That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs

Carl and Laura Lentz walked through infidelity on a really public platform and since 2020 have put in the work towards restoration, redemption, and healing. When they realized there weren’t many books for couples walking through infidelity and betrayal, they felt the invitation to not only tell their story, but share the practical steps that have helped them stay together and heal.

I realize this may not be your story or your struggle, but sin is something we all deal with and secret sin specifically is not something we’re going to play around with around here. I ad...

There’s no better person to help us finish talking about this spiritual rhythm than my own worship pastor from my church here in Nashville. Dwan Hill is not only the worship pastor at Cross Point Church, but he’s both a grammy and dove award winner and the founder of the Choir Room, which we’re going to talk about today.

Worship is something we can do anywhere, anytime, but I asked Dwan today why corporate worship and gathering together matters. And you’re going to be so encouraged by his response. I love his heart for the C...

You probably know Doug McKelvey as the brilliance behind the Every Moment Holy books. These liturgies are incredible and their popularity proves that sometimes we need words to help guide us in worship. I bet you’ve picked up one of them when you needed the right words during a major life moment or even just on a Monday morning when you need help connecting with God.

Today, we’re talking about the way poetry and liturgies and some of these quieter methods of worship are just as powerful and for a lot of people - their prefer...

Stephen McWhirter is here today and we’re talking about what it looks like to worship even when shame is telling you that you don’t belong in the room.

Stephen has a story of radical restoration. He went from hating Jesus, battling addiction, and feeling completely beyond saving to becoming a worship leader, songwriter, and someone who now gets to tell people all over the world that Jesus is real. He’s also the author of Radically Restored and the songwriter behind a song you probably hear often: “Come Jesus Come.”

I think Stephen’s story is goi...

Today on the show, Eddie and I get to keep talking about ALL the things. We’re chatting about:

We need to know - do you take your wedding rings off when you go to bed or do you sleep with them on? We need you over in the comments on @thatsoundsfunpodcast’s instagram.

Find the show notes here

. . . .

Thank you to our sponsors!

Hosanna Wong is here to help us start a multi-episode mini series on our next spiritual rhythm: worship. 

She has been on this really beautiful journey of trying to uncomplicate worship and uncomplicate spiritual rhythms. As she researched for her latest book, Uncomplicate It, she actually asked 1,000 people all over the world two questions: 

1. What stands in the way of you connecting with God?

2. What’s a unique way you’ve been able to connect with God?

From those conversations, she discovered seven different worship personalities—or, as she calls them, “praise-anali...

Today on the launch of Don’t Let That Hold You Back, I’m honored to get to sit down with a woman who’s paved a way for other authors and teachers like me…truly not held back by anything.

One of our spiritual mothers in the faith, AND one of my book launch day twins, Joyce Meyer is here! Joyce is 83 and while she’s authored over 150 books, she’s releasing her memoir for the very first time today. It is called My Battlefieldand it’s just beautiful. The life she’s lived has not been without pain and...

I'm so happy to be here with you…the day before Don’t Let That Hold You Back officially releases to the world! I can’t wait for you to get it in your hands, so we can all start talking about how and why you’ve been held back and what we’re going to do about it.

Honestly, this episode was basically as if Jess Connolly and I sat down for breakfast to just catch up, but turned on the microphone. So, this is your invitation to pull up a chair and join us at the table.<...

I LOVED getting to sit down with Stasi Eldredge because it just feels like she’s a mentor to all of us. She knows Jesus intimately and wants us to know Him on that level and know the power we have to push back against the enemy, too. Her new book, Ladder of Love, includes a masterclass on spiritual warfare - and as we’ve been talking about the way the enemy’s stolen, killed, or destroyed our dreams, Stasi’s equipping us to fight back.

Head’s up - we talk about her story which includes some really...

My new book, Don’t Let That Hold You Back, comes out September 15th, and today I get to read a short portion of it to you!

This book is about THAT thing. You know the thing.

Maybe it’s fear or doubt or lack of faith.

I wrote this book because I want us to get curious about what’s actually holding us back, and then figure out what it looks like to take a step forward anyway.

