Advertise on podcast: Become New with John Ortberg

Good news: You don’t have to live for your critics anymore. John Ortberg looks ahead to Lent and invites us into a bold, freeing experiment: giving up condemnation altogether; the kind we receive, the kind we rehearse in our own heads, and the kind we quietly pass along to others. Drawing from the apostle Paul, John explores the reality that we all live with three critics: - Other people - Ourselves - And God The surprising twist? Freedom doesn’t come from silencing the first two, it comes from a category shift in how we understand the third. Today's Resources: Lewis B. Smedes, How Can It Be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong? 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

There is now no condemnation. Which is especially good news for our closest relationships. In this conversation, John Ortberg is joined by longtime friend and clinical psychologist Rick Blackmon to explore how condemnation quietly shows up in marriages, families, and friendships—and what actually helps break its grip. Drawing from relationship research, clinical practice, and lived experience, they talk about why “constructive criticism” often backfires, how negativity ratios shape relational health, and the Four Horsemen that predict breakdown (with stonewalling doing more damage than we realize). Along the way, they offer practical wisdom for telling the truth without being harsh, starting hard conversations gently, and learning to calm the soul when emotions run hot. This is an honest, hope-filled conversation about becoming people who can face conflict without crushing one another—and learning to live, even in our relationships, from a place where grace has the final word. Today's Resources: John Gottman, Why Marriages Succeed or Fail 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

John Ortberg asks a surprisingly practical question:What should I be looking for in people (especially the ones I disagree with) if I want to stop the cycle of condemnation? Along the way, John draws from: - Arthur Brooks on how contempt corrodes our culture (and inboxes) - Social psychology’s painfully accurate idea of motivational attribution asymmetry - A dramatic moment in the Gospels where religious leaders look right at suffering… and somehow miss it - The difference between a hermeneutic of suspicion and a far rarer hermeneutic of charity You’ll hear why: - We assume good motives for ourselves and bad motives for “those people” Social media makes us feel morally informed while quietly shrinking our souls - Jesus keeps asking a question we’d rather not answer: What are you actually looking for? - The invitation here is deceptively simple and genuinely difficult:Look for the image of God.Not agreement. Not ammunition. Not confirmation that you’re right. - When we see people the way Jesus does, contempt loses its grip—and condemnation doesn’t get the last word. Also included: academic shade, Gospel-level tension, and a timer reminding John when it’s time to stop talking. Today's Resources: Arthur C. Brooks, Love Your Enemies 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

Good news: There is now no condemnation. Awkward news: Christians still manage to find ways to do it anyway. In this episode, John Ortberg sits down with his wife (and favorite guest) Nancy Ortberg. Along the way, they explore:  - Why condemnation doesn’t just live in our words… but in our eyebrows, tone, and jawline.  - How Jesus consistently gathered the people everyone else had already dismissed. Why the parable of the sower would have sounded wildly irresponsible to first-century farmers - How anonymity (hello, freeway driving 🚗) turns normal people into moral commentators - Why learning not to condemn others starts with learning not to condemn ourselves This conversation is honest, funny, deeply human, and quietly transformative. It’s not about pretending truth doesn’t matter. It’s about discovering that grace is far more generous than we imagined—and that Jesus really meant it when he said he didn’t come to condemn the world. Also included: accidental theology, body-language confession, and at least one future t-shirt idea. 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

Why are Christians so mean to each other? Jesus said, “Do not judge.” So why does judgment feel so common, especially inside the church? In this episode of No Condemnation, John Ortberg explores one of the most uncomfortable and honest questions facing followers of Jesus today. Drawing from the life of William Tyndale, the insights of Dallas Willard, and the words of Jesus himself, John uncovers how condemnation quietly takes root among people of faith and why being “right” can slowly replace being Christlike. Today's Resources: Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart William Tyndale, Preface to the New Testament 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

There’s no condemnation for me.But if I’m honest… there’s still plenty of condemnation in me. So today we’re looking at one of the strangest, most uncomfortable, and most liberating stories in the Bible—a deeply messed-up family story involving betrayal, hypocrisy, sex, judgment, and a shocking reversal that exposes how condemnation actually gets broken. It’s the story of Judah and Tamar.It’s awkward. It’s painful. It’s absolutely not a children’s Bible story.And somehow, it turns out to be a Jesus story. This episode explores the moment when a man who is fully prepared to condemn someone else is forced to recognize his own heart—and how that recognition becomes the beginning of freedom, humility, reconciliation, and blessing. Along the way, we discover why the Bible keeps including deeply flawed people in God’s story, why self-righteousness collapses under honest self-recognition, and why Jesus’ family tree is far stranger—and more hopeful—than we expect. If you’ve ever felt judgment rise up in you toward someone else…This story might be exactly what you need. 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

The world feels like it’s falling apart and it’s tempting to think condemnation is the only honest response. But what if God sees the world very differently? In this episode, we step back and look at the big picture: not just what’s broken, but what God is actively doing to heal it. Drawing on insights echoed by Dallas Willard, Robert Putnam, and a striking story from positive psychology, we explore why humans become trained to see what’s wrong—and why God refuses to give up on the world. Jesus didn’t come to label the cosmos “condemned.”He came to save, heal, restore, and redeem it. If you’re worried about the state of the world—or the people you love most—this episode invites you to release the burden of condemnation and rediscover a deeper, steadier hope: Jesus is very good at saving the world. Today's Resources: Shaylyn Romney Garrett, The Upswing Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

What do you do when life crushes you?  When failure is public, shame feels loud, and condemnation (external or internal) won’t let up? In this episode, we explore an unexpected truth: God often does His deepest work through difficulty, humiliation, and exposure. Drawing on the craft of a master violin maker, the wisdom of the Psalms, and reflections echoed by Dallas Willard, we consider how the “rough conditions” of life can produce the most beautiful sound. Through stories of biblical figures who were humbled—and transformed—we discover why those who experience humiliation often become the least condemning people of all. And why Jesus, the most condemned person in the Gospels, became the most compassionate. If you’ve ever wondered whether your failures disqualify you, this episode offers a bracing and hopeful answer: no condemnation doesn’t mean no pain—but it does mean pain isn’t the end. Today's Resources: Martin Schleske, author of The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty  Thomas Keating, Divine Therapy & Addiction  🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

Comparison is the quiet engine behind condemnation. In this episode, we explore why sizing ourselves up against others feels so natural and why it so often turns us anxious, resentful, and judgmental. Drawing on insights from René Girard, social psychology, and Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we uncover how comparative desire fuels rivalry, outrage, and “us vs. them” thinking. From the Ten Commandments to social media envy, from Cain and Abel to modern prestige rankings, we discover why wanting what our neighbor has never ends well and what Jesus offers as a radically different way to live. Today's Resources: René Girard, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

We all have a them. The people we quietly feel superior to.The ones we distance ourselves from.The ones we’re pretty sure God should work on… preferably far away from us. In this episode, John Ortberg takes an honest look at how a condemning mind works and why Jesus’ story of the Pharisee and the tax collector still exposes us today. Drawing on insights from Dallas Willard and Kenneth E. Bailey, we explore how contempt sneaks into our prayers, how “us vs. them” thinking feels spiritual, and why Jesus refuses to stand aloof from anyone. The twist?For Jesus, there is no them. If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “At least I’m not like that person,” this episode might rearrange how you see others, and how you pray. Today's Resources: Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes  Lauren F. Winner, The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin  🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

We’re surprisingly confident judges for people who barely know the math. In this episode, John Ortberg explores why condemnation feels so natural, why it’s usually way off, and how Jesus exposes the absurdity of our moral scorekeeping. Using a strange but unforgettable math exercise (and an even stranger plumbing illustration), we discover why we’re uniquely qualified to judge exactly one person… ourselves. Drawing from Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, we learn what “non-condemning math” really looks like—and why grace, like a stubborn plunger, works even when we think nothing else will. If you’ve ever felt morally superior, quietly judgmental, or secretly exhausted by your own mind, this episode is for you. And when you get it wrong (you will), there’s still good news: there is now no condemnation. Today's Resources: Mihaly Csikszentnihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience  🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

Condemnation doesn’t just come from what others say about us — it also comes from the stories we tell ourselves. In this episode of Become New, John Ortberg explores how easily we slip into self-condemnation, why shame has so much power over our thoughts, and how Jesus offers a radically different way of seeing ourselves. Drawing from Scripture, neuroscience, and everyday experience, John shows how our minds can become trapped in false beliefs that distort reality and quietly shape how we live. This teaching invites us to slow down, notice the inner narratives driving our reactions, and learn how to bring those stories into the light of truth. If you struggle with negative self-talk, guilt, anxiety, or feeling like you’re never enough, this episode offers a practical and hopeful path forward. Discover how Christian faith, spiritual formation, and the message of no condemnation can lead to greater freedom, clarity, and peace — not by denying reality, but by learning to see it truthfully. Today's Resources: Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

We live in a culture of condemnation. Online. In politics. In families. And, if we’re honest, in our own hearts. In this episode, John Ortberg explores why judgment comes so easily, what actually fuels it, and the one question condemning people almost never ask. Through a powerful story made famous by Stephen Covey, we see how quickly our perceptions can shift and how grace begins not with changing behavior, but with changing how we see. Jesus invites us into a way of life marked not by assumptions, but by curiosity. Not by condemnation, but by compassion. Because the truth is simple and humbling: we never know the whole story. If you’ve ever judged too quickly, been misunderstood yourself, or felt trapped in cycles of irritation and self-condemnation, this episode offers a wiser, freer way forward and reminds us why the good news really is good news. Today's Resources: Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

We live in a culture of condemnation: cancel culture, self-judgment, outrage, and quiet shame. Most of us are swimming in it without even realizing it. But the good news of Jesus points to a radically different reality: “There is now no condemnation.” In this episode, John Ortberg explores why condemnation feels so normal, how it shapes both our inner lives and our public conversations, and what it looks like to become a person of blessing instead of judgment. Along the way, we reflect on the remarkable true story of a six-year-old girl who responded to hatred not with fear or anger, but with prayer—and changed history in the process. Today's Resources: Robert Coles, The Story of Ruby Bridges Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy  🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0 Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

Every person you encounter today is carrying a story you cannot see. In this episode, John reflects on the unseen battles every human being fights and the surprising truth that healing often comes not from focusing on our own pain, but from learning to notice and care about the stories of others. Drawing from the Book of Job, insights from Eleanor Stump, and lived experiences of suffering, forgiveness, and mercy, this teaching explores how God is at work in stories within stories. Like a fractal, each life reflects a larger pattern of divine care, love, and redemption. This message invites us to slow down, to see the person in front of us, and to remember: when we step into someone else’s story with compassion, generosity, or forgiveness, we enter a reality much larger than our own—and God uses it in ways we may never fully understand. 🙌 New episodes every weekday. 📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time. TEXT US at 855-888-0444 EMAIL US at [email protected] GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444 SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team 😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/ 🤳Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/become.new/ Music Credits: Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3