Make Fun a Priority Now – Here's Why!

Focus on the Family with Jim Daly

Focus on the Family

Kids & Family, Relationships, Society & Culture, Parenting

4.8 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In a world that feels fractured and frustrating, with so much stress and worry, can we still have fun? Is fun worth prioritizing when our schedules are packed and life is hard? Where do faith and fun intersect -- or do they? Annie F. Downs shares all the reasons you not only CAN have fun, but SHOULD.

Receive a copy of Chase the Fun and an audio download of "Make Fun a Priority Now – Here's Why!" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.

Get More Episode Resources

If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Today on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, bestselling author and podcaster Annie F. Downs is going to talk about the importance of pursuing joy.
0:11.3	What are the moments that make me feel the most alive? What are the moments of fun that I go like, oh, yeah, now this is it.
0:18.5	Because those moments are giving you a taste of something God has for you in the long run.
0:22.4	Thanks for joining us today.
0:23.7	I'm John Fuller.
0:24.5	Well, Annie is a very joyful person, and we're delighted to be able to share that joy with our listeners today.
0:31.5	She's sold over one million books.
0:34.4	That's a lot.
0:35.0	That's a lot of books.
0:36.3	And is the co-founder of the That Sounds Fun podcast network.
0:40.6	She splits her time between Nashville, Tennessee and New York City. And here's Annie F. Downs,
0:45.9	speaking to our staff just a few months ago on Focus on the Family with Jim Daley.
0:51.8	The Bible talks a lot about joy and Christians want to talk about joy. I am one of us. I'm also a Christian.
0:58.7	But people want to talk about joy, but they don't want to talk about fun because fun is often
1:03.6	considered sinful, right? Very often if you say, oh, they are a ton of fun, you're like, how much does
1:10.0	he drink? Right? Or you're like how much does he drink right or you're
1:12.7	like what are they really into oh that person's so fun and you think they stay out late they're
1:17.3	kind of wild whatever i think we've by labeling that we've removed where fun and joy connect
1:24.5	and we've taken fun away from the opportunity that redeemed fun is part of how
1:30.3	God made us, and it isn't just for children, it's for us too. So there is this place where joy and fun and our
1:38.9	faith all meet. Joy is the thing you feel, Joy is the emotion. You experience that. It gets in you.
1:50.0	Fun is the action that gets you there. So do you remember 2020? Sadly, me too.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 10 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Focus on the Family, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Focus on the Family and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.