God will always be with you, supporting you in times of joy and carrying you through times of despair. This week’s guests tell how, after weathering success and loss, sharing their artistic talents with others have brought hope and healing: country music artist Lauren Alaina and hospitality pioneer Kreis Beall. Lauren traces her path as a young singer from the American Idol stage to Dancing with the Stars and beyond. After American Idol, Lauren remembers how, as a 15-year-old, the sudden pressure in the spotlight alongside horrific social media comments about her appearance spawned an eating disorder, and how her faith and family helped her through that dark time. And Lauren shares why she knows God is real, after her beloved stepfather described heaven as he slipped away from the earth. In the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Kreis Beall and her husband Sandy slowly built a luxury destination resort called Blackberry Farm, where Kreis’s talents soared as she shared her gifts for design and hospitality. Though she’s won considerable success, it wasn’t until she developed a relationship with God later in life that she truly felt successful—and she recalls how her new-found faith helped her through the devastating loss of her son, Sam, which she shares in her memoir called The Great Blue Hills of God.

 

Links, Products and Resources Mentioned:

Sarah Young

Jesus Calling Podcast

Jesus Calling books

Jesus Calling devotional

Jesus Calling for Easter 

Lifeway’s $5 Promotion on Jesus Always

 

Lauren Alaina

American Idol (Season 10) Dancing with th Stars (Season 28) Mayo Clinic (Melanoma Cancer) “The Other Side” lyric video

 

Kreis Beall

Blackberry Farm The Great Blue Hills of God: A Story of Facing Loss, Finding Peace, and Learning The True Meaning of Home book Bible Gateway (Matthew 10:25)

 

Anne Beiler, the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels

 

Interview Quotes:

“There are always going to be people who are going to have something to say that is not nice. But if I feel good about myself, and I have people around me that lift me up, that takes the power away from them.” - Lauren Alaina

“We turn our back on Him, but He never turns his back on us. And [if] we're willing to go back to Him, He's always there.” - Lauren Alaina

“I don't want some young girl out there looking at me and thinking that I'm just the most confident person in the world, because I choose to be confident. . . . I was very insecure for a long time, and I've had to work really hard on learning to love myself.” - Lauren Alaina 

”I think the most important thing we can do is lift people up and love others and and know that someday we're all going to be reunited in the kingdom of heaven.” - Lauren Alaina

“I'm constantly thinking about the next step, where we're going, what we're going to do. I love to set goals, but I think it's also really important to count your blessings where you are right now.” - Lauren Alaina

“It's super important to find what God means to you. He means something different to everyone. He is my best friend and my Father and all of these things, but for me, He is just a source of strength, and someone that I can talk to when I'm weak.” - Lauren Alaina

“I think having someone who totally believed in me fueled the fire. And it kept pushing me to dream and create.” - Kreis Beall

“Sometimes the role of success can pu