It takes a lot of courage to love God with all that we have. How can we truly love Him with ALL of our heart, when our heart is occupied with so many other things that we love? Today, we are kicking off the first episode of our new five-part Summer series “Love The Lord” . This series is inspired by the passage in Luke 10:27 , and we got some super fun shirts to go with it too. You are going to love them! In this episode, we are bringing back one of our favorites, Scott Sauls. He is the Senior P...
Jun 08, 2022•38 min
Hey Friends! Welcome to the 500th episode party! It is the big 500. Wow! What an incredible milestone. Today, we are bringing you an amazing, surprise filled, celebratory episode. You will get to hear from some very special guests (some familiar voices, some new) as we share memories and incredible stories with you. We are throwing it all the way back to the very first episode all the way to a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT of what is to come around here. Here is to 500 more and beyond! Connect with Jamie Fa...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Friend of The Happy Hour, Dustin Nickerson is back and he brought his super kind wife, Melissa. This conversation is all about their story, what life has been like being married to one another, as they have learned how to best care for one another, know one another, and serve one another, all while raising kids and building a career in Stand-Up Comedy. This is one of my favorite happy hours, there are lots of laughs (Dustin is cracking jokes all the way), there are deep thoughts on raising teens...
Jun 01, 2022•51 min
Summer is here, our oldest son is graduating High School tonight, and we are days away from an epic family vacation adventure!! There was no one better to sit down with me for the second Tell Me About conversation than my favorite person, Aaron Ivey. Aaron is my husband, co-creator of Ivey Media, Pastor, worship leader, and my best friend. This episode is all about SUMMER. Tell me about childhood summers, plans for summer, sabbatical, family time, and well, things go off the rails a bit, too. Th...
May 27, 2022•42 min
“When God allows us to walk [in] these hard seasons, it gives us so much compassion.” Yes and Amen to that! I am so excited for today’s conversation with my guest, Angela Perritt. Angela Perritt is the founder and director of Love God Greatly, a nonprofit online women's Bible study ministry aimed at fighting Biblical illiteracy around the world in over 40 languages. Angela is passionate about God's Word and believes one woman in God's Word can change a family, community, and ultimately a nation....
May 25, 2022•37 min
Have you ever gone through seasons where you want to believe that God is good, but your circumstances are telling you that He’s not? This conversation is for you. My guest for today’s episode is Alexandra Hoover. Alexandra is a sought-out speaker, Bible teacher, and Author of "Eyes Up" How To Trust God's Heart by Tracing His Hand. She's passionate about communicating the gospel's beauty and hope, and her words spur people on to hope and healing. Also, she serves on staff at Transformation Church...
May 20, 2022•51 min
What a word from today’s guest, Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell. Angela Gorrell is a speaker and writer about Christian spirituality, joy, meaning, and the interconnected nature of mental and spiritual health. She is Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Baylor University and author of The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found. Shortly after being hired by Yale University to study and teach the beauty of joy, Angela stepped into the hardest season of her life losing 3 people sh...
May 18, 2022•49 min
9 years ago, Whitney placed her son for adoption Raised in a Christian home, she was adopted herself She fell away from her faith, dated someone in college for several years, after they broke up they had one more fling and she got pregnant She wanted her son to have all of the things that she had and more, and she did not have the skillset or resources to provide that We talk about how a lot of times people don’t know what to say when it comes to adoption She now has an open adoption and she wan...
May 13, 2022•48 min
“I surrender and trust what I desire, and walk with the Lord in what He’s calling me to do.” What would it look like if we all lived life this way? We’re continuing our series on Foster Care with the lovely, PaToya Hall. PaToya Hall is a writer, speaker, new mom and devoted follower of Jesus. She currently lives in Waco, Texas with her daughter Adelline. PaToya shares with us what her life began to look like after choosing to say the next “yes”. PaToya is a single woman who felt a calling to ope...
May 11, 2022•55 min
“I want people to see that their identities can be rewritten no matter what they’ve done or no matter what’s been done to them.” We have another great episode for you in our Foster Care Series! Ever since I found out about today’s guest, I cannot stop learning more from her, about her, and diving into her story. Tori Hope Petersen is a lover of Jesus training to be a lover of people. She spent years growing up in the foster care system and now educates, advocates, and ministers to those in the f...
May 06, 2022•56 min
“[Foster care] is not just about bringing a child into your home. It’s about bringing your family into another family.” I could not think of a better way to say it than Jamie Finn’s words. Friends, we are kicking off a 4-part series for National Foster Care Month and I am beyond excited to welcome Jamie Finn of Foster The Family on The Happy Hour. Jamie C. Finn is the author of Foster the Family and executive director of Foster the Family. Her social media accounts offer a glimpse into the real ...
May 04, 2022•50 min
Did you know that over 400,000 kids are in foster care in the United States? That means there are hundreds of thousands of personal stories. Hundreds of thousands of children are without a place to call home permanently. This need is ginormous, and I subscribe to the idea that we all play a part. I don’t subscribe to the idea that all families should adopt. However, I believe we should all care for vulnerable children. It’s not an option to not care. I’m excited to share a two-week series on The...
May 03, 2022•7 min
Have you ever wondered “Can God handle my mess?” If your answer is yes, or you know someone whose answer is yes, you’re in for a treat today. My guests for this episode are Walker Hayes and Craig Cooper. Walker Hayes is a pop-country singer who went viral for his song “Fancy-like” which has a fun little dance to it! Craig Cooper is a gifted storyteller and Bible teacher. In today’s episode, we get a glimpse into the beautiful story of Walker and Craig’s friendship, more of which is shared in the...
Apr 29, 2022•36 min
Isn’t it crazy how in the midst of grief and tragedy, God can call us towards our purpose? This is exactly the story of today’s guest, Anne Wilson. For much of her life, Anne had plans and dreams to become an astronaut, making moves to pursue opportunities with NASA. But in 2017, her life shifted after the unexpected passing of her older brother. The lyrics of Hillsong Worship’s “What A Beautiful Name” became a lifeline for Anne and she turned to worship as comfort in her grief, something she ha...
Apr 27, 2022•32 min
How do we commit to community as a part of looking more like Jesus? Y’all, I am so excited to share this conversation with you! Today’s guest is Joel Smallbone, one-half of the Australian Christian duo For King and Country. I had the opportunity to speak with his lovely wife, Moriah, and sister, Rebecca St. James on recent happy hour episodes and I am just the biggest fan of this whole family! In today’s episode, we chat about what it looks like to rest and lean into Sabbath as a command. We als...
Apr 22, 2022•37 min
Do you ever feel like you live as though only half of the Gospel is true? If the answer is yes, this conversation is for you. Today’s guest is Pastor Joby Martin of Church of 1122 in Jacksonville, Florida. His book If The Tomb Is Empty talks all about why anything is possible because of the resurrection of Jesus. In our conversation, Joby breaks down why the resurrection is the entire foundation of our faith. The fact that Jesus died for us is incredible, but the tomb being empty is why we shoul...
Apr 20, 2022•46 min
“Before we can get to what’s good about the cross, I think we have to deal rightly and honestly with the horror and the tragedy and the defeat of what the cross would’ve meant for the people of Israel.” Y’all. This is one of the most helpful and educational conversations on Good Friday and I am so dang excited to share it with you. Dr. Joel Muddamalle serves as Director of Theology and Research at Proverbs 31 Ministries and works directly for Lysa TerKeurst. He is also on the speaking team at Tr...
Apr 15, 2022•53 min
“Us sharing stories of what Jesus has done is so powerful.” The Happy Hour podcast is slowly becoming the official sponsor of The Smallbone Family! Today’s guest is Christian singer-songwriter, Rebecca St. James. We absolutely loved having her sister-in-law Moriah Smallbone on back in November, and will have her brother Joel on in just a few weeks! I am so excited to have Rebecca here to talk about her newest project, Kingdom Come. In today’s episode, we chat about what it looks like to do minis...
Apr 13, 2022•38 min
“Tears of joy and tears of sorrow, they all taste the same.” What powerful words by today’s guest, Pastor John O. John O is the pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, and the author of We Go On. He also runs a coffee business called Portrait Coffee based out of the West End of Atlanta! Friend, this is such a profound conversation about holding joy and sorrow together and I am always so blown away by how pastoral John O is. He shares about a breaking point when grief snuck up on him nearly a ye...
Apr 08, 2022•51 min
We’ve got such a fun episode today, friends. It’s all about Children’s books! I think one of the reasons why even adults love children’s books is because they are oftentimes packed with messages and reminders that we need as adults. Children’s books help us dream, but also help invite kids to deeper words and thoughts. Our guests for today’s show include Jena Holliday, Sally Lloyd Jones, Esau McCaulley, Laura Wifler, Annie F. Downs, and Emily Lex! I asked them why they wrote these children’s boo...
Apr 06, 2022•40 min
“The problem is when we take a good thing and start serving, and we make it about us.” Friends, this conversation is loaded with truths that challenge us. Brittany Salmon is a professor, writer, and Bible teacher. She is super passionate about taking theology and applying it to everyday lives, and I value her words and perspective so much. Her upcoming book, It Takes More Than Love, embraces both the beauty and challenges of transracial adoption in a raw and authentic way and I highly recommend ...
Apr 01, 2022•57 min
“God can only get all the Glory when I tell the whole story.” Today’s guest is Ann Voskamp, my dear friend who is truly one of the most prolific writers I know. She is the author of several books including One Thousand Gifts and her newest book WayMaker, which I am confident will be one of my favorite reads of this year. This conversation really dives into what it looks like and feels like to hit rock bottom, and yet discovering that God is there with us. Sometimes we buy the lie that life isn’t...
Mar 30, 2022•54 min
“The God of my yesterdays is working in my now, and the God of my now has already gone into my next.” Praise God for that, friends! My guest today is author and founder of Coming Alive Ministries, Jennifer Hand! Her book My Yes Is On The Table is so inspiring and a reminder to come with our hands empty and simply say yes to God. Okay, one thing you should know about Jenn is that she has the BEST stories - I’m talking *leading someone to Christ in a nude Japanese spa* kind of stories so definitel...
Mar 25, 2022•45 min
“God is over all of the transitions that we face. He has used all of the transitions that we see to bring about His purpose.” I have been wanting to have Hunter Beless on the podcast for years, and she is also a long-time Happy Hour listener so this was all a huge win! Hunter is the founder and host of Journeywomen podcast and the author of a children’s book releasing so very soon "Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It: Knowing and Loving the Bible". Hunter talks with us about homeschooling her child...
Mar 23, 2022•49 min
Alright, y’all. Today is a different kind of Happy Hour episode. Welcome to “Tell Me About It!” The Happy Hour started as a way for me to talk about things we’re loving, things that matter, and just the kind of conversations you would have with a friend over dinner! I wanted to bring back that kind of conversation and since I’ve been absolutely obsessed with the Netflix show CHEER, I asked my friend Jackie Hill Perry to come on and chat about it with me! We break down the whole show so if you ha...
Mar 18, 2022•50 min
“I still struggle, I still fail, I still get overly emotional and overreact…but grace is real. And how beautiful is that?” It’s been way too long since Scarlet has been on the show and I’m so excited to have her back! Scarlet Hiltibidal is the author of Afraid of All the Things, the Anxious Bible Study, and her upcoming book, You're the Worst Person in the World. Interesting book title, right? Well, Scarlet breaks down why this is such great news. A lot of times we say “I’m the worst” or “I’m a ...
Mar 16, 2022•42 min
“For those of us who follow Jesus, there is a specific calling for us to care about what’s going on in our world. What’s happening in Ukraine is so big, and at times can feel impossible to wrap our brains around. The last couple of weeks has felt heavy and difficult to know how to engage, how to demonstrate I care, and what to pray. I’ve invited my friend, Jenny Yang, onto the show for a special episode on how to learn, pray, and take action on this issue as believers. Jenny Yang works as the Se...
Mar 14, 2022•43 min
“The truth of the Gospel is that we belong to each other and that there are not people who are more reflective of the image of God than other people.” Let’s allow that statement to guide us through every interaction we have with others. Dominique Gillard lives in Atlanta and serves as the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation. I listened to Dominique’s book Subversive Witness and while sitting at the nail salon, I wept. I was so moved by his words and intention on how to leverage...
Mar 11, 2022•54 min
“We can miss out on such a beautiful, God-given life because we’re preparing for the worst.” Okay, any enneagram 6’s relate?! Y’all, this is such an important topic and I’m thankful Nicole is here to talk about it! Nicole Zasowski is a marriage and family therapist in Connecticut, and her newest book What If It’s Wonderful released yesterday. I was so blown away by her words and the practice of celebration as a spiritual discipline. Nicole shares that this book was birthed out of a realization o...
Mar 09, 2022•50 min
“Fear often leads us to neglect before hate.” This is one of those episodes that will likely make my top 2022 list. I met Catherine McNiel on a Women of Welcome trip to El Paso. She is an author, writer, editor, and speaker who wrestles with the creative, redemptive work of God in our ordinary lives, and truly living as Jesus commanded us to live. Her newest book, Fearing Bravely, was birthed after seeing a discrepancy between how we’re living and talking, and the way Jesus talks and acts. She t...
Mar 04, 2022•39 min
