Become New with John Ortberg 16. You are Always Either Blessing or Cursing
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Feb 17, 2026 A wise invitation to give up condemnation and choose blessing in daily life. Short reflections range from Genesis and neuroscience to moral emotion and the 90-second rule for interrupting reactive anger. Stories about family, film, and an old dog illustrate how withheld blessing causes real hurt. Practical pauses and new narratives show how to shift from disgust to intentional blessing.
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Dog Sparks Reflection On Blessing
- John Ortberg shares how his nearly 15-year-old dog Baxter and a close call prompted reflection on blessing and being blessed.
- He connects personal love for Baxter to the deeper human longing to bless and be blessed.
Creation Begins With Blessing
- The Bible's first creative responses are blessing and delight, not condemnation, framing human purpose around blessing.
- Gordon Wenham notes divine blessing is powerful and irreversible, showing we were made to bless and be blessed.
Movie Scene Reveals Lost Blessing
- John recounts watching Ordinary People and learning how a mother's inability to bless her son devastated him.
- He relates his friend Kevin's hidden family story to how families pass or withhold blessing across generations.
