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JesusSmartX: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Brian Del Turco
The show that goes beyond waiting for heaven. Beyond religion. Jesus is brilliant ... he knows how life works best.
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- Sep 29, 20263 min
Out of the World's Sway, Into the Way of Christ | Jesus Smart 180, Ep. 386
There's a current running through this world, and if you're not intentional, it will carry you. Scripture calls it "the course of this world" and says the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. But the early believers had a different name: six times in Acts, they're called the Way. Drawing on Ephesians 2, 1 John 5:19 and Acts 19:23, this episode contrasts the Sway with the Way and gives four simple ways to keep walking against the current. (This is a Jesus Smart 180 short-form ep.)See the full episode transcript below.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Out of the World's Sway, Into the Way of ChristJesus Smart 180. Three minutes. One turnaround.This past Sunday morning, I was in church with my wife and one of our daughters, listening to a sermon on Ephesians 2:1-10. One phrase really jumped out at me in verse 2: walking "according to the course of this world." Paul reminds us that we once did that.The word world is kosmos. Here it's more than the planet. It's not the earth itself. It's the world system, with its values, pressures, and flow. And John tells us where that flow comes from in 1 John 5:19: "The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one."It's a current moving through culture, through the media, even through our own thoughts and old patterns of thinking. If you're not intentional, that Sway will carry you.From the Sway to the WayBut look at Ephesians 2:10. We are God's workmanship, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."Are we seeing this? In verse 2, we once walked in the Sway, according to the course of this world. In verse 10, we now walk in the Way. That's the turnaround. We are the workmanship of the Lord.What do we mean by the Way? First-century believers were known by that name. Six times in the Book of Acts, they're called the Way. You can see all six in the show notes at JesusSmart.com/386. My favorite is Acts 19:23, which happened in the city of Ephesus: "And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way."Of course there was a commotion. Why? Because the Way goes against the grain of the Sway. It always has. It still does, and it will until the new heavens and new earth, where there's no more Sway.Staying in the WaySo how do we stay in the Way? It's simple, and you probably know these things. Obey the Word, even when it's costly. Obedience keeps your feet on the path of the Way. Stay current in prayer. Stay prayed up. Walk with others who are in the Way. Nobody was meant to swim upstream alone. And be led by the Holy Spirit, who always moves against the current of this age.Let's pray together. "Father God, we thank you for rescuing us from the course of this world. Holy Spirit, lead us today. Keep us steady in your Word, faithful and current in prayer, alert and connected to your people. In Jesus' name. Amen."Declare it with me: "I am not under the Sway of evil. I am in the Way of Christ. I walk in the good works God has prepared for me to experience."Thanks for listening to Jesus Smart 180. Your move. Visit JesusSmart.com for show notes and more.Scripture referenced: Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 John 5:19; Acts 19:23 (NKJV)"The Way" in Acts: Acts 9:2; 19:9; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22
- Sep 17, 20262 min
Tread by Faith: Claiming Ground God Has for You | Jesus Smart 180, Ep. 385
There's ground out there with your name on it, but it only opens to a certain pace of faith. Inspired by C.S. Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the Hebrew word darach (to tread, to march), this episode calls you past strolling and walking into something more intense: treading by faith. Proverbs 4:18 promises the path brightens as you go. The question is whether you're willing to advance.See the full episode transcript below.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Treading in Faith: Be a Dawn TreaderJesus Smart 180. Three minutes. One turnaround.I hope you're doing well.There is ground out there with your name on it. Psalm 115 says the heavens are the Lord's, but the earth he has given, or assigned, to us.But that ground doesn't just open up to any pace of faith. Some ground only opens to those willing to tread, to tread in faith.A Path That BrightensProverbs 4:18 says the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until the full day. We are moving into the future. We are moving toward it, not waiting for it to arrive.C.S. Lewis pictured this in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a ship sailing ever eastward toward the horizon, toward Aslan's Country, the country of the King, the Kingdom.That's the journey we're on too. We're treading toward the dawn of the Day of the Lord, when he comes again.And here's what's wild: the light and energy of that day is already spilling into our time. Did you know the future is among us right now?Tread by FaithDo you remember God's promise to Israel? Every place the sole of your foot treads, that will be yours. The Hebrew word is 'darach'. It means to walk, to tread, to march.Now, we can stroll by faith. We can up the pace a little and walk by faith.But some territory only opens itself to those willing to tread by faith. It's more militant. It's a boots-on-the-ground kind of faith. There's more intensity.And we don't tread into darkness. First John says the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. For those of us advancing in that light, darkness is already passé. It's old news.We are the Dawn Treaders.Jesus, make me a Dawn Treader. I tread by faith into whatever ground you have for me, that brings you glory and contributes to your story. Amen.Thanks for listening to Jesus Smart 180. Your move. Visit JesusSmart.com for show notes and more.
- Sep 10, 202636 min
Hitting the Wall: The Breaking Point Every Christ-Follower Faces with Ken Roberts | Jesus Smart X, Ep. 384
There's a point where the church, the answers you were given, and your own bootstrapped faith stop being enough. Ken Roberts calls it "the wall," the breaking point every Christ-follower eventually faces, whether it comes through personal tragedy, disappointment in leadership, or questions no one around you will really sit with.Ken walks through the six-stage framework behind that moment, why most churches handle the first three stages well and stumble hard at the fourth, and what it took for him personally to survive his own breaking point: losing his wife at forty-seven, and watching his church unravel soon after. We talk deconstruction versus real depth, micro-church, and what it actually means to finish well.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Enhanced show notes: JesusSmart.com/384👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Hitting the Wall: The Breaking Point Every Christ-Follower Faces with Ken RobertsThere's a point in every believer's life where the answers stop working. Ken Roberts calls it "the wall," and in this conversation with Brian, he lays out why it's the breaking point almost every Christ-follower eventually faces, and why the church is so often unprepared to walk with us through it.The De-churching MomentKen opens by naming what's happening across the West right now: a wave of people quietly stepping back from organized church. "They're not finding the depth, the relevance, the abundance in going to another meeting," he says. It's not one cause, Ken says, but a soul hunger the church often doesn't have language for.Six Stages, One Critical WallDrawing from the book The Critical Journey, Ken lays out six stages every believer moves through: being introduced to God, baseline discipleship, giving back to a spiritual community, hitting "the wall," a deep inner life with Jesus, and finally a life defined simply by love. Most churches, Ken says, do well with the first three.It's stage four, the wall, where things fall apart. "Our evangelical equations don't seem to work," he says. "Two plus two is supposed to be four, and suddenly it's not." A leadership failure, an unanswered doubt, a trauma nobody knows how to sit with: any of it can trigger the wall.Ken points to two places the church especially struggles here. The first is honest theological doubt, questions like whether Genesis 1 and 2 are meant to be read literally. "That should be the safe place to have that dangerous conversation," Ken says, "but it's not. You either get shut down, or you get the pat answer they already have ready." The second is trauma. For years, Ken says, the church's default response has been prayer, a Bible verse, and a referral to outside counseling. People carrying real pain come back into the same setting and find nobody quite knows what to do with them, because worship stays "rah-rah" every week and there's no room made for lament.Ken's Own WallKen shares his own version of this story candidly: losing his wife in a car accident at forty-seven, after forty-something years of following the Lord and pastoring a church. "It just doesn't make sense," he says. The church he'd been pastoring began unraveling shortly after, and within six years of her death, it no longer existed. "That was my wall. That was my critical season."He could have let it end there. What got him through wasn't a program or a fresh set of answers. It was a handful of mature believers willing to enter the pain and the dialogue with him instead of preaching at him, giving him room to work it out rather than handing him stock answers. Ken calls it a big "if": most people who hit the wall never quite make it through. "Anecdotally, it's not very many," he says, "especially not less than half who actually come through it and don't just get stuck doing the religious Christian thing."Where Is Jesus in All of This?Brian pushes Ken on the obvious question: if the organized church struggles this much with stage four, where does that leave Jesus's own promise to build his church? Ken's answer comes in two parts. Individually, he says, Jesus is always right beside us, and the longer you walk with him, the more you sense it's actually Jesus living in you. But Jesus also built the church to
- Aug 27, 202610 min
It's Always Comeback Time: Shift, Pray, Proclaim | Jesus Smart X, Ep. 383
Something sick or dying in your world? Peter's raising of Tabitha in Acts 9 reveals a three-part kingdom pattern for breakthrough: shift your environment, pray through, and proclaim in faith. It's always comeback time in Christ.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via the Smart Edit letter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/letter.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: It's Always Comeback Time: Shift, Pray, ProclaimChrist is reigning. This is Jesus Smart X with Brian Del Turco. Live the difference.Hello there, friend. I'm recording this outside today, so if you hear a little birdsong in the background — well, that's a good thing. Did you know research now shows that five minutes of birdsong a day is good for you psychologically? Maybe we'll talk about that sometime — about creating soundscapes in our lives that are positive and healthy for our spirit, soul, and body.Today I want to talk with you about shifting your environment for a breakthrough, then praying through, and then proclaiming in faith to activate the extraordinary. Shifting your environment. Praying through. Proclaiming in faith.Let me ask you this: is something sick or dying in your world? Well, it's comeback time.A Kingdom Pattern from Peter — and from JesusPeter modeled something for us in the book of Acts, and he learned it from Jesus. There's no reason we can't do the same. Maybe it's a relationship, something in the financial space, a career, a business, a ministry project, or some cause you care about.Peter modeled three kingdom dynamics for seeing someone — or something — experience new life. We find them in Acts chapter 9.Tabitha fell sick and died. Luke writes that she was a woman who abounded in deeds of kindness and charity. Something good and beneficial had stopped. And the question was: how would Peter move forward in the face of this?Acts 9 tells us that when Peter arrived, they brought him into the upper room, and all the widows stood beside him weeping, showing him the tunics and garments Dorcas had made while she was still with them. But Peter sent them all out.Now, grieving is real — it's understandable. But this woman had been taken before her time, and Peter knew that if they were going to see the extraordinary, he had to shift the environment away from depression, wailing, and sorrow, and condition it for kingdom possibilities.Peter wasn't this wise on his own. Where did he get the idea? He'd seen Jesus do the very same thing with a little girl in Matthew chapter 9. Jesus arrived after this girl had died. The mourners started to mock him when he said, "She's asleep." He took Peter, James, and John with him into the room and told the crowd to leave. He conditioned the environment. And when they had gone, he entered, took her by the hand, and the girl got up.We, too, can follow this pattern that Jesus modeled and Peter followed: condition the environment.Point One: Condition Your EnvironmentWe probably need to stop listening to some things, stop watching some things, stop letting certain people or circumstances shape us. We're meant to live from the inside out. When our internal state is powered up, our internals shape our externals for the positive — instead of our environment crushing in on us and shaping us from the outside in.The Lord may lead us to graciously transform, or if necessary release, some relationships — and to stay open to new ones. We may need to let go of some negative memories and past experiences. There are many ways we condition both our outer environment and our inner one. (Maybe sometime we can talk about how our internals shape our externals.)But that's point one: condition — or recondition — your environment. Position yourself and set the stage for the extraordinary.Point Two: Pray Through to Win the DayWe can learn something from the old-school believers and that old-school phrase, "praying through." There are some things cool and casual won't win.Acts 9 tells us that after conditioning the environment, Peter knelt down and prayed. This is where we go to access grace and power. Hebrews chapter 4 tells us we can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace — empowerment to help in our time of need. When we pray like that, we p
- Aug 20, 20262 min
Building a Gold, Silver, Precious Stones Kind of Day | Jesus Smart 180, Ep. 382
Today isn't just another day — every day's a building day. From 1 Corinthians 3, Brian Del Turco asks the question every believer needs to hear: are you building with gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw? What survives the fire? In under three minutes, discover how the Word, the Spirit, and prayer turn an ordinary days into material that lasts. Because days build weeks, and weeks build seasons. Christ is the Master Craftsman. You're the apprentice. Time to build something that counts.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Building a Gold, Silver, Precious Stones Kind of DayJesus Smart 180. Three minutes. One turnaround.Hey, how are you doing? I hope your summer is going well — and if you're listening in the fall, winter, or spring, I hope that season is treating you well too.We think today is just another day. It's not. It's a building day. And one day, fire is going to test everything we build with.What Are You Building With?Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 that whatever we build on the foundation — Christ himself — will get tested. We can build with gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw. The fire will reveal which one survives.Every day we're building. The question is, what are we building with? Are we building with the Word, with the Spirit's leading, with prayer-borne action? That's gold, silver, and precious stones, and it holds up under fire. Or are we building on impulse, autopilot, whatever's easiest, carnality? That's wood, hay, and straw. It might look fine going up, but fire will show what it's made of.I want to encourage us to journal, to map out, to stay aware and conscious of how we're doing, so we can architect our lives in a way that pleases the Lord.Days Build Weeks, Weeks Build SeasonsHere's what I want us to catch today: days build weeks, weeks build seasons. You're not just deciding how today goes. You're laying material into a season of your life. One day your life will be over, and beyond that, we'll give a stewardship accounting of our lives.Now, God is kind. He's restorative, he's redemptive. But we do need to engage with him on this. Here's the good news: we're not building alone. Christ is the Master Craftsman. We are the apprentice. Partner with him. Ask him to help you lay gold, silver, and precious stones today, not just to get through the day.Let's Pray and DeclareFather, in the name of your Son, Jesus, I want to build with gold, silver, and precious stones today. Holy Spirit, lead my steps. May your Word shape my choices. Christ, you are the Master Craftsman. I'm building with you, not apart from you, not around you. Let this day hold up under the fire. Let my days build weeks and seasons that count, that bring you glory, and contribute to your story. Amen.That's your 180. Find more at JesusSmart.com.
- Aug 10, 20264 min
Becoming Unoffendable: "I Can Afford That" | Jesus Smart 180, Ep. 381
Offenses hit us like fiery darts. But what if you could become unoffendable? In this episode, Brian shares a simple approach that's changing how he's learning to handle offenses, unpacks what it really means to forgive a debt (Luke 6:38), and explores why Scripture calls this "the glory of God" (Proverbs 19:11). Learn to say, "I can afford that."----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Becoming Unoffendable: "I Can Afford That"Jesus Smart 180. Three minutes. One turnaround.Hello there, friends. Welcome to the podcast.I have something here that I've been thinking about, something that surfaced this morning with me in prayer, and that is becoming unoffendable — the process of becoming unoffendable, the freedom that brings, and the attitude that "I can afford that." Let me tell you what I mean.Giving the Offense to GodOffenses will come at us as fiery darts. They can be small to medium scale, and they typically come through people, sometimes circumstances, but usually people. Behind them is a dark power trying to create friction in our life: discouragement, wearing us out, distracting us, getting us to veer off mission.We're called to stay on point, on message, on time, on assignment, our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.So what do we do with these offenses? Jesus said it's impossible that offenses not come, so we're going to deal with it. But it's an opportunity, and that's the way we need to approach it. It's advantageous.We give it to the Lord. Romans 12:19 says vengeance belongs to him. That's his lane, not ours. I've started praying it from time to time: "Lord, if you want to deal with this, go ahead. If you don't, that's fine with me too, but I'm not carrying it. It's in your hands."What I find is that when he moves on something, he does a far better job than I can, and I stay free, and I stay in my lane."I Can Afford That""Forgive me as I forgive those indebted to me" is how Jesus taught us to pray. To forgive means to give — it's in the word. Don't insist that they pay for the offense. Luke 6:38 is a popular verse, but I encourage you to read the verses around it too. We're to forgive, we're to give to others, and we give, and it will be given to us, good measure, pressed down, shaken together.What a gift this is in Christ. We can love because he first loved us. We can be secure in that. And he takes care of the revenge issue as necessary — nobody sets things right like Jesus.I don't have to collect on the indebtedness of others. Say this with me: "I can afford that." Say it again: "I can afford that." What do I mean? We can live in the abundance and grace-empowerment of Christ.When somebody becomes indebted to us through an offense or a sin, we don't have to collect on it, we don't have to worry about it. Instead, we posture ourselves to be blessed by the Lord. He takes us to higher levels.We need to become so taken with Christ and his Kingdom that it eclipses these small, nagging things trying to nip at our heels. It's so much bigger than that.Do you want the glory of God in your life? Proverbs 19:11 says it is the glory of God to overlook a transgression. What does that mean? I encourage you to dig deeper. The New Testament word for glory is doxa... a correct recognition, a correct understanding. The glory of God is a correct perception of his attributes, his nature.The Old Testament word kavod, one of the Hebrew words for glory, means his weightiness, his authority. We want God to show up and throw his weight around as necessary. That's his authority.So taken together, it's the glory of God to overlook a transgression. We maintain and cultivate a clearer perception of God, his nature, his attributes. We don't take his name in vain, we don't misrepresent him, and we learn how to move in his royal authority — carrying his weight in this world. You're going to need his weight to live the life he wants you to live in Christ.Thanks for listening to Jesus Smart 180. Your move. Visit jesussmart.com for show notes and more.
- Jul 30, 20267 min
Praise, Discern, Fight — In That Order | Jesus Smart X, Ep. 380
In the wilderness, God gave Israel a precise order for breaking camp and moving: Judah first, then Issachar, then Zebulun. Praise, then discernment, then warfare. There are protocols and precedents in the Old Testament that find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ. It's a kingdom sequence for how we move in faith today in Christ. Skip a step, and something breaks down. Get the order right, and you take ground.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Praise, Discern, Fight — In That OrderWelcome back. Quick heads up before we dive in: this one's shorter than usual, not a Jesus Smart 180, just a tighter full-length episode.Today we're looking at a sequence buried in the wilderness camp of Israel. The Old Testament is full of precedents and protocols that find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant, meaning in our lives on this side of the cross, the resurrection, and the ascension.One of those protocols is a kingdom dynamic we could call praise, then discernment, then warfare, in that order. It's a pattern that shows up again and again in Scripture, and it's just as available to us now, in a heightened sense, through Christ and the New Covenant, as it was to the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.This content comes straight from my Smart Edit newsletter. If you want these kinds of insights landing in your inbox before they ever hit the podcast, sign up free at jesussmart.com/smartedit. It's free, and I think you'll like it. Stick around to the end, I'll close us out with a quick prayer.A Kingdom Protocol for Good SuccessGod prescribed, in detail, how the nation of Israel was to encamp around the tabernacle in the wilderness, and in what order the tribes were to journey whenever they broke camp.Three tribes camped north, three east, three south, three west. The three camped to the east were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and whenever the camp moved, whether journeying or heading into battle, Judah went first, then Issachar, then Zebulun.Judah was uniquely anointed for worship. The name itself means praise, and Judah was marked as the tribe through which kingship and worship would flow. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah.Issachar excelled in prophetic discernment; 1 Chronicles 12 says they had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.Zebulun excelled in battle: skilled, disciplined, primed for war, expert with every weapon, stouthearted men who could keep ranks.Praise first. Discernment second. Warfare third.Reordering Your Next MoveThat's not just a wilderness protocol. It's a kingdom sequence for how we initiate and move in faith today. Always lead with praise, always lead with focus on King Jesus and seeking his kingdom first. Then follow with prophetic discernment, call it God-tel or intel, the sons of Issachar understanding the times and what you ought to do. Only then are you ready for Zebulun: warfare, practical action, moving out.A good question to ask: what's on the other side of this order for you? What needs resetting right now?Maybe it's a new season from God you desperately need, or showing forth his excellencies in one of three domains: work and finance, relational life, or wellness. What's pending from heaven's point of view for you?You can read more on this at jesussmart.com/380, including some additional thoughts I didn't get to here.Let's pray together for a moment. Father, we thank you for this kingdom protocol, and for the Old Testament precedents that find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant, this side of the ascension. Whatever horizons we're looking at, whatever opportunities are before us, whatever challenges we're facing, inspire us to lead with worship and focus on King Jesus and his royal authority. Help us, like the sons of Issachar, to carry prophetic discernment, God-tel from your points of view rising within us. And then, under a spirit of might, help us do warfare and move out in applied, faith-filled action. I pray this over my brothers and sisters in Christ, and over my own life. We want to show up in full-spectrum faith and full agency in your kingdom. We thank you for it, Lord. In your name, a
- Jul 23, 202642 min
Required Listening: Talk Like the Most Effective Communicator Who Ever Lived with Charles Stone | Jesus Smart X, Ep. 379
Jesus was the most effective communicator who ever lived. Dr. Charles Stone, a pastor with a background in the neuroscience of leadership, breaks down the brain science behind how he taught, connected, and moved people to change. Connection. Emotion. Memory. Action. This conversation will change how you talk to everyone in your life.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Enhanced show notes: JesusSmart.com/379👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Talk Like the Most Effective Communicator Who Ever LivedBrian Del Turco: Hey there, friend. Welcome to the podcast. This is Brian Del Turco, and this is Jesus Smart X. I'm glad you're here.This is episode 379, and you can find the show notes for this episode at jesussmart.com/379. This is a special required-listening episode: a recording from the past that we're surfacing again, because it's about communication, and communication makes everything work. Jesus was a master communicator, and we have a lot to learn from him. Here's Dr. Charles Stone, an expert on neuroscience and communication.Dr. Charles Stone helps us explore what it might look like if Jesus gave a TED Talk: eight neuroscience principles the master teacher used to persuade, whether in one-on-one conversation, small clusters, or massive crowds. We'll survey all eight briefly, then dig into a few in more depth, including creating affinity, leveraging emotion, and stimulating real life application. Dr. Stone is a pastor in Canada with an executive master's in the neuroscience of leadership, and he's currently working on his PhD. Here's my conversation with Dr. Charles Stone.Meet Dr. Charles StoneBrian Del Turco: I'm really excited about our guest today. He's an expert on neuroscience and leadership as it relates specifically to ministry, though I think there's application here across every life domain. Scripture tells us to love God with all our mind, to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Is it too much to say that the mind of Christ in us involves a kind of neuroplasticity, that we can actually grow in the mind of Christ?Dr. Charles Stone: Not at all. The way God designed us to learn is through actual changes in our brain, and those changes reflect our values, our beliefs, and our convictions.Brian Del Turco: Communication makes the world go round. Does this apply beyond the pulpit, to relational communication in family life, friendships, teaching?Dr. Charles Stone: Absolutely. God wired us to communicate in a way that isn't just for someone standing up front on Sunday morning. Our brains are wired to pay attention, to respond, to feel safe or unsafe around others, regardless of the setting. Biblical communication principles apply across the board.Dr. Stone holds degrees from Georgia Tech, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Trinity Evangelical, plus an executive master's in the Neuroscience of Leadership. He's the author of *If Jesus Gave a TED Talk*, a title he borrows not because Jesus gave neat eighteen-minute talks, but because he masterfully lived out the best ways to communicate and make truth stick. He was God, so we don't have what he has, but we can still learn from how he taught.The Forgetting Curve That Sparked a BookBrian Del Turco: What prompted you to write this book?Dr. Charles Stone: As a pastor spending fifteen to twenty hours a week preparing a message, I had this nagging feeling: what difference is this actually making? None of my seminary professors ever taught the theory behind what makes a message stick. Then I came across research from a German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, who invented nonsense words, memorized them, and measured how quickly he forgot them. That gave us the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, and it's since been repeatedly confirmed: people forget more than 95 percent of what they hear in a teaching session within a week's time. That was a wake-up call. Are there tools, principles, that communicators can apply to increase retention? Absolutely. That's why I wrote the book, and why others are studying the neuroscience of learning and communication.Eight Qu
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About JesusSmartX
The show that goes beyond waiting for heaven. Beyond religion. Jesus is brilliant ... he knows how life works best.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's JesusSmartX daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of JesusSmartX as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the JesusSmartX podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official JesusSmartX product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Brian Del Turco.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts, any in the catalog. Basic raises that to 15, Pro to 40 and Max to 100. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does JesusSmartX release new episodes?
JesusSmartX publishes biweekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does JesusSmartX cover?
JesusSmartX covers topics including Education, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Christianity, Culture, Society & Culture, Self-Improvement. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting JesusSmartX summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.