The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

My guest for The Happy Hour #226 is Lysa TerKeurst. Lysa is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, international speaker, and the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Her passion is teaching the Bible in vulnerably realistic ways that help others personally engage with God by connecting His truth to their everyday lives. You can find her most days writing from her sticky farm table in Charlotte, NC and enjoying life with her husband Art and the families of her 5 grown children. You guys, I cannot think of a better way to start off The Happy Hour in 2019 than this episode. Get your tissues and your pen and paper ready for this one. Lysa and I start off the show talking about how she began working with Proverbs 31 Ministries. Lysa tells us about writing her latest book in real-time as her world was turned upside down by a marital affair, and being diagnosed with significant medical issues. We talk about being in the "messy middle" place of life, and the importance of creating safe spaces and community to discuss disappointment in our lives. Lysa speaks about how God helped her hear His truth so she could face her fears, leaning on friends' faith when we feel so shaken, and the struggle of when our feelings and faith come in conflict. Lysa tells us how it wasn't clear to her how this story would end, but she realized redemption is available now, whether there's reconciliation or not. She speaks such encouragement to us when she says, "Redemption is based on my choices - I can choose to have redemption with God today." Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour # 225 is my man, Aaron Ivey. On this week’s show, we look back and chat about some of the highlights of 2018, including the launch of my book If You Only Knew! Aaron and I talk about how we’ve done our best to manage family, work, marriage and everything in between as this year has been the busiest for us travel-wise. Aaron shares about getting shingles, and we give updates on our kids’ latest adventures. We also fill you in with more information about our new Patreon community. I am so excited about this and can’t wait for you to join the party! It’s been a phenomenal year, and I’m so thankful for all of it and for all of you! Here’s to 2018 and I wish each of you a Happy New Year! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour # 224 is Amy Wolff. Amy is a TEDx Speaker Coach and Executive Coach for a consulting company she co-owns with her father in Portland, OR. She accidentally started a global movement in 2017 through simple yard signs. But what currently thrills Amy the most is engaging in difficult conversations with unlikely friends and leading teams to Rwanda to experience the global family of God. Amy and I start off talking about jealousy and how this show almost didn't even happen. Amy gives us some great tips about speaking, whether that's at Sunday School, at the PTA, or in front of a large crowd. We then talk about grief and the loss of her brother Jeremy. Amy talks about how it has influenced her life, and the peace and wrestling with God she has experienced. In the second half of the show, Amy tells us how she and her family decided to take action using yard signs when they learned of the suicide rate in their area. What began with driving around asking neighbors if they could place a sign in their yard, has turned into a global movement. We also learn about an unexpected friendship with a witch (yes friends, a witch) that has provided the opportunity to have difficult conversations publicly, but done so in love. And lastly - because we discussed all the things on this show! - we talk about sin, looking at our own sin, and how it influences how we love people. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour # 223 is Julianna Zobrist. Julianna is an author, speaker, music artist, fashion muse, social media influencer, and wife of Chicago Cubs World Series MVP Ben Zobrist. Zobrist has performed at numerous charity and professional events nationwide, and has been featured in Forbes, PARADE, CBS, and Sports Illustrated. She divides her time between Nashville and Chicago, traveling through life with her husband and three kids. Julianna starts off telling us the crazy (and I mean crazy!) story of how her husband's team won the World Series, they unexpectedly had to move, she released a single, and her baby was born pretty much all at the same time. We talk about her journey of discovering what it truly means to be created in the image of God, and how that has transformed her entire perspective on life. Julianna and I then talk about how we all have the tendency to deny or hide who we are, and can tie our identity to something or someone. I loved hearing her speak about how we need to stop apologizing for who we are, and stand confidently in our identity in God. In the last part of the show, we get to hear about life on the road for Julianna and her family, and how they set boundaries and fight for quality time. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour # 222 is Mary Beth Chapman. Mary Beth is President and Co-Founder of Show Hope, wife to Steven Curtis Chapman, a New York Times Best Selling author, speaker, advocate, and momma. Steven and Mary Beth reside in Tennessee and have six children: Emily, Caleb, Will Franklin, Shaoey, Stevey Joy, and Maria. Mary Beth and I start off the show talking about Mary Beth's current season of life and she is living my dream - her kids and grandkids all live in the same city as her! Mary Beth shares the story of how they came to adopt three of their children as well as creating Show Hope, a non-profit that seeks to care for orphans by engaging the church and reducing barriers to adoption. In the second half of the show Mary Beth opens up about the pain and grief she and her family have walked through in losing their daughter Maria. I appreciated her honesty so much as she described her relationship with God as knowing she fully trusts Him while simultaneously having the emotions, questions for God, and pain. Mary Beth and her family have endured a terrible tragedy, but amidst the pain, you'll hear Mary Beth describe so many ways God has continued to pursue them, shown such kindness, and brought hope and encouragement. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour # 221 is Melissa Radke. Melissa is a singer, speaker, author, and momma. Melissa and her family will soon be featured on a reality show that, in her words, "will probably horrify her mother". Melissa and her husband David live in Lufkin, Texas with their two kids, Remi Hope and Rocco Cooper who they fought so hard for during 12 years of infertility. Friends, get ready because on today's show you're going to laugh, cry, and love hearing my conversation with Melissa! We start off the show talking about being brave while also feeling anxiety and fear. Melissa discusses how we learn so much through taking self-inventory and fighting the urge to point the finger outward instead of looking within ourselves. She also talks about how the reality tv show came to be and never in a million years did she think this would be part of God's plan! Melissa then shares the story of how she and her husband started out in Nashville and wound up in Texas, and faced infertility, loss of dreams, miscarriages, and broken trust in their marriage. She tells us how vulnerably sharing both sides of the story of her marriage brought healing. She says, "our most vulnerable stories are our most powerful thing", and I couldn't agree more. Hearing her story brought me to tears, but Melissa brings such encouragement as she talks about how our God is always faithful, and how He is constantly, always working for our good. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

The Holiday Gift Guide is always one of my favorite shows, and this year did not disappoint! Amy and I had so much fun chatting about these fabulous companies and products and I'm pretty sure we'll help you knock out some of your Christmas shopping. All the company info, links, and special offer codes are listed out for you down below, so enjoy and happy shopping!   ABLE ABLE is a lifestyle brand on a mission to end generational poverty by providing economic opportunity for women. Their product line of jewelry, apparel, shoes, and leather goods are made locally in Nashville and globally in partnership with entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. In August 2018, ABLE became the first company to publish their lowest wages because they believe complete transparency is the only way to protect and empower the industry's vulnerable workers, most of whom are women. Use code HAPPYHOUR for 30% off, valid through 11/30 The Shop Forward/Espwa The Shop Forward® is a way to get all your holiday shopping done with fun + unique gifts while knowing that you are paying-it-forward with each purchase. Since launching a few years ago, The Shop Forward has partnered with various causes to raise over $2.7 million dollars. The Shop Forward is the home of the CHOOSE JOY tees + hoodies that support cancer care, 'mama.' tees that help out moms-in-need, and Espwa® products that spread hope in Haiti including our Born Year hats or custom 4 Things® Tote bags (w/ YOUR favorite 4 things on them!). The iconic #4ThingsTote has become our most in-demand item & most fun gift-giving item! Shop + Pay-It-Forward! Euna Mae's Euna Mae’s is the retail expression of Amy Hannon’s biblical hospitality brand. Euna Mae’s, a one-of-a-kind kitchen-y boutique, came into being following Amy’s growing awareness that women had gotten away from opening their homes and hearts to others. She felt the Lord stir her to encourage and equip women to embrace the simple-yet-significant hospitality commands of 1 Peter 4:8-11 - Love. Welcome. Serve. The Euna Mae’s store features pretty and purposeful kitchen and home goods with a select few best-sellers featured online, including Amy’s comfort food cookbook “Love Welcome Serve”! Amy uses every opportunity — whether hosting events, speaking to groups, visiting inside her store, in her cookbook or on social media — to share her Love Welcome Serve ™ message of intentional kitchening so that in all things God may be praised. Waterloo Style At Waterloo Style we love our products and know that once you put our earrings on and feel how comfortable they are, it's hard to wear anything else! Our earrings are made from top quality leather and they come in a variety of styles and colors. We make it easy for you to rock yoga pants and a baseball cap, your favorite jeans and boots, or a dressed up evening out on the town. We also have a heart to cheer our tribe on to see beauty in yourself and in others...and to speak that truth to each other. Whether it is how we feel physically or how we see people & circumstances in our lives, we have a choice to make... we can choose to see BEAUTIFUL! We hope as your wear your Waterloo Style earrings, you are reminded of your beauty and you take courageous adventure to see BEAUTIFUL in your own life and those around you! #adventuresinbeautiful Use code HAPPYHOUR for 15% off Scout & Cellar Scout & Cellar offers clean-crafted, organic, bio-dynamic, vegan, no sugar added wine hand picked by a Level 3 sommelier. The wine is sourced from boutique wineries around the world and have been tested to ensure no pesticides or chemicals have been added. The wine is clean and you can truly tell the difference. It's a great gift for those who have everything, for clients, and for lovers of all things organic! Holiday packages, gifting options and gift cards are available as well as wine clubs or individual bottle purchase. Club members receive 5% off their purchase Cultivate What Matters With an ever-growing list of to-dos, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and dispassionate by the tasks on your plate and disappointed you're not spending enough time doing the things you love and caring for the people you love. The ladies at Cultivate What Matters want to press the reset button! For seven years, the PowerSheets(R) Intentional Goal Planner and their best-selling tools have helped thousands of women across the world live the life they want and can help you do the same, too! Cultivate What Matters was created to give you the community, resources, and encouragement to realize that you can make great things—big or small—happen! Check out their website on Black Friday to see their special deal! Primally Pure Primally Pure handcrafts skincare products that are truly natural and non-toxic, using ingredients like tallow from grass-fed cows, organic and fair trade coconut oil and organic essential oils. In addition to being safe to use, their products also provide users with real, noticeable results. Primally Pure offers everything from their best selling natural deodorant that actually works, their incredible blue tansy beauty cream, and so much more including a baby line and a bundle of products to gift the men in your life too! Use code HAPPYHOUR for 10% off your purchase Starfish Project Starfish Project is a nonprofit jewlery company serving victims of human trafficking and exploitation. At Starfish Project, trafficked women experience freedom, establish independence, and develop careers. Women at Starfish Project grow to become accountants, photographers, and managers. When you purchase jewelry from Starfish Project, more women get to experience freedom from sexual exploitation. Use code HAPPYHOUR for 25% off all necklaces through 12/31 Grace Notes Most people think it's hard to read the Bible every day. Grace Notes makes it easy to surround yourself with Bible verses so you can transform your mind with the power of God’s Word! Our beautifully designed monthly subscription includes a 5x7” print, a small print, and a sticker that feature the same design and verse. Our subscribers use their these to read, study, memorize, meditate, and be encouraged! We also include a card that you write on: one side what you’re praying about that month and the other side to write out the verse to help with retention. As a fun surprise we include a coordinating paper clip. It costs $10/month and the design and verse change every month so it’s always a surprise! Use code HAPPYHOUR for 20% off your first envelope subscription Go Rings Go Rings was originally created as a way to fundraise for an 11-month mission trip to 11 countries. We’re committed to creating handcrafted, ethically-made jewelry, while equipping those who are going out and spreading some light across our world. Our collection is handmade in both Haiti and Austin, using high-quality metals that won't turn, tarnish, or react with your skin. 30% of each purchase goes to individuals & organizations who partner with us monthly, raising money to "Go make disciples" (Matt. 28:19). We've teamed up with over 500 women who have used Go Rings to fundraise for mission trips, unpaid internships, and other ventures to Go Do Good. Use code HAPPYHOUR for 15% off through 12/15 Mercy Candle Co. Mercy Candle Co. is a small business with a heart for savoring the beauty in life’s everyday moments. On each candle you’ll find scripture or an inspiring message to serve as a reminder to take time out for what matters most. At Mercy Candle Co, we believe that details matter, and you will see our dedication to detail all the way from our quality, non-toxic ingredients to our thoughtful packaging. Your purchase makes a difference: Fifty cents from the purchase of every mason jar candle is donated to help fight the battle against human trafficking. Use code HAPPYHOUR for 20% off through 12/31 laurelbox   laurelbox is an online gift shop offering beautiful sympathy gifts for the modern woman, propelled by the mission to help women acknowledge loss and start conversations that facilitate healthy grieving. Co-founders Denise Wolfe and Johanna Mutz were inspired to start laurelbox when friends of theirs lost children, siblings, and parents. Many items in the laurelbox shop are handmade, and each laurelbox is hand packed and customized with premium packaging. Each purchase includes a hand-written gift message on a complimentary card. A portion of the proceeds from the In Memory Feather ornament benefit High Risk Hope, an organization that provides support to women and families who are experiencing a high risk pregnancy. Use code HAPPYHOUR for 20% off 11/23-28; 10% off after 11/28 Purpose Mercantile @ Blue Sky PURPOSE Mercantile is part of Blue Sky Therapeutic Riding & Respite. Blue Sky provides weekly individual therapeutic horseback riding lessons, in a structured learning environment, to special needs citizens. These handmade tic-tac-toe game bags are created by the special needs citizens who participate in the PURPOSE program (Providing Unique and Realistic Possibilities and Opportunities for our Special Needs Equestrians). Not only our special needs citizens accomplished equestrians, they are also skilled artisans. The PURPOSE program gives them the ability to create and find their purpose while being in community with their friends. Your purchase supports a program that is providing high quality opportunities for special needs children and adults. The Happy Hour Shop   The Happy Hour Shop is ready and stocked with so many fun things! You'll love our new items such as the Be Kind sweatshirt which is super soft and what you'll want to wear all winter long, our new Wild Kind of Beauty baseball tee, and the When I Grow Up I Wanna Be a Podcaster baseball tee for the favorite kiddos in your life. We've also restocked all of your Happy Hour faves including koozies, t-shirts, and the Jesus Is Better necklace from ABLE. You can also purchase my book If You Only Knew, and through the end of the year, I'll be signing all copies purchased through the Happy Hour Store. Use code HOLIDAY2018 for free shipping through 12/31   A Few Other Links From the Show The Cradle & The Cross by Austin Stone Worship  The Happy Hour #195 Amy Hannon

My guest for The Happy Hour # 220 is Tara-Leigh Cobble. Tara-Leigh is the founder of D-Group, an international network of weekly Bible studies that meet in homes and churches around the world. Today she is launching a short, daily podcast called The Bible Recap to help people not only READ the Bible but LOVE reading it! On today's show, I'm catching up with Tara-Leigh since she last visited The Happy Hour in 2016. One thing I hear from so many listeners is how they were encouraged to read their Bible after listening to Tara-Leigh on the show. Well, you're going to love this news, Tara-Leigh is launching a new podcast called The Bible Recap where she will take listeners chronologically through the Bible, and summarize and highlight the day's reading. And you guys, Tara-Leigh is about to celebrate 10 years of D-Group! Tara-Leigh then opens up about the suffering and trauma she's been through in the last few years including emotional and physical wounds. She shares how God has been faithful and kind and stayed so near even when she withdrew. Tara-Leigh also talks about how she's heard God call her to lay down her dream of marriage, and how she has changed her perspective to actively pursue singleness - including her Nunnymoon! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour #219 is Blythe Hill. Blythe is the CEO/Founder of the Dressember Foundation and is passionate about ending human trafficking. What started as a personal style challenge in 2009 to wear a dress each day for a month, Dressember grew beyond her immediate circle and five years later, thousands of people across the world have helped raise over $5M toward the fight to end human trafficking. Blythe and I start off the show talking about how Blythe's eyes were opened to human trafficking. She describes how she felt an overwhelming sense of urgency to do something combined with an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. Blythe describes how she even considered going against her internal "wiring" to start a new career in hopes to make a difference. But, instead she put the talents God gifted her with to use and started Dressember. I loved hearing Blythe talk about how Dressember took off. Her first campaign goal in 2013 was $25k, but you guys they reached that in just 3 days! And now Dressember 2018 hopes to raise $3 million to fight human trafficking - how incredible is that? We get to hear about the amazing partners she works with and how they fight trafficking from so many angles. Blythe also shares her own story of abuse and how Dressember and #metoo has all intersected for her. I really appreciated hearing her discuss the spectrum of consent, the shame women feel, and how we have to be women who believe and trust each other and not be afraid to get help. Friends, I loved my conversation with Blythe for so many reasons, and I am so proud of the work she's doing. I've included resources below that can help in educating yourself more about human trafficking - it truly happens everywhere. And there are so many ways to be involved with Dressember - join a team, wear a dress, raise awareness, and more! I also hope that if you have an idea or feel God nudging you in a direction, you feel encouraged to follow that nudge - God can do so much more than we could ever imagine. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour #218 is Myquillyn Smith. Myquillyn, also known as the “The Nester,” has been encouraging women to embrace their home—imperfections and all. Her home has been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Cottages & Bungalows and Ladies’ Home Journal. She’s the author of The Nesting Place and was chosen by Christianity Today as one of the top twenty creatives in 2016. Myquillyn lives in a fixer-upper on 12 acres with her husband Chad, their three teenage boys, two cats, a dog and a rooster. Friends, it's time to get cozy! Myquillyn and I start off the show discussing imperfect hospitality, and how we get so stuck on our homes being "perfect", that we never even invite anyone in. Myquillyn sums it up so well when she says if we instead "set up our houses to foster connection, perfection isn't even part of the story." Myquillyn then shares how she started inviting hundreds of people to her home through Nest Fest - even though she's an introvert! We also talk about saying 'no' at the right time. Myquillyn suggests finding a "no" mentor to help us see what it looks like to say "no", so that we can say "yes" to others. In the last part of the show, Myquillyn tells us how moving so much (13 times!) taught her so much about design. Money, time, creativity, and limitations are the most common barriers she hears from women. But, instead of waiting until we have it all, she says, focus on what you have the most of, and go for it! Friends, I just loved my conversation with Myquillyn. I hope you feel encouraged that your home doesn't have to be "perfect", but that it's the imperfect hospitality that brings people together. And you guys, I had never thought of having a "no" mentor before, but I love the perspective that can bring! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!