The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

“The problem is when we take a good thing and start serving, and we make it about us.”Friends, this conversation is loaded with truths that challenge us. Brittany Salmon is a professor, writer, and Bible teacher. She is super passionate about taking theology and applying it to everyday lives, and I value her words and perspective so much. Her upcoming book, It Takes More Than Love, embraces both the beauty and challenges of transracial adoption in a raw and authentic way and I highly recommend it!Something that I deeply appreciate about Brittany is how open she is about things she would’ve done differently, and using that to help others know and do better. She also pushes against the idea that everyone should adopt, and that might come as a shock to some people. Adoption is a beautiful but incredibly hard thing for all involved, and not every person who loves Jesus will be equipped to do so. It’s so important to listen to adult adoptees and learn from them how our language and views on these topics matter. Brittany’s book is not here to bring shame to others but to act as a resource and catalyst for change in our hearts.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“God can only get all the Glory when I tell the whole story.”Today’s guest is Ann Voskamp, my dear friend who is truly one of the most prolific writers I know. She is the author of several books including One Thousand Gifts and her newest book WayMaker, which I am confident will be one of my favorite reads of this year.This conversation really dives into what it looks like and feels like to hit rock bottom, and yet discovering that God is there with us. Sometimes we buy the lie that life isn’t supposed to be hard, but the truth is that we don’t get the way of Jesus without having to pick up a cross. Ann shares with us that peace is not a place, but a person - and we will not get out of that pit until we are fully honest with God. Waymaker is a book that asks us “who are we really turning towards?” And Ann reminds us that even though we cannot control the wind, we can control the way of our sail and turn it towards Christ.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“The God of my yesterdays is working in my now, and the God of my now has already gone into my next.”Praise God for that, friends! My guest today is author and founder of Coming Alive Ministries, Jennifer Hand! Her book My Yes Is On The Table is so inspiring and a reminder to come with our hands empty and simply say yes to God.Okay, one thing you should know about Jenn is that she has the BEST stories - I’m talking *leading someone to Christ in a nude Japanese spa* kind of stories so definitely don’t skip out on this one! She also talks about the practical ways we can say yes to God in our day to day, and how our yesses look different from one another based on our seasons of life. One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that we don’t have to be unafraid to say “yes”, we just need to be willing to trust God in the next step.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“God is over all of the transitions that we face. He has used all of the transitions that we see to bring about His purpose.”I have been wanting to have Hunter Beless on the podcast for years, and she is also a long-time Happy Hour listener so this was all a huge win! Hunter is the founder and host of Journeywomen podcast and the author of a children’s book releasing so very soon "Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It: Knowing and Loving the Bible".Hunter talks with us about homeschooling her children through Covid and walking through the unexpected loss of her father after just weeks of learning that he was diagnosed with cancer. Through this season, she wanted her children to see how much she needs God’s word which led to her integrating Bible literacy into her family time. She breaks down the whole journey for us of how she has walked through repetition and scripture memorization with her children. It is so beautiful and meaningful to see how much little ones really do retain God’s word and Hunter is stewarding that so well. Her children’s book comes out next month so be sure to check it out!Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

Alright, y’all. Today is a different kind of Happy Hour episode. Welcome to “Tell Me About It!” The Happy Hour started as a way for me to talk about things we’re loving, things that matter, and just the kind of conversations you would have with a friend over dinner! I wanted to bring back that kind of conversation and since I’ve been absolutely obsessed with the Netflix show CHEER, I asked my friend Jackie Hill Perry to come on and chat about it with me!We break down the whole show so if you haven’t seen it and don’t want spoilers, come back to this one later! We talk a lot about what it must feel like for these kids to come from a small town in Texas and then rise to fame almost overnight. We also have a really deep conversation on cancel culture and holding people accountable. This episode was so fun to record and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!Also, stay til the end of the show because we play Austin Stone Worship’s brand new song called Hope Is Awake!Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“I still struggle, I still fail, I still get overly emotional and overreact…but grace is real. And how beautiful is that?”It’s been way too long since Scarlet has been on the show and I’m so excited to have her back! Scarlet Hiltibidal is the author of Afraid of All the Things, the Anxious Bible Study, and her upcoming book, You're the Worst Person in the World.Interesting book title, right? Well, Scarlet breaks down why this is such great news. A lot of times we say “I’m the worst” or “I’m a mess” and then we just stop there. But the fact that we're the worst and Jesus is the best is so freeing - He was glad to die for us.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“For those of us who follow Jesus, there is a specific calling for us to care about what’s going on in our world.What’s happening in Ukraine is so big, and at times can feel impossible to wrap our brains around. The last couple of weeks has felt heavy and difficult to know how to engage, how to demonstrate I care, and what to pray. I’ve invited my friend, Jenny Yang, onto the show for a special episode on how to learn, pray, and take action on this issue as believers.Jenny Yang works as the Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Policy for World Relief. World Relief is an incredible organization that works through the church to serve the vulnerable. Jenny states that what’s happening in Ukraine is the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II and as believers, we’ve been called to come near to those in need. She talks with us about how and what to pray for people in both Ukraine and Russia - she even challenges us to pray for Putin to have a change of heart because God commands us to love and pray for our enemies. This is a crisis that can potentially go on for a very long time so she talks us through how to fight compassion fatigue. This conversation was so helpful for me to learn how to pray and engage with what’s happening. There are a lot of great organizations and resources in the show notes if you’re interested in donating or learning more.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

​​“The truth of the Gospel is that we belong to each other and that there are not people who are more reflective of the image of God than other people.”Let’s allow that statement to guide us through every interaction we have with others. Dominique Gillard lives in Atlanta and serves as the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation. I listened to Dominique’s book Subversive Witness and while sitting at the nail salon, I wept. I was so moved by his words and intention on how to leverage privilege.There are people who became instantly uncomfortable by that word: privilege. But what does that word really mean? Dominique breaks it down for us with so much gospel kindness and shares that privilege is a result of a world tainted by sin. It’s not just about race, it’s about so many different groups and elements that make up our broken world. If our flourishing comes at the expense of other people’s lives, are we willing to not flourish in that manner? This conversation is a beautiful reminder that the flourishing of all God’s people matters.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“We can miss out on such a beautiful, God-given life because we’re preparing for the worst.”Okay, any enneagram 6’s relate?! Y’all, this is such an important topic and I’m thankful Nicole is here to talk about it! Nicole Zasowski is a marriage and family therapist in Connecticut, and her newest book What If It’s Wonderful released yesterday. I was so blown away by her words and the practice of celebration as a spiritual discipline.Nicole shares that this book was birthed out of a realization of her inability to embrace joy because she was too afraid of worst-case scenarios. She gives us practical steps on how to make celebration a rhythm, and even doing so when we’re suffering. The thing about life is that seasons are seldom all pain or all joy – they usually go in both directions. And a lot of times we are afraid to embrace the joy because if we do, then we are vulnerable to losing it. But we can celebrate because we have a past record of God’s goodness. Friends, this episode has the potential to impact how you embrace your daily life. Listen well. I hope it’s something we can all practice together.Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“Fear often leads us to neglect before hate.”This is one of those episodes that will likely make my top 2022 list. I met Catherine McNiel on a Women of Welcome trip to El Paso. She is an author, writer, editor, and speaker who wrestles with the creative, redemptive work of God in our ordinary lives, and truly living as Jesus commanded us to live.Her newest book, Fearing Bravely, was birthed after seeing a discrepancy between how we’re living and talking, and the way Jesus talks and acts. She talks about fear as a frenemy, that while it is something that can protect us, it is also something that people can exploit for their own benefit. It can cause us to neglect the very people that God called us to love. We hear over and over in scripture that perfect love casts out fear. Maybe what we really need is to ask God to turn our fear into compassion, and take seriously what He has commanded us to do. This book and conversation was so convicting for me - I know you’ll walk away with something to chew on!Connect with JamieFacebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTubeGET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE