“The enemy loves to keep us in shame because then we won’t think strategically.”

Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church, Washington D.C, and author of Single, Dating, Engaged, Married and Rest & War: Rhythms of a Well-Fought Life. I am so grateful for Ben’s pastoral guidance and passion for leading people towards freedom.

We talk about how the atmosphere has changed in our culture, churches and country in the last several years, and what it was like to pastor his congregation through January 6th, 2021. We also talk about how well the enemy knows us and our tendencies, and how God has given us an opportunity to be victorious. Sometimes the environment around us gets extreme, but God has given us everything we need to excel.

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“It’s not just the fact that God cares about Black people. He does, He cares about who we are. But He also cares about the rest of the world, too and He wants to create a family.”

I truly could’ve talked to today’s guest for hours and I’m so excited for you to hear this conversation. Esau McCaulley, PhD is an assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. His book Reading While Black was released in 2020 and is such a beacon of hope - I highly recommend it!

In today’s show, we chat about how important it is to sit, read, and listen to stories and experiences that may not affect us. We always have an easy way out of conversations that don’t directly impact our lives. But Jesus calls us to compassion and empathy and to love one another through joys and pains. I love the reminder from Esau that everything we need to love one another well is in scripture - what a blessing it is that we truly have the answer.

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“That is the facade of anxiety. It’s that it will tell you things that are not true or are partly true. But never the full truth.”

A lot of us need that reminder. My dear friend Gloria Umanah is back on The Happy Hour and not only am I excited to share this conversation with you, but I’m so thrilled for Gloria to share the wonderful project she is working on.

Gloria launched her most recent initiative, Hope Booth: A 3-minute interactive immersive experience that delivers poetic messages of hope in the form of remodeled phone booths strategically placed throughout our cities around the globe. 

We talk about how the idea for this wouldn’t have happened without the difficulty of the last several years. Gloria also shares that the average person living on the street goes 3-6 months without someone looking them in the eyes, and Hope Booth truly has the potential to change this by reminding people that they are seen and loved. I’m so proud of Gloria for launching this vision that God placed in her heart. Listen to her story and learn how we can come alongside her to make this happen!

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

It’s been four years since the release of my first book If You Only Knew, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in 2018, we did a mini-series where I interviewed several people and asked them about their “If you only knew…”. An “if you only knew” is something in your life that you feel people would think less of you if they knew about it. We’ve all got one of those, I’m sure. BUT here’s the good news: there’s truth and forgiveness and freedom from shame through Jesus. He will use these things as part of our story.

Heather Macfadyen and Lisa Whittle are amongst a few of the people who shared their stories so to celebrate the birthday of my first book, we are bringing back these two conversations and talking about being free from the shame of our past.

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

I know it’s only January but this episode will probably go down as my favorite interview of 2022! Two of my favorite people, Dr. Russell Moore and Beth Moore (nope, they’re not related!) are here to bring you a WORD today.

We all know that the last 2 years have been hard and messy, but the three of us chat about the hopeful things that have happened in the midst of it all. We also talk about what it looks like to be a faithful follower of Jesus, what keeps us here loving the Church, and why we should never feel guilty obeying where God is calling us - even if those around us don’t understand. I don’t want to give too much away because this episode is loaded with encouragement and hope. I’m so thankful I get to learn from these two!

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

When we can love people and not understand them, it allows so much freedom.”

Those words sum up this interview so well. Taylor Tippett is an Instagram friend and I’m so happy we finally got to chat in real life! Taylor is a flight attendant who is known nationally for leaving random notes on airplanes to make people's day, which eventually inspired her book Words From The Window Seat. When not living out of her suitcase, Taylor lives full time in Los Angeles with her husband Joseph, dog, Howdy, and her wide collection of houseplants!

We talk about the unique ways that she gets to enter into people’s stories through her job. Being a flight attendant doesn’t really allow for normal church schedules and small group, so Taylor has come to realize that the plane is her “church” and she can spread God’s love in the air. She also talks about her difficult journey of learning to love people even when we can’t understand them. It’s not something that’s natural for us - sometimes it’s a daily choice we have to make. But praise God that His mercies are new every morning, and we can keep trying to love the people He calls us to love.

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“It’s healthy for me not to unlock that [phone] until I spend some time in the Word and in prayer.”

This episode came at the perfect time and I can’t wait for you to hear it. Justin Whitmel Earley is a lawyer, author and speaker who is passionate about habits and friendship. I was so intrigued by the title of his book Habits of the Household so I dove right in!

What I love about his book is that it’s not just for parents who are trying to build good habits in their family - it’s really about anyone who comes in contact with your household and developing habits that improve your quality of life. He talks about practical signals and queues you can set into place to remind you to focus on what’s important, and how goals are often impossible to reach without setting good habits in place. This is a great time to think of a habit you want to invest in!

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“The worst thing that could’ve possibly happened just happened, and you’re okay.”

My dear friend Morolake Akinosun is BACK! In December, we shared her Jamie Ivey Show interview that originally aired on YouTube in February of 2021, but today is her official Happy Hour debut! Morolake Akinosun is a professional track runner, Olympic Gold medalist, and most recently an Emmy Award winner for her work on Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man!

We chatted about where we were on March 13th, 2020 and her recent move to LA! She also opened up about training for the Tokyo Olympics and the disappointment of not getting a spot on the Olympic team. We’ve all had a dream that didn’t happen, and it takes time to grieve the loss of that dream. But I love when she shared that while failures don’t define us, neither do our successes. What a powerful reminder that our worth has never and will never come from our accomplishments.

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

“It’s not about who we are - it’s about who Jesus is because when we discover His identity, that informs ours.

I think I learned the most “fun facts” in this interview than any one I’ve ever done! Pastor Levi Lusko is my guest today and I’m so excited to have him on the show. I was first introduced to him from his book Through The Eyes of a Lion. I remember weeping so much at his words so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on his new book.

We talk about the 40s being the most fun and productive decade, and how motivated we feel at this stage to fully step into our purpose. We also dive into Levi’s newest book The Last Supper on the Moon where he discusses the importance of communion and breaks down how similar we are to the moon (you’re going to want to hear this metaphor!). This is such an awesome conversation and you will leave with your mind blown!

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE

HAPPY 2022! Here is part two of our conversation on goals and dreams! In today’s episode, we continue the conversation with Michelle McKinney and we chat about the difference between good goals and great goals, and being honest with ourselves about boundaries and the season we’re in.

We also start a new conversation with my friend, Jennifer Allwood! I am always so inspired by her and she offers such great encouragement for the working mom. She talks about how so much more is caught by our children than taught to our children, meaning that they learn more when they see us living it out. There is so much goodness in this conversation so make sure you bring a pen and notepad!

Connect with Jamie

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // YouTube

GET ALL THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW HERE