Drawing on Christian Miller’s The Character Gap and Langdon Gilkey’s Shantung Compound, John examines the difference between wanting to do good and developing a character that keeps choosing love under difficult circumstances. He shares the example of Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner depicted in Chariots of Fire, whose selfless service encouraged others during internment in China.

John closes with six daily questions about surrender, gratitude, forgiveness, prayer, Scripture, and obedience. These offer a practical way to bring your day before God and receive help to become the person you long to be.

Today’s practice: Take five minutes to answer the six questions, then choose one concrete act of love or obedience.

Related Scripture: Psalm 90:12; Romans 7:18–25; Romans 12:1–2; Hebrews 12:1–3.

Subscribe to Become New for regular teaching from John Ortberg and practical encouragement to grow with God in everyday life.

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00:00 The illusion that this moment doesn’t matter

00:25 What is shaping my heart?

00:50 Ants and getting back to the source

01:46 A framework for examining our lives

02:16 The Character Gap and human behavior

03:24 Wanting right, but prepared for wrong

04:16 Can we develop a different character?

04:56 Langdon Gilkey’s Shantung Compound

06:02 What pressure and scarcity reveal

07:09 Eric Liddell: A different kind of life

08:40 Six questions for each day

09:00 Surrendering the day to God

09:37 What can I thank God for?

09:48 Forgiveness, cleansing, and making amends

10:18 Who should I pray for?

10:33 Applying Scripture to my life

10:56 What should I do, and how?

11:21 The race I want to run

Drawing from Proverbs, James, and the teachings of Jesus, John explains how to strengthen your “don’t” and “do” muscles. He also introduces a surprising spiritual discipline: chatting. An ordinary conversation can become an opportunity to encourage, connect, and offer the right word at the right time.

Who could use a word of encouragement from you today? Share your takeaway in the comments.

Scripture explored: James 4:17; Proverbs 25:11; Matthew 25:31–46; Luke 7:36–50.

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00:00 Two kinds of sin and two tools to help

00:23 The power of a word aptly spoken

00:52 The good words we leave unsaid

02:07 Why we’re talking less than ever

04:46 Two kinds of sin: commission and omission

06:08 What Jesus says about the good we fail to do

07:07 Strengthening your “don’t” and “do” muscles

08:37 The spiritual discipline of chatting

09:44 Put it into practice today

10:36 Who can you encourage today?

11:01 Stay connected with Become New

In episode three of Become New’s series on sin, the seven deadly sins, and grace, John shares a funny story from a pastors’ conference where church attendance became a measure of importance. Through Psalm 51, Colossians 3, and Peter’s promise to remain faithful to Jesus, he examines the gap between our sincere intentions and our instinctive responses under pressure.

John offers a practical approach to repentance: get curious. Ask what you were trying to gain, consider how your behavior affected someone else, and let that understanding move you toward honesty and making amends.

Today’s practice: Notice one moment when you shaped the truth to look better. Ask God what was underneath it, and correct the impression you created.

Scripture explored: Psalm 51:2, 6; Colossians 3:5; Matthew 26:31–35.

Subscribe to Become New for regular teaching from John Ortberg and practical encouragement to grow with God in everyday life.

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00:00 Becoming a deeply truthful person

00:42 Why isn’t lying a deadly sin?

01:34 Facing the truth about ourselves

02:17 A pastor’s temptation to exaggerate

03:53 How we fudge the truth

05:04 What does it mean to repent?

05:53 Repentance begins with curiosity

06:30 What was I trying to gain?

07:14 Finding freedom from the need to impress

07:39 Peter’s confidence and coming denial

09:15 Getting curious about our motives

09:49 How did my sin affect someone else?

10:57 Making amends and changing within

11:20 A prayer for cleansing

In episode two of Become New’s series on sin, the seven deadly sins, and grace, John draws on Dallas Willard, Peter Jones’s Self-Help from the Middle Ages, and a story about Wendell Berry as a demanding writing teacher. He considers Jesus’ hard words to his disciples and the ways we minimize attitudes and behaviors that damage our lives and relationships.

The invitation is to ask God for both honesty and grace: help me see the truth about myself, and help me know that I am loved.

Today’s practice: Revisit one piece of feedback you have resisted. Ask God what may be true in it, and take one small step toward becoming a more loving person.

Scripture explored: Romans 1:28–32; Mark 8:31–33; Mark 9:14–29.
Related Scripture: Psalm 139:23; Ephesians 4:15.

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Welcome to the World by Sarah Watson

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00:00 Do you want truth or softness?

00:43 Facing the reality of our condition

01:09 Self-help from the Middle Ages

02:33 Sugarcoating difficult feedback

03:31 Wendell Berry’s demanding classroom

04:51 A teacher who cared enough to be honest

06:19 Jesus speaks hard truth

07:17 What gets in the way of becoming good?

08:02 Hearing Scripture as a diagnosis

08:36 The sins we excuse

09:53 An invitation to honest self-examination

10:42 Knowing we are loved

11:04 Wendell Berry’s “Original Sin”

12:06 Today’s prayer: Truth and grace

In this episode, John Ortberg explores how the 12 Steps can help us approach spiritual growth, stubborn habits, and the struggles we keep trying to overcome alone. Whether you’re wrestling with anger, fear, control, greed, or the familiar gap between who you want to be and how you actually live, the invitation begins with honesty. You don’t have to pretend you’re doing better than you are to take a step toward freedom.

Drawing on Paul’s struggle in Romans 7, Jesus’ promise of freedom, and the story of AA cofounder Bill W., John traces connections between the 12 Steps and the Christian practices of surrender, confession, making amends, prayer, and service. He invites us into a community where people can name their need, receive help, and participate in the work God is doing. Sometimes the place where we admit we’re stuck becomes the place where change begins.

In this conversation, you’ll discover:

• What the church can learn from the honesty and acceptance of recovery communities.
• Why knowing what’s right doesn’t always give us the power to do it.
• How surrender to Jesus opens a path toward freedom.
• Why friendship and community matter when we’re trying to change.
• How the 12 Steps can become practices for everyday spiritual growth.

Take your next step: Name one place where you feel stuck, and share it with someone you trust. You don’t have to walk this journey alone.

Explore the free, 12-part Steps Masterclass with John Ortberg:
https://stepsguide.com

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Subscribe for more conversations about following Jesus, spiritual formation, and becoming the person God made you to be.

