Mess i tUp Show 435 - Persnickety

Mess i tUp Show 435 - Persnickety

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation on Mess It Up Podcast brings together the Bow Tie Guy and his wife Bev for a relaxed, faith-focused chat that blends recovery, education and everyday family life. You’ll hear them start with a playful story about their grandson saying he’s “reby”, then swing straight into the “word of the week”: *persnickety* – being overly picky about tiny things that don’t really matter.

It’s a light, funny opener that sets up a deeper look at what really is important in recovery and in a Christian walk. The heart of the episode is the Know–Show–Grow teaching model, and Prison Fellowship’s twist on it: Know–Grow–Show. Drawing on their work inside men’s prisons, they talk about how clear objectives help people truly *know* biblical truths, *grow* in character and resilience, and then *show* their faith through daily actions.

Bev explains that “knowing is knowing, it’s not thinking”, highlighting the difference between vague ideas and solid understanding you can live by. They link this to the parable of the prodigal son and the patterns they see in incarcerated men: resisting God, blaming God for tragedy, then unexpectedly recognising His voice and realising “God was with them the whole time”.

A listener-submitted song, “Jesus All Along” by Franny Cash, ties in beautifully with this theme of God’s presence even “when I was barely breathing he gave me a song”. Throughout, the tone stays gentle and humorous, but it keeps circling back to practical growth: moving from spiritual “milk” to “meat”, becoming the kind of person whose life may be “the only Bible that people read”.

If you’re someone in recovery who connects with faith, or you simply like hearing how learning and scripture are used inside prisons, this episode might give you something to chew on. What could Know–Grow–Show look like in your own life today?