The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

Hey friends, and happy Friday! Cheers to the second episode of The Happy Hour 2023! I have a first-time guest on today, Ericka Anderson, and she has listened to all five hundred and fifty-one episodes of The Happy Hour! Ericka is a mom, wife, freelance writer, and podcaster who recently wrote a book called “Reason to Return,” focused on the topic of women leaving the church. 16 million American women have left the church in the last decade, and Ericka shares a few reasons why. Some of these reasons include trauma, busyness, and church hurt. Other women may leave the church because they feel unseen or alone in their current season of life, such as single women not feeling like their needs are being met. Erica even shares her story of church trauma. I’m telling you, her experience is something worth listening to, even if it’s really hard to hear. For most women that walk away from the church, it’s not usually because they have a problem with God; it’s the people who have hurt them. After all, churches are full of broken, sinful people  – you and me included! But Ericka’s hope in writing “Reason to Return” is to help draw women back to a body of believers, one that is good and healthy for them to be a part of. Ericka and I wrap up our conversation with a beautiful story about the friend Ericka had in mind when she wrote this book. This specific person was absent from the church completely. While Ericka was still writing the book, that woman walked into a church one day and gave her life to Jesus! What an answer to prayer! While Ericka’s friend didn’t read “Reason to Return” before that day, I pray this story brings you hope that there are Jesus-loving people in a church somewhere, ready to welcome you (or someone you know) into their church family. If you or a loved one is in hard church season, I pray you’ll pick up a copy of “Reason to Return” and see how Ericka’s story might minister to you. Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Happy New Year! I cannot believe we are entering another year! Welcome to the very first episode of The Happy Hour in 2023. It may be a little early in the year to declare this, but my conversation today is probably going to be one of my favorite episodes when I do a “2023 year in review” in December!  The team and I thought about doing something different to start the new by letting my dear friend Jackie Hill Perry interview me. I think we all know who Jackie is, but if you’re not familiar, I’m delighted to introduce you! Jackie is a wife and mom, the author of Gay Girl Good God and Holier Than Thou, co-host of the Thirty Minutes with The Perrys podcast alongside her husband Preston, and a gifted preacher. I have never been interviewed on my show but this was so much fun!Jackie puts me in the hot seat, for sure! She’s asking all the questions and she does not hold back. We talk about me preaching for the first time in a church on a Sunday morning. We discuss the topic of women in leadership, as well as my obsession with watching “Sister Wives.” I even get very vulnerable about something that until this conversation, I had only shared with five people. You will definitely want to push play to hear what I share. Jackie leaves us with great wisdom with the reminder that God’s ‘no’ is not mean. His ‘no is never wasted or lacking in love, but when He says ‘no,’ it is training and disciplining us to trust the Father. Friends, I hope your new year is off to a great start! Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Can you believe Christmas is this Sunday?! What a year this has been! I cannot believe this is the final episode of 2022. I’m closing out December with a conversation with my dear friend Vivian Mubani! Vivian is no stranger to The Happy Hour – she was my guest on Episodes #59 and #251. Today we talk about her podcast, Someday Is Here (which is on our Ivey Media Podcasts network!), her hope for the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community, her cancer journey, and why representation matters. Vivian’s podcast is targeted towards Asian Americans, and she shares about the AAPI community and how the intersection of the eastern and western worlds impacts our faith, our leadership, and how we do life. Although Someday Is Here is meant to speak to the unique experience of Asian Americans, Vivian also welcomes those who do not identify as such, because Vivian understands that we are better when we are learning together. I have learned so much from my dear friend about the AAPI community and I hope you will join me in learning more about why the representation of these brothers and sisters really matters. A big THANK YOU to all of our Happy Hour listeners this year! This show wouldn’t be possible with you all, and I am so grateful that you take time out of your day to listen!Have a Merry Christmas, friends! Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK! It is so very true, and today you get to meet my whole team! My heart overflows with love for each of the ladies you will hear from today. The gifts, talents, voices, and personalities they bring not only make our company better, but they make me better as well. Ivey Media has been through so much growth this year. It has also been so sweet to merge so many beautiful people together in one company!I ask each woman about four things: What they love about working at Ivey Media, their personal and/or professional goals for 2023, their favorite book they read in 2022, and their favorite episode of The Happy Hour from this past year.First up is Lyndsey Sweeney! Without Lyndsey, this show simply would not function. Lyndsey is our Director of Operations and she has been with me for five years now. Lyndsey shares how she has seen the company grow and how God moved her own personal story and giftings into the Ivey Media space. I am so honored to have Lyndsey on this team. Second up is Angie Elkins. Angie is our Manager of Podcasts, which means she edits all the episodes and makes sure they are ready for our listeners. Angie has been with Ivey Media for one year now and we are all so thankful for the joy she brings to work! Third up is Amanda Reed! Amanda manages our partnerships and she loves that her role helps bring podcasting conversations to life. Amanda and her husband also introduced me to Austin FC and let me just say, I’m a true soccer fan now because of the Reeds. I’m grateful for all the work Amanda does to keep Ivey Media moving forward. Fourth up is Shannon Stone! Shannon handles all things dealing with finances, HR, and insurance. Although Shannon is not in the office very often, I’m always mentioning her name in the office and want her input on many more things besides finances. Shannon is such a gift to me and our whole team!  Fifth up is Ashley Colwell! Ashley recently joined our team as the Podcast Production Assistant, which means she talks to all the guests, does the scheduling, and does a whole lot of communicating via email. Fun fact: Ashley has listened to The Happy Hour since the very first episode, and even before then, she would read my blogs! It’s so fun to have her here now helping us to produce the show! And last but not least, Ashley Minor! Ashley’s role is Podcast Assistant, and she writes our show notes and schedules the episodes to go out on the blog and Simplecast so that they can then be downloaded or streamed by our listeners. Ashley was on The Happy Hour back in October of this year, when we talked about the Texas Longhorns and college ministry. Ashley, thank you for all you do! Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

