Rhythms of Renewal

1.Rebekah connects chronic sleep deprivation directly to heightened anxiety. Before reading this chapter, did you think of sleep as a spiritual discipline or simply a biological necessity? Has your thinking shifted?

1.Rebekah draws on the example of Jesus, who regularly withdrew to lonely places to pray (Mark 1:35) even in the midst of enormous ministry demand. What does it say about Jesus's rhythm — and about ours — that he made solitude a non-negotiable rather than an occasional treat?

1.Rebekah argues that many of us have been taught — in church and in culture — to suppress or spiritualize our emotions rather than process them honestly. Did you grow up with permission to feel your feelings? How has that shaped your emotional health as an adult?

1.Rebekah draws a clear link between physical habits — particularly exercise — and the reduction of anxiety symptoms. Were you aware of the science behind this connection before reading this chapter? How does knowing that movement is literally medicine change how you think about physical activity?

1.Rebekah argues that our minds are constantly being formed — by what we read, watch, scroll, and listen to — whether we are intentional about it or not. Does that idea feel alarming, convicting, or both? What has been forming your mind most in the past month?

1.Rebekah frames our connection with God not as a religious obligation but as the root from which everything else in our lives either flourishes or withers (John 15:4–5). How does that imagery — vine and branch — change the way you think about prayer, Scripture, and worship?

1.Rebekah opens with the epidemic of loneliness — that despite being more 'connected' than any generation in history, we are profoundly isolated. Does that diagnosis match your experience? How many people in your life truly know you?

1.Rebekah argues that anxiety tends to curve us inward — making ourselves the center of our own story — and that service is one of the most effective tools for breaking that cycle. Have you experienced the mood-lifting effect of doing something for someone else? What happened in you when you served?

1.Rebekah grounds creativity in the opening words of Genesis: 'In the beginning, God created.' She argues that because we are made in the image of a Creator God, we are all creators by nature. Does that frame creativity differently for you than you've thought of it before? Does it feel liberating or intimidating?

1.Rebekah argues that a life without a sense of purpose is fertile ground for anxiety — and that one of the deepest cures for chronic worry is having something meaningful to pour yourself into. Do you agree? Where do you currently find your sense of purpose?

1.Rebekah ends with the honest acknowledgment that these rhythms require ongoing practice — that we will fall out of them and need to return. How does knowing that this is a lifelong journey (rather than a six-week program) affect your expectations for yourself?

1.Which of the four rhythms — rest, restore, connect, or create — has made the greatest difference in your daily life since you began this study? What changed, even in a small way?