That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs

That Sounds Fun Network

  • 51 minutes 45 seconds
    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 think.

    View the show notes here

    . . . .

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    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

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    23 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 29 seconds
    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 Buddies tour yet?! Eddie and I are coming to:

    Keller (Fort Worth), Texas on Friday, May 15th

    Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, May 16th

    Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 5th

    Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, June 7th

    Trussville (Birmingham), Alabama on Friday, June 12th

    Nashville, TN on Saturday, June 13th

    Y’all, this is going to be an actual blast. I hope these nights are just pure fun. Tickets are selling QUICKLY! Go to thebuddiestour.com We cannot wait to see you there!

    IF YOU MAKE SOAP, please come tell us over on instagram at @thatsoundsfunpodcast or shoot us an email at [email protected].

    . . . . .

    ⁠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 subscribe! 

    We have a Substack now! Find it at spirituallystronger.com.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    . . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    19 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 56 minutes 53 seconds
    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 fasting, when paired with prayer, can sharpen our awareness of God’s presence in everyday life. It’s practical and deeply spiritual at the same time. If fasting is something you’ve been curious about but never tried, we talk about some simple ways to start.

    Head over to spirituallystronger.com after you listen as we process this together and give some questions to think through this week. Remember, this year we’re saying give us one hour a week listening to this episode and 10 minutes a day going through the Substack questions. We have loved this rhythm and love reading your comments each week!

    Find the show notes here

    . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

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    16 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 9 minutes
    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 devotional called Wake Up Your Faith that you absolutely want a copy of and in this conversation we get to beautifully usher in next week’s introduction to our next spiritual discipline: fasting.

    Join us on Substack at spirituallystronger.com! 

    Find the show notes here

    . . . . 

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    9 March 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    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 and you’re going to love.

    We're unpacking all of this over on spirituallystronger.com too, so please come join us as we process together over there!

    Find the show notes here

    . . . .

     

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

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    2 March 2026, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 12 minutes
    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’re coming to:

    • Keller (Fort Worth), Texas on Friday, May 15th
    • Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, May 16th
    • Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, June 5th
    • Trussville (Birmingham), Alabama on Friday, June 12th

    And maybe more…stay tuned!

    You can find the dates and details at thebuddiestour.com and because you’re a podcast listener you get pre-sale access to tickets TODAY!!! Just use the code BUDDIES and get your tickets at thebuddiestour.com. We cannot wait to see you there!

    . . . . .

    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 subscribe! 

    We have a Substack now! Find it at spirituallystronger.com.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    . . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    26 February 2026, 8:01 am
  • 1 hour 11 minutes
    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 is incredible and they’re helping us figure out how to use the Lord’s prayer in our daily rhythms with God. There are some really practical ways to do this that we talk about at the end and I think you’re going to want to get your note-taking pages ready.

    We’re unpacking all of this over on spirituallystronger.com too, so please come join us!

    Go grab your copy of Bringing Heaven Here and go watch The Lord’s Prayer! We have a free link: angel.com/annie OR you can find all of their resources at thelordsprayer.com.

    Find the show notes here

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    Thank you to our sponsors!

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    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    23 February 2026, 9:01 am
  • 49 minutes 5 seconds
    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 grief and gratitude we learn through Tim’s journey with terminal cancer.

    You’re also going to hear the incredible new but lifelong friendship that’s been created between Milo and Tim as Milo researched his life and got to know him in order to play this role. It’s really incredible to see.

    Tim also has a book coming out on March 3 called Waking Up Again, so preorder your copy so you have it the day it comes out!

    Find the show notes here

    . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    19 February 2026, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 52 seconds
    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 you just need a minute to sit with God, Lauren’s going to lead us through a guided prayer at the very end. I don’t want you to miss it.

    Find the show notes here

     . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    16 February 2026, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 11 minutes
    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 answers to, but I hope you’ll listen for the thread of God’s nearness through it all. You may not be sent to Africa for 6 weeks, but where do you see God continuing to ask you to trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense? Where have you experienced His nearness when everything around you felt hard?

    Don’t miss the conversation and processing we’re going over on Substack this week either. I think the questions we’re asking each day this week will really help you look for the places God’s asking for obedience in your own life. You can find all of that spirituallystronger.com.

    If you have any questions from this episode drop them in the Q&A box on your Spotify app if you’re a Spotify listener, or send them to us on instagram at @thatsoundsfunpodcast and we’ll try to answer them there!

    Find the show notes here

     . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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    12 February 2026, 9:00 am
  • 57 minutes 4 seconds
    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 Uganda after sensing God telling them that’s what they were supposed to do, and it wasn’t the trip they imagined. At all.

    You’re going to hear the entire story along with their journey over the last couple years of trying to figure out if they should grow their family (spoiler alert: Lauren is due any minute with their 5th!). 

    In these two episodes, you'll hear the power of prayer, the way God speaks when we make space to listen for His voice, the reminder that we’re never alone, and the reality that obedience to God is never promised to be easy. You’re not going to want to miss part 2 coming your way on Thursday. 

    And remember, head over to spirituallystronger.com today where we’re processing what perseverance and obedience in prayer looks like in our lives. 

    View the show notes here

     . . . .

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    NYTimes bestselling Christian author, speaker, and host of popular Christian podcast, That Sounds Fun Podcast, Annie F. Downs shares with you some of her favorite things: new books, faith conversations, entertainers not to miss, and interviews with friends.

    Sign up to receive the AFD Week In Review email and ask questions to future guests!

    #thatsoundsfunpodcast

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

    9 February 2026, 9:00 am
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