The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

My guest for The Happy Hour #383 is Lauren Chandler. Lauren is an author and worship leader at The Village Church where her husband, Matt Chandler, is the lead pastor. Lauren is a mother of three and their family currently lives in Flower Mound, Texas. She also recently released a Bible Study called With Us in the Wilderness which walks through the book of Numbers - it’s so encouraging and well-worth your time! In today's episode, Lauren dives into what it was like walking through her own seasons of wilderness in ministry and family, and how crying out to the Lord helped her move forward one step at a time. Friend, the book of Numbers is such a profound book to study because every single one of us can relate - all of us have had a wilderness season in our lives. You may wonder if that’s ever been you, but I love how simply Lauren puts it: “A wilderness season is anything that leads us into something uncomfortable.” 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 #382 is Kat Harris. Kat Harris is a Brooklyn-based educator, podcaster, + her first book Sexless in the City will be released on April 20th! She is Co-Founder of the online publication The Refined Woman, and host of The Refined Collective Podcast. In today’s episode, Kat dives into changing the narrative around purity culture, not only to equalize men and women’s responsibilities in it, but also to remove the stigma of shame within conversations about sex. There are certain things about sex that aren’t talked about enough in the church to both single and married people, and we should acknowledge that being informed on this topic from both biblical and scientific perspectives is not sinful - it can truly be so helpful in fostering healthy conversations around sex. I love when Kat says “Any story that starts and ends with shame, I can know right off the bat that is not God’s heart for me.” 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 #381 is Arden Bevere. Arden Bevere is the youngest son of John and Lisa Bevere and the cofounder of Sons & Daughters, a movement committed to raise up a generation of uncompromising followers of Christ who will transform our world. Arden also released a book earlier this year called Redefined: Confronting the labels that limit us. In today’s episode, he gets vulnerable about his season of walking away from Christ, learning from regret and how to earn back trust. Arden also dives into what it’s like being a millennial, and the problem of labels as opposed to identity and calling. It’s so easy to view ourselves through the lens of our failures and feel as though we are unworthy of being used by God because of that. But I love so much when Arden says “Through scripture, God never labels His people. He only calls them.” He has called every single one of us to make Him known and bring Him glory - He will not leave any one of us out. So thankful for that reminder today! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #380 is Bri Stensrud. Bri is the director of Women of Welcome, a Christian community that pursues Christ-like welcome to immigrants. Bri has so much experience in many different human justice and advocacy spaces. From protecting the unborn to adoption to holistic pro-life views and immigration, Bri is someone who leads with compassion. Bri is a dear friend and someone I admire so much for the work she is doing for vulnerable populations. I love getting to talk with her as she challenges me to look at things harder and longer, and it always shows me that there is more than meets the eye. In today’s episode, we talk about her expanded view of pro-life and what it means to act as different parts of the body of Christ. Bri also touches on some of the criticism and loneliness of having a holistic pro-life view, and the strains it can cause in relationships, churches and families. The holistic pro-life view tends to be criticized because of a political gap - people who advocate for social justice generally tend not to advocate for the unborn and vice versa. But Bri teaches us that it can truly be both/and. I love so much when she says “You’re going to confront people in your family, people in your church, people in your community who are not going to understand what the love of God compels you to do. But you should do it anyway.” 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 #379 is Amy Wolff. If you have been listening to the podcast for a while, then Amy Wolff is a familiar name to you. Amy is a speaker coach, motivational speaker, author and founder of Don’t Give Up Movement. Amy also just released her newest book Signs of Hope which is beautifully written and a must-read for anyone and everyone! In today’s show, Amy dives into the story of Signs of Hope and how it was the start of a journey - not just one of encouraging people who are like her, but also encouraging those who are very different from her. It’s easy to say “You matter,” to someone just like you; it’s a lot harder to tell someone they matter (and truly mean it) if they believe, vote, speak, and live differently than you do. But I love so much when Amy breaks down the difference between empathy and endorsement and says “We don’t have to agree. That is not a prerequisite to love.” 