#JohnOrtberg #SpiritualGrowth #12Steps

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Alaska by Sarah Watson 
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Welcome to the World by Sarah Watson
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0:00 What the Church Can Learn from AA

0:41 An Invitation to Practice the 12 Steps

1:30 Why We Need Each Other to Change

2:19 Why Do I Keep Doing What I Don’t Want to Do?

3:32 The Gap Between Who We Are and Who We Want to Be

3:54 How Jesus Helps Stuck People

4:57 Jesus’ Promise of Freedom

5:31 Bill W. and the Beginnings of AA

6:17 The Oxford Group and Practices of Transformation

7:24 Could the 12 Steps Help You, Too?

8:13 The Church Needs These Practices Back

9:15 An Invitation to an Honest Journey

9:43 Explore the Free Steps Masterclass

10:07 About Become New

Drawing on Andy Crouch’s Strong and Weak, John explains that authority and vulnerability are two distinct qualities. Jesus held both. He acted with authority and willingly opened himself to pain for the sake of love. John and Alan explore the temptation to avoid that kind of openness, including the subtle habit of sharing stories that sound vulnerable while keeping what matters hidden.

The conversation then turns toward genuine change. Why can we know what we’re supposed to do and still struggle to become different people? John reflects on Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines and the honesty found in recovery communities: admitting our need can open us to help we could never manufacture for ourselves.

Where might you be protecting an image of strength? And what could become possible if you brought that part of your life into the light?

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Maybe you still pray, read Scripture, and show up, but the closeness you once felt is gone. Does that mean you’ve done something wrong? Has God left?

John Ortberg explores those questions through John of the Cross, the sixteenth-century spiritual writer associated with the phrase dark night of the soul. John explains that this phrase can mean something more specific than a difficult season: a time when the pleasure and reassurance someone once found in spiritual practices seem to fade. For some, John of the Cross believed, that season can become part of learning to love and trust God more deeply.

Through the image of a weaned child in Psalm 131, John asks what it means to remain with God even when we are not receiving the comfort we want. He also remembers learning to ride a bike as his father ran beside him. When his father let go, the support felt different, but his father had not abandoned him.

If God feels hard to find right now, you do not need to manufacture a spiritual feeling today. You can bring your honest experience to him and ask for the grace to wait.

Scripture: Psalm 131:1–3

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What if there were a law of the spiritual world as dependable as gravity?

In Philippians 2, Jesus doesn't grasp for power. He lets go. He becomes a servant. He humbles himself all the way to the cross.

Then everything reverses.

God exalts him.

John Ortberg explores what this reveals about the deepest pattern of reality: the way up is down, greatness comes through service, and self-giving love is always worth it.

So when love gets costly, when you're tempted to self-promote, or when failure and guilt overwhelm you, remember the strategy:

Double down on the cross.

And remember the phrase:

Jesus Christ is Lord.

This is how we shine.

#JohnOrtberg #Philippians2 #Jesus #SpiritualFormation #TheCross #Christianity

Music in this episode: 
Starry Dream - Uptempo by A. Blomqvist MB01OKHAB5EAUXF

00:00 What’s Most Important to Believe About Jesus?
00:22 The Oldest Words About Jesus
00:54 The Great Christ Hymn
01:35 Every Knee Will Bow
02:18 Jesus Goes Down, God Lifts Him Up
02:44 What Goes Down Must Come Up
03:07 The Hinge of Human History
03:28 A Law of God’s Kingdom
03:52 God Exalts Those Who Humble Themselves
04:14 Love Is Always Worth It
04:38 What Does It Mean to Double Down?
04:56 Jesus Doubles Down on the Cross
05:18 Double Down When You Feel Like a Failure
05:39 Stop Chasing Money and Reputation
06:23 The Most Important Phrase You Can Say
06:45 Jesus Christ Is Lord
07:19 Caesar vs. a Crucified Rabbi
07:49 Peter, Paul, Mary…and Nero 😂
08:16 Power Always Fades
08:49 A Calendar Built Around Jesus
09:18 The Wheel of Fortune
09:34 Nero, Napoleon & Stalin
10:07 Every Date Points Back to Jesus
10:31 The Spiritual Law of the Cross
10:55 What Lies at the Heart of Reality
11:17 Stop Trying to Promote Yourself
11:45 Become a Servant in the Next Moment
11:59 Jesus Christ Is Lord
12:08 That’s How We Shine

Coming to you from Hobbiton, New Zealand, John Ortberg explores one of the deepest themes running through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings:

Mercy.

Bilbo could have killed Gollum. Frodo could have killed him. Sam could have killed him.

But pity stayed their hands.

And when Frodo finally reaches Mount Doom, something surprising happens: he fails. His own willpower isn't enough to destroy the ring.

Yet the mercy extended to Gollum earlier in the story follows Frodo all the way to the end.

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”

Maybe we need mercy because none of us can save ourselves.

And maybe there's a Gollum somewhere in your day who needs mercy too.

#LordOfTheRings #Tolkien #JohnOrtberg #Hobbiton #Psalm23 #Mercy #Gollum

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Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 John Ortberg in New Zealand
 00:25 Welcome to Hobbiton!
 00:44 A Special Edition From the Shire
 01:12 Gollum, Frodo & the One Ring
 01:48 Why Bilbo Didn't Kill Gollum
 02:18 “What a Pity”
 02:43 Gandalf's Warning About Judgment
 03:10 Gollum Still Has a Role to Play
 03:36 Two Kinds of Pity
 03:55 Mercy in The Lord of the Rings
 04:19 Frodo Begins to Pity Gollum
 04:39 What the Ring Does to a Person
 05:08 Gollum Was Once Sméagol
 05:38 What Gollum Represents
 06:07 Frodo Reaches Mount Doom
 06:31 Frodo Fails
 06:58 Why Gollum Had to Survive
 07:34 Mercy Followed Frodo
 08:00 This Isn't a Story About Willpower
 08:17 We Can't Save Ourselves
 08:46 There Will Be a Gollum in Your Life
 09:18 “This Is a Being Like Me”
 09:40 Let Mercy Follow You
 10:06 From Hobbiton to All You Little Hobbits 😂

As this journey through the Psalms draws toward its close, John Ortberg reflects on where the Psalter has been leading us all along.

