The Wake-Up Call

Latest Episodes:

Facts Lead to Faith, and Faith Leads to Feelings (and Not the Other Way Around) Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

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P. S. ❗️ Jesus Manifesto Again, here’s the link to the Romans 12 Jesus Manifesto PDF in case you missed it: https://seedbed.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Romans-12-The-Jesus-Manifesto.pdf

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This episode explores the idea that lasting transformation begins with the facts of the gospel—not with our changing emotions or efforts at self-improvement. Reflecting on Romans 7, JD explains that through Jesus’s death and resurrection, believers have died to sin and the law’s condemnation and now belong to Christ. The central invitation is to renew the mind by grounding faith in what Jesus has already accomplished, trusting that real, durable feelings and lived experience will follow from that truth.

The conversation then turns practical and devotional, with JD and David emphasizing that Jesus’s presence is a constant reality rather than something measured by a momentary feeling. They contrast the fleeting emotional pull of a fictional movie with the deeper, lasting impact of the true story of Christ, then close with a hymn and an encouragement to carry that faith into the day—“farming the gospel,” sowing hope and love, and trusting Jesus to go with them.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Awakening and Consecration
01:11 Transformation Through Consecration
02:19 Understanding Romans: Law and Grace
04:23 The Shift from Sin to Grace
06:36 The Reality of Christ's Work
09:35 Renewing the Mind and Experience
12:03 The Power of True Stories

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

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Get the Wake-Up Call in your email each day ► https://seedbed.com/wakeupcall ⛪️ Are you a pastor? We'd love to connect ► https://seedbed.typeform.com/to/dymjFhUB Join the Field Team and help us sow the Wake-Up Call into new hearts ► https://seedbed.typeform.com/fieldteam Join the conversation: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seedbedwakeupcall/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewakeupcall/ Listen to the podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wake-up-call/id1040184070 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7t5qb5dpC7n0yxdyNsTKzTsi=e87495c982f145f6

Moving from My Commitment to Jesus's Consecration Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

- - - - - - - J.D. Walt explores consecration through the rhythm of “wake up, rise up, light up,” drawing from Ephesians 5 and Romans 6. He frames the daily act of turning toward Jesus not as trying harder to earn God’s love, but as responding to the devotion Jesus has already shown. Consecration becomes a whole-person practice—offering one’s heart, mind, attention, and body to God—and a way of moving from self-improvement into genuine transformation.

The episode closes by emphasizing that eternal life and holiness begin in the present as a life of belonging to Jesus. Walt invites listeners to release shame, stop managing life through willpower alone, and trust more deeply in God’s love. Through prayer, reflection prompts, and a simple song, he encourages listeners to begin each day by fixing their eyes on Jesus and stepping into a life of renewed love, wholeness, and service to others.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Wake Up to Transformation
02:55 The Power of Consecration
05:53 Understanding Devotion and Commitment
09:08 The Daily Practice of Surrender
11:49 Eternal Life and Holiness
15:00 Living in the Love of Jesus
18:10 Going All In for Love

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

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The Problem of Vertigo Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

- - - - - - - J.D. Walt reflects on Romans 6:15–18 and the tension between sin and grace, describing it as a kind of spiritual “vertigo.” Using a Venn diagram, he explains that believers can feel caught between old patterns of self-will and the new life offered through grace. The central invitation is not to work harder through shame or willpower, but to surrender afresh to Jesus, trusting his patience and allowing grace to become the guiding force in daily life.

The episode closes with prayer, journaling prompts, and an encouraging reminder that spiritual growth takes time. J.D. is joined by his dad for a warm conversation and a rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” followed by a dedication to the editor who helps bring the daily program together. Their closing encouragement is simple: even in discouragement, lean into Jesus, trust him with the next step, and hold on to hope.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Wake Up Call: Introduction to Transformation
03:22 The Problem of Vertigo: Understanding Sin and Grace
10:23 Moving Beyond Vertigo: Embracing Grace and Surrender

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Get the Wake-Up Call in your email each day ► https://seedbed.com/wakeupcall ⛪️ Are you a pastor? We'd love to connect ► https://seedbed.typeform.com/to/dymjFhUB Join the Field Team and help us sow the Wake-Up Call into new hearts ► https://seedbed.typeform.com/fieldteam Join the conversation: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seedbedwakeupcall/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewakeupcall/ Listen to the podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wake-up-call/id1040184070 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7t5qb5dpC7n0yxdyNsTKzTsi=e87495c982f145f6

Why We Need a Better Bumper Sticker Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

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P.S. Last Us for the Next Two Nights! Join Us Online for the New Room Conference! Can’t make the trip in person? You can experience the entire New Room Conference right from home. Join us online for an inspiring time of connection and worship as we are equipped to sow for a great awakening. I’d love to gather with you virtually—register for the livestream here: https://seedbed.com/nrc26-livestream/

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JD Walt reflects on Romans 6 and challenges the idea that Christian life is simply “believe and behave.” Instead, he frames it as “behold and become”: by remembering Jesus’s death and resurrection and offering ourselves fully to God, we are gradually filled with the fullness of Christ. He redefines perfection not as flawlessness, but as wholeheartedness—bringing God all that we are, even with our mistakes, and receiving his life in return. He illustrates this with a childhood story about his mother praising his imperfect first written story as “perfect” because it was his fullest offering.

The message closes in prayer and reflection, then shifts into a warm, playful exchange with his father about resurrection life, community, and singing hymns together. Their closing encouragement is to carry that resurrection power into everyday life.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Awakening to Christ's Presence
05:15 Understanding Our Identity in Christ
09:53 The Journey of Transformation
13:57 Embracing a New Kind of Perfection

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

The Day It Started Changing for Me Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

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P.S. Can't Make it to the New Room Conference? Join Us Online for the New Room Conference! Can’t make the trip in person from Sept 30–Oct 2? You can experience the entire New Room Conference right from home. Join us online for an inspiring time of connection and worship as we are equipped to sow for a great awakening. I’d love to gather with you virtually—register for the livestream here: https://seedbed.com/nrc26-livestream/

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JD Walt reflects on Romans 6 and the moment in his early twenties when its message radically challenged his understanding of faith. He explains that following Jesus is more than treating salvation as an assurance for the future—it is an invitation into a present, transformed life. The central shift is to stop fixating on personal failure and instead focus on Jesus: through Christ’s death and resurrection, believers are no longer defined or ruled by sin but are alive to God.

The episode closes as a prayerful encouragement to embrace that truth daily. JD invites listeners to declare, “I am dead to sin” and “I am alive to God,” especially in moments of temptation, frustration, or discouragement. Joined by his dad for a hymn, he reinforces the day’s wake-up call: Christ is alive, the gospel is personal and powerful, and listeners can step into the day with renewed hope and purpose.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Wake Up and Rise Up
01:25 The Day It Started Changing for Me
05:13 The Matrix Moment of Truth
07:02 Living in the New Life
08:34 Journal Prompts for Reflection
10:47 Declaring the Truth of Freedom

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

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What Jesus Left Behind in the Tomb Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

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JD Walt reflects on Romans 6 and the meaning of baptism through the image of Jesus’s tomb. He explains that while the tomb is empty of Christ’s body, it is full of the sin and sins Jesus carried there—buried, defeated, and left without power. Baptism, then, is not merely symbolic; it is participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, where the old self is buried and believers are raised into a genuinely new, free life with God.

The episode closes with a prayer inviting listeners to remember their baptism more deeply and live from that freedom. JD encourages the audience to stop treating baptism as a religious formality and instead return to its life-changing reality. He is then joined by his father, David, for a spirited rendition of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” followed by a warm reminder that every day offers a new beginning through Christ.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Awakening to Christ's Presence
01:03 Understanding Baptism and New Life
03:52 The Significance of the Empty Tomb
06:46 Buried with Christ: Sin and Redemption
10:45 The Depth of Baptism's Meaning
12:32 Reflecting on Our Baptismal Journey

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

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The Soundtrack of the Gospel Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

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P.S. Have You Downloaded the Jesus Manifesto? Here’s the link to the Romans 12 Jesus Manifesto PDF in case you missed it: https://seedbed.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Romans-12-The-Jesus-Manifesto.pdf

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This episode explores “The Soundtrack of the Gospel” by pairing Romans 5 with the hymn in Philippians 2. JD Walt contrasts the story of Adam with the story of Jesus: Adam’s path is one of grasping, pride, disobedience, and descent, while Jesus’ path is one of humility, obedience, sacrificial love, and ultimate exaltation. Using the visual image of an A-shape and a V-shape, he shows how Jesus reverses the broken pattern of humanity and opens the way from sin and death into grace, righteousness, and life.

The reflection closes in prayer from Hebrews 12 and invites listeners to sit with the scale of that transformation. JD encourages listeners to see the Christian life as a continual movement away from the self-centered “mind of Adam” and toward the renewed “mind of Christ.” He also uses an iPad that keeps flipping back to illustrate how easily human nature returns to old patterns—and why following Jesus is an ongoing journey of being transformed and learning to live in love.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Awakening to the Gospel
01:13 The Soundtrack of the Gospel
12:02 The Journey of Transformation
17:11 Turning Our Eyes to Jesus

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

Disciples That Make Disciples: Wake-Up Call Conversations with J.D. Walt and Luke Smith Sep 27, 2026

Show notes

Come hear from Luke at the New Room Conference Sept 30 - Oct 2

In-Person Tickets: https://seedbed.com/newroomconference2026/
Virtual Livestream Tickets: https://seedbed.com/nrc26-livestream/

Get Luke's Book: https://my.seedbed.com/product/how-to-make-disciples-that-make-disciples-fusion/

Fusion Website: https://fusionmovement.org/resources

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J. D. Walt welcomes UK-based student ministry leader Luke Smith for a conversation about seeing God as a gardener rather than a machine-builder. They explore how Scripture’s agricultural imagery—seeds, roots, weeds, pruning, cultivation, and harvest—offers a richer way to understand spiritual growth, discipleship, and the church. Luke reflects on the way modern language often frames people as machines, while the biblical vision calls people to be planted, refreshed, and nurtured in God’s love.

Luke shares his work with Fusion, which helps university students find faith in Jesus and belonging in local churches. He describes a growing spiritual openness among students and encourages churches to make room for young adults through hospitality, intergenerational relationships, small groups, and one-to-one discipleship. The conversation closes around Luke’s forthcoming resource, How to Make Disciples That Make Disciples, and the shared conviction that faithful discipleship is less about producing results and more about tending a living “salvation garden.”

CHAPTERS:
00:30 Introduction to Friendship in God's Kingdom
03:28 God as a Gardener: The Nature of Growth
06:23 The Metaphor of Farming in Scripture
09:32 Discipleship: Growing vs. Producing
12:23 The Mustard Seed: A Parable of Growth
15:29 The Role of Agriculture in Understanding Scripture
18:26 Fusion: Reaching Students for Christ
22:05 Fusion USA and Campus Ministry Opportunities
23:23 Personal Journey and Spiritual Climate Change
28:49 Undermining the Devil's Work
29:40 Engaging with College Students
32:32 The Impact of Local Church Families
35:08 Gardening Analogy for Church Growth
38:37 Discipleship Resource Overview

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There Are Only Two Stories Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

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This episode centers on the contrast between two spiritual stories: the story of Adam, marked by sin, death, brokenness, and division, and the story of Jesus, marked by grace, life, forgiveness, healing, and wholeness. Drawing from Romans 5, J.D. Walt emphasizes that humanity is born into the Adam story, but is invited into the far greater story of Jesus, where grace overflows beyond sin and resurrection triumphs over death. The message is framed as a “how much more” reality: God’s gift in Christ is bigger than the fall, and the listener is urged to stop living with a divided heart and fully receive the invitation into Jesus’s way.

The episode also connects this theological point to everyday faith and witness. It critiques hypocrisy as one reason people resist Christianity, arguing that those who claim Jesus but still live by Adam’s story undermine the invitation of the gospel. In response, J.D. calls for wholehearted surrender, describing salvation as inviting Jesus into the house of one’s life, then eventually handing over the keys and even the deed. The tone is pastoral and hopeful, ending with prayer, journaling prompts, and a vision of a life transformed by Christ’s presence, love, and power.

CHAPTERS:
00:04 Awakening to the Invitation
01:19 The Two Stories: Adam vs. Jesus
05:19 The Hypocrisy Dilemma
08:49 Crossing Over: Embracing the Story of Jesus
10:58 Surrendering to Transformation
12:46 The Power of Hymns
15:40 Faith and Transformation

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Sing along with us! ► https://seedbed.com/hymnal/

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Friendship as a Spiritual Practice: Wake-Up Call Conversations with J.D. Walt and Jess Gracewski Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Come hear from Jess at the New Room Conference Sept 30 - Oct 2

In-Person Tickets: https://seedbed.com/newroomconference2026/

Virtual Livestream Tickets: https://seedbed.com/nrc26-livestream/

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This episode is a wide-ranging conversation between JD Walt and Jess Gracewski about Jesus, friendship, and spiritual formation. Jess shares her story of being adopted from South Korea, growing up in a military family, and eventually finding her calling as associate pastor at Reality San Francisco. A central thread throughout the conversation is how Jess came to know Jesus not just as an idea, but as a person through the embodied care of friends in the local church. JD and Jess reflect on the way real friendship makes Christ tangible through meals, conversations, prayer, vulnerability, and presence.

The heart of the episode is the claim that Jesus doesn’t merely love humanity in the abstract—he loves and likes each person personally, and that truth is often made visible through healthy Christian friendship. They linger over John 15, especially Jesus calling his disciples friends, and connect that passage to banded discipleship, healing, and transformation. Jess describes how small groups of trusted friends have helped her feel known, confess honestly, and grow in capacity to love others without performance or scarcity. By the end, the conversation presents friendship as both a means and a goal of discipleship: a living, grace-filled place where people encounter Jesus through one another.

Learn more about Reality Church in San Francisco: https://realitysf.com

Learn more about banded discipleship: https://discipleshipbands.com

CHAPTERS:
00:14 Introduction to Jess and Her Journey
03:16 Role at Reality Church
04:01 Personal Journey to Faith
07:10 Understanding Jesus' Love
10:26 The Essence of Friendship with Jesus
11:55 Jesus Likes You
14:39 Interconnectedness in Faith
15:59 Exploring John 15
17:58 Friendship and Discipleship
21:15 The Cathedral of Friendship
24:42 The Power of Friendship
29:44 Vulnerability and Healing
35:48 Banding and Transformation
41:44 Abundance in Relationships
45:44 Friendship as a Lifelong Journey

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