How do you find hope when there are a million reasons to worry?

In this episode, Sara shows us ways to recognize and calm our anxieties around our bodies, churches, and politics. We talk through her latest book, Nervous Systems, which is full of spiritual practices for those seeking personal and collective peace. If you have been taught negative connotations around your anxiety, in this conversation, Sara helps reframe and normalize it—believing that Jesus meets us there with hope, not demand. We also talk about the anxious reality that many people with spiritual abuse face when re-entering the church or community. Sara shares how she has moved from suspicion and cynicism to slowly trusting again.

Get the full show notes and links here. 📄

Guest Spotlight ✨

Sara Billups is a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Christianity Today, Aspen Ideas, and others. Sara writes Bitter Scroll, a monthly Substack letter and co-hosts the podcast That’s the Spirit. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in the Sacred Art of Writing at the Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. Sara works to help wavering Christians remain steadfast through cultural storms and continues to hope for the flourishing of the Church amid deep political and cultural division in America. Her second book, Nervous Systems, will be released November 4, 2025, from Baker Books.

Website | Instagram | Bitter Scroll Substack

Nervous Systems by Sara Billups | Amazon | Bookshop
Orphaned Believers by Sara Billups | Amazon | Bookshop

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