Become New with John Ortberg

What if the key to overcoming condemnation isn’t arguing better — but listening better?

In this episode, John explores Jesus’ surprising instruction in Luke 8:18: “Consider carefully how you listen.” Through the parable of the sower, Jesus explains that the condition of our hearts determines whether the words we hear bring growth or simply bounce off.

John shares a recent moment when he caught himself listening critically instead of humbly — and how a simple shift changed everything.

You’ll learn:

- why we often listen in order to judge
- the three unhealthy ways we listen
- what Jesus means by a “good and noble heart”
- how humble listening opens the door to growth
- why listening well makes condemnation harder

When we begin to listen with humility — asking what God might want to show us — conversations change. And so do we.

Because there is now no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Deborah Tannen, You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation 
Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet & Peasant: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke 

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The opposite of condemnation isn’t just restraint...it’s blessing.

In this episode, John Ortberg explores how Jesus calls us to become people who actively bless others — even those who curse us. Drawing from Scripture and insights from The Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Trent, John walks through five powerful ways to bless others: meaningful words, honoring value, appropriate touch, envisioning a future, and showing up with presence.

Blessing doesn’t just change others — it changes us.
Because when we bless, we live the life Jesus envisioned.
There is now… therefore… no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Gary Smalley & John Trent, Ph.D., The Blessing 

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Why does condemnation feel like it’s everywhere today?

In this episode, John Ortberg explores a cultural shift: we no longer define a “good person” by love and character, but by holding the “right” opinions. The result? More judgment, more division, and less humility.

Jesus offered a different path — a life marked by compassion, forgiveness, and what Kierkegaard called “blithe humility.” Like the birds and lilies, we can release the burden of controlling the world and trust God with it.

The result is freedom, joy, and a life without condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Søren Kierkegaard, The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air
Grace Hamman, Ask of Old Paths: Medieval Virtues and Vices for a Whole and Holy Life 
Doug Teschner et al., Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times

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What if the antidote to condemnation isn’t trying harder to be nice… but learning to know yourself?

In this conversation, John Ortberg talks with philosopher Jim Taylor about intellectual virtue — qualities like humility, courage, and self-knowledge that help us pursue truth and love people well.

Jesus warned against condemning judgment, but he also invited us to remove the log in our own eye. The path forward begins with honest self-examination and a simple prayer:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart.”

Because when we grow in self-knowledge, condemnation loses its grip.

📚 Today's Resources:
The Blessing — Gary Smalley & John Trent
The Lost Art of Listening — Michael Nichols (with Martha Straus)

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You don’t condemn people… right?

Let me stop you right there.

In this episode, John Ortberg walks through six surprisingly common styles of condemnation — from the obvious (aggressive anger) to the subtle (silence, sarcasm, perfectionism, conditional acceptance, even martyrdom).

We all judge.
 We all distance.
 We all find creative ways to say, “I’m above you.”

Drawing on Scripture, psychology, and real-life examples (including the “Pan Am smile” and the devastating power of ridicule), John helps us name our default style — and invites the Holy Spirit to gently interrupt it.

Because condemnation doesn’t just hurt others.
 It corrodes us.

And the freedom we’re after this Lent is simple and radical:

Let me stop you right there.

There is now… therefore… no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Paul Tournier, Guilt and Grace: A Psychological Study
Lewis B. Smedes, Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve 

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There is now no condemnation...but if we’re honest, sometimes condemnation feels effective.

In this episode, John Ortberg explores what Dallas Willard called the law of reciprocal condemnation — the almost unbreakable cycle where judgment breeds counter-judgment, attack breeds counter-attack, and anger multiplies itself.

It’s extremely rare, Willard observed, that anyone who is condemned responds by changing in the desired way.

Instead, condemnation produces:
- Counter-condemnation
- Passive aggression
- Perfectionism
- Procrastination
- Rebellion
- Or quiet relational death

Jesus warned about this in the Sermon on the Mount:“As you judge, so you will be judged.”
Not as a threat from God — but as an observation about how relationships work.
So how do we break the cycle?

Paul gives a shocking alternative in Romans 12:Do not repay evil for evil.Leave room for God’s justice.Overcome evil with good.

Justice is real.But it is not ours to manage.

📚 Today's Resources:
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy 
C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer 

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In this episode, John Ortberg offers what he calls “two cheers for guilt and shame.” Drawing from the book of Judges, John explores why justice matters, why moral reality is woven into the fabric of existence, and why a world without any sense of guilt or shame would not be more humane — it would be more dangerous.

From the brutal story of Adoni-Bezek to the violent cycles of Judges, we see a profound truth emerge: no one ultimately gets away with injustice. As Jesus says in Luke 8:17, nothing hidden will remain hidden.

John traces a major turning point in human history — what C.S. Lewis called the moral law — the moment when ancient Israel connected two ideas that had often been separated:There is one God.And that God is good.

Justice is real. Accountability is real. And judgment, properly understood, is good news — especially for the oppressed.

But here’s the deeper turn:
- Guilt and shame can either crush us… or redeem us.
- Healthy guilt points out where we have done wrong so we can confess and be cleansed. Healthy shame invites us out of hiding into relationship and grace.
- And ultimately, Jesus steps into the story and absorbs the consequences we could not.
- “The wages of sin is death.”The sin is ours.The death is his.
- The cycle of Judges is broken at the cross.

Justice is upheld. Mercy is given.And condemnation does not win.

📚 Today's Resources:
Tom Holland, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World 
C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man 
Tomas Sedlacek, Economics of Good and Evil: The Quest for Economic Meaning from Gilgamesh to Wall Street  
Sabrina B. Little, The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners 

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John Ortberg builds on a surprising Lenten invitation echoed even by the Pope: fast from harsh words. Disarm your language. Refuse contempt.
John revisits what condemnation actually is — not discernment, not moral clarity — but a toxic mix of malice (ill will) and disgust (repulsion) toward another person.

Then he offers one simple, powerful practice that makes condemnation nearly impossible while you’re doing it:
Listen.

Drawing from Scripture, including Acts 7 (where Stephen’s accusers literally cover their ears), and insights from The Lost Art of Listening by Michael Nichols and Martha Straus, John explores why we overestimate our listening ability — and why the higher our emotions run, the less we tend to listen.
It turns out it’s very difficult to listen deeply and condemn someone at the same time.

James writes, “Be quick to listen.”
That might be the most subversive spiritual discipline of our time.
Because curiosity softens judgment.Listening interrupts contempt.And blessing grows where condemnation used to live.

There is now… therefore… no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
The Lost Art of Listening by Michael P. Nichols and Martha B. Straus
Leo XIV, “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion,” 13 Feb 2026

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Condemnation comes easily when we quietly assume we earned where we stand.

In this episode, John explores two truths that change everything about how we see other people: we do not know their full story — and we do not know their future.

Drawing on Psalm 103 and the classic film Angels with Dirty Faces, John tells the story of two boys who run from the police. One clears a fence. One doesn’t. That single moment sends their lives in opposite directions. Years later, one is a priest. One is a criminal.

How much of what we call character was shaped by circumstances we did not choose?

You’ll discover:
- Why condemnation assumes too much
- What Psalm 103 means when it says “we are dust”
- How curiosity disarms contempt
- Why only God sees the whole arc of a life
- How to bless someone you’re tempted to judge

John closes by inviting you to bring to mind the person you’re most tempted to hold in contempt — and to pray for them instead.

Because there is now no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Angels with Dirty Faces starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien
Tim Keller — reflection on the film in The Reason for God

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Music Credits:
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Today, John Ortberg uses Les Misérables by Victor Hugo to explore two ways of living:

• the condemning life (Javert)
• the blessing life (the Bishop)
• and the transformed life (Jean Valjean)

Drawing on Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 3, and insights from Dallas Willard, John explains:

- why condemnation feels powerful
- what the “ministry of condemnation” really does
- how grace humiliates before it heals
- why pride resists light
- how blessing rewires the soul

Through the unforgettable moment of the candlesticks, we see how self-giving love defeats condemnation. One man bends the knee and is transformed. One refuses grace and collapses under its weight.

