Become New with John Ortberg

How do you calm and quiet your soul?

In this deeply practical conversation on Psalm 131, John Ortberg and Steve Cuss explore anxiety, emotional awareness, prayer, soothing, and learning to rest in the presence of God.

Psalm 131 offers one of the gentlest images in all of Scripture:
 “I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child with its mother.”

This episode explores:
- Anxiety and emotional awareness
- “Trying to worry your way to peace”
- How to notice what’s happening internally
- Connected vs. disconnected prayer
- Relaxing into God’s presence
- Psalm 131 and soothing the soul

This conversation is honest, calming, psychologically insightful, and deeply encouraging.

Scriptures:
- Psalm 131

#Psalm131 #JohnOrtberg #SteveCuss #Prayer #Anxiety #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #Peace #BibleStudy #Psalms

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

00:00 Introduction & Steve Cuss Returns
00:28 Prayer, Peace & the Need for Soothing
01:39 Psalm 131 Begins
02:32 “I Have Calmed and Quieted Myself”
03:20 A Weaned Child With Its Mother
03:40 Learning to Notice What’s Happening Inside
04:34 “I Don’t Know How I’m Doing”
05:05 Bringing Yourself Honestly Before God
05:46 Calming & Quieting Ourselves
06:19 “Trying to Worry My Way to Peace”
07:19 “Who or What Is Taking Up Too Much Space?”
08:02 Forgetting the Presence of God
08:29 Relaxing Into God’s Presence
09:15 Small Moments of Relief & Resilience
10:04 “Put Your Hope in the Lord”
10:39 “Now and Forevermore”
11:23 Connected Self vs. Disconnected Self
12:14 “How Am I Really Doing?”
12:44 The Wasp Story & Closing Prayer

What is social media doing to your soul?

In this conversation, John Ortberg and Steve Cuss explore Psalm 1, online outrage, anxiety, reactivity, and the emotional formation happening through social media.

Why do platforms like Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram so easily pull people toward outrage, contempt, comparison, and self-righteousness? And what do the Psalms have to say about it?

This episode explores:
- Psalm 1 and “the company of mockers”
- Reactivity and self-righteousness online
- Why Steve deactivated Twitter
- Social media algorithms and outrage
- Meditation, attention, and spiritual formation
- “Relaxing into God’s presence”

This is an honest, thoughtful, and deeply practical conversation about technology, attention, anxiety, and the health of the human soul.

Scriptures:
- Psalm 1
- Psalm 55

#Psalm1 #JohnOrtberg #SteveCuss #SocialMedia #Prayer #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #Anxiety #Twitter #Psalms

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

00:00 Introduction & Steve Cuss Joins the Conversation
00:52 Social Media, Reactivity & Self-Righteousness
01:38 “One More Statement From Me Is What the World Requires”
02:05 Psalm 1 Begins
03:20 Scoffers, Mockers & Online Culture
04:03 “Thank God I’m Not Like Those People”
04:32 Why Steve Left Twitter
05:16 Psalm 55 & “Violence in the City”
06:13 The Emotional Atmosphere of Social Media
07:23 Trying to Respond With Grace Online
08:11 Algorithms Reward Outrage
09:07 Systems That Amplify the Worst in Us
09:34 Self-Awareness Is Not Enough
10:12 Meditating on Outrage vs. Meditating on God
10:42 “What Street Do I No Longer Need to Walk Down?”
10:56 Closing Prayer

Why should we pray the Psalms slowly?

In this reflective teaching, John Ortberg explores the nature of Hebrew poetry, the structure of the Psalms, and why the language of prayer was never meant to be rushed.

Using Psalm 90 and several other Psalms, John unpacks the beauty of biblical parallelism — repetition, pivots, refrains, and poetic movement that deepen meaning and slow the soul down enough to notice God.

This episode explores:
- Why the Psalms are poetry, not prose
- Hebrew parallelism explained simply
- Why repetition matters spiritually
- Psalm 23, Psalm 88, and Psalm 90
- Jesus’ use of poetic teaching
- Prayer as attentiveness rather than efficiency

Featuring reflections from:
- Eugene Peterson
- C.S. Lewis
- Robert Lowth

Scriptures:
- Psalm 90
- Psalm 23
- Psalm 88
- Matthew 7

#Psalms #Prayer #JohnOrtberg #SpiritualFormation #HebrewPoetry #BibleStudy #Psalm90 #ChristianFaith #EugenePeterson #CSLewis

📚 Today's Resources:
Answering God — by Eugene Peterson
Reflections on the Psalms — by C. S. Lewis

🙌 New episodes every weekday.
📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time.

