Being a Christian In a Non-Christian Space | Sadie Rob Huff | Ginna Claire Mason | Donna Stuart

Summary

WHOA That's Good Podcast: Episode Summary Episode Title: Being a Christian In a Non-Christian Space | Sadie Rob Huff | Ginna Claire Mason | Donna Stuart
Release Date: December 2, 2024

Hosted by Sadie Robertson Huff, the "WHOA That's Good Podcast" episode titled "Being a Christian In a Non-Christian Space" features heartfelt and inspiring conversations with guests Donna Stuart and Jenna Claire Mason. This episode delves deep into maintaining Christian faithfulness in secular environments, pursuing personal dreams aligned with divine purpose, and the profound impact of mentorship and friendship.

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1. Welcome and Holiday Spirit

The episode kicks off with Sadie expressing her excitement for the holiday season and introducing her guests, Donna Stewart—a seasoned songwriter and musician—and Jenna Claire Mason—a Broadway star known for her role as Glinda in Wicked. Sadie highlights Donna’s contribution to the Hallmark movie A Carol for Two, emphasizing the catchy and meaningful nature of the song Donna wrote for the film.

Notable Quote:

Sadie Robertson (02:30): "Donna wrote the song, who knew it'd be you this Christmas? It’s mad catchy, which is the sign of a great song."

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2. Favorite Christmas Movies and Traditions

The trio engages in a lively discussion about their favorite Christmas movies, landing on classics like "It's a Wonderful Life" and favorites like "Elf". They share unique family traditions, from frying turkey twice a year to creative gift-giving practices.

Notable Quotes:

Donna Stewart (03:37): "The best Christmas movie of all time is It's a Wonderful Life."

Jenna Claire (07:10): "We open a gift on Christmas Eve, one gift that the kids choose. It's so exciting for them."

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3. Donna Stewart's Songwriting Journey

A significant portion of the episode focuses on Donna Stewart's inspiring journey to writing the perfect song for a Hallmark movie. Jenna Claire shares how Donna stepped into fulfilling a dream she held—writing songs for movies—demonstrating faith and perseverance.

Story Highlights:

• Jenna Claire was cast in "A Carol for Two" and needed a song for a pivotal moment in the film.
• Donna, recognizing the opportunity, prayed and authored the song "Magic Words" despite initial uncertainties.
• The song was quickly accepted by the production team, becoming a cornerstone of the movie's narrative.

Notable Quotes:

Donna Stewart (15:53): "I prayed, 'Lord, guide me in your word today as we were going to be on this podcast. Take me to your plan for today.'"

Jenna Claire (17:18): "The creative producer called me and said, 'Hallmark picked your song.' I was like, 'What?'"

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4. Building Friendships Through Ministry

Sadie shares the unique bond she and Jenna Claire have developed through their shared faith and professional interactions. They recount how mutual respect and shared Christian values fostered a deep and lasting friendship.

Notable Quotes:

Sadie Robertson (33:03): "Our first text ever was Christian sending me Ben's podcast. Without that sermon, I don't know if we'd ever get married."

Jenna Claire (34:27): "Meeting you on the Duck Commander musical was a blessing—you're such an inspiration."

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5. Pursuing Dreams with Faith

The conversation shifts to the themes of dreaming big and trusting in God’s plan. Jenna Claire discusses her Broadway journey, highlighting the perseverance required to land her dream role despite numerous auditions and setbacks.

Notable Quotes:

Jenna Claire (38:04): "Psalm 37:4 has always been my guide—'Delight in the Lord, and He'll give you the desires of your heart.' It's not about getting wishes granted, but aligning desires with God."

Sadie Robertson (39:35): "It's important to stay faithful when you keep hearing no. When you feel something in your heart, stick with it."

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6. Overcoming Challenges and Embracing God’s Timetable

Donna shares her reflections on waiting for God’s timing, emphasizing that perseverance leads to fruitful outcomes. She relates her experiences to biblical stories, reinforcing the message that God orchestrates every step towards fulfilling one’s purpose.

Notable Quotes:

Donna Stewart (24:24): "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

Sadie Robertson (26:53): "You are His masterpiece, created to do good works that He prepared beforehand."

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7. The Power of Mentorship and Community

The episode highlights the significance of mentors in personal growth and the role of community in achieving dreams. Sadie, Donna, and Jenna Claire express gratitude towards mentors and illustrate how these relationships can transform lives.

Notable Quotes:

Donna Stewart (54:23): "If we're not living for Jesus, what are we doing? Use the gifts God has given us to shine His light."

Sadie Robertson (54:22): "You truly are my mentor. It's majestic to see how God used you to influence others."

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8. Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts

As the episode nears its end, the guests share their upcoming projects, including Donna’s EP "Prepare My Heart to Wonder" and Jenna Claire’s involvement in additional Hallmark projects. They encourage listeners to pursue their passions while staying rooted in their faith.

Notable Quotes:

Jenna Claire (70:45): "Our Christmas EP, Prepare My Heart to Wonder, blends worship with festive melodies. It's been a beautiful journey."

Donna Stewart (66:12): "Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, 'We are God's masterpiece, created to do good works.' Embrace your purpose."

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Conclusion

This episode of "WHOA That's Good Podcast" offers a touching exploration of living out Christian faith in secular settings, the importance of mentorship, and the fulfillment that comes from aligning personal dreams with divine purpose. Through authentic storytelling and shared experiences, Sadie Robertson Huff, Donna Stewart, and Jenna Claire Mason inspire listeners to persevere in their faith while pursuing their God-given talents.

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Key Takeaways:

• Faith and Perseverance: Staying true to one’s faith and dreams despite challenges.
• The Power of Community: Building meaningful relationships through shared values and mentorship.
• Purpose-Driven Success: Aligning personal ambitions with divine purpose leads to fulfilling outcomes.

Inspirational Scripture:

Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Recommended for Listeners Who:

• Seek inspiration on maintaining faith in non-religious environments.
• Are pursuing creative passions and looking for encouragement.
• Value the role of mentorship and supportive communities in personal growth.

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Listen to the full episode here.

Transcript

[Sadie Robertson]

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[Donna Stewart]

Whoo.

[Sadie Robertson]

At checkout. That's vitalproteins.com with the promo code.

[Donna Stewart]

Whoa.

[Sadie Robertson]

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[Jenna Claire]

The Apple Watch Series 10 is here.

[Sadie Robertson]

It has the biggest display ever. It's also the thinnest Apple Watch ever, making it even more comfortable on your wrist whether you're running, swimming, or sleeping. And it's the fastest charging Apple Watch.

[Jenna Claire]

Getting you eight hours of charge in just 15 minutes. The Apple Watch Series 10, available for the first time in glossy jet black.

[Sadie Robertson]

Aluminum compared to previous generations. IPhone XS are later required. Charge time and actual results will vary. What's up, fam? Happy Monday, sisters and friends. I hope you're having a great start to your week. But as you can tell, it's about to get so much better because we are very much in our holiday spirit over here. I have two very special guests on the podcast. One you know very well, Donna Stewart. One you've seen her, you know her, you love her. And I talk about her all the time, even when she's not this podcast. And we also have a new friend, y'all, Jenna Claire, who y'all are about to absolutely fall in love with. Like, it's so crazy how we are even connecting right now in this scenario. We'll talk about all that later. But very, very special. You are, like, queen of Hallmark right now. I say you're a new friend. So many people recognize you, see you and the stuff that you've done. And we'll get into that later. But they have a movie out right now. And I say they because Donna actually wrote the song that's in the movie A Carol for Two, which is so crazy, by the way. Donna, the song, who knew it'd be you this Christmas? Christian and I sing it all the time. Like, if one of us starts it, we're like, no, because. Because it'll be stuck in our head all day long. It's mad catchy, which is the sign of a great song.

[Jenna Claire]

Absolutely.

[Sadie Robertson]

Mad Catchy is right. Also, it's airing on Hallmark December 3, December 12 and Christmas Day. So if you want to get a chance to watch it, definitely check that out. Hopefully it'll then go on to be on other platforms, but definitely catch it. This holiday season for sure, we're gonna talk all about that. But first, I have some Christian, Christian, Christian questions for you.

[Jenna Claire]

What's on your mind?

[Sadie Robertson]

Christian questions for y'all. Oh, and you have a new EP coming out.

[Donna Stewart]

Come on.

[Sadie Robertson]

Send my heart to wonder. So good. Donna, you wrote on that as well too. So you guys are just really.

[Jenna Claire]

It's an exciting time.

[Sadie Robertson]

Full sending it for the holiday season. Blessing the people.

[Jenna Claire]

Your book's coming out. The wicked. You get a book coming out, it.

[Donna Stewart]

Will be out by this time.

[Jenna Claire]

It's a good time to be alive.

[Sadie Robertson]

Good time to be alive. You're breathing. Congratulations. You're in for a heck of a time this holiday season. But yes, have some fun Christmas queer questions. First one is an easy one. Your favorite Christmas movie.

[Donna Stewart]

Oh, that's not an easy one.

[Sadie Robertson]

I know. That is hard.

[Jenna Claire]

Whoa.

[Donna Stewart]

She didn't even give us an.

[Jenna Claire]

I mean, like, old school. The best Christmas movie of all time is It's a Wonderful Life. That's.

[Donna Stewart]

But which one?

[Sadie Robertson]

I thought you were going to say Christmas story, so that's so funny.

[Jenna Claire]

Oh, really?

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah. Cuz It's a Wonderful Life is a fantastic.

[Jenna Claire]

But then, like, if you want something light.

[Donna Stewart]

Elf.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, of course. Duh.

[Jenna Claire]

Although, see, this isn't a favorite. But have you seen Claus on Netflix?

[Sadie Robertson]

It's really good.

[Donna Stewart]

Yes. My kids, actually.

[Sadie Robertson]

Really? That was a great movie.

[Jenna Claire]

That was not a favorite. That was a top three.

[Sadie Robertson]

We'll take a top three. Jenna Claire. We'll take it.

[Jenna Claire]

Elf is on Broadway.

[Donna Stewart]

I think Elf has got to be my favorite.

[Sadie Robertson]

Elf is hard to beat. It's just. It's just so darn sweet in its own category.

[Donna Stewart]

It's funny. And they're singing live. Singing.

[Sadie Robertson]

So quotable.

[Jenna Claire]

I think this is the year the first Year. It's been back on Broadway since it. I think it's been, like, 10 years since it's been on Broadway, but it's back this season.

[Sadie Robertson]

And for those listening, if you don't know this, Jenna Clare is a Broadway star. We're gonna get into that later. She did play Glinda, the Good Witch on Broadway, which is the most epic thing ever, and I prophesied it.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, you did.

[Sadie Robertson]

Not a big deal.

[Jenna Claire]

No big deal.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's not about me, but really, really cool. Okay, moving forward, what is your favorite Christmas food that you get excited to eat?

[Donna Stewart]

Okay, we fry our turkeys. So we fry them on Thanksgiving, and then we just can't get enough, so we do it again on Christmas.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love that. Run it back.

[Donna Stewart]

Yes, we do. Run it back.

[Sadie Robertson]

So fried turkey special.

[Jenna Claire]

My mini mama's sausage rolls. My sweet mini mama, itty bitty mini. She has passed. We love her so much. But she lived well into her 90s, and she made these famous sausage rolls, and she would make them for all the different families and freeze them. So you'd have to unfreeze them before, but we would cut them up and make them Christmas morning. And now my brother has taken. My little brother has taken on the tradition. He knows the recipe. He knows how to make em, so we can still have mini Mama's Christmas morning sausage rolls. They're delicious.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, you have to drop that recipe. That sounds so good.

[Donna Stewart]

Do you have, like. Do you do, like, a different thing for Christmas that you do for than you do for Thanksgiving?

[Sadie Robertson]

We actually do. This is so funny. And the reason I even thought to ask that is because I know this is kind of unique that our f. Family does, but the Robertson family not like, we don't do this, our little family for Christmas. But the Robertson family has always done seafood.

[Donna Stewart]

Yes.

[Sadie Robertson]

Like a big seafood thing.

[Donna Stewart]

This is Louisiana.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yes. Like a crawfish boil. Well, so, like, fried shrimp, all that kind of stuff. But then my grandpa, Peppa Phil, he makes, like, crawfish pie au gratin. Like, crawfish. Like, it's so good. And that is so unique, because I don't know how many people do, like, a seafood food.

[Donna Stewart]

We'd have, like, an oyster dressing.

[Sadie Robertson]

You do what?

[Donna Stewart]

Like a oyster dressing like my family did, but not this.

[Sadie Robertson]

Y'all are from Texas.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, but we were, like, also kind of eastern Texas.

[Sadie Robertson]

Love that. Yeah, love that. See, it's just fun to hear what different people do on Christmas. Okay, favorite Christmas tradition that your family has.

[Donna Stewart]

We open a gift. One gift on Christmas Eve.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, that's so fun. I love that.

[Donna Stewart]

And the kids are very excited because they get to choose it. Which one gift they get to open.

[Sadie Robertson]

But what if, like, they go for, like, the best gift you got them?

[Donna Stewart]

That's your one gift. Actually, you know, the whole, like, what's funny? Because the movie airs at, what, 4:00am on Christmas Day, which is probably for the parents who are still awake putting.

[Sadie Robertson]

Together Turn it on in the background period.

[Donna Stewart]

Let's watch this. But, like, typically, those gifts don't come out until Christmas Day.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's true. That's true. Okay, Smart, smart, smart.

[Jenna Claire]

We could open a Christmas gift on Christmas Eve, but it was always pajamas.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's it.

[Jenna Claire]

Which we haven't even acknowledged. But we're in our Christmas jams.

[Donna Stewart]

We have our jammies on.

[Sadie Robertson]

This was actually my Christmas gift last year. Open day before, because mom got us these, which was the best drama ever. Really? So nice. I know. Love them. Is that multi seasonal Christmas?

[Jenna Claire]

Oh, Christmas tradition. This is something we did as a family growing up. And I would like to do it with my kids on Christmas Eve after church. I feel like this is gonna sound weird. We would turn off all the lights in our house, and we would light candles and we would go room to room and we pretended like it was the journey. So theatrical.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, it's like a passata.

[Jenna Claire]

Like the journey to Bethlehem. And see, though, like, special because it's your family.

[Sadie Robertson]

Like, yes, we like to sing. If y'all, like, y'all are amazing singers, like theater people. I'm sure that was, like, so wonderful and beautiful and moving. If my family did that, like, hilarious. It would lose this special dish.

[Jenna Claire]

Oh, no. That would be amazing, too. I would like to see that.

[Sadie Robertson]

The talent and the gifting in there.

[Jenna Claire]

So between every room, we would sing, oh, Come, oh, come Emanuel. And then when you get to the next room, you would read the next part of the Christmas story. And then you would journey to another room and read the next part of the Christmas story.

[Sadie Robertson]

Always.

[Jenna Claire]

Oh, come Emmanuel. Which is why I love that song.

[Donna Stewart]

That's a good song.

[Jenna Claire]

And then we would end at this beautiful wooden nativity set at our front door. And baby Jesus was never in the manger yet. You had to wait for Christmas morning. I would, you know, we'd see our gifts, and I'd be like, I have to see if Jesus is here. Over to the manger. But we just got one of those, like, I don't know, plastic toy sort of manger sets for my kids. And we actually just set up our Christmas tree Yesterday. And it was sweet. Eric was setting it up with my son and saying, you know, talking about the Christmas story with him.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, so sweet. I love that.

[Jenna Claire]

Well, I think we need to start the. The journey to Bethlehem.

[Sadie Robertson]

Y'all should.

[Donna Stewart]

Every. Every room in your house.

[Sadie Robertson]

Y'all should. I love that. That is so special. I only laugh thinking of my family, because that's really cool. We have. My mom reads the Christmas, like, the whole. You know, it's not. She doesn't read it from the Bible. She reads it from this book, and it's kind of, like, funny drawing. And so, you know, my family laughs at everything. So it's just been funny tradition because my mom reads it every year. And there's a moment where it's, like, supposed to be like, oh, hail the king. But because mom's so country, she always goes, oh, hail the king. We always were like, oh, hell. It's time for the Christmas story. I can see your family totally busting you up. Yeah, it's too much, but it's the best. And just fun memories and all the things. Okay, so my next question was, do.

[Jenna Claire]

You guys do, like, a Christmas pageant?

[Sadie Robertson]

Okay, so that is our favorite tradition. It's our big talent show that we do. That is the funniest thing. Christmas Eve talent show. And because it's very special, because a lot of our other families, like cousins, aunts, and uncles, do have a lot of talents. Our family does not have, like, talents that you bring out in the talent show. You know, like, talent show people are specific to, like, I play music, I sing. I can juggle. I can, like, do this kind of talent for you all and perform. My family just doesn't have that, you know? So it's very funny. Cause we have to get more creative. So we always come up with, like, a skit, and it's always really funny, but sometimes it's too far. And that's funny in itself.

[Jenna Claire]

Comedy is a skill set. Okay.

[Sadie Robertson]

So our family goes with the comedic route. And then we never prepare as much as we should. We never practice. And that makes it better. It does.

[Jenna Claire]

It's raw.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is, like, our favorite. That's our favorite tradition. And now that the girls, like. Honey is old enough to sing now I'm, like, trying to get her prepared for the Christmas Eve so she'll do it or just do her cartwheel or something. But it's so fun. Yeah, we love it.

[Jenna Claire]

I feel like you need to answer questions, too. I want to know.

[Donna Stewart]

Keep asking.

[Sadie Robertson]

Keep asking them. I love it. I love it. I'M used to interviewing people, but hit me back with the question all day long. Okay, so I was about to ask you, do you decorate before Thanksgiving or after which everyone listening to this podcast, you're hearing this in December. It makes so much sense for us to be in Christmas dramas. It is currently November before Thanksgiving that we're recording this. And you just admitted yesterday y'all decorated so you're before Thanksgiving.

[Jenna Claire]

Sure did. I feel like the Hallmark countdown to Christmas starts really early, like middle to end of October, so that has me in the holiday spirit pretty early. I don't think it's acceptable to decorate before Halloween, but I feel like November 10th is like very acceptable.

[Sadie Robertson]

Very.

[Donna Stewart]

I'm sorry that I did an unacceptable thing this year because I decorated my house as Christmas for Halloween.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yes, that was good.

[Jenna Claire]

That was for a special occasion.

[Donna Stewart]

It was. I did go as Santa as well.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's it. That made sense.

[Donna Stewart]

And we gave out Christmas candy.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's awesome.

[Jenna Claire]

We love a theme.

[Donna Stewart]

It was. There was a theme and it was because of the movie because yeah, they couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but it was sweet. And then there was a lot of lots of minty, minty candies, huge Halloween.

[Jenna Claire]

Party and then the next night hosted a huge movie premiere party. So Stewart House is the party place to be.

