renewed?

If you could, please do share in the comments one way you’re incorporating rest this August (unless it’s more restful for you not to - haha) — and also I’d love to hear from you what you’re hoping to see from

I'm Listening

this fall and in the future. I truly appreciate all of your ideas and will hopefully now have more space and bandwidth to make them happen!

Thank you so much for being here. You can’t give a writer a better gift than reading their work.

Love,

Angela

P.S. …

A Few Notes:

First, a huge THANK YOU to all subscribers. I get a little email notification every time someone signs up, and every time I get one, I feel joyful and honored that you want to spend part of your day with this community. I mean it when I say: “I’m listening,” to you as well, and please don’t hesitate to share with me your thoughts + ideas for what you’d like to read in this space.

To PAID SUBSCRIBERS: I am humbled and honored that you’ve chosen to spend part of your limited budget on this newsletter. To borrow words from another newsletter I love, you are directly funding freelance journalism with your subscription, and I have to thank you more than ever for your continued support. Our world’s media and journalism is in a state of crisis, with fewer and fewer billionaires in control of global news outlets, and journalists being either laid off or threatened with violence for their work every single day; with fewer and fewer newsroom positions paying a living wage. I pledge to you to steward your paid subscription faithfully + use it to support honest, hard-working, and LOCAL journalism. One of my goals in this first year is to open this newsletter to other journalists, and pay them a fair wage for their work.

THANK YOU for your support. If you’re not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one.

On free vs. paid-subscriber posts only: My plan right now is that the Friday + Sunday posts, focusing on news + spirituality, in that order, are available for subscribers only (I am going to continue sharing a sample, with a line where the paywall cuts off for our paid subscriber community). My plan is that the Tuesday blog-style posts will always be free, to enable as much access as possible, while creating a smaller and more intimate experience for paid subscribers, who are also able to comment and share in community in fuller ways.

Free Trial: Substack always offers a free week-long trial subscription to this newsletter, so you can get a taste of the Friday + Sunday posts and see if you’d like to subscribe!

If a paid subscription is a hardship for you, but you’d like access to the Friday + Sunday posts: PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out. I will be happy to provide a complimentary subscription for you.