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 his MDiv at Yale and his DMin at Fuller and is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, where he also serves as the director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation.

About a year ago he called me up with an idea for a way to serve writers. That's where our conversation today begins.

Even if you aren't a writer, our conversation will, I hope, shed light on how ideas become reality, how sometimes a good idea takes a decade to grow, and the beauty of collaboration, patience, and moving at a human pace. I hope you'll listen in.

LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about the Formation Writers Guild
• The Good and Beautiful Series by James Bryan Smith
• Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation
• Renovaré

FIND EMILY ELSEWHERE:

• 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 page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide"

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 EPISODE:

• Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality by Margaret Silf
• Order The Next Right Thing Guided Journal
• Download The Quiet Collection app
• Order a How to Walk into a Room
• Join The Soul Minimalist Substack

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 page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide"
• Download the transcript

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 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 page and clicking the button "Discussion Guide"
• Download the transcript