Nervous Systems

“Nervous Systems is a special book, marked both by prophetic courage and generous compassion. Sara Billups masterfully takes her reader by the hand and honors the deep complexity of what it means to be human and follow Jesus in a world like ours. This is a thoughtful, challenging, and hopeful read.”

Aundi Kolber

“For all of us who have been holding our breath, anxious about what we might lose in the exhale, Nervous Systems invites us to be settled. This book is deeply human, generous, relevant to our current moment, and thrumming with possibility for we who crave peace in our veins, not someday but here and now.”

Sarah Westfall

“An extraordinary—and extraordinarily wide-ranging—tour through the valleys of anxiety that shape so much of modern life, Nervous Systems brims with rare candor, wisdom, and humor. So practical too! Billups makes for an ideal guide for thorny terrain: open yet anchored, humble yet unafraid to interrogate uncomfortable truths about herself and others. The result is a book that exudes not just insight and courage but grace. The sparkling prose doesn’t hurt either. I loved it.”

David Zahl

“Perhaps we’re living through the most anxious time in the world’s history. So many of us experience daily overwhelm in our bodies, in the Christian church, and in the political forces in our lives. This is a book for the anxious ones, a companion for all of us who long for sturdy faith amid our teetering minds, disconnected bodies, or frazzled sense of the world’s dangers. Sara Billups writes that even when her anxiety refused to dissipate, ‘God met [her] repeatedly in its very presence.’ Who better than Sara to guide us toward faith that flourishes alongside our collective and personal unease?”

Micha Boyett

“Sara’s writing is poetic and honest, naming the lived experiences of so many. She creatively addresses the topic of anxiety and manages to write about it in a way that leaves the reader feeling hopeful, offering practical tools and perspectives. Nervous Systems feels like a helpful peek into the lives of so many who find themselves in an in-between space, including everyday Christians, not just the ones we see represented in the media. Sara writes with such vulnerability, talking about her own experiences with anxiety, caring for aging parents, parenting, and grappling with what it is to be a follower of Jesus in our current cultural context. Nervous Systems explores things we all grapple with, and as I read it, I couldn’t help but think of people I pastor and friends, Christian and non, who will immensely benefit from the timeliness of Sara’s words; I can’t wait to get it in their hands.”

Kimberly Deckel