Explore every episode of the podcast Next Best Yes
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 89: Is this idea mine or God's or something else? | 31 Jul 2025 | 00:32:37 | |
We want to say "yes" to God, right? But it's hard to determine sometimes if an idea is God's, or just our own, or... something more malicious? How do we discern God's thoughts and move forward? We'll turn to Proverbs 3 and James 4 today to figure it out. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 88: Lessons from the Mountains | 24 Jul 2025 | 00:24:21 | |
Mike and Kelsey reflect on some biblical lessons they picked up from a recent trip to the Rocky Mountains. Let's talk about faith and worry from Jesus' perspective. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 87: My Conditional Yes (part 2) | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:18:05 | |
This mindset is perhaps the number one key to a faith-filled life. Without it, you'll be stuck in your old, dead life. Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 86: My Conditional Yes (part 1) | 10 Jul 2025 | 00:25:23 | |
When you encounter God, what's your response? Let's talk about some good and bad examples, and make sure our "yes" is on God's terms instead of ours. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 85: You're Welcome, God | 26 Jun 2025 | 00:21:10 | |
How do you know what God wants you to do? Are you sure He wants you to DO anything? Let's dig into these questions before we jump into our next "yes." Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 84: Major Prophets, Major Yesses | 19 Jun 2025 | 00:28:19 | |
What can we learn from God's calling of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to be his mouthpieces? They weren't superhuman. They had doubt, excuses, insecurities, and confusion. Sound familiar? Let's talk about what God's response is to each of their objections. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 83: Your Next Best... No? | 12 Jun 2025 | 00:30:12 | |
So you're ready and willing to say "yes" when God wants you to start something... what about if he wants you to stop something? Something good? Something he gave you in the first place? What good thing might God want you to say "no" to, and how can we handle the insecurities that come along with it? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 82: Obey, Pray, Worship, Testify, Repeat | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:24:55 | |
One more important takeaway from the story of Abraham's servant in Genesis 24. Let's talk about the power of sharing the story of what God did! Your testimony, today on Next Best Yes. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 81: What about what-ifs... | 29 May 2025 | 00:36:09 | |
When dealing with an overwhelming, stressful, or even a simply unknown event, we so easily run off a list of "what-if" scenarios. What if this happens? What if that doesn't happen? Let's study an example in the story of Abraham, and borrow some scientific studies about our minds, and put together a biblical, healthy approach to what-if scenarios. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 80: Praying (and Responding to) Specific Prayers | 22 May 2025 | 00:39:44 | |
This episode is a message Mike and Kelsey co-taught at Journey Church in Barrington, NH. Genesis 24 is the longest chapter in Genesis, and there are more takeaways than could possibly fit in one message. This conversation will lay the groundwork for the next couple episodes, so we hope you are encouraged by God's word in this episode, and emboldened to pray your own specific prayers. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 79: Conversational Prayers | 15 May 2025 | 00:32:59 | |
How do we lean into the relationship God wants us to have, through this channel of prayer He provides? Some more biblical tips and examples to strengthen your prayer life. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 78: Slam Dunk Prayers | 08 May 2025 | 00:38:24 | |
How can you be confident that your prayers will be answered, maybe even quickly? Pray what God wants you to pray. The Bible is full of times when Jesus or others tell us to pray for something or someone. If God tells us to pray it, we can know we're aligned with his heart. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 77: Roadtrippin' | 01 May 2025 | 00:29:19 | |
Elijah takes Elisha on a roadtrip that parallels our own walk with Jesus. Where are you tempted to veer off? What awaits you at the end? Let's dig into this Old Testament study with implications for today. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 76: The Brave Wait | 24 Apr 2025 | 00:29:51 | |
Waiting on God is draining and exhausting, isn't it? Let's see what the Bible says about waiting, strength, weakness, and our role in waiting for God to do His thing. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 75: Being God's Pen, and "Picking up the Baby", with LM Sherman | 17 Apr 2025 | 00:32:42 | |
