Gabe and Rebekah Lyons sit down with long-time friend, author, and host of the podcast That Sounds Fun, Annie F. Downs. Centering on Annie’s new book, Don’t Let That Hold You Back, this conversation dives into the abundant life God calls us to, how the enemy tries to keep us from that, and specific strategies we can use to stay faithful in that opposition.

All of us have faced moments in our lives where the doors we wanted to open stayed closed. Whether that’s in singleness, career, or tragic life circumstances, it can be easy to be discouraged and afraid to get our hopes up. Through Annie’s own journey of dreams, confusion, and redirection, she has been able to gain wisdom to benefit anyone along the way. Whether you’re carrying disappointment you’ve quietly blamed God for, dreams that you’re too afraid to chase, or uncertainty about where you’re headed, this conversation provides hope, direction, and wisdom in how to overcome anything that might be trying to hold you back.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Stolen, Killed, or Destroyed: The enemy is specific in his attacks, so naming exactly what was taken changes how we fight back and how we heal.
• “What If the Gospel Goes Further?”: At IF:Gathering, God asked Annie a hard question about singleness. It reshaped how she ran the next five years.
• Ask, Seek, Knock: This framework from Matthew 7 helps you research your dream before you rule it out, take real steps, and trust God when the door you knocked on doesn’t open.
• Once You Get Free, Stay Free: Confess, renounce, and break agreement with the enemy’s lies, and don’t walk through it alone.

Resources:

• Buy Annie’s book: Don’t Let That Hold You Back: A Bold Guide to Finding the Life You're Longing For
• Annie’s website: anniefdowns.com
• Follow Annie on Instagram: @anniefdowns
• Get The Fight for Us book and curriculum: The Fight For Us
• Take the THINQ Assessment: https://thinqassessment.scoreapp.com/
• Create a free THINQ Account: Access more trusted content at thinqmedia.com
• Join us November 19-20 for our Emotional Health Retreat in Franklin, TN. Register now and save $200 when you use the code EH200. https://www.rebekahlyons.com/ehretreat
• More from the THINQ Podcast Network:
  • THINQ Media Podcast
  • Next Up with Grant Skeldon
  • The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
  • UnderCurrent with Gabe Lyons
  • NeuroFaith with Curt Thompson, MD

In this episode, Gabe and Rebekah sit down with Matt Chandler, head pastor of The Village Church, to unpack the themes of his new book, Becoming Like Jesus: The Everyday Journey to Living a Life of Holiness. Through his own 24 years in ministry, as well as conversations with people that have held the faith through decades, Matt brings key insights into what walking with Jesus actually looks like in the long term, and how to stay the course through the ups and downs.

Whether you’re in a low season wondering where God has gone, many years deep in your faith, or at the beginning of your faith journey, this conversation offers Scripture-based and time-tested wisdom on how to faithfully stay the course.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The Horizontal Coil: Why our spiritual lives were never meant to be “up and to the right,” and how every high and low is moving us forward.
• Relearning the Beatitudes: Matt says he has learned “blessed are the poor in spirit” thousands of times, and he explains why each return brings more joy instead of more shame.
• Confession as Intimacy: How telling God the truth about our disappointment and disorientation draws us closer to Him.
• The Antelope Off by Itself: Why formation can’t happen alone, and how God’s grace often reaches us through friends who hear our confession and move toward us in love.
• Suffering Is the Softener: Matt shares candidly why hardship, not success, keeps his heart tender.

Resources:

• Buy Matt’s book: Becoming Like Jesus: The Everyday Journey to Living a Life of Holiness
• Watch Matt’s THINQ talk, “No Topic Off Limits Church”: https://thinqmedia.com/videos/no-topic-off-limits-church
• The Village Church: thevillagechurch.net
• Follow Matt on Instagram: @mattchandler74
• Get The Fight for Us book and curriculum: The Fight For Us
• Take the THINQ Assessment: https://thinqassessment.scoreapp.com/
• Create a free THINQ Account: Access more trusted content at thinqmedia.com
• Join us November 19-20 for our Emotional Health Retreat in Franklin, TN. Register now and save $200 when you use the code EH200. https://www.rebekahlyons.com/ehretreat
• More from the THINQ Podcast Network:
  • THINQ Media Podcast
  • Next Up with Grant Skeldon
  • The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
  • UnderCurrent with Gabe Lyons
  • NeuroFaith with Curt Thompson, MD

In this episode, Rebekah welcomes author, speaker, and family law mediator Toni Nieuwhof, as well as speaker and author Riley Kehoe, for a deep dive into what it looks like to hold nothing back from God, whether that's our grief, our doubts or our unanswered prayers.

The conversation centers on Honest to God: Daring to Trust When You Don't Understand, a collaborative book inspired by testimonies from many people who have wrestled with trusting God through suffering. Built on the framework of Moses leaning into God with his questions in Exodus 33, the book invites us to be as honest as David was in the Psalms. Rebekah, Toni and Riley share their own stories: a Down syndrome diagnosis in the NICU, a decades-long sun allergy that hasn't been healed, a concussion that changed a prayer life, and a lonely night that became an invitation to lament. Riley puts the reframe simply: doubt can be the labor pains of greater faith.

Whether you're carrying grief you've never said out loud to God or waiting on a prayer that hasn't been answered, this conversation offers simple, practical rhythms for turning your face toward Jesus.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• David as the Example: Find inspiration for how to express hurt to God in David’s willingness to hold nothing back in the Psalms.
• The Consequence of Holding Grief: Hear how two decades of hiding her feelings from God showed up in Riley’s body, and how she finally reached a place of honesty from that.
• Man of Sorrows: Be encouraged by Jesus’ personal experience with grief that allows us to be heard and understood by him in our hurt.
• Waiting For Healing: Learn about Toni’s health struggles, the prayers she’s prayed, and why she continues to turn to God for healing after decades of crying out.
• The Breath Prayer: Discover a form of prayer that permanently changed Toni’s prayer life, and has continued to bring her to a place of peace.

Resources:

• Buy Honest to God: https://shop.honesttogodbook.com
• Toni Nieuwhof's website: toninieuwhof.com
• Riley Kehoe's website: rileywithcourage.com
• Follow Riley on Instagram: @rileywithcourage
• Get The Fight for Us book and curriculum: The Fight For Us
• Take the THINQ Assessment: https://thinqassessment.scoreapp.com/
• Create a free THINQ Account: Access more trusted content at https://thinqmedia.com
• Join us November 19-20 for our Emotional Health Retreat in Franklin, TN. Register now and save $200 when you use the code EH200. https://www.rebekahlyons.com/ehretreat
• More from the THINQ Podcast Network:
  • THINQ Media Podcast
  • Next Up with Grant Skeldon
  • The InFormed Parent with Suzanne Phillips
  • UnderCurrent with Gabe Lyons
  • NeuroFaith with Curt Thompson, MD