Become New with John Ortberg

A candid look at how to inventory and name your fears, then decide whether to act or hand them over. A simple three-step practice to move from anxiety to surrender. A personal altar story about physically leaving worries behind. Reflections on lasting inner peace and how community shapes our calm.

A call to take a fearless, searching moral and spiritual inventory with calm clarity. Reflection prompts on pride, resentment, envy, and sexual wounds. Honest look at appetites, sloth, finances, and patterns that derail faithful living. Prayerful invitation to invite God's diagnostic work and find grace and renewal.

A spontaneous desert trip sparks reflections on love and Lent. The desert is explored as a place to wrestle with true selfhood. Cognitive blindspots and biblical warnings show how our hearts can deceive us. Practical steps for honest self-examination are offered to begin real inner change.

A call to surrender as the doorway to real spiritual life. A look at the common habit of offering life to God, then unconsciously taking it back. How daily small sacrifices become a pattern that multiplies life. An exploration of ancient sacrificial meaning reframed for modern misplaced priorities.

John shares about recent allegations and his personal journey with this series. Visit becomenew.me to follow along on YouTube.

A short walk through surrender, exploring why willpower fails and why letting go refreshes the soul. Scenes from Jesus' life show surrender as a posture worth following. Provocative reflections on meeting hard hours with faith and choosing attitude in suffering. A guided prayer leads listeners to release possessions, relationships, body, senses, and future into God’s care.

A deep dive into what it means to surrender competing loyalties and follow Jesus. A raw recovery story shows personal transformation through letting go. The talk outlines stages of surrender and explains why dependence on God feels countercultural. Listeners hear how suffering can be redeemed and are invited to a daily, single-minded trust: I can’t, he can, I think I’ll let him.

A short spiritual roadmap about moving from intellectual belief to heartfelt belonging. Topics include admitting personal inadequacy, wrestling with doubt about being loved, and how shame blocks receiving love. Discussion of Jesus' affirmations of identity, practical steps to give up self-rejection, and using a simple song to internalize God's love.

A thoughtful look at skepticism, faith, and the first steps toward belief. Listeners hear why doubt can protect against false authority and spark honest inquiry. Historical examples show when skepticism was necessary. An invitation to test truth by doing the next right thing closes the conversation.

A reflection on why spiritual growth begins with admitting weakness rather than willpower. A look at Paul’s “thorn” and God’s surprising reply of sufficient grace. Stories and examples show how weakness opens the door for divine strength. An invitation to surrender and rely on God rather than self.