Psalm 1 begins by asking what kind of life we will live. The Psalms then carry us through fear, anger, grief, confession, hope, and joy. But the final five Psalms end in an explosion of one thing:

Praise.

In Psalm 148, everything is invited into the song: people, animals, mountains, stars, sun, moon, even the creatures of the sea.

And so are you.

Maybe a life with God isn't about escaping the messiness of being human. Maybe it's about learning to bring all of it before God until our lives themselves become a song.

Hallelujah.

#Psalm148 #JohnOrtberg #Psalms #Praise #Hallelujah #SpiritualFormation

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00:00 Coming to the End of the Psalms
 00:30 What's Coming Next at Become New
 00:59 The STEPS Seminar
 01:19 What the Psalms Have Taught Me
 01:56 From Wisdom to Praise
 02:20 Psalm 148
 02:41 All Creation Is Invited to Praise
 03:14 You Couldn't Get More Inclusive
 03:43 Make Every Breath Worth Celebrating
 04:10 Duets on the Psalms
 04:16 Two Very Different Worship Services
 04:58 Which One Would the Psalmist Prefer?
 05:28 Two Revolutionary Ideas From Genesis
 05:57 Every Human Being Bears God's Image
 06:19 Why Democracy Needs Both Equality and Humility
 06:43 Nature Isn't God
 07:11 Nature Was Made to Worship
 07:36 We Sang Before We Spoke
 08:00 What We've Lost About Music
 08:24 Music Was Made to Be Shared
 08:44 The Loneliest Whale on Earth
 09:10 Even the Lonely Whale Is Heard
 09:59 The One Word for Today
 10:24 We Were Made to Sing
 10:48 Your Life Was Made to Be a Psalm
 11:12 What Hallelujah Really Means
 11:37 What John Is Grateful For
 11:53 And So Were You
 12:11 Hallelujah!

John Ortberg sits down with his longtime friend and therapist Dr. Rick to explore the Psalms as a kind of “divine therapy with God.”

The Psalms are messy. Angry. Afraid. Contradictory. Unfiltered.

And according to Rick, that's exactly where healing begins: ruthless honesty inside a relationship where we know we're accepted.

So what would happen if we approached God that way?

Can we tell Him what we actually think and feel, not merely what we believe we're supposed to say?

Can God become our fully disclosing friend?

Maybe the path toward becoming who God made us to be begins by bringing Him who we actually are.

In this episode: prayer • therapy • Psalms • emotional honesty • healing • friendship with God

#JohnOrtberg #Prayer #Therapy #Psalms #SpiritualFormation #MentalHealth

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00:00 Salvation, Healing & the Psalms
 00:27 The Psalms as Divine Therapy
 00:48 What Can Therapy Teach Us About Prayer?
 01:13 The Psalms Are Messy
 01:36 How Raw Are Our Actual Thoughts?
 01:56 Psalm 88: Darkness and Despair
 02:19 Psalm 83: Angry, Contradictory Prayers
 02:39 Psalm 89: From Anguish to Praise
 03:24 What Therapy Is Trying to Do
 03:58 Your Ideal Life vs. Your Actual Life
 04:35 The Me I Want to Be
 04:54 Ruthless Honesty
 05:18 “I Don't Talk Like This Anywhere Else”
 05:51 The Psalms as an Emotional Handbook
 06:18 Do You Actually Understand Yourself?
 07:03 Why We Resist the Truth About Ourselves
 07:20 We Need Feedback
 07:49 Getting Under Our Defenses
 08:06 Rick Blackmon, Sneaky Psychologist 😂
 08:31 Pain Drives Personal Growth
 09:22 What Is a Therapeutic Alliance?
 09:48 Why the Relationship Matters
 10:21 No Secrets. Tell the Truth.
 10:52 Acceptance Creates the Place for Change
 11:35 Why Rick Reads the Psalms
 11:56 Do You Have a Therapeutic Alliance With God?
 12:22 Do You Feel Safe With God?
 13:04 The Power of a Fully Disclosing Friend
 13:35 Can God Be That Friend?
 14:04 Why Honesty Feels Risky
 14:30 “I Feel a Little More Whole”
 14:57 A Healing Relationship With God

Beginning with Frederick Buechner's unforgettable image, John Ortberg explores Psalm 110 and one of the deepest ways Christians have read the Psalms: seeing the story of Jesus in their suffering, longing, and hope.

Drawing from C.S. Lewis, Plato, and the mysterious biblical figure Melchizedek, John looks at how Jesus brings together two ancient hopes: the victorious king and the suffering servant.

Jesus doesn't overcome suffering by avoiding it.

He enters it.

And because the story ends in resurrection, suffering doesn't have to get the final word.

The difference between being broken and broken open is hope.

In this episode: Psalm 110 • suffering • hope • Jesus • C.S. Lewis • Melchizedek • resurrection

#Psalm110 #JohnOrtberg #Suffering #Hope #Jesus #CSLewis #Psalms

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Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 Broken or Broken Open?
 00:10 What Will Suffering Do to You?
 00:37 The Danger of Armoring Yourself
 00:54 Seeing Jesus in the Psalms
 01:20 Is Biblical Prophecy a Crystal Ball?
 01:55 How the New Testament Reads the Old
 02:15 C.S. Lewis and “Second Meanings”
 02:41 Plato's Remarkable Picture of a Righteous Man
 03:32 Written Hundreds of Years Before Jesus
 04:02 The Great Story Behind the Story
 04:28 The Most Quoted Psalm in the New Testament
 04:50 The Difference Is Hope
 05:06 “The LORD Says to My Lord”
 05:27 Who Is David Talking About?
 06:10 Our Longing for a Good King
 06:30 What If God Himself Comes?
 06:54 The Mystery of Melchizedek
 07:16 A Priest Before Israel Had Priests
 07:39 God Is Bigger Than Our Tribe
 08:13 God Is Way Bigger Than That
 08:34 A Priest Who Is Also a King
 08:59 Israel Expected a King Who Would Crush Enemies
 09:18 The Other Story: The Suffering Servant
 09:41 Jesus Brings the Two Together
 09:50 The King Who Gets Crushed
 10:13 Suffering Doesn't Get the Last Word
 10:35 The Heavens Are Broken Open

In Psalm 68, John Ortberg explores the biblical idea of exultation: deep, expressive joy that can exist even when life isn't going perfectly.

Drawing from C.S. Lewis and Dallas Willard, John looks at why we can spend our lives clearing one hurdle after another and mistaking the resulting relief for genuine joy.

Lewis called the Psalmists' delight an “appetite for God.”

So how's your appetite?

Maybe we've filled ourselves with so much achievement, entertainment, information, and distraction that there's little room left for something better.

Today, try getting hungry again.

In this episode: Psalm 68 • joy • relief • C.S. Lewis • Dallas Willard • fasting • appetite for God

#Psalm68 #JohnOrtberg #Joy #CSLewis #DallasWillard #SpiritualFormation

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Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 Do You Exult Enough?
 00:10 What's Your Exultation Quotient?
 00:35 What Does “Exult” Mean?
 01:02 Exultation in Psalm 68
 01:25 God's Not Worried About How Things Are Going
 01:49 Paul and Psalm 68
 02:12 God Daily Bears Our Burdens
 02:35 There He Is!
 02:57 Let the Celebration Begin
 03:18 David Danced Before God
 03:43 Why We Exult at Baseball Games
 04:10 Where Did Our Sacred Joy Go?
 04:34 What's Your Exultation Threshold?
 04:54 C.S. Lewis on Delight in God
 05:32 Do You Have an Appetite for God?
 05:57 Their Fingers Itch for the Harp
 06:19 Rowdy Worship
 06:48 Our Terrible Concern With Good Taste 😂
 06:57 What Spoils Your Appetite?
 07:22 Filling Up on the Cheap Stuff
 07:39 Why Spend Money on What Isn't Bread?
 08:04 We Have So Much to Fill Ourselves With
 08:23 The Problem With Achievement
 08:45 Clear the Bar. Move the Bar. Repeat.
 09:08 Are You Mistaking Relief for Joy?
 09:38 What Real Joy Feels Like
 10:01 How's Your Appetite for God?
 10:24 Try a Little Fast
 10:47 Fast From Self-Promotion
 11:16 Is Another Day Enough to Celebrate?
 11:42 What's Your Threshold for Joy?
 11:54 It's Your Day for Exultation

Beginning with Psalm 122 and the simple words “Let us go,” John Ortberg explores why friendship is so essential to human flourishing and why it seems increasingly difficult to find.

Drawing on Aristotle's three kinds of friendship, John looks at useful friends, pleasant friends, and spiritual friends: people with whom we can be honest, vulnerable, challenged, encouraged, and pointed toward God.

So take inventory today:

Do you have that kind of friend?

And perhaps more importantly:

Are you becoming one?

In this episode: Psalm 122 • friendship • loneliness • Aristotle • spiritual friendship • community

#Psalm122 #JohnOrtberg #Friendship #Loneliness #Community #SpiritualFormation

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Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 I Rejoiced When They Said “Let Us Go”

00:44 The Joy of Doing Life Together

01:04 “Let Us Go”

01:23 I'm Always the One Reaching Out

01:49 The Three Kinds of Friends

02:09 Jesus's Greatest Miracle? 😂

02:38 Why Friendship Gets Harder With Age

03:00 America's Friendship Paradox

03:34 The Anti-Social Century

03:59 Even College Students Are Lonely

04:27 We're Spending Less Time Together

04:59 An MIT Student Who Eats Alone

05:22 Thou Shalt Goof Off 😂

05:31 When Clubs Become Jobs

06:02 Aristotle's Three Kinds of Friendship

06:32 #1: Useful Friends

07:25 #2: Pleasant Friends

07:54 #3: Spiritual Friends

08:14 Flatterers vs. True Friends

08:38 Who Helps You Become Your Best Self?

09:25 A City Closely Connected

09:56 Who's in Your Tribe?

10:24 What Shalom Really Means

10:56 People Have Always Been Lonely

11:31 Value Your Friends

11:58 Call Someone. Thank Someone.

12:20 Let Your Loneliness Lead You to God

We need both. But John Ortberg explains why one can enhance your life while the other can actually transform it.

Beginning with Psalm 35, John explores the difference between transactional relationships and covenant relationships, from Casablanca to a remarkable moment in American history when Psalm 35 was read before the Continental Congress.

A contract protects individual rights.

A covenant creates a “we.”

And Scripture doesn't describe God as the God of contract. He is the God of covenant, inviting us into relationships built on something deeper than what we can get from one another.

So where might you be treating a covenant like a contract?

In this episode: Psalm 35 • covenant • commitment • relationships • American history • spiritual formation

#Psalm35 #JohnOrtberg #Covenant #Relationships #SpiritualFormation #Psalms

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Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 Let's Try This Again 😂

00:22 Two Kinds of Commitment

00:54 One of Them Will Transform Your Life

01:09 Psalm 35

01:31 A Psalm That Changed American History

01:50 Rabbi Soloveichik's Discovery

02:14 Contract vs. Covenant

02:41 What a Covenant Does

03:08 When Relationships Become Transactions

03:21 God Is Not the God of Contract

03:54 What Casablanca Teaches About Covenant

04:40 Covenant Can Enrich Your Life

05:16 Covenant at Sinai

05:25 The Declaration vs. the Constitution

06:19 Benjamin Franklin Calls for Prayer

07:07 A Divided Continental Congress

08:02 Psalm 35 Is Read

08:28 John Adams's Stunning Reaction

08:53 A Psalm Prepared for That Moment

09:28 A Common Destiny

09:45 Three Lines That United a Room

10:10 Humble and Inspired

10:36 From Quarreling Delegates to “We”

10:58 The Psalms Belong to Humanity

11:24 It's Time to Cut a Covenant

11:45 A Contract Is Transactional. A Covenant Is Transformational

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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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

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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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.

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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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?

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

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

But Jesus offers a radically different path to maximum life.

In this episode, John Ortberg explores the “self-maximizer” inside us and contrasts it with John the Baptist's famous words: “He must increase; I must decrease.”

The paradox of God's kingdom is that abundant life doesn't come from making ourselves bigger. It comes as we loosen our grip on ego, reputation, and self-promotion and give ourselves to love and service.

Want to live life to the max?

Try a little less of yourself.

