Become New with John Ortberg

Why do so many conversations leave people feeling worse instead of better?

In this episode, John walks through a powerful framework for communicating without condemnation, based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg:

observe without evaluating
name your feelings
identify your needs
make clear requests

Then he shows what it looks like in real life through one of Jesus’ most famous conversations — His encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4.

Instead of judging or correcting her, Jesus:

crosses social and relational barriers
listens beneath the surface
speaks truth without shame
creates connection before correction

And the result?

A woman who felt fully known… and still accepted.

You’ll learn:
why most communication quietly damages relationships
how to speak truth without condemnation
what it means to listen for deeper needs
how curiosity can transform difficult conversations
why being known and accepted changes everything

Because the goal isn’t to win the conversation.

It’s to love the person.

📚 Today's Resources:
Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships

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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

We live in a cancel culture.

Accountability matters — but somewhere along the way, accountability became condemnation. Not just “that was wrong,” but “you are done.”

In this episode, John explores:
the rise of cancel culture and public shaming

why shame and condemnation rarely lead to real change

the difference between calling people out and calling them in

the surprising place the word “cancel” shows up in the New Testament

and what Jesus actually does with sin and people

Drawing from voices like Jon Ronson, Adam Grant, and Loretta Ross, John points to a deeper truth:
God does not cancel people. God cancels sin.

At the cross — the ultimate place of public shame — Jesus absorbs condemnation and disarms it.

Which means:
 Your sin can be canceled…
 but you are not.
And neither is anyone else.
There is now no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
John Ronson, “How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up X’s Life,” New York Times, 12 Feb 2015
Loretta J. Ross, Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel 
Charles Wesley, “O, For a Thousand Tongues To Sing,” (1739)

🙌 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.
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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

What if you’ve been reading the Bible… the wrong way?
In this episode, John shares three unexpected tools for giving up condemnation:
lighten up
bring your shadow (your own capacity for failure)
read everything in the shadow of the cross 
Drawing on insights from Phillip Cary and the story of Jonah, John challenges a common habit: reading ourselves as the “good” characters while judging everyone else.
Instead, we’re invited to identify with the ones who get it wrong.
You’ll learn:
why moralistic Bible reading fuels judgment
how humor and humility can disarm condemnation
what it means to “bring your shadow
how the cross reshapes the way we see others
why identifying with failure leads to freedom 
Because the goal isn’t to prove we’re better than Jonah…
It’s to realize we’re not.
And that’s where grace begins.
And there is now no condemnation. 
📚 Today's Resources:
Phillip Cary — commentary on Jonah
Classical references (via philosophy of literature): tragedy vs. satire/tabloid framing 
🙌 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
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GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe
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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

How does someone go from being full of condemnation… to writing, “There is now no condemnation”?

In this episode, John explores the transformation of Paul — a man driven by zeal, judgment, and certainty — who encounters the risen Jesus and sees everything differently.

Drawing on insights from What Saint Paul Really Said, John unpacks what Paul actually meant by “justification by faith” — and why it’s not about earning salvation or simply believing a doctrine.

You’ll learn:

what Paul’s zeal was really about

why “justification” means being vindicated, not just forgiven

the difference between trusting Jesus and believing about Him

how Jesus redefines who belongs

why seeing Jesus in others changes everything

As you move through your day, you’re invited into a simple but powerful practice:

“It could be the Lord.”

Because when you begin to see people that way, condemnation starts to fall away.

And there is now no condemnation.

📚 Today's Resources:
What Saint Paul Really Said — N. T. Wright
Influence from Scott McKnight
Historical scholarship from E. P. Sanders
Richard Hooker — on justification and faith
Richard Rohr — referenced practice (“It could be the Lord”)

🙌 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
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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO

What if our biggest barrier with God isn’t sin, but politeness?

In this episode, John Ortberg explores a surprising truth from Scripture: God isn’t looking for polished prayers. He’s inviting honest relationship. Through the story of Job, we discover something shocking:

Job rages. Questions God. Speaks words that feel almost dangerous. And yet—God says Job spoke what is right. Why? Because honesty draws us closer to God while polite distance keeps Him far away.

Even Jesus cried out on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

So if you’ve ever felt:
confused
disappointed
hurt
unsure what God is doing

You’re not alone, and you don’t have to hide it.
Today’s invitation is simple: Be real with God.
Because the path to deeper faith isn’t pretending—it’s honesty.

📚 Today's Resources:
Ellen F. Davis, Getting Involved with God
Eleonore Stump, Wandering in Darkness
Joseph Stein, Fiddler on the Roof

🙌 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
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SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our team

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Music Credits:
Believe Me by Glass Echoes - MB01UU8HNMQ8GT0
Frost on My Window by Coldbrew - MB01IZWASF1DYPO