Ivey - If you only knew: my unlikely, unavoidable story of becoming free

Jamie Ivey knows the grace of God deep down in her bones. She tells her story with humor and candor, and with a heaping measure of bravery. Im beyond thankful for her voice in the church today. I pray that the example of her transparency will spread far, and that the testimony of the gospel found in the pages of this book will saturate the dry soil of many lives.

Jamies vulnerability will cause you to exhale and remind you of Gods grace to build beauty from ashes. Thank you, Jamie, for reminding us that there is freedom in repentance and how beautiful the local church can be.

Jennie Allen , author of Nothing to Prove and founder and visionary of the IF:Gathering

Jamie is one of the kindest and most genuine people Ive ever met, and youll be glad to know she shows up exactly in these pages as she does in real life. If youve ever felt held captive by a part of your story that youve kept hidden, Jamies story will be an encouragement to you that nothing youve done can keep you from living out your purpose in this life.

Amy Brown , co-host of the Bobby Bones Show

Ill be buying copies of Jamies book for all the young gals I know, all the gals wondering how they step into the life they know God has for them. I couldnt tell where Jamies story ended and Jesus story began, and that is a very beautiful thing. This book pulls back the curtain on grace, hope, and purpose in a life-giving and encouraging way and I cant suggest reading it enough.

Jessi Connolly , speaker and author of Dance Stand Run and Wild and Free

Jamies podcast is fun and approachable in tone, just like a happy hour meet up. Her book, while still maintaining the girlfriend to girlfriend tone we have come to know and love from her, also reveals a more vulnerable side of Jamie. She wades in deep waters with Jesus throughout the pages and I found myself dwelling in the waters with her by the books end.

Jessica Honegger , founder and CEO of Noonday Collection

If youve listened to Jamies podcast, you no doubt feel like shes a dear, trusted friend. And in Jamies new book, she takes that friendship to a whole new level by getting all-the-way real with her readers. Refreshingly honest and relatable, If You Only Knew is a fearless, bold, gut-level-honest account of Jamies journey to freedom in Christ. Youll see yourself in her story, and more than anything else, youll see the loving hand of a Savior who faithfully pursues, redeems, heals, and restores. What a beautifully written, grace-filled reminder that it is for freedom that we have been set free (Gal. 5:1). Dont miss it!

Sophie Hudson , author of Giddy Up, Eunice and All in All: Loving God Wherever You Are

Real, raw, and redemptive. The words that Jamie Ivey shares in If You Only Knew offer healing and freedom to women lost in their lives, ashamed of their past, or doubtful that God could still love them. Jamie offers a breath of fresh air to those with a suffocated soul. Her story offers proof that God, in His loving-kindness, is faithful to pursue His people.

Chrystal Evans Hurst , author of Shes Still There

Jamie is one of my favorite people. She is vulnerable and honest, so of course her book would be exactly that. In If You Only Knew, Jamie tells the story of her past and present, but more than that, she tells the story of how God has redeemed the entirety of her story. This book meets people in the trenches of their livesin heartache, in disappointment, in failure, and reminds them that God gives freedom, peace, and joy when we give those things to Him.

Catherine Lowe , mother, reality-TV personality, and entrepreneur

Inside these pages, Jamie Ivey invites you into her story about how Gods grace led her to experience true freedom, both from her past and for the present. Maybe you, like me, could use a reminder that the gospel not only breaks the bonds of sin, but also removes all our guilt and shame. If You Only Knew is the reminder, that the freedom we long for is found only in Jesus, and Jesus is better. This book is the rarest of combinations: both serious and fun. You will be taught and challenged, and yet you will enjoy it all the way.

Russell Moore , president, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

Vulnerability not only makes you brave, but it takes great courage to be vulnerable. Vulnerability unleashes your God-given potential. Jamies book is refreshingly authentic and vulnerable. She talks about the hard things that get buried in our attempt to make great impressions. We need to hear stories of struggle and how God can redeem and redefine our brokenness. Jamies honesty will combat the shame that many feel about their past, even our present. I love how Jamie shares her ongoing struggles, but also shows how Scripture guided her to see Jesus in every circumstance. What if we were honest? What if we had the permission to be real? What if we discovered Jesus was better and greater than any of our circumstances? Theres something empowering about saying, Me too. We are not alone in our struggles. This book will be a catalyst in helping others become free to walk and run in the freedom that only Christ gives us all.

Tasha Morrison , founder and president of Be the Bridge

If youve ever wondered if there is room at the table for someone with a story like yours, youll appreciate the resounding yes Jamie offers as she pulls up a chair alongside you in If You Only Knew .

Raechel Myers , founder and CEO of She Reads Truth

Some say that a message is only as believable as its messenger. If that is true, then this book delivers. With endearing and sometimes surprising honesty, Jamie uses her own life story to do what all good story doestell the story of the God who became a prisoner and slave so we could be made free. I urge you to read these pages slowly and with care. As you do, you may discover, just as Jamie has, that the time to be free isnt later, but now.

Scott Sauls , pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Befriend and From Weakness to Strength

This book is a must-read for all! Life is hard; the struggle is real. And most of us have a hard time being vulnerable and honest about our struggles. I am so thankful Jamie has had the courage to address and challenge us with this topic in a deep way! I look forward to the freedom and fruit this book will bring to those who read it!

Cheryl Scruggs , biblical counselor, podcaster, speaker, and author of I Do Again

This book brought me so much encouragement to be steadfast in vulnerability (even when I want to hide) and to remember that the Lord redeems all sin and failure and disappointment. Through sharing her own life experiences, Jamie Ivey delivers such a beautiful perspective about the exhaustion of living a life of perceived perfection and contrasts it with the freedom of being known.

Lauren Scruggs , blogger, author, and entrepreneur

Jamie Ivey knows the grace of God deep down in her bones. She tells her story with humor and candor, and with a heaping measure of bravery. Im beyond thankful for her voice in the church today. I pray that the example of her transparency will spread far, and that the testimony of the gospel found in the pages of this book will saturate the dry soil of many lives.

Jen Wilkin , minister at The Village Church Institute and author

With honesty, humor, and vulnerability, Jamie Ivey has given women permission to stand tall and be who they were created to be in Christ, no longer weighed down by the lies of the enemy or feeling any shame from the past. If You Only Knew is a breath of fresh air full of life-giving truth. I adore Jamie and her heart to see women live free of the weight that holds so many down. This book will help you live free and confident because of the total redeeming work of Jesus!