The Word Is Given.

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 18: When God Misses Your Deadline

What happens when Jesus stops for one person while someone else is running out of time? In this episode, Rick, the Divine Scribe, finishes Mark chapter five (verses 21-43) and looks at Jairus, a synagogue leader whose daughter is dying, and the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.

We look at what Leviticus 15 meant for her, why Jesus stopping for an outcast matters, and what it means that, on Jairus' clock, Jesus was late. Rick also shares a recent request he put a deadline on, what happened when the date passed, and why he refuses to treat unanswered prayer as proof that you didn't believe hard enough.

Some questions to sit with:

• Can you still see someone else's need when you're desperate for help?
• Is a prayer with a deadline a request, or a bargain?
• What is faith when the deadline passes?

Leave a comment and let us know how waiting has affected your faith. Disagreement is welcome. Respect is required.

The word is given.

Send us Fan Mail

The spirits in Mark 5 know exactly who Jesus is—and they are afraid of him. The man they have tormented has a different ending: he is freed and sent home to tell his people about mercy.

That contrast made me ask a question I’ve carried for years: When Jesus meets someone who is suffering, should they expect punishment or compassion?

In Episode 17 of The Word Is Given, I reflect on Mark 5:1–20, the fear some of us learned in church, and a personal experience that changed how I see Jesus. I share a small part of that experience here; I’ll tell the full story in a future episode.

I’d love to hear what this passage brings up for you. You can join the conversation wherever you listen or watch, and follow the show for the next episode.

Scripture: Mark 5:1–20; Matthew 8:29

Send us Fan Mail

The disciples are caught in a terrifying storm. Their boat is filling with water, and Jesus is asleep.

Finally, they wake him and ask, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

That question is bigger than one storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Have you ever gone through something frightening and wondered where God was? Have you ever been told that maybe you just needed “more faith”? And what happens when the storm is actually your faith itself—the church you trusted or teachings about God that no longer make sense?

In this episode of The Word Is Given, we explore Mark 4:35–41, Jesus calming the storm, and what faith might look like when fear is still very real.

Maybe faith isn’t believing that storms will never come.

Maybe it’s realizing that even in the middle of one, you haven’t been abandoned.

I’m Rick, the Divine Scribe.

The Word Is Given.

Send us Fan Mail

 Jesus asks a simple question: why light a lamp just to hide it? In Episode 15, we dig into Mark 4:21-34 — the lamp, the growing seed, and the mustard seed — and what they actually say about how faith grows. Not with control. Not with fear. Quietly, in ways we don't always notice until we look back. 🎙️ New episode of The Word Is Given is up now. #TheWordIsGiven #Deconstruction #Mark4 

Send us Fan Mail

Thirteen episodes ago, I tried to explain why I started The Word Is Given. Now I understand the answer much more clearly.

In this special revisited episode, I share my experience with religious fear, the questions that followed me into adulthood, and why I eventually began deconstructing what I had been taught.

I wasn't deconstructing Jesus. I was deconstructing what I had been taught about Jesus.

I'm not here to tell you who to worship or what you have to believe. I'm inviting you to look again, ask questions, and use your own discernment.

Why am I doing this? Thirteen episodes later, I finally know how to answer that question.

In this special episode of The Word Is Given, I revisit my own story of religious fear, faith, and deconstruction—and what I've discovered since beginning this journey through the Gospel of Mark.

I wasn't deconstructing Jesus. I was deconstructing what I had been taught about Jesus.

I'm not here to tell you who to worship or what you have to believe. I'm here to ask questions, look again, and invite you to do the same.

Have you ever questioned something you were taught about God? Leave a comment and tell me about your experience.

Please like and subscribe if you'd like to continue the journey.

The Word Is Given.

Send us Fan Mail

Jesus tells the story of a farmer scattering seed onto four different kinds of ground.

But maybe the Parable of the Sower isn't about labeling people as good soil or bad soil.

Maybe the better question is: What happened to the soil?

In Episode 13 of The Word Is Given, Rick, the Divine Scribe, explores Mark 4:1–20 and asks what happens when the message of love and compassion begins to grow within us—but fear, worry, anger, money, responsibilities, and the noise of life start getting in the way.

Sometimes we're not ready to hear something.

Sometimes it doesn't take root.

Sometimes it gets choked out.

And sometimes we're finally ready—and something grows.

What is growing inside of you, and what might be choking it?

The word is given.

Send us Fan Mail

n Episode 12 of The Word Is Given, Rick explores Mark 3:13–35, where Jesus appoints twelve ordinary people to learn from him and carry his message forward.

Soon afterward, Jesus’ own family believes he has lost his mind, while religious authorities accuse his healing work of coming from Satan.

What is the unforgivable sin? Is Jesus trying to frighten ordinary people—or warning religious authorities who can look directly at healing, liberation, and goodness and call it evil?

If Jesus walked into some of our churches today, would we recognize him—or reject him because he challenged what we have always believed?

Send us Fan Mail

 Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath, but religious leaders respond by joining with political power and planning his death. In this episode, Rick explores Mark 3, hardened hearts, the “Son of Man,” and what happens when rules and power become more important than compassion. 

Send us Fan Mail

 In Episode 10, Rick explores Mark 2:13–28, where Jesus calls Levi, shares a table with outsiders, answers questions about fasting, and challenges burdensome Sabbath traditions. Through each encounter, Jesus brings the focus back to compassion, transformation, and the people religious practices were meant to serve. 

Send us Fan Mail

Four people carry a paralyzed man to Jesus, but the crowded house blocks their way. Instead of giving up, they climb onto the roof and tear it open.

In this episode, we explore Mark 2:1–12—a powerful story about healing, forgiveness, determined friendship, and love that refuses to surrender. We also consider what happens when religious tradition becomes too rigid to recognize healing happening right before it.