Meet the Voice Behind the DGLP Podcast | S2E7

What happens when you genuinely love God, or want a real relationship with Christ, but feel out of place in certain faith spaces?

In this episode of the Dear God, Lettuce Pray podcast, Santana shares the heart behind the podcast, why it exists, and the deeper assignment that led to creating a space where Scripture can be explored thoughtfully, honestly and without fear.

This conversation speaks to anyone who has ever wrestled with questions about faith, struggled with confusing or harmful teaching, or felt unsure where they belong spiritually. Santana explains why asking questions is not the same as questioning God, why biblical teaching carries serious responsibility, and why returning to the Bible with context matters more than ever.

If you've ever wanted to deepen your faith, think critically about the Bible, or rediscover Scripture with fresh clarity, this episode sets the foundation for what the Dear God, Lettuce Pray podcast is all about.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Let me start here. Um, I think there are more people than we realize who genuinely love God, or at least have a sincere desire to have a real relationship with Christ, but quietly feel out of place in certain faith spaces. And it's not because of a lack of faith or a rebellion, but just simply because they have questions, or because somewhere along the way they've encountered spiritual leadership that weaponize the word of God, often leaving people feeling pushed aside instead of drawn closer. And sometimes people are taught directly or indirectly that having questions means they are questioning God. And those are two very different things. Welcome to another episode of the Dear God Let Us Pray podcast. I am your host, Santana, and before we go any deeper into season two, I want you to understand the heart behind this mic, like how this podcast came to be and why it matters so deeply to me. Because it was never about starting a podcast just to just to talk. Like I actually started this podcast because it gave me a space to freely discuss the Bible out loud, like to really lean into it, study it, to wrestle with it, and honestly to just nerd out on scripture without feeling like I was overwhelming my friends or keeping all those thoughts to myself. Now I'm still learning and I am still growing in my own walk for Christ. Like I don't claim to know everything, but I do trust that the Holy Spirit leads and teaches and corrects along the way. And this podcast became a place where I could talk about the Bible openly while encouraging others to go to the word for themselves, like to read and explore and to encounter God personally through scripture. For a while, I kept noticing the same pattern. People were hungry for scripture, but nervous about asking questions, or that people were reading the Bible but not really always understanding what they were reading. And instead of feeling safe enough to explore that tension, many just stayed quiet. And that is a conditioning to me, for me personally, that began in my like childhood years, you know. So imagine how that looks when that child grows up, you know. Um, so if I felt this way, I can only imagine how you know other people felt. Like instead of feeling safe enough to explore that tension, many people just stay quiet. But here's something that I came to believe very strongly: God is not intimidated by sincere seekers. Like scripture invites us into understanding. Proverbs 2, verse 2 reads, Incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understand. Emphasis on apply your heart to understand. Now that doesn't sound like silence to me. So when the kind of space I was looking for didn't exist in the way that I needed it to, I built it with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course. And it's not from a place of knowing everything, but just from a place of like deep responsibility toward the word of God. Like the deeper I got into scripture, like truly studying it in the context and the things that were happening at that time, the more I began to see how seriously God takes spiritual leadership. Teaching the Bible is not casual work. James 3 1. Not many of you should become teachers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. Again, that's James 3 verses 1. Greater strictness is weighty language, and once you see that, you you cannot unsee it. Because over the years, I have watched sincere and vulnerable believers sit under teaching that sounded confident but lacked context. You know, they would be giving out messages, you know, that were very persuasive in delivery, yet not always faithful or fruitful to the text. Now, let me be clear: this is not about attacking pastors, but it is about the clarity that people deserve when they come to scripture. Like God Himself warns shepherds who mishandled that responsibility. Should not shepherds feed the sheep? Ezekiel 34 2. So when leadership is careless, people scatter, and that matters a lot to me. There is a part of my personal story that has deeply shaped this podcast, and it took me a long time to even have language for it. I was unknowingly participating in syncretism. Now we're not gonna unpack that today, but we will, because understanding how easily belief systems can blend without us realizing it is a conversation worth taking our time with. So we'll get there, but it'll be on another episode. But what I will tell you now is this getting back to the word has changed everything for me, and it's one of the biggest reasons this podcast exists. And let me say something: having questions is not the same thing as questioning God. I don't care who told you it is, it's not like it's not. John 8 32 reads, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. You cannot know the truth if you are afraid to seek it. Yet many believers have been conditioned to stay quiet, but God did not create you for silent confusion, He invites, He invites understanding. Now, let me talk to the thinkers for a moment. The thinkers, the skeptics, I'm not here to try to force you to believe anything, I'm not even here to even, you know, push you to go to church. Because again, I know how that is not the focal point here. But if you are willing to approach scripture without forcing uh a modern lens onto an ancient text, if you are willing to consider cultural and historical context, you may discover that the Bible is far more intellectually serious than people assume. 2 Peter 3:16 reads, the ignorant and unstable twist the scriptures to their own destruction. Context matters. Because without context, you can make the Bible say almost anything, and we see this happen very, very often. So for me, this is what it comes down to: getting back to the word, encouraging people to open the Bible for themselves, like not relying solely on inherited interpretations or personality-driven teaching or even spiritual tradition, encountering God directly through scripture. Acts 17 11. They received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. This scripture is about the Bereans. Um, when there was teaching going on at that time, they listened to what was being taught, but they checked the teaching every single time. And that is a posture that is honored by God. So whether you go to church every Sunday, whether you left, whether you carry church hurt, whether you're Bible curious or simply skeptical, or even if you're angry, even if you're angry with God, if you take the time to revisit scripture for yourself slowly and in context, it can change everything. 2 Timothy 2.15 reads, do your best, rightly handling the word of truth. And that's the work. And this show exists to encourage exactly that. Before we close today, if this podcast show has been encouraging you, challenging you, or helping you understand scripture more clearly, there are a few simple ways you can support this work. Follow the podcast on your favorite listening platform so that you never miss an episode. And if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, I'd be extremely honored if you left a review because those reviews help the show reach people who are searching for exactly these kinds of conversations. And if you want to stay connected beyond the episodes, join our SMS circle. Just text DGLP, so Dear God Let Us Pray, to 469-727-1322 to be part of it. If you feel led to support the podcast financially, you can make a one-time donation via Cash App at Dear God Let Us Pray. So D-E-A-R, G-O-D-L-E-T-T-U-C-E P-R-A-Y. And if recurring giving is on your heart, you can support the show monthly, starting at just $5 through the Buzz Sprout link found in the show notes. And finally, share the episode. Send it to a friend, a family member, or someone who's been looking for a space where faith and understanding can grow together. You also can connect with us on Instagram at Dear GodLetUsPray, where we will be ramping up our social media presence enjoying more clips from previous episodes. Alright, so if you hear nothing else from me, hear this. Open the Bible for yourself. Please. Just open the Bible for yourself. Whether it's your physical Bible, which I do believe everybody should have, the apps are cool, the apps are convenient, but just get back to the word. Read it patiently and in context. And read it expecting God to meet you there. Because I promise you it's a game changer. So if you've ever felt caught up between deep faith and deeper questions, there's absolutely nothing wrong with you. And as a matter of fact, you're likely growing. And you are absolutely welcome here. This is the Dear God Let Us Pray podcast. Remember to spread kindness and I love you dearly, but there is someone who loves you even more than that. This is Santana signing off. Peace.