Transformational Question 1

Summary

The Wake-Up Call — "Transformational Question 1"

Host: John David Walt
Guest: John David's father
Date: March 18, 2026
Episode Focus: The first of three transformational questions for Lent: "Am I growing?"

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Overview

This episode of The Wake-Up Call centers on transformation—specifically, the first of three critical questions designed to spur spiritual reflection and growth during Lent. Drawing from personal anecdotes and mentoring lessons, John David Walt leads listeners through a deeper exploration of what it truly means to grow in faith, challenging the assumption that spiritual activity equals spiritual transformation. The episode blends scriptural reflection, reflection on the power of questions, a hymn sung with John David’s father, and communal encouragement to live rooted in Christ.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction and Context ([00:00]–[02:45])

• Consecration and Announcements:
  John David opens with a prayerful consecration and mentions a bonus conversation with Nick Perot about the origins of The Wake-Up Call.
• Scripture Invocation:
  Recites Ephesians 5:14 and personalizes a consecrating prayer, focusing listeners’ minds and hearts on Jesus (“Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you...I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Yes, Jesus, we belong to you.” [01:09])

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The Power of Questions in Faith ([02:46]–[06:40])

• Turning to Transformational Questions:
  Introduces the “Three Transformational Questions of Lent,” and humorously notes it's taken 25 days into Lent to arrive at the first question.
• Scriptural Foundation:
  Reads and reflects on 2 Peter 3:18:
  “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”
  Emphasizes the focus on real growth, not just activity.
• Jesus as the Questioner:
  “Everyone talks about Jesus as the answer. What if Jesus is actually more interested in being the Question?” ([03:36])
  Shares the fact that in scripture, Jesus asked over 300 questions, was asked 183, and directly answered only three.
• Sample Jesus Questions (Matthew):
  • “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” (Matt. 5:46)
  • “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?” (Matt. 5:47)
  • “Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?” (Matt. 6:27)
• “Have you not read?”:
  John David notes this as Jesus’s favorite question, said seven times, urging engagement with Scripture.

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The First Transformational Question: "Am I Growing?" ([06:41]–[10:06])

• Mentor's Wisdom from Maxie Dunham:
  Shares how mentor Maxie Dunham taught him:
  “John David, you will never outgrow the depth of the questions you are willing to consistently ask yourself.” ([07:18])
  Maxie’s three key questions are introduced; today focuses on the first.
• Distinction Between Activity and Growth:
  John David initially tries to answer by listing spiritual practices, but Maxie corrects him:
  “The question was not about your devotional activities and spiritual practices. The question is...am I growing?” ([08:32])
• Key Insight:
  “My growth in faith is not measured by my activities, but by the transforming work of God in and through my life. The question is not what am I doing? But what is God doing? Am I growing?” ([08:57])
• Reflection Invitation:
  Encourages deeper self-examination:
  “How would I know if the marks of my growth couldn't be measured by my activities, good and spiritual as they might be? How might growth be assessed?” ([09:25])
• Bottom Line:
  “Religious activity is not the measure of transformational growth. So what is?” ([09:54])
  Urges journaling with the question: “Am I growing?”

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Walking at the Speed of Jesus ([10:07]–[11:34])

• Staying Present in the Journey:
  John David encourages listeners not to rush through Lent or rush ahead to the next question.
• Personal Anecdote:
  Relates testing the pace of walking on a treadmill:
  “I always say Jesus walks three miles an hour. That's the speed of walking...I checked it down to two. I think two's it. Two's probably it.” ([11:14])
• Self-Reflection:
  Notes his own tendency to rush ahead, asks, “Am I in such a hurry?” ([11:24])

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Hymn Segment: "My Hope is Built" ([11:34]–[15:04])

• Singing with Dad:
  John David and his father sing “My Hope is Built” (Hymn #102), an anchor for their faith and the Lenten journey.
• All Verses Sung:
  “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand...”
  Listeners are invited to join in; John David’s father sings the bass line.

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Reflection and Reminiscence ([15:05]–[17:59])

• Choir Memories:
  Father and son reminisce about choir practice, rural church traditions, and beloved community members.
• The Legacy of Faithful People:
  Share memories of Carolyn Porter, a serious and celebrated choir leader.
• The Solid Rock Parable:
  John David connects the hymn to Jesus’s parable of the wise (rock) and foolish (sand) builders in the Sermon on the Mount.
  “The exact same storms and winds and rains came on both houses, but one of them stood because it had its foundation on a rock.” ([16:56])
• The Endurance of Hope:
  Reflects on the hymn’s reference to Christ’s return—“the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the life everlasting.” ([17:53])
• Community Feedback:
  John David shares, warmly:
  “People every day write me and talk about how much they love singing with you...they love singing with you. Us together.” ([18:01])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Everyone talks about Jesus as the answer. What if Jesus is actually more interested in being the Question?” — John David Walt ([03:36])
• “John David, you will never outgrow the depth of the questions you are willing to consistently ask yourself.” — Maxie Dunham, quoted by John David ([07:18])
• “My growth in faith is not measured by my activities, but by the transforming work of God in and through my life.” — John David Walt ([08:57])
• “Let's keep walking at the speed of Jesus.” — John David Walt ([11:20])
• “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” — Hymn sung by John David and his father ([12:17])
• “You're still standing on Christ, the solid rock. That's right. And all of the ground is sinking sand.” — John David Walt ([16:22])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Consecration & Opening Prayer: [00:00]–[01:26]
• Intro to Transformational Questions: [02:45]–[06:40]
• Mentor’s Story & The First Question: [06:41]–[10:06]
• On Spiritual Pace & Staying Present: [10:07]–[11:34]
• Singing "My Hope is Built" with Dad: [11:34]–[15:04]
• Choir Memories & Reflections: [15:05]–[17:59]
• Closing Encouragement & Sending Forth: [17:59]–[end]

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Journal Prompts

• What is the measure of transformational growth—as you would understand it?
• Am I growing?

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Tone & Style

Warm, reflective, gently humorous, and deeply invitational. The episode blends practical spiritual challenge with heartfelt family tradition and a sense of humble, hopeful community.

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Summary

This episode offers not only a probing question for personal and communal spiritual growth, but also a gentle, real-life portrait of how faith is cultivated both in intentional reflection and in shared family practice. By emphasizing the quality and depth of our questions—particularly, "Am I growing?"—the message urges listeners to assess spiritual growth by God’s action in their lives rather than merely by religious activities. The integration of song, story, and prayer provides a holistic encouragement: to walk slowly, honestly, and in step with Jesus, as together we journey through Lent and beyond.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Sower Nation. It is Wednesday, March 18th, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm John David Walt, and this is your Wake up call. And how about we begin today in consecration? Before we do that, I want to point out something I want you to watch for today. Maybe the link will be in the email, but we're releasing a conversation where I invited Nick Perot. Nick is our producer director of the Wake Up Call. He's a lot of the magic behind the scenes on this and so much of other things we do at seedbed. But we come on the day on that conversation and we just, I, I take you to the origin story of the Wake Up Call, how it started and it goes all the way back y', all to 2005. And a little devotion we started with 21 years ago. We I just tell that story, Nick and I kind of narrate through it and I think you'll enjoy it. So that's the announcement this morning. Let's dive into the meeting. 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. Yes, Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, today's entry, it only took us 25 days. It's transformational question number one, Jesus asking. I mean, who does that? Puts the title of the book the Three Transformational Questions of Lent and takes 25 days to get to question what I do it. Well, our text, Second Peter, chapter three, verse 18. Hear now the word of the Lord, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. Grow in the grace and knowledge that's good, grow. Now consider this. Everyone talks about Jesus as the answer. What if Jesus is actually more interested in being the Question? After all, over the course of his life and work, he asked more than 300 questions that we have written down. He was asked 183 questions by others. He directly answered only three of them. Simply working through that body of questions would make a fascinating master class. Quite literally master class. Now here's a small sample of three from just two chapters in Matthew's gospel. Chapter five here, verse 46. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Matthew 5:47. If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? And then chapter 6, verse 27 of Matthew. Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? I think I'm going to have to do a whole nother series just on so many of these questions. Well, the question Jesus asked the most, coming in at seven times, I call it. His favorite question began with these words. Have you not read? He's talking about the Bible. Have you not read? Wow. Think maybe we should read more. So back to the three transformational questions. They're from my mentor, as I told you yesterday, Maxie Dunham. In Mr. Miyagi fashion, he spoke these piercing words straight into my soul. John David, John David, you will never outgrow the depth of the questions you are willing to consistently ask yourself. Next, he raised three fingers as he said, I want you to begin regularly asking yourself these three questions. The first question is this. Am I growing? Am I growing? Before he could get to the second question, I immediately launched into answering the first one. I began to recount for Maxie the various ways I was reading the Bible and what I was gaining from the practice. Then I talked about my prayer life and how I knew I needed to be praying more and growing in my practice of fasting. Then I remembered to him how I had been trying to keep the Sabbath in a more regular way, and I started to humble, brag about that, too. Maxie kindly interrupted me. The question was not about your devotional activities and spiritual practices. The question is, he said, am I growing? Then it hit me. My growth in faith is not measured by my activities, but by the transforming work of God in and through my life. The question is not what am I doing? But what is God doing? Am I growing? How would I know if the marks of my growth couldn't be measured by my activities, good and spiritual as they might be? How might growth be assessed? Isn't it something? How? A good question rarely leads to a quick answer, but rather to more good questions. Bottom line, religious activity is not the the measure of transformational growth. So what is? I want you to grapple with this question today. What is the measure of transformational growth? Then I want you to ask yourself the first transformational question. Am I growing? That'd be great to journal with. Let's pray. Let's pray first, though. Lord Jesus, we want to start by asking you, am I growing? You know us better than we know ourselves. What do you have to say about this question? How would you have us reflect on it? Please guide us. We're praying as we're praying in your name. Jesus. Amen. And now the journal prompt. So, asking again, what is the. The measure? And there may be more there. There undoubtedly is more than one. But what is the measure, as you would have it, as you would imagine it, of transformational growth? And then, of course, I want you to journal, am I growing? All right, guys, finally we're into the heart of the matter. Took a long setup. It always does. And it's been a joy to get to this place with you. We've still got a good walk yet to go through these 40 days of Lent. And let's just. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's not rush up to what are the other questions. Let's stay on pace. Let's keep walking at the speed of Jesus. I got on a treadmill the other day. I was in a hotel, and I went down to the workout room and I. I thought, well, how fast is three miles an hour? I always say Jesus walks three miles an hour. That's the speed of walking. So I clicked it up to three miles an hour. I'm like, I'm not thinking he walked this fast. You can't hardly. It's not at, you know, leisurely. It's. It's a little bit of a pace. So I checked it down to two. I think two's it. Two's probably it. And I notoriously walk too fast. I walk ahead of people. It's not. It's not good. I don't know why I asked myself, am I in such a hurry? And I don't have that answer. So how about now? Let's hand it over. I got dad here today, and we're going to sing together before we hit the fields. Okay? Are we ready to sing today? We've got a great hymn queued up for us. Dad, tell us what it is.

[B]

It is. My hope is built. My hope is built.

[A]

What's the number?

[B]

102.

[A]

Number 102. And this is another strong hymn. And this is, you know, hymns like this. This is why we make the journey, the 40 day journey of Lent to the cross, so that we can build our hope even deeper on the moorings of everything. Okay, you ready?

[B]

I'm ready.

[A]

We're gonna sing all, all the verses we need. You sing into the mic now, dad.

[C]

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame but only lean on Jesus name On Christ a solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand all other ground is sinking sand when darkness veils his lovely Face I rest on his unchanging grace in every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil On Christ's solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand all other ground is sinking sand. His oath is covered as his blood some poured Be in a whelming flood when all around my soul gives way he then is all my hope and safe On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground it is sinking sand all other ground is sinking sand. When he shall come with trumpets sound who may I then in him before found Rest in his righteousness alone faultless to stand before the throne On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.

[A]

You know, dad, you jumped on the bass line there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You used to sing the bass line.

[B]

Yeah, that's what I did in the choir.

[A]

Isn't that down here?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Do you read those notes?

[B]

Yeah, I can read these notes here.

[A]

Let's try that chorus again. Can you sing the bass all the way through?

[C]

On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand all other ground is sinking sand.

[A]

You kind of out of practice on the. But.

[B]

Yeah, I'd have to go.

[A]

You have not been to QP in a while.

[B]

No, but I'm still singing in the choir.

[A]

Dad used to call choir practice.

[B]

He.

[A]

He come in from the farm on a Wednesday, dirty as you can imagine any. You know, if you leave off the farm about six o', clock, you still. You listen. You missed a half a day of work.

[B]

I know it.

[A]

And he'd say, I got to go to QP choir practice. And. Yeah, that was. Those were good days, you know that.

[B]

I didn't realize till not too long ago that Carolyn Porter had died.

[A]

Carolyn Porter. Oh, man. She was some. She was the choir. Yeah.

[B]

You didn't mess around in there.

[C]

No, she was serious.

[B]

You got to. You paid and stayed there.

[A]

Yeah, Carolyn.

[B]

But I didn't know she did that.

[A]

She did. And you went to the funeral. You were there. It was. It was a good one. She was well remembered and celebrated.

[B]

She was. Been in that church long time.

[A]

It's hard to keep up with it all, isn't it?

[B]

It is for me.

[A]

But you know what? You're doing good. You're. You know why you're doing good? Because you're still standing on Christ, the solid rock. That's right. And all of the ground is sinking sand. You know, that comes right out of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus told the story like a person who built their house on the rock. And built their house on the sand. The exact same storms and winds and rains came on both houses, but one of them stood because it had its foundation on a rock. That's where this hymn comes from.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then the other thing about this hymn is it goes all the way through at the end. It's not talking about our death. It's talking about Jesus return when Christ when he shall come with trumpet sound. O may I then in him be found Dressed in his righteousness alone faultless to stand before the throne. And that's going to happen. The second coming of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of the dead, the life everlasting. We're in it to win it all the way. So I hope you'll go out today on the fields humming this song. I know you will. Dad hums these hymns all day long. And one more thing, dad. Do you know that people every day write me and talk about how much they love singing with you?

[B]

Is that right?

[A]

They do.

[B]

I can't believe that.

[A]

They don't necessarily say they love singing with me, but they love singing with you. Us together.

[B]

Yeah, well, I'm. That's. I'm honored to be remembered that way.

[A]

So. Yeah, it's a. It's a joy for me, too. Well, gang, it's time for us to close out this morning meeting with Jesus and open up the meeting that's going to go out into the day of demonstration. We're following him from the inside. He's in us. He's leading us. We're just walking with him. He's going to show us all the places we can sow his love, his encouragement, his goodness, his care. So I got my seeds. You got yours, dad, you got yours. He's getting some. We will see you on the field, Sam.