About this episode

Tia Nelson shares her journey from a performance-based faith to a deeper, authentic relationship with God.

What happens when faith feels more like doing the right things than truly knowing God? In this episode of the Faith Conversations Podcast, Jessica Cabrera talks with Tia Nelson about growing up with faith, questioning whether religious activity was enough, and eventually discovering a deeper relationship with Jesus. Raised in small-town South Carolina, Tia was introduced to faith early through conversations with her grandfather and chose to be baptized at six years old. But as she grew older, she began to wrestle with whether faith was meant to be more than following rules and staying busy with the right activities. Her search for deeper understanding led her to Scripture, Christian authors like John Piper, and Christian involvement at Clemson University. A turning point came during six months in Australia, where she encountered a bold example of authentic faith that helped her see faith not as performance, but as relationship. Later, while living in Washington, D.C., personal trauma and distance from Christian community left her questioning her identity and place in church. Yet even there, God was still pursuing her. Through the love of a small group community, Tia experienced…

People in this episode

Host: Jessica Cabrera

Guest: Tia Nelson

Topics covered

• faith journey
• authentic relationship with God
• overcoming religious performance
• personal trauma
• Christian community
• identity in Christ

Keywords

• faith
• authenticity
• Christianity
• identity
• community
• healing
• relationship with Jesus

Mentioned in this episode

Places: South Carolina, Clemson University, Australia, Washington, D.C.

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• The Resurrection of My Faith: Whitney Howell’s Journey Back to God · March 17, 2026 · 32 min
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