483: Annie F. Downs — That Sounds Fun

Summary

The BEMA Podcast

Episode 483: Annie F. Downs — That Sounds Fun

Release Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Marty Solomon with Brent Billings
Guest: Annie F. Downs

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Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Marty Solomon and Brent Billings welcome Annie F. Downs—bestselling author, speaker, and prolific podcaster. The conversation delves into Annie's multifaceted calling: her media companies, writing and publishing journey, public ministry, podcasting—especially her focus on the Gospels—and her recent work around Christian singleness. The discussion is laced with humor, vulnerability, and Annie’s signature exuberance for fun, curiosity, and friendship while addressing the deep realities of living a purposeful public life rooted in faith.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Meet Annie F. Downs: Biography, Interests, and Work (00:51–04:00)

• Annie lives in Nashville (formerly split with NYC), currently on tour with the Christian music group, Cain.
• Runs two companies:
  • That Sounds Fun Network: Supports over 50 podcasts through ads, education, and community.
  • AFD, Inc.: Her writing, speaking, and podcast-specific endeavors (including three shows: That Sounds Fun, Mini BFF Podcast, Let’s Read the Gospels).
• Annie is a prolific author (published since 2012) and a frequent speaker.
• Quote:

  "I love learning... I want someone who's an expert at something to sit down and teach me. I'm not great at school. That's why I didn't finish my master's. ... But, man, I'm curious."
  —Annie (04:06)

2. The Value of Curiosity and Wrestling with Faith (03:41–06:08)

• Annie’s life—and public ministry—has been marked by curiosity and wrestling publicly with faith, which resonates with BEMA’s own ethos.
• She’s transparent that growth under public scrutiny is both beautiful and deeply challenging.
• Quote:

  "Curiosity is a pathway to love. ... If you get curious about people, your judgment goes down, your capacity to love them for who they are goes up."
  —Annie (05:13)

• She identifies being "black and white about Jesus, and that's about it," seeking understanding in gray areas.

3. Practicing Public Vulnerability (06:08–07:00)

• Marty notes Annie's reputation for authenticity in the "influencer world."
• Annie views public ministry as a potentially performative OR vulnerably honest space—and she strives for the latter.

4. Podcasting: Process, Purpose, and Powerful Impact (07:00–15:23)

a. Let’s Read the Gospels (07:11–10:08)

• Annie launched this daily podcast to democratize Bible listening—reading three gospel chapters per episode.
• In 15 months, it has tallied 10 million listens, described as "the most impactful thing I've ever done."
• Quote:

  “I read the Bible for 15 months, three chapters a day, out loud. ... It was just an offering.”
  —Annie (08:24)

b. That Sounds Fun (10:14–15:23)

• Annie’s flagship podcast, over 1,000 episodes, based on friendship and introducing listeners to her friends (or those she wishes were friends).

• Guest curation: ONLY people she's genuinely interested in or already knows.

• Mission: To be a trusted bridge to creators, influencers, and ultimately Jesus.

• Memorable Moment: Annie recounts calling out to a listener in a specific scenario (celery in a grocery store) in real time, tapping into podcasting's intimacy and sacredness. (13:12)

• Quote:

  “If [listeners] stop with me, I haven't actually accomplished my goal. ... I want to be the bridge, hopefully truly to Jesus.”
  —Annie (14:59)

• Annie is “Catholic-curious,” expressing growing admiration for Catholic traditions (such as the use of incense and deep-rooted communal practices).

5. Notable Conversations & Recommendations (18:31–20:45)

• Most Meaningful Episodes:
  • Jonathan Merritt & Dr. James Merritt: A profound father-son conversation on faith and deep disagreement regarding sexuality.
    • “You don’t get to hear two people who love each other... who don’t agree. That one is really special to me." (18:37)
  • Favorites include: John Eldredge, Dr. Esau McCaulley, Dr. Matthew Sleeth, Dr. Scott McKnight, Lisa Harper.

6. The Life of a Writer: Joy, Struggle, and the Sacred in Authorship (20:49–28:49)

• Writing, for Annie, is “terrible” but ultimately fulfilling; “I love having written them.”

• Books are “yearbooks of your life”—they capture your state-of-being at their moment of creation.

• Remember God stands out for its personal impact, catalyzing readers to share their own stories of God's kindness amid disappointment.

• Writing Process:

  • Annie writes in concentrated blocks (Thursday–Sunday), emphasizing the importance of uninterrupted time for creative flow, with much of the process devoted to thinking rather than just typing.
  • She avoids isolation—being deeply extroverted, she needs regular social interaction even during writing seasons.

• Quote:

  “The only way the enemy stops it is between your head and your hands.”
  —Annie (27:44)

7. Events, Speaking, and Friendship-Making Gigs (31:58–37:03)

• Annie loves both the stage and the interaction afterward, seeking to make people feel like friends rather than “fans.”
• She values meeting those whose lives have been shaped via her work, recalling how much meeting her own heroes mattered.
• Memorable Policy: To help people not feel embarrassed about meeting her, Annie will tell a friend: “When y’all get in the car, tell them they did a great job.” (36:14)

8. Travel, Fun, and Maintaining Wonder (37:03–41:49)

• Annie created "Tour de Taste Buds" (restaurants) and "Pour de Taste Buds" (coffee shops) to combat cynicism about travel and maintain awe.
  • Quote:

    "There are a lot of opportunities... to get cynical. The more I can build dams in front of those rivers, the better off I am."
    —Annie (39:37)

• She emphasizes gratitude for every travel and ministry opportunity, reminding herself and her team: "They could have picked anybody, and God could have picked anybody. We are so lucky that they picked us." (40:29)

9. Single Purposely: Purpose and Community for Christian Single Women (43:06–49:13)

• Sparked by overwhelming response to a single-focused Instagram post, Annie founded Single Purposely—offering encouragement, community, and practical resources for single Christian women.
• She mourned being “the poster child” for singleness before embracing the ministry out of sensed divine prompting.
• Resource: Free downloadable guide for church leaders—“Pastoring Singles”—is available to help bridge the experience gap and foster pastoral care for singles.
• Key Insight:

  “Single people aren’t helping either. ... What we need to do is get singles in meetings, on stages, and in conversation with married people and with leaders in the church, not just with each other talking about how this church didn’t meet their needs.”
  —Annie (47:12)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On curiosity:

  "Curiosity is a pathway to love. ... You’re more curious about how [people] got there than thinking they’re in the wrong place."
  (05:13)

• On impact of “Let’s Read the Gospels”:

  "I don’t give any commentary. I don’t do anything. I read three chapters a day... It was just an offering."
  (08:24)

• On the purpose of her podcast:

  “My listeners know: If this is a friend of Annie’s, it’s a friend of ours... We can be friends with anybody. You don’t have to agree with them, but you can be friends with them.”
  (11:44)

• On books and growth:

  “Books yearbook your life... what they don’t do is give the reader an exact understanding of me—because they’re frozen in time.”
  (22:22)

• On processing and protecting writing:

  “The only way the enemy stops it is between your head and your hands.”
  (27:44)

• On gratitude for ministry:

  "They could have picked anybody, and God could have picked anybody. We are so lucky that they picked us. Now we’re going to go live like that."
  (40:29)

• On singleness in the church:

  "We want single people to feel welcome in our church... but a lot of our pastors got married at 20 and went to seminary 20 years ago. We are asking these pastors to breathe on Mars, and they’ve never even been."
  (45:12)

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Interesting Extras

Annie’s Unique Experiences

• Baptism in Loch Ness: Annie was re-baptized in Scotland’s famous lake at a pivotal life moment. (50:24)
• Belief in “Blurry Creatures”: Annie delights in the mysterious—open to Nessie and Bigfoot—citing the podcast "Blurry Creatures" as a joyful exploration of things unseen. (51:14–53:31)

Useful Resources

• anniefdowns.com/pastoringsingles: Free resource for church leaders & singles
• “Let’s Read the Gospels” podcast (for daily gospel readings)
• “That Sounds Fun” podcast (for conversations with artists, thinkers, ministers, creators)
• “Single Purposely” community

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:51 – 04:00 | Annie’s biography, work, and interests
• 03:41 – 06:08 | Discussion on curiosity and wrestling in faith
• 07:11 – 10:08 | “Let’s Read the Gospels” purpose & impact
• 10:14 – 15:23 | “That Sounds Fun” podcast mission and methods
• 18:31 – 20:45 | Noteworthy podcast episodes
• 20:49 – 28:49 | Writing books: experience and process
• 31:58 – 37:03 | Events, speaking, and meeting listeners
• 37:03 – 41:49 | “Tour de Taste Buds,” travel, and maintaining joy
• 43:06 – 49:13 | “Single Purposely,” ministry to singles, and the Pastoring Singles resource
• 50:24 – 53:31 | Loch Ness baptism, Bigfoot, and the world of “Blurry Creatures”

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode, much like Annie’s persona, is warm, exuberant, honest, and gently challenging. Listeners are reminded of the power of curiosity, the sacredness of hospitality and of friendship, the costly beauty of vulnerability, and the ongoing need for the church to affirm and empower singles. Annie’s approach to ministry—spanning podcasts, books, events, and friendship—is all about connecting people: to each other, to beauty and playfulness, and ultimately to God.

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Where to Find Annie F. Downs

"I'm embarrassingly easy to find. It's Annie F. Downs—F like Fancy—all over the place."
—Annie (49:28)

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For show notes, more resources, and everything referenced, visit bematest.com or find it in your podcast app.

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Transcript

[Marty Solomon]

Foreign.

[Brent Billings]

This is the Baymont Podcast with Marty Solomon. I'm his co host, Brent Billings. Today we are joined by special guest Annie F. Downs, bestselling author, speaker, prolific podcaster, and queen of fun.

[Annie F. Downs]

I'll take it.

[Brent Billings]

Annie, welcome to the show.

[Annie F. Downs]

Thank you for having me, guys. I'm so honored to be here. I love the show. So what a joy to get to join y'.

[Marty Solomon]

All.

[Brent Billings]

Well, I have spent the last month combing through your podcasts and your books and, like, trying to wrap my brain around all of the things that you do. And I feel like I have no grasp because you're just all over the. You do so many things, like, I don't understand. I don't understand how you pull it off. So I would love to get a little bit more color from you on what your life is like, what your interests are. Just tell us about who Annie is and what we need to know.

[Annie F. Downs]

So I currently live in Nashville, Tennessee. That's where I live. I've been living part time in New York for the last couple of years, but I'm pretty full time back in Nashville right now. This fall, I am out on tour with Cain, the Christian group. And we are doing 40 cities in 10 weeks. And so that was the time to be based in Nashville is when the bus is rolling from Nashville.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

So I guess to kind of explain my life a little bit, we have two companies here. One is that that Sounds Fun Network, where We are supporting 50 plus different podcasts with advertising and community and education. So we have the that Sounds Fun Network. And then over here in this office at AFD Inc. Is my writing, my speaking, and my podcasting. And so for podcast wise, we have that Sounds Fun. We have a podcast for kids called the Mini BFF Podcast. And then we have let's Read the Gospels, where I read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Three chapters a day, every day. Every month, we read three chapters a day. You get through all 88 chapters in 30 days. And we do that every month for the last couple of years. So that's the podcasting wing that we can talk about writing books I've been doing since 2012. That's when my first book came out. And then I travel and speak probably when I'm not on tour. I'm probably traveling two weekends a month, max.

[Marty Solomon]

Annie, I always usually start these interviews and talk about, like, how I met this person.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Marty Solomon]

And oftentimes I gotta meet them in person. I haven't gotten to meet you in person yet.

[Annie F. Downs]

I know.

[Marty Solomon]

Not yet, but I've Gotten to meet you with, like, so many circles of friends that we have that overlap, people that either know you or know of your work. And numerous times I had people that are like, you gotta have Annie F. Downs on the show. Cause, like, she loves the same things that you love and you love. Like, you're in the same world and you haven't chatted and you need to chat. And I loved it because I knew I was like, annie F. Downs. Isn't she the. I love what Brent just said. Isn't she the one that's in the middle of everything? Yeah, she's got podcasting and she's writing, and then she's hosting stuff. And so then I got on the website to make sure. Sure enough, there were all those categories, which is kind of what I want to talk about today. And just usually I have something really specific for you. I just want to see what kind of fun. And you have a podcast, literally, called that Sounds Fun.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Marty Solomon]

So I figure I'm probably in good company to do this.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah. I mean, does it just prove that I'm like, the Jack of all trades and the master of none? Am I the Jill of all trades and the master of none?

[Marty Solomon]

Man, we should make that T shirt.

[Brent Billings]

As I've been going through your. I've been reading Remember God? And I've listened to a bunch of episodes of your podcast. I'm more of a podcast guy than a reader, so I've read a sliver of one of your books, but I've listened to a lot of podcasts. But I keep having this theme come up with you where there's curiosity and there's wrestling, two words that we talk about a lot on Behemoth. So, yeah, I'd love to know, like, what your thoughts are with those concepts, because I don't think it's a jack of all trades things. I think it's. You're just so curious that you get yourself into all these different things and you. And when you get into it, you go for it.

[Annie F. Downs]

Brent, that's a very kind reteller. You know, if you're gonna be known for something, it's more fun to think about being known for being fun than known for wrestling. Yeah, well, probably true. I mean, the. The reality of having a public life is. And. And since I've been in this full time since 2012, is that people have watched me grow and change. And some of that's really good, and some of that is really hard. It is hard to be in the middle of wrestling and you can't hide it. And it's hard to be in the middle of figuring out the next thing with God. And you can't disguise that because I record multiple times a week and my story leaks out of me when I am talking. But, yeah, I'm super curious. It is, like, probably a word that defines me as I want to understand people, I wanna understand concepts. I am like, I love learning. I was never as good at school learning as I am at conversational learning. I want someone who's an expert at something to sit down and teach me. I'm not great at school. And so that's why I didn't finish my master's. That's why I haven't been to seminary yet. I mean, it just has never. It never was very fun to me. But, man, I'm curious. And I think curiosity. This isn't in the scripture. Y' all know better than me. I don't think this is scripture. I think curiosity is a. A pathway to love. Because if you get curious about people, your judgment goes down and you're a sin goes down, and your capacity to love them for who they are goes up. Because you're like, wait, how did you get there? I have friends and family that are very black and white, and I'm not. I'm black and white about Jesus, and that's about it. Pretty much everything else. I kind of go, can you explain to me how you got there? Like, I'm curious about how you got there more than I think you're in the wrong place. And so we need truth and grace. We need both, right? So I could probably land more. I could probably need to be pulled more toward the black and white of truth. And some friends and family need to be pulled more to the black and to the gray of grace. But I think there's so much of the curiosity that allows me to go, man, we are different. And how you got to where you are makes a ton of sense to me, even if I don't agree with you. How could a story about Jesus help you in this part? You know, that's kind of where my curiosity goes.

[Marty Solomon]

When you describe that, you use similar language to what I think I've been trying to articulate the last few years of my life. There's a way to see the people get to watch me all the time as, like, a gift, because you can do two things with that. You can, like, make that a really performative space, and then you can make that somewhat of a vulnerable space for everybody's benefit, yourself included. Like, this is me just grappling with what it means to be honest. And somebody that was describing when we started looking to have you on our show, somebody said, you know, the thing I love about her as she's. She's the real. Like, she's honest and she's real, which is a such a high value of where we're at in influencer world today.

[Annie F. Downs]

So thank you, Marty. That's kind.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah, that's a very cool way to occupy that space and how to see that, but okay, so let's talk about podcasting. Okay, let's start here. We love podcasting.

[Annie F. Downs]

Me too.

[Marty Solomon]

Yes, we do. We love podcasting. How about Annie? A thousand episodes of that Sounds fun alone. You, like, totally caught me off guard with this whole, like, reading the Bible thing.

[Annie F. Downs]

Do you know about let's read the Gospels?

[Marty Solomon]

No.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, Marty, you were talking about this.

[Marty Solomon]

And I'm like, what can I tell you?

[Annie F. Downs]

That in 15 months, 10 million people listen to me read the Gospels?

[Marty Solomon]

Are you serious?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Marty Solomon]

Wow.

[Annie F. Downs]

It is the most impactful thing I've ever done.

[Marty Solomon]

I love that.

[Annie F. Downs]

Now, that sounds fun. Has more downloads than that. Sure. But to me, the idea of 20 million years just. I mean, I don't give any commentary. I don't do anything. I read three chapters a day. It started for me as a practice in 2020 because I was getting so frustrated with myself that I wasn't ever reading the whole Bible. I was always giving up by February, and I was like, what could I do? I wonder if I could do Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And I did it in January of 2020. And I was like, look at you completing a reading plan. Do it again. Because all three of us speak English, there's multiple Bibles in our language, and because I'm privileged, I got to reach up on my shelf and pull down a second Bible that is in a different version. And I did it again in February, and that was in 2020. And as the year went on, I started inviting people to read along with me on Instagram, and they did. And then we created a reading plan. And then in 2023, we started the podcast where I was like, I can do this. And so we read every day, and it still goes. I don't fresh read anymore. We have versions that we just repeat. But I read the Bible for 15 months, three chapters a day, out loud.

[Marty Solomon]

Oh, man. For he who has ears. And she.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Marty Solomon]

Let them hear. Like, that's. I love that you said that.

[Annie F. Downs]

I mean, Marnie, there are so many of Y' all who are telling people about the whole Bible, and I think that's awesome. I think we need the whole Bible. But what really fits in what I'm called to and why God put me on this earth is, can I give you the Gospels? And you can just think about these four? And then. And we did Acts two. And so to finish, we did Acts. And so I'm like, man, I just want to be known as, like. She talks about these couple of books, but here are the other resources where you can go get the rest of them, because they all really matter. But if someone meets me for the first time online, I hope they know they can go listen to me read these four books to them.

[Marty Solomon]

That is so great.

[Annie F. Downs]

It's so fun.

[Marty Solomon]

I have to let that sit and settle for a moment, because I don't want to race ahead to. I do want to get to. That sounds fun, but that is so good.

[Annie F. Downs]

I love it.

[Marty Solomon]

I love that all you do is read, no commentary. And you would say it's the most impactful thing you've ever done.

[Annie F. Downs]

Our team, we made no money off of it. We didn't put a single ad on it when we first released it. It took up a ton of our time and resources. And my whole team will tell you it was one of the most worthy things we've ever put. I mean, it felt like God invited us to something that he could have handed anybody, and he trusted us with it and continues to trust us with it. I mean, it still runs every day. And so it matters a ton to me that we got to do that and that it just was an offering. It was just an offering.

[Marty Solomon]

Oh, man. All right, Brett, say the outro. That's it. That's right.

[Brent Billings]

Boom.

[Marty Solomon]

All right, so you have a thousand episodes of this. That sounds fun. Like, as I scrolled through the catalog, you've talked to all kinds of people. People that I love, people that I know, people that I don't know, but all kinds of people. Artists, musicians, other thinkers. I mean, the title of the podcast seems fitting, but can you tell us some of the heart behind. I mean, you kind of already have, but take that somewhere with us. What? That part of what you do, that podcast, that conversation, what was the germinating force behind it? Or what has it become? Or what has that journey been like?

[Annie F. Downs]

The true thing about me in my real life is I love when my friends become friends with my friends. Like, I love connecting people. I like. Like my birthday party a couple of years in a row. We just did it at The Nashville Sounds baseball game. And I said, buy a ticket and we're all standing in the same section and come meet each other. I love when my friends become friends with my friends. And that sounds fun. Is the most profound way I get to do that because I get to sit across from someone that I care about in some way. The rules for my guests are it either is someone I'm already friends with or someone I want to be friends with. And that's what we're doing here. I mean, we have enough mutual friends. And I'm such a fan of your show that I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to do this. But that's what I do too, is the people sitting across from me either have to be someone I already know or someone I wish I knew. I'm not good at talking to strangers. I don't want to talk to someone I'm not interested in. I'm not curious about them. And so it's one of those two things, because then my listeners know if this is a friend of Annie's, it's a friend of ours. And I can push that sometimes. I can have people on that get me chirped at and that get my audience grumpy sometimes that I will have some guests on. And I go, hey, we can be friends with anybody. You can be friends with anybody. You don't have to agree with them, but you can be friends with them. Here's what you do. Share. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. You know, and so that really is my heart behind it is like, let's get people who are making really good light filled things and magnify it to my audience. And so, I mean, our mission statement that hangs on the wall of my office says, because of her love for them, Annie F. Downs is a trusted bridge to creators, to influencers, and hopefully to Jesus. Because if they stop with me, if they stop with me, I haven't actually accomplished my goal. My favorite conversations are when listeners will stop me at an airport or stop me at a restaurant and say, I have bought so many books this year because of you. Or I'm going to a concert of a band I didn't know about, but now. And, oh, I went to a Cubs game and cheered for Dansby Swanson. You know, anytime something like that happens, that means I'm on mission. Mission. And that means the podcast has done what it was meant to do, which is bridge people to other trustworthy creators. Now they're all human, so they all have the chance to make mistakes. Constantly. Me too. I do make mistakes on podcasts and say things that hurt people's feelings and go sideways. You can't talk as much as the three of us talk, you know, like, yeah, you can't record this many words and not regret some of them.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

That being said, that's why that sounds fun. Exists is I want it to be a place where I can introduce my friends to my friends and really bring some light into this really intimate medium. I mean, we are with people when no one else knows. We're with them in their car, in their house, at the grocery store, at the gym. We are in their ears and in their mind. I'm a little charismatic, so I'll tell you a charismatic. I'm very charismatic, but I'll tell you a charismatic story. We were doing a podcast one time about people that were not living a life of integrity. And it was a guest who had been on that was a former addict that was sober. And as we're recording, I just got this picture in my head of someone shopping at a grocery store. She's in the produce aisle and she's picking up a green vegetable, and she starts to cry because of what this guest is saying. And so I just said it. I said, hey, if you are picking up celery right now and you know you are living a secret life, this is your cue. This is your moment. You're the one. This is who it is for. Like, we are doing this for you. And that's what the three of us get to do. In podcasting, that doesn't happen as naturally in books or on social media. We get to go, hey, you've let us into a real sacred moment. And that is not on accident that God has something for you from here, man.

[Marty Solomon]

I'm getting taught right now, this is good. This is so good.

[Annie F. Downs]

I don't know about that.

[Marty Solomon]

I resonate with so much of that, but I've never articulated half of it. And you just said it so well. I do love that feeling. And now I have words for it where somebody says, I've bought so many books. Yeah, A lot of times it's usually a curse, like, oh, my wife is going to kill me. I have spent X amount of dollars on Bama resources, but I have this feeling of like, oh, that means you're not listening to us. You listen to us, but now you're digging on your own somewhere.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Marty Solomon]

That's beautiful.

[Annie F. Downs]

That means we've been on mission. If they just stop with me, then I feel like I Haven't accomplished what I'm actually invited to do. I want to be the bridge, hopefully truly to Jesus. That's the goal and is that we get to bridge people to a healthy relationship with the God of the universe. But also we can send them to good musicians, good chefs, good artists, good authors, good resources.

[Marty Solomon]

Well.

[Brent Billings]

And exploring different ideas together. Like, I listened to your interview with Jonathan Roumie and you made this comment that you're Catholic curious.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Brent Billings]

One of the times that you said curiosity. And you know, Marty's in a Jesuit university in a master's program right now. I spent a few years in the Catholic Church, but I've kind of like, I kind of shrugged it off as a dumb kid. And now I'm like, but did I throw the baby out with the bathroom? So I think all of us on this recording right now are Catholic curious in some way. That was a little while ago. Have you explored that further since that interview?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, I mean, he gave me a couple of books Jonathan gave me for our friends listening. Jonathan Roumie is the guy who plays Jesus in the Chosen.

[Brent Billings]

Yes.

[Annie F. Downs]

And he is Catholic. And can you be very Catholic if you can be very Catholic? Jonathan is very Catholic, and so he gave me a couple of books to read. And I find it really interesting. I grew up in the South. I grew up in Georgia, and I didn't have any Catholic friends. And I don't know if it was caught or taught, but I didn't understand the beautiful parts of Catholicism. I only understood the parts that Protestants don't agree with.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

And so then as I've gotten older and gotten where there's Catholic friends in my life and I hear their love for Jesus and. And the way they pursue and. And I'm also in a non denominational church, and I've been in non denominational churches for a long time. And I feel like a lot of times the problems we bump up against that cause so much mess are a lack of denomination. And so when I look at the Catholic Church, I go, man, you don't walk in a Catholic church and not know everything they believe, you know? Exactly. Because you can trace it back to old Peter.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

And you know, like, I mean, this is. This goes. And obviously no institution is perfect and it isn't me painting a beautiful. My friend says painting seagulls on someone else's painting. I'm not trying to put seagulls all over someone else's painting. But I mean, I went to a Christmas Eve midnight mass at a Catholic church. I'll Tell you the thing. I bet y' all both remember this and can appreciate this, too. A thing that Protestants have lost that Catholics are really good at is using the sense of smell to enter you into worship. When they walk down the aisle and bring the incense, it changes the room. I'm like, why do we quit doing that? Why is everybody not going? You know, the music tells you to start. You know, the lights dimming to tell you to start. Does the change in the smell tell you that we're starting? I thought, oh, that's awesome. So, yes, I'm still very Catholic. Curious Brent. I don't see myself becoming Catholic. That probably isn't my journey. But I am so certainly more aware than ever that there are a lot of faithful Catholic believers who are running the race right alongside me. And I love learning from them.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah. Just so many opportunities for curiosity. Are there any particular interviews that have just stuck with you over the years? Something where, you know, no matter what you're talking about, to who, like, you just have that phrase that's always in the back of your mind from that one person. Like, if somebody should go listen to one episode of your podcast, like, where should they go?

[Annie F. Downs]

I'll give you a couple, and y' all can edit what you don't want me to say.

[Brent Billings]

No, we're leaving it all in.

[Annie F. Downs]

Last summer, Jonathan Merritt and his father were on. That sounds fun. And his dad, Dr. James Merritt, used to be the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. And Jonathan describes himself as a gay Christian. And their relationship is profound. It is not perfect, but it is profound. And they had never done a recorded conversation together. And they came on the show with me and talked through how in the world did two men who have done. I mean, Jonathan has two master's degrees from. And a seminary degree. Like, he is in the Word. His dad is Dr. James, you know, like Dr. James Merritt. And they both love Jesus and. And have chosen to be in relationship with each other, even though they deeply disagree theologically. And you just don't get to hear that very much. You don't get to hear two people who love each other like a father and son love each other, who don't agree. And so that one is really special to me, and I think it's really moving. It caused some anger. It caused some tears. It caused people to make assumptions and be unkind. But mostly that was to me and not to Jonathan or his dad, which is what I requested. I said to my audience, hey, listen, if this bothers you, just tell me. But bless the two of them for their courage. And they did. Our audience did. It was beautiful. So that one comes to mind when you ask that, Brent. I also really love when John Eldredge comes on the podcast. I just think he's really wise. Dr. Esau McCauley also comes to mind when Dr. Esau comes on and teaches us about Scripture. I just. Y' all can imagine whenever anybody comes on that's ready to talk about the gospels, I'm thinking Dr. Matthew Sleath. I'm thinking Dr. Scott McKnight, Lisa Harper. I mean, anybody who comes and talks about the Gospels, I'm a puddle. I'm just very interested in any. So I love all those folks.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah, you just nailed a whole list of names there that are just home run hitters. I love that. That's a good mini catalog right there. Just what she listed.

[Annie F. Downs]

So, yeah, they're so smart.

[Marty Solomon]

All right, so Jonathan gave you books to read when you talked to him. Jonathan, Roumie, let's talk books.

[Annie F. Downs]

Okay.

[Marty Solomon]

If I was on your website and I'm reading the language that they use there, like the language of the website makes it seem like this is one of your bigger passions.

[Annie F. Downs]

Like, yes.

[Marty Solomon]

Of all the things you get to do, like, this one kind of stands out. And I wanted to know, like, is that true? Tell us about your book projects. Either your favorite things about the process. Being an author, the books themselves. I'm just new. Like, I'm this. I feel like you're just down the path of all the things that you do from where we're at, like, you're. You're down the podcasting path. Author path.

[Annie F. Downs]

Writing books is terrible, right? Have y' all done it yet? It's terrible.

[Brent Billings]

I have not.

[Marty Solomon]

I'm two books in.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, Marty, isn't it the worst? I mean, it's so lonely and you're so in your head and everyone around you is suffering because you're the worst to be. I'm. I'm a monster when I'm writing a book, you know, I'm glad the website reads like that to you because, yes, I think I did start and I will finish with books. One of my grandmothers was a librarian, and my other grandparents owned a bookstore. So there was just like, no shot that one of us wasn't gonna start making them. We also weren't allowed to watch TV as kids, so it was books or play with your sisters. And I was like, I'll read. Thanks. I'll just read. And so books have just always been such a life giving force for me. And I do not enjoy writing them. I love having written them.

[Marty Solomon]

Sure.

[Annie F. Downs]

You know, I'm not the person who goes off to a cabin and writes by herself for six weeks or something. I heard a quote one time that said, I wish I could tell you who to attribute it to, but I don't remember. Someone else was quoting them. But the quote goes something like, I only write when I'm inspired. But I get inspired every morning at 9:00am I'm like, yeah, we gotta go to work. Like, when people are like, oh, you wrote another book. I'm like, yeah. And every surgeon went and did more surgeries today. Like, we all keep going to work. And so you keep writing. It doesn't mean they're all. Everything you write is great, but you keep writing. And so I really love it. I have found it to be. I'll tell you what it isn't. Every book isn't a exact replica of the experience you would have if you met me today. Oh, sure, because they are frozen in time. The book I wrote in 2016 is the book I wrote in 2016. The book I wrote in 2018 is the book I wrote in 2018. And so a beautiful thing about books is they yearbook your life, they timestamp your life. They memorialize what you've learned. If you write nonfiction like me, what they don't do is give the reader in 2025 who picks up a book from 2014 an exact understanding of me. But that's okay. I mean, God puts books in hands. Christine Cain says that all the time. And I just. And I'm like, man, if someone picked up, like, Brent, like, picking up. Remember God right now, Remember God is. That could have been the last one. If that had been the last one, I'd have been proud that that was the last one. Y' all are gonna love this. Marty, when you get a chance, you need to go look at the COVID.

[Marty Solomon]

Looking at it right now, right as we speak.

[Annie F. Downs]

Okay. So it's black, and then there's this gold design down the side. So the very last chapter of the book happens on Epiphany. And I am at the Durham Cathedral in Durham, England. And I was gorgeous. I just have this unbelievable experience where the Archbishop of Durham. The. Yeah, the Archbishop of the Durham Cathedral gets up and he prays at the evensong. And as he's praying, he says, the first one was like, for anyone who's hurting, blah, blah, blah. There's probably only 20 of us there because it was on Epiphany. And then he says, and for anyone who is writing or speaking the truths of God. And then you'll see it in the front of the book, Brent, the prayers at the front of the book. I just start sobbing.

[Brent Billings]

This is beautiful.

[Annie F. Downs]

I'm like, he doesn't know me. So I go up and meet him afterwards and I say, you can't know this, but I'm an author, I'm working on a book. And he says, it's you. And I said, what? And he says, I've known I was supposed to pray that for weeks, but I didn't know why, but I knew it was tonight. And so the design on the COVID is his robe.

[Brent Billings]

Oh, yeah, Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

I mean, it's. Remember God is an unbelievable story. Cause the whole question is, I know God is real and I know he is good, but is he kind? Because my life at the time, I was really struggling with reflecting that I was asking him for all these things. I'm not married yet. I've never gotten to have kids. My life just didn't look the way I thought it would. And I was like, man, I followed you my whole life. I worked for you. But you don't answer my prayers. Are you kind or are you not kind? So moments like that, like, remember God is such a special part of me because of the experience God offered me in the writing of that book. So I love all of em for different reasons. But remember, God will always be uniquely special. I'll tell you the other funny thing very quickly. Sorry, but with all my books before Remember God, I think there were five Before Remember God, people would come up to me and talk to me about my story in the book. They'd say, this stood out to me. This stood out to me. When Remember God came out, we started getting letters pouring into the office and no one was talking about my story. They were telling me their story and I was like, something is different about this book. People want me to hear how God was kind to them in their disappointment. They don't want to talk about my story, they want to tell me theirs. And it still happens. It is wild.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah. And you said you started writing that book having no idea where it was gonna go.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Brent Billings]

And being terrified about that.

[Annie F. Downs]

Big time. Big time.

[Brent Billings]

Have you had that experience since that book or was that a one time experience in that terror of starting without seeing the end?

[Annie F. Downs]

I mean, the truth. Brent, I'm sorry to say this to all of our friends who are planning to be authors at some time. And I think anybody who wants to write a book should sit down and Write a book. That is my experience. Every time is you start a book thinking you know exactly where the thing is going, and then in tandem, you are living a life. And so in tandem, you're going, oh, I was going to write about this, but I just had this conversation last night at dinner over tacos. That has got to work its way into this.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

John Tyson just told a story about this on his Instagram a couple of weeks ago where he said, I have this whole book written, but I read another book and now I've got to go back and rewrite a chapter that happens to me constantly. So I have one. I have a book finished. Which is wild. That we have not. It's not planned to be published yet, but we're working on it. I had no idea where that book was going to go. And I will tell you it's done. And I still have no idea how it's going to end because I don't know who's going to publish it, who's going to pick it up, when it's going to come out, and how I'm going to edit it before it gets there. I have enough words that we could put it out. I don't have enough information to know if it's done.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

It's weird.

[Marty Solomon]

I just keep listening to this interview, forgetting that I'm supposed to be interviewing. Just like, oh, yeah. I mean, oh, yeah, yeah. There. Yeah. Oh, goodness gracious. Okay.

[Annie F. Downs]

You know it. You've done it twice. I mean, it is a wild journey to write a book. And the only time the enemy can stop it is from brain to fingers.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

And so he will work. So once it's out of my body, then there's a much higher chance that God can use it. But when it is stuck in my head and all the lies and all the discouragement and all the insecurities or just busyness or just any amount of things. Try to stop it from getting on the page. I'm like, nah, we gotta go. So for any of our friends listening, if you've thought about writing a book, sit down and do it. The only way the enemy stops it is between your head and your hands.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah. And I need the sample size to enlarge to get that kind of perspective. Cause all I like, I'm two books in going, like, those were radically different experiences.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, really?

[Marty Solomon]

And there's all kinds of different variables about why and. But I was like, that book was. I just thought I would just do that again. But I came over here and the second book I Was like, whoa. That was not the same thing.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

So now what? Is every single book going to be like this? Or is that so I'm still.

[Annie F. Downs]

Well, now we need number three, so you can know whether it's. Whether it's A, B or C. None of the above.

[Marty Solomon]

We're working on it, but, golly, I don't know what I'm doing. So it's just wonderful to hear you talk about that.

[Annie F. Downs]

I mean, I'm 15 in and I don't know either.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Brent Billings]

So you don't go to a cabin in the woods to write. What is your process? Like? You do write daily. Like, where do you go? How do you make it work?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes. When I am actually writing a book, we set up my week in the office, where I am in the office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then I am writing Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but I get to pick one as my Sabbath. And so I have one total day off and three writing days. I have found the longer I've done this that I'm not very good at jumping into book writing and then jumping out for afternoon meetings or starting the morning podcasting, and then going. And supposed to be writing, and I end up watching TV or going on a walk or getting Dairy Queen with my friends. And so we have to. So I have to do entire days. Y' all both know this, but the. I bet 60% of writing a book is thinking. And so you have to sit and think. If I'm writing three days of a week, one whole day is probably thinking of going, like I think it's gonna look like, and taking a couple of notes here and there and then working out this story and then typing up a couple of things. And then by the time I get to the afternoon and I wanna go eat dinner with friends or see people or go work out, when I sit down the next morning, I'm already rolling. And so I need a couple of days in a row to get a book out, meaning for a season. So I really. The last book I wrote took me probably four months of sitting and writing two to three days a week to get the first draft out. But I had been thinking about it for a year before that. An actual full year.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

That feels very similar to how I work. I can't get in and out of a writing space. It takes a lot of energy to get into it. And then there's so much. I don't want to call it productivity, but there's a certain creative energy that's just at work and flowing in that space that I can't let anything else hijack that. So I'll usually get away for a week at a time.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, brilliant.

[Marty Solomon]

And however many weeks that that takes.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

Cause I can't push it beyond four or five days, too. It's just, even if it's creative, juices are flowing. There's just too much.

[Annie F. Downs]

So I'm an extroverted extrovert. And so I also can't do two or three days all the way by myself at this point. I would, I'd like to have a meal with a friend or hang out with some people or, you know, go to a football game or do something to, like a whale. I've got to come up to the surface and let some air out and then I can go back down, but I can't stay down. I, I, I'm not successful in any version of life like that.

[Marty Solomon]

Oh, I can deep dive for a long time when it comes to introversion. I am. Whoa.

[Annie F. Downs]

I bet you can, Marty. That's why you're so much smarter than me. I know.

[Marty Solomon]

I don't know about that. But I don't need people. So put me in a cabin. I'm ready. Leave me alone. Do not disturb.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, see, I wish I was like that. Well done.

[Marty Solomon]

All right, well, let's talk about events. That's the last thing that. And I just stole these right off your website. But I'm like, I don't know how to. I was like, brent, like, how do I even categorize everything that Annie does? And so I went to Annie F Downs.com and said, Help me, website designer. What do I do? And the first headings were podcasts, books, and events. And I'm like, that's it.

[Annie F. Downs]

There we go.

[Marty Solomon]

That's what we're going to do. But let's talk about those, because that probably encapsulates a lot of different experiences. But, I mean, you do a lot of speaking. You also do a lot of hosting and facilitating. Like, I can hear your passion of facilitating conversations and getting your friends to meet your friends that become friends of your friends. Like, I love that. Which, by the way, your website called them friendship making gigs. So kudos to your website designer because they nailed that. Do you enjoy these events? And which part of these events sounds like you do because you're more of an extrovert?

[Annie F. Downs]

I am. I really enjoy them.

[Marty Solomon]

And what do you hope to get out of these? Like, when you're pursuing these? Like, what comes out of this?

[Annie F. Downs]

My biggest hope is I want people to feel like we're friends afterwards. So I want them to have listened to me teach or heard me do a live podcast, come to an event and go like, this is the highest compliment to me is if someone who we don't agree on something, whether it's they're a Florida fan and I'm a Georgia fan or theology or whatever, they go, I bet Annie would be friends with me. I bet if we were in the same town, I bet Annie would be friends with me. Because they're probably right. I probably would. But my fa. I mean, my dad is a CPA who also does stand up comedy. He is a performer. He is hilarious. I know. And my mom is like more serious and loves the Bible. And so I am half and half. But I love speaking because I love the performance art of retelling gospel stories in a way that people remember. I just watched a reel about this where they talked about the difference between performing and entertaining, and that it is actually appropriate for people on stages and churches to be performing because we're presenting something. It's less appropriate to just be doing entertainment, to just be trying to be entertaining. But it's okay to be like, yeah, I am working to present this in a way that will actually matter to people in the long run. But I'll also tell you I do the stage part so that I get to do the table afterwards. I love getting to meet people. I love hearing their stories. I love getting to sign books and hug and take pictures. And that does not wear me out as much. It does in some seasons. If I'm grieving. It's hard. Y' all may have seen that. A book released this year called Where Did TJ Go? About the loss of my nephew. And it's a book to help siblings grieve because we couldn't find one for my other nephew. And so my sister and I wrote it. And so when I talk about where did TJ Go from stage, the line afterwards to meet people is a different lift emotionally.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

Because it's a lot of people who have lost children or lost babies or lost siblings themselves. So it's a little bit heavier lift than when I'm just talking about that sounds fun. Or I'm talking about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, or I'm talking about let's read the Gospels. But in general, the meeting people after I teach or getting to meet people, I know what it feels like to meet someone whose work deeply shaped my life. And so if that's me for anyone, I want them to get when I got to thank Beth Moore for the work she has done that shaped my life. When I cried sitting across from Matthew, from Michael W. Smith, and told him how his albums mattered. His cassette tapes mattered to me as a kid. I am not near as important as either of those people have been to the Kingdom of God. But there are people who feel shaped by some of the work I've done, and I want them to have the experience that they wanna have, too. That says I'm getting to thank this person whose stories have helped shape my life or whose work has helped shape my life. So it matters to me to be available to that and to be a good version of myself for that as best I can be. Because I know how much it matters when I'm the one standing in line.

[Marty Solomon]

Yes, I have made use of that. When I'm at a lot of my events and you'll have that person that comes up afterwards and they're just struggling, and you know that they feel awkward in this space, and they'll. You know, they'll call it fangirling or whatever they want to call it. And I'm like, listen, and I'll just be able to stop. And I get them to look at me, and I'm like, I was you. Like, I know exactly what it's like to be standing right where you're standing and saying the dumbest stuff to the person who has impacted. Like, I get what you're trying to communicate, because I was that person not 15 years ago.

[Annie F. Downs]

Marty. I always say to people in line, if they're with their friend, and the young woman or young man or whoever is saying to me that my work matters to them, and they're like, oh, I'm fumbling over my words. I will always say to their friend, when y' all get in the car, you tell them they did a great job.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

Because they are gonna get in their head that this was an embarrassing thing for them. And I am loving this. Will you tell them when y' all get in the car what a great job they did? Because I'm like, I don't want anyone walking away and being like, oh, I wish I'd have. I was nervous or I'd never met Annie. Cause I'm like, we don't need fans. I just need more friends. I don't need fans. Fans are weird. But I love friends. And so I want people to tell me when my work matter. And then I want them to walk away and be proud of how they did that. So if a friend is standing there, like you said, I could be like, come on, you're fine. This is going great for both of us. This is going great.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah. Golly, I love that. Brent, what do you got?

[Brent Billings]

Well, one of the other things that I've seen that you do, and I do this sort of with the same intention, but you do this specifically with restaurants. You do something called tour to taste buds, where you, you try to understand the local culture a little bit.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Brent Billings]

So tell me about what that's like and maybe a couple of your favorite experiences doing that.

[Marty Solomon]

Hold on, where did you find this? Where was this buried on the website?

[Annie F. Downs]

I know, on Instagram.

[Brent Billings]

I think I must have heard it on one of your podcast episodes.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, yeah, we do talk about it.

[Marty Solomon]

Annie, you are one of the most fascinating people I've ever met. It's unbelievable.

[Annie F. Downs]

I just have a lot of energy is what it is, Marnie. I have a lot of energy. And so there's tour de taste buds and there's poor to taste buds when we do coffee shops. But here's what was happening is we were traveling. My whichever one of my team members is with me, we were seeing the inside of Marriott's, the inside of Delta Plains, and the inside of non denominational churches. You know, like, I was seeing the same three things everywhere. And I was like, this is not a good use of my life. I am not like, this is not fun. This is getting rote. And I'm starting to get some cynical. And so then we decided in every city we go to, we have to eat somewhere local. We've got to at least step foot in a place that is local to the people here so that we feel like we've like, seen the cities. Like, the advantage of getting to travel for work is you're traveling and you're seeing the world. And so that's where it came from. Tour to taste buds is restaurants. Porta taste buds is coffee shops. I'll tell you, Brent, the funny thing is we kind of had to quit doing tour to taste buds because when restaurants aren't good, I wasn't willing to do that, you know, like, I wasn't willing to be like, that was not great. And so we usually try to shoot for something. It's really challenging to be like, let's eat local fare, you know, like, I'm not trying to, I'm just like, where's the best burger? Or like, I go to Philly next weekend and I'm like, we gotta have a Philly cheesesteak while we're here. And so there's things like that. It just. And there are a lot of opportunities when you are doing work for people of faith, as a person of faith, to get cynical. And the more I can build dams in front of those rivers, the better off I am. And so tour de taste buds and pour de taste buds are a way for me to go. I am getting to do this. I am not having to do this. I'm getting to do this. We meet people all the time in signing lines who've never been on a plane, and I have a million miles almost on Delta. I am honored and grateful that I get to travel this month. So I'm gonna build a dam right here to make sure I don't get cynical about travel. And the way I'll do that is eating a really good burger and getting a really good chai at a local coffee shop.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah. People tell me, they're like, oh, thank you so much for, like, making time to meet with me while you're here. It's like, I'm not going to come all the way to Dallas and spend my entire time in a conference center. Like, I want to meet people. I want to hear stories. So. Yeah, I love that.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's exactly right. It is such a gift. What an honor. I am telling y'. All. So here's another switch in my cynicism is there was a window of time, I'm embarrassed to tell you, very early in this far earlier than I should have been this prideful, where I was kind of, like, going to events. I was doing two or three weekends a month for, like, years, and I was kind of going, aren't they lucky that I came to this little church? Or aren't they lucky? And the Lord just got on me about it. And so before we get out of the car, at every single event, and I've done, like, both of y'.

[Marty Solomon]

All.

[Annie F. Downs]

I've done hundreds of travel, hundreds of events. And we. Whoever I'm traveling with, because I always travel with somebody, whoever I'm traveling with, we look at each other and I say, they could have picked anybody, and God could have picked anybody. We are so lucky that they picked us. Now we're going to go live like that. And we do. We get in there and we go. We are so lucky. We do not need more waters. We have plenty of water. We're just so thankful to be here. But. But we had to get there through a path of me being a little bit of a monster for a while, particularly 2013. If any of my friends are out there from 2013, I'm sorry, but I had to go through that process to get to this side, to go, someday, Y' all know this. This is true. Someday my phone will quit ringing. Someday people will quit hiring me to come and speak. Someday I will be. Didn't Annie used to. And I won't get to do this anymore. And so I'm so lucky they call me and that I get to go do this and meet people and hear their stories and see. And if you travel with someone else, that helps a lot. Cause it's a lot easier to get cynical and. And prideful and to get really down in the dumps if you're by yourself. And so if I've got someone else with me, they can anchor me or release me and go like, hey, that wasn't your worst event. I was at your worst event two years ago. We're fine. Let's go eat Chinese food. You know, I need that person with me.

[Marty Solomon]

Goodness gracious. So many wonderful little.

[Annie F. Downs]

So many words.

[Marty Solomon]

Just keep. No, I just keep. Like, this is going to be one of the. One of those interviews I keep chewing on for so many relevant pieces. Okay, I've got one last question, but I'm gonna let you multi part this.

[Annie F. Downs]

Okay.

[Marty Solomon]

Because the more you talk and now the more that I dig trying to find this taste tour to.

[Annie F. Downs]

Taste tour to taste buds.

[Marty Solomon]

Unbelievable. I'm finding, like even more stuff. So here was my question. Originally, my original question was like, this was just a three part snippet, three and a half part snippet of like the work you give your life to. I wanted to know, like, what else? What other passion or impulse? And really this was a question saying, what's the question that I don't know, to ask about who you are, what you do, or what you love. But then as I'm perusing, like, I don't want to waste. Okay, so here's the thing I just found on your website that I didn't notice before. Okay. Annie, I'm a campus minister guy.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

So I have all these college students, I have all these alumni that are at school and they go out into the world, particularly ladies, young ladies that the church, especially when they're like, single.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

Like the church is not built for them to flourish and thrive. At least they certainly don't feel like that. That's not communicated to them.

[Annie F. Downs]

They don't feel like it. That's right. That's right.

[Marty Solomon]

And so you have this thing I just found single purposely where single Christian women find purpose and connection.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

What's our single Purpose. And what's our purpose while single? Tell me about this and then answer that other question if there's something that I need to know.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, I mean, the question you haven't asked that. I mean, what do I do when I'm not working? Is a great question because I am very. We say work hard, play hard, rest hard, and pray hard. Those are hanging up in our office. We live by that. When someone joins the team, we give them a gift in each of those things. So we work hard, but we play hard, too, and we rest a lot. And so I don't work when I'm at home. We get our job done in the hours that we're here. We could make a lot more money if we'd work more hours. But when I get to heaven, the Lord is not going to ask me how much money we put in the bank account. He's going to ask me if the people who worked for me were flourishing and if I was flourishing in my. In my life with him and in my life outside of the office as well as in the office. And so outside of here, I have really great friends. I love my church in Nashville. I go to Crosspoint. I'm on the teaching team here. I get to teach a couple of times a year, but I have just switched to a new campus, and it's been awesome. And so, like, that's what's going on in my real life is like, I love being outside. I love. I mean, work is my real life, too. But, you know, I have really sweet friends who have a lot of kids that I get to love on. And also, I have to tell you, Marty, my life was changed by a campus ministry at University of Georgia. The Wesley foundation is my four years as a student and then one year as a intern absolutely shaped my entire college career. I still. Or my whole life. I go back there and I wrote one time when I was at. I took a picture at Wesley and I posted it maybe three years ago. And I said, I like to come back here to remember when God was simple. When, like, when you're 20, life does not feel simple, but it's simpler than you realize compared to when you get to 40. So thank you for what you do. It absolutely changed my life to be in a campus ministry that loved Jesus. So, okay. Single purposely. So here's what happened. Summer of 23, I did an Instagram post. We were doing a series on dating on. That sounds fun. And I did an Instagram post that said, hey, are you single? Can I have your email address? I'm not trying to sell you anything. I just want to tell you something. And all I wanted to tell them was we were doing a dating series. And up until that, I'm 40. I'm currently 45 and not married. Never been married. And so at the time, I was 43. And I did not talk about my singleness very much publicly every now and again. But I was kind of like, my dating life's, my personal life. I don't want to be the poster child. The poster child stays the poster child. I'm not interested. I post that Instagram reel. And we were hoping for a thousand email addresses that week, and we had a thousand in the first hour. By the end of the week, we had 20,000 email addresses. And what I said to my team and what I felt like the Lord kind of whispered to us is like, it's not that there aren't other resources, Annie. It's that there are people waiting on you to talk about this part of your life. They're waiting to hear you talk about your singleness. And so I grieved that first and grieved the, like, I don't wanna be her. God. Ask somebody else. Like, I don't wanna be her. And then we started building. I grieved. And then we started building, and we started building single purposely to kind of say, okay, well, come on over here, let's talk about it. Let's talk about. I mean, Marty, One of the resources we have that y' all are welcome to share is at anniefdowns.com pastoringsingles we have a free resource that we built with pastors and single people to go, like, y' all know this profoundly. I was talking to pastors and they were saying, we want single people to feel welcome in our church. We want that. But a lot of our pastors got married at 20 and went to seminary 20 years ago. And we weren't talking about single people in seminary 20 years ago, especially not profoundly. Maybe it was mentioned, but. So we are asking these pastors to breathe on Mars, and they've never even been to Mars. And then you have the single people going, why don't y' all breathe on Mars? You're like, they've never been to Mars. So pastors are dying for single people to feel welcome. Single people are grieving and wanting to feel welcome. Everyone wants the same thing. And so we made this resource just to kind of go like, hey, if y' all will sit down and talk, you actually all want the same thing. You just don't know how to talk to each other yet. And so that has felt like a pretty profoundly interesting, helpful thing we've gotten to be a part of is because I'm a trusted voice to pastors and because I've been single for this whole time they've known me, and because I'm a trusted voice to singles. Cause I've been single this whole time. They know me. We're helping them connect. Marty, some of what you said is true, that the church isn't built so specifically to help single people. Single people aren't helping either. They are complaining to each other more than often. This is a wide brush. I'm just brush I'm painting with. But. But what we need to do is get singles in meetings and get singles on stages and get singles in conversations with married people and with leaders in the church, not just with each other, talking about how this church didn't meet their needs. And I'm also like, oh, there's not a single small group. Do you want to start? Start it. You can start it. And so single purposely kind of exists to help equip those women that are in there. It was men and women, but then there were not a lot of dudes that were in it. And it was kind of like, why are we trying to serve dudes? They have a whole different way to communicate about this. Me and Katie Boatman, who run it with me, we're female. That is the language. We speak fluently. So then we can talk about money and sex and friendship and dating and leadership and prayer and hope. And we get to just kind of see there's. I think there's 2,200 women in it right now that are just kind of going like, how do I do this as a single Christian woman in 2025? How do I do this? And so we don't have all the answers, but we know how to have the conversation. So that's what we've been doing for the last year and a half. I think we started in February of 24.

[Marty Solomon]

So good. Such a great. I just went to that link that I'm sure we'll throw in the show notes. It's a really cool looking resource.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, just have it. Doesn't cost a penny. We just want as many churches. I mean, we have over a thousand of those out in the world that people have downloaded. We're like, yes, have it. Like, go. Just have conversations. I don't care.

[Marty Solomon]

Love it.

[Brent Billings]

Well, Annie, I feel like we have scratched the surface.

[Annie F. Downs]

This is good friendship, you guys. We've really Done it.

[Brent Billings]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

I'm grateful.

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah. We have.

[Annie F. Downs]

This is fun.

[Brent Billings]

If people want to find you, where can they get connected? I'll let you do. I feel like you have a trademark phrase.

[Annie F. Downs]

You know what I'm going to say I'm embarrassingly easy to find. It's true. I have a very unique name. Annie Fisher Downs. All over the place. F. Like, fancy. So Annie F. Downs, anywhere you can show up if you want to find me, that's how you'll find me.

[Brent Billings]

Perfect. All right. Well, it has been a pleasure having you with us today.

[Annie F. Downs]

Thank you, guys.

[Brent Billings]

Our listeners can go to baymautis.com to see the show notes or in their podcast app. I stopped trying to take down all the notes because there's just too many things. So I'm going to go back. We're going to have a huge list of resources for people to check out. There should be something for everyone. Everybody, I think. But that will be on our website and in your podcast app. Anything else that you need is on our website as well. But thank you for joining us on the Baywatch podcast today, meeting Annie F. Downs with us. It has been a pleasure, and we'll talk to you all again soon. Are we all still recording?

[Marty Solomon]

Yeah, of course we are.

[Brent Billings]

I forgot one thing that I wanted to bring up. You were baptized in Loch Ness.

[Annie F. Downs]

I was baptized in Loch Ness in 2018. 2018. Isn't that wild?

[Brent Billings]

That's so crazy.

[Annie F. Downs]

I used to live in Scotland and. Sorry, it wasn't 2018. It was 2008. I was baptized in Loch Ness in 2008. And I just. I had been baptized as a kid. I had been walking with Jesus this whole time. But I was getting ready to move to Nashville, and I knew that I was, like, ready to have some significant change in my life, and I thought, this is the right move, is to get baptized here at Loch Ness. It was so cool. It took my breath away, I'm sure. But it was really special.

[Brent Billings]

So did you become a Loch Ness monster believer?

[Annie F. Downs]

I wish. I was like, did Nessie see me get baptized? Yeah. I'm all about believing that the Loch Ness Monster exists. Why not? Who cares? It's more fun to believe that she does. So let's go.

[Marty Solomon]

Absolutely.

[Brent Billings]

So for Marty's sake, I have to ask about your thoughts on Bigfoot, too.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, man. Do y' all listen to Blurry Creatures?

[Marty Solomon]

Okay, wait. There's a resource I haven't run across for assessments.

[Annie F. Downs]

Not for me. Not for me. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes, Marty. Blurry Creatures is your Jam. If you love all things Bigfoot, it is two guys, both believers, and the whole thing is. Well, one of them. He tells this whole story in one of the first episodes about how he was starting to deconstruct his faith because he thought he'd figured it all out. And then he started researching Bigfoot and was like, wait, there are things we don't know. Maybe God is bigger than I thought. And it, like, brought him back around to God in a new, healthier way. But they had. I mean, they talk about crazy stuff. They're. But every. The first question they always ask is, what do you think about Bigfoot?

[Marty Solomon]

So is this. Is this YouTube? Is this a podcast? Is this Netflix? What are we talking about?

[Annie F. Downs]

It's a podcast. It's both. It's a podcast, but you can also watch it on YouTube.

[Marty Solomon]

Okay.

[Annie F. Downs]

But blurry creatures, if you. They had. They have. Yeah, they just have a great guest that come on and talk about all sorts of. I mean, werewolves and aliens and Mount Hermon and. I mean, just. It gets so weird. It's great. Some of it. I'm like, I don't know.

[Marty Solomon]

But.

[Annie F. Downs]

So for as far as me and Bigfoot, sure, why not? I think. I think there's a lot we don't know about the Appalachian. Appalachian Mountains. I think there's a lot going on in places. There's so much forest that we have not. We do not know and do not know well. And so I'm like, yeah, of course there's stuff we don't know. And is there supernatural to it? Is there, man? Our battle is not against flesh and blood. There is a lot going on that we cannot see. And so some of it we can. And so I think, yeah, there's so much we don't know. We're going to get to heaven, and the Lord's going to be like, y' all aren't ready for what? I'm going to show you what's going on right around you.

[Marty Solomon]

I never become more Pentecostal than when we're talking about Sasquatch, so, yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

Right. Do you love it? Do you believe they're real, too?

[Marty Solomon]

I mean, sure, I've never been pressed into a corner, but, yeah. I mean, I can't stop watching the shows. So, yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

I don't know what to do with that.

[Annie F. Downs]

You're going to love some of the blurry. You should just look up the blurry creature episode specifically about Bigfoot.

[Marty Solomon]

Okay.

[Annie F. Downs]

Because they. I mean, they have great. Some of them are so wackadoodle, but they are so fun to listen to.

[Marty Solomon]

I love it. I'm here for wacky.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Marty Solomon]

Well produced. Wacky is what I get up for.

[Annie F. Downs]

It's like dessert, just. I mean, some of their stuff is really serious and worth taking it to do, but some of them are just like, man, let me think about. Let me go on a walk and get a break for my brain and listen to a wild episode about Bigfoot.