In this episode: life-maxing • John the Baptist • Philippians 2 • the self-maximizer • Psalm 146 • abundant life

#JohnOrtberg #SpiritualFormation #Psalm146 #AbundantLife #Jesus #ChristianFaith

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Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 How to Maximize Your Life
 00:29 Welcome to the Age of Life-Maxing
 00:50 Looks, Status & Productivity Maxing
 01:08 What's Wrong With Self-Maxing?
 01:34 God Is Actually Into Abundance
 02:04 Biblical Maxers
 02:26 Absalom: The Looks-Maxer
 02:42 Five Pounds of Hair?!
 03:04 He Maxed Himself to Death
 03:26 The Wealth-Maxer & Bigger Barns
 03:47 Solomon Maxes Pleasure
 04:19 The Original God-Maxing Temptation
 04:30 The Self-Maximizer Inside You
 04:54 “My First Job Is to Realize My Potential”
 05:22 Is Commitment Keeping a Sucker's Game?
 05:48 The Self-Maximizer vs. Commitment
 06:02 What's in It for Me?
 06:25 When Self Becomes the Center
 06:53 The Ego-Driven Pastor
 07:14 The New Org Chart: Bigger Me
 07:38 There Is Another Way
 08:02 John the Baptist Starts Losing Followers
 08:24 You Need to Max!
 08:45 The Friend of the Bridegroom
 09:04 “He Must Increase, I Must Decrease”
 09:33 Jesus Minimizes Himself
 10:10 Meaning Is the New Maxing
 10:38 How to Min to Max Today
 11:05 Give, Encourage, Listen & Serve
 11:26 Less Ego, More Life
 11:54 Life to the Max
 12:03 John Forgot the Psalm 😂
 12:22 Psalm 146: God's Kind of Greatness
 12:43 Bonus Material

Psalm 19 gives a surprising answer: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”

In this episode, John Ortberg explores why God's instruction isn't meant to burden us, but to help make us whole. Our souls become divided when our thoughts, desires, values, words, and actions pull in different directions. God's Word shows us what is good and helps bring our lives back into alignment.

John also shares how memorizing 1 Corinthians 13 helped him confront anger and resentment in his own life. Sometimes soul care is as simple as taking one piece of God's Word and asking Him to help us actually live it.

Go ahead and take the walk, light the candle, or get the massage. But don't miss the deeper invitation:

Let God revive your soul.

In this episode: Psalm 19 • wholeheartedness • internal integration • 1 Corinthians 13 • Dallas Willard • becoming whole

#Psalm19 #JohnOrtberg #SoulCare #SpiritualFormation #Psalms #BibleStudy #ChristianFaith

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Music Credits:

Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 What Does Your Soul Really Need?
 00:32 Self-Care Isn't Just Candles & Massages
 00:49 Psalm 19 & the Surprising Answer
 01:10 The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
 01:42 The Sun Is Not God
 02:27 Creation Is Good, But It's Not #1
 02:52 The Law Revives the Soul
 03:21 What Is the Soul?
 03:52 Seriously...the Law?
 04:12 Sweeter Than Honey, More Precious Than Gold
 04:31 Why Your Soul Needs God's Instruction
 04:56 What Does Wholeheartedness Mean?
 05:29 Internal Integration
 05:58 Becoming a Whole Person
 06:23 The Kind of Person You're Called to Be
 06:49 When Your Desires Pull in Opposite Directions
 07:20 How We Become Divided
 07:43 Can a Bad Person Be Wholehearted?
 08:08 Why a Disordered Soul Hurts
 08:32 Aristotle: The Soul in Strife
 09:00 Why Divided People Can't Be Fully Known
 09:16 “I Never Knew You”
 09:41 The Soul Needs the Good
 10:12 Choose One Thing to Practice Today
 10:42 Memorizing 1 Corinthians 13
 11:02 When John Wanted to Withdraw
 11:17 Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind
 12:01 Why God's Words Are Precious
 12:26 The Reward Is Becoming Whole
 12:50 The Real Meaning of Soul Care
 13:19 The Law of the Lord Revives the Soul

Rate your phone call.

Rate your church experience.

Rate your doctor's visit.

John even got asked to rate his experience giving a urine sample. 😂

But what about the things that actually matter?

In this reflection on Psalm 36, John Ortberg gives us two surveys worth taking every day.

Survey #1: Is there anything in me that needs correcting?

Instead of reading about “the wicked” and immediately thinking about someone else, Psalm 36 invites us to look honestly at ourselves.

What am I seeing?

How am I speaking?

Where am I shading the truth?

What good am I failing to do?

Where are my thoughts taking me?

John compares this to surfing. His instructor repeatedly tells him:

“Look at the wave.”

If you don't pay attention to the wave, you won't know where it's taking you.

Our thoughts work the same way.

Then comes:

Survey #2: How good is God?

His love reaches to the heavens.

His faithfulness reaches to the skies.

His righteousness is like the highest mountains.

His justice is like the great deep.

How high do you rate God's goodness?

The numbers don't go high enough.

And if you want one final survey, John offers a little extra credit:

“When I survey the wondrous cross...”

Look honestly at yourself.

Look carefully at God.

Then look at the cross, where the fullness of His love and goodness is on display.

In this episode:

• Why we're living in “survey palooza”
• What the Psalms teach us about honest self-examination
• Psalm 36 and the human heart
• How to recognize what needs correcting
• Sins of omission
• Why our words become subtly deceitful
• The importance of listening
• John's surfing lesson: “Look at the wave”
• How to pay attention to your thoughts
• Measuring the goodness of God
• God's immeasurable love and faithfulness
• “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

Scripture:
 Psalm 36

#Psalm36 #JohnOrtberg #Psalms #SpiritualFormation #SelfExamination #Prayer #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #GodsLove #Faith

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Music Credits:

Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 The Only Surveys You Need Today
 00:33 Welcome to Survey Palooza
 00:54 John Gets Surveyed About a Urine Test
 01:31 Are We Measuring What Really Matters?
 01:54 The Psalms: Your Soul Book
 02:24 Your Real Self Talking to the Real God
 02:53 Psalm 36 & the Human Heart
 03:26 Survey #1: What Needs Correcting?
 03:39 What Does It Mean to Fear God?
 04:27 Do You Flatter Yourself?
 04:50 What Are Your Eyes Looking At?
 05:12 Can You Detect Your Own Sin?
 05:37 Are Your Words Completely Honest?
 05:53 Sins of Omission
 06:21 Happiness, Connection & Listening
 06:43 Are You Rejecting What Is Wrong?
 07:12 John's Surfing Lesson
 07:38 Look at the Wave
 07:52 Why You Have to Watch Your Thoughts
 08:20 Survey #2: How Good Is God?
 08:49 God's Love Is Off the Charts
 09:10 God's Faithfulness, Righteousness & Justice
 09:35 The Great Lake Tahoe Debate
 10:03 God Cares for Every Living Creature
 10:27 God's River of Delights
 10:47 In Your Light We See Light
 11:07 The Two Surveys
 11:27 Extra Credit: Survey the Wondrous Cross
 11:48 Nice Work

It's probably not a question anyone else will ask you today.

But it may be one of the most important questions you can ask yourself.

In this reflection on the Psalms, John Ortberg draws from Renovation of the Heart to explore what the soul actually is and why its health affects everything else in our lives.

Dallas Willard describes the soul as an inner stream of water that brings strength, direction, and harmony to the rest of our being.

That's why the Psalms repeatedly use the language of water:

“My soul thirsts for You.”

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You.”

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.”

John then tells the story of a beautiful village whose life depended upon a crystal-clear stream. When the unseen keeper of that stream was dismissed, everything seemed fine...for a while.

Then the water began to change.

Eventually, the entire village felt the effects.

Our souls can work the same way.

We can neglect what's happening beneath the surface while remaining busy with everything that seems more urgent.

But eventually, everything flows downstream.

So ask yourself today:

How is it with my soul?

The stream is your soul.

And you are its keeper.

In this episode:

•  What is the soul? 
•  Why the Psalms are the great “soul book” 
•  Dallas Willard on the inner life 
•  Why the Psalms repeatedly use water imagery 
•  The soul as an inner stream 
•  How the health of your soul affects everything else 
•  Why unseen spiritual work matters 
•  The parable of the keeper of the stream 
•  What happens when we neglect our souls 
•  How to begin tending your inner life 

Scriptures:
Psalm 121:7 • Psalm 63:1 • Psalm 42:1–2 • Psalm 46:4

#JohnOrtberg #Soul #Psalms #DallasWillard #SpiritualFormation #Prayer #ChristianFaith #InnerLife #BibleStudy #SpiritualHealth

Suggested YouTube Chapters

00:00 How Is It With Your Soul?
 00:33 What Is the Soul?
 00:59 The Psalms: The Great Soul Book
 01:16 Who Is the Keeper of Your Soul?
 01:34 My Soul Thirsts for God
 01:51 As the Deer Pants for Water
 02:20 The Soul Is an Inner Stream
 02:43 How Healthy Is Your Soul Today?
 03:07 What a Healthy Soul Looks Like
 03:34 Where Does Your Soul Get Its Life?
 03:48 The Keeper of the Stream
 04:11 A Beautiful Village in the Alps
 04:35 The Old Man Nobody Noticed
 04:59 The Unseen Work of Tending the Stream
 05:25 What Happens When the Stream Is Neglected
 05:39 At First, Nobody Noticed
 06:02 The Whole Village Begins to Suffer
 06:11 The Life of the Village Depends on the Stream
 06:35 The Stream Is Restored
 06:41 You Are the Keeper of Your Soul

In this reflection on Psalm 8, John Ortberg explores one of the great wonders of God's creation: human potential.

You can count the seeds in an apple.

But you cannot count the apples in a seed.

Human beings possess an extraordinary capacity to grow, create, love, serve and become. Psalm 8 looks at the vastness of the heavens and then marvels that God is mindful of us.

But there's another side to potential.

It can become a burden.

I should be further along.

I should have accomplished more.

I should have made better decisions.

I should be more successful, disciplined, attractive, productive or fulfilled.

What happens when the possibility of what we could become turns into disappointment over what we haven't become?

John offers two truths to carry with us:

“I am but dust and ashes.”

And:

“The whole world was created on my account.”

One reminds us that we are limited creatures.

The other reminds us that we are deeply loved.

And if you're worried that too much of your life has already passed or that you've wasted your potential, remember:

God never gets trapped in the past.

Today is still here.

And who knows what God may yet have in store?

In this episode:

• Psalm 8 and human potential
• Recovering awe and wonder
• Why we become blasé about extraordinary things
• Abraham Joshua Heschel on human possibility
• What it means to participate in the divine nature
• How potential becomes a burden
• The pressure to constantly optimize our lives
• “I am but dust and ashes”
• “The whole world was created on my account”
• What to do when you feel insignificant
• What to do when you feel too important
• Letting go of regret about wasted potential
• Why God isn't trapped in your past

Scriptures:
 Psalm 8 • 2 Peter 1:4 • Genesis 18:27 • Luke 23:39–43

#Psalm8 #JohnOrtberg #Potential #Psalms #SpiritualFormation #Purpose #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Identity #Hope

🙌 New episodes every weekday.

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Music Credits:

Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 The Burden of Potential
 00:11 You Can't Count the Apples in a Seed
 00:34 Psalm 8 & Human Potential
 00:55 Have You Considered the Heavens Lately?
 01:15 How We Lose Our Sense of Wonder
 01:33 What Is Mankind That You Are Mindful of Us?
 02:05 The Potential of the Human Soul
 02:22 What Could This Child Become?
 02:54 Apples in a Seed
 03:05 Made to Participate With God
 03:22 Participate in the Divine Nature
 04:19 Do You Remember What It Was Like With God?
 05:31 The Legend of the Child and the Torah
 06:44 E. E. Cummings & the Wonder of Creation
 07:12 When Potential Becomes a Burden
 07:32 What Am I Going to Do With All This Potential?
 08:00 The Pressure to Optimize Your Life
 08:59 Two Truths You Need to Carry
 09:27 I Am But Dust and Ashes
 09:33 The Whole World Was Created on My Account
 09:45 When You Feel Too Important
 10:04 When You Feel Insignificant
 10:25 What If You've Wasted Your Potential?
 10:47 The Thief on the Cross
 11:08 God Isn't Trapped in Your Past
 11:18 You Still Can't Count the Apples in a Seed

According to the Gospel of John, that's the first question Jesus asks His would-be disciples:

“What do you want?”

In this reflection on Psalm 1, John Ortberg explores why that may be one of the most important questions we ever answer.

Our lives have a way of organizing themselves around our deepest desires.

How do you spend your time?

Your money?

What makes you angry?

What are you willing to sacrifice for?

Those things often reveal what we want more accurately than our words do.

Psalm 1 gives us a picture of a different kind of life: a flourishing person, like a tree planted beside streams of water, with roots sunk deeply into God.

