The Next Right Thing

When it comes to finding your purpose and knowing your why, many of us have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's inspirational and motivating. But there is another hand, and that's the one filled with anxiety and questioning:  how do we know if we're on the right track? What if we don't have a clear sense of purpose? Author and comedian Michael Jr. helps us discern our next right thing without ma...

When we witness dissonance in the world around us, when we see people make terrible choices on live TV or in the parking lot of a Starbucks or in the sanctuary of our churches or in the halls of a federal building and then we still have to decide what to make for dinner that night, it's disorienting at best, traumatizing at worst. Many of us want to know: What can I do? What is my next right thing...

It's one thing to change your mind when you're sure of your decision. But how can you know if it's time to move on when circumstance, desire, and opinions are mixed? Here are 8 questions to ask yourself to find some clarity. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Next Right Thing listeners can enjoy a free trial of Skillshare premium membership Episode 161: Change Your Mind The Holy Longi...

You are allowed to change your mind. In fact, this might be the most courageous, spiritually forming thing you could do. If we want to participate in true transformation, we may have to be willing to let go of what we're good at, to move away from what we once knew for sure (or thought we knew for sure), and take a step into the mysterious shadow of unknowing. You might be surprised what you find...

This time of year encourages a new start, a letting go, a shaking loose of old skins and embracing a new kind of strength. Maybe growing and maturity means releasing. But what if part of releasing is allowing ? What if shaking it off without first holding it out only means it will come back around again (and maybe not in very kind ways next time.)   What if letting go starts with letting in? That'...

From favorite foods to honest confessions, 2020 has been a year of making beautiful things. In our final episode of the year, I'm sharing seven categories of things I made and encourage you to reflect on the significant memories, confessions, decisions and more that you made this year as well. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Listen to the other episodes in this series here: 5 Books...

This episode is part of a mini-series where I'm sharing my favorite things I read, watched, listened to, and made this year.   If your year had a soundtrack, what would be on it? Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite things I listened to this year. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Get $100 off your first month of Talkspace with code NEXTRIGHTTHING Taylor Swift's folklore and evermo...

Today's episode brings us to another level of our relationship because I'm going to share with you shows I watch and in doing so, you will learn something about me for better or for worse.   I tried to be super honest and share with you things I watch and love that came to mind immediately (and not just things that might impress you - these will not, I assure you) so some will be basic and mainstr...

In our brand new The Next Right Thing Guided Journal , we'll have one page per month dedicated to A Happy List: a place to record the things we read, watched, listened to, and made. In the spirit of celebrating my next right favorite things from this year, today I'm sharing 5 books I read and loved this year. Listen in!   Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with a free tri...

This year has led us to places we would rather not go. But here we are anyway, waiting for relief, praying for healing, and holding on to hope the best we can. To help usher us into the Advent season and companion us to the finish line of 2020, I've created a brand new version of The Quiet Collection for Christmas and it's available now. In today's episode, I'll share the story behind it and I hop...

Today I want to talk about Jesus. I can't talk about the importance of remembering who you are without talk about who I am. And to talk about who I am, I have to talk about Jesus.   It's funny when you do the kind of work I do,  some people think you don't talk about Jesus enough and others think you do it too much. I'm not trying to strike any kind of balance here y'all, I'm just trying to be a p...

In today's episode I'm sharing about one decision I've already made for the holidays and I have a special guest to share the news with. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Shadow and Light by Tsh Oxenreider Experience stamps.com with a four-week free trial with code "Next Right Thing" Learn about Literary London Check out my That Sounds Fun Network neighbor, The Matthew West Podcast  G...

Most of us long for clarity -- in our decisions, our relationships, and our vocation. As Brene Brown has taught us, "Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind." Sometimes the simplest way to offer clarity is one we often overlook: saying words with our out loud voice. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Explore your creativity with a free trial of Skillshare Grab a copy...

No matter what happens in our elections, our churches, our families, and relationships we still have work to do, people to care for, places to go, dinner to make, homes to clean, proposals to write, losses to grieve, appointments to schedule, small wins to celebrate, emails to write and decisions to make. We still have life to live and if there's one thing I know about you, it's that you truly wan...

One common mistake we make when we have the desire to make good decisions is that we try to peer into the future to discover what it might hold, what the outcomes we want to achieve are, and what roadblocks we wish to avoid.   The only problem is the future hasn't happened yet, so how can it possibly teach us? Instead of looking ahead and guessing about outcomes, there's something to be said for l...

With an important Presidential election coming up in the United States in just a few short weeks, we are preparing to make decisions that don't only impact our own households but also the people who live all over this beautiful country and all over the world. No matter how you choose to vote, chances are you've experienced a fair amount of anxiety, frustration, and relational conflict during this...

When the big picture is impossible to grasp but the next thing feels inconsequential, it can help to remember the medium picture instead. If you're questioning if your daily decisions are adding up to something good, holding on to the medium picture can be a relief. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Explore your creativity with  2 free months of Skillshare premium membership. Searchi...

It's been four months since we all put black squares in our Instagram feeds. While the messaging and origin of those blackout Tuesday posts may have become confusing and some of the initial intentions of that initiative was lost in the frenzy of the fast-paced nature of social media, I remain grateful for that day in early summer of 2020. For some of us, it marked a beginning, or a maybe a new beg...

In this final episode in our senses series, today we'll discover the role our senses might play in our life with God. One of the most life-giving discoveries I've made over the past decade or so has been to understand that our expression of faith doesn't have to look just one way. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Discover new things with 30% off Kiwico The Divine Hours by Phyllis Ti...

Fear can be our friend because it helps us to survive by telling us to avoid dangerous things. But when fear works too hard, it's easy to lose our context. We can become hyper-focused on certain cues while ignoring other ones. When fear starts to work overtime, it can help to engage in this simple practice to bring us back to center again. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover pe...

Questions of timing, next steps, and which path to take can consume our thoughts, causing us to be distracted, lose sleep, or make a decision in haste just to have it behind us. That's because unmade decisions hold power. If you find yourself stuck in the decision-making process, it could help to re-engage in the world around you in ways that have nothing to do with the decision. Maybe it's time t...

In an attempt to disrupt the cycle of overthinking and get out of my own head, I'm working to pay attention to my body, namely my five senses. This is not my most natural way. If you can relate, I hope that intentionally seeing, touching, smelling, tasting, and hearing might prove to be a grounding practice as we consider our next right thing in several areas of our lives. Today I'm glad to have m...

If you have decisions to make but feel like you're just circling around the same thoughts, fears, ideas, and possibilities in your head but can't find an out to take action, I want to invite you to journey with me over the course of the next several episodes toward discovering better decision-making habits by engaging our bodies, particularly our five senses. Listen in. Links + Resources From This...

Sometimes we create routines and other times, we have to break them down. Today's episode is an encouragement for anyone who feels stuck because the routines you had before aren't working anymore. Solidarity, sister. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Uncover personal stories about your past at ancestry.com Episode 76: Create a Simple Morning Routine Episode 90: Start with This Simple...

In the fifth season of Seinfeld, Jerry's friend George Costanza decided to do the opposite of his instincts and as a result, he had the best day of his life. Ignoring your instincts may not be good advice, but there's still something to learn from doing the opposite. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Listeners of The Next Right Thing can get 2 free months of Skillshare premium memb...