The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

Every month is a good month to learn about Black History, and in the special month of February I'm sharing with you some amazing people who have incredible resources we can learn from. Today I am SO excited to have Jasmine Holmes on The Happy Hour for the very first time! I'm so excited about it that I've actually invited her to be on TWO episodes this week!Jasmine L. Holmes is an educator, research assistant, and the author of Carved in Ebony and Mother to Son. She creates public history resources for teachers and lifelong learners. Jasmine and her husband, Phillip, live in Jackson, Mississippi, with their three sons. I am so grateful for the work Jasmine is doing and the way she encourages us to remember our past. Her resources and books help us remember that God can use anyone no matter who they are, where they're from, or what their past is. On today's episode we talk about Black history in America and two incredible women that changed the future for generations to come. Elizabeth Freeman and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper were courageous, smart, bold, and understood the dignity of people who were born in God's image. Don't forget to come back Friday for part 2 of this amazing conversation! Click for all the  show links .Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram  // YouTube

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like you don’t have a seat at the table? Have you ever felt lost? If you have, this is the episode for you. Today I sit down with Ann Voskamp as we remember that we all need to sing a brave song over ourselves and our children. Ann Voskamp is a wife to The Farmer and a mother of 7 children. She is a New York Time’s Bestselling author and speaker. She has authored multiple books including One Thousand Gifts, The Greatest Gift, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, and her newest children’s book, Your Brave Song. Your Brave Song is really for all ages as we all need reminding that we are chosen not for what we do, but for who we are… for WHOSE we are!Click for all the  Show Links Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram  // YouTube

Today we’re celebrating Angie Elkins' 1 year Anniversary with The Happy Hour. For those of you who don’t know, Angie is The Happy Hour’s editor and Director of Podcast for Ivey Media. She resides in Florida with her husband and three kids where she loves studying God's Word, serving in the local church, and visiting Disney World. Angie is also the host her own podcast, Chatologie, a faith based podcast that invites guests to share how God has been present in their lives, what they are currently working on, and how their ministry is going out into the world.Today Angie sits down with singer/actress, voice of The Little Mermaid, and now author, Jodi Benson. Jodi challenges us to lay down comparisons and discover your own giftedness and passions. She shares about how one small decision changed her life forever!GO SUBSCRIBE TO CHATOLOGIE!Click for all the  Show Links Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram  // YouTube

This week we have a special episode with a fellow podcaster, Paul Hastings, who has a unique way of immersing listeners into people's life changing stories. He is the host of "Compelled", a podcast sharing stories about God transforming Christians around the world. Paul is an award-winning podcaster, filmmaker, speaker, entrepreneur, and proud husband and father.On this episode we remember the Space Shuttle Columbia crew and talk more about Compelled Episode #46 with Evelyn Husband Thompson, the wife of the shuttle Commander. Evelyn's story moved me deeply and was a great reminder that because we have hope in Jesus, there is life after tragedy.Listen to the rest of the Evelyn's StoryClick for all the  Show Links Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram  // YouTube

Tiffany Daniels is the Founder and Director of THERE{4} Teen Gathering. Tiffany has a passion to see the hearts of high school girls transformed by the gospel of grace. Since 2016, God has used THERE{4} Teen Gathering’s 11 conferences (nine in the US and two in Kigali, Rwanda) to reach tens of thousands of girls in all 50 states and upwards of 30 countries worldwide via livestream.Tiffany lives in Arlington, Texas with her husband, David, Lead Pastor of Central Bible Church. Their three grown children are spread out between Fort Worth, Seattle and Nashville and she has 2 amazing little grandkids!Tiffany is as genuine as they come. One of those people who if she says she’s praying for you, you better believe she means it! In today’s episode we talk all things raising teenagers, a few upcoming trips we have together, and how no season is waisted by God! Be ready to be challenged in taking your next best step as you listen!Click for all the  Show Links Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram  // YouTube

Collectively, we can look back on the year 2020 and remember how tough it was for everyone! But one thing I look back on with joy is how Carlos Whittaker emerged as a hopeful and steady voice online, walking us through tough conversations and being a true leader for many in what felt like a dark time. I am THRILLED to have Carlos back on the show today as we reflect on his journey over the past few years. Plus, we talk all about his new book, How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us.If you aren’t familiar with Carlos Whittaker, let me introduce you! Carlos is a podcaster, author, global speaker, and a follower of Jesus who desires to make people feel seen and cared for. His motto in life is, “Don’t stand on issues. Walk with people.” He lives in Nashville, Tennessee where you can find his family farming and dancing to Beyonce (seriously, Google it!). In How to Human, Carlos takes us through a three-part journey: “Be, see, and free.” BE fully who God created you to be. SEE humans around you, particularly those who feel invisible. Lastly, FREE humans through service! Through looking at the example of Jesus’ life, we can gain a fresh vision of exchanging a culture of division for real relationships. This book is for everyone and anyone who needs reminding that we can navigate hard times with grit, kindness, and a good joke or two!Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

We are THRILLED to announce today the newest member of the Ivey Media Podcasts collective, Debra Fileta, and her show Love & Relationships!Debra is a licensed professional counselor who believes that “healthy people make healthy relationships.” Love & Relationships is a hotline-style show where listeners call in with questions about dating, marriage and singleness. Debra also focuses a lot of her show on mental and emotional health so that each of us can become healthy individuals. Love & Relationships is impromptu, raw and unedited, just like a counseling session. The beauty of Debra’s podcast is that we can learn and grow through hearing other people’s growth. In today’s episode of The Happy Hour, you’ll hear a clip of Debra’s “Are you really okay?” series where she talks with Christine Caine about her journey of mental and emotional health. If you love it, also go check out similar conversations Debra has with faith leaders like Louie Giglio and Levi Lusko! Debra has her “Couples Therapy” series starting in February, and you’ll want to hang on until the end of the episode to hear about a new series of 5-minute episodes she’ll be releasing on Thursdays, too! Go subscribe to Love & Relationships, and follow Debra on Instagram! Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTube 

When Breonna Taylor was killed, her police report was virtually blank. Feeling as if she was suffocating in the initial silence and lack of public outcry, anti-racism educator and activist Faitth Brooks wondered, “Would the world care about and remember me if I was killed?”My guest today is Faitth Brooks. We don’t waste any time  jumping into why her new book, “Remember Me Now” is incredibly needed in all our lives, but is written specifically for Black women. It is a love letter celebrating and caring for the fullness of living Black Women.This love letter is celebrating and caring for the fullness of living Black Women. Faitth is honest and transparent with her experiences as a Black woman in the Christian space. She shared how often there was no celebration or care for her and how she was kept painfully silenced. I hope you will listen with a posture to learn and curiosity for celebrating the Black women in your path. Faith Brooks is a writer, speaker, social worker, activist, and co-host of the “Melanated Faith” podcast. She engages in activism to find sustainable solutions to systemicALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HEREConnect with Faitth:  InstagramListen to Faitth's podcast:  Melanated Faith PodcastBooks by FaitthRemember Me Now, A Journey Back to Myself and a Love Letter to Black Women The Anti-Racism Journal: Questions and Practices to Move Beyond Performative AllyshipWhat Faitth is Reading and WatchingLeadership on the LineWhat Matters MostListening for GodSeveranceConnect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTube

In 2020, I launched Ivey Media, the company that contains everything I do – writing, speaking, and yes, podcasting. We thought as a team, “What if we had more podcasts that we could help, supporting people as they dream about and host their shows, and find advertisers so these hosts can make podcasting their jobs?” It’s from that place that the Ivey Media Podcasts collective was created and it launched last summer! One of the shows on our network is Ministry Strong. Ministry Strong exists to strengthen and encourage ministry leaders to serve Jesus with integrity for the long haul. Ministry Strong is hosted by my friend, Lisa Whittle, who you probably know if you’ve been a long-time listener of The Happy Hour. Lisa also co-hosts our new parenting show, Launch, with me. The second half of Ministry Strong’s first season is live TODAY, and I want to play an episode for you so you can get a sense of the conversations that take place on that show between Lisa and her Season 1 co-host, Joel Muddamalle.The episode you will hear today is episode five. Lisa and Joel tackle the topic of church hurt and spiritual abuse in this episode. They talk about the importance of clearly defining these terms and how to tell the difference. As a bonus, Lisa and Joel discuss how “honor culture” and entitlement fit into the equation. Take a listen. You won’t regret it! Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

The same way you fall in love with your favorite authors and storytellers, whether it’s through movies or podcasts… allow God to become that again in your life” – Kat Armstrong If you are like me walking into the year, you have all these thoughts about wanting to eat better, exercise more, and maintain great friendships. Or maybe you are saying, “I want to get back into God’s Word.” If that is you, I have a great show for you today!My guest is Kat Armstrong and she is one of my favorite Bible teachers. Not only that, but she’s in the running for the guest we’ve maybe had on more times than anyone else – five times! Kat is wise, she is genuine, and she has two new Bible studies releasing next week. What I love about these studies is that they can be done individually or with a group. The “Storyline Bible Studies” will guide you through the storylines of scripture as they each follow people, places, or things in the Bible. Kat and I spend time today talking about the first two studies, Mountains and Valleys. We talk about what it means to get back into God’s Word if you’ve been afraid, if you’ve been hurt, or if you have felt unwelcome because of His Word. Kats shares how she would introduce someone who’s scared or overwhelmed to start reading the Bible. She says to keep reading until you run into a rabbit trail, and if you find yourself overwhelmed, pause your plan and give your brain a break to help dive in again. We really want to encourage you to look at God’s Word as one whole big story, telling God’s story of love toward us.   Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE