The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

Episode #167 is our Holiday Gift Guide! Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

Episode #166 is a special edition of The Happy Hour with two very special guests – Kathie Lee Gifford and my main man, Aaron Ivey. If you’ve been listening to the show for any length of time, you know Kathie Lee has been one of my bucket lists guests for a while now. I am just completely overjoyed to finally have her on the show today. And after our conversation, my husband and best friend, Aaron, joins me to chat about his book, Steal Away Home. In my conversation with Kathie Lee, we talk about how she has been so bold about her faith with such a huge platform. She shares about her experience sharing her faith on national television after her husband, Frank, passed away. She recently had a record breaking performance on The Today Show of her newest song, He Saw Jesus. She talks about the songwriting process and how she was able to make it through such a heartfelt performance. Kathie Lee also shares about her latest project: The Little Giant. Aaron joins me for the second half of the show. We talk about his new book, Steal Away Home, a historical fiction story of the life of Charles Spurgeon. I am such a huge fan of the book (obviously), but I promise you will love it. It’s truly an incredible story of love and friendship and freedom. We also take some of your questions about how we manage two careers, stress, a family of six, dinnertime and what irritates Aaron. It’s fun for the whole family. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour #165 is my friend, Bri McKoy. Bri serves as the visionary and leader for Compassion International’s blogger program. She writes regularly at OurSavoryLife.com, a food blog with recipes and stories from around her table, and is a regular contributor to the award-winning Compassion blog and GraceTable.org, a community blog about food and faith. Bri and her husband Jeremy live in Hermosa Beach, California. On today's show, we talk all about gathering people around the table. Bri and I are both big believers in opening our home to share a meal and our lives with one another. Bri is a pro at this and writes all about it her new book, Come & Eat. We talk about how she started cooking with an onion casserole dish, and started hosting people at our house - moving from a late night meeting to a dinner time gathering and the doors it opened for honest and vulnerable conversation. Bri shares about being a military wife and what transition is like for her and her husband after his return from deployment. She shares the most helpful advice she has been given about transitioning together. Finally, we chat all about Compassion and the blogger trips that Bri leads all over the world. Bri shares how you can be involved in a trip or by sponsoring a child. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour #164 is Lisa Lloyd. Lisa is a charismatic actress, speaker and writer, dedicated to helping women break free of the lies that convince us we don’t have a purpose, when in fact God has created us to herald His fame. She is the author of the new book, Chasing Famous. On today's show, we cover it all. We talk about our deep rooted desires for fame, and how God created us that way - not for our own fame, but for the name of Jesus. We talk about messy pasts - sex and abortions - and how God was relentless in his pursuit of us in our worst messes. We talk about parenting and the challenge of keeping our cool when our kids come to us with something big. I think this show has something for just about everyone. I hope you enjoy it and make sure to listen next week when I chat with my friend, Bri McKoy. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

Sharon Hodde Miller joins me today for The Happy Hour #163. Sharon is the author of Free of Me and speaks regularly on topics ranging from leadership to motherhood to Scripture. She’s a pastor's wife and mother to two small boys. In addition to earning her PhD, Sharon has blogged at SheWorships.com for nearly ten years, making God's Word accessible to women everywhere. She lives with her growing family in the Raleigh/Durham area. In our conversation today, Sharon shares her hilarious story about meeting her husband at a date auction - which includes a mechanical bull, a shirtless man and push-ups. She shares about getting her PhD, which I feel automatically makes her the smartest woman we've ever had on the show. And we talk about what Sharon does best - supporting women in ministry and cheering others on in their unique giftings. You'll love Sharon's favorite things, and I'm guessing you'll be making a stop at a Starbucks this week with a new order. I hope you love the show today, and make sure to pop over to wherever you like to buy your books and grab a copy of Free of Me. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

My guest for The Happy Hour #162 is singer-songwriter Ellie Holcomb. Ellie is a Nashville native, and began her musical career by touring the country with her husband in Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors. After 8 years, and with the birth of their daughter, Emmylou, she opted to step out of the role of heavy touring. From that space came her debut solo album, As Sure As The Sun, which charted at #1 on the iTunes Christian chart and helped deem her the “Best New Artist” at the 2014 Dove Awards. Since her first album, Ellie has been walking an unexpected path, one of suffering and loss but also peace and joy. And it is from that place—of finding God in the dark and unexpected—that she wrote and recorded Red Sea Road released earlier this year. 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!

Lisa Whittle is my guest for The Happy Hour #161. Lisa is a leader, author and speaker with a heart and passion to communicate one thing: Jesus is everything. Her love runs deep to see people pursue Jesus for life, grow deep roots of faith, and walk strong in the midst of a world that so often seems to have gone crazy. She is the author of seven books, including her latest Put Your Warrior Boots On and Five-Word Prayers, and a sought out Bible teacher for her wit and bold, bottom line approach. She is a wife and mother of three who currently resides in North Carolina. Lisa and I kick off our conversation talking about The Office's best episodes. Duh. From there, the conversation naturally transitions into parenting older children, keeping our marriages a priority while dedicating time spent as a family. We chat all about her newest book, Put Your Warrior Boots On, and how the Lord birthed in her a desire to see women that were stronger in what God says than what culture and news say. And finally, I think you'll love hearing her story about trying to orchestrate a date with her son and Harry Connick Jr.'s daughter. You know - normal mom stuff. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

Osheta Moore joins me today for The Happy Hour #160. Osheta is an pastor’s wife, a mom of three kiddos, and the author of Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World. She believes everything is better after a nap, brunch with her girlfriends is a necessity, and nothing beats a good Netflix binge. She’s passionate about encouraging women to be peacemakers in their everyday lives. In our conversation today, Osheta and I talk about when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and how it shifted their entire lives. We get into a funny slash serious conversation about strangers asking us questions about our families since we both have families that look a little different than the average American family. We both agree that we used to get angry over silly questions and comments, but now we feel differently - now we both feel like it’s an opportunity to educate and help them know how to talk about a child's birth parents, or interracial family. I even shared with Osheta the comment that used to drive me crazy. Osheta and I also have a serious conversation about raising our black and biracial kids in a predominately white area. We joke about it, and not in a disrespectful way, but in a way that we both get because we both live it. Osheta opens up about her own journey with being a black woman, and I was thankful for her honesty and willingness to be vulnerable. And of course, like any good happy hour, we cover body image and sex. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!

Amanda Jones joins me for The Happy Hour #159. Amanda is a Jesus-loving gal from Texas, married to a preacher boy from Missouri. She's the daughter of Beth Moore, and mom to four kids. Amanda first joined me for episode #66. If you missed that, you can catch up here. She's back today to catch up and talk about Hurricane Harvey and the devastation it caused in Houston. Amanda and her husband help to lead Bayou City Fellowship, a church that has been hugely instrumental in the disaster relief in the areas affected. She shares the most pressing needs they have and how you can be a part. Amanda also shares briefly about her struggle with depression - shedding light on a topic that can be so taboo, especially in the church. My hope for today's show is that you feel encouraged to do what you can, wherever you are, to serve the people devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Whether that means getting on a plane to serve on a demolition crew or by sending money and supplies, please consider how you can help today. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS TO THE SHOW HERE!

Raechel Myers is my guest for The Happy Hour #158. Raechel is the co-founder and CEO of She Reads Truth, and leads the She Reads Truth community and staff out of her deep love of God’s Word and the firm conviction that all of Scripture is good news. She is the co-author of Open Your Bible: God’s Word Is for You and for Now and She Reads Truth: Holding Tight to Permanent in a Word That’s Passing Away. Raechel lives south of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and their two children. In our conversation today, Raechel and I chat about how she's leading a Bible study for the first time with the ladies in her neighborhood. We also talk all about She Reads Truth - about how quickly it's grown and how one of their employees is now Raechel's husband, making her his boss (which would never work in the Ivey household, but Raechel makes it sound like a dream). And finally, we talk about God's faithfulness through good times and hard times and how to be a friend to someone walking through the trenches. In the show, Raechel and I talk briefly about the She Reads Truth Bible. Y'all, I can't recommend this Bible enough. It's so beautifully put together. Because of it's crazy popularity, the Bible sold out very quickly, but the reprint has recently been released and you can grab your copy here. I promise, you will LOVE it. Connect with Jamie Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE!