59. The Great Invitation: From Doing for God to Being with God (with Mike and Lori McDaniel)

What happens when the ministry you have poured your life into is suddenly no longer yours?

After more than three decades of ministry together, Mike and Lori McDaniel found themselves facing an unexpected and painful ending. What followed was a season of grief, disorientation, and the difficult work of discovering who they were apart from the roles and ministry that had shaped so much of their lives.

In this episode of The Being Formed Podcast, Adam Ormord (host) invites Mike and Lori into a heartfelt conversation about the subtle ways identity can become entangled with what we do for God, learning the language of grief and lament, slowing down enough to pay attention to our souls, and redefining what success looks like when much of what once made it visible has been stripped away.

At the heart of Mike and Lori's journey is what they now call The Great Invitation, the invitation of Jesus in Matthew 11 to come to him, learn from him, and discover a sustainable way of life with God. Before the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, perhaps we first need to hear again the Great Invitation: Come to me.

About Mike & Lori McDaniel

Mike and Lori are co-founders and Directors of The Great Invitation, a ministry providing soul care to pastors, church leaders, and missionaries through retreats, individual coaching and spiritual direction, and onsite coaching for ministry teams. They have spent 36 years in ministry together, leading in pastoral ministry, church planting, soul care, and spiritual direction. They founded Grace Point Church in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2001, where Mike served as Lead Pastor for 23 years while Lori built and led ministries in children's, missions, and women's ministry. They have also lived overseas as missionaries, training leaders and planting churches. Their shared love for the nations has taken them to over 30 countries, strengthening indigenous leaders and cross-cultural workers.

Mike is first and foremost a pastor at heart, having shepherded congregations for over two decades and mentored other pastors and church leaders along the way. He holds his Doctorate in Ministry from Dallas Theological Seminary and is a certified Spiritual Director through Denver Seminary. He is also an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and completed the Flourishing in Ministry Life Coach certification at BIOLA University. He is the author of The Resurgent Church.

Lori is an experienced ministry leader, author, mentor, and Bible teacher who speaks at conferences globally. Lori holds a BS in education and psychology, an MA in theology and intercultural studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA University). She completed the Flourishing in Ministry certification at BIOLA and is completing both her International Coaching Federation credentials and Narrative-Focused Trauma training at the Allender Center (Seattle School of Psychology and Theology). She is the author of The Mission of God and You.

Mike and Lori were high school sweethearts and have been married for 35 years. They have three married adult children and seven grandchildren.

To learn more about Mike and Lori and their soul care ministry, visit https://greatinvitation.org.

The Being Formed Podcast is a soul care ministry of LifePoint Resources.