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”

That is the blessing life.
That is the transformed life.
And there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

📚 Today's Resources:
Victor Hugo, Les Misérables 

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Why does condemnation feel so automatic?

In this episode, John explores how shame and judgment often operate through what sociologists call status degradation rituals, the subtle ways we lower others to elevate ourselves.

Drawing on insights from Harold Garfinkel, John shows how condemnation works socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Then he walks us through powerful Gospel moments where Jesus reverses the pattern:

• the sinful woman at Simon’s house
• the prodigal son welcomed home
• Jesus washing his disciples’ feet
• and ultimately, the cross itself

You’ll learn:
- how condemnation functions as a social ritual
- why Jesus chooses downward mobility
- how humility defeats hostility
- what Philippians 2 reveals about real greatness
- how serving others rewires the heart

John also reflects on how crucifixion was designed by Rome as the ultimate humiliation — and how Jesus voluntarily enters that suffering to defeat condemnation once and for all.

The invitation is simple and brave:
come to Jesus in humility,
serve instead of shame,
and help elevate the people around you.

Because there really is now no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Harold Garfinkel — Status degradation rituals
N. T. Wright — On crucifixion as Rome’s ultimate humiliation tool
Early Christian graffiti (mocking Jesus on the cross) as historical illustration

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Why does condemnation feel so automatic?

In this episode, John Ortberg invites us to slow down, breathe, and notice something surprising: judgment doesn’t just live in our thoughts — it lives in our bodies.

Returning to the story of Cain and Abel, John shows how God interrupts Cain with two gentle questions:
- Why are you angry?
- Why is your face downcast?
Those questions open a doorway to freedom.

Drawing on neuroscience from Jill Bolte Taylor and Antonio Damasio, John explains how condemnation becomes embodied through stress hormones, muscle tension, and emotional rehearsal. He introduces the difference between decisional non-condemnation (“I choose not to judge”) and emotional non-condemnation (asking God to transform what happens inside your body).

You’ll learn:
• why condemnation feels physical
• how the 90-second pause works
• what it means to “feed the monster”
• how blessing rewires your reactions
• why you can disagree without condemning

John also shares painfully honest examples of everyday judgment (hair gel, Tesla drivers, passive people — we’ve all been there 😅) and offers a freeing realization: you don’t have to condemn anyone. Only God knows anyone’s full story.

Jesus was right all along:
Blessing is easier than contempt.
Love is lighter than judgment.
And there really is now no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
Jill Bolte Taylor — research on the 90-second emotional rule
Antonio Damasio — distinction between feelings and embodied emotions
Everett Worthington — decisional vs emotional forgiveness (adapted here to condemnation)
Better Angels — assessment questions addressing the culture of contempt
George Carlin — illustration of the universal judging reflex (“everyone’s an idiot or a maniac”)

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How do you tell someone they’re wrong… without condemning them?

John Ortberg explores one of the most important distinctions in communication: the difference between tone and heart. Tone can be soothing or jarring. But the heart must always be love.

Looking at Matthew 23, where Jesus confronts religious leaders with blistering language, John asks: Was Jesus condemning them? Or was something deeper happening?

You’ll discover:
- Why condemnation is not the same as moral clarity
- The difference between contempt and courage
- What “malice + disgust” really means
- Why Jesus compares himself to a mother hen
- How to speak the truth in love without losing your soul

Drawing from Romans 8, Matthew 23, Luke 19, and a reflection by Barbara Brown Taylor, this episode offers a powerful prayer for Lent:
“God, give me the right heart. Then show me the right tone.”

If you’re navigating conflict, leadership, parenting, or hard conversations — this one matters.

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

📚 Today's Resources:
Barbara Brown Taylor — reflection on the chapel Dominus Flevit and the image of the mother hen
Chapel of Dominus Flevit (“The Lord Wept”) on the Mount of Olives
Film reference: A League of Their Own (Tom Hanks coach scene — jarring tone, not necessarily a bad heart)

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

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

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!
 
Just download, print and go!

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:
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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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?

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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

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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

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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.


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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

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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.

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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


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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 

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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

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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 

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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 

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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

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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 

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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 

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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.

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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3

John reflects on Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount regarding giving in secret. His words weren’t just spiritual advice. They were revolutionary. In a world built on reciprocity, status, and public recognition, Jesus offered a radically different way to live—one rooted in gratitude, freedom, and quiet goodness.

Drawing on insights from ancient history, lived experience, and wisdom from voices like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this reflection shows how generosity can slowly retrain our hearts. When we practice giving without announcing it, something remarkable happens: we become less impressed with ourselves and less dependent on other people’s approval.

Over time, generosity becomes second nature. The left hand forgets what the right hand is doing. And goodness begins to feel free.

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Music Credits:
Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3

Why do some habits change and others seem impossible to break?

In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked role of belief in transformation. Many of us confuse our habits with our identity. We say, “That’s just the way I am.” But Scripture, psychology, and lived experience all point to a deeper truth: habits feel natural, but they are not our nature.

Drawing on insights from Ezra Sullivan, Charles Duhigg, and the lived wisdom of communities like Alcoholics Anonymous, this reflection shows why change rarely lasts without faith. Not just belief that habits can change, but belief that you can change—with God’s help.

Transformation happens in community. We borrow belief from one another. We practice hope until it becomes real. And over time, love itself becomes habit-forming.

So the question for today is simple:
Who helps you believe that change is possible?

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MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3

Darkness won't have the last word.

Today’s reflection centers on a simple, powerful word: light. Scripture tells us that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. That doesn’t mean we deny the reality of suffering, grief, or burden. It means those things are not ultimate.

Drawing from Scripture, everyday moments of joy, and insights from Dallas Willard, this episode invites us to see the world the way Jesus did—as a God-bathed, God-permeated reality. A world where light is always closer than we think. A world where God is “right upstairs,” friendly and near.

This message is for anyone feeling weighed down by life, anxious about the future, or unsure how to live faithfully in a dark moment. Jesus’ promise still stands: His burden is light. And His message—to both Israel and the Gentiles—was a message of light.

Pay attention today. Look for joy. Look for goodness. The light has already come.

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What if faith isn’t meant to comfort us, but to disturb us?

In today’s reflection, we explore conscience, prophecy, and the unsettling gift of a sensitive soul. Throughout history, God has sent “disturbing people” into the world—prophets who refuse to ignore injustice, suffering, and hypocrisy.

We meet Margery Kempe, a 14th-century woman whose tears became a form of truth-telling, and we reflect on the nature of prophets through the wisdom of Abraham Joshua Heschel, who reminds us that prophets feel the world’s pain more deeply than others.


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What if one of the most important spiritual practices is learning to laugh at yourself?

This teaching centers on Rule #62, a simple but liberating wisdom that emerged from the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous: Don’t take yourself too seriously. Drawing on Christian thinkers, church history, Scripture, and everyday life, John Ortberg invites us to be freed from the exhausting burden of self-importance.

Joy is not frivolous. Humor is not shallow. And humility is not self-hatred. They are deeply connected, rooted in the very character of God. From Abraham and Sarah’s laughter to the resurrection itself, Scripture reveals a God who brings joy, who relieves gravity, and who delights in human lightness.
Today’s invitation is simple but powerful: stop playing God. Let yourself be human. And let joy ripple outward to everyone around you.


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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
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There is a virtue that doesn’t get much love anymore.

It sounds cautious. Boring. Overly careful. But the ancient world believed that PRUDENCE was the hinge on which a good life turns. In this episode, John Ortberg reclaims prudence as a courageous commitment to reality. Not wishful thinking. Not emotional reaction. But clear-eyed wisdom that asks: What is really going on, and what is the most loving, skillful way forward?

Drawing from Scripture, the story of Abraham Lincoln, and the biblical image of “the stars fighting in their courses,” this teaching invites us to trust that God is already at work in reality itself.

The most prudent thing you can do today may simply be to face what’s real and take one wise step forward.


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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
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Forgiveness is never simple. And it’s rarely quick.

In this episode, John Ortberg explores a powerful, research-backed practice that helps move forgiveness from an idea into the heart. Drawing from the story of Joseph and his brothers, and the work of psychologist Everett Worthington, we’re invited into a deceptively simple exercise involving two chairs.

Forgiveness does not excuse harm. It does not erase boundaries. And it does not guarantee reconciliation. But it does free us from being trapped by resentment and bitterness. This teaching offers a compassionate, practical way to begin that journey, even when wounds are deep and time has passed.

What if forgiveness isn’t something you feel first, but something you practice?


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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
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Every human being longs for significance.

Not just to be busy. Not just to be successful. But to know that their presence has made a difference in someone else’s life. In this teaching, John Ortberg explores five relational needs identified by psychologist David Richo that help people flourish: attention, acceptance, affection, appreciation, and allowance.

These are not abstract ideas. They show up in marriages, friendships, families, workplaces, and churches. They reveal the heart of God and the way Jesus treated people, especially those who were often overlooked.

What if today you chose to help one person feel seen, valued, and free? That might be the most significant thing you do all day.


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What if the sound of heaven is laughter?

Drawing on The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, biblical wisdom, and surprising research, this episode explores joy not as a personality trait, but as a spiritual strength. Humor. Playfulness. Delight. These are not distractions from spiritual growth. They are often the pathway into it.
From babies laughing at peekaboo to the story of Isaac, whose very name means laughter, we discover that joy is woven into the heart of God. Even more, joy is compatible with pain. Real joy does not deny suffering. It survives it.

So today, laugh. Do something fun for no reason at all. You might just discover that God is closer than you thought.


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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
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Your face is never neutral. 

It communicates hope or fear, welcome or distance, trust or anxiety. In this reflection, John Ortberg explores the profound idea that our faces are not just physical features but outward expressions of our inner life and our sense of God’s presence.

Drawing from the Gospel of John, the teachings of Jesus, and wisdom from Dallas Willard, this episode invites us to consider what it means that God made himself known in a face. Not an abstraction. Not an idea. But in Jesus. The Word made flesh.

What if the invitation today is not to manage your face, but to let God reshape your inner life so that joy, trust, and love naturally shine through?

You are not alone. And it shows.

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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3

Every January, millions of people make bold resolutions.
And by mid-January… they’re negotiating with a Twinkie.

In this teaching, John Ortberg draws on wisdom from Dallas Willard to explain why willpower alone always fails—and why that’s not because you’re weak, lazy, or spiritually defective.
The real issue isn’t effort. It’s vision.

We don’t fail because we want the Twinkie too much. We fail because we don’t yet have a compelling vision of life without it. This episode invites you to stop trying harder and start living inside a bigger, truer vision of life with God—one where God is here, God is able, and God is good.

Also, yes. Everyone has a Twinkie.


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Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3

Why do so many goals fail, even when our intentions are good?

John Ortberg explores why lasting change doesn’t begin with outcomes or even habits, but with identity. Drawing on wisdom from James Clear, the apostle Paul, and everyday experience, we’re invited to ask a deeper question: Who am I becoming?

Transformation isn’t about achieving “it.” It’s about becoming a certain kind of person and allowing small, faithful habits to shape us over time. This is a vision of change that is patient, grace-filled, and rooted in God’s work within us.

What if today isn’t about fixing everything, but about taking one small step toward the person God is forming?

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Music Credits:

Dive by Traveler - MB01UYPFDKTVJ4Q
Forever and For Always feat. Ivywild and Roary by Marie Hines
MB01IDTJ7Z0NIZ3