[Sadie Robertson]

I know. I was jealous I wasn't there. It looked so fun. If you're looking to get into something this new year, then how about expanding your Horizon with over 1 million audiobooks, podcasts, or exclusive originals from Audible? This time of year, a lot of us are setting personal goals for our health, well being or exercise. Audible has titles that give you a leg up with subjects like nutrition, relaxation and fitness. So just open the Audible app and you can tap into advice and insights from leading influencers, experts and professionals. Whatever you're interested in. Audible has you covered with a listen that will inspire you and motivate you to crush whatever goal you've set. Audible also offers titles to help improve relationships at home and at work, embark on a new journey or career, or change up your financial life. Making positive changes is the name of the game and Audible can help you get there. I love Audible. I always have loved listening and Audible is a great place to listen. They have all kinds of different things that you can find there and that is my goal next year is to listen more, learn more, and Audible is a perfect place to do that. Dr. Amen, who's been on the podcast a couple of times and he has so many titles on Audible you can listen to those titles. You can grow mentally and emotionally as you listen to him. So let Audible help you reach the goals that you set for yourself. Start listening today when you sign up for a free 30 day [e-mail]. whoo. Again, that's audible. A, U, D, I B, L E dot com. Whoa. Last question is, what is your least favorite Christmas song and your most favorite Christmas song? And there's only one appropriate answer for your most favorite.

[Jenna Claire]

Okay. The song that I never need to hear again. I'm sorry.

[Donna Stewart]

There it is.

[Jenna Claire]

That song I really don't like as a last Christmas. We'll be happy, wonderful Christmas time. It's like. It's. It's like, I can't.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's like, see, there's always that one Christmas song that it's like, it's got to stop.

[Donna Stewart]

The last Christmas is the one that.

[Sadie Robertson]

Last Christmas it gave me my heart. I'm not a Santa Baby fan. Well, it's a little bit too much. Weirdo.

[Jenna Claire]

Okay, you know what we should do after we wrap this pod? I think we should rewrite Santa Baby with lyrics that are acceptable to you.

[Donna Stewart]

We should. She likes Santa baby.

[Jenna Claire]

You like Santa Baby.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's just a little bit like that.

[Donna Stewart]

Well, and it's. What's the other one that's like, kind of like got canceled. The.

[Jenna Claire]

Maybe it's cold outside. I feel like that one could easily.

[Donna Stewart]

Be rewritten, but it could be rewritten so that it's not too creepy.

[Sadie Robertson]

Okay. Yeah, let's rein it in. Let's rein it in. I like that.

[Jenna Claire]

Rewrite that one too.

[Sadie Robertson]

I have such a sweet memory of that.

[Donna Stewart]

I bet you just keep saying we.

[Sadie Robertson]

I don't even know.

[Jenna Claire]

Should we.

[Sadie Robertson]

We are decid. This is our Christmas committee. My dad Christmas Christmas Committee.

[Donna Stewart]

That's the name of this podcast.

[Sadie Robertson]

It is, like, ingrained in my head to, like, my dad during Christmas time when we were younger. And he still does this, but, like, we're rarely in the car with him. You know, when he would drive us around, every time he saw Christmas lights, he would go, christmas time is here. And like, I just hear that every time.

[Donna Stewart]

That sounds like something Ben would do.

[Sadie Robertson]

No, and it's so great, though. I'm like, thank you, dad, for that. Okay, so now that we have our Christmas questions, obviously asked you that, because the movie, because the song. And it's really cool and very special how this even came about. Donna, I remember you called me when I was in the airport and you were like, you will never believe what is happening. I Was like, you are right. I would have never guessed that. And so tell me just about the process of writing this song for a Hallmark movie that Jenna Claire got to sing and star in.

[Donna Stewart]

Okay.

[Sadie Robertson]

I mean, epic.

[Donna Stewart]

Epic. Well, it started kind of before the song. I feel like GC called me up and was like, hey, will you read this script? And I'm gonna let you keep talking about that.

[Jenna Claire]

You want me to take it over? Well, I have to say, when Donna and I first became friends, one of the first dreams she sort of shared with me was, someday I would really love to write a song for a movie. And I was like, what a cool dream. You're a songwriter. That would be. That would be really a cool thing to do. Fast forward. We've been friends for years now, and I got the script for what was going to be my third Hallmark movie. And I often send audition sides and scripts to Donna. She's a friend, but she's also a mentor. And I feel like she has awesome opinions and creative input, and I really trust her eyes on things. And so I think it's a testament to the kind of friend that she is. Just incredibly faithful and caring and that she read the script right away. I think you finished reading.

[Donna Stewart]

I finished it before you did. I was like, oh, this is a good movie. And you're like, oh, is it?

[Sadie Robertson]

That's hilarious.

[Jenna Claire]

Literally. I was reading it because there's a couple of gentlemen suitors in this film. A couple. And I was going, who does she end up with?

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, she's asking me who she ends up with.

[Jenna Claire]

Anyways, so one of the reasons this song came to be in the timing that it did is because Donna's such a good friend. So fast forward a week or two later, I'm in Winnipeg, which is where we shot this film. Although it takes place in New York.

[Donna Stewart]

City, it's colder in Winnipeg.

[Jenna Claire]

It's very cold in Winnipeg. And we're doing a table read, which is what you do before you start to shoot. And we sat down. I have the script in front of me. It's the most recent version. And I quickly skipped to the back to see what the final song of the. Of the movie is, because dramatically, it is sort of. I mean, it's a huge climactic moment in the film. And I got there and it said tbd. And I was like, wait, we start shooting next week. Like, what is the song? And they're like, well, we're still. You know, we have a few options, and it might be this one, but it might be this One. And I said, you know, I'm from Nashville. I have some songwriter friends. Like, would it be okay if I, you know, pitched this to them to see if they could write something? And of course, I'm thinking about Donna.

[Donna Stewart]

But I'm not in Nashville.

[Jenna Claire]

I'm in Washington, D.C. she was in D.C. i am from Nashville, but she.

[Donna Stewart]

Is from Nashville, and she does have cancer.

[Jenna Claire]

And the director. I mean, the way he tells it now is he was like, yeah, sure, go get your friends to write a Christmas song.

[Donna Stewart]

Which, meanwhile, I'm going, you said you have a friend. That's not a good thing. Oh, I've got a friend.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Claire]

So he was skeptical, but was like, yeah, sure, why not? The more the merrier. So before we start the table read, I text her, we have screenshots. We've got the screenshots.

[Donna Stewart]

We do have screenshots. It's wild.

[Jenna Claire]

I said, donna, they haven't written the final song yet. I think you need to write something. And can I say what I pitched to you for an idea? There's a song that she has not recorded yet that I hope she does someday called Magic Words, that she recorded with Jimmy Needham, who's an artist I've loved for a very long time. And I said, and I've just seen videos and heard voice memos of it, but I was like, write something. It's gotta be catchy. It's gotta be fun. It's gotta be poppy and sweet. Do something like Magic Words. But Christmas and I kid you not, Sadie, we start the table read. Forty minutes later, she sends me a voice memo, and she's like, what do you think about this? And of course, we're still, like, halfway through the script. I'm like, I really want to go listen to the song. Is it good? Is it gonna be like, is it gonna work right? So the second we finish the table read, I run to the bathroom to, like, to listen to it, and it's amazing. I'm like, oh, yes, it's great, and I love it. I know I probably texted you back that I loved it, but I, like, ran back into the room. I grabbed the director, and the creative producer pulled them into the room and was like, this song is great. Here are the reasons why. Objectively, it is the perfect song for this moment in the movie.

[Donna Stewart]

It's only a verse and a chorus.

[Jenna Claire]

I truly believed that. And they were like, we have been listening to songs for weeks. This is perfect.

[Donna Stewart]

Wow.

[Jenna Claire]

And they loved it. And so they're pitching it to the network. And fast forward to, I think, the next day.

[Donna Stewart]

Meanwhile, let me butt in.

[Jenna Claire]

Let me butt in, because 40 minutes, Donna. Who does that?

[Donna Stewart]

The Lord. Okay, so, yeah, I'm in my car, I'm picking Owen up from boxing. I'm sitting in my minivan waiting to get my son, and I have nothing. I have my phone. And so she's like, they don't have a song for this movie. I was like, that feels. That feels bad. The whole. The whole movie culminates in this Carol for Two. Carol for Two. And there is no Carol.

[Jenna Claire]

The Carol.

[Donna Stewart]

And I was like, oh, gosh. And then when she had said, you know, write, please write a song. And I'm like, oh, okay. But here's what's interesting. If you go one week, seven days earlier, I was in a conversation. We were in Dallas. I was in a conversation with Macy MacLaine and whom I had just met, and she's darling. And I had said, you know, I've always wanted to write songs for movies. It just kind of came up in our conversation. She's like, oh, that's cool. You know, like, she doesn't know me. I don't know her. But she was like, I hope you get to do that someday. Right? So isn't that bonkers? Well, and it gets crazier too, because I didn't know how you and Macy are all tied together too. So anyway, I am sitting, waiting for Owen to get out, get this text, and it was one of those moments where the Lord's like, well, what are you gonna do? What are you gonna tell her? You just said a week ago that you wanna write songs for movies, and this is a dream of your heart. Are you gonna do it or not? And so I was like, okay, I'll take a swing at it. I think I wrote that. Okay, I'll take a swing at it.

[Sadie Robertson]

And so then I need these screenshots, by the way.

[Jenna Claire]

No, no, no, we have em.

[Donna Stewart]

So this is what I wrote down a prayer on March 8 of 24. And the prayer says, this is the thing. So it says, lord, I write for you in your glory. Thank you for choosing, loving and setting me apart. For your glory, I am yours. Use me how you want. I thank you for this chance to take a swing at something I've always wanted to do. I love you. Amen. And then literally, this is the only scratch out. I literally, like, wrote it. And then I sang it into the phone and sent it to her.

[Jenna Claire]

So the voice memo she sent me was just her da, da, da. Oh, I Never succumb. Just acapella. More music. Just.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, I'm done snapping. Yeah, like in that thing you do.

[Sadie Robertson]

I think you sent me that voice memo. I think you.

[Jenna Claire]

It's a great voice.

[Donna Stewart]

I think I did send it. I sent it to you. I was like, you're not going to believe what just happened.

[Jenna Claire]

Yeah, we should publish it.

[Donna Stewart]

Right?

[Jenna Claire]

It's fantastic.

[Donna Stewart]

So, yeah, so I sent it to her. And then I just kind of go, okay, I guess I'll find out more later.

[Jenna Claire]

And then so the next day, what I'm hearing from our creative producer and our director is. Which she needs to finish. We need to finish the song. So I said, donna, can you. Can you finish the song? Cause that was just a verse and a chorus. And again, like, within the hour, she'd finished, you know, another verse, another. A bridge, a grand finale with some really sweet cinematic moments. I think there was some that got there. And we sent it in, and I don't know if it was that night or probably the next night, the creative producer called me, and she was like, hallmark picked her song.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow.

[Jenna Claire]

And I was like, what? And then I said, can we call Donna? And so then we three way called her, and then we four way called the director. And it was so, like, I just loved being a fly on the wall to hear them gush over her and her talent and what this song means to the production and what this song means to the story and how it was like the missing puzzle piece and so cool. It was wild.

[Donna Stewart]

It was wild. It was some of the craziest. Like, it was so cool because it was like, you know, when you feel like the spirit is doing his thing, he is having a field day right now. And I just felt like, no, I know exactly what the song is gonna say. I read the script. I want to say these things. I want them to say these things to each other. And so I got to write that. But what was cool was if we would, like, take a pause and go back to. So the next morning, you know, we had us conference, which is a conference that our church puts on for the door holders, which is what we call our volunteers. And so what was fun was I got to go to this conference and be like, y'all are not gonna believe what might happen. And finding all the Hallmark people that come out of the woodwork. I mean, you should do a poll on how many people who follow you also follow Hallmark. Cause it's like, I didn't. I had no idea.

[Sadie Robertson]

We should.

[Jenna Claire]

People love Hallmark movies. People love Hallmark.

[Sadie Robertson]

I Have a theory about their tradition.

[Jenna Claire]

Because it's like, redemptive endings. It's the same reason I love watching, like, home renovation shows. They're never like, I give up.

[Donna Stewart]

That's so sad.

[Jenna Claire]

We can't do.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's like, this ends good. And then some people's criticism is that it's predictable, but that's what people want.

[Donna Stewart]

They just are like, no, I need a happy ending.

[Sadie Robertson]

No, I need something predictable. Sometimes you need. You need the happy ending. You need the joy at the end. And that's when people come around at the holiday season especially. No, People love Hallmark.

[Jenna Claire]

I will say this movie has some unpredictable vibes.

[Sadie Robertson]

I didn't mean to take Shade off.

[Jenna Claire]

No, but totally.

[Sadie Robertson]

I was in a Hallmark movie. Unsanded romance. Actually, don't. Mine was not as good as Yalls. People love Hallmark.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah. So we. So I. All these people are super excited this might happen, but there was a moment in the day that I was just. You know, I'm still trying to deal with this. Like, okay, like, my heart is here because this is super fun, and this is a dream. I've always wanted to do this. And I really believe that dreams that if you're chasing after the Lord, like, he gives you the desires of your heart, even if it's, like, super random. Like, I want to write songs for movies one day because I do want to make wholesome entertainment. But anyway, there was a moment where Ben, my husband, is interviewing Gary Haugen, who is the CEO of ijm, and IJM is International Justice Mission. And he's talking about this burning desire in his heart to help people and to be a part of a rescue work when it comes to human trafficking. And he had wanted to do ijm, but it was super scary, and he almost didn't do it, but it was the burning. And he kept saying, it's the burning passion in my heart. And I'm like, the burning passion in my heart is not rescuing thousands of people from human trafficking. However, it is a burning desire in my heart. And so I had already. And the reason he would have not done it was fear of what people might think and what if it fails? And I was like, that's probably the same reason I wouldn't do it.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Donna Stewart]

So I'm gonna write the rest of this song today, whether Hallmark wants me to write it or not. I'm just gonna finish the song. Because the reason I have this burning desire in my heart to write songs for movies is because when you scratch the surface of me, if it's not like a blatant Christian song. You're gonna find Jesus. And so I want that. I want people to go, that's a super fun Christmas song. Wow. She loves God. I've been thinking about God lately, and then off you go. And for all I know, maybe I'll be a part of getting to help save thousands of people too.

[Sadie Robertson]

In a different way.

[Donna Stewart]

In a different way. So it doesn't make it like, not equal. It still is. I really do believe the desires of your heart. If you're chasing after Jesus, he put them there.

[Sadie Robertson]

It's great. As a mom, I try to be intentional with the products I use for my little ones. I don't want to, you know, expose them to harmful chemicals or anything unsafe, especially because they have sensitive skin. So I have to be extra careful. So I'm so excited to tell y'all about Every Life. Every Life has awesome products like premium diapers made without fragrances, lotions, dyes, or other shady stuff. EveryLife Diapers also offers 12 hour leak protection so both mama and baby can rest easily. And now EveryLife has also launched a line of in one baby wash and shampoo, as well as their own face and body baby lotion. These products are made in the US clinically and dermatologist tested and designed to be gentle for your baby's skin. They don't contain harmful ingredients and are designed to keep your baby clean. Plus, the scented version is gently infused with lavender and chamomile, so it's calming too, meaning you and your baby can both drift off to sleep a little easier. As much as I love EveryLife's baby products, I also love their mission to embrace and protect all babies, whether they're planned or unplanned. Every Life works so hard to show the world that all babies are a blessing from God who deserve love and celebration. Most other diaper companies won't feel the same way, surprisingly. And I just love supporting Every Life because they do. I love their diapers, actually. The quality of their diapers and wipes are so impressive. Especially, like I said, my kids do have sensitive skin. I was so impressed by how they had no reaction to it. It was actually better than our previous product. And so I was super excited about that. But more than that, the mission that they're on is just nice support something. I mean, we're gonna have to buy diapers anyway. Why not buy them on a mission? So visit everylife.com that's everylife.com and use the promo code Whoa. To get 10 off your first order. Today, that's everylife.com. use the promo code Whoa. At checkout to save 10 off your first order. That's so cool. It actually makes me think of, like, Joseph being a dreamer. And it's like, who knew being a dreamer would get him where it got? Who knew? No, but really, like, I mean, he was a dreamer, and it didn't go well, obviously. But then whenever they call him out of the prison, the pit, another pit. It's because he's a dreamer, and they're looking for a dreamer. They're like, who can interpret this dream? Oh, I know their dreamer in the. In the prison, and they pull him out. And I always thought that was so crazy. The same reason he got thrown in is the same reason he got taken out was his dream gifting. And then it's so cool because before he interprets a dream, he's like, the Lord Almighty is, like, gonna give me, like, he's gonna give us this interpretation, and he gives honor to the Lord, and then he interprets the dream. And it's really cool. As you were reading that, I was thinking of Joseph because you, like, give honor to the Lord, like, God, I love you. I write for you. All that I do is for you. And then next thing you write is, like, the lyrics to the perfect lyrics for this song. And, like, knowing the TV world and just this capacity that. I know it. It's so hard to get approvals from networks and directors, networks, producers. Like, you're going through, like, a whole lot of people who have to, like, approve this, who have different opinions, who have different reasons as to why or why not. So for something like that to turn around so fast and everyone feel unanimously good about it, that really is, like, the Holy Spirit prompted that song in your heart. It was made for that movie. And how cool that you just even. I think that also speaks, like, what a good friend to elevate your other friend's gifting to go like, oh, I know somebody who wanted her dream to do this, too. She can do this because she has the capabilities of it, which is just, like, so insanely special. Well, I feel like dreaming is going to be a thread of this podcast, but I want to back it up a little bit, because how did you guys meet? Because you talked a little bit about that, and I don't even know how y'all met.

[Donna Stewart]

Oh, wow. Yeah. I'll let you go. Go with it.

[Jenna Claire]

Okay.

[Donna Stewart]

You're so good at opening things. I can just kind of come in.

[Jenna Claire]

Well, I think similarly to you, I started listening to Ben Stewart's messages on Breakaway Ministries in high school. So when I was a teenager, just a couple of years ago. Breakaway. Breakaway. I guess I think I started listening in, like, 2008, 2009.

[Donna Stewart]

Wow.

[Jenna Claire]

And, like, when I say that Ben Stewart has been so hugely formational for me in my walk with Jesus, the way that he teaches and he's so smart, and he breaks things down in such a way that you're like, yes. And he's just. I think he's wildly entertaining and funny.

[Sadie Robertson]

Same.

[Jenna Claire]

So he knows how to captivate an audience, but not just captivating for the sake of comedy or whatever it is. I mean, it is captivating. And then it's truth. And so, yeah. And then they moved on to Passion City Church and then to passion city in D.C. and so I just kind of followed along their journey. It wasn't. I guess it was a year or two after I started listening to Breakaway that I met my now husband and Prince Eric, and I introduced him to Breakaway Ministries, and he started listening. So he listened to all of Ben's messages, too. So it's really sweet. Even looking back on our dating relationships, like, there were so many countless conversations, like, breaking apart and talking about. And, you know, that is how I started dating.

[Sadie Robertson]

100%. We started. We literally started. Our first text we ever sent to each other was Christian sending me Ben's podcast to listen to what it was, like, podcast form. But it was his sermon from Breakaway on the Single Day to Engage Marriage series. Without that book, without that sermon, I don't know if we'd ever get married and have our really, truly, like, that one. That was what started our conversation. But beyond that, like, that was our guide through dating. Like, we went back to that book, like, and would read, like, when we were all the different, you know, stages of it. And so it's so crazy how pivotal Ben's message was in our life. And then, like, it's so cool to hear that for y'alls, too. I didn't even know that.

[Jenna Claire]

And now we get to say thank you, Ben Stewart, and thank you, Donna.

[Sadie Robertson]

Stewart, for your ministry, for your ministry, for your marriage, for your life, for our marriages. Yes.

[Donna Stewart]

We love you, babe.

[Sadie Robertson]

If you're watching, yes, shout out to Ben.

[Jenna Claire]

Thanks, Ben. So, like, we were just saying, just wanting to give thanks. And I think I always thought. I always told Eric, I was like, well, someday we'll just go to Texas and we'll go to Breakaway Ministries, just so, you know, maybe we could see them and we could just say thank You. And that would be really cool to just say thank you and fast forward to this is part of Sadie's prophecy. But I was playing Glinda in Wicked.

[Donna Stewart]

On Broadway because Sadie prophesied it.

[Sadie Robertson]

Okay, we should just share this story how that happened, because people don't know how we know each other either. We know each other from the most random, like, niche time of our story. Our family stories live. And I say niche because not a lot of people know this. Like, we had a family musical, the Duck Commander family musical, which was in Vegas, which is so crazy. Really, honestly, so cool to think back to all the things that our family got to be a part of during the Duck Dynasty years. And that was so cool for our family to have that musical that was, like, so powerful and ministered to people in such a specific, amazing way. And I still think of those songs, like, you reminded me of. So Jenna, Claire got casted to play my mom in the musical, which you do really look like.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, you guys.

[Sadie Robertson]

Totally, really funny.

[Jenna Claire]

Flattered.

[Sadie Robertson]

Thank you. So you play my mom. So I got to know you as the actress who played my mom in a musical in Vegas.

[Jenna Claire]

So it just said, you can call me Mom.

[Sadie Robertson]

I'm like, the first time I met you, honey. I know. Hello, Mom. The first time I met you, that's whenever I was like, do you know what role you should play? And you were like, that is my dream role, you know? And you had, I guess, always wanted to play that part, even since you were a little girl. Right.

[Jenna Claire]

I saw the original cast on Broadway and told my parents at intermission that I was gonna play Glinda.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wow. Yeah.

[Jenna Claire]

So that was definitely a dream.

[Sadie Robertson]

You were working towards that. And here you are playing Corey Robertson.

[Jenna Claire]

A very important step along my path. That was crazy, too, because I was doing the first national tour of Newsies, and our director, Jeff Calhoun, were in rehearsals for Newsies, and he was like, hey, I'm doing a workshop of this other show. And I was like, awesome. He was like, do you want to come be part of it? And I was like, sure. What is it? And he was like, well, have you heard of Duck Dynasty? We're turning it into a musical.

[Sadie Robertson]

I was like, what?

[Jenna Claire]

And at the time, you know, for the. I played Missy.

[Sadie Robertson]

Really? I did not know.

[Jenna Claire]

And then when the audition came up a couple months later and I was actually out on tour, I was like, I'd really love to audition for Corey. And I, like, filmed an audition in the dressing room between shows one day and sent it in and left Newsies to go do Duck Dynasty. And so then I came to Louisiana because A& E was doing a Making of the Musical episode for Duck Dynasty. And so I think that you had, like, just finished Dancing with the Stars.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Jenna Claire]

And, yeah, we were in the car. I think we were on the way to Phil and K's house, and you were like, you should be Glinda someday. And I was like, funny story.

[Sadie Robertson]

I hope so.

[Jenna Claire]

Really?

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

You told me that when you were 13, you wanted. You said that after the show. I remember that this was the beginning.

[Jenna Claire]

Of 2015, and it was the end of 2015 that I made my Broadway debut as Glinda.

[Sadie Robertson]

So that's where the prophecy decided.

[Donna Stewart]

Come on.

[Sadie Robertson]

I can't really take a lot of credit for that other than if you just. If you have met Jenna Clare, you've even 30 minutes of a podcast, like, she is Glenda. Like, I mean, in the best ways, obviously, but just, like, the bubbliness. And that's my favorite musical. I've always loved it. You know, every time we go to New York, we would see it. And so I was just like, man, you remind me so much of this character. And so.

[Jenna Claire]

But do I remind you of your mother?

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, yes, that too. That, too. The musical version of my mother, for sure. And so it's so cool. But I wanted to point that out, too, because that was a dream that you had said at a young age, and then you worked towards it and got to be a part of it. To Donna's point that it doesn't really matter what the dream is. If it's a desire of your heart. I think that honors and glorifies the Lord with the talents he's given you. It's amazing to see how he does make a way. But not only makes a way, like, yes, he makes a way, but I think sometimes when people think about that, they're, like, waiting for God to just make a way. Like a C split moment, but you have to walk through it. There's a huge part to working towards something. And I love how you acknowledge, like, the Doug Committer musical was, like, a part of the process of getting to there. Like, you don't just wake up and go, my dream has come to life. I'm writing for movies. Like, there's a lot of writing. There's a lot of writing. And the Secret Place, which you talked about last time you were on the podcast, without people noticing, without people seeing it. A lot of work on your part. Before you get to that, that, you know, dream coming true, tell us A little bit about just your process in the acting world and Broadway, because a lot of people, like, how do you even go about bec. A Broadway star?

[Jenna Claire]

It's that verse. Yeah. How do you, how does that work? No, that verse though. Psalm 37. 4. When I, going into college, I wrote that verse on a big canvas and that was like the verse I had next to my bed in college. And I feel like, you know, I think it's easy for that verse to sort of get misinterpreted, which is like, delight in the Lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart. And it's not that like God's a genie and he's going to grant your three wishes, but that if you're delighting in him, ultimately your desire becomes for him. And then I just think everything else sort of, sort of falls into place. But yes, Broadway and theater and Wicked and Glinda was all definitely this lifelong dream and pursuit for me. And, you know, that looked like going to college for musical theater and moving to New York and auditioning a lot and hearing a lot of no's. And I mean, I auditioned for Wicked for years before I was ever. And then I started as the standby on Broadway and then I played the role on tour for a couple years and then got to take over the role on Broadway. And there was even auditions between those, between those segments of my life. So, yeah, it was definitely a dream come true. And I'm still on the. You know, a lot of people, like, my husband's a pilot. He's a pilot. He's gonna be a pilot for the rest of his life, Lord willing. And with an actor, you're always. Every job ends. You're looking for a job. So your, your full time job as an actor is to audition and hopefully audition well.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah, well, it's wild because I, I feel like in that moment when I'm like, oh, you know what you should do? You should play this. And you're like, yeah, trust me, like, been auditioning, great idea. You know, and it's like one of those things where I think so many people get frustrated with that though. You're like, why not? Like, I'm the perfect person for this. I've worked so hard, I've done this. And you feel like, why isn't it happening, Lord? But it's like so important to stay faithful in those moments. And, you know, it is hard to keep going whenever you keep hearing no, no, no or whenever you're not seeing something work. But like, when you really Feel something in your heart. You're supposed to stick with it. Donna, I do wanna circle back to that. Cause last time you were on this podcast, you talked about that, like, in the secret place. And now you're sitting here and you're like, this is so cool. Cause this is one of those dreams in your heart that you're getting to do now. And, like, it made me so happy to hear, like, make me cry. No, seriously, it made me so happy to hear about now I'm gonna cry. We were just talking about it.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, we were talking about it.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, no. Like, how you went to your church and it was Yalls conference, and you got to share that with everybody because you and Ben do ministry together. Y'all serve together as a couple. And so beautifully. So, so beautifully. But there are a lot of gifts and talents that you have in your life that aren't necessarily always going to be, like, in a church setting, you know? And so, like, you haven't gotten to fully do some of those things because, like, y'all are very committed to the church in this time of your life.

[Jenna Claire]

It.

[Sadie Robertson]

No, I haven't. She built a smokehouse, and I do want to do that. But, like, the fact that now, like, you've been faithful with where God's had you, but also God hasn't forgotten the things that he, like, specifically did in your life that now you're getting to step into, because I just feel like that's so many people's story right now, sitting here listening to this podcast. Like, man, when is that breakthrough going to happen for me? How do you remain faithful in that hidden time? Well, friends, fall might be coming to an end, but you shouldn't feel like it's winter in your bed every night. Keeping your body at a comfortable temperature during the night makes a huge difference in sleep quality, which makes a huge difference in how you feel during the day. If waking up too cold or too hot is a struggle for you, miracle made sheets has you covered. Miracle sheets are designed to regulate your body's temperature using silver infused fabrics inspired by NASA technology, helping you stay asleep longer and sleep more deeply every night. Plus, these sheets are luxurious, but don't have the luxury price tag, which is a blessing. They're seriously comfy at a price that won't break the bank. Did you know that your sheets can also harbor a ton of bacteria? And no one likes thinking about sleeping in a bed full of bacteria. But with mirror glow sheets, you don't have to. The silver infused fabrics prevents up to 99.7% of bacterial growth, leaving them clean and fresh up to three times longer than any other sheet sheets. Reducing all that bacteria can also help have a positive effect on your skin. Less bacteria means, you know, less acne breakouts and clogged pores, which I think we all can agree is a huge bonus. The first night we slept in our miracle sheets, we were like, okay, these are so legit. They're so comfy, so soft. We ended up going on their website and buying more for our house, for the guest bed and all the things. They really are amazing. So go to trymiracle.com whoa to try miracle Mage sheets today. And whether you're buying them for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, you can order today and save over 40% off. And if you use our promo code whoa. At checkout, you'll also get three free towels and save an extra 20%. Miracle is so confident in their product, it's backed with a 30 day money back guarantee. So if you aren't 100 satisfied, you'll get a full refund. Upgrade your sleep with miracle made. Go to trymiracle.com whoa and use the code whoa. To claim your free three piece talisman and save over 40% off. Again, that's trymiracle.com whoa to treat yourself.

[Donna Stewart]

Well, it's funny you asked that, Sadie. I wondered if you would and I prepared a couple of things. No, I just really love the scriptures and just like you do and just like you do. And one of the things that really stuck out to me today, I even prayed, lord, guide me in your word today as we were going to be on this, take me to your plan for today. I love and trust you. Amen. Proverbs 13:12. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. But a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. And I think that's really cool because a tree of life is what starts as a seed and a seed is planted in the dark. And it takes a lot of. I was telling GC on the plane today, like when you have, you know, even like a baby, the beginnings of the growth of a baby, it all is happening in the dark. But it's key things like essential things like the heartbeat and all of the main parts of a life has to happen in the dark and in those early days. But you can't rush it. You have to let it form as it goes. And I just think that a longing fulfilled as a tree of life is going to be something that that doesn't just oh look, it happened. It actually continues to Produce more fruit. And so it's just this. Because a tree of life produces fruit, lots of fruit. And so it's just this beautiful, like, expectation that that day will come when it's time, and that I am not the arbiter of time. I am the receiver of love. And the waiting with wonder, knowing I'm going to be amazed. Which is the. Prepare my heart to wonder which we'll get there in the future of this podcast. But I just think that as we. As I. And I say this all very easily now, but it was real hard whenever I was, like, having to wait through it all totally. But I believe that God even prepared my ability to receive the. Oh, look what just happened. And look what's happening with other things that were gonna be necessary for me to be able to walk in it. So, like, even watching the movie on the plane unashamed, or I am not ashamed. Is that what the movie's called? Because when I was going to. So I got to go to Winnipeg.

[Jenna Claire]

We haven't got to that part yet.

[Donna Stewart]

We haven't even gotten to the part where you met me. But we'll get there in a second.

[Jenna Claire]

Oh, sure, sure.

[Donna Stewart]

Jump ahead. But just getting to, like, watching that movie on the plane and going, this is. I'm watching this because I want to be unapologetically Christian. As I step into the songwriter on this movie set that is not a Christian movie set. How am I going to be? Am I going to shy away from talking about who I am? So there was a moment. Are you a composer? Like, they were really excited to meet me. And I'm like, I'm a worship leader. And actually the bass player, Peter, he goes, my daddy's a pastor. And everybody else was kind of like, blink, blink. Like, what worship leader does not commute? You know, it's kind of one of those, like, whoa. But Peter said, my daddy's a pastor. And I said, peter, do you love Jesus? And he just kind of looks at me, I mean, in front of all of his band, and he just goes, yes, ma'am, I do. And I was like, how much does God love you to put me on this set with you? Is this your first Hallmark rodeo? He's like, yes. I was like, mine, too. How crazy is this?

[Sadie Robertson]

That's awesome.

[Jenna Claire]

You know what I mean?

[Donna Stewart]

So it's just this amazing moment to get to just be me. And I'll be honest, like, for a long time, it was just hard thinking that I'm not supposed to be me. I'm supposed to be some Other cookie cutter of what is acceptable. And that's just so exhausting.

[Jenna Claire]

You have cookies on your pants.

[Donna Stewart]

I have cookies. I have football cookies on my pants. But I just think. I think I needed to get past. I needed to. What we talked about on the last podcast together. I needed to receive love and receive that I've been created a certain way and this is okay. And that God has made me to do things. Here's what's so cool about Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are God's masterpiece, or we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he prepared beforehand that we would walk in them. We've got good works coming and we're gonna walk in them. But he's prepping us. But he wrote them back here. But he's readying us to be able to handle it when we get there, to walk through that work, just like you said with Joseph. Isn't that good?

[Sadie Robertson]

That's true. So good.

[Donna Stewart]

You should go back to the part where you're meeting me. We skipped that part.

[Jenna Claire]

Yeah, we can definitely go back just to piggyback on a little bit of what you're saying. I said that I got to audition for a number of years for this show that was my dream show. But something that was interesting about the dream fulfilled was that I started as the Glinda standby, which means I only went on if Glinda, the main Glinda, wasn't there to do the show. And I did that for 16 months, and I only went on 25 times. And there's eight shows a week, which means for 500 something shows, I was just sitting backstage and it was like, what is this time gonna look like? And it was challenging to be like, my dream has been fulfilled, but it's all happening on the other side of this wall and I'm here on the couch.

[Sadie Robertson]

And did you have the dress like, okay, but you were there, just there, just hanging out.

[Jenna Claire]

And that meant. And something that's really special to me is it meant I got to make so many awesome friends at the Gershwin Theater. So then I went on tour, and when I came back as the role, when you're actually playing the role because of where the dressing rooms are and because of the demands of the role where you're on stage the whole time, you don't get the chance to meet or hang out with people in the same way. So it was really sweet getting to come back after having been there for almost a year and a half and feeling like I was coming home because I knew all these people already. But wait, I have to say one more thing about the Duck Dynasty musical before we move on, which is some of my favorite music I have ever sung in my whole life.

[Sadie Robertson]

I was gonna say was music from.

[Jenna Claire]

The Duck Dynasty musical.

[Sadie Robertson]

I was seeing a little something from it because no one knows the music. What was your favorite one?

[Jenna Claire]

I always thought we should make an original cast recording. It didn't happen. But it's not too late, Sadie. You and I, not too late.

[Sadie Robertson]

Let's revive it.

[Jenna Claire]

I mean, I liked my song Camouflage.

[Sadie Robertson]

Come on, give us a little Let.

[Jenna Claire]

Em see you in your camouflage. It was. And because I'm from Nashville, it was like country, but it was like country pop and it was country rock and it was like country soul. It was a fantastic score. And what was really cool for me too, playing someone who's very much alive and thriving was getting this up close view of the incredible woman that your mom is. But getting to know your family in that very unique way during the rehearsal process and teching and so cool. It's so cool.

[Sadie Robertson]

And Bella loved you, adored you. You were her biggest inspiration.

[Jenna Claire]

I got my Bella bracelet on.

[Sadie Robertson]

Bella actually went by Bella Ann during that time of her life. Cause she thought Jenna Claire was so cool having a double name. So I remember like her voicemail when you called her was like, it's Bella Ann. I was like, what? Yeah, you're definitely. I mean, we were super grateful to know you during that time for sure. Because Bella and I was like in high school, Bella was in middle school. And we thought you were like, we still think you were the coolest person ever. But we did back then too, which is.

[Jenna Claire]

Well, you just, y'all just made me feel part of the family. And it's, it's so. You know, it's one thing to, to watch the show on TV and see everybody sitting around the table and sharing meals together, but then to be invited to the table and share food with your family and be like, as wonderful as the world thinks you are from this show, you're even better than that.

[Sadie Robertson]

And to have that, that up close.

[Jenna Claire]

View was really, really special and unique.

[Sadie Robertson]

Thank you. It really. The Duck Commander musical right back to you. I got to go to your apartment in New York one time and I was like, this is the coolest thing ever. But it's so cool. Like whenever you look at opportunities, not just for the opportunity they are, but the people you get to meet, you know, I mean, that is like so much of what these things are even about in the first place, the people you meet. Actually, that reminded me of a story that I haven't thought about. You know, how, like, so many people know the story of. Of the homeless person that I tried to give a Bible to, and he didn't take the Bible. And this is. I tell this story. Cause it's my first message I ever preached at Passion Church. And then that was actually my first message ever. And that's the one that, like, went viral. And it was all about the story of the homeless man who didn't take the Bible. And I always say I went on and I actually got to give it to someone at one point, but I've never told the story, and I gave it to someone on the Hallmark set of the movie that I did.

[Donna Stewart]

Really?

[Sadie Robertson]

Yes. That was. It was my makeup artist. And so I was just.

[Jenna Claire]

And your makeup artist is your person?

[Sadie Robertson]

No, it's your person because you're in.

[Jenna Claire]

Their chair every morning for first thing.

[Sadie Robertson]

And she asked me about my life, and I was telling her about the homeless man story, and I had that Bible, and I had written in the Bible, like, the story. And I was like, to the person who takes this Bible, this is like, I just believe that it's so powerful that you were even willing to take it, that you were willing to get to know the Lord. And so we, like, had these conversations about God. And I was like, hey, I want to actually give you this, because I brought it with me. We were filming in Mexico, and I was able to give that to her. And so. So, again, like, what a dream. But, like, also those desires in your heart, like you said, God uses for a bigger purpose than just, like, you getting to star as the role or you getting to write the song. It's like there's something he's put in you that is showing other people a glimpse of him. And you get to love people through, like, such a powerful way, you know, in those cool moments. So I love that. And I was thinking, too, Donna, just about, like, how Jenniclair and I both got to know you, and we haven't heard yet how she got to know you. We're about to get there, but because we listened to Ben's sermons and, like, that was Ben's gifting. He's using preaching on a stage. We're, like, loving it, learning from it. Bought the book, told everybody about the book, all the things before we met you. Absolutely. I'll keep doing it because I love that book. But anywho, it's like. But then now we're two people who know each other from a very kind of random time of our life a long time ago, who are both mentored by you, you know? But, like, that's your thing. Like, it's a bit. No, but, like, that's your thing. Like, you are so intentional with people. You joke that, like, Donna said something, like, direct to you whenever you first met, and that's how y'all became friends. Is like, me, too. You know? And, like. But that's your gift. Like, you meet people, you go deep. You go deep fast. It's like. And then if I. I guess it's reciprocated. I don't know if you do this with everybody, but it's like, you keep doing that for us. Like, we keep going to you with our things. It's like, hey, what do you think about this idea? What do you think about this thing we're about to step into? You're sending books that I'm reading. Like, that's why I said I've mentioned your name a lot on this podc.

[Jenna Claire]

We get early morning text messages.

[Sadie Robertson]

Early morning text message. But you truly are my mentor. Like, I know I say that a lot about, like, you need mentors, you need. But, like, you are that person for me. Like, totally. And so it's just really cool to see, like, how God has used you, how God's used all of us, but, like, specifically in those things. So anyways, just have to say it because, again, it's like, the hidden thing, but it's like, you're not. You know, it's so cool.

[Donna Stewart]

Well, and it's sweet.

[Sadie Robertson]

Love you.

[Donna Stewart]

I love you guys.

[Sadie Robertson]

Remember that time you asked me if I'm more hormonal? I was amazed.

[Donna Stewart]

I'm the one.

[Jenna Claire]

You guys find yourself closer to the brink of emotions.

[Sadie Robertson]

Cheers.

[Jenna Claire]

Days. Cheers.

[Donna Stewart]

I don't know. I just. I think I just am so. I mean, I just am so proud of you both because you've used your. You've used your platform to be shining bright lights for Jesus, and it's just like, heck, yeah, I'm gonna keep bolstering that in you both because the world is changing through you, and it's just so good. And everybody on this.

[Jenna Claire]

This.

[Donna Stewart]

I'm so sorry. I'm so crying about this, but this is a big deal. Like, if we're not living for Jesus, what are we doing? And if we're not using the gifts that God's given us to shine light back on him and tell the world about him, what are we doing? You know? What I mean, and you're just, you're doing it so fun. Like the way that you do it is so fun. And it's just. I told her on the plane, I was like, if I could come up, if I could tell you your adjective. It's effervescent. You have this effervescence that it's like a shooting star. You know when you see a shooting star when the sky is super dark, but then the stars are really bright. And when the star goes across the sky and clearly you see the star but then there's this like tail behind it, like this sparkle. That's you. That's what you do. And you do too. It's this wild. Yours is more of like a freaking laser because you are just zapping here and there and I love it because what you.

[Sadie Robertson]

I got the zap. You got the twinkle.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, she's got the. Not the twinkle.

[Jenna Claire]

You guys didn't twinkle.

[Donna Stewart]

But it's just this, like, it's clear that you loved the Lord and it's clear that you want him to be your navigator and it's clear that you care about the wake behind you. And I just, I'm going to keep saying, go, go get em.

[Sadie Robertson]

Thank you, Fred. That's beautiful.

[Jenna Claire]

We're so blessed.

[Sadie Robertson]

You really are. I'm like smiling because we're getting so deep with Santa hats on. I know.

[Donna Stewart]

We're crying with Santa hats on. And I'm sweating through the socks I gave. Cory. Cory, these are your socks.

[Jenna Claire]

I got these. Donna gave me these Christmas jammies today.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love them.

[Jenna Claire]

They're like Christmas flamingos on them.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love them. So you ever going to tell us.

[Jenna Claire]

How you met you on the edge of your seat.

[Donna Stewart]

How did you then took Hannah, my oldest, to see the Lion King and this one who.

[Sadie Robertson]

Great music.

[Donna Stewart]

It's a great musical.

[Jenna Claire]

We went to go see the Lion King.

[Sadie Robertson]

We did together.

[Jenna Claire]

We saw the Lion King on Broadway. Sadie, I think it was when you were there for Sherry Hill.

[Sadie Robertson]

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[Donna Stewart]

And then she sees that that happened and she was like, hey, I'm on Broadway. Me too.

[Jenna Claire]

And so I sent them a joint DM and was like, hi, you beautiful people have changed my life. I'm playing Glenda on Broadway. Can I buy you tickets to come see Wicked on Broadway? Just as a very small thank you for, like, the impact that you've had on my life and my family's life. And. And you responded and you're like, that sounds. That sounds fun.

[Sadie Robertson]

Fast forward to two years later.

[Donna Stewart]

So there was a pandemic.

[Jenna Claire]

There was a pandemic. And I don't know if you remember, Broadway shut for 18 months.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah.

[Sadie Robertson]

Which I had seen you just before on Broadway. I'm so grateful. Your bachelorette party, very fun.

[Jenna Claire]

Thank you.

[Sadie Robertson]

Thanks for coming. But that is crazy. That was the timing of that. Wow.

[Jenna Claire]

Yes. So I, by the time we reopened, I think I had like five months left in my contract. And I was probably just listening to it and I watched Passion City DC a lot during. During the pandemic. And. And so I think when we reopened, I was like, well, I'm only here for a few more months. I guess I'LL try again. So I just circled back around. I was like, hey, I know you said that you might want to come and there's been a pandemic, but we're open again and I'm not going to be here for much longer. Would you like to come still? Because I'd still like to buy you tickets. And this was. It was crazy. It was January, which, come to find out, was my last month of shows.

[Donna Stewart]

But you were also filming.

[Jenna Claire]

And I was filming my first Hallmark movie, the Holiday Spectacular with the Rockettes.

[Sadie Robertson]

Which is on Netflix.

[Jenna Claire]

Which is on. It's on Hallmark. Heidelberg Holiday.

[Donna Stewart]

The second one's on Netflix.

[Sadie Robertson]

What's the one on Netflix?

[Jenna Claire]

Heidelberg Holiday.

[Sadie Robertson]

Everyone go check that.

[Jenna Claire]

Netflix justice released on Netflix. Anyways, so Donna took me up on my offer and she came to New York with her girls and some friends, a couple friends from D.C. and. And it was a wild time.

[Donna Stewart]

It was crazy. Still.

[Jenna Claire]

Yes, it was still crazy. Cause New York was pretty shut down. Pretty shut down. So instead of going to a restaurant, I was like, you guys could order a takeout and a cake and we could meet at the lobby of this hotel. Were you staying at that hotel?

[Donna Stewart]

Yes.

[Jenna Claire]

Okay, that's good. I was like, there's a hotel lobby right across the street from the Gershwin. Like, let's meet there. You can take over.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah. So it was Sparrow's birthday, and since Hannah got to go to Lion King with Dad, I said, well, let's do Wicked with Sparrow. And so. And Hannah, of course, got to come because. Why not?

[Jenna Claire]

Of course.

[Donna Stewart]

Girls, girls, time. And then, yeah, my friends MK and Bethany, who are big Wicked fans and Broadway fans, came and they helped and it was a lot of fun. And so we got a Magnolia bakery cake made for Sparrow only. And then we had went to a steakhouse. We got Ruth's Chris, you know, like, delivered to our. They went. It was very cool. And I took the girls to go to build a bear and all the things. Anyway, so then we get to the deal and she's like, yeah, I'll be there. But it was like 30 minutes before. This is what was so crazy to me. You had like 30 minutes before you had to go get dressed. But the show started maybe an hour from that moment.

[Jenna Claire]

Yeah. So the show, it was Friday night, so it would have been 8:00 show. And I remember I had physical therapy and I like ran down after PT and I think I had like 15 or 20 minutes before I had to be back for half hour, which is 30 minutes before the show is when you have to be there.

[Donna Stewart]

So she shows up at. I've never met her before. I've only texted with her, you know, via Instagram, and like, here's your tickets.

[Sadie Robertson]

I know.

[Donna Stewart]

It was just, enjoy the show. Have fun. And then she's, like, putting glitter on me, which when someone touches your face, you're like, whoa, this is new. Okay, so.

[Sadie Robertson]

And it's just so funny.

[Jenna Claire]

Cause I put glitter on you for sure.

[Sadie Robertson]

And we're, like, loving it. But I could just see her putting glitter on you and that being hilarious.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah. I'm like, oh, okay, here we are. No.

[Sadie Robertson]

So I'm just like, everybody loves a little glitter.

[Donna Stewart]

But what's crazy is, like, I'm coming around your personality. And your personality is so glad to be here. And you're my friend now. And we're gonna be honest. I said this, you know, and it's just not exactly my personality. But what's been beautiful about her personality is it's pulled a lot of that out of me, which is there. It just has to be pulled out. And I've pulled some things out of.

[Jenna Claire]

You, for sure, that are there for.

[Donna Stewart]

Sure, that should be pulled out.

[Jenna Claire]

Do you know her nickname that I gave her?

[Sadie Robertson]

No, but I need to.

[Jenna Claire]

That her daughters have now said is going to be her grandmother name someday. So I feel like I picked her. Really? I call her Sunny.

[Sadie Robertson]

Aw, that's really cute.

[Jenna Claire]

Sunny Stewart. She's.

[Sadie Robertson]

Wait, I love that.

[Jenna Claire]

She's sun. She's Sunshine. She. She's Sunshine.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love that.

[Donna Stewart]

I did put the little. There's a little Sunny Easter egg on the COVID of the record that she and Timmy are on. It's the diner because I was cooking up the song. So, yeah, put it in the diner. Sunny's diner.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love that.

[Donna Stewart]

Anyway, so. So then we go see the show. And you're right, she's magical. I mean, wow. If Ben has one regret, it's that he didn't get to see you as Glinda. And we're hoping that that can happen one day somehow, so he can see you as Glinda. Cause you're so good. And it was, you know, that even, like, she knew where we were sitting because she got us the tickets. And so she, like, winked at my girls and, like, waved, and they were, like, you know, crying and excited. And we're all, like, crying because this is, like, unreal. It's such a good show, and you're just magical. So it was just this beautiful moment, and then we get home and you call me and you're like, oh, Donna.

[Jenna Claire]

Oh, gosh. We can go there.

[Donna Stewart]

Go ahead.

[Jenna Claire]

This is where the story gets a little.

[Donna Stewart]

This is why we become friends.

[Sadie Robertson]

Why you met Donna.

[Donna Stewart]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Sadie Robertson]

Keeping to the know.

[Jenna Claire]

What I know about the Stewarts is that they had mentored and had an impact on a lot of kids. So when I invited them to come, I was never. I never, like, I didn't anticipate necessarily that we were going to become best friends. I was just like, thank you, thank you. Thank you for all that you've done for me and given me.

[Sadie Robertson]

I love you. There's some glitter.

[Jenna Claire]

And I got to see them. I saw them after the show. This is a Friday night. The next day, I went to Wicked and I felt so sick.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, you.

[Jenna Claire]

And that was the last day I ever did Wicked.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, that was the last day you ever did Wicked.

[Jenna Claire]

So she saw my second to last per day of shows. And so I didn't know it was gonna. I was supposed to. I was supposed to have two more weeks of shows, but then the Hallmark schedule changed so that I could only do one more week of shows. Shows. And then I got Covid. So because of the rules with the sickness, I, like, I couldn't come back and do my last show. So the next day I called her because I. Well, because I was sad, but also because I was like, do you guys feel sick? Because I was so scared.

[Sadie Robertson]

Yeah. That, you know, I put my hands all over their faces.

[Donna Stewart]

She put glitter all over me.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Claire]

And we'd, like, eaten cake together. And I was like, are you guys sick?

[Sadie Robertson]

Did y'all get it?

[Donna Stewart]

I'm a novid. Did you know that? What I am.

[Sadie Robertson]

I've had Covid, like, six times. Literally every. Oh, my God of COVID I've gotten it. You can ask me what the first one was like. Second one was like. Third one was like, I've had all the rounds.

[Donna Stewart]

No. Ben and I are both. No, no.

[Jenna Claire]

Wow.

[Sadie Robertson]

I could all of the.

[Jenna Claire]

Maybe your next book. Maybe just a pamphlet.

[Sadie Robertson]

What's up, guys? I want to tell you what my new book. Every Type of co. Every Type of code, How God Was with Me, and every single one of them.

[Jenna Claire]

Amen.

[Sadie Robertson]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Claire]

So that was a really difficult. That's what bonds season for me.

[Donna Stewart]

And because she couldn't do her final.

[Jenna Claire]

Show, like, imagine the show.

[Donna Stewart]

But she's been Glinda for years.

[Jenna Claire]

I've been doing the show for six years.

[Donna Stewart]

So was it 1200 shows? Did you do 1200?

[Jenna Claire]

I did, yeah. 12, 13. Something like that.

[Sadie Robertson]

Whoa.

[Donna Stewart]

She was Glinda 1300 times.

[Jenna Claire]

I did a lot of times. So it was this huge transition moment in my life. Instead of her being like, oh, I'm so sorry. That's really hard for you. She just, like, swooped in and was the friend of all friends and just saw me through this really difficult time. And I was filming the Hallmark movie when I got well and, like, really sad about how Wicked had sort of ended and I had just stopped breastfeeding, if I can say that. So I just felt like my emotions were all over the place. And it was this huge moment, transition moment. Sort of leaving behind this lifelong dream and being like, what now? But, yeah, I have this letter that I was just looking at that she wrote me. I think it was just a week after we'd met, sort of calling out who I was and how Glinda, as magical as it was, it's not my identity and challenging me and loving me and encouraging me in such a way that I think really bonded us.

[Sadie Robertson]

That's so good.

[Jenna Claire]

And then you were stuck with me for life.

[Donna Stewart]

Then it was. I was stuck with her for life. It was beautiful. Then I don't think I've been a day without a text, which is really actually beautiful, because I had actually been praying for deep, close, lasting friendships, and God was like, you have no idea.

[Sadie Robertson]

So good. I love that. I love that. That's so good. You know, we were texting, and we're like, what's on your heart to talk about? And I'm like, I know we're just gonna start talking and there's gonna be. But when I think about your friendship, even though I've never seen your friendship up close, I'm like, I know you and I know you separately, and I know I can only imagine how awesome it is together, but it's just so cool because I was talking about dreams, talking about friendship, cheering on a friend, and, like, I think these podcasts are some of the most special to me because it's not like you. You listen and you go, man, that when they said that. You know when they said that. But you learn from people's stories, you know, you learn from people even just watching you guys, how you wrote a letter in a hard time of life, how you kept up with each other, how reached out on Instagram. Like, so many things speak for themselves, you know, I think so much of what you guys teach is, like, be prayerful about the things you care about. You know, ask the Lord, seek the Lord, be prayerful about those things. And then, like, act on it. Go out and actually take steps towards the thing that God's actually put in your heart to do. And you'll be amazed by what happens. But the people along the way are what make it so special and so beautiful. I hate that we're out of time because we could talk for ever. Seriously. We will, after this turns off. Well, y'all are staying the night with my mom, so I'll be over hanging out. Just keep your pajamas on. But I have to know because Wicked is out now. And everyone, this is, like, so timely that you're on. What are your thoughts on the movie since you played the part? I loved it.

[Jenna Claire]

We did a screening with all the girls who'd played Glinda on Broadway and the original Broadway cast and the current Broadway clad cast with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and John Chu and some of the producers. And it was just this really cool, you know, sort of Priest Green in Manhattan. And it was just. It was special. They said, you know, this is our love letter to Broadway and, you know, we're continuing this legacy that you've started. And they just went above and beyond and making us feel sort of honored and part of it, even though it was very much their own beautiful iteration of this beloved story. And the way they transferred this from stage to screen is just. Is just stunning and so special and, yeah, so cool.

[Sadie Robertson]

I'm so excited for more people to learn the story, too, and go see it. So that's awesome. Hopefully, I'm sure it'll boost the Broadway show too, as well. I know you have friends still acting on it and everything, so that's awesome. So cool.

[Jenna Claire]

She's there.

[Sadie Robertson]

That is awesome. And you have a record and a record, an ep.

[Jenna Claire]

Well, you have to listen to who Knew it'd be you this Christmas? Which we recorded with our friend Jimmy Needham.

[Donna Stewart]

We did. It's so crazy because you were like. You were like, hey, I want it to sound magic words. So in my brain immediately, I had Jimmy's. I had Jimmy's voice and I had Jimmy clearance together. And I was like, oh, I can write this. And then so what's so cool is that Jimmy, when I asked him, was like, hey, would you like to sing on this song? And she had actually been, oh, yeah.

[Jenna Claire]

I grew up listening to Jimmy Needham every day on the way to school. I would sing along to his music, and so much of his music is scripturally based. But when she told us that she wanted to do. So we have the movie and the version and the movie, which is awesome. But she wanted to do this other master of it with Jimmy. I was like, I feel like I've been practicing harmonizing with Jimmy since I was a teenager.

[Donna Stewart]

And Jimmy's a theatrical guy, so for him to be able to like.

[Jenna Claire]

Yeah, she brought Jimmy up. The years before. She brought Jimmy up to New York and we all went to go see a show with our spouses.

[Donna Stewart]

Like, he loves theater, so he's pumped. And so the song's been fun. So who knew it be you this Christmas is. It's a bop. I feel like there's gonna be some dances out there.

[Sadie Robertson]

I know we need to do it. We still need to do it.

[Donna Stewart]

Everybody did their own dance to it.

[Jenna Claire]

She came and filmed. She came to the set for a week and she got to be there when we recorded her song that's Awes for the movie, which was amazing. And then while she was there in Canada visiting, she wrote another song. And I just recorded this little three, four song Christmas ep. And the name of the EP and the first song on the EP is called Prepare My Heart to Wonder. And that's another song that she wrote that was part of our time.

[Sadie Robertson]

Very powerful. I listened to it last night with Haven and she was falling asleep and then it turned off. When it was done, she was like, more, you know, she wanted to do it again. And so really, really powerful for me, but also so sweet for her to listen to too, and really cool too, with just like Christmas music to be so worshipful was beautiful. So definitely look up that ep, you guys. I'm sending you off with a lot of fun things to get to, go listen to, go get to watch. Got to go watch their movie. Careful too. Of course. Go see Wicked. I know you guys are going to love it if you ever get a chance on Broadway. I know that it's such a special experience that I have so many core memories from. And so go check that out and of course, prepare my heart to wonder. You guys are going to love it. If you are going through any kind of Advent study, I know we have one in the Ello Sister app that's available. I hope you guys love. But alongside of studying the word, getting to worship through the word and getting to just worship God for who he is through Christmas music is so powerful and they have provided that. So go check it out. Love you guys and hope you have a great week.