ReligiosiTea

Spill your ReligiosiTea directly with the show host! Let us know your reactions, stories, and more!

Lucy's faith journey unfolds like many roads less traveled—winding, marked with detours, yet always finding its way back to a divine center. As a Christian attending a Baptist church, she describes herself as "more spiritual than anything," embodying a relationship with God that transcends religious formality.

What makes this conversation remarkable is Lucy's candor about the ebb and flow of faith. "I've had times I've strayed from God, questioned things or felt distant," she shares, "but no matter how far I drift, I always find myself being pulled back." This magnetic return forms the backbone of her spiritual experience—an authentic relationship rather than rigid adherence to tradition.

Lucy's approach to Christianity centers on "living in love" and inclusiveness. Her favorite biblical story—the adulterous woman from John 8—reveals her connection to Jesus's protection of the marginalized and his reminder that none are without sin. This understanding shapes her welcoming perspective: "God loves everybody...black, white, Mexican, gay, transgendered."

The conversation takes a fascinating turn when Lucy discusses her Graves' disease diagnosis. Despite the autoimmune condition affecting her eyes and heart, she never blamed God—a response that surprised even her colleagues. When her condition mysteriously went into remission without medical intervention after losing insurance coverage, Lucy sees divine intervention at work.

Perhaps most compelling is Lucy's blending of traditional Christianity with other spiritual elements—using crystals and sage in her home while contextualizing these practices within her Christian faith. "If I sage my house, I pray to God to protect my house," she explains, finding harmony between seemingly disparate traditions.

For anyone exploring faith, Lucy offers refreshing advice: be yourself, find a denomination that aligns with your values, and "don't judge a church based off of the people...judge it based off of how you feel when you're there." Her testimony presents contemporary faith as something deeply personal yet universally accessible—where imperfection is expected and authentic connection matters most.

Follow me on Instagram and Threads: @ReligiosiTea

You can use the link at the top of the show notes or email me at [email protected] to share your stories, thoughts, insights, reactions, and much more! I'm waiting for you to spill your ReligiosiTea!

Spill your ReligiosiTea directly with the show host! Let us know your reactions, stories, and more!

(Content Warnings)

This episode touches on themes of homosexuality, brief mention of sexual assault, and religious trauma. These themes might be difficult for some listeners to hear. Please be advised. 

(Description)

This episode was actually the first episode ever recorded for ReligiosiTea! Even before the introduction. This episode is also one of probably a few episodes that will eventually be recorded in a natural/organic setting rather than having a quiet studio-like space. This conversation took place around a kitchen table! This will not be the case for all episodes, but is part of the organic nature of the show. 

In this conversation, I had the opportunity to speak to my partner, Mark, and my cousin, Amberly about their different experiences of Catholicism. Because this conversation took part with 3 people, we formed a trinity of sorts to discuss themes of Catholicism through different and shared experiences with the faith (Hence the episode title A non-Holy Trinity). Mark grew up in the Philippines and Amberly grew up in Mexican Catholicism as practiced in a city on the US-Mexico border. I asked each of them to share their experiences with faith both as a personal experience and as a cultural construct in which they were raised. 

We dive into conversations about folklore, traditions, and beliefs between these two different cultures. We then transition into a conversation about each of their religious trajectories, whether or not they still identify with that faith, what their spirituality looks like now, and how they feel about their faith. Finally, we move into a discussion about how they each consider faith or spirituality in relation to their health, especially their mental health. 

(Content Caveat)

The conversations here are exploratory on my part. I didn't have an opportunity to do research on these topics aside from my own personal knowledge, so the ideas presented here are based purely on lay understandings of the religious and cultural topics discussed. We are not using this space to present purely accurate information, but rather to discuss and engage with personal knowledges around these topics. If there is something you feel needs to be corrected or addressed in the content shared, feel free to "Spill Your Tea" in the communications link above. 

Follow me on Instagram and Threads: @ReligiosiTea

You can use the link at the top of the show notes or email me at [email protected] to share your stories, thoughts, insights, reactions, and much more! I'm waiting for you to spill your ReligiosiTea!

Spill your ReligiosiTea directly with the show host! Let us know your reactions, stories, and more!

Welcome to the first Quick Tea Spill episode. 

This episode discusses recent executive orders from President Donald Trump in February of 2025. Particularly the executive orders on the establishment of a White House Office of Faith and on the Eradication of anti-Christian Bias. 

These orders leave a lot of questions about how religion will work in the government and what rights government workers have when serving the public to the detriment of marginalized individuals included in the public. 

Links:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishment-of-the-white-house-faith-office/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/eradicating-anti-christian-bias/

https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/first-amendment-and-religion

Follow me on Instagram and Threads: @ReligiosiTea

You can use the link at the top of the show notes or email me at [email protected] to share your stories, thoughts, insights, reactions, and much more! I'm waiting for you to spill your ReligiosiTea!

Spill your ReligiosiTea directly with the show host! Let us know your reactions, stories, and more!

This episode introduces your host for the ReligiosiTea Podcast Adren Warling. This episode gives an overview of Adren's own religious history, the motivations for stating this podcast, the origination of the name, and what to expect as the podcast rolls out. 

Follow me on Instagram and Threads: @ReligiosiTea

You can use the link at the top of the show notes or email me at [email protected] to share your stories, thoughts, insights, reactions, and much more! I'm waiting for you to spill your ReligiosiTea!