The Next Right Thing

August is a month of change and one big milestone is moving out of the house to live on your own, whether for college, work, internships, traveling, or just because it's time. This one was written specifically with first-year college students in mind, but of course could apply for any young ones who are grown, moving away from home for the first time. Here's a sending prayer for the journey. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

Five years ago this week, the first episode of The Next Right Thing released. In this five year state of the podcast episode, I’m glad to look back at our beginnings and share the importance of marking milestones. I'll ask (and answer) five questions to ask yourself when you have a milestone moment to mark. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Enter today's giveaway! The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson Episode 01: Become a Soul Minimalist Simply Tuesday by me! Amy Porterfield Podcast: Why Aren't You Taking Action with Brooke Castillo Episode 88: Come Away for Awhile Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.  

Today I’m eager to sit with John Freeman, my husband and partner for the last 21 years. We talk about some times of discernment and decision-making in our own marriage, how serving on staff at a church for over a decade prepared him for his work as a spiritual director and what’s on our minds as we prepare to send our twins off to college. If you find yourself standing on a threshold of change, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Learn more about John's current work Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Episode 178: How to Find a Spiritual Director Episode 184: The Next Right Thing in Marriage with John Freeman Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode.    

What if there is no rush to figure out what we think and believe about everything? What if there's room for our growth and learning to take the time it takes? If you're feeling overwhelmed with the pressure to figure things out, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Use code TISH22 for 30% off Liturgy of the Ordinary at ivpress.com Psalm Readings on Spotify Get my weekly emails A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Find a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

Doing the next right thing is perhaps most necessary when we find ourselves in the midst of grief and loss. Today I’m glad to talk with author, speaker, and songwriter Amanda Held Opelt. She believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds. Amanda is well acquainted with grief after experiencing several years of profound loss, including the sudden death of her only sister, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans. Amanda explores the rituals of grief and what they can teach us about ourselves, our faith, and each other in times of deep loss in her new book, A Hole in the World. If you find yourself in the midst of the fog of grief or want to grow in your understanding of what grievers are going through, listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: A Hole in the World by Amanda Held Opelt Amanda's Instagram account @amandaheldopelt Amanda's website Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Fi

A reading of Psalm 23 from the following versions: New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition), New International Version, and The Amplified Bible. This episode is part of the Psalm Summer series. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 23 (New Revised Standard Version) Psalm 23 (New International Version) Psalm 23 (The Amplified Bible) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

A reading of Psalm 121 from the following versions: New Living Translation, New American Standard Bible, and The Voice. This episode is part of the Psalm Summer series. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 121 (New Living Translation) Psalm 121 (New American Standard Bible) Psalm 121 (The Voice) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

A reading of Psalm 103, first from the New American Standard Bible, and then from the Common English Bible. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 103 (New American Standard Bible) Psalm 103 (Common English Bible) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

A reading of Psalm 91, first from the New International Version and then from The Message. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Psalm 91 (NIV) Psalm 91 (The Message) Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

We’re looking for God in the cracks of our lives, in the wide open spaces of our joys and the painful fissures of our brokenness. For the next several weeks I want to create some space for the Psalms to put some things to words that we might be too exhausted to articulate. Today I'll explain how it will work. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 214: Psalm 22 Episode 221: Psalm 46 Episode 190: Psalm 139 Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

For the most recent high school and college graduates, here's a short blessing for you as you do your next right thing in love. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

What is the soul and what is the impact of fame and success on it? Also, how can we cultivate a good and beautiful life with spiritual practices without sinking into judgment or legalism?   Today I’m thrilled to talk to my friend, Dr. James Bryan Smith, who has been a theology professor at Friends University for several decades and was recently named the inaugural Dallas Willard Chair in Christian Spiritual Formation. Jim is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and a co-founding pastor of Chapel Hill UMC, in Wichita, Kansas. He is also a best-selling author of twelve books, most notably The Apprentice Series (InterVarsity Press), which includes The Good and Beautiful God as well as his most recent release, The Good and Beautiful You that we’ll talk about today. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Listen to Friends in Formation, a Renovaré podcast and today's episode sponsor The Good and Beautiful You by Dr. James Bryan Smith Learn more about my Summer Writing Intensive with hope*wr

