The Next Right Thing

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 by Tsh Oxenreider Ten Favorite Things of Summer by Emily P. Freeman Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman  

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 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Visit The Next Right Thing for a transcript of this episode

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 @emilypfreeman visit The Next Right Thing for a transcript of episode 42

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 creating some space for my own soul to breathe. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 1: How to Become a Soul Minimalist Genesis 2:7  Episode 40: Keep Your Rest The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus Is the Way by Eugene Peterson Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

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 Breedlove Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You by John Ortberg Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World by Shelly Miller The Dusty Ones: Why Wandering Deepens Your Faith by AJ Swoboda Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight In Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

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 Seasonal What I Learned Lists Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman

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 month's letter here.

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 here

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 hear the decision-making process other people go through.    Links + Resources From This Episode: Be Kind To One Another by Brian Morykon The Burning Edge of Dawn by Andrew Peterson Be Kind to Yourself by Andrew Peterson Candace Cameron Bure Kind Is The New Classy by Candace Cameron Bure A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here

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 areas where we may not feel a lot of confidence but wish we did? Links + Resources From This Episode: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert Begin Again by Leeana Tankersley Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here Find a complete transcript to this episode right here

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 @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here Visit The Next Right Thing for a complete transcript of this 12 minute episode.

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 gap between the joy of a new beginning and the dread of actually being a beginner by simply doing the next right thing. Find a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Begin Again: The Brave Practice of Releasing Hurt and Receiving Rest by Leanna Tankersley Too Small To Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters Most by Wess Stafford Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman For Writers! Check out hope*writers before the doors 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 and further in, it isn’t always quite so clear cut. Today rather than tell you one of my own stories or the story of someone who has inspired me, I want to guide you through telling yourself your story, particularly as it relates to a decision you’re carrying. New! Grab the free downloadable Practice Guide: How to Make One Decision at A Time right here. Prefer reading to listening? Find a complete transcript right here.

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 deeper, something good.  Today I'll share a story of a couple who realized their next right thing was to let a long-held dream go. But because they understood the real art, the dream lives on. Download a complete transcript at thenextrightthingpodcast.com Links + Resources From This Episode: 7 Antiques We Found at the Chartreuse Barn Sale from Our State Magazine A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made To Live by me, Emily P. Freeman Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here

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 Podcast Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter here Download a complete transcript here

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 Collection Marie Forleo A Soul Minimalist's Guide to Relationships Psalm 37: 23-26 Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman If you prefer reading to listening, download a transcript of this episode right here.

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 Writing Conference The Office (Season 5, Episode 16 "Lecture Circuit, Part 1") Jan Johnson Enneagram 4 Guerillas of Grace: Prayer For The Battle by Ted Loder A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Get the monthly letter - emilypfreeman.com/letter