Rebecca St. James is Back and Better Than Ever with New Podcast
She’s back!
For many years, Rebecca St. James was on top of the Christian music world with several chart-topping hits including “Wait for Me”, “Reborn”, and “Song of Love”. Then in the midst of her success, she stepped away from the music industry in 2011 to marry and eventually start a family.
Over the last nine years, Rebecca has continued to dabble in media here and there with acting, authoring books, and taking the stage occasionally with her brothers Joel and Luke, the dynamic duo of for KING & COUNTRY.
Despite the corona-fueled chaos of 2020, Rebecca is re-emerging this year in a big way with the release of a new single, “Battle is the Lord’s”, a new album release this summer, and wait for it, a brand new podcast from the AccessMore podcast platform called Rebecca St. James Friends & Family.
I recently spoke to Rebecca about her new podcast, why it is so important to weave elements of faith into it during these trying times, and how podcasting is different from any other type of ministry she has ever done.
How have you and your family been making it through the coronavirus pandemic? Are you ready for things to get back to normal or whatever the new normal looks like?
We've kind of got that sense too, that this is going to be a new normal. I think for me, there's definitely been moments of just feeling pretty overwhelmed and battling fear because it is so foreign. I think the times that we're walking through right now is just so foreign and unprecedented. Therefore, we don't exactly know how things are going to wind up. It's just been this kind of catalyst for me to come back to what I know. And that is, Jesus is going to look after me and my family. I have a husband, I have a six-year old, a two -year old, and I am 28 weeks pregnant. Even being pregnant during this time, thinking about bringing a little boy into this world that we're in, that is just a super crazy time, has been sobering and challenging.
For someone who has never heard your new podcast, Rebecca St. James Friends & Family, how would you describe it to someone?
It is very authentic and very relational. We attempt to be very practical. There’s soundbites and Biblical truths that people can take away that are helpful for their life. There's a lot of podcasts out there that are kind of expert driven and I love those. I go to them, especially for some parenting help and to hear authors of books. This one to me feels like a slice of life and real-time conversation over coffee that can be a source of encouragement, wisdom, and truth being given through the stories that are shared. Jesus spoke through stories so much. He knew the power of story and how we can kind of take that and apply it to our life.
The podcast is really story driven, but I also think one of the takeaways that we want people to have from listening to the podcast is that they are not alone. I think a lot of people feel isolated or feel like I'm the only one that's struggling or dealing with this. Then they feel shame. They kind of get caught in this space of worry and fear. But when they hear that a lot of these other people are journeying through the same kind of stuff, that is just very real. I think there is encouragement right there in that, the feeling of I'm not alone. I'm not crazy because I’m dealing with fear, these challenges, or issues with my kids, my marriage, or my faith. I'm not alone. I think that's where it can be a really strong sense of source of encouragement for people. I think the podcast is timely right now with a lot of people feeling isolated.
Why is it so important to weave critical elements of faith into your podcast now more than ever due to the times we are living in?
All of us, it seems, are just desperate for truth. We're desperate for something that is real, that is grounding, that is absolute. I think there's so much confusion that people are feeling worldwide right now, so much anxiety, so much fear of the unknown. There are just so many uncharted waters of what we're walking through that I think Biblical grounding (is critical). Every one of my podcasts has some form of Scripture in it at some point. Biblical truth is weaved throughout every single one. That's intentional on our part because the Bible will not return void. We are promised that. So, when we share Scripture, we know we're sharing the power of God. It's life giving. I just think people need truth. They need to be encouraged through Biblical wisdom. To me, that's just absolutely essential in these days that we're walking through.
Will the podcast be guest driven, topic driven, or a combination of both?
I would say a combination of both, but for me, the topic is incredibly important. On the front end, I've been working with each guest. It's not a sort of get together and see what happens. It's very intentional on the topic. All the topics relate to faith and family. They're either relationally oriented toward marriage, kids, parenting, faith, and prayer, things that are integral to our faith journey, ways that we've seen God show up. It’s very topic driven, but each guest has their own journey and life story to draw from too. So, it it's very much clued into their journey, but I'm sharing parts of my story as well. I feel very committed to being very authentic about my story. It's a lot of back and forth. It doesn't feel super interviewee to me. It’s just a very real conversation.
You’ve had a notable music career, you're an author, you’ve been a public speaker, and you've even done some acting. How is podcasting different from any other ministry you have done?
That’s a really good question. I think one of the reasons that I'm finding it so incredibly life-giving is that every podcast I done, I have what I call a podcast partner, a guest, that I am journeying with in these conversations. It's not just me up on a stage sharing my story, my journey, or me acting in a film. It’s up to me to bring that role to life. I'm sharing this platform with people that I trust and that I feel have something really strong and God-honoring to say. I love that. I love being a team with these wonderful people and hearing their life stories. I'm encouraged by the community that I'm experiencing with these podcasts. What’s so remarkable for me is the team and community element. I'm absolutely loving it. I think people will be able to hear that in my voice too. I laugh a lot in this podcast. There’s genuine joy in it. Sometimes we talk about challenging issues. For example, we did an episode the other day on trauma and how to deal with it. My guest was my pastor from our church.
Final question for you. There are more than one million podcasts currently available through a variety of venues. What sets your podcast apart from all the others?
My podcast is just a slice of real life. Somebody just said to me that the podcast feels like a big hug. It feels very warm. I would like to think that it’s a combination of the warmth, joy, authenticity, the subject matter, my unique life journey, and the people that I have on the show. There is something special about the real conversations that are happening because of those stories colliding that is unique. We hope to continue to bring that.
To learn more about the AccessMore podcast network please visit accessmore.com/.