The entire book will be available to you in hardback, ebook, and audiob...

As we talk about taking steps toward doing the thing you’ve been dreaming about doing, I’ve been interviewing friends I’ve seen exemplify this, and I’m sooo excited for you to hear today’s conversation.

Last week, I got to interview Pastor Tim Ross about the ways the enemy has stolen, killed, or destroyed our ability to dream or kept us stuck. It’s one the whole first half of Don’t Let That Hold You Back is about…we get to really deep dive into the ways you’ve truly been held back.

But in the seco...

Today on the show, Eddie and I get to keep talking about ALL the things. We’re chatting about: 

As always, we need you to weigh in on ALL of this. We need you over in the comments on @thatsoundsfunpodcast’s instagram and tell us if a TV character ever made you think, “So this is what being a teenager is going to be like”?

Find the show notes here

...

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Steal, kill, and destroy-- they're all really different. They're all really unique. There's different things to do for yourself when they happen, and I think it's a really important conversation for us to have. In Don't Let That Hold You Back, I really deep dive into each of these things, but for this week and into the next couple of weeks, I wanted to have conversations with friends of mine who I thought r...

Have you ever looked at someone else's life and thought, Well... they can do that, but I could never write a book, go back to school, teach, start the thing, do both?

Y'all know Dr. Angie Smith as an incredible Bible teacher, speaker, bestselling author, and honestly just one of the funniest humans you'll ever meet. But what I love about this conversation is that we don't just talk about all the things she's accomplished—we talk about everything that could have kept her from doing them.

Angie’s talking about her life as a teacher, w...

Y'all, this episode is just plain fun for me. David Pollack has lived a lot of life since his football days—playing in the NFL, watching that dream come to an unexpected end because of injury, joining the College GameDay team, walking through his wife Lindsey's battle with a brain tumor (she's now cancer-free!), and learning what it actually looks like to trust God through every season. One of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing about the rhythms that have transformed his faith. 

If you've been around here for a while, you know my Georgia Bull...

We've talked about how to commit to it, how to be better at communication, and today, we're talking about ways to find community.

I'm so excited for you to hear this conversation with Susie Larson. She’s a bestselling author, Bible teacher, and the host of Susie Larson Live. For decades she's encouraged people to know the heart of God and walk with courage and hope. Her brand-new book, More Than You Can Imagine, invites us to trust God more deeply by seeing ourselves the way He sees us—fully loved, deeply known, and created for so much m...

Today on the show, Eddie and I get to catch up about ALL the things. We’re talking about:

And we DO have a question for you today. Tell us your answers over on instagram: If you have $200 and 1 hour, where are you Supermarket Sweeping?

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 to like and subscri...

If you feel like you and your friends or you and your significant other are struggling with communication lately, keep listening. This episode is for you.

 As we talk about the importance of community, one of the fastest things to trip us up is communication. Think about how often miscommunication or lack of communication is the root problem in a disagreement or riff with your people.

Author and therapist Jason VanRuler is here to help us better understand our communication type. It gives us such a better look into why we may act certain ways i...

I'm so excited to introduce you to my sweet friend Leanna Crawford (or if you're already a fan like I am) to let you know about her incredible new album!

One of my favorite things about Leanna is that she doesn't pretend to have everything figured out. She's thoughtful, she's funny, she's deeply grounded in her faith, and I think you're going to walk away encouraged after hearing her heart.

Today we're talking songwriting, falling in love, dealing with comparison...ALL of it! Her brand new album “Thank God” is out today so you can star...

We have a fun new book announcement for you and ALL the details about what you'll get when you preorder Don't Let That Hold You Back! Visit dontletthatholdyouback.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re talking about community and commitment today… something we all can get a little bit better at, and one of my favorite couples is joining us for this conversation. 

I’ve watched Shawn Johnson and Andrew East build such beautiful friendships here in Nashville, both in their season of life before kids and now with kids. As we get spiritually stronger, this is our reminder that we do not have to do that alone. We’re going to spend the next few weeks really talking about what it looks like to commit to community, how to communica...

Every time you listen to a Spiritually Stronger episode this year, you’re hearing Riley Clemmons’ voice in the intro and outro music! Last year, I got to sit down with Riley and Dave Haywood and write this song to go along with our podcast series and I am SOOO thrilled that we get to finally release the whole song to you. So wherever you listen to music - Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, wherever, you can now stream our song Spiritually Stronger that is beautifully recorded and performed by Riley Clemmons.

Find the show notes here

...

Today on the show, I get to talk with my friend, Hanna Seymour … on her birthday!

Hanna is a wife, mom, author, and podcast host and when her book, Everyday Spiritual Habits came out earlier this year I knew we needed Hanna to come on and help us do a little check in on our rhythms - what I think you’ll hear is not an opportunity to review your progress report but a reminder that it’s not about performance but about a God who just wants to be with you.

. . . .

Thank you to o...

I'm so happy to be here with you today to catch up with another artist friend who’s putting out incredible music in the world! Jamie MacDonald is a singer-songwriter with a powerful story of faith, perseverance, and finding hope in unexpected places. Her music has connected with listeners who need honest reminders that God is present even in the middle of life's hardest moments. 

We're talking about her journey of going from a back-up singer to selling out tours, what brought her back to Nashville, prison ministry, and what she’s learned on the other side of fear...

Don't miss today's episode. 7 + (25ish?) minutes of serious that felt really important and vulnerable. Eddie and I get to keep talking about hair washing days and health journeys - both complex in their own ways. But I’ll let you guess which one of us has a lot of thoughts about hair washing days.

We had a blast on the road this month with The Buddies Tour! Your fun t-shirts, your cute outfits, your excellent and hilarious questions during the show…we loved every single moment and as you’ll hear in today’s episode… hope we get to hit...

If you’ve often felt like you’re a soldier for God instead of just resting in being a child of God, I’m telling you, this conversation is for you. I know so many of you are taking vacations this time of year and our team is getting ready to do the same thing. It’s the perfect time to talk about why a yearly Sabbath really matters in the rhythm of our calendar.

Yvette Henry is home schooling her kids full time, while also being an author and podcaster. We so often get questions about what res...

Pastor Tyler Staton from Bridgetown Church is here today to help us figure out how to make space for Sabbath in our week. I know it sounds like almost impossible to reserve a day for rest and delight, but I’m telling you, this rhythm specifically has changed me. Whether you’re a busy mom or a busy college student, we’re going to talk about why Sabbath matters in your week. I think you’ll find that Tyler offers us all a really freeing invitation to practice Sabbath and how much joy there is for us to find in the mi...

Jennie Lusko is here to kick off talking about the practice of sabbath for the next three weeks. She's going to help us think through what it looks like to find moments of rest and pause in our day to day, which is perfect because her brand new book also just came out called: Fresh Mercies Everyday, and it’s beautiful. If making space for a Sabbath is something you’ve been wanting to do, we’ve created a Sabbath Practice Guide for you that’s available over on spirituallystronger.com. It’s got a list of ideas for practicing sab...

We wanted to give you a sneak peek of the brand new talk show I Gotta Ask with Annie F. Downs. This episode explores the question, "How does our faith inform our finances?" For more info on how you can watch the WHOLE season of I Gotta Ask, visit https://www.anniefdowns.com/i-gotta-ask/

If you want to watch this - check it out on your Spotify app, or YouTube!

Can you trust God and still check your bank account five times a day? In this straight-talking, soul-meets-strategy conversation...

Today on the show, I get to talk with my friend and mentor, Nancy Mattingly. Her life is testament of so much joy and gratitude despite having walked through suffering in some really significant ways. In fact, just 6 months ago, we weren’t sure Nancy was going to be with us much longer because of her battle with cancer, and today it’s an honor to hear her tell her story and share it with all of us.

We have a Gratitude Practice Guide available for you over on spirituallystronger.com - if you’ve never documented what you’...

Dating. Money. Grief. Fear. Faith doesn't remove the hard. It meets you in it. Before the answers and the breakthrough, there were real questions… and Annie is asking!
Introducing I Gotta Ask with Annie F. Downs! WATCH NOW on Wonder Project on Prime Video. Start your free trial today: https://amzn.to/4fm3U3v

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show, Eddie and I talk about:

That list of randomness is also exactly how The Buddies Tour is going. We’ve had an absolute blast so far on this tour and we have 4 more shows to go. Are you coming?!? We will be in:

Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 5th!

Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, June 7th!

Tr...

Pastor Matt Chandler is here today for the second part of our conversation about confession. Last week, we talked about what it looks like to confess to God and today we talk about what it looks like to confess to others. Matt reminds us the way confession and repentance is a gift—an invitation to deeper intimacy with God and others.

If you missed it last week, we have a confession practice guide available for all of our paid substack subscribers over on spirituallystronger.com!
We’ve been so moved by the emails and letters y’al...

Pastor Aaron Graham is the founder and lead pastor of a thriving, multicultural church in Washington, D.C. representing more than 80 nations, called The District Church, and he’s spent years helping people navigate faith and culture. He’s also the author of a brand new book called Unshakable Faith, where he talks about how to stand firm in what we believe, even when everything around us feels like it’s shifting.

Today we’re unpacking a new spiritual rhythm-- confession. Aaron helps us rethink confession…not as something heavy or shame-filled, but as an invitation back into closene...

We recently recorded an episode of Single Purpose League about mothering, and as soon as we finished, I looked at the team and said, “Should we share this with the larger That Sounds Fun audience?”

With Mother’s Day this past Sunday, we recognize how complicated that day can be for so many of us. For some, you’re mourning the loss of your mom or the mom you’d hope for. For others, you’re mourning the fact that you can’t biologically have children. And for others, you’re carrying the tension of being a mom while also w...

Today we are unpacking generosity with my friend, Jon Acuff. Jon is always equal parts hilarious, honest, and incredibly helpful, and today’s conversation is one I think you’re going to love. As we talk about generosity…we’re going to talk about what it practically looks like, how it changes us, and ways to be generous with more than just our money. Jon brings so much wisdom and practical perspective to this conversation.

He also has a brand new book out called Procrastination Proof, so we get into that too—how to stop putting off the things t...

Welcome to the very first episode of what we’re calling AFD’s Friday Faves! I have a playlist on Spotify called AFD’s Friday Faves where I’ll update it from time to time with music I’m listening to or songs I think you’ll love, and now we’re bringing it to the podcast. 

These shorter episodes won’t happen every Friday, but we wanted to make space to tell you stories and introduce you to friends who are creating incredible music, so AFD’s Friday Faves will pop up in your feed from time to time, and t...

Now that we’ve covered 2 different spiritual disciplines, prayer and fasting, we wanted to zoom out for a minute and talk about the practical side of our rhythms. Do we have to start our mornings with a quiet time? What if you’re a busy parent or a single mom? What does time with God in the morning look like? We’re talking about all of it today with Jennifer Dukes Lee! I really think you’re going to love her new book, How to Love Your Morning. Honestly, if you’re looking for a gift idea for a mom, this wou...

Today on the show, Eddie and I get to keep talking about the new season of Serial, whether we got Olympics tickets or not, merch at the Masters, laundry services, SNL UK, and our fear of heights and claustrophobia... Y’all know we always have long lists to cover and it’s going to be the same way on The Buddies Tour!

Find the show notes here

. . . . .

We hit the road for the Buddies Tour in 2 WEEKS, YOU GUYS! Have you gotten your tickets yet?! Eddie and I are coming to:

Keller...

Sissy Goff and David Thomas are here today from Raising Boys and Girls! Today we talk about the decline they’ve seen in the capability of kids throughout their work as counselors over the past 30 years, and what we, as adults who deeply care about this next generation, can do about it. Whether you’re a parent, an aunt, a teacher, or a mentor, this is an important conversation full of hope and also full of straightforward honesty about raising up boys and girls who are fully capable of taking on the world. 

David and Sissy’s brand new...