An Everlasting Love
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Start preparing for your future at Liberty University and join thousands of LU alumni like Shannon Bream. From a flexible K-12 online academy to doctoral level programs, Liberty University has a range of educational opportunities to match your needs. If you're looking for an accredited K-12 school, Liberty University Online Academy provides a flexible,

biblical-based curriculum. For a college degree at the undergraduate or graduate level, choose from Liberty University's 700-plus programs online and on campus with scholarships and financial assistance available. Whether you choose to study residentially on Liberty's beautiful Lynchburg, Virginia campus or

or enjoy the convenience of one of our online programs, today's the day to start pursuing your world-class Christian education. Right now, as a listener of the Live in the Bream podcast, you'll get your application fee waived when you apply at liberty.edu forward slash Shannon. That's liberty.edu forward slash Shannon. Check out Liberty University today.

It's Live in the Bream with the host of Fox News Sunday, Shannon Bream. All right, this week on Live in the Bream, we have two people I'm so excited for you to meet.

They have become friends, but I admired them from afar for a long time. And it's so beautiful now with this new book they have out to hear the backstory on their lives. I think it's going to be such an encouragement for people of all ages, all backgrounds. There's so many just special truths and lessons and encouragements through all of this.

And they both are super successful in their own life and had their own backstory before they came together. Now they're doing so many things still on their own, but projects together too. And family is at the center. Faith is at the top of the rung for all of this. So I want to welcome to Live in the Bream, Rebecca St. James and Cubby Fink. They've got a brand new book called Lasting Ever, Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love. Welcome guys. Welcome.

Thank you, Shannon. Thanks so much for having us. Such a blessing to be with you. I'm so grateful for you guys and for this book that you've written because I've learned so much about both of your backstories. And it's one of the things I'm struck by. It's so beautiful to see how God works separately in our lives.

until the moment he brings us to cross paths with somebody. In this case, you know, it was your future spouse for both of you. But tell us a little bit of your backstory because both of you had all kinds of musical roots and successes before you joined Forces.

Yeah, we really did. I mean, it's just kind of wild to reflect back, but I'm originally from Australia. I grew up there till I was 14, moved to the US when I was 16. And, you know, you know about this, Shannon, but some of the listeners may not. But there was a movie that came out last year about my family coming to America called Unsung Hero.

And it was just a really special thing to see through Lionsgate, you know, distributing it, our story come on the big screen. And, you know, it was amazing when we came to America, we lived by faith for those first few years and just saw God do miracles through prayer. And it was just extraordinary how God really, I think, gave me a testimony to share when I went full time with music at 16 years.

here in Nashville because I had a story. I had seen miracles. I'd seen my life being transformed, you know, oldest of seven, nine kids, sorry, nine people in our family and seeing God come through for us. And so I went full time with music at 16 and then

Did nearly 20 years of music and book writing and some acting in there too. And lots of songwriting, lots of recording albums, lots of touring. And then, you know, met this wonderful man around that time in my life in my early 30s. And yeah, we got married around 33. And that was the dream of my life, Shannon, was to get married and have a family. I'm living all my dreams right now. I really am. I love it.

Well, and I cannot recommend Unsung Hero highly enough. I got to tell you, when Chelle and I saw it, we both cried numerous times in this movie. It is, I mean, just powerful and Cubby, I know you were working on the movie too. And this is something that you guys did together. And I,

I was as a younger woman, like a huge Rebecca St. James fan. I had the songbook. I played it on the piano. I'm sure my youth group got to hear songs for me that they didn't ask for. I was no Rebecca St. James, but I was a big fan. But the movie, oh my goodness, it is such a moving, beautiful testament to

to miracles and to faith and to, and I know both of you talk about this too. And it's kind of one of the themes in the book too, that, you know, sorrow and joy can exist together. Hard things and beautiful things can exist together. Yes. Yeah. How's that for you? Yeah. I mean, it was, it was a pretty remarkable process to be, be able to be involved in making a movie about,

the story that my wife lived and, and, and to be able to recreate a lot of these stories that I'd only heard about. And suddenly we're seeing them play out in real life and I'm watching it through a director's monitor and then could take it a step further and break the wall and step into the scene. And in a strange way, I was able to kind of comfort my, the younger version of my wife and some of these most traumatic of moments. So, I mean, for me, it ended up being far more therapeutic and redemptive than I could have ever anticipated just through the making of it.

even though I had a deep sense, even when the film was in a script phase, that the film was going to have just beautifully redemptive power as it went out. I mean, not only for Rebecca and her family, but really for the viewers. And the fact that we've gotten that response has just been incredibly encouraging, that people have been encouraged to just stand up and rally together as families, as God designed. So yeah, really beautiful process.

And then, yeah, just a bit about me. I grew up, was born in Colorado, but grew up in Southern California and

a bit of a beach bum, grew up surfing, loving the water, but initially was kind of on the sports track, was a baseball player and thought I was going to make a life and career out of that. And then about midway through high school, ended up just falling in love with more of the art side of things and started playing music and got a camera and started shooting photography and making short films. So that radically changed the direction of my life and kind

kind of set my sights on moving to LA. And, um, and then shortly after high school, God sent me on a bit of a detour, ended up on the mission field in South Africa for two years, which ended up being just the most foundational season of my life. I mean, so much of who I am today is because of what I saw God do, um, in South Africa for those couple of years. And,

And I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life down there, just absolutely fell in love with it, fell in love with doing that work and just being in partnership with the Holy Spirit in that way. And as clear as he made, as clear as God made it, that I should go to South Africa, he made it equally clear that it was time to go home, which was a bit harder, but ultimately ended up back in Southern California, went to school, studied communication with an emphasis in film production and

Um, and then took that to LA and sort of entered the world of TV and film in LA. And then the, the, uh, the famous writer's strike of 2007 happened and the kind of the industry shut down. And so I ended up doing a bit more music, um,

just kind of on the side. And then it became more of the main focus. And then I had a passion project with a couple of buddies that ended up developing into a band that took us around the world for several years. And I actually met Rebecca kind of right as the band was starting to find its footing and really sort of

I don't know what's the takeoff yeah and so so we married kind of in the midst of the crazy of the band um really getting into kind of the touring grind so we had a

a very small window to get married and do a quick honeymoon. And then it was that we were literally on the road for the first three years of our marriage. Super sweet. Yeah. And I think that's part of like, even in the book, what we talk about and you alluded to it, Shannon, but yeah,

how God prepared us for each other, because I mean, that band blew up, Pumped Up Kicks was everywhere and we really were traveling the world, but I was able to really relate to his world. And it's an amazing thing to get to do things like that. It's a privilege, but there's also challenges that come with it that I could relate to with him. So we were really one in that and God had prepared us.

us to really support each other in our music callings, which is really sweet to see. I was very proud of how Cub just stood in integrity in a world where you don't often see that. I was just proud to partner with him.

Yeah, I mean, both of you had been in the world of entertainment and music and, you know, talk, you talk about TV and film and LA. And I mean, there are just so many things there that are at odds with what both of you had kind of treasured in your hearts about what you wanted to do with your lives and what you felt called to do with your lives. But yeah.

such a beautiful thing that in the midst of all of that, you are shining a light and you are supporting each other and being a testimony in the midst of that. I wanted to ask you guys about this because I thought it was interesting that you talked about this whole true love weights movement, which I remember being so huge.

And after the fact, and this was the idea of purity, waiting till marriage. And there were people after the fact who felt like in some way it became kind of a legalistic, judgmental kind of thing. But you guys both talk about that you feel like the aim of it was a good thing. And man, even though we're talking, you know, 90s, 2000s, whatever, it was so countercultural to everything that the world would be telling you at that moment. And certainly today, right?

That's true. But gosh, there was a place for it at that time. Yeah. Yeah. And I talk about it in the book. But for me, and we can only speak from our own experience, you know, and I have compassion for those that were felt wounded by that movement. And I do think you're hitting the nail on the head, I think.

there was a legalistic form of it that was very regimented and restrictive that I didn't experience. And so I can kind of speak from this place of positive experience with it. But yeah, you know, I entered Christian music at a time where that movement was really big. And so I was doing some of these

rallies with up to 60,000 young people that were pledging to honor God in relationships. And I just thought, this is the most amazing thing. You know, all these young people wanting to, to just,

be honorable in relationships. How awesome, how beautiful. And that was a commitment that I'd already made in my life that I wanted to wait for my spouse. And so I was asked to say a couple of words about it at, you know, teen talking to other teens at these events. And there was so much great response to it, Shannon, from young people, from parents saying, thank you for speaking up about this issue. But I just kept talking about it in all my shows. And it became a kind of a important touch point, you know, in my life.

in what I would share from stage. And then I ended up writing a song about it, a love song to my future husband, who I didn't know at that point. It became a really big song for me. My song Wait For Me, and I wrote books about it. So it became a real theme. But I think in my life, you know, and we always tried to talk about, I always tried to talk about forgiveness too, because...

All of us need the grace of God. We don't do things perfectly. We all need forgiveness. And so that was something that I always tried to highlight. But I think that movement really did encourage us to wait for each other. And I'm thankful for it. And now we've got three kids and we're teaching them about this important part. And, you know, all of us seeking to honor God in every part of our lives, not just church.

in relationships with opposite sex, but every part of our lives. Yeah. Yeah. And you guys share, I

I mean about so many different things in the book. There's such a transparency that I think that's what really helps other people is when we do share where we've struggled, where we've had tough times. So while you both had dreamed of being married, having a family, all of these things and having this wild musical success that maybe, Cubby, you were still so young, but it was a little bit later for Rebecca. It was kind of your identity as a really young person getting involved in the music industry.

But you talk about things that didn't exactly go according to plan. I mean, there are struggles in life, whether it was Cubby leaving Foster the People or, you know, you share openly about things within your marriage and the journey to have kids and all of these things. Why did you feel like you wanted to kind of lay that bare? Yeah, I think in the process of writing this book and really reflecting on our lives to the degree that we were forced to, and it's rare that you have that opportunity, I think

the thing that I really took away is just how beautifully involved God is in every detail of our lives. And I think it's easy to miss the hand of God in the midst of your situations, especially challenging situations, but it's,

being able to step outside and get, get a little, a little bit of time beyond those situations and have the perspective to look back. It really is encouraging just to see how involved God was through that process. And I think in reflecting on some of those harder times, I think it was important for us to be able to share about the goodness of God that we experienced in those hard times. And I mean, it would have been easy just to write a fun book of all the fun stories of our lives and keep it lighthearted, but yeah,

But because of the nature of what we do for our careers, I think there's a sense of, you know, for a lot of people, it might be hard to identify with. But the thing that we can unify over and really identify on with anyone is pain. We all experience pain. It is the point that we can really connect and have a sense of unity.

of understanding and, and, and we felt called to be vulnerable, vulnerable about, about some of our most painful seasons and in the hope that, that it would encourage people and remind them that, that God is good in, in the process of the pain, that there's purpose in the pain, that God is growing us and maturing us and, and changing us through that pain and challenging us.

those challenging seasons. Cause the truth is we don't, we don't grow or change when life is good. Most think it complacent, but, but we're not really growing. It's, it's really through those, those hard seasons that we grow and, and, and being able to speak to the purpose of that pain was, was very important to us.

Yeah, and I like to tell myself like, oh yes, I will grow in the times of plenty and mountaintops. But if I'm being honest with myself, it really is the darkest valleys where there have been these real breakthroughs in humility and growth and clinging to what's really important and kind of understanding it and knowing in a different way when you experience it as kind of your lifeline, the one thing that you have in those moments. So I agree with you on that. We'll have more Live in the Bream in a moment.

Start preparing for your future at Liberty University and join thousands of LU alumni like Shannon Bream. From a flexible K-12 online academy to doctoral level programs, Liberty University has a range of educational opportunities to match your needs. If you're looking for an accredited K-12 school, Liberty University Online Academy provides a flexible,

biblical-based curriculum. For a college degree at the undergraduate or graduate level, choose from Liberty University's 700-plus programs online and on campus with scholarships and financial assistance available. Whether you choose to study residentially on Liberty's beautiful Lynchburg, Virginia campus or

or enjoy the convenience of one of our online programs, today's the day to start pursuing your world-class Christian education. Right now, as a listener of the Live in the Bream podcast, you'll get your application fee waived when you apply at liberty.edu forward slash Shannon. That's liberty.edu forward slash Shannon. Check out Liberty University today.

Again, we're talking to Rebecca St. James and Cubby Fink about their new book, Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love. And I do love the story of you all meeting. Speaking of true love, it's very sweet. And just to be kind of along on the journey with you guys through the book. But you also, you know, you talk about, Rebecca, you're honest in the beginning of the book about reaching a point where you get to sort of a professional burnout. And both of you are so talented in so many different things. You do so many different things.

But you found ways now that you're working together and you found ways back to music and the first love of that. So what is life today? I mean, you're homeschooling to your three sweet little kiddos and all the things that you're doing. How do you manage all of those things and kind of look ahead to what God has planned for you to? Well, it is quite the juggle. I think we do know that we have a lot of different plates spinning and things

We are, you know, tag teaming in our marriage with the kids and we bring them on the road a lot. We just, we did a tour at Christmas together as a family and they came on the road and the kids were just loving the bus and, you know, the adventure of it all.

But it is a juggle, but it's a sweet juggle. And I think to have had a season in my life where I did burn out and then God really very clearly called me back to music. And I think he wanted to show me that it could be different, you know, and I could have kind of a new lease on life when it came to ministry because of

my dreams coming true with my family and to do it together. And Shannon, that's part of the joy of this time right now, like doing this book together and doing some speaking events and, you know, with Cubby is just such a, such a dream. Um, because it's like partnering in ministry, you know, I've done so much of what I've done alone. And I think, you know, that's probably part of what led to my burnout was these dreams of marriage and family hadn't come true.

and I lost my voice in pop because of that. And so to come back to it and now do it together and, you know, to be,

like having this podcast with Focus on the Family. And he and I have done a little bit of that, like together podcasting too, like we are right now. It's really, really sweet to be in partnership in these various ways. And Cub helped executive produce my album as well. And so there's just a sweet unity to that. And I think we're living in a day and age where people are needing encouragement, Shannon. And

encouragement in faith, encouragement in marriage, encouragement in family life. And if we can kind of show up with this book and with our story and just say, yes, life is hard, but when we trust God, we see his goodness and we see his redemption. I hope that that brings a lot of encouragement to people to stick it out.

you know, to have that kind of lasting ever love with God and receiving his lasting ever love, and then to stick it out to you in relationships and in marriage, because it's worth it. It's worth pressing through the hard to get to the great. And I think that's what we've discovered in our life and want to encourage others with. Yeah, I mean, that's something Shel and I talk about, too. There was one particularly really tough period in our marriage, and

And, you know, it felt like things were falling apart. And he and I talk about that now and say, oh, my goodness, all of these amazing years and

and really great stuff on the other side of that that would have been missed. And like, it's just such a treasure. It's the joy of our heart. And to feel like, of course, we felt justified in kind of throwing in the towel all those years ago. And we know people have done that. And I think sometimes you're in so much pain that feels like the right thing at the moment. But gosh, what we would have been robbed of if we didn't fight through. And I mean, sometimes the

that stuff we got to work through individually and Cubby, you're really vulnerable and talking about that, some of your own childhood trauma that you had to get to. So there are, you know, prices of pain to pay for progress, I feel like, but your book on so many different levels in so many different ways encourages us to work through those tough things because there is such beauty on the other side of it.

Absolutely. And thank you for sharing so vulnerably yourself too about your journey. I think that's really a beautiful gift to everybody listening, Shannon. But I think of some of our most probably unifying intimacy building moments have been these moments where we're just crying in each other's arms.

and we're literally just being together in the pain and and it's almost like you're building marriage equity in those times and i just the the the trust that i think has been built um in these times for us is so huge and you know my my family talked about growing up and i saw it modeled you know with my parents a lot and how they kind of raised us too was resolved conflict

leads to intimacy. And so whether that's conflict coming from the outside into your family life or a conflict just where you're having to kind of navigate some hard stuff within your marriage, but

But if you get to the other side of that, it leads to this closeness and this connection. And it's so beautiful and so worth it. And so I love that you're sharing about your own story and how beautiful it is on the other side. And I have a song that's in Unsung Hero, actually, that says, you make everything beautiful. It's just this...

you know, song to God saying, you know, thank you that you do this, this idea from Ecclesiastes. And I've seen that in my life, Cubby's seen that. And we want to encourage people with that, that when you go to God with the pain of your life, he can make something beautiful from it. And what a sweet promise that is. Yeah.

Absolutely. Okay, so we're talking about your newest endeavor, which is this book, Lasting Ever. But I know you both have so many other projects going. Can you tell us what's going on, how people can keep up with you and just find out the latest? Yeah, I mean, like Rebecca said, we got a lot of plates spinning and a lot going on.

But it's exciting. And I mean, even in the midst of all of it, like Rebecca alluded to, I mean, we wouldn't be doing any of this unless family was first. So even with Rebecca, she had a brief season of unofficial retirement, but since the Lord calling her back into it and what I've stepped into with film and music, with Rebecca coming back, with me stepping in,

Kind of the decision we made in these unusual lives, if it was, if we can't do it as a family, it's, it's not worth doing. So that is our number one mission is, is to make sure that we're maintaining the, the first focus on our marriage and then our children, and then everything kind of stems from that. But the things outside of the family, I mean, Rebecca's working on a bit of new music, which is exciting and, and yeah, it'll be interesting to see how it develops, but right now it's just,

kind of single songs that we'll see where those lead, but that's a lot of fun. She mentioned that she's podcasting with folks on the family. Parenting podcast. Yeah, really cool parenting podcast. Practice makes parent is what it's called. And then I've got a couple of exciting projects kind of on the horizon, some scripted television stuff, some unscripted television, some potential feature films. So

A lot of really exciting, I don't know, just opportunities to be able to operate in the giftings that the Lord's given us. And it just feels like such an honor to steward those gifts in that way. Absolutely. All right. So Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, X, whatever we're calling it. Yeah. Where's the best place to keep up with you guys?

Yeah, I would say Instagram and Facebook, whichever, you know, people kind of prefer to be on. But all the latest is on there for me. Sadly, I don't have any social media. You're so smart. You're like Sheldon. He's like, he may have it, but he just lurks around. He's too smart to post unlike the rest of us. I think I have a Facebook out there somewhere, but I don't remember. I mean, it's probably been since college that I logged on. Yeah.

MySpace, you know, we're going back. There's probably one of those out there. Probably. That's hilarious. But you can find out about both of us through my channels for sure. And like we're doing some speaking engagements together and, you know, some partnership with the book that is a bit more public, you know, some national media and stuff. But you can find out through my social media for sure.

Awesome. Well, I know you're going to be showing up on Fox as well on our TV side. So we are excited for all the things to come again. Rebecca St. James Cubby Fink, the book is Lasting Ever, Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love, full of so much humor and heart and really just great advice and inspiration through your own transparency. So thank you guys for sharing it and for joining us on Live in the Brave.

Thank you, Shannon. Thanks so much for having us. Listen ad-free with the Fox News Podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. And Amazon Prime members can listen to this show ad-free on the Amazon Music app. I'm Dana Perino. This week on Perino on Politics, I'm joined by former GOP strategist and host of The Rich Zioli Show, Rich Zioli. Available now on foxnewspodcast.com or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Must listen to podcasts from Fox News Audio.