John Ortberg tackles a tension many of us feel but rarely name:
If there is no condemnation, what do we do with real evil, injustice, and wrongdoing?

John walks us through Scripture, the prophets, and Jesus’ own words to show why “no condemnation” does not mean indifference to sin—and why accountability still matters deeply to God. Drawing on insights from Abraham Joshua Heschel, John explores how the prophets saw injustice as a spiritual emergency, and why our culture’s casual attitude toward evil would have stunned them.

Along the way, he reminds us:
- God hates injustice precisely because God loves people
- Jesus was gentle with those everyone expected him to condemn
- But fierce with the religious who used righteousness to exclude others
- And that before we can hear no condemnation, we must first take condemnation seriously
- This is a thoughtful, challenging reflection on judgment, responsibility, and grace—and why condemnation may be a word, but it is never the last word.

Download the free NO CONDEMNATION COMMITMENT: https://bit.ly/NC-commitment

📚 Today's Resources:
Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets

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Today, John Ortberg tackles one of our most stubborn spiritual habits: blame.

Tracing its origins back to Genesis, John shows how blame enters the human story the moment shame appears—and how quickly we learn to deflect responsibility onto others. From Adam and Eve to modern relationships, blame becomes our go-to strategy for avoiding pain.

Along the way, John draws from Scripture, Paradise Lost, and insights from thinkers like Charles Tilly and Paul Tournier to explore why we instinctively hog credit and dodge fault—and why spiritual maturity looks like learning to own our part with humility and courage.

John reminds us that while removing blame can reduce shame, only love actually heals the soul. Real freedom comes not from avoiding responsibility, but from stepping into God’s presence honestly, without hiding or deflecting.

This is a thoughtful, practical invitation to live one day at a time without blaming others—and to discover again the grace that makes change possible.

Download the free NO CONDEMNATION COMMITMENT: https://bit.ly/NC-commitment

📚 Today's Resources:
John Milton, Paradise Lost 
Charles Tilly, Credit and Blame 
Paul Tournier, Guilt & Grace: A Psychological Study 

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On the first day of Lent, John Ortberg invites us into a brave and deeply personal journey: giving up condemnation...and learning how shame actually works.

This episode goes straight to the source. John traces condemnation back to its root system in shame, beginning in Genesis and moving through psychology, philosophy, trauma-informed theology, and lived experience. Along the way, he explores why our urge to judge others is often fueled by hidden pain in ourselves—and why healing starts when we stop hiding.

You’ll hear insights from:
John Walton on Genesis and chaos imagery
Warren Kinghorn on trauma and the first humans
Eleanor Stump on guilt vs. shame
Kurt Thompson on the “shame concierge” that narrates our inner lives
John makes a crucial distinction:
Guilt fears punishment and is healed by forgiveness.
Shame fears rejection and is healed only by acceptance, love, and belonging.

He introduces two invisible companions we all carry:
a shame concierge that quietly judges every moment
and a grace concierge—the Spirit—who reminds us we are God’s beloved children.

📚 Today's Resources:
The Soul of Shame — Kurt Thompson
Wandering in Darkness — Eleonore Stump
Wayfaring — Warren Kinghorn
Teachings from John Walton

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Today’s episode opens with an elderly dog, detours through neuroscience and Genesis, and ends by quietly dismantling your default response to annoying people. Classic John Ortberg.

As Lent approaches, John invites us into a radical spiritual experiment: giving up condemnation. Not just blaming others, but the inner posture that withholds blessing from people (including ourselves).

Along the way, John explores:
Why the Bible’s first word is blessing, not judgment
How our emotional “like meter” secretly controls our willingness to bless
Insights from Jonathan Haidt on moral emotion
The famous 90-second rule from Jill Bolte Taylor for interrupting reactive spirals
And why disgust, not discernment, often fuels religious condemnation

This episode draws a crucial line between judging as discernment (wise) and judging as condemnation (corrosive). John shows how condemnation isn’t just something we think—it’s something we will. And when our will stops blessing, something in us starts breaking.

📚 Today's Resources:
The Happiness Hypothesis — Jonathan Haidt
Research on emotional regulation from Jill Bolte Taylor
Reflections on blessing in Genesis from Gordon Wenham
Teachings of Jesus on blessing enemies (Matthew 5)

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Download the free NO CONDEMNATION COMMITMENT: https://bit.ly/NC-commitment

What if the most spiritual thing you could do today… is not have the last word?

In this episode, John Ortberg tells a powerful story about his friend Dallas Willard and introduces a simple but life-changing practice: letting go of condemnation by releasing our need to be right.

As Lent approaches, John invites us into something deeper than giving up chocolate or social media. He challenges us to give up condemning others (and ourselves), drawing from Jesus’ silence under accusation, insights from Arthur Brooks, research by Robert Putnam, and wisdom from Dorothy Day.

You’ll explore:
• Why condemnation is quietly damaging our relationships and culture
• How Jesus modeled a radically different way of living
• What it means to practice “not having the last word”
• How love, not blame, becomes the path to healing
• A 40-day Lenten invitation to live without condemnation

John also shares a simple commitment you can practice one day at a time:

With God’s help, I abandon condemnation and blaming. Instead, I will live in the love of God, the love of life, and the love of others.

If you’re tired of outrage, polarization, and carrying judgment in your body and soul, this episode offers a gentle, courageous way forward.


📚Today's Resources:
The Divine Conspiracy — by Dallas Willard
Dorothy Day
“I only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.”
Love Your Enemies — Arthur Brooks
Upswing — Robert Putnam

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Enjoy this free download: https://bit.ly/Shine-StudyGuide
A 12-week study guide on Genesis 1-3 with John Ortberg. 
We’ve made it simple: curated episodes, journal questions, memory verses, and practical next steps. Everything you need to get started with a friend or group!
 
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John opens this study on Philippians with a deceptively simple question: How are you going to greet people today? We tend to think greetings don’t matter much, but John says they’re actually sacred moments — tiny doorways into connection. He tells a story about a boss who always stopped, made eye contact, smiled, and made people feel seen. Then he notices something remarkable about Jesus: people interrupted him constantly… and nobody ever said, “Sorry to bother you.” Somehow, people weren’t a bother to Jesus. John reminds us that even small changes in how we address one another reflect something much deeper about who we are becoming.

ACCESS THE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST FOR SHINE HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Egad-Un8UE38nc_diriBs3EqIq7GcpF

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Enjoy this free download: https://bit.ly/GetOutMore-StudyGuide
A 12-week study guide on Genesis 1-3 with John Ortberg. 
We’ve made it simple: curated episodes, journal questions, memory verses, and practical next steps. Everything you need to get started with a friend or group!
 
Just download, print and go!

In this episode, John opens a new series with a refreshingly honest question: is technology a life-giving gift… or a soul-draining mess? (Spoiler: it’s both.) He talks about how grateful he is for the way tech lets this little “Fellowship of the Withered Hand” learn and pray together, and at the same time, he names the rising tide of loneliness, anxiety, and screen addiction shaping modern life. Drawing from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, John points out how especially hard this has become for young people. That’s why this series is called We Should Get Out More: not as a guilt trip, but as an invitation — back into the real world God made, and beyond the echo chambers that quietly shrink our souls.

ACCESS THE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST FOR WE SHOULD GET OUT MORE HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Egad-Un8UEqjtJZ1k9CDNBR7WoAdBvb

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.
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Enjoy this free download: https://bit.ly/Untroubled-StudyGuide
A 12-week study guide on Genesis 1-3 with John Ortberg. 
We’ve made it simple: curated episodes, journal questions, memory verses, and practical next steps. Everything you need to get started with a friend or group!
 
Just download, print and go!

Jesus says something almost unbelievable: “Do not let your heart be troubled.” And he says it on the night before his death. In this episode, John Ortberg opens a journey into what it actually means to live with an untroubled heart in a deeply troubled world. He shares a moment with his friend Dallas Willard, who once asked him, “What are you doing under the circumstances?” That question reframes everything. We’re not meant to live under our circumstances. We’re meant to live inside God’s care. John reminds us that the “heart” in Scripture isn’t just emotions. It’s the control center of your life. And while the world will stay troubled, your heart doesn’t have to.

ACCESS THE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST FOR UNTROUBLED HEART HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Egad-Un8UGEuSydT4Y_gT754T89w535

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.
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Enjoy this free download: https://bit.ly/Insurmountable-StudyGuide

A 12-week study guide on Genesis 1-3 with John Ortberg. 
We’ve made it simple: curated episodes, journal questions, memory verses, and practical next steps. Everything you need to get started with a friend or group!
 
Just download, print and go!

John Ortberg walks us into Matthew 5, where Jesus announces that the blessed life (life in God’s kingdom) is available right here, right now, no matter your circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not abstract theory or impossible idealism; it is a practical, transformative vision for human life. Tolstoy once wrote that if Jesus’ words were truly lived, they would create an entirely new social order. John brings it home with Jesus’ simple summary of the whole teaching: treat others the way you would want to be treated.

ACCESS THE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST FOR INSURMOUNTABLE HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Egad-Un8UHXbT60EfcXVJF33i5mA-5f

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.
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Enjoy this free download: https://bit.ly/Genesis-Study-Guide

A 12-week study guide on Genesis 1-3 with John Ortberg. 
We’ve made it simple: curated episodes, journal questions, memory verses, and practical next steps. Everything you need to get started with a friend or group!
 
Just download, print and go!

In this episode, John invites us to slow down and breathe in a simple truth: God is the God of new beginnings. From the opening words of Scripture, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”... John shows how creation itself points to fresh starts, clean slates, and new possibilities. God didn’t just create once and walk away; He is continually creating, sustaining every leaf, every breath, every moment. And that same creative presence is available to you right now. The God who says “do it again” to the sun each morning is the God who offers you a do-over.

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.
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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO