jamie ivey

“Jesus, I want to believe you. I think that you are real, and I don't know what that means.”

These are the bold and sincere words that today’s guest prayed at the very moment she encountered Jesus for the first time. 

As we continue with our “Encounter” series, today you will get to meet our guest Phaedra Taylor. She is kind, and a very talented artist located in Austin, TX. I could talk to her for hours. Her story is so incredible and so powerful. Phaedra was raised in a cult as a Jehovah's Witness. For years she lived an oppressed and controlled life, and that was the only way she knew how to live it. Until one day, when her life was completely falling apart, she had an encounter with Jesus. This encounter was a fruit of prayers and intentionality from Christian friends she met in college. 

Grab some tissues, go listen, and make sure to check out Phaedra’s work linked in this episode’s  show notes.

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In this episode, we sit down with our good friend and Pastor of Preaching and West Congregation Pastor at The Austin Stone, Ross Lester. We talked about racial justice, civil unrest, and the Church's responsibility in the midst of it all.

You're going to hear about Ross’ experience engaging racial justice both in America and South Africa, and several stories from MJ and Tyler on their own journeys when it comes to this topic. We only hit the tip of the iceberg on this extremely important issue, but we hope that this gets you started on your own journey to desire heaven on earth. Look out for more episodes coming in the future on this topic!

"The American church, that has been my experience is more racially divided than any other church group that I've seen and I'm from South Africa. I'm from a place that had apartheid in my generation. And the attitudes of polarization that I've seen in the states have been mind blowing to me, along racial lines. And it breaks my heart but puts a fire in my belly to go, "Man, there's so much to be done." There's so much to be done." –Ross Lester

For more resources on racial justice, visit the following links:

• The Austin Stone's statement on Racial Injustice & Book Recommendations
• Beauty of Racial and Ethnic Harmony

In this episode, Mitchell and Tyler sat down with our amazing friend and Downtown Director of Equipping & Women's Ministry at The Austin Stone, Kate Terry.

We talk about our own stories surrounding gender roles in the church, our experiences wrestling with those topics, and much more. We hope that this episode leads to conversations of your own and even healing from ways you’ve experienced gender roles in the past. If you share on Instagram, make sure to tag us at @college_austinstone!

"Again, it's not what the Scripture is saying. For me, the messiness of it and something I've had to wrestle through when I had those questions of, "Is this really good, God? Do you really love me? Do you really value me?" I had to ask that question of, "Okay, what is God's Word saying?" –Kate Terry

You are the light of the world. A town on a hill cannot be hidden (Matt 5:14)

We don't know about you guys, but we have LOVED memorizing this verse and talking about it with Jamie Ivey this month! During our last chat with Jamie, we are taking a look at how comparison and discontentment can impact our ability to be a light in our world.  Jamie shares some great illustrations and tips with us to help us to overcome the temptation to fall into the comparison trap. 

More About Jamie:
Her latest book - You Be You
Podcasts she hosts - The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey & On The Other Side
Instagram - @jamieivey 

You are the light of the world. A town on a hill cannot be hidden (Matt 5:14)

Your voice matters. Your light matters. Whether you're home with little kids, running a major corporation, or anywhere in between, you have exactly what you need to shine your light to those around you.  In our conversation with Jamie today, we put to rest the idea that hustle is what matters most, and we embrace the truth that God has given us each a specific calling and ability to use our light for Him.

More About Jamie:
Her latest book - You Be You
Podcasts she hosts - The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey & On The Other Side
Instagram - @jamieivey