The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

“[Foster care] is not just about bringing a child into your home. It’s about bringing your family into another family.”I could not think of a better way to say it than Jamie Finn’s words. Friends, we are kicking off a 4-part series for National Foster Care Month and I am beyond excited to welcome Jamie Finn of Foster The Family on The Happy Hour. Jamie C. Finn is the author of Foster the Family and executive director of Foster the Family. Her social media accounts offer a glimpse into the real life of a foster parent and provide encouragement to thousands of foster parents. Jamie is passionate about encouraging and equipping foster and adoptive parents and advocating for vulnerable children and families.Y’all, Jamie shared so many truth bombs so I’m giving you a heads up right now to grab a pen and paper. We talked about hard things like the joy of loving a child and the pain of saying goodbye, repenting of sinful thoughts relating to parents of foster children, and how important it is to be trauma-informed when stepping into these broken places. Anything that involves Kingdom work will have suffering, but we have to trust what God says about suffering. Foster care is God using people to play a part in families being healed. This is important work, and I can’t wait to share the rest of these conversations with you.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Did you know that over 400,000 kids are in foster care in the United States? That means there are hundreds of thousands of personal stories. Hundreds of thousands of children are without a place to call home permanently. This need is ginormous, and I subscribe to the idea that we all play a part. I don’t subscribe to the idea that all families should adopt. However, I believe we should all care for vulnerable children. It’s not an option to not care. I’m excited to share a two-week series on The Happy Hour about foster care. May is National Foster Care Month, and we want to highlight some of the different people who play a role in foster care. Foster Care advocate, a survivor of the foster care system, a foster/adoptive momma, and the story of a birth mom who placed her son for adoption.Wherever you are in your world, I want you to know and believe that these stories matter to you. The reason they matter to you is because they deeply matter to God. Listen to these four women share their stories and allow God to change you because of them. 

Have you ever wondered “Can God handle my mess?” If your answer is yes, or you know someone whose answer is yes, you’re in for a treat today. My guests for this episode are Walker Hayes and Craig Cooper. Walker Hayes is a pop-country singer who went viral for his song “Fancy-like” which has a fun little dance to it! Craig Cooper is a gifted storyteller and Bible teacher. In today’s episode, we get a glimpse into the beautiful story of Walker and Craig’s friendship, more of which is shared in their upcoming book “Glad You’re Here”.Walker met Craig during an unlikely time in his life, and the two jumped right into doing life with one another, which eventually led to Walker having a renewed relationship with Christ. They share how real friendship gives us permission to be weak, and what a treasure it is to show up as our full selves, not our best selves. This story is going to point so many people to Jesus, and I know you will leave encouraged by our conversation today.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Isn’t it crazy how in the midst of grief and tragedy, God can call us towards our purpose?This is exactly the story of today’s guest, Anne Wilson. For much of her life, Anne had plans and dreams to become an astronaut, making moves to pursue opportunities with NASA. But in 2017, her life shifted after the unexpected passing of her older brother. The lyrics of Hillsong Worship’s “What A Beautiful Name” became a lifeline for Anne and she turned to worship as comfort in her grief, something she had never done before. The very first time Anne ever sang in front of an audience was at her brother’s funeral. It was at that moment that she realized what she was born to do.Anne is just 20-years-old but truly has wisdom beyond her years. I was so encouraged by our conversation and how God is using her to change lives. She just released her first full-length album, My Jesus, and I cannot recommend it enough!Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

How do we commit to community as a part of looking more like Jesus? Y’all, I am so excited to share this conversation with you! Today’s guest is Joel Smallbone, one-half of the Australian Christian duo For King and Country. I had the opportunity to speak with his lovely wife, Moriah, and sister, Rebecca St. James on recent happy hour episodes and I am just the biggest fan of this whole family!In today’s episode, we chat about what it looks like to rest and lean into Sabbath as a command. We also talk a lot about how to commit to community within the Kingdom of God and why our differences allow us to highlight different attributes of God. We’re often so focused on our boycotts and things we disagree with, that we miss things that bring harmony amongst us. I love how Joel put it when he said “The beauty of God is found in diversity. Diversity of expression, diversity of ethnicity, diversity of thought, diversity of gender.” What an incredible reminder to walk with today and every day.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Do you ever feel like you live as though only half of the Gospel is true? If the answer is yes, this conversation is for you. Today’s guest is Pastor Joby Martin of Church of 1122 in Jacksonville, Florida. His book If The Tomb Is Empty talks all about why anything is possible because of the resurrection of Jesus. In our conversation, Joby breaks down why the resurrection is the entire foundation of our faith. The fact that Jesus died for us is incredible, but the tomb being empty is why we should live with the truth that we’ve been imputed with His righteousness. Joby says, “He knows you, He loves you, He delights over you, He dances over you. That’s why the empty tomb matters.” This, friends, is the good news. Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“Before we can get to what’s good about the cross, I think we have to deal rightly and honestly with the horror and the tragedy and the defeat of what the cross would’ve meant for the people of Israel.”Y’all. This is one of the most helpful and educational conversations on Good Friday and I am so dang excited to share it with you. Dr. Joel Muddamalle serves as Director of Theology and Research at Proverbs 31 Ministries and works directly for Lysa TerKeurst. He is also on the speaking team at Transformation Church with Derwin Gray!Alright, here’s what I love about Joel. He is one of the smartest people I know and dissects so many great things about theology in a way that we can truly understand. I always feel like I walk away knowing so much more! In this episode, we answer some of your questions like why do we call Good Friday “good” when it is so painful? What is the history of the cross? How do we talk to our kids about Good Friday? I love how he says that we should never disconnect what is hard with what is hopeful. This is SO TRUE. Joy, pain, and hope can all live together. Let’s walk into Good Friday and Easter with this reminder.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“Us sharing stories of what Jesus has done is so powerful.”The Happy Hour podcast is slowly becoming the official sponsor of The Smallbone Family! Today’s guest is Christian singer-songwriter, Rebecca St. James. We absolutely loved having her sister-in-law Moriah Smallbone on back in November, and will have her brother Joel on in just a few weeks! I am so excited to have Rebecca here to talk about her newest project, Kingdom Come.In today’s episode, we chat about what it looks like to do ministry for 20 years and what truly keeps us still wanting to follow Jesus. We talk about family relationships and what a beautiful thing it is to invite our children into hard journeys so that they can see the goodness of God come through. We also really dive into winter seasons and why sharing our stories with one another produces deep community and prepares us for the spring. Our stories matter because they point people to the goodness and faithfulness of God - so thankful for that reminder today!Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“Tears of joy and tears of sorrow, they all taste the same.”What powerful words by today’s guest, Pastor John O. John O is the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, and the author of We Go On. He also runs a coffee business called Portrait Coffee based out of the West End of Atlanta!Friend, this is such a profound conversation about holding joy and sorrow together and I am always so blown away by how pastoral John O is. He shares about a breaking point when grief snuck up on him nearly a year after losing his brother, and the journey he took to heal. He also talks about infertility and the painful process of waiting to adopt their daughter. Life is full of so much pain and heartache, but it’s also loaded with the goodness of God. So while outsiders may think it’s crazy for us to keep following Jesus, for us, there is truly no alternative. He is the only way.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

We’ve got such a fun episode today, friends. It’s all about Children’s books! I think one of the reasons why even adults love children’s books is because they are oftentimes packed with messages and reminders that we need as adults. Children’s books help us dream, but also help invite kids to deeper words and thoughts. Our guests for today’s show include Jena Holliday, Sally Lloyd Jones, Esau McCaulley, Laura Wifler, Annie F. Downs, and Emily Lex! I asked them why they wrote these children’s books, what they want little ones to learn from it, and why they find children’s books to be so special and important in a child’s life. Writing for children is a different kind of challenge because we have to get the message across in fewer words, so every word has to be intentional. But WOW are we so dang thankful to be given the beautiful responsibility of speaking into the next generation and reminding them how unique they are and how much God loves them. Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE