Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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If you only knew …

December 12, 2017 by Kristin 1 Comment

We all have stories that begin with “If you only knew …” and continue with what we did or said or thought or wished or prayed. The thing is, our stories are different, but really they’re the same. Sure, the circumstances and details vary from person to person, but the guilt and shame and pain that follows these “If you only knew …” stories is the same.

Jamie Ivey vulnerably told her story that includes heartbreak, loss, and redemption in her new book “If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free.” It officially releases Jan. 30.

“Our stories themselves are not what’s actually keeping us from being as free as we wish. When seen through the eyes of the gospel, our stories are not obstacles to our freedom; they are actually the key to unlocking it. … It’s by owning and revealing your story that God can shine light on Jesus through you.”

– Jamie Ivey in “If You Only Knew”

Y’all, this book is real. It’s Jamie’s story, but her words brought my own story to the surface and allowed me to surrender more of it to God for his glory.

About the book

Guarding our stories and struggles is exhausting. Fear of being found out had causes people to hide — but in doing so we aren’t just covering flaws, but we also block the beauty of God’s grace. Jamie’s journey to real freedom began when she quit running from my mess and started trusting Jesus to make something beautiful of it.

This book is that story. It’s stepping out of shame and insecurity into gospel freedom. It’s letting God turn our failures and frailties into testimonies of His faithfulness. Jamie discovered that when we quit hiding, God gets the glory and we are able to fully embrace not only our relationship with Him but also with one another.

Transparency brings freedom, and in every moment, we’ll find that God can absolutely be trusted.

“If You Only Knew” is a 240-page hardcover book published by B&H Books (Jan. 30, 2018). Learn more about the book’s website.

About the author

Jamie Ivey believes in women and wants big things for them. She wants them to know and believe their worth in this world and to the Father. Through her podcast, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, she uses a raw and intimate approach to connect with her audience. Jamie’s prayer and hope is for God to use her words to encourage and show others that they are not alone, while constantly pointing them to Jesus.

Jamie and her husband, Aaron, worship pastor at The Austin Stone Community Church, live in Austin, Texas with their four kids and two dogs.

*****

I’m on the launch team for “If You Only Knew” and received an advanced PDF copy to read after I pre-ordered the book myself. These opinions are my own, and this is the kind of book you’d find me talking about here regardless of whether I was officially on a launch team.

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Filed Under: books Tagged With: faith, review

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  1. sanctified & broken says:
    December 19, 2017 at 9:22 am

    […] and “If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free” by Jamie Ivey {review}. These few books are definitely at the top of my list from 2017, but here’s the entire list of […]

    Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

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So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

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