The Next Right Thing

When we can't find words to pray we can borrow them from those who have come before us – The Lord's Prayer, The Prayer of St. Frances, and The Welcoming Prayer are good examples of this. But praying words are not the only words I borrow. A listening life means an attentive one. So when we're reading, watching, or in conversation and hear a line or phrase that resonates, we would do well to keep a...

Every time I do a reader and listener survey, one of the themes that always seems to emerge is that of peace: it's what people are lacking and what they seem to most want. But what do we really mean when we say it? And is it possible to access peace in the midst of chaos? Let's talk about it. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Join me in person on March 7, 2027 Check out my conversa...

Today we hit a big milestone in the life of the podcast: 400 episodes! If you thought I would let this milestone pass without an announcement, you thought wrong my friend! Fun news loading in 3 2 1 . . . Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Come to the celebration FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Watch this episode on YouTube Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Dow...

It's time for my seasonal list of what's saving my life this autumn, with kind regards and a healthy hat-tip to Barbara Brown Taylor who asked it first. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Ordinary Altars   by Sarah Bessey Download The Quiet Collection FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Watch this episode on YouTube Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Download the fre...

One of the spiritual practices I turn to often is journaling. It helps me process my thoughts, know what I think, and write what I know. But when I'm in the middle of a difficult time, particularly when I'm navigating through grief, I've discovered I have a more difficult time writing complete sentences. Over the years I've learned a few things that have helped me to not drop the practice of journ...

We're a few weeks into a new season which means there's a good chance you might be feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. In today's episode I'd love to guide you through a simple 5 movement reset to help clear some space on the inside. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Simplify by Joshua Becker FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Watch this episode on YouTube Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Joi...

Surprising to absolutely no one who has been here for five minutes, I submit that the way to begin considering what might be next for you is not by trying to see the future. Instead, it begins with looking to the past. But then what do you do with what you see? I submit you begin to look for arrows. If you are in a season of considering what might be next in your own life and need a bit of a start...

When it comes to spiritual practice, it helps me to remember that the goal is not to be good at spiritual practice. The goal is union with God, connection with each other, and love. I've been on a long path over the years of unlearning and relearning what spiritual practices are meant for and how to enter into it as a gift rather than a burden.  Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: 365:...

How can we be consistent without falling into rigidity? Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Learn more about Journal Club FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Watch this episode on YouTube Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Download The Quiet Collection app Join The Soul Minimalist Substack Order a How to Walk into a Room Download the free discussion guide for  How to Walk into a Room by visiting this...

After a long time off, welcome all the way back to the podcast. I'm glad to be here and I hope you are, too. We'll begin as we often do around here: by looking back, starting back in February when I discerned my word for this year would be HEAL. On this first episode of fall, I'll share the view from here, what healing means for me in this season, and how to know if healing is on the horizon. List...

It's the last week of Psalm Summer 2026, and I'll be reading three versions of Psalm 62. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Quiet Collection app Order  The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book How to Walk into a Room Find me on  Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's week five of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading three versions of Psalm 62. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Quiet Collection app Order  The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book How to Walk into a Room Find me on  Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's week four of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading three versions of Psalm 54. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Quiet Collection app Order  The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book How to Walk into a Room Find me on  Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's week three of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading three versions of Psalm 13. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in  The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Quiet Collection app Order  The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book How to Walk into a Room Find me on  Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's week two of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading three versions of Psalm 8. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:   The Quiet Collection app Order  The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book How to Walk into a Room Find me on  Instagram @emilypfreeman

It's the first week of Psalm Summer, and I'll be reading three versions of Psalm 3. When this series is over, we'll have all the Psalms for you as a collection in The Quiet Collection app. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Quiet Collection app Order  The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book How to Walk into a Room Find me on  Instagram @emilypfreeman

Today I'm joining in conversation with my friend James Bryan Smith to finally share something that's been in the works for over a year now. Jim is the author of The Good and Beautiful book series .  A founding member of Richard J. Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré , Smith is an ordained United Methodist Church minister and has served in various capacities in local churches.  He earned...

It's the last episode of our regular season but don't worry - we may pop in with a bonus episode in the next few weeks and we'll definitely be back in late June to begin Psalm Summer. Before I sign off, I want to leave you with the heart of why I do what I do here and what I believe is the most important thing to remember when we have decisions to make. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISO...

There are a lot of reasons to feel pulled in many directions this time of year which is why I'm delightfully surprised by the invitation I've been sensing to slow down and the surprising source from which it comes. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: "They Orbited the Moon, But I Keep Coming Back to the Crew." by Priya Parker FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Watch this episode on YouTube Leave a...

April is my birthday month so every year I like to dedicate one episode to birthdays in general - maybe something you can come back to when your birthday rolls around. Of course birthdays are a time for celebration, for treating ourselves, for toasting to another year of life. They are also a good time for personal reflection. If you are someone for whom reflection does not come naturally, you may...

Some seasons we're more aware of the ways we need our lives to be saved. For me it's always good to keep a list and pay attention to the small and big things that are saving me. It's been especially good for me this month. Maybe in hearing the things on my list you'll be inspired to make and share your own. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Joyful, Anyw...

Inevitably in life, all of us will face unexpected turns and be required to navigate terrain we didn't choose and don't understand. What do we do when life is interrupted, when the story you were happy to tell is no longer true? When the crisis isn't obvious or clear or public? When the help we need feels as desperate as a house fire but it's not fully ours to ask for? I have a few ideas. Listen i...

This episode originally aired on March 14, 2023.   Today I'll re-share words from someone else for all of us to listen to and carry with us and reflect on together. I've chosen a poem by Macrina Wiederkehr, a writer who has been a companion for me for many years now (though she never knew it.) She was a master of everyday spirituality and had a lovely way of seeing and speaking of God in the midst...

Today I want to share a bit more personally about my own journey this last 6 weeks. As always, my only hope in sharing with you my inner processing is that perhaps it will help you begin to make sense of your own. Listen in.   LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE: Watch this episode on YouTube Leave a review on Apple Podcasts Download The Q...

If you continue to struggle with knowing how to carry the hard stuff without becoming cynical, angry, or sad all the time and also how to carry the good stuff without feeling guilty or succumbing to toxic positivity you're in the right place. Listen in. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE: Order Counterweights by Shannan Martin Join Emily and Shannan at Main Street Books Davidson on April 9th Too...