That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs - podcast cover

That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs

That Sounds Fun Networkanchor.fm
Christian author and speaker Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, restaurants, travel stories, musicians not to miss, interviews with friends. Pretty much, if it sounds fun to Annie, you're gonna hear about it.
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Episodes

Radical Change, Groaning in Prayer, and the Gift of Faith with Sophia Ruffin-Wilson- Episode 1051

Today on the show, I get to talk to my new friend, Sophia Ruffin-Wilson. Sophia is an influencer, author, creator, and prophetic voice whose message of deliverance and transformation has resonated powerfully around the world. I started following her on instagram and fell in love with her wisdom and overall FUN vibes and knew we were meant to be friends. Today you’re going to get to hear some of her story, what God’s teaching her right now, how Holy Spirit is speaking to her, and why she named he...

Apr 09, 20261 hr 1 min

Why Discomfort Leads to Breakthrough with Alex Seeley- Episode 1050

Alex Seeley is a Bible teacher, author, and co-founder of the Belonging Co. here in Nashville, and this is her 3rd time on the show. As we continue talking about the spiritual discipline of fasting, she is such a wise voice to help us understand why this practice really makes a difference in our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and she’s also helping us better understand specifically our relationship with Holy Spirit. Her next book, which comes out tomorrow, is called The Divin...

Apr 06, 20261 hr 6 min

TSF Holy Week: Easter Sunday- Episode 1049

Holy Week Bible Reading: Easter Sunday Matthew 28:1-10 Mark 16:1-13 Luke 24:1-35 John 20:1-25 (Read from my Bible in the New International Version 1984 and a portion of the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones) #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 05, 202620 min

TSF Holy Week: Good Friday- Episode 1048

Holy Week Bible Reading: Good Friday Matthew 26:47-27:66 Mark 14:43-15:47 Luke 22:47-23:56 John 18:2-19:42 (Read in The Message Version) . . . . . There will be no reading tomorrow. Nothing is recorded in Scripture of this Saturday. But Sunday is coming... #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 03, 202645 min

TSF Holy Week: Thursday- Episode 1047

Holy Week Bible Reading: Thursday Matthew 26:17-46 Mark 14:12-42 Luke 22:7-46 John 13-17:26 (Read from the Christian Standard Bible Version) . . . . . #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 02, 202633 min

TSF Holy Week: Wednesday- Episode 1046

Holy Week Bible Reading: Wednesday Matthew 26:14-16 Mark 14:10-11 Luke 22:3-6 (Read from the New English Translation) . . . . . #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 01, 20263 min

TSF Holy Week: Tuesday- Episode 1045

Holy Week Bible Reading: Tuesday Matthew 21:23-23:39, 26:6-13 Mark 11:27-12:44 Luke 20-21:4 John 12:2-11 (Read in the New Living Translation) . . . . . #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 31, 202631 min

TSF Holy Week: Monday- Episode 1044

Holy Week Bible Reading: Monday Matthew 21:12-22 Mark 11:12-18 Luke 19:45-48 (Read in the English Standard Version) . . . . . #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 30, 20265 min

TSF Holy Week: Palm Sunday- Episode 1043

Holy Week Bible Reading: Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11 Mark 11:1-11 Luke 19:29-44 John 12:12-19 (Read from my Bible in the New International Version 1984) . . . . . #TSFHolyWeek #thatsoundsfunpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 29, 20268 min

Understanding Holy Week Through Its Original Historical and Cultural Context with Rabbi Jason Sobel- Episode 1042

Today on the show, I get to talk with my friend, Rabbi Jason Sobel. You may remember him from episode 1022 when we had him here during Advent to talk about the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament when it comes to Jesus’ birth. Immediately when we finished recording that episode, I told him he had to come back and talk to us during Lent to help us also talk through Jesus’ resurrection. He has served as a spiritual advisor for The Chosen since it started and y’all went nuts...

Mar 26, 202657 min

The Gift of Fasting and a Life of Spiritual Disciplines with Dr. Derwin Gray- Episode 1041

We’re going to keep talking about fasting today with my friend, Dr. Derwin Gray. He is the co-founding and Lead Pastor of Transformation Church, just outside of Charlotte, NC. We also talking about memorizing Scripture and what grace really looks like as we prepare for Holy Week. Head over to spirituallystronger.com after you listen because he also mentions “virtue ethics” today and I want us to talk about this some more and how it relates to spiritual disciplines. I’m really curious what you th...

Mar 23, 202652 min

Annie and Eddie Keep Talking About the Winter Olympics, Ski Stories, and a Good Biscuit- Episode 1040

Today on the show, Eddie and I get to keep talking about the Winter Olympics (mountaineering is wild!), the latest wild west movie I’ve watched, snow skiing stories, the difference in weighing things vs measuring them, and what makes a good biscuit... and of course we're just adding to the list of what we want The Buddies Tour to look like! Plus, you’re not ready to hear Eddie’s new way of saying, “I have to use the restroom.” Things get a bit unhinged today. Have you gotten your tickets to The ...

Mar 19, 20261 hr

Why We Fast and What It Changes with Lisa Bevere- Episode 1039

It’s time to talk about fasting. Lisa Bevere is a spiritual mom to a lot of us and was the exact right person to help us kick off this conversation. What I love about this conversation is how Lisa reframes fasting not as punishment or performance — but as invitation. As a way of intentionally making space for God to move in us and through us. We talk about what fasting actually is — and what it isn’t. We talk about motives, about hunger (the physical and the spiritual kind), and about how fastin...

Mar 16, 202657 min

Discernment, Meekness, and the Power of a Yielded Life with Jen Lilley- Episode 1038

My friend Jen Lilley is joining us today. She’s an actress, producer, storyteller, and just a total delight of a human. You may know her from Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, or Hallmark and Great American Family movies. But here’s what I really love about her: behind the film sets is a woman with a deep, vibrant, anchored faith. So, while we thought we were taking a break from our theme this week, what you’ll hear is a friend who is indeed Spiritually Strong. Jen has written a 365-day devot...

Mar 09, 20261 hr 10 min

What If We Actually Prayed the Way Jesus Taught Us? with Matt Smallbone- Episode 1037

Matt Smallbone is the pastor of Church of the City’s downtown campus here in Nashville, and we’re continuing with a bit of a theme today as we talk again this week about The Lord’s Prayer. Every time we talk about it during this prayer series though, I feel like there’s something new to see and something deeper to understand. It’s wild how a prayer so familiar, so memorized, so repeated, can still surprise us. Matt has written a brand new book called The Prayer Experiment that comes out in April...

Mar 02, 20261 hr 3 min

Annie and Eddie Keep Talking About When the World Feels Like Too Much (And the Ceiling Literally Falls In)- Episode 1036

Today Eddie and I get to keep talking about how much is going on in the world right now and just how hard it is for all of us to wrestle with it. We also talk about my ceiling falling in during the ice storm in Nashville! Our "7 minutes of serious" turned into closer to 47! But don’t worry, we of course had to wrap things up by chatting for a bit about Oscar nominations, Zootopia 2, and the first movie we ever remember seeing. Also... THE BUDDIES TOUR DATES AND CITIES HAVE NOW BEEN ANNOUNCED! We...

Feb 26, 20261 hr 12 min

Diving Deeper into the Lord’s Prayer with Brad Gray and Brad Nelson- Episode 1035

If you’ve ever felt stuck and don’t have the words to pray, or you’ve felt so discouraged or disoriented that you don’t know where to start, this conversation is for you. Brad Gray and Brad Nelson are both with the organization Walking the Text, where they help people understand the original meaning and context of Scripture. They’ve been friends for 25 years and have now gotten to work on a documentary, TV series, and book all around The Lord’s Prayer. Their depth of knowledge around Scripture i...

Feb 23, 20261 hr 11 min

Finding Purpose in the Fire and Deep Friendship with Milo Ventimiglia and Tim Timmons- Episode 1034

Y'all are going to LOVE this episode with my old friend Tim Timmons and my new friend, Milo Ventimiglia. You may know Milo from Gilmore Girls or This is Us, but he’s playing Tim Timmons in the brand new movie, I Can Only Imagine 2, which comes out TOMORROW! Go get your tickets, you’ve got to see this movie. Tim toured with Bart Millard and MercyMe, and this movie tells the story of how Tim unknowingly brought renewed gratitude to Bart’s life through their friendship—and the powerful lessons of g...

Feb 19, 202649 min

Becoming a Prayer Warrior: Hearing God and Trusting His Voice with Lauren Tomlin- Episode 1033

Lauren Tomlin is a PRAYER WARRIOR which is why I called her for this series, because I wanted a friend to sit down with me and really talk about how to pray. If you’ve ever wondered if God actually hears you when you pray or if you can trust what you hear from God when you pray, this conversation is for you. If you feel overwhelmed by all of the hard happening around us, we’re going to talk about how to pray. If you’ve wondered how to discern what God’s telling you, we’re going there too. And if...

Feb 16, 20261 hr 1 min

Living the Yes: Spiritual Battles, Healing Prayers, and a Stronger Faith with Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins (Pt. 2) — Episode 1032

Here is PART 2 of our episode with Lauren and Thomas Rhett Akins. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to part 1, go back and do that first before you listen to this episode. I want you to get the full story of what God’s been doing in their lives over the last year. They continue the story of moving their family to Uganda for 6 weeks. They were obedient in saying yes to God, and yet it was not the perfect trip tied up with a bow. There are still questions they have for God they may never get a...

Feb 12, 20261 hr 12 min

Letting God’s Yes Be Enough When You Don’t Understand the Why with Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins (Pt. 1) – Episode 1031

You may know Thomas Rhett from his incredible country music career or Lauren from her beloved Live in Love podcast or book, but I want you to get to know (and hear) their deep faith today. When they called me and said, “We want to tell the story of what God did in our lives last year,” I knew we had to share it. As we talk about prayer this month, I want you to hear what perseverance and obedience in prayer looked like in their lives through this story. Last year, they spent 6 weeks living in Ug...

Feb 09, 202657 min

The Transformative Power of Prayer and the Gift of Sabbaticals with Pete Greig- Episode 1030

Author and 24/7 prayer movement founder Pete Greig shares insights from his three-month sabbatical, revealing how dedicated time with God profoundly shifted his and his wife's prayer life, fostering healing and renewed joy. He discusses practical prayer rhythms for couples and dating individuals, and introduces the Lectio 365 app as a tool for meditative prayer. The episode also tackles the challenging topic of unanswered prayers, emphasizing lament, trust, and how authentic, even angry, conversations with God can deepen intimacy and bring unexpected revelations.

Feb 02, 20261 hr

Annie and Eddie Keep Talking: Winter Olympics, Golden Globes, and a Surprise Announcement- Episode 1029

Today on the show, I get to keep talking with our buddy Eddie Kaufholz. A new year and new us… we’re talking about mice, the Winter Olympics, The Golden Globes, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Will Arnett...and then a **special announcement** I think you’re absolutely going to love! You don't want to miss this one! . . . . . On a related note... TheBuddiesTour.com Find the show notes here Want to watch this episode? Watch on your Spotify App, or head on over to our YouTube Channel and be sure ...

Jan 29, 20261 hr 3 min

Audacious Prayers, Deep Trust, and the Faith to Flourish with Christine Caine- Episode 1028

We are going to spend the next 5 weeks talking about prayer, and Christine Caine is here to help us kick off that conversation. If we’re going to be spiritually stronger in a world we cannot control, we have got to get serious about prayer. Chris is going to fire you up today about your prayer life! We talk about her prayer life as an activist, her turning 60 this year and continuing to run her race harder, olive trees, and what Jesus tells the disciples to pray for in Matthew 9. You don't want ...

Jan 26, 20261 hr 4 min

Journaling Our History With God with Kevin Queen- Episode 1027

This is Kevin Queen's 10th time on That Sound Fun which basically means he just lapped Hall of Fun status twice!! Today he’s helping pastor us as we get started on this journey to become spiritually stronger. We talk about one of the tensions you might face as we get started talking about spiritual disciples and rhythms. We don’t want any of this to feel like things you need to check off in order to earn something from God, and Kevin has a really helpful way for us to keep that in check. Then we...

Jan 19, 20261 hr 12 min

Walking with God Through Physical Recovery and Daily Faith with Beth Moore- Episode 1026

Today on the show, I get to talk to my friend—and one of our spiritual mothers and mentors—Beth Moore. We talk about her experience with her surgeries and recoveries last year and learning how to 100% lean on the Lord, and what it looks like to grow with God and sit with Him everyday. Plus, we got to talk about her new study: Walking with God . She’s created this study to help us understand what it looked like to walk with God in different eras of Scripture. It’s fascinating. I think this conver...

Jan 12, 202658 min

That Sounds Fun: Spiritually Stronger

Last year we spent the entire year talking about the seasons—how they impact us both physically and spiritually—and how our life seasons change so often without warning. We see it all around us. Things are changing SO quickly. So much feels unpredictable, a little unsteady, often hard to understand. And I just keep coming back to this reality: in a world we can’t control, we can be spiritually stronger. That’s why our theme on That Sounds Fun for the next 18 months is exactly that— Spiritually S...

Jan 09, 20262 min

Epiphany 2026: What Are We Stopping and Starting This Year?- Episode 1025

If you are new around here, we have a yearly tradition today, January 6th. Epiphany. The tradition of you and I just chatting. The last day of Christmastide. Day 12 of the 12 days of Christmas. This Epiphany episode is the only time all year that I sit in this podcast studio alone. It matters to me that y’all know this. It matters because, in part, I want today to feel like a one on one conversation, like we’re getting coffee. Except you know me, I’m drinking tea. In December, Emily P. Freeman j...

Jan 06, 202624 min

Annie and Eddie Keep Talking: Live Call-In Show with Our Buddies- Episode 1024

In this final installment of 2025 we get to Keep Talking WITH ALL OF YOU-- ALL OF OUR BUDDIES! We got to do a live call-in show so a bunch of you got to pop in and ask your questions and loved every minute. It went exactly the way you thought it would. Things were unhinged for a bit… And before we started we even had a conversation about toilet seats. And Wicked. You’re in for a treat. Come tell us your thoughts over on instagram: @thatsoundsfunpodcast If you’re following along in your TSF Seaso...

Dec 29, 20251 hr 18 min

Unanswered Questions, Delayed Seasons, and Trusting God with Banning Liebscher- Episode 1023

Y’all, we have spent an entire year talking about the impact of the seasons on our spiritual, emotional, and physical lives. A whole year working through things in our TSF Seasons Guidebook. Sooo many brilliant friends have joined us to mentor us through the winter, spring, summer, and fall and now we’ve circled all the way back. It’s cold outside again. The snow is on the ground again for some of you. The days are darker outside. And we’ve made it. On December 21st, winter begins and we will ha...

Dec 15, 20251 hr 2 min
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