{"id":10628,"date":"2026-05-07T14:32:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=10628"},"modified":"2026-05-07T14:32:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:32:03","slug":"bestselling-christian-author-annie-f-downs-announces-engagement-thank-you-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/05\/bestselling-christian-author-annie-f-downs-announces-engagement-thank-you-jesus.html","title":{"rendered":"Bestselling Christian Author Annie F. Downs Announces Engagement: &#8220;Thank You Jesus&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_10631\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10631\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10631\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/413\/2026\/05\/Annie-F.-Downs_credit-Annie-F.-Downs-Facebook.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10631\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie F. Downs \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prominent Christian author and speaker Annie F. Downs has announced her engagement to drummer JW Jaeger, sharing the joyful news on social media and pointing to God\u2019s faithfulness in bringing them together.<\/p>\n<p>Downs shared the joyful news in a Facebook post, alongside photos capturing the special moment. \u201cI\u2019m so happy I get to marry this man,\u201d she wrote, pairing the announcement with lyrics from the song \u201cAll I Know\u201d by Tors: \u201cAll I know is it\u2019s the best thing I\u2019ll do \u2014 to live my life at the same time as you\u2026 To be your friend \u2019til death do us part.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fanniefdowns%2Fposts%2Fpfbid027rJbb3nk1BRCaPht6yqFv8cNCKHDY3vuWi6mYiYQ6vi2kV45YzWvYAjKRuSqKMDHl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"626\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Jaeger also shared his excitement in a heartfelt message, reflecting on the proposal and what it means to him. \u201cOne quiet weekend this spring, I got to ask my best friend, my favorite person, the love of my whole actual life \u2014 if she would spend the rest of her life with me. And she said YES!\u201d he wrote. The proposal took place during a peaceful outdoor setting in Nashville, Tennessee, where the couple later celebrated with close friends. \u201cA day started out in nature and ended with friends around the table smiling, laughing, rejoicing and saying \u2014 look at how good God is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His message continued with words of admiration and gratitude for Downs: \u201cAnnie, thank you for loving me and for going on our journey with me\u2026 Through every season. Thank you, Jesus. THANK YOU! Thank You for keeping our promises to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Photos shared by the couple show Jaeger getting down on one knee, reading from a prepared speech, and the emotional embrace that followed. The images, taken at an undisclosed outdoor location, also highlight Downs\u2019 engagement ring, with a mix of color and black-and-white shots capturing the moment\u2019s emotion.<\/p>\n<p>The engagement comes just two months after Downs first publicly shared that the couple was dating. In a February post, she opened up about their relationship, revealing they met in spring 2025 at a Women of Joy event, where she was speaking and Jaeger was performing as a drummer. A mutual friend, Lisa Harper, introduced them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never had this much fun in my whole life,\u201d Downs wrote at the time. \u201cHe\u2019s the most humble, silly, kind, loving, hilarious, brave man I\u2019ve ever met. He loves Jesus and fun and me. I love him too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also offered a candid glimpse into their relationship, noting it hasn\u2019t been without challenges. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t been a perfect nine months. We\u2019ve worked through a lot already and will continue to\u2026 But God has been kind to us as we navigate our humanness and learn each other and care for each other\u2019s wounds \u2014 old or new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Downs, known for books like <em>100 Days to Brave and Speak Love: Your Words Can Change the World<\/em>, as well as her popular podcast \u201cThat Sounds Fun,\u201d has long encouraged others to pursue faith with honesty and courage. Now, she\u2019s stepping into a new season that reflects those same values.<\/p>\n<p>For both Downs and Jaeger, their engagement is more than a milestone\u2014it\u2019s a testimony. As Jaeger put it simply: \u201cLook at how good God is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prominent Christian author and speaker Annie F. Downs has announced her engagement to drummer JW Jaeger, sharing the joyful news on social media and pointing to God\u2019s faithfulness in bringing them together. Downs shared the joyful news in a Facebook post, alongside photos capturing the special moment. \u201cI\u2019m so happy I get to marry this&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":10631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Bestselling Christian Author Annie F. Downs Announces Engagement: &quot;Thank You Jesus&quot;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Prominent Christian author Annie F. 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