October 10, 2025 • 23 mins
What if walking with God is about moving in rhythm with the Holy Spirit — like a jazz musician improvising in the moment? We explore what it means to live in a Heaven and Earth Jazz Jam session. Listening, responding, and co-creating with God. Drawing on Scripture, spiritual insight, and the creative lessons of jazz, we explore how to sharpen spiritual intuition and flow in unexpected moments in every area of life and work.
----------
See the full episode transcript below.
👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcast
If 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. Unsubscribe anytime. Sign up at JesusSmart.com.
----------
EPISOSDE TRANSCRIPT -- Life in the Groove — Improvising with the Holy Spirit (EP 354)
In this episode of Jesus Smart X Podcast, Brian Del Turco explores the idea of moving in rhythm with the Holy Spirit — like a jazz musician improvising in the moment. Drawing on Scripture, spiritual insight, and the creative lessons of jazz, we explore how to sharpen spiritual intuition, respond in unexpected moments, and co-create with God in every area of life and work.
Between Episodes: Continuing the Conversation with Frank Viola
Before diving in, Brian mentions the ongoing two-part series with Frank Viola. Episode 353, The New Testament Like You've Never Seen It, explores reading the New Testament as a single, unfolding narrative, discovering the heartbeat of the early church, and seeing how our personal life story fits into Jesus’ larger story.
Don’t forget to check out the Smart Edit newsletter at jesussmart.com.
Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly, each Thursday. 5 minutes to grow. Unsubscribe anytime. Sign up at JesusSmart.com.
Jazz and the Brain: A Spiritual Parallel
Listening to jazz activates nearly every part of the brain, enhancing focus, emotional depth, flexibility, and anticipation. Jazz requires us to listen actively, adapt to shifting harmonies, and respond creatively.
This is an excellent metaphor for walking with the Holy Spirit. Our relationship with God isn’t meant to be rigid or scripted. Scripture is our key signature — steady, unchanging, and true — while the Spirit invites us to improvise within that framework.
As Galatians 5:25 reminds us, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
Walking with the Spirit is not marching in lockstep; it’s keeping time in a living rhythm, a cadence flowing from the Father through the Holy Spirit.
The Improvisational Life: Flowing with the Spirit
Jazz and the Spirit share a key principle: tension and release, anticipation, and responsiveness. Life with the Holy Spirit requires mental and spiritual flexibility — a readiness to pivot, adapt, and respond in a Christlike way.
As Dallas Willard taught, true discipleship is Christ in you, living through your life circumstances. This requires alertness, creativity, and continual renewal — exactly what Romans 12:2 calls the “renewing of your mind.”
Classical music offers structure, discipline, and symmetry, while jazz develops intuition, sensitivity, and improvisation. Life in the Spirit demands both: grounded truth and openness to surprise, ready to follow God’s lead in the...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there friends. Welcome tothe podcast. This is Brian Del Turco,
Jesus Smart X Podcast. I'mglad you're here. I have something
today that I think ishopefully going to light you up.
I'm calling it your spirit oryour renewed mind on jazz. I'm talking
(00:20):
about jazz with the HolySpirit. We could also call it the
Heaven and Earth Jazz Jamsession. Hang with me. I think you're
going to love this. I doubtthat you've heard anything like this.
I'm excited to share it withyou. Before I do that, I want to
mention that we are betweenparts one and two with a special
(00:40):
podcast little two part serieswith Frank Viola. I encourage you
to go back and Listen toepisode 353. I believe you can find
it at jesussmart.com 353 theNew Testament like you've never seen
it. The whole concept thathe's bringing forth out of an epic
book that he wrote is what ifwe could read the New Testament as
(01:03):
a single unfolding narrative,seeing the books in their real life
flow, their real life contextand discovering the heartbeat of
the early church, century oneChristians, century one Christ followers.
And we take it a step further.How our storyline, our personal life
storyline is a continuation ofthat storyline and how it fits into
(01:25):
the storyline of Jesus.Episode 353. That's part one. This
is episode 354 today and nextweek episode 355 will be part two
of what I think is a prettydynamic conversation with Frank Viola.
Also want to just mention ournewsletter, the Smart Edit. You can
go to jesussmart.com right atthe top of the homepage you'll see
(01:46):
a big giant button. A biggiant opportunity to leave your email.
It's your emails handled inconfidence. It'll never be shared,
never be sold. And this comesout. The long form version of this
newsletter comes out everyThursday. It's something of a little
magazine format and itincludes a big idea like a kingdom
(02:06):
dynamic section. And also whatI think are a series of other different
very interesting topics andlittle themes you can focus on. And
I think people are reallyenjoying it, really benefiting from
it. I'd love to have you onthe list. It's free now friends.
I've been vibing with astation on SiriusXM lately. What
it sounds like real jazz,classic jazz, but they also mix it
(02:30):
with some other genres that Iwould think are cousins of jazz.
Very interesting station andit's stirring something in me. I'm
finding out I've been doing aLittle bit of research, and I'm finding
out that jazz as a genre ofmusic, does something very special
to our thinking, to our brain.A source with the Cleveland Clinic
(02:51):
even says that music like thisactivates almost every part of our
mind. It trains focus. There'semotional depth to it, dimension,
which is stimulated andflexibility. And we have to listen
to it and anticipate whatcomes next in the jazz music, adapt
(03:14):
to it. Now this. This has methinking, friend, about our walk
with the Lord and specificallymaybe staying in alignment with the
Holy Spirit. I think it's apicture, a very good picture of walking
with the Holy Spirit. You see,our relationship with God isn't supposed
to be rigid. You know, everymove, like, scripted, charted. Our
(03:41):
relationship with God isdynamic. It's alive, responsive,
and interactive. Now, the Wordof God, the Bible, the inspired scriptures
is our key signature. It'ssteady, it's unchanging, it's true,
(04:01):
it's unalterable. But theSpirit, the Holy Spirit, invites
us to improvise within thatframework. I guess I'm talking about
moving with the Spirit'srhythm. Surprise. There's a great
(04:22):
verse in Galatians 5. 25. Theapostle Paul says, if we live by
the Spirit, which we do, welive. We're born again by the Holy
Spirit. The very beginning ofour life in God is by the Spirit.
If we live by the Spirit, letus also walk by the Spirit. I. I
(04:46):
love the niv. The newinternational version rendition of
this verse. Let us keep instep with the Spirit. We could say
striding with the Spirit.Okay. Walking by the Spirit isn't
really like marching inlockstep, but it's keeping time,
(05:08):
and it's a living rhythm. Whenwe walk the Spirit, it's really a
cadence and a rhythm whichcomes to us from the Father above
via the Holy Spirit. Now, whatwe're finding out and what I'm learning,
I mean, I'm sure they knewthis for some time, but what I'm
learning now is that when welisten to jazz, our brain lights
(05:29):
up in a way that is enhancedand beyond some other types of music.
Okay. Because what's happeningwith jazz? Well, we're tracking shifting
harmonies. We are predicting.Our mind is trying to predict where
the next phrase might go.Because it's so improvisational,
(05:53):
we're following this tensionand release, tension and release.
And when we engage in activelistening with jazz, we really can't
tune out. I think it's healthyto listen to jazz in the background.
Like if we're working or doingchores or Something or it's just
in the house, in our car. Ialso think active, intentional listening
(06:15):
to jazz has its own level ofbenefit as well. And I'm saying that
this is how the Holy Spirittrains us to. The Holy Spirit is
seeking, questing to developmental, spiritual flexibility. Sort
(06:35):
of like that new wineskinstretch when we walk with him. When
we walk with the Spirit, welearn to pivot. We may adapt to something
and respond in a Christlikeway. And this is really upstream
from. This is really a primaryaspect of God's will for us, that
(06:59):
we are conformed to the imageof Christ, the formation of Christ's
actual living nature andpresence within us. So like as Dallas
Willard might say, he wouldsay, he did say that true discipleship
is Christ in you, in yourlife. And you end up doing what he
(07:20):
would do if he were you inyour circumstance, in your setting,
with that opportunity. So westay awake, we stay alert, and we're
creative in the moment. Yousee, we need to be constantly renewed
in the Lord. I love thepassage in Romans 12:2 where Paul
says, don't be conformed tothis world. It really means this
(07:42):
age, the world system of doingthings. Don't be conformed to that,
but be transformed by therenewing your mind, the renewing
of our minds. The renewed mindis an improvisational mind. We become
(08:05):
responsive to God, the Father,cues, prompts. Okay, we're ready
for something fresh and newand frankly, fermented, the new wine
that Jesus offers. I thinkthere's real value in classical music,
(08:27):
too. Classical music is.Classical music, along with jazz
music, is probably thesmartest music you can listen to.
Classical music builds order,symmetry, discipline. Jazz develops
intuition and sensitivity. Andhere's what I'm suggesting, my friend.
(08:50):
Life in the Holy Spiritrequires both. We need the order,
the discipline, the symmetry,the composition, if you will. We
also need intuition,sensitivity, creativity, and improvisation.
(09:11):
Life in the Spirit requiresboth. Right? We're grounded in the
truth, but we're also readyfor surprise and the lead of God
in the moment. So I think ourlife, like a given week, like Father,
(09:32):
Holy Spirit, here's a greatprayer. Or even this weekend I'm
releasing this on a Friday. Ifyou're listening to this going into
the weekend, or maybe you'reapproaching the next week, maybe
in the middle of a week, itreally doesn't matter. We can pray
this, though. Father, give mea Heaven and Earth jazz jam session
this day. Okay? Give me aHeaven and Earth jazz jam session
(09:56):
this week, this month, thisyear. What's a jam Session. Here's,
here's what I love about jazzmusicians. They don't just play notes,
they listen. They're inconversation with each other. They
hear the drummer's cadence,his accent. You know, they're vibing
(10:20):
with that bass player's grooveor, you know, they're flourishing
in that color that's comingoff that keyboard, that piano. They
adjust, they respond. And thisis a perfect moment to introduce
the concept of living andrelating and moving with a band,
(10:40):
a tight band of believers thatyou really vibe with and resonate
with. I like to call it, it'snot my term, but I like to call it,
refer to it as the microecclesia. A small band of believers
who begin to know each other,begin to have tenure with each other
relationally and know how toplay together in the Lord. And that
(11:00):
works itself out inrelationships. It works itself out
in everyday doing, you know,responding together in this thing
we call life. But it alsoreally, if we worship together or
pray together, that's reallyan incubator, that's really a studio
man, a studio experience withsome like minded believers. And then
(11:21):
we learn how to listen to eachother and how to play off of each
other and how to compose musicin the spirit together, if you will.
I call it the Heaven and Earthjazz jam session. Okay, we know the
key. We know the key of thekingdom. We have the inspired scriptures.
(11:47):
That's right. We know thestructure, God's word, but the composition,
the melody, the melodic flow,that's where the Spirit moves. That's
where the Spirit moves in ourlives individually and even together.
And we tend to underestimatethe togetherness aspect that the
(12:10):
Holy Spirit. The New Testamentword for this is coin. And it's a,
it's a partnership. It's ahighly organic relational experience.
You see, I don't know what,you know, challenge you're facing,
opportunity, what door isbefore you. I don't know what your
faith horizon is that you'requesting, that you're leaning into.
(12:33):
This applies to all of it. Youknow, the Holy Spirit may lead you
and you may instinctively feeland it just comes up in you that
you need to hold that note outa little longer than you planned.
What is that note? I don'tknow. It could be a passage of scripture
that lights up for you thatyou want to meditate on and pray
into and begin to actually doit and move in it. I was reading
(12:54):
this morning in Isaiah chapter59 through like 62 or 63, you know,
familiar passage to me. Butsome Things were kind of. Yeah, lighting
up a little bit. And you knowwhat? And I'm just. I want to get
into that more. I want to. To.To pray some of those verses. I want
to look at that again maybetoday. I want to pray into it. I
want to speak it forth. Maybehold that note out a little longer,
(13:17):
you see? Or maybe the HolySpirit's prompting you to step out
and take a solo you didn'texpect. You know, the sax player
stands up or the. You know,the guitarist, the light comes on
him and he's stepping out on ariff or a solo that maybe he didn't
expect. But, hey, it's time tolet it flow, man. You're staying
(13:39):
current in the moment,stepping out with that solo that
fits into the Heaven and Earthjazz jam session. The rhythm may
shift. The rhythm could shiftin your prayer life. It could shift
in your relational life. Itcould shift in your work life, the
kingdom contribution thatyou're bringing to your church. It
(14:00):
could shift there. The harmonymay change in a relationship. A relationship
may mature and move into a newphase where the harmony changes.
Or maybe your life purposeitself, the current assignments you're
in, which are set in seasons,which are set in a larger context
of your life purpose andcalling. Maybe it modulates. Maybe
(14:21):
that assignment modulates.Maybe the season modulates. Maybe
the overall evolving maturingof your life purpose modulates. It's
the Heaven and Earth jazz jamsession. This is not chaos. This
is a Heaven and Earth divinecollaboration we're talking about.
(14:44):
You know, the Holy Spiritisn't a, like, static metronome.
You know, that device in musicthat just gives you the pacing, the
tone, and it's. It's ametronome. Beginning piano players
will use a metronome, but theHoly Spirit is a creative partner.
(15:06):
Jesus said in John 14:26 thatthe helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in myname, he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembranceall that I said to you. Even this
morning as I was praying for abit after my scripture reading, I
was asking Jesus, holy Spirit,come and teach me all things. Holy
(15:28):
Spirit, show me what is tocome. Because Jesus said that too.
Holy Spirit, bring to myremembrance all that Jesus has said
to us. We need that. We'rethirsty for that. We're dehydrated
for that. The Holy Spirit willwhisper in the moment. That tension
you're feeling right now aboutwhatever the Holy Spirit is your
(15:50):
teacher in the tension. It's alearning moment. The Holy Spirit
is calling you to Playsomething beautiful to play something
new. It's that heaven andEarth jazz jam session. So what can
this look like in real time?In real life, it's learning to listen
(16:14):
before we play. Primarilylistening to the Holy Spirit and
even with others. If you'remarried with your spouse, if it's
a quality friendship, or ifyou're moving and flowing in that
tight band of believers. I'mtalking about learning to listen
to each other before we act oreven as we act in real time. When
(16:38):
we. Here's another way itlooks when we pray. Pause. Give the
Holy Spirit space to speak toyou. More importantly, give yourself
space to hear that voice. Hey,we're facing a challenge. Here's
another way. Let's. Let'slisten for. Let's listen for that
(17:00):
royal rhythm, that kingdomrhythm that's under the noise of
that problem. Oh, yeah. That'swhere the confidence is at. That's
where the faith is at. That'swhere the solution is at. It's coming.
Or even if life shifts, likeunexpectedly, something comes out
(17:20):
of the blue and hits you rightup between the eyes. Let's not panic
this time. Let's improvise infaith. You know, I may not have the
whole chart of music in frontof me, but I do know the key I'm
(17:42):
questing to be in thatkingdom. Key. I do know the larger
scheme of God's word that I'mquesting to live within and work
within and move within. Butsometimes the Spirit will change
the tempo. Sometimes he'llhold a long, quiet rest. We have
(18:02):
to trust that he knows thefull peace. We're making music with
the Holy Spirit. It's thatheaven and earth jazz jam session.
Session. Here's a great versein Ephesians 5, 18 and 19 that Paul
wrote. And this is really inrelationship to our little jazz band
(18:22):
that we're a part of, ourfellow believers, but be filled with
the Spirit speaking to oneanother in psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs. What are spiritualsongs? Well, I think those are songs
maybe inspired by the Spiritin real time, in the moment. It says,
singing and making melody withour heart to the Lord. Making melody.
(18:46):
Making music with our heart tothe Lord. This is a fruit or an expression
of the Spirit's activity.Activity in a little jazz band with
your fellow believers.Amazing. Don't you want this? Don't
you need this? What could bedownstream from this? What refreshing
could it bring to you? Howcould it stimulate you? How could
(19:07):
it be a key aspect and a keypart of those experiences from time
to time? With believers thatactually give you the endurance,
the cadence, the stamina tomove in this thing we call life.
To quest after God's will onearth as it is in heaven, to move
more accurately into what he'senvisioning, that faith horizon he
has before you. Making melodytogether is like a relational language.
(19:32):
It's spontaneous, spirit led,joy, strength, refreshing. When the
Spirit fills us, we becomepart of heaven's music. Here's a
few practical ideas, okay,that are good for me and I'm going
(19:53):
to share them with you. And Ihope you see that they could be good
for you. This jazz walk withGod, quiet our heart. Okay, Brian.
Brian, just set aside sometime, will you? Just to listen. No
agenda, no lists, no bulletpoints, no script. Just white space
(20:15):
for the Spirit to move, toprompt, to suggest. Okay, Brian,
Number two, flow in prayer,Start praying, start. But let him
shift your words and yourthoughts. May there be like a stream
(20:35):
of Christ consciousness by hisSpirit that flows into me. May I
follow his music? May I followhis melody? If he asked me to step
out in prayer in a solo, justall by myself or whatever. But even
if it takes you somewhereunexpected in prayer, you know, a
big part of prayer is takingyou to a place that you don't expect
going into it. He's going todeal with our nature, our character.
(20:57):
He's going to put his fingeron things. He's going to open up
horizons before us we didn'tsee before we started praying. I
mean, we can't like totallyscript it out and lock them into
like a one page, eight and ahalf by 11 bullet point list and
not be open to him putting itsfinger on things in our lives, our
character, our capacity. Hewants to increase our capacity and
(21:19):
even unfolding horizons beforeus that are unexpected and surprising
to us. My goodness, we needthat. Here's a third thing, Brian.
Share it with you too. Hey,let's journal the rifts. Why don't
we call them royal rifts?Riffs from the King. When we sense
God, when we sense the Spiritgiving us an insight or a nudge.
(21:41):
Write it down, write it down.There is authority in your pen or
keyboard. I'm telling you,don't worry about over evaluating
it right away. Right now,capture it. Here's another thing.
Partner with others. There aresome things that will not unlock
(22:04):
for you. I believe me. Withoutothers, without members of the body
of Christ, the Holy Spiritwill reserve some things and hold
some things back. I believethat are only unlocked or discovered
or illuminated in relationshipwith others. Just like Jazz players
feed off of each other. Wehave to pray, worship, converse,
(22:26):
move with friends who listento the Holy Spirit and to each other.
And just a fifth point, takespirit prompted risks. Sometimes
the spirit. Often we would saythe spirit will call us to step out.
(22:51):
We have to say something,start something, or maybe stop something.
That's where the faithimprovises. So as we. Each time we
respond in these ways, we arestrengthening our spiritual ear.
I think Jesus said one time,you know, that if we hear with our
(23:14):
ear and respond, this is areally loose paraphrase. If we will
respond to what we're hearing,we will hear more. Okay, we're learning
the language of heaven'smusic. So I'm pretty confident about
saying this right now. I sensethis for my life and for. And for
(23:38):
your life, if I could saythat. There are times where we've
been afraid to miss a note.We've been holding back, you know,
waiting for perfect claritybefore we move on. Something the
Holy Spirit is saying, juststart playing with me. The Spirit
will guide us as we go. Wedon't have to know the whole arrangement.
(24:01):
We just need to start withwhat we hear and keep listening and
keep playing and keepresponding to prompts as we do. The
music will unfurl before us.It will come alive. Isaiah said in
Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 21.Well, it's the Holy Spirit speaking
through Isaiah. Your ears willhear a word behind you. This is the
(24:23):
way, walk in it. Whatever youturn to the right or to the left.
That's the Holy Spirit'svoice. He's a gentleman. It's subtle,
guiding and rhythmic. Usuallyit comes across that way. Soft, subtle,
guiding, rhythmic to it. We'repart of the band, the spirits playing
(24:48):
lead. But he's inviting us tojoin in individually and in together.
So, Father, we thank you rightnow that you are the ultimate creator.
You've written the score ofredemption, but you welcome us to
play within it, to explore, torespond, to co create, even Holy
(25:13):
Spirit, tune our hearts like atuning fork to your frequencies.
Help us to keep in step withyou, Holy Spirit. We don't want to
rush ahead. We don't want tolag behind. We don't want to get
out of sync. We don't want toveer off in a pathway that's not
right for us. But we want towalk in partnership, in syncopation
with your rhythm to HolySpirit. We're inviting you, we're
(25:36):
asking you to teach us tolisten, to improvise, to flow. May
our lives become apartnership. This Heaven and Earth
jazz jam session thatglorifies Jesus, that contributes
to his storyline, his kingdom.We thank you for it. Amen. Remember,
(25:59):
God's not calling us toperform. He's calling us to partner.
Let's listen, trust and playour part in the Kingdom Symphony.
I appreciate you, my friend.You can catch this episode@jesussmart.com
(26:21):
3:54 with enhanced show notes.It'll be going up at least within
a day, we'll say. By the way,we have a new feature on our enhanced
show notes pages that we'rebuilding out complete transcript
if you like. If you want to goback and catch something, you can
(26:43):
actually read the transcriptof our episodes, even when we have
guests on the podcast. Okay. Iappreciate you. My desire for you
and for me is that we wouldquest after what we've talked about
today that we would develop init. And I think the sky is the limit.
I think all bets are off and Ithink we just need to play with the
(27:06):
Holy Spirit, play music withhim. Catch you next time.
Hey there friends. Welcome tothe podcast. This is Brian Del Turco,
Jesus Smart X Podcast. I'mglad you're here. I have something
today that I think ishopefully going to light you up.
I'm calling it your spirit oryour renewed mind on jazz. I'm talking
(00:20):
about jazz with the HolySpirit. We could also call it the
Heaven and Earth Jazz Jamsession. Hang with me. I think you're
going to love this. I doubtthat you've heard anything like this.
I'm excited to share it withyou. Before I do that, I want to
mention that we are betweenparts one and two with a special
(00:40):
podcast little two part serieswith Frank Viola. I encourage you
to go back and Listen toepisode 353. I believe you can find
it at jesussmart.com 353 theNew Testament like you've never seen
it. The whole concept thathe's bringing forth out of an epic
book that he wrote is what ifwe could read the New Testament as
(01:03):
a single unfolding narrative,seeing the books in their real life
flow, their real life contextand discovering the heartbeat of
the early church, century oneChristians, century one Christ followers.
And we take it a step further.How our storyline, our personal life
storyline is a continuation ofthat storyline and how it fits into
(01:25):
the storyline of Jesus.Episode 353. That's part one. This
is episode 354 today and nextweek episode 355 will be part two
of what I think is a prettydynamic conversation with Frank Viola.
Also want to just mention ournewsletter, the Smart Edit. You can
go to jesussmart.com right atthe top of the homepage you'll see
(01:46):
a big giant button. A biggiant opportunity to leave your email.
It's your emails handled inconfidence. It'll never be shared,
never be sold. And this comesout. The long form version of this
newsletter comes out everyThursday. It's something of a little
magazine format and itincludes a big idea like a kingdom
(02:06):
dynamic section. And also whatI think are a series of other different
very interesting topics andlittle themes you can focus on. And
I think people are reallyenjoying it, really benefiting from
it. I'd love to have you onthe list. It's free now friends.
I've been vibing with astation on SiriusXM lately. What
it sounds like real jazz,classic jazz, but they also mix it
(02:30):
with some other genres that Iwould think are cousins of jazz.
Very interesting station andit's stirring something in me. I'm
finding out I've been doing aLittle bit of research, and I'm finding
out that jazz as a genre ofmusic, does something very special
to our thinking, to our brain.A source with the Cleveland Clinic
(02:51):
even says that music like thisactivates almost every part of our
mind. It trains focus. There'semotional depth to it, dimension,
which is stimulated andflexibility. And we have to listen
to it and anticipate whatcomes next in the jazz music, adapt
(03:14):
to it. Now this. This has methinking, friend, about our walk
with the Lord and specificallymaybe staying in alignment with the
Holy Spirit. I think it's apicture, a very good picture of walking
with the Holy Spirit. You see,our relationship with God isn't supposed
to be rigid. You know, everymove, like, scripted, charted. Our
(03:41):
relationship with God isdynamic. It's alive, responsive,
and interactive. Now, the Wordof God, the Bible, the inspired scriptures
is our key signature. It'ssteady, it's unchanging, it's true,
(04:01):
it's unalterable. But theSpirit, the Holy Spirit, invites
us to improvise within thatframework. I guess I'm talking about
moving with the Spirit'srhythm. Surprise. There's a great
(04:22):
verse in Galatians 5. 25. Theapostle Paul says, if we live by
the Spirit, which we do, welive. We're born again by the Holy
Spirit. The very beginning ofour life in God is by the Spirit.
If we live by the Spirit, letus also walk by the Spirit. I. I
(04:46):
love the niv. The newinternational version rendition of
this verse. Let us keep instep with the Spirit. We could say
striding with the Spirit.Okay. Walking by the Spirit isn't
really like marching inlockstep, but it's keeping time,
(05:08):
and it's a living rhythm. Whenwe walk the Spirit, it's really a
cadence and a rhythm whichcomes to us from the Father above
via the Holy Spirit. Now, whatwe're finding out and what I'm learning,
I mean, I'm sure they knewthis for some time, but what I'm
learning now is that when welisten to jazz, our brain lights
(05:29):
up in a way that is enhancedand beyond some other types of music.
Okay. Because what's happeningwith jazz? Well, we're tracking shifting
harmonies. We are predicting.Our mind is trying to predict where
the next phrase might go.Because it's so improvisational,
(05:53):
we're following this tensionand release, tension and release.
And when we engage in activelistening with jazz, we really can't
tune out. I think it's healthyto listen to jazz in the background.
Like if we're working or doingchores or Something or it's just
in the house, in our car. Ialso think active, intentional listening
(06:15):
to jazz has its own level ofbenefit as well. And I'm saying that
this is how the Holy Spirittrains us to. The Holy Spirit is
seeking, questing to developmental, spiritual flexibility. Sort
(06:35):
of like that new wineskinstretch when we walk with him. When
we walk with the Spirit, welearn to pivot. We may adapt to something
and respond in a Christlikeway. And this is really upstream
from. This is really a primaryaspect of God's will for us, that
(06:59):
we are conformed to the imageof Christ, the formation of Christ's
actual living nature andpresence within us. So like as Dallas
Willard might say, he wouldsay, he did say that true discipleship
is Christ in you, in yourlife. And you end up doing what he
(07:20):
would do if he were you inyour circumstance, in your setting,
with that opportunity. So westay awake, we stay alert, and we're
creative in the moment. Yousee, we need to be constantly renewed
in the Lord. I love thepassage in Romans 12:2 where Paul
says, don't be conformed tothis world. It really means this
(07:42):
age, the world system of doingthings. Don't be conformed to that,
but be transformed by therenewing your mind, the renewing
of our minds. The renewed mindis an improvisational mind. We become
(08:05):
responsive to God, the Father,cues, prompts. Okay, we're ready
for something fresh and newand frankly, fermented, the new wine
that Jesus offers. I thinkthere's real value in classical music,
(08:27):
too. Classical music is.Classical music, along with jazz
music, is probably thesmartest music you can listen to.
Classical music builds order,symmetry, discipline. Jazz develops
intuition and sensitivity. Andhere's what I'm suggesting, my friend.
(08:50):
Life in the Holy Spiritrequires both. We need the order,
the discipline, the symmetry,the composition, if you will. We
also need intuition,sensitivity, creativity, and improvisation.
(09:11):
Life in the Spirit requiresboth. Right? We're grounded in the
truth, but we're also readyfor surprise and the lead of God
in the moment. So I think ourlife, like a given week, like Father,
(09:32):
Holy Spirit, here's a greatprayer. Or even this weekend I'm
releasing this on a Friday. Ifyou're listening to this going into
the weekend, or maybe you'reapproaching the next week, maybe
in the middle of a week, itreally doesn't matter. We can pray
this, though. Father, give mea Heaven and Earth jazz jam session
this day. Okay? Give me aHeaven and Earth jazz jam session
(09:56):
this week, this month, thisyear. What's a jam Session. Here's,
here's what I love about jazzmusicians. They don't just play notes,
they listen. They're inconversation with each other. They
hear the drummer's cadence,his accent. You know, they're vibing
(10:20):
with that bass player's grooveor, you know, they're flourishing
in that color that's comingoff that keyboard, that piano. They
adjust, they respond. And thisis a perfect moment to introduce
the concept of living andrelating and moving with a band,
(10:40):
a tight band of believers thatyou really vibe with and resonate
with. I like to call it, it'snot my term, but I like to call it,
refer to it as the microecclesia. A small band of believers
who begin to know each other,begin to have tenure with each other
relationally and know how toplay together in the Lord. And that
(11:00):
works itself out inrelationships. It works itself out
in everyday doing, you know,responding together in this thing
we call life. But it alsoreally, if we worship together or
pray together, that's reallyan incubator, that's really a studio
man, a studio experience withsome like minded believers. And then
(11:21):
we learn how to listen to eachother and how to play off of each
other and how to compose musicin the spirit together, if you will.
I call it the Heaven and Earthjazz jam session. Okay, we know the
key. We know the key of thekingdom. We have the inspired scriptures.
(11:47):
That's right. We know thestructure, God's word, but the composition,
the melody, the melodic flow,that's where the Spirit moves. That's
where the Spirit moves in ourlives individually and even together.
And we tend to underestimatethe togetherness aspect that the
(12:10):
Holy Spirit. The New Testamentword for this is coin. And it's a,
it's a partnership. It's ahighly organic relational experience.
You see, I don't know what,you know, challenge you're facing,
opportunity, what door isbefore you. I don't know what your
faith horizon is that you'requesting, that you're leaning into.
(12:33):
This applies to all of it. Youknow, the Holy Spirit may lead you
and you may instinctively feeland it just comes up in you that
you need to hold that note outa little longer than you planned.
What is that note? I don'tknow. It could be a passage of scripture
that lights up for you thatyou want to meditate on and pray
into and begin to actually doit and move in it. I was reading
(12:54):
this morning in Isaiah chapter59 through like 62 or 63, you know,
familiar passage to me. Butsome Things were kind of. Yeah, lighting
up a little bit. And you knowwhat? And I'm just. I want to get
into that more. I want to. To.To pray some of those verses. I want
to look at that again maybetoday. I want to pray into it. I
want to speak it forth. Maybehold that note out a little longer,
(13:17):
you see? Or maybe the HolySpirit's prompting you to step out
and take a solo you didn'texpect. You know, the sax player
stands up or the. You know,the guitarist, the light comes on
him and he's stepping out on ariff or a solo that maybe he didn't
expect. But, hey, it's time tolet it flow, man. You're staying
(13:39):
current in the moment,stepping out with that solo that
fits into the Heaven and Earthjazz jam session. The rhythm may
shift. The rhythm could shiftin your prayer life. It could shift
in your relational life. Itcould shift in your work life, the
kingdom contribution thatyou're bringing to your church. It
(14:00):
could shift there. The harmonymay change in a relationship. A relationship
may mature and move into a newphase where the harmony changes.
Or maybe your life purposeitself, the current assignments you're
in, which are set in seasons,which are set in a larger context
of your life purpose andcalling. Maybe it modulates. Maybe
(14:21):
that assignment modulates.Maybe the season modulates. Maybe
the overall evolving maturingof your life purpose modulates. It's
the Heaven and Earth jazz jamsession. This is not chaos. This
is a Heaven and Earth divinecollaboration we're talking about.
(14:44):
You know, the Holy Spiritisn't a, like, static metronome.
You know, that device in musicthat just gives you the pacing, the
tone, and it's. It's ametronome. Beginning piano players
will use a metronome, but theHoly Spirit is a creative partner.
(15:06):
Jesus said in John 14:26 thatthe helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in myname, he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembranceall that I said to you. Even this
morning as I was praying for abit after my scripture reading, I
was asking Jesus, holy Spirit,come and teach me all things. Holy
(15:28):
Spirit, show me what is tocome. Because Jesus said that too.
Holy Spirit, bring to myremembrance all that Jesus has said
to us. We need that. We'rethirsty for that. We're dehydrated
for that. The Holy Spirit willwhisper in the moment. That tension
you're feeling right now aboutwhatever the Holy Spirit is your
(15:50):
teacher in the tension. It's alearning moment. The Holy Spirit
is calling you to Playsomething beautiful to play something
new. It's that heaven andEarth jazz jam session. So what can
this look like in real time?In real life, it's learning to listen
(16:14):
before we play. Primarilylistening to the Holy Spirit and
even with others. If you'remarried with your spouse, if it's
a quality friendship, or ifyou're moving and flowing in that
tight band of believers. I'mtalking about learning to listen
to each other before we act oreven as we act in real time. When
(16:38):
we. Here's another way itlooks when we pray. Pause. Give the
Holy Spirit space to speak toyou. More importantly, give yourself
space to hear that voice. Hey,we're facing a challenge. Here's
another way. Let's. Let'slisten for. Let's listen for that
(17:00):
royal rhythm, that kingdomrhythm that's under the noise of
that problem. Oh, yeah. That'swhere the confidence is at. That's
where the faith is at. That'swhere the solution is at. It's coming.
Or even if life shifts, likeunexpectedly, something comes out
(17:20):
of the blue and hits you rightup between the eyes. Let's not panic
this time. Let's improvise infaith. You know, I may not have the
whole chart of music in frontof me, but I do know the key I'm
(17:42):
questing to be in thatkingdom. Key. I do know the larger
scheme of God's word that I'mquesting to live within and work
within and move within. Butsometimes the Spirit will change
the tempo. Sometimes he'llhold a long, quiet rest. We have
(18:02):
to trust that he knows thefull peace. We're making music with
the Holy Spirit. It's thatheaven and earth jazz jam session.
Session. Here's a great versein Ephesians 5, 18 and 19 that Paul
wrote. And this is really inrelationship to our little jazz band
(18:22):
that we're a part of, ourfellow believers, but be filled with
the Spirit speaking to oneanother in psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs. What are spiritualsongs? Well, I think those are songs
maybe inspired by the Spiritin real time, in the moment. It says,
singing and making melody withour heart to the Lord. Making melody.
(18:46):
Making music with our heart tothe Lord. This is a fruit or an expression
of the Spirit's activity.Activity in a little jazz band with
your fellow believers.Amazing. Don't you want this? Don't
you need this? What could bedownstream from this? What refreshing
could it bring to you? Howcould it stimulate you? How could
(19:07):
it be a key aspect and a keypart of those experiences from time
to time? With believers thatactually give you the endurance,
the cadence, the stamina tomove in this thing we call life.
To quest after God's will onearth as it is in heaven, to move
more accurately into what he'senvisioning, that faith horizon he
has before you. Making melodytogether is like a relational language.
(19:32):
It's spontaneous, spirit led,joy, strength, refreshing. When the
Spirit fills us, we becomepart of heaven's music. Here's a
few practical ideas, okay,that are good for me and I'm going
(19:53):
to share them with you. And Ihope you see that they could be good
for you. This jazz walk withGod, quiet our heart. Okay, Brian.
Brian, just set aside sometime, will you? Just to listen. No
agenda, no lists, no bulletpoints, no script. Just white space
(20:15):
for the Spirit to move, toprompt, to suggest. Okay, Brian,
Number two, flow in prayer,Start praying, start. But let him
shift your words and yourthoughts. May there be like a stream
(20:35):
of Christ consciousness by hisSpirit that flows into me. May I
follow his music? May I followhis melody? If he asked me to step
out in prayer in a solo, justall by myself or whatever. But even
if it takes you somewhereunexpected in prayer, you know, a
big part of prayer is takingyou to a place that you don't expect
going into it. He's going todeal with our nature, our character.
(20:57):
He's going to put his fingeron things. He's going to open up
horizons before us we didn'tsee before we started praying. I
mean, we can't like totallyscript it out and lock them into
like a one page, eight and ahalf by 11 bullet point list and
not be open to him putting itsfinger on things in our lives, our
character, our capacity. Hewants to increase our capacity and
(21:19):
even unfolding horizons beforeus that are unexpected and surprising
to us. My goodness, we needthat. Here's a third thing, Brian.
Share it with you too. Hey,let's journal the rifts. Why don't
we call them royal rifts?Riffs from the King. When we sense
God, when we sense the Spiritgiving us an insight or a nudge.
(21:41):
Write it down, write it down.There is authority in your pen or
keyboard. I'm telling you,don't worry about over evaluating
it right away. Right now,capture it. Here's another thing.
Partner with others. There aresome things that will not unlock
(22:04):
for you. I believe me. Withoutothers, without members of the body
of Christ, the Holy Spiritwill reserve some things and hold
some things back. I believethat are only unlocked or discovered
or illuminated in relationshipwith others. Just like Jazz players
feed off of each other. Wehave to pray, worship, converse,
(22:26):
move with friends who listento the Holy Spirit and to each other.
And just a fifth point, takespirit prompted risks. Sometimes
the spirit. Often we would saythe spirit will call us to step out.
(22:51):
We have to say something,start something, or maybe stop something.
That's where the faithimprovises. So as we. Each time we
respond in these ways, we arestrengthening our spiritual ear.
I think Jesus said one time,you know, that if we hear with our
(23:14):
ear and respond, this is areally loose paraphrase. If we will
respond to what we're hearing,we will hear more. Okay, we're learning
the language of heaven'smusic. So I'm pretty confident about
saying this right now. I sensethis for my life and for. And for
(23:38):
your life, if I could saythat. There are times where we've
been afraid to miss a note.We've been holding back, you know,
waiting for perfect claritybefore we move on. Something the
Holy Spirit is saying, juststart playing with me. The Spirit
will guide us as we go. Wedon't have to know the whole arrangement.
(24:01):
We just need to start withwhat we hear and keep listening and
keep playing and keepresponding to prompts as we do. The
music will unfurl before us.It will come alive. Isaiah said in
Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 21.Well, it's the Holy Spirit speaking
through Isaiah. Your ears willhear a word behind you. This is the
(24:23):
way, walk in it. Whatever youturn to the right or to the left.
That's the Holy Spirit'svoice. He's a gentleman. It's subtle,
guiding and rhythmic. Usuallyit comes across that way. Soft, subtle,
guiding, rhythmic to it. We'repart of the band, the spirits playing
(24:48):
lead. But he's inviting us tojoin in individually and in together.
So, Father, we thank you rightnow that you are the ultimate creator.
You've written the score ofredemption, but you welcome us to
play within it, to explore, torespond, to co create, even Holy
(25:13):
Spirit, tune our hearts like atuning fork to your frequencies.
Help us to keep in step withyou, Holy Spirit. We don't want to
rush ahead. We don't want tolag behind. We don't want to get
out of sync. We don't want toveer off in a pathway that's not
right for us. But we want towalk in partnership, in syncopation
with your rhythm to HolySpirit. We're inviting you, we're
(25:36):
asking you to teach us tolisten, to improvise, to flow. May
our lives become apartnership. This Heaven and Earth
jazz jam session thatglorifies Jesus, that contributes
to his storyline, his kingdom.We thank you for it. Amen. Remember,
(25:59):
God's not calling us toperform. He's calling us to partner.
Let's listen, trust and playour part in the Kingdom Symphony.
I appreciate you, my friend.You can catch this episode@jesussmart.com
(26:21):
3:54 with enhanced show notes.It'll be going up at least within
a day, we'll say. By the way,we have a new feature on our enhanced
show notes pages that we'rebuilding out complete transcript
if you like. If you want to goback and catch something, you can
(26:43):
actually read the transcriptof our episodes, even when we have
guests on the podcast. Okay. Iappreciate you. My desire for you
and for me is that we wouldquest after what we've talked about
today that we would develop init. And I think the sky is the limit.
I think all bets are off and Ithink we just need to play with the
(27:06):
Holy Spirit, play music withhim. Catch you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!