"looking for lovely" by annie f. downs

I have long been convinced that if Annie F. Downs and I met, we would be friends. After reading her new book, Looking for Lovely, I'm sure of it. If you read the book, you'll probably feel the same way. Annie has this way of writing that makes you feel like she's sharing her heart with you over a cup of coffee.

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"I want you to take every step of your life with excitement for where you are headed. And I want you to feel beautiful and confident as you do."

But how? When the enemy whispers lies that we are not smart enough, pretty enough, or rich enough? Or are you too dumb, too loud, too quiet, too thin, too fat, too much or not enough? What if you don't have what it takes to be who you really want to be?"

In Looking for Lovely, Annie F. Downs shares personal stories, biblical truth, and examples of how others have courageously walked the path God paved for their lives by remembering all God had done, loving what was right in front of them, and seeing God in the everyday—whether that be nature, friends, or the face they see in the mirror.

Intensely personal, yet incredibly powerful, Looking for Lovely will spark transformative conversations and life changing patterns. No matter who you are and what path God has you on, we all need to remember the lovely, fight to finish, and find beautiful in our every day!

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I absolutely love the message of Looking for Lovely, which is outlined in the subtitle: Collecting the Moments that Matter. Annie challenges readers to look for the beautiful, the moving, the spectacular in the simple, in the mundane, in the hard. To look for lovely when things are going great and when your world feels like it's falling apart. These lovelies can be anything—a beautiful sunrise, a song that moves you, a roll of sushi (though for me, I'd have a hard time calling sushi "lovely!"). These are signs of God's presence.

I've become hooked on looking for lovely! Though I admit some days are harder to find lovely in than others, I think it's in the hard times that it's so important to look for these glimpses of God. Won't you join me in looking for lovely? 5 stars.

Because I loved the book so much, I'm giving away a copy! Enter through the Rafflecopter below. (Rules: Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. Contest is open in the US only. Winner will be selected at random using Rafflecopter.com and will have 48 hours to respond to email notification, or another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Buy the book.
Read my review of Downs' Let's All Be Brave (5 stars).

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Annie F. Downs is an author and speaker based in Nashville, Tennessee. Flawed but funny, she uses her writing to highlight the everyday goodness of a real and present God. By weaving together personal stories, humor, and Scripture, she invites those reading to experience fulfilled lives with a God who made them on purpose and loves them deeply. While she loves writing—books, blogs, articles, thank-you notes—Annie also enjoys traveling around the world speaking to young women, college students, and adults. Annie is a huge fan of bands with banjos, glitter, her community of friends, boiled peanuts, and football games.

Disclosure of Material Connection: As a member of Annie F. Downs' book launch team, I received a free copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”