The Next Right Thing

When someone around us is struggling, what is our next right thing? Listen in.  

Both the light and the shadows have an important role in our lives and embracing them both helps us grow towards our next right thing.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 139: 5-18 My Summer in (20) Books - A list of books on my shelf this summer Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

We want see evidence of growth in our lives, but it can be discouraging when we can't figure out how to release old habits. Perhaps true maturity and a growing faith show up not in our ability to stand up straight and blameless, but in our willingness to turn, again and again, back to the face of God. Links + Resources From This Episode: Lamentations 3:19-32 On Making Friends and Partial Solutions...

If you know you need to make a move but something is holding you back, listen in.   You can read the transcript to this episode here. Instagram: @emilypfreeman Website: thenextrightthingpodcast.com

Psalm 139 is a familiar chapter, but what does it take to let your heart be searched by God and be led in the everlasting way? It sounds lovely, maybe a little terrifying, but mostly out of reach. Maybe it isn't as hard as all that. Maybe we just need a little bit of silence. I hope these few minutes will lead you right to it. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 139:23-24 My friend, Kendra...

Studies show our brains process spoken and written language differently.  We may often sit to read scripture, but how often do we allow scripture to read us?   It might be surprising how a small amount of intentional time can begin to smooth out the chaotic edges of your soul. This continues our summer series of still moments. Today's reflection is from  Luke 5: 12-16 Find me on Instagram @emilypf...

When we take a deep breath, it sends our body a message: You're going to be okay. In the beginning, God breathed life into mankind -- breath was the beginning. So it makes sense this is the first step to decluttering the soul, especially in the midst of transitions as we learn what it means to begin again. Today I'll share how I am working to maintain the integrity of my own offering to you by cre...

Beneath our hectic schedules, our proud accomplishments, and our self-sufficiencies, we simply long to be loved and cared for right where we are, no strings attached. Maybe in these few minutes we have together, our God will father and mother us in all the ways we need the most. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 23 Choosing Rest: Cultivating a Sunday Heart in a Monday World by Sally Breed...

The voice of the critic can keep us from our next right thing. But not all critical voices are created equally. Here's help to discern who to listen to and who to ignore.  A few links from the episode: A Million Little Ways  by Emily P. Freeman Little Goat Diner - Our breakfast place! Christine Caine Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter: emilypfreeman.com/letter

This one simple sentence from a New York pastry chef could help you shift your perspective and take your next right step. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: How Milk Bar Founder Christina Tosi Went from Momofuku Employee to Bakery Chain CEO Chef's Table: Christina Tosi (Season 4 Episode 1) via Netflix To Bless This Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings  by John O'Donohue Download Your...

With our full schedules and daily concerns, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with even the slightest disruption to our routine. With that in mind, today's suggestion might seem counter-intuitive:  disrupting our routine can sometimes be exactly what we need to get unstuck. Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Let's connect! I send out a letter once a month with a list of recommended reads. Get this mo...

Two things guaranteed to make your day more complicated: unawareness of your current situation and exaggeration of your future inability to handle it.   Here's one simple practice to help you stay in today and simply do the next right thing. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 118:24 Get One Last Thing every Saturday in your inbox Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter h...

When you're on a roll in Hollywood, you don't leave the industry. But that's exactly what actress, producer, and author Candace Cameron Bure decided to do. In the midst of the fear and second-guessing, one character trait remained certain throughout her life and career transitions - kindness. Listen in as she shares her story, because when you're in the midst of making a big decision, it helps to...

The decisions that add to our fatigue aren't always big and significant ones. Sometimes things in life that are meant to be fun and delightful - choosing a paint color, wrapping a present, picking out plants - turn out instead to be one more decision we feel incapable of making. What is the next right thing in situations that overwhelm us but shouldn't? How can we move forward as a beginner in are...

If you are facing a big decision that could lead to a new start, perhaps you don't need a collection of gurus as much as you need a a group of co-listeners. Here's how I found mine.   Find show notes and a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Find me on instagram @emilypfreeman  

At a time when I felt pulled in many directions, I realized I was looking outside myself for a plan when I needed to look inside for a vision. My email inbox told me the story and this time, I had the good sense to pay attention. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 27: Stop Rushing Clarity The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom by Henri Nouwen Find me on Instagram @...

It's one thing to experience a new beginning, to usher in a time of new roles, new adventure, and new season of life. No matter what kind of new beginning a transition might bring, it also brings a new identity for us: a beginner. I've discovered I don't love being a beginner. I'd rather be an expert, thank you very much. But being a beginner is an unavoidable part of life transition. Let's close...

The way we move through our days is a lot more instinctual than we care to admit. We like to think we have clear reasons for things when in fact, most times we are feeling our way through. Do I feel safe? Do I feel seen? Do I feel heard? Do I feel in control? Do I have what it takes? On the surface, the decision could be as simple as deciding to join the PTA or not join the PTA. But deeper down an...

When you hold a dream – to craft a song, write a book, open a shop, get a degree – it can be hard to let it go even when the dream no longer fits. It feels like more than a loss, it feels like  failure . But it doesn't have to. In fact, what if the letting go was actually a making room? The  real  art isn't the song, the book, the shop or the degree. The real art is something more, something deepe...

Any de-clutterer knows the only way to make room is by letting stuff go. It's true for your house and equally true for your soul. Today I'll share 3 ways standing on your head can make room for something good - even if you never physically get upside down. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way by Eugene Peterson The Next Right Thing Po...

If you are distracted and overwhelmed by a particular decision and you just can't seem to move forward, you might feel like either something is wrong with your process or something is wrong with you. Neither one of these has to be true. In today's episode, I'll share two things you can let go of today that will help you take your next right step. Links + Resources From This Episode: The Quiet Coll...

Doing the next right thing in relationships starts with how we enter a room. It can mean the difference between connecting with them or comparing ourselves to them. Fair warning, today's episode is brought to you by some healthy self-reflection and a dash of narcissism. It's for a good cause. I hope you'll stick with me. Links + Resources From This Episode: Shauna Niequist Faith and Culture Writin...

The only person you're guaranteed to be with every day of your life is you. Maybe your next right thing is to make some peace with yourself and come back home. For a complete transcript of this episode visit the show notes right here. Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman + get the monthly letter here: emilypfreeman.com/letter

When I have a question, the first thing I want is an answer. Sometimes answers are fairly easy to come by – How do you make pizza? What should I wear today? Who can drive to piano practice? But so often, the questions we have in life that give us trouble are the ones that aren't so linear. In my experience, these usually have to do with things like faith, vocation, and relationships. Today I'm sha...

How can we discern our next right thing when we're confronted with unpredictable people? Today we'll explore the difference between a loving intention and a fear-based agenda.  More From This Episode: Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here:  emilypfreeman.com/letter Download a transcript of episode 23 at The Next Right Thing Podcast