How can you move forward when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, out of control, or like you’re doing it all wrong? My guest today brings simple advice with a nuanced angle inviting us all to trust the process.   Stephanie Duncan Smith is a senior editor at Baker Books, where she coaches and champions authors to bring the best out of their message. She’s worked in book and digital media publishing for over a decade, developing bestselling and award-winning writers, and personally pens SLANT LETTER, an email newsletter for writers looking to deepen their craft and tend to the soul of their work which we plan to tell you all about. So what does it look like to trust the process in parenting, faith, and writing? Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Find Stephanie on Instagram here and online here Get Stephanie's newsletter SLANT LETTER here Learn more about my Summer Writing Intensive with hope*writers Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Insta

Maybe you're not the one who is chronically hesitant but someone you love seems to always struggle with making decisions. What’s the best way to help the indecisive along? How can you help them move forward in the midst of their hesitation? Great question. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Episode 94: Ask the Second Question Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

Today's episode is especially for high school students and those who love and advise them. As my twins prepare to graduate from high school, I've been thinking a lot about our past year and how we've helped them make decisions about their next right thing. This is the episode I wish I'd had a year ago and I hope it's helpful for you. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: A Million Little Ways by me! Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

Today's guest is all about helping us to be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. New York Times bestselling author, Kendra Adachi, shares her five-step framework for transforming every part of our kitchen based on her brand new book The Lazy Genius Kitchen. But since she is also my dearest friend, we'll talk a little about what matters in the kitchen and a lot about what matters in life. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

Whether you're making plans to travel, to be with friends or family, or to host people at your house in your very own neighborhood, chances are you have some expectations for how things will go. So what do you do when the day comes, the trip is lovely, the food is great and the company kind, but you get stuck in a disappointment that you can't seem to shake? Sometimes our next right thing turns out differently than we thought, and even if it's not life threatening or earth shattering, we feel disappointment and we may not even know all the way why. Here's a way to move through it. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: A Rhythm of Prayer by Sarah Bessey Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

It's the question Barbara Brown Taylor asks and answers in her memoir, Leaving Church, and one many of us have carried forward to ask and answer as well. The best questions are shareable and re-answerable and today I'll share my list of what's saving my life. Because when you are in a season of discernment and decision-making (which is almost always), it's helpful to name and celebrate where the life comes from. Listen in.   Links + Resources From This Episode: Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor Episode 76: Create a Simple Morning Routine Episode 90: Start with this Simple Rhythm Episode 141: Redo Your Morning Routine Caffeine Eye Cream by The Inkey List Episode 167: Spiritual Direction for Beginners Episode 178: How to Find a Spiritual Director On Being feat. Gordon Hempton with Krista Tippett I Used to Be a Human Being by Andrew Sullivan Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, ep

May this simple reading of Psalm 46 be a reflection you can return to as you discern your next right thing in love. This Psalm is a reading from the New International Version. Listen in. Links + Resources From This Episode: Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.

When was a time you said yes and were so glad you did? I asked you that question last week and this week we’ll share your answers. We're celebrating your favorite yeses and a few of mine too. Listen in.   We're also celebrating a huge milestone: We've sold 100,000 copies The Next Right Thing! I'm so glad I said yes to writing that book and I'm equally glad you said yes to reading it. Links + Resources From This Episode: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes A Million Miles In a Thousand Years by Donald Miller Say Yes by Scott Erickson Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal Grab a copy of my book The Next Right Thing  Find me on Instagram @emilypfreeman Download a transcript of this, and every, episode at emilypfreeman.com.