And John closes with the remarkable story of Natan Sharansky, who spent years imprisoned in the Soviet Union and memorized the entire Book of Psalms.

When he was finally released, Sharansky refused to cross the bridge to freedom until his captors returned his copy of the Psalms.

What we fill our minds with matters.

Because what fills our minds helps shape what we desire.

So today, ask yourself:

What do I really want?

And:

What am I filling my mind with?

In this episode:

• The first question Jesus asks in John's Gospel
• How our lives reveal what we actually want
• Psalm 1 and the meaning of “blessed”
• What biblical flourishing looks like
• The tree planted beside streams of water
• Why invisible roots matter
• The progression of walking, standing and sitting
• Why Psalm 1 isn't a formula for easy circumstances
• How inner goodness crowds out envy and greed
• Natan Sharansky's remarkable story
• How the Psalms sustained him through Soviet imprisonment
• Why what we fill our minds with shapes our lives

Scriptures:
 John 1:35–38 • Psalm 1 • Acts 20:35 • Matthew 7:12

#Psalm1 #JohnOrtberg #Psalms #Jesus #SpiritualFormation #Flourishing #BibleStudy #ChristianFaith #Prayer #NatanSharansky

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Music Credits:

Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 What Do You Want?
 00:27 The First Question Jesus Asked
 00:39 What Your Life Reveals About You
 01:06 What Do You REALLY Want?
 01:31 What Kind of Person Do You Want to Be?
 01:53 Living With Blinders On
 02:10 When Nothing Feels Worth Wanting
 02:40 Psalm 1 & the Blessed Life
 03:05 What Does “Blessed” Mean?
 03:32 A Tree Planted by Streams of Water
 03:54 Two Ways to Live
 04:14 The Roots Nobody Sees
 04:40 Rooted and Nourished by God
 05:03 The Challenge of Translating Hebrew
 05:49 “Let's Eat, Kids”
 06:18 Psalm 1 Guides Us Toward Happiness
 06:43 Walk, Stand, Sit
 07:14 Why Goodness Is Easy to Mock
 07:37 Psalm 1 Isn't a Formula
 07:59 What Inner Goodness Does
 08:23 What Do You Want?
 08:33 What Will You Fill Your Mind With?
 08:38 Natan Sharansky's Story
 09:15 A Book of Psalms in a Soviet Prison
 09:40 Three Ways He Survived Solitary Confinement
 10:01 Memorizing the Entire Book of Psalms
 10:31 He Refused Freedom Without His Psalms
 10:54 Zigzagging Across the Bridge to Freedom
 11:17 Carrying the Psalms to Jerusalem
 11:34 What Will You Carry in Your Mind?

Which means it's a good day to come alive.

In this reflection on Psalm 51, John Ortberg explores an old Christian word that doesn't get used much anymore: mortification.

It sounds miserable.

But properly understood, mortification isn't about becoming miserable.

It's about becoming free.

John describes two selves within us: the impulsive self, driven by whatever we happen to want right now, and the valuing self, shaped by what we most deeply believe matters: love, joy, peace, patience and generosity.

The goal of the spiritual life isn't to spend every day desperately resisting everything we want.

It's to increasingly become the kind of person who is no longer controlled by destructive desires.

Drawing from Psalm 51, Romans 8, and Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find, John explores Jesus' strange invitation to die in order to truly live.

To mortify is to liberate.

And it can begin with one very small act today.

In this episode:

•  What “mortification” actually means 
•  Jesus' paradox of dying in order to live 
•  Samuel Johnson on how death clarifies life 
•  Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find
•  Psalm 51 and David's prayer of repentance 
•  The impulsive self vs. the valuing self 
•  Why following Jesus isn't endless miserable resistance 
•  How destructive desires lose their power 
•  Mortification as liberation 
•  A simple practice for becoming more free today 

Scriptures:
Psalm 51 • Romans 8:13 • 2 Samuel 11–12 • Matthew 16:25

#Psalm51 #JohnOrtberg #Psalms #SpiritualFormation #Freedom #DyingToSelf #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Jesus #Transformation

🙌 New episodes every weekday.
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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 Today Is a Good Day to Die
 00:32 Why Mortification Is a Good Thing
 01:01 Which of Your Two Selves Needs to Die?
 01:29 Death Concentrates the Mind
 01:56 Flannery O'Connor & A Good Man Is Hard to Find
02:52 Meet the Grandmother
03:37 The Misfit
04:08 A Strange Moment of Grace
04:37 “You're One of My Children”
04:59 What Facing Death Did to Her
05:23 What Needs to Die in Me?
05:58 Romans 8: Put It to Death and Live
06:21 Psalm 51 & David's Sin
06:54 Our Sin Isn't Always Before Us
07:17 Create in Me a Pure Heart
07:43 Mortification Isn't Misery
08:05 The Life of the Spirit
08:31 Your Two Selves
08:51 The Valuing Self
09:17 To Mortify Is to Liberate
09:25 Freedom From Destructive Desires
10:10 Addiction, Resentment & Approval
10:44 What Real Freedom Looks Like
11:15 A Good Day to Die
11:38 Practice One Small Act of Mortification
11:58 Don't Do One Thing You Want to Do
12:24 He Will Make You Free

In this reflection on Psalm 5, John Ortberg continues the daily rhythm begun in Psalm 4.

Evening is the time of peace.
 Morning is the time of hope.

And don't worry: you don't have to become a morning person.

John explores how Psalm 5 gives us a practical way to begin an ordinary day with God, even when we wake up carrying heavy burdens, difficult circumstances, or unanswered questions.

Drawing from the ancient Christian invitation Sursum corda, “Lift up your hearts,” and the wisdom of Francis de Sales, John invites us to preview the coming day with God.

What meetings are ahead?

Who will you encounter?

Where might you be tempted?

Where might you have an opportunity to serve or encourage someone?

Bring your actual day to God.

Then wait expectantly.

Maybe we shouldn't call the thing that wakes us an “alarm clock” at all.

As John puts it, perhaps we need a resurrection clock.

God has given you another day. This one will never come again.