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 #378 is Francis Chan. Francis Chan has been a pastor for over thirty years. He is a New York Times–bestselling author of several books, including Crazy Love and Letters to the Church. He and his wife, Lisa, have been married nearly thirty years and co-authored You and Me Forever. Currently, Francis and his family split their time between ministry and church planting in Northern California and Asia! First off, Happy Good Friday! I am so thankful to be joined by Francis on this important day leading up to Easter. Friends, I feel like I cannot say enough good things about this conversation and yet I’m speechless at the same time. I walked away from this knowing that it may be my favorite interview of the entire year. Francis’ newest book, Until Unity, just released yesterday and it could not have come at a better time. At this moment in time, we see over and over that we’re willing to sacrifice unity to pursue truth or vice versa, and we’ll come after one another trying to convince ourselves that we’ve got it right. Not only does this tear apart the body of Christ, but it shows how shallow our love is and how much we are lacking the Holy Spirit. I love so much when Francis says “If the Holy Spirit is truly in us and God is grieving some of the words that come out of our mouths, we’ll know it - because we ourselves will feel that grief.” For the full summary and bonus content from this episode, click the links to the show below! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #377 is Gretchen Saffles. Gretchen is the founder of the online community Well-Watered Women, and author of The Well-Watered Woman, leading readers to discover the refreshing well of God’s Word so they can experience fullness and peace beyond their circumstances. The Well-Watered Woman and the companion devotional journal, The Well-Watered Life, are releasing next week! In today’s episode, Gretchen talks about society’s criteria of a “good Christian woman” and how to combat that with God’s word. Gretchen also dives into the true meaning of a well-watered woman, and what it looks like to really be with Jesus. I love when she says “The goal of the well-watered woman is not to become this perfect person. It’s to know Jesus and to become like Him together.” 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 #376 is Richard Lui. Richard Lui is a journalist and News Anchor on MSNBC and NBC News. He just released a book called Enough About Me: The Unexpected Power of Selflessness which talks about his journey of exploring selflessness amidst his father’s Alzheimer's diagnosis. In today’s episode, Richard shares what it’s like to care for an aging, sick parent while also being on a fast career track, and the beauty of growing through hardship. Richard also talks about how our society is so deeply affected by selflessness or lack thereof. Exploring selflessness is not something that is inherently natural for us as human beings - it’s truly something we need to constantly exercise. I love when Richard says, “It’s okay not to be perfect, but to strive for the perfect opportunity.” 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 #375 is Ross Lester. Ross is the Pastor of Preaching at The Austin Stone Community Church. He is originally from South Africa, and has now been in the states for three years with his wife, Sue and children. I’m so thankful for Ross’ voice and his perspective on the world as a Christ follower who grew up overseas. In today’s episode, we talk about the American Church vs. American Culture, and his experience of learning what it looks like to be a pastor in the states through an international lens. Ross also dives into the problem of Christian nationalism, and lays out 10 signs of it at play. It’s not an easy or comfortable thing to talk about, but it’s so important to address as followers of Christ and be aware of what we put our faith into. Ross says, “The problem with Christian nationalism is that it is framed as a culture war, rather than a call to follow Jesus.” Oof. What I respect most about Ross is that he knows the potential cost of speaking on these topics, but knows his calling to obey and honor Christ is so much greater. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #365 is Carlos Whittaker. Carlos Whittaker is an author, speaker, and self-professed hope dealer. He speaks at some of the largest churches in the country and at conferences including the Orange Conference, Catalyst, MomCon, and many others. He is also the author of Moment Maker and Kill the Spider, and his newest work Enter Wild. Carlos lives with his wife, Heather, and their three children in Nashville. In today’s episode, we talk about the problem of finding our identity in what we do, and overcoming lies from the enemy. Carlos also talks about stepping into hard conversations in order to better love and understand one another. It’s no secret that there’s a lot of division in our world today, and sometimes it feels like disagreeing with people and loving them well have to be mutually exclusive. But I love so much when Carlos says “We’ve got to learn to not stand on issues, but walk with people.” What an important reminder. I’m thankful for Carlos’ passion to love and walk with people through their individual journeys and experiences. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE