Become New with John Ortberg

Why does God want us to praise Him? And what if praising God sometimes feels awkward, artificial, or forced?
In this reflection on Psalm 67, John Ortberg explores the same question that once troubled C. S. Lewis.
Lewis eventually discovered that God doesn't need praise like an insecure person needs compliments. Praise is actually part of our enjoyment of what's good.
We naturally praise the things we love, and we want other people to enjoy them too. That's why Lewis concluded that praise doesn't merely express joy:
Praise completes joy.
And when praise still feels like duty? Keep tuning the instrument. The duty exists for the delight.
In this episode: Psalm 67 • C.S. Lewis • praise • worship • doubt • awe • joy
#Psalm67 #CSLewis #JohnOrtberg #Praise #Worship #SpiritualFormation

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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

 00:00 Today We're Going to Praise God
 00:08 Does Praising God Feel Awkward?
 00:28 When Praise Feels Artificial
 00:48 Psalm 67: May All the Peoples Praise You
 01:21 C.S. Lewis Had a Problem With Praise
 01:42 Why Does God Want Compliments?
 02:12 Is God Egotistical?
 02:34 The Problem With the Psalms
 02:56 Does God Need Our Praise?
 03:23 Bargaining With God for Praise
 03:48 Lewis Could Understand Everything Except This
 03:58 Are There Questions God Doesn't Want You to Ask?
 04:39 Follow the Truth
 04:49 What Does It Mean to Deserve Praise?
 05:25 The Psychology of Awe
 06:02 Awe Can Reset Your Mind
 06:20 What We Miss When We Don't Praise
 06:44 God Doesn't Need Your Compliments
 07:31 The Thing Lewis Had Missed
 07:56 We Praise Everything We Love
 08:33 “Isn't She Lovely?”
 08:56 Why the Psalms Tell Everyone to Praise
 09:25 Praise Completes Joy
 09:57 Why We Have to Share What We Love
 10:07 What Will Heaven Really Be Like?
 10:39 Worship Isn't an Endless Church Service 😂
 10:56 Tuning the Instrument
 11:25 The Duty Exists for the Delight
 11:48 Digging Channels for the Water
 12:01 Let All the Earth Praise
 12:25 Look for What's Good
 12:46 Praise God Today

What do you do when you're afraid?
In this reflection on Psalm 62, John Ortberg shares a memorable Dallas Willard story about a terrified cat clinging to a tree, and asks a surprisingly revealing question:
What's your branch?
When we're afraid, we clutch. We grasp for control over relationships, money, health, reputation, work, or whatever makes us feel secure.
But Psalm 62 offers another way.
Let go. Lean on God. And stand firm.
John explains how these two seemingly contradictory postures belong together: “I'm standing on the outside and leaning on the inside.”
You don't have to hold everything together today. Open your hands. Lean on the everlasting arms. Then stand firm and do the next right thing.
In this episode: Psalm 62 • fear • control • Dallas Willard • letting go • trusting God
#Psalm62 #JohnOrtberg #Fear #TrustGod #SpiritualFormation #Psalms

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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 This Is for Anyone Who's Ever Been Afraid
 00:34 Two Ways to Deal With Fear
 00:49 Psalm 62: A Leaning Wall
 01:29 Where Do You Feel Unsteady?
 01:54 What Fear Really Is
 02:20 Dallas Willard's Cat
 02:34 He Needed a Crowbar 😂
 02:45 What's Your Branch?
 03:01 What Are You Trusting In?
 03:40 We Cling When We're Afraid
 03:59 What Won't You Let Go Of?
 04:20 You Can Let Go
 04:45 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
 05:10 Stop Clutching. Start Leaning.
 05:36 You Don't Face Life Alone
 06:06 The Second Posture: Stand Firm
 06:28 Leaning vs. Standing
 06:53 Stand Outside, Lean Inside
 07:20 How Leaning Helps You Stand
 07:46 Little Cat, Let Go
 08:00 Open Your Hands
 08:14 A Lawyer's Unusual Advice
 08:33 Lean on God. Stand Firm.

Who has your attention?
In a world where screens, money, health, worries, ambitions, and countless other forces compete for our focus, John Ortberg asks a deeper question: Who is my master?
Psalm 143 teaches us how to pay attention to God through two important practices: focused attention and open attention.
John explores why attention is so powerful, how what we consistently attend to can actually change us, and how we can learn to notice God's presence throughout an ordinary day.
The invitation is simple:
Pay attention to the God who is already paying attention to you.
In this episode: Psalm 143 • attention • distraction • spiritual formation • neuroscience • noticing God
#Psalm143 #JohnOrtberg #SpiritualFormation #Attention #Psalms #ChristianFaith
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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF
00:00 Pay Very Careful Attention
 00:12 Are You Still With Me?
 00:31 Attention Is Something We Pay
 00:55 Who Is Your Master?
 01:18 God Is Paying Attention to You
 01:39 Two Kinds of Attention
 02:01 How Attention Changes Your World
 02:28 How Do You Attend to Other People?
 02:49 Attention Changes You
 03:15 You Become More Like What You Attend To
 03:45 Focused Attention
 04:14 How a Bird Pays Attention
 04:42 Open Attention
 05:09 Two Very Different Ways of Seeing
 05:33 Seeing Yourself as Part of Something Bigger
 05:56 The Fellowship of Toads 😂
 06:22 Why We Need Both Kinds of Attention
 06:41 Psalm 143: God, Hear Me
 06:53 Paying Attention to What's Wrong in Me
 07:17 Taking an Honest Inventory
 07:35 Who Is the Enemy?
 08:02 When the Enemy Is Inside Me
 08:30 Remember, Meditate, Consider
 09:24 Learning to Pay Attention to God
 09:48 God Is Paying Attention to Me
 10:06 Let the Morning Bring Me Word
 10:27 Show Me, Rescue Me, Teach Me, Lead Me
 10:51 Open Your Attention to God
 11:16 Focus on What's in Front of You
 11:39 God, How Are You Here?
 11:57 Who Is My Master?

Sometimes you need to stop moving long enough to notice where you actually are.
In this reflection on Psalm 100, John Ortberg pulls over at a vista point and invites us to create a “vista point” in our own day: pause, look around, notice the beauty and goodness of God, and make a joyful noise.
John also shares the remarkable story of a $3 thrift-store jersey that turned out to be worth $90,000. It looked discarded, but it was a treasure.
Maybe you need that reminder too.
You are not self-made. You are the work of a master craftsman.
So pause today. Look around. Say “Wow.” Say “Thank You.” And don't miss the view.
In this episode: Psalm 100 • gratitude • joy • identity • God's creation • serving with gladness
#Psalm100 #JohnOrtberg #Gratitude #Joy #SpiritualFormation #Psalms
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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF
00:00 You Need a Vista Point Today
 00:26 Pull Over & Look Around
 00:43 Seeing Your Life From God's Perspective
 01:10 Psalm 100: Make a Joyful Noise
 01:32 All the Earth Is Invited
 01:51 John's Dad Makes a Joyful Noise
 02:14 “Why Don't You Just Say It, John?” 😂
 02:41 You Don't Need a Beautiful Voice
 03:01 How Can You Make a Joyful Noise Today?
 03:35 Notice What's Good
 03:48 Know That the Lord Is God
 04:14 There Is a God. It Is Not Me.
 04:44 God Is Pleased That You Exist
 05:07 The $3 Lakers Jersey
 05:32 Was It Really Wilt Chamberlain's?
 05:57 $3 Becomes $90,000
 06:23 You Are Not Self-Made
 06:50 You Are the Work of a Master Craftsman
 07:10 You Live in God's Pasture Today
 07:29 Serve the Lord With Gladness
 07:46 The Dog Situation Gets Worse 😂
 08:06 Pause. Look. Say Wow.
 08:21 You Are a Treasure

What do people experience when they're around you?
In this conversation on Psalm 23, John Ortberg is joined by Keith Matthews, who spent 18 years teaching alongside Dallas Willard.
Keith shares what Dallas was really like, why he loved Psalm 23, and a remarkable story about a young woman whose life changed after simply watching Dallas interact with someone on the USC campus.
Dallas often prayed that people would have “a radiant life and a radiant death.” His life embodied a deep confidence in the sufficiency of God: The Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need.
Keith leaves us with a powerful thought:
“Our presence goes before us.”
What might your presence communicate to the people you encounter today?
In this episode: Psalm 23 • Dallas Willard • God's sufficiency • spiritual formation • becoming a radiant person
#Psalm23 #DallasWillard #JohnOrtberg #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith

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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 John & Keith Matthews
 00:28 An Undisclosed Location of Spiritual Formation 😂
 00:47 Spontaneity vs. Actually Preparing
 01:11 Why Psalm 23?
 01:38 Dallas Willard's Favorite Psalm
 01:57 Memorizing Scripture
 02:19 Teaching With Dallas for 18 Years
 02:38 Dallas the Person
 03:03 A Radiant Life & a Radiant Death
 03:20 What Does a Person Radiate?
 03:46 “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
 04:06 God Is Sufficient
 04:27 But What If I Really Need Something?
 04:48 Are You Happy With the Person You're Becoming?
 05:18 Living From a Full Cup
 05:38 “I Need ___ in Order to ___”
 05:55 Even a Radiant Death
 06:14 The Human Spirit as Personal Energy
 06:36 Why We Call It “Glo-ry”
 07:05 The Presence of Dallas Willard
 07:22 A Stranger Starts Crying
 07:39 “Who Is That Guy?”
 08:00 A Life Changed by an Encounter
 08:28 Your Presence Goes Before You
 08:52 What Must Jesus Have Been Like?
 09:10 You Have Everything You Need
 09:27 Leave Someone With a Little Smile