My guest for The Happy Hour #367 is Christy Nockels. Christy Nockels is an author, worship leader and singer-songwriter with a passion to help others understand how to communicate with God. Her podcast, The Glorious in the Mundane, inspires listeners to find the wonder of God at work in their everyday moments. She also just released her first book, The Life You Long For.

I cannot believe Christy has never been on The Happy Hour but I’m SO thankful we finally made it happen! In today’s episode, we talk about preparing to launch our kids into adulthood, inviting the glorious into the mundane, and the importance of rest. Christy also dives into this idea of surrendering the outer rings of our life to God and living from the bullseye instead. We sometimes feel this need to manage our lives because not knowing can make us restless. But I love when Christy says “That’s life with God - it’s the mystery rather than us managing. It’s the supernatural principles of His word and they actually work.” This conversation was so needed for me - it’s always a great reminder to know what God can do in our lives if we just surrender.

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My guest for The Happy Hour #366 is Kait Warman. Kait Warman is an inspirational speaker, a popular relationship coach, and the host of The Heart of Dating podcast. She helps thousands of men and women on their journeys through the conversations on her podcast, social media platforms, one-on-one relationship coaching, and online courses. Kait also recently released a book called Thank You For Rejecting Me which is about transforming pain into purpose. Make sure you check it out!

Kait is an absolute joy to talk to and I’m so excited for you to hear our conversation today. In this episode, we talk about things like purity culture and ways that the church can improve this conversation. I absolutely LOVED when she mentioned her exercise of helping women write out what they bring to the table in their relationships - we need more of that! Kait also dives into the message behind her book of finding purpose in rejection. Married, single or dating, we all fear rejection. It is a totally common human response which is why it’s so important to talk about. But Kait worded it so well when she said “One day, through time - through pressing in - even in all the muck and all the hardness, there will be beauty brought in its time.” For the full summary and links to the show, click the link below!

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My guest for The Happy Hour #365 is Scott Sauls. Scott is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church, a multi-site community in Nashville, Tennessee. He has also published five books, including 'Jesus Outside the Lines' and his latest, 'A Gentle Answer.'

You may recognize Scott from our Faith & Politics special in the fall, and I’m so thankful he is joining us again! Y’all, Scott dropped so many gospel-filled words in this conversation, summarizing it just won’t do the show justice. In today’s episode, we talk about the timeliness of his book A Gentle Answer during a year like 2020, and the difference between American and Global Christianity. Scott also dives into what we can do to make sure we have the gentleness of Jesus, and fighting against our natural pull towards self-righteousness. He says “Don’t look for a bypass road around Jesus to get to character. You’re never going to become gentle without going straight through Jesus.” OOF. Grab and pen and paper for this interview - you’re going to need it. Scott has the most pastoral spirit and I always walk away feeling challenged to become more like Jesus.

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My guest for The Happy Hour #364 is Lisa Harper. Lisa Harper has been involved in ministry for 30 years as a Bible teacher, director of women’s ministry and writer of 12+ published books. Her newest devotional Life: An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional is not only fantastic, but probably my favorite subtitle I’ve ever heard!

In today’s episode, we talk about Lisa’s adoption journey with her sweet daughter and the struggle of missing community through the isolation of COVID (I know we talk about it a lot but it's truly a sign of the times!). Lisa also dives into the importance of intimacy with Jesus and the hunger of wanting to know Him deeper. I love when she says “It’s not enough to go to church on Sundays. It’s not enough. We need to know Jesus through His love letter of scripture.” I am so thankful for Lisa’s constant authenticity and passion for helping people know Jesus deeper. Pick up a copy of her devotional Life!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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