With the big day right around the corner, today is our last episode for our Characters of Christmas series! I personally feel like I have grown and learned so much with each conversation about Jesus’ birth, and my heart feels more ready to anticipate and celebrate on Christmas Day.Today’s guest is no stranger to The Happy Hour and he is going to end our series by sharing about the Wiseman – how they point us back to Jesus and how we can see the character of Jesus through them. Preston Perry is a poet, Bible teacher, and podcaster, and he gives us great insight about how we should imitate the Wisemen’s faith in Jesus. He said the Wiseman are wise not because of their own knowledge, but because their wisdom is rooted in their faith in God. They had to have a measure of faith to have traveled all that way to believe in the prophecy that the Messiah would come. Another thing Preston said that struck me was when he pointed out the 900 miles (!!) the Wiseman traveled to see Jesus. Preston said that causes him to observe his own life and ask the question, “How far am I willing to go to meet Jesus?” We ended our conversation by discussing the joy the Wisemen had when they finally laid their eyes on Jesus, and how we too should have great joy when we enter into His presence. What a series this has been! I am so thankful to be reminded of the real reason why we celebrate. Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

The holidays can be a tough time for people, but what we can find in today’s story is that God is faithful no matter what you are going through. God is faithful to His Word, He keeps his promises, and when we act in faith, we can know that He will always respond. Today my guest is Pastor Bryan Carter, senior pastor at Concord Church in Dallas. We are continuing our Characters of Christmas series, and today we are talking about the Shepherds. I ask Pastor Bryan why it’s important that the Shepherds were the first to hear about Jesus, and how their character points us back to Jesus. Considered unclean and without status, the Shepherds are included in the announcement of Jesus Christ. For us, that is good news because it shows us that God sees all people no matter their popularity. This shows Jesus as a Shepherd by choosing the Shepherds to be a part of the announcing of His birth. Pastor Bryan mentioned how the Shepherds did not delay going to Bethlehem, and that shows us their confidence and faith in God. We too should hear the voice of God and not delay when He calls us. Pastor Bryan also mentioned how this story links us to Jesus not only being a shepherd but also the Lamb who washes away all of our sins, which means that we can have hope that He will shepherd and restore His people.  Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

I hope y’all are enjoying these seasonal episodes about the Characters of Christmas! Today we’re focusing on the angels, and there is no other person that I think fits this topic than my friend Ellie Holcomb. Ellie has been on The Happy Hour before and she also recently released her latest children’s book, Sounding Joy.Sounding Joy goes hand in hand with today’s show. I read a little of her book at the end of the episode, and I think after listening that you will want to buy a copy! We talk about how remembering the angels points us back to Jesus, what Ellie sees about the character of Jesus through the angels, and what stands out about the angels when Ellie thinks about the birth of Jesus this year. Ellie discusses a moment from her childhood when she remembers singing “Joy to the World” that led her to think about what it truly means to“Repeat the sounding joy.” Ellie shares how this song shows the heart of God – because the angels are the ones singing it, we are invited into the songs as well. Today’s episode ends with Ellie challenging us to think about what it would look like to continue to sing that song the angels sang all those years ago. Doing so points us back to being peacemakers, to being people who are about reconciliation, and being the hope for people who are in a time of suffering. Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

We are continuing our Characters of Christmas series with today’s guest Ross Lester. Ross is a friend of mine, he’s the campus pastor at one of our locations of The Austin Stone Community Church, and he is no stranger to The Happy Hour. Ross was on Episode #375, and I’m excited to have him back to talk about Joseph, the father of  Jesus’ during His time spent on earth. Listen, you are in for a great episode! Ross and I talk about the relationship between Joseph and Jesus, and you guys, I’m really curious if Jesus gave Joseph a few secrets while they were working in the shop together. I wonder if they talked about all the daddy-son things. I ask Ross the same questions I have asked our previous guest during this series: How does Joseph point us back to Jesus, and what do we see about God’s character through Joseph and Jesus’ relationship? One thing I’ve never thought about that Ross mentioned is that when Mary, Joseph’s fiance, comes to him saying she’s pregnant as a virgin, Joseph could have immediately put her before the court. In that time, Mary would have been stoned to death publicly. But instead, Joseph is so Christ-like that he lives out the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8, instead wanting to divorce Mary privately instead of having her tried. Ross says he believes Joseph wanted to release Mary and actually give her another opportunity to rebuild her life instead of being put to death. The Bible describes Joseph as a righteous man and we see that all throughout the Bible when his name is mentioned. Joseph models Christ by being obedient. He kept the law, which is all about mercy. He signs up to take on a child that’s not his own biologically. He eventually has to move his young family to Egypt to protect Jesus. And Joseph is full of humility – he doesn’t center himself in the story. I don’t know about you, but my desire is to live a righteous life devoted to God like Joseph.After listening to today’s episode, you are going to love Jesus more as you learn more about the people who surrounded him at His birth.Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Hi friends! We are continuing our Characters of Christmas series with my guest Jami Nato. Jami was on The Happy Hour back in 2016. We re-aired that episode in 2021 during our Flashback Friday podcast series, and now Jami is back with us to talk all about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Maybe December is a hard month for you or maybe 2022 has been a particularly challenging year for you. I want to encourage you to lean into this last month of the year standing on something that is unshakeable: Jesus Christ. On today’s episode, Jami and I talk about how Mary’s character points us to Jesus, and Jami tells us what she observes about the character of God through Mary’s role in His birth. Jami talked about how God built a community for Mary because He knew she would be afraid, and how even during His death, He provided for Mary. The beautiful thing is that Jesus is doing the same thing for us today. He knows that we are afraid of certain things, so He creates community for us. Then, with the Holy Spirit living inside of us as believers, He still guides us and gives us provision. That is the hope that you can stand on in this season. I hope you were encouraged during this episode and that you walk away from listening knowing that even during the hard days, you can still have joy, hope and peace through Jesus Christ.   Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Hi Friends! I have loved this last year with our rhythm of episode series, bringing you conversations all centered around a specific topic or theme. Today, we’re starting our next series, called Characters of Christmas! Today’s guest is my friend Rebecca McLaughlin who is no stranger to The Happy Hour. Some of you may remember Rebecca from Episode #402 when we talked about her book Confronting Christianity. Rebecca 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 about Rebecca’s latest book, Jesus Through The Eyes of Women. We discuss why we as Christians believe what we believe, because what we believe should inform the way we approach Christmas to honor and celebrate the birth of Jesus! There are four questions Rebecaa asks in this book that are very helpful if you are engaging with nonbelievers on the topic of Christmas. These questions are: Was Jesus a real person? Can we take the gospels seriously? How can you believe in a virgin birth? And finally, why does it matter? We’ve got even more Christmas conversations coming your way, and this episode with Rebecca really helps to set the scene for what’s to come. Enjoy!Connect with JamieFacebook //  Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE