The Secret to Extraordinary Parenting

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Wake-Up Call – "The Secret to Extraordinary Parenting"

Host: John David Walt (with additional speakers: David Walt and a guest labeled "B")
Date: May 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Wake-Up Call explores the biblical and spiritual foundations of extraordinary parenting. Host John David Walt reflects on Ephesians 6:1–4, discussing generational cycles, parental forgiveness, and the transformative grace of Jesus in family relationships. Through personal anecdotes and scriptural insights, the episode offers encouragement and practical wisdom for parents seeking to break patterns of brokenness and become grace-filled leaders in their homes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Contextual Introduction: Ascension Day & Parenting Focus

• The host opens by connecting the season of Ascension (Acts 1:8) and the expectancy for Pentecost with a spiritual call to consecration.
• John David Walt (00:52): “Wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you...I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.”

2. Scripture Reading & The "Secret" to Extraordinary Parenting

• Reading Ephesians 6:1–4 as the day’s text, emphasizing obedience and honor in parent-child relationships.

  “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother...so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” — (02:48)

3. The Reality of Parenting: Passing On Who We Are

• J.D. Walt discusses his own limitations as a parent:

  • “The longer I parent, the more I realize I know nothing about parenting. I could not write a book about it.” (04:28)

• The central insight: we parent not from our knowledge, but from who we are. Both blessings and brokenness are unconsciously transmitted through generations.

  “Whatever is in us, we pass on to our children — the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly.” (04:48) “Parenting is a multigenerational enterprise whose challenges are only exceeded by its complexities...everyone parents to one degree or another the way they were parented.” (05:10)

4. Breaking Generational Cycles Through Christ

• J.D. Walt introduces hope that, by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, redemptive change is possible.

• Honoring parents isn’t about their worthiness but our obedience and spiritual freedom.

  “The decision to honor your parents is not about them but you, not about their worthiness but your obedience...the outcome accrues to you.” (06:34)

• Failure to honor can perpetuate broken cycles; forgiveness is key to healing.

5. Parenting Pitfalls: Anger, Retaliation, and the Pendulum Effect

• Parents often react to their upbringing by swinging to the opposite extreme, which can itself become damaging.

  “Rather than an exercise in child rearing, it becomes a misdirected expression of parental retaliation. Children caught in this crossfire grow up in a culture of anxiety and anger...” (07:52)

6. The Power and Practice of Forgiveness

• Forgive your own parents: Release them, accept their humanity, and break the cycle of bitterness and brokenness.
  • “Forgiveness breaks the cycle of intergenerational sin, preparing the way for brokenness to become blessedness.” (08:55)
  • “When we sow forgiveness into the generation before us, we reap grace in the generation behind us. Extraordinary parents are made at the cross.” (09:38)
• “It’s never too late to become [an extraordinary parent].” (09:55)

7. Practical Application & Encouragement

• Prayer: Asking Jesus for grace to forgive and for the healing of family wounds. (09:58)
• Journal prompts:
  • Explore your understanding of the “promise” in honoring parents.
  • Consider your own unresolved wounds.
  • Reflect on steps toward forgiveness and healing, even if parents are gone. (11:00–11:50)
• Quote: “No matter how good our parents were, they didn’t get it all right...Forgiveness really is something that has to happen in you; it does not require the other person." (12:30)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Acknowledging the cycle:

  “Hurt people, hurt people. But you know what healed people do? Healed people heal people.” — J.D. Walt (14:10)

• On practical forgiveness:

  “Forgiveness really is something that has to happen in you...The other person does not have to hear your forgiveness of them.” (12:30)

• Blessing for listeners:

  “I do bless you in your work of parenting...to begin the journey of the healing of the wounds.” (14:22)

8. Intergenerational Reflection & Family Affirmation (With David Walt)

• Conversation about modeling honor across generations ("Do you feel like you witnessed me honoring my father and mother?" "I do, yeah.") (16:25)
• Affirmation that the model of honoring parents is visible to children and grandchildren.

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9. Hymn & Communal Worship (17:30–21:36)

• Singing “Be Still, My Soul” — a time for reflection and corporate encouragement, connecting faith, suffering, and hope.
• Emphasis that collective singing is an act of togetherness, not performance:

  “It’s a choir, and we’re part of the choir, and you’re part of the choir...” (18:06)

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10. Final Reflections: Hope and Forward Motion

• Discussion on facing grief and mortality with faith, looking toward reunion and ultimate healing. (21:43–22:58)
• Closing benediction:

  “It’s time to sow for awakening...He’s with you. He’s going to do them through you. He’s going to get the glory. You’re going to get the joy.” (23:09)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:04 – Opening & Consecration Prayer
• 02:48 – Scripture Reading (Ephesians 6:1–4)
• 04:28–09:50 – Main Reflection: Intergenerational Transmission, Parenting from Who We Are, Need for Forgiveness
• 09:52 – “The good news? It’s never too late...”
• 10:00–13:30 – Practical Steps to Forgiveness
• 14:10 – “Hurt people, hurt people, but healed people heal people.”
• 16:23–18:06 – Intergenerational Conversation & Singing Setup
• 19:04–21:36 – Hymn: “Be Still, My Soul”
• 21:43–23:09 – Reflections on Suffering, Death, and Hope
• 23:09–End – Final Blessing and Benediction

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Episode Takeaways

• Extraordinary parenting is not a technique but a grace-fueled process rooted in forgiveness and the transformative love of Christ.
• The process begins with self-reflection and the willingness to forgive past generations, breaking chains of bitterness and fostering new patterns of blessing.
• Honoring parents opens the way for generational healing, regardless of the quality of their parenting; the obedience is about the child, not the parent.
• It is never too late to begin the work of grace and transformation in your family.

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Notable Quotes (with Attribution & Time)

• “The longer I parent, the more I realize I know nothing about parenting.” — J.D. Walt (04:28)
• “Parenting is a multigenerational enterprise whose challenges are only exceeded by its complexities.” — J.D. Walt (05:10)
• “Forgiveness breaks the cycle of intergenerational sin, preparing the way for brokenness to become blessedness.” — J.D. Walt (08:55)
• “Extraordinary parents are made at the cross.” — J.D. Walt (09:38)
• “Forgiveness really is something that has to happen in you; it does not require the other person.” — J.D. Walt (12:30)
• “Hurt people, hurt people. But you know what healed people do? Healed people heal people.” — J.D. Walt (14:10)
• “It’s never too late to become one [an extraordinary parent].” — J.D. Walt (09:55)

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This episode delivers rich, heartfelt encouragement for parents at every stage, urging listeners to seek healing and transformation through spiritual practices and the radical grace of Jesus.

Transcript

[A]

Good morning sower nation. It is Thursday, May 14th in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm John David Walt and this is your wake up call. Well, friends, we had a wonderful time in Savannah and enjoyed seeing the various churches that we were able to be with and meeting lots of friends and it was a, it was a great trip and I'm now obviously I never left, but I'm back in the saddle, so to speak, here in the seed house in Gillette and we're ready to finish the race. Today, interestingly enough, is the day of the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. If I got my calendar right, you know, Jesus taught, it says in the Bible, his disciples for 40 days he taught them on the kingdom of heaven. And then after 40 days he ascended this incredible scene in Acts chapter one, verse eight, he ascended into the heavens. And 10 days later, which this year will be May 24, comes the Holy Spirit poured out on the church. So we're now in that 10 day, we're entering that 10 day season, that countdown if you will. So just want to be mindful of that in our journey following Jesus. That's what we're always doing here. And Jesus is opening his word to us, the word of God. So let's jump into consecration this morning. Wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

Well, today's entry we've been in three days of, of talking about marriage and today we're moving to parenting. How about that? How about that? Here's our, our title today is if this, if ever there were a click bait title to a wake up call, this is it. The secret to extraordinary parenting. That's almost a joke text is Ephesians, chapter 6. We're breaking into the last chapter today, verses 1 4. Hear now the word of the Lord. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment, with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. It's the word of the Lord. Now consider this. I have four children ranging in ages as of this recording from 20 to 25. They're adult children. I still find myself parenting, though.

[B]

You too?

[A]

The longer I parent, the more I realize I know nothing about parenting. I could not write a book about it. Though I have what I consider to be some of the best parents in the world, I struggle to write this entry. The problem with parenting is we don't parent from what we know. We parent from who we are, no matter what or how much we teach and train our children. The bigger reality and principle of parenting is that whatever is in us, we pass on to our children the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly. It passes to them in a million ways over which we have no control. The same thing happened between us and our parents. Parenting is a multi generational enterprise whose challenges are only exceeded by its complexities. Like it or not, everyone parents to one degree or another the way they were parented. All parents carry forward both the blessings and the brokenness of their own parents, who carried forward the blessing and the brokenness of their parents. But what if I told you it didn't have to be this way? Because of Jesus, life, death, resurrection, and reign, a new and living way of redemptive parenting has opened up that can set us free from the broken patterns of the past. We can't become perfect parents, but we can become parents of extraordinary grace. It begins by our making the conscious choice to heed the fourth commandment, the first one connected with a Honor your father and mother. But you say my parents dishonored me, so why should I honor them? They did not parent in a way worthy of honor. The decision to honor your parents is not about them but you, not about their worthiness but your obedience. Why? So that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Just as honoring one's parents is about you, so does the outcome accrue to you. The corollary must also be true. We could expect our failure to honor our parents to result in it neither going well for us nor enjoying long life on the earth. So why are we focusing so much on parents when the text is aimed at children, Note how the text also addresses parenting. Fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. So often a quiet anger churns within parents against their own parents in the way they were parented. It results in the resolve to do it differently, which so often leads to the pendulum swinging in the other direction, creating an opposite, if not equal, error. Rather than an exercise in child rearing, it becomes A misdirected expression of parental retaliation. Children caught in this crossfire grow up in a culture of anxiety and anger, somewh between exasperation and exhaustion. So what's a parent to do? Thanks for asking. Forgive your own parents. They did their best, but they too were carrying the burdens of the broken generations before them. Forgiveness breaks the cycle of intergenerational sin, preparing the way for brokenness to become blessedness. Only Jesus can heal our wounds. When we sow forgiveness into the generation before us, we reap grace in the generation behind us. Extraordinary parents are made at the cross.

[B]

And the good news?

[A]

It's never too late to become one. Let's pray. Abba Father, we thank you for your son Jesus, who shows us what it truly looks like to honor parents. Thank you for the profound example of his obedience to you in all things. Give us grace to let past hurts go so that our future might be healed. Teach us the way of extraordinary grace in Jesus name. Amen. Got a few journal prompts for us today. I hope that this is encouraging you. How do you understand the nature of the promise connected to the commandment to honor one's parents? And have you carried brokenness and bitterness toward your parents? How has this impacted your own parenting and children? And what unfinished business might you have with your own parents, even if they are deceased, that you need to deal with? What are you waiting for? Well, gosh, there's a lot right there, guys. And I feel like the Lord helped me. I mean, he helps me every day, but he particularly gave me, I think, some wisdom there. I don't think I saw it coming as I was writing it, like how to become Extraordinary Parents. And I think it does really hinge so much on forgiving your own parents. And we all have work to do there, all of us. No matter how good our parents were, they didn't get it all right. And let me say this again, I've talked about forgiveness before, but you know, forgiveness, it doesn't mean you have to track out all the dirty laundry in the living room and you know, go through bringing things up that are way in the past that maybe your parent would not even have a concept or memory of or any such a thing. Sometimes maybe that's good to do, but don't think it necessarily means to do that. That keeps a lot of people from doing it. Just like I just can't picture it. I can't imagine it. I can't go there. I've said it before. Forgiveness really is something that has to happen in you it does not require the other person. The other person does not have to hear your forgiveness of them. They do not have to receive your forgiveness of them. They do not have to process that with you. If, if so, fine, but not necessary. What is necessary is that you release them from the hurt that they have caused you from the sort of sin or debt or slight or whatever it was. You have to let it go. You have to go to the cross, right? That's where forgiveness is born and actualized. When you realize how much Jesus has forgiven you, and then you just begin to put the cross between you and the people that you need to forgive. And in Jesus name, you just say it out loud, mom, I forgive you for. And just you can say it and she doesn't need to have to hear it again. It's fine if you, if you want to go there, but I'm just trying to move a barrier out of the way here. You are the one who has to go there. And this will have a way of breaking that tie through which so much brokenness gets passed on. Okay, I think that's good enough. I think I've said enough today about how to be an extraordinary parent. And like I say, I, I, I know nothing. I have a lot of experience. I have a little bit of wisdom. I will not be writing a book on parenting anytime soon, but I do bless you in your work of parenting. To do your work, to do the work, to, to begin the journey of the healing of the wounds. I mean, we've all got them. And I've been around so many people who never did the work, and they just carry those wounds forward. And you know what they do? They wound their own children. Hurt people, Hurt people. But you know what, what healed people do. Healed people heal people. That's how it works. So the work is worth it. All right, let's sing. All right, everybody, look who's back.

[C]

Hello, brothers and sisters.

[A]

He is. Are you ready to sing today?

[C]

I'm ready, dad.

[A]

Today's entry in the Wake Up Call was about the fifth commandment. Well, let's see. One, two. I think it was the fifth honor your father and your mother and you know, I witnessed growing up, always you honoring your father and your mother.

[C]

I sure tried.

[A]

Now what I want to know is, do you feel like you witnessed me honoring my father and my mother?

[C]

I do, yeah. And all of our children have. They do. They're very kind, considerate, and are helpful.

[A]

Well, you heard it here first. I appreciate that because that's what I want to do.

[C]

Well, you're doing it.

[A]

And you honor me by being part of the Wake Up Call.

[C]

It's my pleasure.

[A]

And a lot of people out there really appreciate you being a part of this.

[C]

It's my honor.

[A]

I think it's kind of becoming. They really appreciate me being a part of this. You're it. No, I think you're it, Dad. I think that's the story here. You're the story.

[C]

Well, they're always for older people.

[A]

They're for older people.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

All right, what are we singing today?

[C]

Okay. Be still my soul.

[B]

Number 346.

[A]

Three, four, six.

[C]

Now, tell them what it's in, though.

[A]

It's in our Great Redeemer's Praise.

[C]

Amen.

[A]

That's our seedbed hymnal. And if you need a copy, look in the email. There's a link. There's a link in all the show notes on the podcast platforms. We want you to have a copy

[C]

because we want you to sing with us.

[A]

That's right. This is not a performance, is it?

[C]

No, it's. It's a togetherness.

[A]

It's a choir, and we're part of the choir, and you're part of the choir, so that's good. Thanks for reminding them we're not here hoping that you're listening to us. We want you to sing with us.

[C]

And I tell you what we'll do. We'll give you the page number before

[A]

we sing it every time.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Three, four.

[C]

But you got to have that book.

[A]

You got to have this book. Okay. And it's a great hymnal. It's the best hymnal in 100 years, I think.

[C]

Well, where can you get them?

[A]

Seedbed dot com.

[C]

That's all it takes?

[A]

Yep. Let's see. Let's hold up your book for them so they can see it. Let's see. Yep. This is a large print edition. Our Great Redeemer's Praise. Now, this is a leather special leather edition. I didn't know we were going to be. We're not selling, though, dad. We're sewing. Okay. All right, we're ready. I'm going to pitch us. You ready?

[B]

Be still, my soul the Lord is on thy side Bear patiently the cross of grief for pain Leave Tuesday's glass to order and pride in every change Ye faithful ill trembling Be still, my soul Thy Bless thy heavenly friend through thorny ways Lead to a joyful end Be still, my soul Thy God doth understand to guide the future as he has the past Thy hope thy caught for and let nothing fade all now

[C]

my

[B]

shall Be bright at last Be still, my soul the waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he swelled below Last verse. Be still, my soul the hour is taming when we shall be forever with the Lord when disappoint but grief and fear are gone Sorrow for God Love's purest joys remember Be still, my soul when change and fears are past all safe and blessed we shall meet at

[A]

last

[C]

that was good, my brother.

[A]

That was good, wasn't it?

[C]

That was right online.

[A]

A lot of people need that today.

[B]

Every word.

[A]

They're struggling. People are struggling hard. Things. Grief, pain, change. The end, you know, coming to the end of life.

[C]

That's right. And that's something we're going to all have.

[A]

That's right.

[C]

But, you know, we're not necessarily looking forward to it, but we want to be ready for it.

[A]

Exactly. What's the old country song? Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants.

[C]

Right now.

[A]

Nobody wants to die. That's the song.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Nobody wants to go. Right. As people's old joke, he said, I don't want to go on the first load. But you know what? If we. I think if we knew, if we could really have a real glimpse, we would be. We'd leave this dumpster fire in a second.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

This is a mess we're in because we'd see all.

[C]

A lot of our family.

[A]

That's right. That's right.

[C]

And my. My dear brothers up there now. Martin.

[A]

Martin Walt. The Walt brothers. That's right. Meemaw and people.

[B]

Yep, they're there.

[A]

Well, we gotta let these folks get out and get going in the day. It's time to sow for awakening. It's time to go out and do the things that Jesus does.

[C]

Amen.

[A]

He's with you. He's going to do them through you. He's going to get the glory. You're going to get the joy. So for The Awakening, I'm J.D.

[B]

walt.

[C]

And I'm David Walt.

[B]

We'll see you on the field.

[A]

Amen. On the field.

[C]

We're going to call it the rice Field.

[A]

The rice field. They're growing that around here? Yeah.

[C]

That's just time to get it planted.