In this episode:

• Psalm 5 as a morning prayer
• The rhythm of Psalms 3, 4, and 5
• Why you don't have to be a morning person
• Waking up with God when life feels heavy
• Sursum corda: Lift up your hearts
• Why waking shouldn't begin with alarm
• Francis de Sales on morning prayer
• Previewing your day with God
• Preparing for difficult interactions
• Looking for opportunities to serve
• Why morning is the time of hope
• The “resurrection clock”
• Living this day surrounded by God's care

Scriptures:
 Psalm 3:5 • Psalm 4 • Psalm 5 • Proverbs 27:14 • Psalm 118:24

#Psalm5 #JohnOrtberg #MorningPrayer #Psalms #Prayer #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #MorningRoutine #Hope

🙌 New episodes every weekday.

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Music Credits:

Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 The Right Way to Wake Up
 00:23 Psalms 4 & 5: Evening and Morning
 00:46 I Wake Because the Lord Sustains Me
 01:03 God's Kingdom, Not Mine
 01:15 You Don't Have to Be a Morning Person
 01:42 All Time Is God's Time
 02:11 When You Wake Up Heavy
 02:54 Every Morning Is a Resurrection
 03:22 Map Out the Coming Day
 03:40 Sursum Corda: Lift Up Your Hearts
04:01 Living Today in God's Hands
04:30 Why Do We Call It an Alarm Clock?
05:14 Don't Wake Up Alarmed
05:40 Psalm 5: The Morning Prayer
06:33 Preview Your Day With God
07:21 Prepare for Difficult People
07:47 Look for Opportunities to Serve
08:27 Talk Through Your Day With God
08:45 Wait Expectantly
09:01 You Need a Resurrection Clock
09:11 This Is the Day the Lord Has Made
09:32 Two Ways to Live Today
10:27 Surrounded by God's Favor
10:47 This Day Will Never Come Again
11:10 Wake Up, for God's Sake!

In this reflection on Psalm 4, John Ortberg explores what sleep can teach us about surrender, control, prayer, and trusting God.

Drawing from Answering God, John points out a fascinating biblical rhythm: evening comes before morning.

Genesis says, “There was evening, and there was morning.”

Sabbath begins at sundown.

Psalm 4 gives us an evening prayer before Psalm 5 gives us a morning prayer.

Why?

Because before we wake up, accomplish anything, solve anything, or even become conscious of the new day, God is already at work.

Every night, sleep asks us to relinquish our grip on our work, our relationships, our problems, our thoughts, and our need for control.

The world keeps turning.

God remains awake.

And we can rest.

In this episode:

• Psalm 4 as an evening prayer
• Why the biblical day begins at night
• Eugene Peterson on evening and morning prayer
• Sleep as an act of surrender
• Why we struggle to relinquish control
• "Search your hearts and be silent"
• Historical "first sleep" and "second sleep"
• Reviewing your day with God
• Gratitude before bed
• Psalm 4:8 and sleeping in peace
• Learning to trust God's providence while we sleep

Scriptures:
 Psalm 3:5 • Psalm 4 • Psalm 5 • Genesis 1 • Genesis 2:2–3

#Psalm4 #JohnOrtberg #Sleep #Prayer #Psalms #EugenePeterson #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #TrustGod

🙌 New episodes every weekday.

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Music Credits:

Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE

Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 The Right Way to Go to Sleep
 00:34 Psalm 4 & Psalm 5
 01:01 I Sleep Because the Lord Sustains Me
 01:26 Why Evening Comes Before Morning
 01:44 Genesis, Sabbath & God's Rhythm
 02:05 Who's Really in Control?
 02:27 Eugene Peterson on Evening Prayer
 03:05 Sleep Is the Practice of Letting Go
 03:37 Why We Don't Want to Surrender Control
 04:07 Psalm 4: An Evening Prayer
 04:33 What False Gods Did You Chase Today?
 05:08 Search Your Heart and Be Silent
 05:34 First Sleep & Second Sleep
 06:30 What to Do When You Can't Sleep
 06:42 Review Your Day With God
 07:15 Gratitude Instead of Discontent
 07:38 The Right Way to Sleep
 08:07 God Is God and I Am Not
 08:22 Why "Sleep Like a Baby" Isn't Quite Right
 08:54 Sleep Is the Friend of God
 09:50 Trusting God Through the Night
 10:16 Let God Look After the World
 10:51 Sleep, for God's Sake

What if it's to learn how to see the extraordinary gift hidden inside the ordinary?

In this reflection on Psalm 104, John Ortberg explores how modern life has changed the way we see the world around us. We know more than ever about how nature works, yet we may have lost something along the way: our ability to experience creation as filled with meaning, wonder, and the presence of God.

Drawing on Charles Taylor and Dallas Willard, John invites us to recover the eyes of "saints, poets, and artists" and rediscover what Willard called "the well-kept secret of the ordinary."

Birds sing.

Trees grow.

Wild animals drink.

Leviathan frolics.

People go to work.

And apparently God really likes hyraxes.

Psalm 104 invites us to look again and recognize that ordinary creation is overflowing with the generosity, creativity, and goodness of God.

In this episode:

• Psalm 104 and the wonder of creation
• Charles Taylor and the "immanent frame"
• Recovering the enchantment of reality
• Dallas Willard and the secret of ordinary life
• Why God made the hyrax
• Seeing creation as more than something to use
• The love-letter analogy
• Receiving your life as a gift
• Finding God in everyday moments

Scriptures:

• Psalm 104
• Genesis 1:26–27

#Psalm104 #JohnOrtberg #DallasWillard #CharlesTaylor #Psalms #Creation #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Wonder

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Music Credits:
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00:00 Make It an Ordinary Day
 00:27 Recovering the Eyes of the Psalmist
 01:06 Psalm 104 Begins
 02:17 Charles Taylor & the Loss of Enchantment
 02:51 Dallas Willard's Secret of the Ordinary
 03:28 Listen to the Birds Sing
 03:51 Rediscovering an Ordinary Gift
 04:13 All Creatures Are God's Creatures
 04:56 Meet the Hyrax
 05:49 Why Did God Make Hyraxes?
 06:14 We've Forgotten How to See
 06:50 The Love Letter Illustration
 07:18 You're Missing the Words
 07:40 Creation Is Filled With Meaning
 08:06 Every Leaf Is Charged With God's Presence
 08:31 Go Outside and Actually Look
 08:42 Why Did God Make Leviathan?
 09:08 The Gratuitous Goodness of God
 09:54 God Rejoices in His Creation
 10:16 The Gift of Being Ordinary
 10:53 Receive Your Life as a Gift
 11:15 Give the Gift of Life to Others
 11:36 Make It an Ordinary Day