That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs

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’re going to talk about journaling. If we’re going to spend 18 months talking about ways to get spiritually stronger, what if we document what God’s doing all the way through?

Kevin’s a big journaler (I am too), so we talk about his process, how he spends his time with God, and the journaling system that works for him. Remember, none of this is meant to be prescriptive. We’re not asking you to adopt the same plan that every guest uses or that I use. These are descriptive, so you get an idea and take it to God to decide how you want to grow with Him.

We also will continue this conversation (and I’ll tell you some of my favorite journaling tips) over on our Substack. We’d love to hear from you in the comments there too.  You can find all of that at spirituallystronger.com!

Find the show notes here

. . . . .

Thank you to our sponsors!


Our Place: Visit fromourplace.com/TSF and use code TSF for 10% off sitewide.


This show is sponsored by BetterHelp: Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/thatsoundsfun.


Tovala: Save up to $300 on the Tovala smart oven when you order meals 6+ times by heading to Tovala.com/THATSOUNDSFUN and use my code THATSOUNDSFUN.


Brodo: Head to Brodo.com/THATSOUNDSFUN for 20% off your first subscription order and use code THATSOUNDSFUN for an additional $10 off.


ELIC: To learn more, visit elic.org/thatsoundsfun.


Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com/soundsfun⁠.


Boll and Branch: Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/THATSOUNDSFUN and use code THATSOUNDSFUN.

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

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 conversation is SO helpful as we start talking about the small, daily habits we can lean into this year to increase our spiritual strength.

View the show notes here

. . . . .

In case you missed it, we have a brand new Substack! If you’re not familiar with what that is, it’s like a blog… so if you’ve been around THAT long, you may remember the ole’ AnnieBlogs days. Over on the substack, after every episode, you’ll find a deeper dive from me and the team where we’re talking more about that episode, offering some encouragement as you process, and giving you questions to go through. There’s also some additional resources that will be suggested if you want to really dive into whatever it is we’re discussing that episode. Our invitation to you is this: give us one hour a week listening to the podcast and 10 minutes a day answering the questions on the Substack. We think this practice will help you kick start a journey of getting spiritually stronger this year. The first post on our substack (from the Epiphany episode) is free to read so you can check it out, but after that, the subscription is $5/month. You can find it at spirituallystronger.com!

. . . . .

Thank you to our sponsors!


Wayfair: Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.

 CreaTone: Let’s get you started with 20% off your first order. Visit tonetoday.com and use our code TSF for your discount.


Thrive Causemetics: Go to thrivecausemetics.com/TSF for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order.


This show is sponsored by BetterHelp: Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/thatsoundsfun.


ELIC: To learn more, visit elic.org/thatsoundsfun.


Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com/soundsfun⁠.


Boll and Branch: Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/THATSOUNDSFUN and use code THATSOUNDSFUN.

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

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 Stronger.

We’re going to lean in together. Not with pressure or perfection, just with intention. We’re going to talk about the spiritual disciplines: prayer, fasting, reading scripture, worship, and celebration.

And after you listen to each episode, we’re going to give you a way to go a little bit deeper every single day. We’re launching the Spiritually Stronger Substack, where you’ll be able to find a way to reflect on the topic for the week, things to pray through, and resources to help you apply what you’ve heard.

What if you gave one hour a week and ten minutes a day to getting spiritually stronger this year? To building the kind of spiritual muscles that help you stand steady and stay hopeful in an ever-changing world.

Make sure you’re subscribed to That Sounds Fun so you don’t miss an episode and go subscribe to our brand new Spiritually Stronger Substack. We’re basically taking the fun of a guidebook to a place where we can all do it together!

Head to spirituallystronger.com to subscribe to our brand new substack!. . . . .

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

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 joined us on the podcast and gave us a few leading questions for shaping our year. As I thought about this episode today, there are two questions, inspired by Emily, I want to answer for you:

What are we stopping this year? 

What are we starting this year? 

These are not just for That Sounds Fun podcast, this are for all things AFD Inc- from my writing, to speaking, to podcasting. I want to give you a full view of what God might be up in 2026 to through the work my team and I get to do and make.

. . . . .

Join our NEW Substack Here!

Find the show notes here

. . . . .

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp: Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/thatsoundsfun.

. . . . .

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

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 Seasons Guidebook, you’ll find your LAST note-taking page on page 133.

Find the show notes here

Have a great week, the New Years, and we’ll see you back here in 2026! We’ll be back on Tuesday (not Monday) but Tuesday, January 6th for our annual Epiphany episode.

. . . . .

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! 

. . . . .

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

#thatsoundsfunpodcast

. . . . .

Thank you to our sponsors!


Wonder Project: Start your free trial and make sure to choose the annual subscription at ⁠watch.thewonderproject.com/thatsoundsfun⁠. When you pick the annual plan, you save money and directly support their mission to bring more of these stories to the world. 


Antique Candle Co: Use code “thatsoundsfun” to get a free Gift Set on any order of $40 or more through Dec 15 at ⁠⁠antiquecandleco.com⁠⁠. 


Mercy Ships: Please donate today at ⁠MercyShips.org/podcast⁠.


Omaha Steaks: Visit ⁠OmahaSteaks.com⁠ for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, use promo code FUN at checkout.


Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com/soundsfun⁠.


Helix Sleep: Go to helixsleep.com/thatsoundsfun for 27% off sitewide. 


NIV Application Bible: If you’re looking for a new Bible or know someone you’d like to gift a Bible to, I highly recommend the ⁠NIV Application Bible⁠!


Capstone Wellness: Learn more at ⁠⁠capstonewellness.com/thatsoundsfun⁠⁠.

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