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

00:00 The One Word for Praying the Psalms
00:21 Psalm 90 & Numbering Our Days
00:51 Why the Psalms Repeat Themselves
01:08 The Psalms Are Poetry, Not Prose
01:34 Hebrew Parallelism Explained
02:03 Robert Lowth & Hebrew Poetry
02:59 Poetry Carries Thought Forward
03:24 “It Doesn’t Rhyme!”
04:04 Eugene Peterson on Poetry & Prayer
05:06 Why the Psalms Slow Us Down
06:02 Psalm 8 & Returning Home
07:18 Psalm 23 & Poetic Pivoting
08:06 Psalm 88 & Unresolved Anguish
09:21 The Psalms Were Never Meant for Speed Reading
09:44 Jesus Used Parallelism Too
10:14 “Judge Not…” Explained
10:37 “Ask, Seek, Knock”
11:23 Prayer, Patience & Attention
11:56 The Language of the Soul

Why do other people’s lives always seem better?

In this teaching on Psalm 73, John Ortberg explores envy, comparison, resentment, worship, and the deep human struggle of feeling overlooked while others seem to prosper.

The psalmist honestly confesses:
“I envied the arrogant.”

What follows is one of the most emotionally honest prayers in the Psalms — a prayer about jealousy, discouragement, unfairness, and the exhausting habit of comparing our lives to everyone else around us.

This episode explores:
- Why comparison distorts reality
- Social media, envy, and modern dissatisfaction
- Worship as perspective restoration
- The turning point of Psalm 73
- Why gratitude disappears when envy grows
- “It is good to be near God”

This teaching is deeply practical, psychologically insightful, and spiritually grounding.

Scriptures:
- Psalm 73

#Psalm73 #JohnOrtberg #Prayer #Worship #Envy #Comparison #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Psalms

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

00:00 Introduction & “Where’s the Beef?”
00:28 Pouring Out Envy Honestly to God
00:45 Psalm 73 Begins
01:13 “I Envied the Arrogant”
01:35 Why Other People’s Lives Look Better
02:08 “They’re Really Happy”
02:32 Comparing, Resenting & Complaining
03:18 “Surely in Vain Have I Kept My Heart Pure”
03:45 The Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” Illustration
04:11 Why Life Feels Unfair
04:36 The Turning Point: Entering the Sanctuary
05:15 Worship Restores Perspective
06:01 Nothing Changed… Yet Everything Changed
06:28 “Afterward You Will Take Me Into Glory”
06:55 The “D in Chemistry” Perspective Story
07:39 Worship as a Way of Life
08:09 What Worship Does to the Soul
08:31 What Happens When We Stop Worshiping
09:19 Learning to Meet God Throughout the Day
10:15 “It Is Good to Be Near God”
11:11 “I Will Tell of All Your Deeds”

Is it possible laughter could be a form of prayer?

In this joyful and surprisingly profound teaching on Psalm 126, John Ortberg explores joy, humor, delight, neuroscience, and why laughter may be far more spiritual than many people realize.

Why do children laugh so much more than adults? Why does spontaneous laughter feel healing? And what does it mean that God Himself laughs?

This episode explores:
- Psalm 126 and joy
- Why laughter matters spiritually
- The neuroscience of laughter
- Spontaneous vs. social laughter
- Joy, humility, and human connection
- Sarah laughing at God’s promise
- Why the Gospel itself can feel wonderfully absurd

Featuring reflections from:
- Eugene Peterson
- C.S. Lewis
- Carl Jung
- Frederick Buechner

Scriptures:
- Psalm 126
- Psalm 2
- Genesis 18

#Psalm126 #JohnOrtberg #Prayer #Joy #Laughter #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #Psalms #CSLewis #BibleStudy

📚 Today's Resources:
Robert Provine: Laughter: A Scientific Investigation 
Eugene H. Peterson, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer 
C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew 
Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale 

🙌 New episodes every weekday.
📲 Subscribe, like, and share to help others grow spiritually. One day at a time.

Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.
TEXT us at 51504
EMAIL US at [email protected]

GET OUR WEEKDAY EMAILS WITH EXTRA GOODIES at becomenew.com/subscribe
GET A TEXT REMINDER FOR NEW VIDEOS: text NEW to 51504
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😊 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CnqywVp9s/
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Music Credits:
Vikersund by RØRE - MB01V0UASAACPKE
Alta by RØRE - MB01IWZVJASGKHF

00:00 Is Laughter a Form of Prayer?
00:20 Why We Rarely Associate Laughter With God
01:05 Why Adults Stop Laughing
01:30 Psalm 126 & Restored Joy
02:19 What Laughter Actually Is
02:48 Why Jokes Aren’t the Main Reason We Laugh
03:11 The Trinity Walks Into a Wine Bar…
03:37 Jung, Spirit & Joy
04:02 Laughter, Safety & Human Connection
04:24 Who Invented Laughter?
04:45 Two Different Kinds of Laughter
05:36 Spontaneous Joy & the Brain
06:06 God Loves to Give Laughter
06:29 Eugene Peterson: “God Laughs”
07:22 The “Get Your Own Dirt” Joke
08:06 C.S. Lewis & The First Joke
09:07 Frederick Buechner on Sarah’s Laughter
10:17 Laughing at God & With God
11:20 “Are You Kidding Me? God Loves Me?”
11:42 God Filling Our Mouths With Laughter