What does "seek the kingdom first" look like in your life? We asked our Christian comic book writer and illustrator friend, LM Sherman, this question and what followed was a fascinating conversation about the true nature of Kingdom work, being God's pen, and picking up the "baby" you dropped. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 74: Faith vs. Trying | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:32:38 | |
What do we do when we reach the point in our faith where we find ourselves, like C.S. Lewis says, "going from being confident in our own efforts to the state in which we despair of doing anything for ourselves and leave it to God"? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 73: The hidden multiplier | 03 Apr 2025 | 00:30:35 | |
There's something going on the background of God's Kingdom work that yields disproportionate results, and it's nothing the world's formulas and strategies can capture. Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 72: Is it always going to be this way? | 27 Mar 2025 | 00:31:27 | |
Do you feel stuck in a painful season of being "under construction", with no way out or forward in the foreseeable future? God has some encouragement from you from a little tucked-away passage in Isaiah. Let's talk. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 71: Becoming Less Through Your Yes: Part 2 | 20 Mar 2025 | 00:40:14 | |
How can we "humble ourselves" like the Bible says? Does it have to be a painful process? Can we do it before God "has" to do it for us? Let's talk about humility. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 70: Becoming Less Through Your Yes: Part 1 | 13 Mar 2025 | 00:27:49 | |
Lean into the profound call to humility and its importance in becoming more like Christ Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 69: The Fruit of Waiting Well, Part 3: Patience | 06 Mar 2025 | 00:37:20 | |
Waiting is a garden where God grows a unique set of fruit in your life. How do we wait well, and what comes from it? Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 68: The Fruit of Waiting Well, Part 2: Humility | 27 Feb 2025 | 00:42:56 | |
Waiting is a garden where God grows a unique set of fruit in your life. How do we wait well, and what comes from it? Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 67: The Fruit of Waiting Well, Part 1: Contentment | 20 Feb 2025 | 00:34:43 | |
Waiting is a garden where God grows a unique set of fruit in your life. How do we wait well, and what comes from it? Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 66: "Yes, and..." The virtue of adding value | 13 Feb 2025 | 00:21:13 | |
The number one rule of improv is "Yes And" - what does this mean for us saying "yes" to God, and how do we "and" after our "yes?" Let's chat... Download the audiobook version of Thrown off Script for FREE when you subscribe to Audible (and gain access to all their other audiobooks) with this link. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 65: "Yes" when you feel thrown off script | 06 Feb 2025 | 00:28:09 | |
When Mike released his book "Thrown off Script", he didn't expect to feel so thrown off himself! Download the audiobook version of Thrown off Script for FREE when you subscribe to Audible (and gain access to all their other audiobooks) with this link. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 64: "Yes" Starts at Home, with Zach and Karielle Silk of The Fourth | 30 Jan 2025 | 00:49:41 | |
Music track, "It Starts at Home" provided by The Fourth. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 63: Stuck on hold | 23 Jan 2025 | 00:42:42 | |
Psalm 77 offers a raw, transparent struggle with God. Sometimes having faith doesn't make it easier. It makes it harder, knowing God can do something, but He's choosing not to do it for you. It seems personal. Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 62: The Real Risk | 16 Jan 2025 | 00:42:41 | |
Leaving your job, or making that change God wants you to make, feels risky. Not following Jesus feels risky. Choose your risk. This conversation will strengthen your faith in the risky situations. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 61: Knowing the One Who's Coming | 09 Jan 2025 | 00:36:46 | |
Being a good steward is just one aspect of being a faithful servant. Jesus has more to say through the parables of Matthew 25. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 60: One Big Yes | 02 Jan 2025 | 00:42:30 | |
You might have it on your walls. There's one popular Bible verse that represents a big "yes" to God. What does it look like to actually live it out? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 59: How to Study the Bible for Next Steps | 19 Dec 2024 | 00:20:59 | |
Mike teaches a few powerful questions you can use to help you study and understand you next best "yes" when you read the Bible:
Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 58: When Church Hurts, part 2 | 12 Dec 2024 | 00:32:03 | |
We continue this tough conversation about how to handle the reality that the people who are supposed to represent Christ are the ones who can cause the most pain. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 57: When Church Hurts, part 1 | 05 Dec 2024 | 00:39:28 | |
For better and for worse, your "yes" will involve the church. What do you do when the "body of Christ" slaps you in the face? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 56: Thanksgiving | 28 Nov 2024 | 00:15:14 | |
