Podcast appearances and mentions of John Ortberg

This is your day to shine. The only thing is… (tough news incoming) shining won't be in your ideal situation. Shining means right now, right where you are, right in the middle of your current circumstances. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.TEXT US at 855-888-0444EMAIL US at connect@becomenew.comGET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribeGET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our teamWEBSITE: BecomeNew.comPODCAST: https://becomenew.buzzsprout.comSOCIAL MEDIA:

Very often, we plan about the things in our lives, but it's not often that we plan the person we will become. Today, as we continue through Shine, we're asking these questions: What are your spiritual goals? Who would you like to become today? Keep those in your back pocket as we dive into our teaching. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.TEXT US at 855-888-0444EMAIL US at connect@becomenew.comGET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribeGET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our teamWEBSITE: BecomeNew.comPODCAST: https://becomenew.buzzsprout.comSOCIAL MEDIA:

When should we be confident? That's what we're studying today as we look at Paul's teachings to the church of Corinth. The world often lives by self-confidence. Do we have it all together? Are we successful? Are we winning? But Paul was confident in a different way. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.TEXT US at 855-888-0444EMAIL US at connect@becomenew.comGET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribeGET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our teamWEBSITE: BecomeNew.comPODCAST: https://becomenew.buzzsprout.comSOCIAL MEDIA:

We greet you in the name of a brand-new series, Shine! Throughout the next many weeks, John Ortberg will walk us through Paul's letter to the Philippians, and here's our kick-off thought: God can be found even in our greetings to others. Through something as simple as how we greet someone, we can demonstrate the love of Christ.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.TEXT US at 855-888-0444EMAIL US at connect@becomenew.comGET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribeGET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text BECOME to 855-888-0444SEND US PRAYER REQUESTS: via text or email; we'll send you a written prayer from our teamWEBSITE: BecomeNew.comPODCAST: https://becomenew.buzzsprout.comSOCIAL MEDIA:

Episode: Forgiving YourselfSeries: PASSAGE TO WISDOMBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Idiot Lights for the SoulSeries: BECOME NEWBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Ambition EditionSeries: MADE TO COUNTBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Humility 1; Hubris 0Series: BECOME NEWBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

“Habit eats willpower for breakfast.” As the apostle Paul says in Romans 7, we do the evil we don't want to do, and we don't do the good we want to do. Pastor and author John Ortberg joins Mark Labberton on Conversing to discuss his latest book Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn't Enough. Drawing on decades of pastoral ministry, the wisdom of the Twelve Steps, and the profound influence of Dallas Willard, Ortberg explores the limits of willpower, the gift of desperation, and the hope of genuine transformation. With humour, honesty, and depth, he reflects on why human will is insufficient, why churches struggle to embody desperation, and how communities of honesty and grace can become places of real healing. Episode Highlights “Habit eats willpower for breakfast.” “The first step is a deeply despairing step. I can't, and it feels like hell and death—and that opens people up to God.” “If you have a wimpy step one, you will have wimpy steps two through twelve.” “Desperation really is a gift.” “Failure and pain so often become helps in our meeting God.” Helpful Links and Resources Find more from John Ortberg at becomenew.com John Ortberg, Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn't Enough Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart Kent Dunnington, Addiction and Virtue: Beyond the Models of Disease and Choice Stephen R. Haynes, Why Can't Church Be More Like an AA Meeting? About John Ortberg John Ortberg is a pastor, speaker, and bestselling author dedicated to spiritual formation and transformation. He served as senior pastor at Menlo Church from 2003 to 2020, and has written numerous books, including The Life You've Always Wanted and Faith & Doubt. He studied at Wheaton College and Fuller Theological Seminary and has been a trustee at Fuller. His most recent book, Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn't Enough, reframes the Twelve Steps as a wisdom tradition for all seeking deeper life with God. Show Notes The Nature of Willpower and Habit John Ortberg reflects on Dallas Willard's framework for understanding persons. “Habit eats willpower for breakfast.” The human will is essential, but terrifically weak when confronting sin, ego, or deep habits. The Gift of Desperation and the Twelve Steps First step: “We admitted we were powerless.” “The first step is a deeply despairing step. I can't, and it feels like hell and death—and that opens people up to God.” Desperation becomes a gateway to spiritual power. “If you have a wimpy step one, you will have wimpy steps two through twelve.” Comparing church and AA Ortberg: “Desperation really is a gift.” The church often resists being a community of desperation. Honesty is not the same as desperation; both are needed for transformation. Why AA's structure works: fellowship plus program. “Failure and pain so often become helps in our meeting God.” Storytelling and Transformation Testimonies and stories at the center of AA's power. Why narrative makes meaning for human life. “Story is the essential unit of meaning for personhood.” Spiritual Practices and Confession Step 5: “Confess to God, ourselves, and one other person the exact nature of our wrongs.” John recalls confessing to a close friend: “John, I love you more right now than I've ever loved you before.” The liberating power of being fully known and loved. Addiction, Sin, and Disease The debate: is addiction a disease, a habitus, or sin? Disease language reduces shame but risks erasing agency. The overlap of sin, brokenness, and habit. The challenge of shame, judgment, and superiority in church contexts. Fellowship and Program “If you have program but not fellowship, you're dead. If you have fellowship but not program, there is no hope.” AA as a model for church life: communal honesty plus concrete practices. The gospel calls for grace-filled action, not passivity. Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Episode: FollowSeries: MADE TO COUNTBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Overcoming Your "Limiting Belief"Series: HABITBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Wax On, Wax OffSeries: IN THE BEGINNINGBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Angry Thoughts, Second ThoughtsSeries: SECOND THOUGHTSBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: A Problem and a PurposeSeries: IN THE BEGINNINGBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Episode: Pass the ZestSeries: CHARACTERBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Our devices promise constant connection, but too often, they leave us isolated, anxious, and spiritually numb. When we lose signal or misplace a phone, we feel unmoored, unable to navigate, communicate, or find joy. That's the invitation at the heart of today's reflection: to ask, Am I truly connected? Not to Wi-Fi, but to God, to my values, to the people I love. Technology can serve connection, but it cannot substitute for it. We were made for something deeper.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Life's greatest lessons often come from unexpected places. In today's devo, John tells a story of a little boy in a developing village who hears about tithing for the first time. After giving a single fish to his teacher, he responds to the question “Where are the other nine?” with something unforgettable: “Oh, they're still in the river. I'm going to go catch them now.” That is how faith responds. It's a childlike confidence that God's provision isn't scarce or hidden, but abundant, always flowing like a river.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

When was the last time you were genuinely wowed? With all the content we consume on the daily it's getting more and more difficult to find these moments of amazement. But the truth is that we were made to be astonished. Whenever we neglect that part of who we are our souls shrink a little. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt observes that screen addiction damages our capacity for transcendence. His research and others' affirm what the Bible has been talking about for millennia: the heavens are telling the glory of God. Awe is a gateway to God. It reminds us of our smallness and God's grandeur.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

We learn through imitation. This is why we have role models and icons. Those who have gone before us and shown us what's possible. Whether we know it or not, we are followers first. The Apostle John talks about this in 3 John, where he writes, “Do not imitate what is evil but what is good.” In other words, you will imitate what you watch, so watch wisely. From spiritual mentors to social media influencers, the people and patterns we imitate form our character and ultimately how we make our way in the word.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today's We Should Get Out More brings us to this phrase, straight from Dallas Willard: Bless what you dread. We were blessed by God and we are made to be a blessing. For fun and to put this into perspective, we're taking a lesson from the Hokey Pokey song and applying it to blessing others: you put your whole self in. (Sing it with us: You put your right foot in, take your right foot out…) To truly bless is to do so intentionally and with your whole heart and spirit. The very act of blessing is something we see in the Bible from the beginning of time. God creates, God gives, God adds value. He blesses the trees and the seas and the sky and the earth. The world exists to be blessed, and you were made to be a blessing.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Have you ever felt like you wanted to change… but couldn't? Sometimes, change isn't possible by the flesh alone. True change is often only available with God's help. That's what today's lesson highlights as we continue our journey through We Should Get Out More. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today's episode of We Should Get Out More features an interview with Andy Crouch, one of the central thought leaders of this series, whose work we've been studying together. He's a partner for theology and culture at Praxis and the author of several books like “The Tech-Wise Family” and “The Life We're Looking For.” Today, Andy and John discuss the intersection of technology and human flourishing. Tune in for a chat about how our “glowing rectangles” (as Andy refers to smartphones) are sometimes forming us in ways we're not fully aware of. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today, as we continue through We Should Get Out More, we're talking tech, but not just the usual doom-scroll warnings. John sits down with Pat Gelsinger, a tech mogul and lifelong follower of Jesus, to talk about how faith and technology don't have to live in separate worlds. In fact, Pat argues this moment in history is a “Gutenberg moment”: a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Church to use technology to spread goodness, beauty, and truth. So instead of running from it, what if we stepped into it, with wisdom and courage?Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

What is self-control? Is it trying through blood, sweat, and tears to make ourselves miserable? Maybe not. Maybe, a miserable life of constant resistance isn't a God shaped life. The Apostle Paul calls self-control the final fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5), not because it's least important, but perhaps because (maybe) it takes the longest to grow. At its core, self-control is about spiritual renovation. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

When Tiffany and her husband Cam moved across the country to pursue their dream of running a mountain camp, they had no idea what was waiting for them. A financial crisis, a pandemic, wildfires, floods, and windstorms. They had to deal with one disaster after another. Each event felt like a reason to give up. But looking back, those same struggles became the soil where deep spiritual resilience took root. Instead of running from discomfort, they stayed and as a result they witnessed God bring life from ashes and strength from suffering. That's the strange grace of challenge: it forms us in ways comfort never can.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

In this powerful conversation, Greg Nettle sits down with author and pastor John Ortberg to discuss his newest book, Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn't Enough. Drawing inspiration from the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, Ortberg reveals why this recovery-based model may actually be the most effective path to real spiritual transformation—for everyone, not just those with addiction. The conversation covers: How AA emerged from discipleship roots in the Oxford Group Why most churches struggle with a “wimpy Step One” How to foster communities of grace-filled vulnerability The critical role of desperation, community, and daily practices in spiritual growth How churches can implement the Steps curriculum and even start B12 groups (Bible + 12 Steps) John also shares about his free daily vodcast ministry, Become New, and upcoming resources for small groups and churches based on Steps, launching Fall 2025. Whether you're planting a church or trying to revitalize one, this episode offers practical wisdom and a compelling vision for deep, lasting discipleship. We hope you enjoy this podcast. For more info about Stadia Church Planting and how you can get involved, check out stadia.org. To connect with Greg Nettle, you can find him at GregNettle.com Episode Index 01:10 - John's new book *Steps* and its origin in the 12 Steps   03:00 - Why *Steps* is for everyone, not just addiction recovery   04:20 - The spiritual roots of AA and the Oxford Group   06:00 - The power of weakness and the gift of desperation   08:00 - Greg shares a baby dedication story and his own approval addiction   10:20 - Why churches struggle with a “wimpy Step One”   12:00 - Biblical examples of desperation and robust transformation   13:20 - How desperation leads to discipleship intensity   14:00 - Discipleship as both program and fellowship   16:00 - Why church needs to be more like an AA meeting   17:30 - The power of confession and shared inadequacy   19:00 - Appropriate vulnerability for pastors and leaders   21:00 - How to help your church take real steps toward transformation   22:20 - Real-life church examples like the “B12 class”   24:00 - Free video curriculum for *Steps* coming Fall 2025   25:15 - Final thoughts: encouragement for church planters  

God didn't design us to live behind glass, protected, isolated, or untouched by risk. That's the danger of our screen-saturated, control-craving world: we can build an “unrisky life” that appears safe but leaves our spirits weak. John draws out a striking metaphor from Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation, where he talks about trees planted in a perfectly controlled environment that grew fast but fell before maturity because they lacked the stress and strain of wind. Without this stress, they never developed the “stress wood” that would make them strong enough to withstand life. You and I need wind too. We were made for challenge.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Sometimes the best theology is found on the back deck. A small bird on a simple patrol caught the attention of a friend, and in that moment the truth came to light. That mockingbird, later named “Jabez,” seemed to be extending its reach, enlarging its territory. And just like that, we're reminded of a prayer tucked quietly into 1 Chronicles 4:10, a prayer that asks God not for riches or comfort, but for blessing, for growth, for protection, and for freedom from pain. But it's not self-centered, it's a vision of hope in the face of the world's curse, a longing that our lives might be vessels of blessing for others.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today, we're keeping the gentleness discussion going. We are invited to get out of our hurried, harsh, screen-ridden worlds and into God's world–the real world, full of life and joy. We're reflecting on this truth from Jesus in Matthew 11: “I am gentle and lowly in heart.” Gentle and lowly? What countercultural words. And this isn't the watered-down kind of gentleness; this is full-on fruit-of-the-spirit gentleness. Like John teaches, people can often misunderstand this. It's not softness, weakness, or meekness. Gentleness is steady, and it actually begins at home in overcoming our harsh inner critics.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

In our culture, revenge is pervasive. In fact, John unpacks research showing a hidden framework for understanding human revenge, rage, and violence. In practice, revenge actually operates like an addiction in our brains. The cycle begins with grievance. And every little grievance - from a driver who maybe cuts us off, to a coworker who forgets our name - can trigger imagined injustice. We indulge our outrage and a desire for revenge. But the way of Jesus - the fruit of the spirit, love - interrupts that loop. Love doesn't deny pain or injustice; it just refuses to use power to harm. It chooses to show up instead as gentleness and grace.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today's journey of We Should Get Out More brings us to something a little different: a chat with Len Vanden Bos, chaplain of the Buffalo Bills– where John and Len visit one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the U.S. John and Nancy recently visited and what they saw was staggering. Angola holds countless stories not just of pain and injustice, but amazingly, deep transformation and freedom. Tune in for a meaningful chat about true surrender. People who aren't being formed by algorithms, but truly the Holy Spirit.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today's episode of We Should Get Out More might just be an introduction to your new favorite Bible verse. It's an often-overlooked passage in Romans 16:22: “I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.” And while this might seem like a verse you'd look past, it's significant because it's Paul offering dignity to someone the world considered insignificant. Tertius was a scribe (maybe even a slave) whose name means “third.” In the ancient world, people were often reduced from a name down to a number. But counter culturally, Paul stops mid-letter to let Tertius speak. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Dr. Rick joins today to discuss what it really means to become a good person. Despite all his years of counseling, Rick shares that no one has ever walked into his office saying, “I want to be a good person.” However, by the end of their sessions, that desire is typically surfaced. It's the realization that we all want to become someone who is grounded. Generous. Integris. That little question: Am I a good person? quietly lingers within each one of us.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today, John talks with Glenn Packiam about how resilience begins with recovery: the ability to return to a place of spiritual rest. Like a stress test measuring how fast your heart returns to normal, true spiritual health isn't the absence of struggle, but the speed at which we return to God after it. There is no such thing as a life without trouble, which is why Jesus promised that he would be with us to the very end of the age.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today, John talks with Pastor Steve Cuss who shares his practice of “tripping over God's presence” 10 to 12 times a day through intentional micro-habits. These small moments that look like savoring a meal, noticing a sunset, holding a loved one's hand, or hearing from a friend are more than pleasant. They are reminders that life is good and full of God's presence if we could notice, tune in, and appreciate what has always been there under all the noise.Get more from Steve Cuss here: https://capablelife.activehosted.com/f/29Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Social media loves to make promises. Promises about optimizations, quick fixes, the perfect skin, the perfect parenting hacks, and on and on. These promises are tempting, but the problem is that social media rarely delivers on the promises it makes. This keeps us consuming more and more looking for the next best hack. We arrange our lives around this pursuit, only to find out—sometimes painfully—they're not real. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

What if you stopped doomscrolling and started life-scrolling instead? In today's message, you'll discover a better way to navigate screens and the bad news cycle — by tasting real goodness, practicing gratitude, and sharing hope like the bees do their waggle dance. Let's get out more, root ourselves in God's presence, and bring goodness into the real world together.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

John invites us to consider how our digital lives often differ from kindness and tend toward condemnation. All one needs do is get online and look at the Subtweets and group chats that exclude others. There are endless examples of passive-aggressive stories and soft blocks. We've been trained to cancel people but Jesus did something different. He didn't cancel people, he canceled sin. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Happy Fourth of July from Become New! Today marks not only a holiday, but also a shift in direction for us. As we sat with the title, You Should Get Out More, for the past few weeks, we noticed something felt off. It's a single word, but it makes all the difference. We should get out more. As we explore this topic, know that we aren't pointing the finger your way; we're learning these concepts right along with you. So together, let's get out more, and let's dive into today's topic: kindness. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

The word of the day is patience. The kind that reshapes your soul over time. A long faithfulness. As we continue You Should Get Out More, John invites us into something countercultural: living as pilgrims, not tourists. Tourists pick their destinations, stay as long as it's fun, and move on when they lose interest. Pilgrims, though? They're going somewhere. They're going to God and the path for getting there is through Jesus.  Digital life trains us to expect everything instantly: food, updates, approval, progress. But the fruit of the Spirit, especially patience, grows at a much slower speed than scrolling.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Today's thought is kindness. And if that sounds a little too soft for your inbox this morning, hang tight because what we're covering today isn't shallow or merely sentimental. John is joined by Kara Powell, the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and they're discussing the kind of radical, steady, others-focused kindness that can actually change us and change the world.Find out more about the Fuller Youth Institute at: FullerYouthInstitute.org/BecomeNewBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Take a deep breath. Remember, patience is a fruit of the spirit. It's about living with an unhurried spirit. Often, people confuse patience with a lack of urgency but the truth is, patience is the ability to live with calmness and poise in the face of obstacles and delay. It's living with an unhurried spirit in a sped-up world. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

The invitation for today is to live at peace, but not the kind you might think. This isn't only silence or stillness, but rather the deep, soul-rooted type of peace that Jesus offers in a world full of noise and division. As we continue our series, You Should Get Out More, John contrasts peace and contempt, which is what pastor and author Jay Kim says are actually opposites. Contempt is a mindset that abounds in digital spaces and it erodes our ability to love and empathize. As followers of Jesus, we're called to a higher standard. Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

The lines between physical and digital reality are increasingly blurred, especially for children. Today's conversation between John and his daughter Laura, reminds us that spiritual formation and family life are happening at the same time. Often in the midst of unprecedented technological change. The challenge, then, is not to fear technology but to become wise in how we use it, especially when it comes to guiding the next generation. We need parents, mentors, and spiritual friends, who are willing to help young people stay grounded in the real world—where eye contact, touch, boredom, and community shape our souls far more deeply than curated images or trending videos.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Doesn't it seem like everything is hyperconnected, screen-centric today? In a matrixed existence how are we meant to find pockets of peace in the day? It can feel almost impossible to grasp. The peace has a hard time flourishing in an online environment that usually amplifies outrage, judgment, and anxiety. Leading voices today have noted that social media gives us the power to express contempt with increasing ease. It's not pretty out there. And too often, Christians have joined the chorus of division and often led it. But Scripture reminds us: peace is not found in being right, it is a fruit of the Spirit. It grows not from surrender. Peace is not about willpower; it's something we experience as we let go of judgment, hurry, and the illusion of control.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Joy is not an accident. It's a fruit of the Spirit that grows from attention, action, and cultivation. In contrast much of our online lives are lived passively comparing ourselves to others without even thinking about it. Algorithms are designed to keep us longing for what we don't have, by showing us lives just out of reach. This is an upward envy that creates a downward disdain and erodes joy. But God life with God gives us the good work of Joy. Joy is deep, personal, and often tied to the relationships that reflect God's love and goodness.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

Jay shares his personal experience, as well as his pastoral perspective, on the mental, emotional, and spiritual costs of being chronically online. The issue is not the existence of technology, but how subtly and deeply it forms us into distracted, image-obsessed and ultimately hopeless people. The point of the conversation is to remind us that our digital tools are using us often more than we are using them. Our attention is being bought and sold, and the cost is our contentment, resilience, and joy.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

In a world shaped by online personas, it's easy to mistake what looks good for what really is and emotion for identity. We have been conditioned to scroll through the highlight reels of others' lives, unaware of the building loneliness and pain that is masked by the doom scroll of online life. But the truth is that social media is not truly social, a fact we must remember because while it promises connection it usually delivers isolation. That is the work of a follower of Jesus in the digital landscape.Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.