EPS 35: Sarah Bessey talks about “Out of Sorts”

People in over 149 countries listen to SPARK MY MUSE!

And you do too.

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A big welcome back to Sarah Bessey!

You will LOVE this conversation about Sarah’s new book which involves a spiritual homecoming. Her message of love and hope oozes from every decibel of this episode.

Scroll down for shownotes and please do look around at the other episodes. Psst, subscribe for extra awesomeness.

Make sure you stop back HERE to join us for a Live conversation about the book November 10th at 8pm EST/GMT-4.

Her new book is HERE!

Sarah Bessey “Out of Sorts”

The difference between this book and the last one.

8:00
Six years away from church.
Finding friends outside of a church community context and the loneliness of that.

Making friends in the neighborhood and having more time because church obligations didn’t take so much time.

11:30
Programing church can take away the organic way people can become bonded.

“Maybe community is a really churchy word for being a really good friend.”

13:30
Obey the Sadness is her favorite chapter

Barbara Brown Taylor
“Learning to Walk in the Dark”

Solar and Lunar Christians

15:30
What unanswered prayers teach.

16:20
I didn’t know how to be sad. I didn’t know how to say [things weren’t] right and that I was longing for wholeness and longing for resolution and redemption. And make peace with that and sit in that tension well.

Holding space for unfinished business.

18:00
The lamenting psalms are meant to be sung in community.

The sacred work of listening when people are hurting.

19:30
When people are uncomfortable with our pain.

The winnowing times when friendships don’t stay provide comfort during the painful times.

22:00
The Ash Wednesday breakthrough story.

27:00
on not knowing how to pray anymore.

The Book of Common prayer

The daily offices

The 28:00
The papal visit in Philly

LINK for the videos of all the U.S. papal messages

Priests move to distribute Communion at the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia Sept. 27. (CNS photo/Teak Phillips, St. Louis Review) See POPE-FAMILY-MASS Sept. 27, 2015.
Priests move to distribute Communion at the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia Sept. 27. (CNS photo/Teak Phillips, St. Louis Review) See POPE-FAMILY-MASS Sept. 27, 2015.

Open communion in the street

The World Meeting of Families

Sarah’s interaction with liturgy now and underestimating her spiritual roots and homesickness.

Missing the unscripted script of her church.

34:00
Recognizing the global church and its expressions.

35:30
Sushi forever or the many expressions of Christianity.

If your hands are open you can have many ways to encounter God.

37:00
Understanding the wrath of God and sovereignty of God.

46:00
The pain and relief of the dross getting burning away.

“Can God Be Trusted”
by John Stackhouse


49:00
Being okay with growing pains.

The one message she hopes people get from the book.
(She takes us to church! ENJOY!)

Soul School – Lesson 3

Soul School Lesson 3 – Infectious Hurried Syndrome

For the rest of the year Soul School a new Soul School episode will be released on Hump Day (Wednesday). If you enjoy this short episodes meant to increase mindfulness and soul care, let me know and I’ll continue them in 2016.

Have you have noticed how a whole day can go by and you were so hurried that it’s hard to remember what even happened in your day?

Soul School – Lesson 2

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This is the second Soul School.

It’s a short episode with a few things to think about for the week. If you listen in let me know. If you have questions or suggestions, lay ’em on me.

Soul School – lesson 1

"Safe Neighborhood?" (creative commons photo by Josve05a Flickr)
(creative commons photo by Josve05a Flickr)

Here is something different.

It’s a short episode with a thought experiment, a kind of class in “soul school”.

Let me know what you think.

I’d like to intersperse short “lessons” with my typical interview episodes. I’ll do a few as a test and see where it goes.

 

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