Happy Thanksgiving! Join Kelsey in this episode to establish rhythms of gratitude and understand the neuroscience behind God's creative design. Gratitude really does sustain joy. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 55: When Yes Hurts | 21 Nov 2024 | 00:36:41 | |
Sometimes, you can do everything right, and still get hurt. What can we do when our "yes" results in pain? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 54: Why we are not "faith based" | 14 Nov 2024 | 00:31:49 | |
Sometimes Kelsey gets passionate and loud. This is one of those times. Words matter and "faith based" isn't a phrase we want to use any longer. Listen to learn why. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 53: When it doesn't make sense: God's Work God's Way | 07 Nov 2024 | 00:26:39 | |
Sometimes the best solution is the most simple one... Let's talk about doing God's work God's way, and nonsensical--and simple--yeses. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 52: When it doesn't make sense: My Work God's Way | 31 Oct 2024 | 00:28:47 | |
Sometimes, our non-sensical yes means doing our own work God's way. Like Peter heeding Jesus' advice to cast his fishing net, what does it look like to do your work Jesus' way and in his timing? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 51: When it doesn't make sense: God's Work My Way | 24 Oct 2024 | 00:30:20 | |
Sometimes saying yes requires faith when it really doesn't make sense. This episode, we'll take a look at the story of Sarai, and the consequences of doing God's work our own way. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 50: If Jesus said it, we can do it | 17 Oct 2024 | 00:47:46 | |
If Jesus said it, we believe it must be possible to do it. In this signature talk from Mike and Kelsey, we explore what it could mean to take Jesus literally and live seeking the Kingdom first. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 49: Connecting the Dots of Christian Living with LM Sherman | 10 Oct 2024 | 00:42:34 | |
Comic book writer and illustrator, LM Sherman, talks about her scary "yes" to pursue creative kingdom work and illustrate the tough truths of Christian living. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 48: Faith after the "yes" | 04 Oct 2024 | 00:31:55 | |
For being a man of faith, Abram made some major decisions out of fear. What can we learn about our own faith, fear, and friendship with God? Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 47: Saying Yes while Running Circles, with Melissa Beckley | 26 Sep 2024 | 00:27:59 | |
Our guest, Melissa Beckley, is a Tampa-based photographer and "mom-preneur" who has learned a thing or two about how to run a Christ-centered business while homeschooling SIX kids and navigating the changes that come up when we say "yes" to God in the midst of it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 46: I got this | 19 Sep 2024 | 00:39:00 | |
After taking a minute to celebrate the 200th episode of Mike's Outloud Bible Project Podcast, we take an opportunity to unpack more of the story from that episode, and discuss what worry looks like in our lives today. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 45: Why we almost cancelled our retreat... | 12 Sep 2024 | 00:43:48 | |
We almost cancelled the Next Best Yes Retreat. Here's what we learned about faith, plans, and letting God be God. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 44: Art, Social Media, Church Hurt, Autism, Mental Illness, and other vulnerable things with Bri Heida | 05 Sep 2024 | 01:03:17 | |
Is there any topic we didn’t cover with this week's guest? I don’t think so. We had such a rich conversation we am particularly excited to share with you. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 43: Give it to God, Part 2: The Rest - with Liz and David Pipitone | 29 Aug 2024 | 00:34:56 | |
Liz and David quit their 9-5s to work from home, but that was just the beginning of "giving it to God". Their story is a powerful one, and it's worth two episodes! Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 42: Give it to God, Part 1: The Work - with Liz and David Pipitone | 22 Aug 2024 | 00:29:37 | |
Liz and David quit their 9-5s to work from home, but that was just the beginning of "giving it to God". Their story is a powerful one, and it's worth two episodes! Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 41: When should I quit my job? | 15 Aug 2024 | 00:41:25 | |
Quitting your job to pursue your kingdom-building work full-time can be scary or exciting or both. When should you do it? Should you do it at all? Let's talk about it. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||
| Episode 40: Should I only serve Christians or no? | 08 Aug 2024 | 00:37:49 | |
One of the most common questions among Christians starting a project or business is "Should my work be for Christians, or for everybody?" Great question. Great discussion. Ready to do something about your “yes”? We're cheering you on! At nextbestyes.com, you can find resources and community so you don't have to take your steps alone. | |||