Hey friends and welcome to the happy hour with Jamie Ivy podcast. I'm your host Jamie and I'm so glad you're here.

Each week on this show, I invite a friend to join me and we chat about the big things in life, the little things in life and everything in between.

Hey y'all, welcome to the happy hour with Jamie Ivy. I'm your host Jamie. I'm glad you're here today because we have a good interview for you.

First of all, welcome to the last episode of August. Man, my kids are in school football seasons about to start. I'm feeling really good about life right now and I'm really feeling good because we announced just recently that the

time I have a children's book coming out in October. You guys, I am getting excited about this because although my kids are way past children's book age, I remember reading books to my kids and falling in lovely characters. I remember falling in love with the message. I also remember God speaking to me as a grown woman through words that were meant for a six year old. And so that is my hope for this book. It is called God made you to be you. And it comes on October but right now you can preorder and we have some fun. Thanks for you. So go to Jane.

Jamie ivy dot com slash kids and we have all the information there for you. It shows you all the retailers that are carrying the book right now. You can preorder it right now. And I know I've said this a lot, but I'll say it again pre ordering is not just so that I can feel good about myself, but it helps retailers know who needs to stock the book. And so it helps people know more about this book. And this beautiful board book. I think is going to be something that everyone's going to want in their home for their kids to read and go through together and really believe the truth that God made you to be you.

I'm so excited about it. Jamie ivy dot com slash kids. All right. Today we have Russell Barry on the show today and he's a teaching pastor at the bridge church in Brooklyn, New York. He's also the director of partnerships and content development with our daily bread ministries. He also has a new podcast coming out soon called where you from. And I'm super excited about it. I've heard a preview of it and you're going to want to go find it and subscribe to it and listen to it.

Today in the show, we talk a lot about stories and why they matter and we talk about the intersection of our faith and culture and how do we do that within our churches and our community was so many different cultures being represented.

I really enjoyed hearing a little bit of history as well as he opened up about his upbringing and I can't wait to see how his podcast really affects people leaning in and listening and learning to be people's neighbor and to listen to their stories and understand cultures. I'm just I really am so excited about it. So sit back, relax, enjoy this conversation with Russell Barry.

Russell, welcome to the happy hour. Thanks for having me. You know, this would only be a better happy hour. My husband and you and your wife, we were all hanging out in Brooklyn together because we are big fans of Brooklyn in general and New York City. And so maybe we'll have to make that happen one day. Have a real happy hour and not on microphone zoom.

Yeah, that would be amazing. Brooklyn is an incredible place in New York City. Of course, so much to do so many incredible foods to try. So yeah, we got to get you maybe to you know, Geno's pizza, you know, on Park Slow where we can get you an authentic Brooklyn slice the kind of fold that you know, you got a fold in order.

Oh my gosh, I want that right now. I went it right now. You know, New York City is dear to us because my husband and I honeymoon there 20 years ago and we've been back several times and I'm trying really hard to get my daughter and I up there this fall. And so we take our kids away for their 13th birthday and her 13th birthday fell snack down in the middle of COVID. I mean, we're in the middle of COVID still, but last year with quarantine and lockdown. And so we're trying to make it happen this year and New York City's where she wants to go. I mean, I'll have to hit you up and you tell us where we should eat.

Yes, oh, definitely because I'm a foodie too, like I am a elite yelper on yelp. Really? Yes, yes, I love that.

I just keep it going. So I love to try new foods and tell people about it. So that's right up my alley. I can give you a list of a range of incredible food options.

Okay, well, I'm not joking. I want that list for sure 100%. But well, tell everyone what you do there. I've besides rate amazing food on yelp. What is your real job?

Yes, so I am the director of partnerships and content development at our daily bread ministries where we put on a do a lot of different resources, including launching the podcast where you're from.

Also, I'm a teaching pastor at a church plant that was about seven years old called the bridge church in Brooklyn. So what's up, bridge, folks?

So you were lots of different hats. I mean, you've got your hand and a lot of different things. What are you most passionate about out of all those things right now?

Jesus. I love it. Good answer. I studied in Sunday school, but no, seriously, like the fullness of that answer in order to unpack it. He really is the center of centering piece for everything else, right?

Because I believe when he said I come that you might have joy and that you might have it, you know, abundantly life and life abundantly.

I come to fulfill your joy. I mean, I hear those words joy fulfillment fullness. I take it seriously. And that's been my experience since, you know, I came the faith in college, you know, and like man, the more Jesus I get, the more joy and the more full my life gets.

So everything else I see through the prison. I love what CS Lewis said, you know, when he said, I see Jesus as I see the sun, not because I can see the sun, but because I see everything else through it.

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