The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

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