Jo Dee Messina on Hard Times, Jesus, and Her First Album in 12 Years

Jo Dee Messina has a long career in the music industry: number one hits, platinum and gold records, many awards. She’s a country music icon. Jo Dee just released Bridges, her first new album in 12 years and those were 12 years filled with some tough times. Her marriage ended, leaving her as a single mom of two boys, both her parents died, and Jo Dee battled cancer, completed treatment, and is cancer free. She’s reluctant to talk about those events but is very happy to talk about her relationship with her Christian faith, which she says has been a constant source of comfort and guidance ever since she turned to it amid her struggles. Is leaning on religion for guidance really all that different from the secular approach of identifying your own wise mind? And if, as Jo Dee believes, everything that will happen is written and planned by a higher power, why do tragedies and pain exist? Jo Dee’s been thinking about that and has some very recent insights. All this, plus Jo Dee Messina belting out a couple of songs.

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