The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

“Jesus came as a teacher to give us new mental maps to reality so that we can follow Him, live under His teaching, and show up to reality in such a way that we flourish and we thrive and we have eternal life.” What a beautiful reminder from today’s guest, John Mark Comer. John Mark Comer is the founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, and the bestselling author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and recently released Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies that Sabotage Your Peace. John Mark is passionate about truth versus lies and understanding how it affects the people of God. When we allow lies to seep into our mental map, we start believing and living as if those are true. This is an incredibly insightful conversation that you don’t want to miss. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Today's episode is a special sneak-peek into the podcast that I co-host with Aaron, On The Other Side! We were so blown away by this conversation that I decided to share it with my happy hour listeners! 30 years ago, Amy Grant released her iconic album Heart In Motion, which launched her career into new heights. Her music is a huge reason for the rise of the contemporary Christian genre and became the first artist in Christian music to have a platinum record. This is Amy’s story of being on the other side of Heart In Motion. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My very first kids’ book is officially out in the world! God Made You To Be You released yesterday and I am so proud of this work. People have asked what inspired me to write a children’s book and it was actually the book I released last October, You Be You! Chapter 8 of You Be You is all about blooming where you’re planted, and that chapter sparked an idea for sharing this message with children. I want the kids in your life to know that God made them with a purpose to fulfill, and it’s important to their friends, family, and community. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, aunt, uncle (honorary counts), I’m so excited for y’all to read this to your little ones! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“No healing takes place without side effects.” A true and powerful statement from today’s guest, Dr. Curt Thompson. Curt is a professional psychiatrist with who I became friends recently after joining his confessional community. I was so blown away by his community and the work he’s doing to help people tell their stories more truly. Whether it’s overcoming shame, childhood wounds, or the stories we’ve told ourselves, Curt’s passion is to remind you that you are never completely alone. I had to try really hard not to make this episode a therapy session for myself (ha), but this conversation will encourage you and challenge you and remind you that Jesus does not represent the traumas in our life. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #429 is Skye Jethani. Skye Jethani is the host of The Holy Post podcast and an author of several incredible books, including What If Jesus Was Serious? In today’s show, Skye dives into how crucial discipleship is in the church and why homogenous communities cause us to miss out on the ways God can change us through other people. So many things we consume form our views, and it causes us to look for excuses to dismiss the teachings of Christ. I really appreciated when Skye said “The real problem we’re facing today is not that our culture doesn’t take Jesus seriously, it’s that the church doesn’t. And if the church doesn’t take Him seriously then why would we expect the culture to?” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Jackie Hill Perry is back for The Happy Hour #428! In today’s show, Jackie and I chat all about the holiness of God, what it means, and why it’s important to understand. I love how Jackie reminds us that understanding God’s holiness changes the way we see Him. She says, “If God can’t sin against me, that means that all of His dealings towards me are good. All of His words towards me are wise and perfect.” Seeing Him as holy truly reminds us that He is a good, good God. For full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #427 is Clarissa Moll. Clarissa Moll is an award-winning writer who helps grieving people find flourishing after loss. She co-hosts Christianity Today's "Surprised by Grief" podcast and hosts hope*writers' "The Writerly Life" podcast where she encourages writers to craft their own joyful new stories. Clarissa dove into how her life pivoted after her husband’s sudden death, and her journey through grief. She shares that grief is a companion that shows up unwelcomed but eventually helps us walk through life. We often don’t want to talk about it because we truly want to believe it will never happen. But I love the encouragement she shared: “Not only are we walking with grief beside us, but we are walking with Jesus beside us.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #426 is Dustin Nickerson! Dustin Nickerson is a stand-up comedian and SUCH a delight to have on the show - I needed a good laugh! He has a comedy special that’s now available on YouTube and I HIGHLY recommend it. In this episode, Dustin talks about his past in ministry and how he picked up stand-up on a whim! He spent years traveling to cities for shows, sleeping at airports, but always made it back home in time for work on Monday mornings. Laughter is such an important part of life and it’s so cool seeing people committed to creating more of that. For the full summary and links to the show, click below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #425 is Mike Todd, pastor of Transformation Church! His newest book Crazy Faith comes out next week and is loaded with truth and encouragement. Mike joined me on the podcast last year and it was such a blast, I just had to have him back! We caught up on the importance of sabbatical, and welcoming his new daughter into the world! Mike also dives deep into the concept of crazy faith, what it looks like and why we do it. Crazy faith feels scary because sometimes we think we need to be 100% sure about decisions, but the reality is that is not faith. If you take away any of Mike’s words from this episode, let it be this: “People think you live in faith for the outcome. You live in faith for obedience.” For the full summary and links to the show, click below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #424 is Max Lucado. Max Lucado is a San Antonio-based pastor and best-selling author with more than 145 million products in print. His latest book is You Were Made for This Moment: Courage for Today and Hope for Tomorrow, which comes out next week! In today’s show, Max dives into what it really looks like to stand up for our faith and how we sometimes use that as a reason to be hostile to others. We see it a lot online and in conversations with the heaviness of the world, but I was so encouraged when Max said “Taking a stand for our faith is loving people who are hard to love. Forgiving people who are hard to forgive.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #423 is Mike Cosper. Mike Cosper is the Director of Podcasts at Christianity Today and the creator and host of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. In this episode, Mike breaks down the premise of the podcast and what the overall goal is for sharing the story of Mars Hill. We talk about church wounds and why our culture continues to platform people whose charisma outweighs their character. We also talk about some of the backlash Mike has received by sharing this story, and people claiming that it is gossip and hurts the reputation of the church. I really appreciated that Mike stood his ground by saying, “What hurts the reputation of the church is abusive leaders.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #422 is Jeannie Cunnion. Jeannie Cunnion is a Jesus lover and a grace clinger. She is the author of Don’t Miss Out and Mom Set Free. In today’s episode, Jeannie dives into her newest book, which is a whole book about The Holy Spirit: who He is, what He does, and why it matters so much. It’s beautiful to know that The Holy Spirit is always working in our lives, even when we don’t know He’s working. I love when she says “The same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus is the same Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead, is the same Holy Spirit that failed the disciples and radically transformed them...that’s the same Holy Spirit that is in you and is in me.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #421 is my dear friend, Lisa Whittle. Lisa Whittle is an author, speaker and ministry leader. She has written several books and bible studies, including her newest book The Hard Good, which releases next week! Lisa dives into grief and loss, and the reality that life is hard and good. The thing about “hard” is that it doesn’t care if it’s an inconvenient time or if you’ve invested so much into something - it just comes because it’s a part of life. But we also have to be reminded of what is good. And I love when Lisa says “God is good - it’s who He is. So things that draw us to Him are good for us.” Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #420 is Rasool Berry. Rasool Berry serves as teaching pastor at The Bridge Church in Brooklyn, New York. He also is the Director of Partnerships & Content Development with Our Daily Bread Ministries. We dove into the intersection of faith and culture, and how important it is for the Church to celebrate the diversity of cultures within the body of Christ. The reality is that it’s hard work to remove ourselves from the bubble of our own culture, traditions and practices. But I love when Rasool says “The goal is not to avoid conflict, but to lean into spaces where we can learn from that conflict. And the best way to fix that is not to start with the issue… but to start with the story of that person.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

The Happy Hour #419 is a special episode in partnership with Love Thy Neighborhood! I had the opportunity to guest host, and we talk about where the Gospel meets human trafficking. Christians say we should care for the vulnerable, but what happens when the vulnerable are being exploited in our own communities? The story of a Christian boys choir that wasn’t what it seemed and how one seminary student is fighting back. This episode features Nita Belles, Rebecca Bender and Raleigh Sadler. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #418 is Rachel Jones. Rachel Jones is the author of A Brief Theology of Periods (Yes, Really), and Is This It? In this episode, Rachel talks about what scripture says about women’s periods and how we’ve been culturally raised to be secretive about it. Rachel also dives into the topic of another book she wrote called Is This It? which talks about the infamous quarter-life crisis and feeling like “is this really all there is?” It’s easy for us to be unhappy or dissatisfied when we have high hopes and big dreams, and we feel like we’re living this monotonous life. But I love when Rachel says “Life is short and eternity is long, and it’s very easy to get swept up in what now looks like or even what the next 50 years look like. But if we really believe that we’re headed to this glorious future with the Lord Jesus, then we’re not going to sweat the next 50 years.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #417 is Kaitlyn Schiess. Kaitlyn Schiess is the author of The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor, and her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The New York Times, RELEVANT, and more! In this episode, Kaitlyn shares about the ways that theology affects the solutions we pursue on political topics and problems, and the reality that Christians have always had Bible verses to back up bad theology. I love when she speaks directly to women and says “You are made in the image of God just as much as men are. And the commission that’s given to you at the beginning of creation - to rule and reign and steward creation, to be God’s representatives on earth - that’s the same commission for you. And we are going to do that poorly if we are not well-trained in scripture.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour 416 is Lolo Jones. Lolo Jones is an Olympic athlete in Bobsledding and Track & Field. She is currently training for the 2022 Winter Olympics which will take place in Beijing! Lolo also recently released a book called Over It which is loaded with encouragement, overcoming failure and pursuing thankfulness. In today’s episode, Lolo shares about her childhood that led to her Olympic journey - from running personal bests in 2008 Beijing to losing the gold medal after hitting the 9th hurdle in the race. She also shares about social media and the press having a huge impact on her mental health. But I love how much she relied on her faith, she says “So many things in life will try to break you. But try. And you’re still here.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #415 is Hosanna Wong. Hosanna Wong is an international speaker, author, and spoken word artist sharing captivating stories of a powerful God with churches, conferences, prisons, & other events around the world. Her latest book How (Not) to Save the World releases next week, 8/17! In this episode, Hosanna shares about her father who was a heroin addict and pimp, and the radical way that God transformed his life. She also talks about how her book How Not To Save The World was inspired by her relationship with her brother, and the ways that she fell short in loving him well and pointing him to Christ. I love when Hosanna says “Why would they believe that the God we're talking about wants to be with them if we don’t even want to be with them?” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #414 is Kelli Masters. Kelli Masters is an attorney and sports agent. She has represented athletes in every NFL Draft since 2005! Kelli was named by Bleacher Report as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Sports Business, and her first book, High Impact Life, just released! In this episode, she shares how Christ became real to her, winning the Miss Oklahoma Pageant to pay off law school (respect!), and pouring everything she had into becoming a certified NFL agent. Kelli also talks about the moment one of the top agents, someone she truly admired from afar, told her she did not belong in the industry. It’s a tough pill to swallow when the most successful person at the time attacks you with the lies you are fighting against in your own mind. But I love when Kelli says “I knew I would be victorious and it wasn’t because I was so great, it was because I was right where God said to be.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #413 is Kara Powell. Kara speaks regularly at parenting and leadership conferences, and is the co-author of a number of books including 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager, which just released yesterday! In this episode, Kara talks about how teens often feel that being heard and being loved are the same, and how important it is to have empathy in order to ask the right questions. Kara also shares details about the 3 big questions and what it looks like to pursue warm relationships with youth. She says “A warm relationship is one that doesn’t judge but journeys with them through their future.” Friends, youth are longing for these relationships and desire for us to hear and guide them as they continue writing their story. For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Y’all - how much have you loved our Flashback Friday episodes?! It’s been so fun bringing back some of my favorite conversations over the years. We’re closing it out with a fan favorite - Tara-Leigh Cobble! Tara has been on The Happy Hour several times and it’s always such a joy having her. Tara was actually in Israel when we caught up, and I get to join her there this fall! We talked about how much The Bible Recap has grown and people’s lives being changed through scripture coming alive. It’s so beautiful and humbling to see Christ use us to help people fall more in love with him. In her flashback episode, you’ll get to hear Tara talk about first launching The Bible Recap and how her passion for God’s Word has helped listeners dig deeper into their knowledge of the Bible. So thankful for the work that she is doing for the Kingdom! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for today’s Encounter episode is Matt Krieg. In this show, Matt shares his story of growing up in a Christian home, but realizing at 29 years old that he didn’t really know Jesus - he only knew about Jesus. Matt talks about his struggle with comparison to his brother, worth and value. At 11 years old, he was introduced to pornography and fell into a secret addiction for nearly two decades. Matt dealt with so much self-loathing that he truly wanted to take this secret to the grave. One day, he had a moment where he finally handed his lies and shame over to God, and the Lord just took them. He says “His response to me wasn’t ‘Matt, you’re worthless.’ His response to me was ‘Matt, know that I love you.’” For the full summary, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Today’s Flashback Friday guest is the one and only, Jackie Hill Perry! Since 2018, Jackie started a podcast with her husband, wrote several books, and went from a family of 3 to an (almost) family of 6! While Jackie is so thankful for the opportunities to share the Gospel, she continues to ask God that her giftings would not triumph over character. In her 2018 episode, Jackie and I covered some challenging topics like homosexuality, racial injustice and how our indifference to the things Jesus cares about shapes the future generation of believers. For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for today’s episode is Chris Terry. Chris is a strength and conditioning coach for football and Women’s swimming at Rice University. He also played four years of football for the Texas Longhorns! In this episode, Chris shares about his background growing up in a Catholic home. He considered it much more about earning love, which caused him to struggle deeply with affirmation. After several years of fighting to know his purpose, using alcohol and sex to try and find his identity, he came to the end of himself. Two women shared the gospel with Chris at a summer camp, and he put his faith in Jesus Christ summer of 2011. For the full summary and links to the show, click below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Today’s Flashback Friday guest is none other than Ellie Holcomb! Y’all, four years later and I still have people tell me how much that episode impacted them. It was truly one of the most vulnerable episodes we’ve ever done. Before jumping into Ellie’s Happy Hour episode #162, we caught up for a bit on what’s happened since 2017, her advocacy for counseling, and the importance of lament. We covered so much in our chat! In her 2017 episode, Ellie and I talked about going through tough seasons in marriage and seeking counseling and had a very real conversation about mental health and the life of being a family with two traveling musicians. I love this episode so much and I hope it impacts you in the same way it did for me all those years ago! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for this episode is Mo Isom Aiken. Mo Isom Aiken is a wife, a mom of 4, a New York Times bestselling author, a nationally sought-after speaker and a teacher of the Word. She’s also a former All-American goalkeeper for LSU’s women’s soccer team. In today’s show, Mo shares with us that cultural Christianity was the stamp of her younger years, just something that was part of a routine. While feeling like nothing in her life was going as planned, Mo eventually developed a severe eating disorder, went through a tragic loss in her family, and turned to alcohol and partying to numb her grief. Until one day, she encountered the very presence of God in the most unlikely moment. For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Welcome back to another episode of Flashback Friday, where we bring back some of our favorite Happy Hour episodes from the past, invite the guest back on, and catch up on what’s happened since we last chatted! Today’s flashback guest is Bianca Olthoff, and today is her FOURTH time on the podcast. The episode we’re flashbacking today is #103, which was originally released in August of 2016. In her episode, we talked about her life as a stepmom, meeting her husband on eHarmony, and working with A21! Before jumping into #103, we kicked off the show with updates from the last few years and even got to celebrate God bringing to fruition some of the dreams that were mentioned back in 2016! For the full episode and links to the show, click below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for this episode is Erin Weidemann. Erin is the founder of Truth Becomes Her, which equips moms and women to step into unique leadership roles. She is also the author of 12 books, and a 5-time cancer survivor! In this episode, Erin shares about a period in her life from ages 16-26 where she completely rejected God. She considered herself an atheist, and led a life of making any and every decision that she wanted. After a deadly cancer diagnosis, being forced to move out of the home she had just bought, and lying face down on the bathroom floor at rock bottom, Erin begged God to help her. And He showed up. Erin’s story is one of beautiful healing and redemption - I hope it encourages you as much as it did for me. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Welcome to Flashback Friday! A new series where we bring back some of our favorite Happy Hour episodes from the past, invite the guest back on, and catch up on what’s happened since we last chatted! Today’s flashback guest is Jami Nato, whose show originally aired in January of 2016! In her episode, Jami dove into an extramarital affair that rocked her world 7 years ago and how it deeply changed her perspective on suffering and God’s love for her. Today’s show starts off with Jami looking back on the last 5 years and all that’s changed and grown. In the midst of something so difficult, Jami has consistently modeled the love of Jesus and the Gospel. I love when she says “Don’t underestimate the change that God can bring about in your heart.” All these years later, there is still so much to learn from Jami and I know you will walk away encouraged by her words, both past and present. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #403 is Rebecca McLaughlin. Rebecca McLaughlin holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College. Her first book, "Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion" was named Christianity Today's 2020 Book of the Year! In this episode, we talk a lot about her book Confronting Christianity and how some parts of it wrestle with difficult history and topics. Rebecca also dives into conversations about LGBTQ+, and how it is an area that many Christians choose to bury their heads in the sand with. She talks about her own experience with same-sex attraction and how she reconciles her devotion to Christ with a desire she never asked for. I love when Rebecca says “One of Satan’s greatest tools against any of us is to make us feel like our particular temptation is one we can’t talk to our friends about.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for this Encounter episode is Liz Curtis Higgs. Liz Curtis Higgs loves the Lord, loves His Word, and loves His people. In this show, Liz shares about growing up attending church as more of a small town ritual, but when she turned sixteen she chose to live her life as she wanted. Liz got caught up in the “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” lifestyle for years, until meeting a couple who were new believers and consistently reminded Liz of Christ’s love for her. That was the beginning of Liz eventually giving her life to Christ. I love the way Liz talks about the couple that she became friends with - they never forced anything on her, they simply loved her. This is something that Liz believes wholeheartedly, she says,“We don’t need to actually put a Bible in their hands straight up at the start. First we need to love them, and then we can introduce them to this love letter from God.” For the full summary and links to the show, click below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #401 is Jess Connolly. Jess Connolly is a woman who wants to leave her generation more in awe of God than she found it. She is passionate about family, God's Word, and seeing women take their place in the kingdom. She's an author, a church leader, and a coach. Jess’ book, Breaking Free from Body Shame, just released yesterday and it is such an important message - so thankful we’re talking about it today! In this show, Jess dives into what inspired her to write this new book and overcoming body shame. There is so much goodness in this episode so I don’t want to give too much away, but I absolutely love when she asks this question: “Are we trying to make our bodies good, or are we treating our bodies like they are good?” For the full summary and links to the show, click below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Today is a BIG day - it’s episode #400 of The Happy Hour!!! Can you believe it?! I never would have imagined that when I sat down with a friend 7 years ago, it would turn into this. I feel so blessed that God entrusted me with this platform to share stories that matter, and I want to thank each and every one of you for listening! Today’s episode is a fun one! We recap how far we’ve come since 2014, some of our all-time favorite episodes, and even took listener questions and stories. Make sure to listen to see if your question or story made it on our show! We love getting to do this every week. I say it all the time, but our stories matter. Jesus actually takes all of these things and He uses them for our good and His glory. Thank you for being a part of it! Here’s to 400! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #399 is Alyssa Bethke! Alyssa and her husband, Jeff are an incredible duo who are passionate about Jesus, family, and scripture. Alyssa released her first solo book just yesterday called Satisfied and it is a MUST read. I’m so excited to have Alyssa on the show today, and feel so honored to celebrate her first book release! In today’s show, Alyssa dives into what inspired her book and her journey of fighting for contentment within the mundane. If we learned anything during quarantine it’s that it is easy to feel like every day is the exact same - and for Alyssa, motherhood began to feel that way. But Alyssa shares how she asked God to stir something up in her, and to love and serve with a passion only He can give. She says “It’s out of His love that we love. So we need to fill up with His love to give love.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for this Encounter episode is Dr. Derwin Gray. Dr. Derwin Gray is the pastor of the multiethnic, multigenerational church Transformation Church in South Carolina. In this show, Derwin tells us about his childhood growing up around violence and trauma, and how he used football as an escape from the things around him. While playing in the professional league, a teammate of his (nicknamed “The Naked Preacher”) shared the Gospel with him in the locker room. It was at that point that the wheels began to turn in his mind and he committed his life to Christ, having no background of Christianity whatsoever. From that moment on, Derwin’s life was forever changed. He says “For the first time in my life I felt loved, and the love was not a love I earned. It was a love I was given.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #397 is my dear friend, Christine Caine! Christine Caine is a sought-after international speaker, author and activist. Known for her ability to effectively communicate a message of hope, Christine has a heart for reaching the lost, strengthening leadership, and championing the cause of justice. Together with her husband, Nick, she founded the anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign. I always love getting to chat with my friend and I’m so happy she’s joining me today! In today’s show, Chris dives into the shifting currents of our culture and how easy it can be to drift away from Christ. She says “If your anchor is not deeply embedded in Christ, you are going to drift.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Today is our very first episode of our summer series, Encounter! We have so many fun guests coming up this summer and I can’t wait for you to hear these stories. In this episode, I actually share some of my story with you of how I encountered Jesus. I read a bit from my first book, If You Only Knew which talks about how I came to Christ after a life of living for myself. I also got to talk with an incredible young woman, Sidney Runeburg. Sidney is a student at the University of Texas, and the first time I saw her was actually at a baptism service at our church, The Austin Stone. Sidney did not grow up as a follower of Jesus and struggled a lot with performance and perfection. After starting at UT, she decided to join a sorority and girl named Kristen asked her if she wanted to join a Bible Study! They built a friendship and eventually Kristen played a huge part in Sidney accepting Christ and the journey that followed. For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #395 is Dane Ortlund! Dane C. Ortlund is the author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners. Dane and his wife, Stacey, have five children. In today’s show, Dane dives into the message of his book, and how much God moves towards us rather than fleeing from our grossness and sin - something that no one else does for us so perfectly. It was so powerful when Dane said “All you have to do is collapse to get to Him (Jesus). The way you get to Him isn’t by climbing a ladder - it’s by falling down. All you do is fall into Him, but most of us are too proud to do even that.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #394 is Michael W. Smith! Michael W. Smith is a multi-platinum recording artist, has won 3 Grammy Awards, 45 Dove Awards, an American Music Award, and has sold more than 15 million albums. He has also given back to the global community in so many ways, including through Compassion International! He recently released his first book on fatherhood, The Way of the Father! Y’all, I feel like such a fangirl having Michael W. Smith on the podcast and I’m not mad about it. In this episode, Michael really dives into the message of his new book, which is inspired by his relationship with his late father. Michael shares about how he was raised by parents who loved the Lord, and yet he went through a season of completely walking away from him. After experiencing a near drug overdose in 1978, Michael’s dad was there for him, loving him, and pointing him towards his Healer. Michael truly had such a special relationship with his father, a man who always gave himself to love others. I love when Michael says "Some of the happiest people I know are the ones who give themselves away.” What a beautiful picture of the Gospel. Do NOT miss this episode and don’t miss all the fun things Michael has coming up in the next few months!! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #393 is Mark Clark. Mark Clark is the founding pastor of Village Church in Canada and its passion is to reach skeptics and challenge Christians. He is the author of The Problem of Jesus and The Problem of God, both wonderful books that I would highly recommend! In today’s show, we talk about things like deconstruction and North American Christianity. Mark also really dives into the problem of people using Jesus as a label to stroll through life with. But Mark shared something that really stopped me in my tracks. He said “The issue isn’t if we’re following Jesus, it’s why.” I started to ask myself “why am I choosing to follow Jesus?” because truly, it’s an answer I should know. We have to know the why, because if we don’t understand that, we may not truly understand who Jesus is. I’m really thankful for the way Mark challenged me in this interview. Don’t miss this one! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour today is Pastor Louie Giglio. Louie Giglio is Pastor of Passion City Church and the original visionary of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus. He is also the national-bestselling author of over a dozen books including his newest release, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table! In this show, Louie talks a bit about Passion being entirely God’s idea and vision, and I share with him how both Aaron and I were saved at the conferences and it completely changed the trajectory of our lives and family. Louie also dives into the message of his book Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table and what it really looks like to reject the enemy’s presence in your life. Rather than being fixated on the Enemy, we should be focused on the Shepherd sitting with us at the table, fighting our battles for us. Louie really gave a powerful statement when he said “Nothing gives God glory more than your enemies watching you be satisfied in Him in the middle of the battle.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #391 is Natalia Kohn Rivera. Natalia Kohn Rivera is an Argentine Armenian American, born in Argentina and raised in Los Angeles, California. She's a Bible teacher, writer, speaker, teacher, and coach. Natalia also released a book back in 2019 called Hermanas, a beautiful book written for Latina women to deepen their identity. This interview has been a long time coming and I’m so thankful we could finally make it happen! In today’s episode, Natalia dives into ethnic identity, and her passion for loving the Muslim community and seeing them come to Jesus. There has been an elephant in the room for a long time about how Christians can be in Christ-loving relationships with people of other religions. It can seem uncomfortable, but Natalia shares that it doesn’t need to be. Wherever we encounter people, whether it’s a neighbor or someone overseas, let’s turn to prayer instead of fear. I love when Natalia says “We don’t need a passport to pray.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #390 is Jon Acuff. Jon Acuff is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including his newest release, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking. He lives just outside of Nashville with his wife and two teenage daughters. This conversation was such an encouragement to me and I hope it will be the same for you! In today’s show, Jon talks about growing up as a pastor’s kid and how often we can obsess about overthinking. He also dives into the topic of his new book, Soundtracks and how to fight the problem of overthinking and instead use it to drive yourself closer to your dreams and creativity. So often we listen to false thoughts about ourselves and we genuinely believe they’re right about us. But Jon says, “The broken soundtracks will never tell you who you are.” YES. I needed that. This episode is loaded with goodness so don’t skip it! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #389 is Elizabeth Passarella. Elizabeth Passarella is the author of the essay collection Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York. She has been a magazine writer and editor in New York for more than 20 years. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and now lives with her husband and three kids in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. So many people told me to read Elizabeth’s book and I’ll admit - I was nervous when I read the subtitle but I’m so glad I went for it anyway. It was wonderfully written and something I know so many of you will enjoy. In today’s episode, she dives into the experiences that inspired her book, and how growing up as a southern evangelical helped shape so much of her current life in New York. There’s definitely a bit of a stigma with how southern evangelicals view new yorkers and vice versa! But I love when she says “I wanted both of those groups of people to challenge their assumptions about a certain type of new yorker, and challenge their assumptions about a certain type of Christian.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #388 is the wonderful Toni Collier! Toni Collier is the founder of an international women’s ministry called Broken Crayons Still Color, which helps women process through brokenness and get to hope. She serves alongside her husband Sam who is the Lead Pastor of Hillsong Atlanta. She is a speaker, host, and is teaching people all over the globe that you can be broken and worthy and unqualified and still called to do great things. Building a friendship with Toni was probably my favorite part of 2020 and I’m SO happy she is joining me on the podcast! In today’s episode, Toni dives into her difficult childhood and overcoming church hurt due to following a pastor instead of focusing on Jesus. We’ve all seen it happen, and the problem of putting pastors and leaders on a pedestal. But I love when Toni says “A pastor is in the four walls of a church. A Savior is everywhere.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #387 is Debra Fileta. Debra is a Licensed Professional Counselor, national speaker, relationship expert, and author of several books including Choosing Marriage, True Love Dates, and Are You Really OK? which comes out on the 18th! May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Debra is the perfect person to have this conversation with. In today’s show, Debra gets vulnerable about a traumatic loss she experienced and the grieving process she walked through. She also dives into the importance of mental health check-ups and how the church has often responded to topics surrounding mental and emotional wellness. Debra has a very true reminder for us. She says, “Just because we’re Christians, doesn’t mean we’re healthy.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #386 is Sam Allberry. Sam Allberry is a pastor, apologist, and author of books such as Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? and 7 Myths About Singleness. He is from the UK and is in the process of moving to Nashville and serves at Immanuel Church Nashville! I’ve been wanting to chat with Sam for a while and I’m so glad we finally made it happen! In this episode, Sam really dives into some of the myths of singleness. Y’all, let me tell you. If you’re married, you may think this episode is not for you but I’m telling you right now, this episode is for everyone. He talks about how we’ve made marriage and the nuclear family the basic unit of church life. We build the church around nuclear families and we try to fit singles into that, as if our full selves and calling in Christ cannot be achieved without another person. But I love when Sam says “Whatever we’ve got wrong about singleness, we’ve probably got the equivalent wrong about marriage.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #385 is Amanda Bible Williams. Amanda is the author and cofounder/CCO of She Reads Truth! From She Reads Truth Bibles and studies to Kids Read Truth Bibles and podcasts, Amanda is passionate about building a community of women who read God's word every day together! In today’s episode, Amanda talks about She Reads Truth turning 10 years old soon, and the Faithful Project, which is a wonderful collaboration of ministry partners including a book, album, and tour of live events! Amanda also dives into her family’s journey of parenting a medically fragile child and the hard seasons that have come from it. I’ve definitely had times in my life where I’ve wondered if a situation was truly God’s plan because it’s so hard in the moment, and feels like we’re walking down the wrong road. But I admire when Amanda talks about the song The Detour and the encouragement it offers: “The Detour we are walking, that IS the road.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #384 is Ginny Owens. Ginny has had an award-winning career that includes two decades as a singer/songwriter, recording artist, author and speaker. During that time, Ginny has released 10 albums, five EPs and two Christmas projects! Ginny currently lives in New York City and is in her final year of a Master of Biblical Studies at seminary! I’ve been listening to Ginny’s music for years so I’m thrilled to have her on today! In this episode, we talk about her background in music, losing her eye-sight at the age 2 and how it has affected her story. Ginny also dives into her newest book, Singing in the Dark which talks about how to cultivate hope and have joy no matter what challenge we’re facing. I love SO much when Ginny says “[Jesus] is a God that is very familiar with our suffering.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE