My guest for The Happy Hour #383 is Lauren Chandler. Lauren is an author and worship leader at The Village Church where her husband, Matt Chandler, is the lead pastor. Lauren is a mother of three and their family currently lives in Flower Mound, Texas. She also recently released a Bible Study called With Us in the Wilderness which walks through the book of Numbers - it’s so encouraging and well-worth your time! In today's episode, Lauren dives into what it was like walking through her own season...
Apr 21, 2021•38 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #382 is Kat Harris. Kat Harris is a Brooklyn-based educator, podcaster, + her first book Sexless in the City will be released on April 20th! She is Co-Founder of the online publication The Refined Woman, and host of The Refined Collective Podcast. In today’s episode, Kat dives into changing the narrative around purity culture, not only to equalize men and women’s responsibilities in it, but also to remove the stigma of shame within conversations about sex. There are c...
Apr 16, 2021•59 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #381 is Arden Bevere. Arden Bevere is the youngest son of John and Lisa Bevere and the cofounder of Sons & Daughters, a movement committed to raise up a generation of uncompromising followers of Christ who will transform our world. Arden also released a book earlier this year called Redefined: Confronting the labels that limit us. In today’s episode, he gets vulnerable about his season of walking away from Christ, learning from regret and how to earn back trust. A...
Apr 14, 2021•43 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #380 is Bri Stensrud. Bri is the director of Women of Welcome, a Christian community that pursues Christ-like welcome to immigrants. Bri has so much experience in many different human justice and advocacy spaces. From protecting the unborn to adoption to holistic pro-life views and immigration, Bri is someone who leads with compassion. Bri is a dear friend and someone I admire so much for the work she is doing for vulnerable populations. I love getting to talk with he...
Apr 09, 2021•56 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #379 is Amy Wolff. If you have been listening to the podcast for a while, then Amy Wolff is a familiar name to you. Amy is a speaker coach, motivational speaker, author and founder of Don’t Give Up Movement. Amy also just released her newest book Signs of Hope which is beautifully written and a must-read for anyone and everyone! In today’s show, Amy dives into the story of Signs of Hope and how it was the start of a journey - not just one of encouraging people who are...
Apr 07, 2021•50 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #378 is Francis Chan. Francis Chan has been a pastor for over thirty years. He is a New York Times–bestselling author of several books, including Crazy Love and Letters to the Church. He and his wife, Lisa, have been married nearly thirty years and co-authored You and Me Forever. Currently, Francis and his family split their time between ministry and church planting in Northern California and Asia! First off, Happy Good Friday! I am so thankful to be joined by Francis...
Apr 02, 2021•41 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #377 is Gretchen Saffles. Gretchen is the founder of the online community Well-Watered Women, and author of The Well-Watered Woman , leading readers to discover the refreshing well of God’s Word so they can experience fullness and peace beyond their circumstances. The Well-Watered Woman and the companion devotional journal, The Well-Watered Life , are releasing next week! In today’s episode, Gretchen talks about society’s criteria of a “good Christian woman” and how t...
Mar 31, 2021•56 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #376 is Richard Lui. Richard Lui is a journalist and News Anchor on MSNBC and NBC News. He just released a book called Enough About Me: The Unexpected Power of Selflessness which talks about his journey of exploring selflessness amidst his father’s Alzheimer's diagnosis. In today’s episode, Richard shares what it’s like to care for an aging, sick parent while also being on a fast career track, and the beauty of growing through hardship. Richard also talks about how ou...
Mar 26, 2021•36 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #375 is Ross Lester. Ross is the Pastor of Preaching at The Austin Stone Community Church. He is originally from South Africa, and has now been in the states for three years with his wife, Sue and children. I’m so thankful for Ross’ voice and his perspective on the world as a Christ follower who grew up overseas. In today’s episode, we talk about the American Church vs. American Culture, and his experience of learning what it looks like to be a pastor in the states th...
Mar 24, 2021•45 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #365 is Carlos Whittaker. Carlos Whittaker is an author, speaker, and self-professed hope dealer. He speaks at some of the largest churches in the country and at conferences including the Orange Conference, Catalyst, MomCon, and many others. He is also the author of Moment Maker and Kill the Spider, and his newest work Enter Wild. Carlos lives with his wife, Heather, and their three children in Nashville. In today’s episode, we talk about the problem of finding our id...
Mar 19, 2021•38 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #373 is Aarti Sequeira. Most people know Aarti as winning season six of The Next Food Network Star, and hosting her own cooking show Aarti Party. Aarti is married to Brendan and together they have two daughters, Eliyah and Moses. They recently moved to Raleigh, NC after living in LA for two decades. Y’all, this was a really special episode and Aarti has a WORD for us. In today’s episode, Aarti talks about how growing up in Dubai during the Gulf War sparked a deep pass...
Mar 17, 2021•39 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #372 is Mike Nawrocki. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, I know what might ring a bell: VeggieTales! Mike is the co-creator of VeggieTales and the voice of Larry the Cucumber! In today’s episode, Mike talks about how we came to meet Phil Vischer (voice of Bob the Tomato), and what led them to starting VeggieTales. Can you believe they were only in their mid-20s when it launched?! Mike also talks about how he initially went to college for biology with hopes of doing ...
Mar 12, 2021•32 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #371 is Jemar Tisby. Jemar Tisby is the CEO of The Witness Inc, an organization dedicated to Black uplift from a Christian perspective. He writes about race, religion and culture in national news outlets and his newsletter, Footnotes. He is the co-host of the Pass The Mic podcast and a PhD candidate in History at the University of Mississippi. This is SUCH an important conversation and one that we can learn a lot from. In today’s episode, Jemar answers questions like ...
Mar 10, 2021•48 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #370 is Jonathan “JP” Pokluda. JP is the Lead Pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, TX. Author of best-selling "Welcome to Adulting," and newly released "Outdated", JP seeks to offer Millennials and Gen Z a roadmap for dating in a world that desires to find love that lasts when dating has changed. JP has such a great word for both young people and parents as we talk to our kids about dating. This episode is so timely with the release of both of our books! In ...
Mar 05, 2021•41 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #369 is my favorite person and partner: My husband Aaron Ivey! For those of you who are new around here, Aaron and I have been married for almost 20 years! He leads the creative team at The Austin Stone and is the head worship pastor. He’s a songwriter, mentor, amazing father and author - he truly does all the things! Aaron is my most favorite person to talk to so I love whenever he joins me on the podcast! We talk about SO many great things in this episode so make su...
Mar 03, 2021•48 min
My guest for The Happy Hour #368 is Emily Lex. Emily is a talented artist and passionate about sharing truth. Her first book, Freely & Lightly: God’s Gracious Invitation to a Life of Quiet Confidence, releases on March 2nd and it is absolutely filled with beautiful words of encouragement. Emily is a long-time friend and has probably been on The Happy Hour more than any other person! In this episode, Emily dives into the challenge of having to pivot her business and how her change of interest...
Feb 26, 2021•43 min
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, w...
Feb 24, 2021•33 min
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 absol...
Feb 19, 2021•43 min
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 toda...
Feb 17, 2021•38 min
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 a...
Feb 12, 2021•43 min
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 ...
Feb 10, 2021•48 min
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 episo...
Feb 05, 2021•35 min
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...
Feb 03, 2021•43 min
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 help...
Jan 29, 2021•38 min
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 impo...
Jan 27, 2021•37 min
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....
Jan 22, 2021•42 min
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...
Jan 20, 2021•27 min
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, ...
Jan 15, 2021•40 min
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 bles...
Jan 13, 2021•34 min
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 tr...
Jan 08, 2021•42 min
