EPS 31: Life After Midday, A Conversation with former Moody Radio host Lori Neff

THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL “in-betweener”  episode!
Check out the other one released this week too.
• Rolf Potts here!


The Life After Midday Story…

This Autumn, when the giant Christian Broadcasting Network, Moody Radio, suddenly ended the award-winning and popular show for women called Midday Connection, fans were stunned and so were the four hosts of the program. The show ran strong for decades and dealt with tough topics with trustworthy and transformative authenticity, and now it was abruptly over.

In the weeks and months that followed the news (first conveyed confidentially to the hosts a few months earlier) host Lori Neff struggled to find her footing. What was her identity after losing her dream job , her 18-year career, and the interaction with her friends from her job? What should be the new path for her ministry and her life’s work?

In this beautiful episode, Lori conveys to us with her characteristic authenticity and her deep well of spiritual fortitude what was happening during that time, how she has processed the tumult of the upheaval in a way that has best connected with her values, and she reveals her exciting plans for the future (some of which include THIS show).  It is an inspiring and a useful model for any of us in a difficult transition or painful situation. Her message will hearten and delight you.

LoriNeff

Scroll down to click on the button to listen and see the shownotes below for links to things mentioned in the show.

We had a LIVE online podcast after-party, scroll to the bottom to view the replay!


Thank you for finding Spark My Muse project and listening in. So much is in store. Wonderful guests, new partnerships, and upcoming ways to connect. (Also, check out the community we started HERE.)

• If you have enjoyed the program and want to be a part of helping it continue, you can help out HERE. Even $1 or 2 is wonderful, because as everyone helps a little–it helps a lot.

(Dead broke, but still generous? Share the show with a few friends now and visit this link to write a helpful review on iTunes HERE.)


Be sure to connect with Lori!

Find Lori at her website HERE.

Find her on Facebook HERE.

Connect with Lori on Twitter HERE

Shownotes

MIN 1:30

18 years of radio broadcasting for Lori came suddenly to an end?

Broadening the scope of the women’s program to talk about spiritual formation and tougher topics.

3:20

How Lori was introduced to and trained in spiritual direction (and what is it?)

4:00

Moving away from problem-solving.

Christos in MN, training program

6:00

Listening with the other person for…

God’s activity in their life. Enjoying the creativity that can go along with it.

7:00

A gentle, safe and warm ministry.

9:00

The shock of the Midday Connection ending.

11:00

Leaning into the things that bring you joy.

11:30

A podcast focused on prayer. (Everyday Prayer Podcast)

14:00

Using art for prayer and worship

15:30

Lori’s spiritual background and faith tradition

16:30

The trap of legalism that began in adolescence.

18:00

Janet Davis book, The Feminine Soul

19:30

Our devotion can make us strive for certainty.

20:00

Critical Journey Janet Hagberg

22:00

The format and date for her new podcast.

23:00

Pray as you go

Daily disconnect podcasts with daily prayer

Guided prayer practice. About 8 minutes long.

Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas

25:00

When prayer “stops working” and the seasons of prayer.

27:30

A prayer Lori goes back to is she’s discourage, sad, or busy:

Lynnette Martin

Practical Praying [READ it here]

We give a glance, a smile and say “hello”.

29:00

Basking in the presence and intimacy of God in an intentional way.

31:00

Asking, “Where is God in this?”

The chair was like a nest.

33:00

Relying on written prayers when you feel prayer.

34:30

Celtic prayers.

Morning, afternoon, and evening prayers that are holistic.

35:30

Lori doing women’s retreat with Melidna Schmidt.

Creative Faith.

Vision and value statements

5 Core value statements.

Mind Mapping – a tool for putting thoughts on paper in an organized way.

Beth and David Boorman

Sustainable Faith Indy

38:00

Discovering her dreams.

43:00

Authenticity and vulnerability and lack of fear to address hard topics is what she’ll miss the most.

45:45

Anything like Midday Connection on the horizon?

46:45

Anita Lustrous Faith Conversations podcast

47:30

Spark invitation

49:00

Finding Lori and what she’s up to. lorineff.com

“The end of Midday Connection” series on the blog

51:00

Losses take time to move through.

A lament like the psalms.

The journey of grief.

53:20

Is there something as “pure joy”?

54:00

Not pushing aside the tension of joy and sorrow.


Please let me know if you enjoyed the show. Don’t forget to subscribe and come back in a few days for another episode!

-Lisa

 

Safely Home

If you’re here as a new visitor from the Midday Connection blog, or elsewhere…welcome! I update 3-4 times per week, and some great things are in store. Please poke around and enjoy. If you want to, leave a comment, or use the contact form (lower black tab reading: “contact me”) to connect. I’m really glad you’re here.

For all of my regular readers, thank you for making it a joy to have a blog. I appreciate you.

Today’s Reflection: Safely Home

I’m preparing for a season of preparation. Strange, huh? I’ll explain.

Many Christians across the world observe the “Christian calendar” which begins at Advent, about four weeks before December 25th. (In 2012 it starts December 2.) Advent is a pre-Christmas time marked not buy consumption, decorating, cooking, and the usual things that busy us in the time before Christmas day.

Instead, it’s marked by a time of special spiritual awareness. Themes of waiting, longing, and  anticipation are the focus as we await the coming celebration of Light coming into the darkness: Jesus come to earth as a fragile baby.

But, it’s more then just a spiritual pre-season observance of an event in Christian history, it’s a recognition of a present reality that God has made a way safely home, to him.

The Incarnation is the coming of Immanuel (a Hebrew word meaning: God-with-us). It goes beyond the life, ministry, and death of Jesus of Nazareth as well…to the startling promise of God’s ever-abidding Holy Spirit that resides in us.

This is how God dwells among us, in the core of you and me. We are surrounded by his presence.

You are already home.

With God taking up residence within you, you are the home of God.

(He’s not sitting far off on a bright fancy, throne nestled in a cloud as  Michelangelo would paint it, or as Deists may believe. Remember some Theology 101: God is spirit and has no physical body.)

So, during this season, before the holidays kick into hectic full-swing, be mindful and awed by the Goodness and provision of God. Be aware in your body and mind that house the Spirit of God. A gift of unimaginable worth.

Make ready the manger of your heart for a fresh and rich ongoing awareness of God’s love, grace, and presence that will culminate in the joyful celebration of the arrival of God-in-flesh.

If you would like to continue learning about these seasonal themes and enrich your Autumn and early Winter season, keeping visiting. I’ll focus some of my posts on these themes, sometimes with reflections, scriptures, prayers, and such. This time also (soon) includes the 2nd annual Advent Project which is an effort create a space and format for giving and goodwill in the areas of art and other creative expressions.

So, now, it’s your turn…

What touched you about what you read today?


Do you currently observe a season of Advent each year? If yes, in what ways does it have most meaning for you?

photo source 

The post-SANDY blog post

UPDATES!

• Storm SANDY is gone. Our cable and internet power is gone too (I’m at a McDonalds today writing this).

• I’m featured on the (Moody Bible Radio’s) Midday Connection blog. I hope you can read it!  ARTICLE

• Soon I’ll be selling my digital book on AMAZON.
Soul Care VOL1-5 (Themes covered in the digital book will soon be featured and summarized at RELEVANT magazine online. WIN! I’ll post the link once I get it.)

• Do you want to write about something similar to the themes you see here? I have two guest post spots up for grabs in November. Do you want to contribute? Drop me a line, and let me know. :)

Thank you ALL so very much for your prayers for us during this monster storm. Please consider donating to the RED CROSS to help the many victims hurt by Sandy. If you can donate blood, they need it very badly. The storm disrupted 100 blood donation drives.