The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

My guests for The Happy Hour #363 are Matt and Laurie Krieg. Matt and Laurie are the authors of the book An Impossible Marriage, and hosts of the Hole in my Heart podcast. I’ve had their book for a while and finally dove into it last month. Guys, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read on marriage - I devoured every single word. In this episode, they share their story of Laurie’s same-sex attraction, and yet their commitment to fighting for their marriage. Matt and Laurie are so vulnerable about their challenges, and the importance of taking moments to remember that God truly sees us. I loved when they talked about allowing God to work through us to meet the needs of others, and the wonderful gift that marriage is to show people the Gospel. They say “When we die to self, we show the world how Jesus died to be one with us as we be one with our spouse.” 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 #362 is the wonderful Faitth Brooks. Faitth Brooks is a writer, speaker and anti-racism educator. Faitth also works as the director of programs on Be The Bridge, and is also the host of the Melanated Faith Podcast. Faith currently resides in Atlanta, GA. Y’all. I am so very excited to share this conversation with you, and am beyond thankful for Faitth’s willingness to be both vulnerable in her experiences and gracious in educating us on Black History. In today’s episode, we answer questions like “What is the big deal with Black History month?” and “Why is it important to learn about it?” I’ll admit that I was uninformed as a high-schooler in understanding Black history, and I’m so grateful for people like Faitth who explain why it is SO important for Black people to share life from their point of view - and how much more important it is for us to love them by actively listening. I really appreciated when she said “When it comes to loving people and people of color, allow us to show up as our full selves…” It sounds like it’s such a small ask, but it is truly so profound. I hope this challenges us to lay down our pride, listen to and engage with people’s experiences and resist the urge to apply one person’s story to an entire people group. It’s not always easy and it’s certainly uncomfortable, but WOW is it worth it to love people the way Jesus has called us to. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #361 is Annie F. Downs! I know for a lot of you, Annie needs no introduction - she is a bestselling author, speaker, and podcast host of That Sounds Fun. Annie is based out of Nashville and just released her newest book, That Sounds Fun! Y’all, Annie is such a dear friend of mine and talking with her is always a joy. I was on her podcast a few months back and we had a BLAST so I’m very excited that she’s joining me today! In this episode, Annie shares about how she is someone who loves big and felt shame for that in the past because she couldn’t hide the fact that she loves the people in her life. Sometimes we have this thing in our lives that we feel like is a missing chip, but it’s really such an intentional gift that allows us to bless others. I LOVE when Annie says “Every single one of us feels like we have a missing chip. A missing thing that God did not include when He made us. And the reality is that is your superpower. That is the thing you were born to tell us about and to show us and to give to the world.” PREACH. 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 #360 is Sissy Goff! Sissy is a counselor in Nashville at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 1993, she has been helping girls and their parents find confidence in who they are and hope in who God is making them to be, both as individuals and families. Sissy is a sought-after speaker for parenting events and the author of twelve books, including her newest, Brave: A Teen Girl's Guide to Beating Worry & Anxiety. This conversation was SO helpful for me, both as a parent and an individual. In today’s episode, Sissy talks about her experience as a counselor for young girls, how adolescents are struggling with isolation during the pandemic and what we can do to help! She also dives into practical steps on how to be present for our children as they go through teenage years during this unique time in our world. I really appreciated when she mentioned that sometimes our children’s anxious feelings can translate into anger because they haven’t learned how to express those feelings yet. She says, “Anger is a secondary emotion. There’s typically something under the anger.” For the full summary and show links, 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 #359 is Amy Crouch. Amy Crouch is currently a junior at Cornell University studying linguistics and English! She is also the co-author of the book My Tech-Wise Life which she wrote with her dad, and talks about how to pursue digital wellness in teens and families. In this episode, Amy talks about what she’s looking forward to in 2021, the beauty of the sabbath as a way to rest from technology, and helping teens learn useful digital habits. Amy also dives into the importance of focusing on real human connections in both others and ourselves before turning to social media. I absolutely loved when she said “I think social media is about creating a brand. It’s about creating a version of yourself that appeals most to an algorithm, that appeals most to the people who are seeing it. You’re given the opportunity to create the version of yourself that you want to be, that you want others to see. And that is so powerful and so tempting, but it is so far from who we actually are and from what real connection is.” What a truth-bomb. 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 #358 is Nate Knapper. Nate Knapper is the Founder & CEO of The Joseph Project, a nonprofit organization that connects human trafficking survivors with pro bono legal counsel. As a federal law enforcement officer, he served on a Detroit-based anti-trafficking squad, where he investigated human trafficking and child exploitation matters. In today’s episode, Nate tells us what domestic trafficking is and what it isn’t, and the common misconceptions about trafficking. Nate also talks about his organization The Joseph Project and the unbelievable story that led him to starting it through simple acts of obedience. I love when Nate says, “Sometimes what God is asking me and what He is inviting me into is this invitation to see the big within the small." 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 #357 is Dr. Tony Evans! Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. He just released a new book called U-Turns: Reversing the Consequences in Your Life. Y’all. I don’t normally get nervous for interviews but I was SO excited to talk to Dr. Evans. He is truly such a wise leader and I’m honored he is joining me on the podcast today.In this episode, he talks about finding true rest and hope in the person of God rather than our own solutions, and what it looks like to align our life choices with the word of God. Dr. Evans also dives into what is going on in our world right now and the problem of attaching Jesus to our culture and agendas. It feels like there is just as much division in the church as there is in our nation and it can cause us to lose sight of the Kingdom by focusing on saving our culture. Dr. Evans dropped SO many truth bombs in this interview, but he really impacted me when he said “God is not going to skip the church house to fix the White House.” Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

My guest for The Happy Hour #356 is Hannah Brencher. Hannah Brencher is an author, TED speaker, and online educator with a heart for advocating for mental health and the power of discipline in daily life. In this episode, Hannah tells us about balancing being both a new and working mom, leaning into our strengths, and creating boundaries for social media - you have to hear about her phone box! Hannah also gets vulnerable as she shares about going through a season of life-threatening depression, which led her to write the words from her newest book, Fighting Forward. She had to truly fight to show up for herself, and recognize the people who were showing up for her. I love so much when she said “The lies are loud...and sometimes the only way to combat those on top of truth is to say ‘Okay - the evidence is right here that I’m showing up, there’s evidence that I’m moving forward. But I can’t reflect on that evidence or rehearse that evidence if I don’t know what it is.’” 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 #355 is Rachel Cruze! Rachel Cruze is best-selling author, financial expert and host of The Rachel Cruze Show. Since 2010, Rachel has served at Ramsey Solutions, where she teaches people to avoid debt, save money, budget and how to win with money at any stage in life. Her latest book Know Yourself, Know Your Money: Discover WHY You Handle Money the Way You Do and WHAT to Do About It just released - make sure you check it out! In today's episode, we talk about the blessing and challenge of family in 2020 and working on boundaries for 2021! Rachel also dives into the WHY behind our money. It’s easy to learn the how, but it’s so important to know the why and how the why relates to our personality and desires. I really appreciate when Rachel says “Control can be a bad word. But what you can control is a good thing - that you need to be wise and steward it.” 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 #354 is Ben Higgins. Ben Higgins is best known from season 20 of ABC's hit series, The Bachelor. I am such a fan of the work that Ben is doing and I’m so glad he joined me on the podcast today! In this episode, he tells us about his excitement for his wedding this year, as well as his upcoming book Alone in Plain Sight which gets vulnerable about feelings of loneliness. He also dives into his transition of going on missions trips with a hero mentality to developing true kinship with people, leading him to start his organization Generous Coffee! I really loved when he said “The world you are comfortable with is not the world that most are used to.” It’s really easy to forget that how we serve is just as important as the serving itself. 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