Annie F. Downs - Looking for Lovely: Collecting Moments that Matter

Annie hasnt only been my friend for twenty-two years, shes been a mirror the Lord has used to help me see myself more clearly. Reading Looking for Lovely is like youre joining us for Mexicanyoull laugh til you snort (or at least we will), cry the good kind of tears, and walk away more encouraged with truth from a genuine friend. Thats my Annie. Molly

As my oldest friend, kid sister, college roommate, and an honorary aunt to my children, Annie has been a constant in my life for more than twenty-five years. Ive seen the stories she tells in real time and can wholeheartedly confirm that she is the friend and woman you think she would be. Im blessed to be a part of her world and honored to watch God use her mightily. Haley

Annie is the friend that cheers up a gloomy day, makes the quiet places not so quiet, and brings joy to the mundane. She shares her life and her stories in an authentic and vibrant way, always leaving me wanting more. Annie (a different one)

If you sat down for a coffee with my friend Annie (or her fave, chai tea), youll probably laugh and you might cry, but you will definitely walk away with a warm heart, encouraged to experience the fullness of life. The same thing will happen when you read Looking for Lovely . So grab this book and a good cup of coffee, and let her words be the voice of a dear friend. Ross

Annie has this incredible talent of immediately making you feel like you are a part of her inner circle. Her people. Living a few states away from Annie, each chapter of this book feels like we just finished coffee at a favorite local coffee shop. After reading and turning the pages of this book, I know youll feel the same way. Be prepared to make a new friend. A friend who challenges you, inspires you, and a friend who will forever be in your corner rooting for you! Matthew

When you read this book, you will share one of my lifes richest treasuresyou will know Annies heart. On each page, her authentic faith, humor, and vulnerability will challenge and encourage your heart just as it does mine. As her words pierce through fears and fuel your passions, you will undoubtedly have found lovely in this fiercely loyal friend. Trust me on this one. Misti

Annie has taught me how to live well, love well, and be well (and eat well). Most importantly, though, shes taught me how to be a friend. Annie is special, and youll be so much better for getting to know her through her words, I certainly am. Connor

Copyright 2016 by Annie F. Downs

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-8925-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Author represented by Alive Literary Agency, 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80920, www.aliveliterary.com.

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.843

Subject Heading: WOMEN \ CHRISTIAN LIFE \ SELF-ESTEEM

Unless otherwise marked, Scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ( hcsb ), copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Also used: Holy Bible, New International Version, niv , Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Also used: The Message ( msg ), copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson.

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To the God I met at Radnor Lake, the One who found me when I didnt know I was lost,the One who makes all things new.

A Note from Annie

Dear friend,

I am changed. I am different. I have never been the Annie I am today, and thats because God has done something new and miraculous in my life.

I just had to tell you that up front. This is a book about the greatest transformation my life has ever known, and it came on the heels of the most massive breakdown of my life. (Both of these statements made, clearly, with the understanding that there will be greater transformations, and most likely greater breakdowns, to come.)

Transformation and suffering came in a pair. I didnt know they would. But the suffering walked me into something I did not know before. And thats what were going to talk about here.

I have prayed my guts out for you. That you would feel the Holy Spirit stirring in you as you read, not because of me but because of Him. That His voice would be the loudest in your ears and heart and that this little book, a gift from Him to you, would change everything.

When I write books, I always feel like they already exist. Its not my job to create something new; its my job to find the piece of art God has intended to be shared and put it down on paper. So I call it a gift without hesitation, not because it is a gift from me but because it was a gift to me as well. I hope I found it as God intended it to be found.

Just a note: some names have been changed, some tiny details shifted, to protect those I have loved, do love, and could maybe love in the future. (You never know. J )

Thanks for walking this with me. In some way I feel you here with me as I write, and I hope you feel that Im there with you as you read, just your friend, across the table at a coffee shop, swapping stories and sharing hope. I want to be there with you. Its for you, after all, all this digging and finding and creating. God has something for you here. I cant wait to see what it is.

Sincerely,

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for usset us right with him,make us fit for himwe have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And thats not all:We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might standout in the wide open spaces of Gods grace and glory,standing tall and shouting our praise.

Theres more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when were hemmed in with troubles,because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue,keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.In alert expectancy such as this, were never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrarywe cant round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Romans 5:15 msg

Have you ever seen a thunderstorm from the window seat of an airplane? I was flying from Atlanta to Dallas recently, and there, in 17F, I saw the storm to our right, just out my window. The dark, brooding, billowing clouds danced along beside us, the darkest of grays, the strangest of purplesthe kinds of colors reserved for only the most wicked of storms. And as we flew parallel with it, I saw sheets of rain drenching the innocent souls below. (Bless them, as we say in the South.) The farm landscape looked like patchworkone area soaked by the storm, then a dry tract of land and city between, then another region dark and wet. Lightning bolts snaked down out of the sky, and I seriously thought about telling the pilot what I had just seen because clearly THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE ME HERE IN 17F, AIRLINE PILOT, TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER.