Prayers from the Middle

Brianna is taking a little breather this week.Even though this is technically Episode 9, it marks 10 weeks in a row of Prayers from the Middle which feels like something worth celebrating! So Bria is stepping back to rest her brain and do a little behind-the-scenes dreaming.She's planning the next 10 episodes where we'll focus on the idea of safe spaces. Like what happened to make so many of us stop feeling safe in the evangelical world we grew up in. She's already got some interviews lined up with a couple of mental health experts who will not disappoint! If you’ve had a favorite moment from these past ten weeks, let Bria know by sending her an email. And if there’s something you’re hoping for in the next ten, let her know that. Her address is: briannarwasson@gmail.com

What really happens to the image of God in us when sin enters the story? In this episode of Prayers from the Middle, Bria wrestles with a teaching many of us grew up hearing—that sin renders humanity worthless. Through Scripture, reflection, and a vivid metaphor of a corrupted photo file, Bria explores whether “worthless” is the right word, or if “corrupted” better captures the truth.You’ll hear how this shift reframes the way we see ourselves, others, and even our ability to love humanity. Bria invites you into a practice: whispering “Image of God” as you encounter people this week, letting that phrase reshape your vision of worth and love.Here's the article she mentioned:  https://bibleproject.com/articles/sin-iniquity-and-transgression-in-the-bible/

In this second installment of our four-part series on the image of God, Bria explores the profound connection between Genesis and the Declaration of Independence. If every human being is created in God’s likeness, then the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not privileges—they are woven into our very being.This episode wrestles with the ways we’ve forgotten that truth: in how immigrants are treated, in the exclusion of LGBTQ+ people and women pastors, and in political rhetoric that dehumanizes entire groups. Yet even in the midst of forgetting, the image of God breaks through sometimes in everyday kindnesses like the simple act of recognizing another’s personhood.Through scripture, history, and personal story, Brianna invites us to slow down and remember: denying someone’s rights is denying the very image of God in them. She challenges us to notice those around us who are unseen, to honor their dignity, and to defend their God-given rights.Join us as we ask: what does it mean to live as people who see the image of God—and protect the rights that flow from it?

This week left my heart in knots — a week of mass shootings, public cruelty, and grief that felt too heavy to hold. I found myself angry, tangled, and unable to find the right words, until I returned again to the prayer that I have found shaping me to my core:“Search me, God… and lead me in the way everlasting.”In this episode, I talk honestly about righteous anger, the kind that rises when leaders dehumanize others — and the other kind, the kind that corrodes the soul. I share what God uncovered in me as I prayed Psalm 139 again, and what it means to honor the image of God in people I’d rather not see as image-bearers at all.If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the world, if your heart feels tight or tangled, this is an invitation to pause, breathe, and let God search you, too. Not to make you “right,” but to make you whole.Join my email list on Substack: www.prayersfromthemiddle.comMy email address is: briannarwasson@gmail.com

In this final episode of our four‑part series on the image of God, we’re taking a hard, honest look at how the American church has shaped our understanding of evangelism—and how that shaping has quietly distorted the way we see people, ourselves, and even God.For many of us, evangelism has always felt like a strategic, spiritual sales pitch we were supposed to perfect. But what if that weight was never ours to carry in the first place?In this conversation, we explore:how an “us vs. them” mindset took root in evangelical culturewhy strategy became the center—and why it never belonged therethe subtle ways corporate Christianity squeezed the Holy Spirit out of His own jobwhat happens when we stop trying to manage outcomes and start trusting God to introduce Himselfhow surrender to God reframes personhood, worth, and the way we see every human storyThis episode is an invitation back to something simpler and far more intimate: a relationship with a God who wants to introduce Himself, who writes every single “once upon a time,” and who doesn’t need our performance.If evangelism has ever felt like pressure, guilt, or a secret agenda, you are not alone. And maybe the Holy Spirit is leading us somewhere gentler, truer, and more honest.Send Bria an email: briannarwasson@gmail.comIf you’d like to go deeper with some journal prompts, check out www.prayersfromthemiddle.com

If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the nonstop news cycle, unsure what you believe anymore, or lonely in your questions about church, faith, or Jesus, this episode is for you. In Episode 14, Bria names the exhaustion so many of us are carrying — the nervous‑system overload, the spiritual confusion, feeling like we're watching the world unravel while trying to hold onto what’s true.Through a week of relentless headlines and a moment of painful honesty, Bria shares how she realized she’d lost sight of the real Jesus in the middle of all the noise. And she invites you into the same reset she’s choosing for 2026: fixing our thoughts on the Jesus who never changes.This episode introduces a new rhythm: HONEST. It's a simple six‑part rhythm to return to whenever the world feels like too much:Hold still. Own your story without shame. No longer pretend. Exhale. Slow down so your soul can catch up. Trust God’s character.If you’re tired, numb, overwhelmed, or longing for a safe place to be honest again, settle in. You’re not alone in the middle — and there’s a way back to the real Jesus.Bria's email: briannarwasson@gmail.com

Guest: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Ruth FriendThis episode is a tender, honest, and deeply grounding conversation with Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Ruth Friend. She brings more than two decades of clinical experience—and her own lived story—to the topic of spiritual deconstruction.We talk about what actually happens emotionally when your faith begins to shift, crack, or unravel. Ruth names the stages many people move through, from doubt to the crisis, and then reconstruction. She also speaks candidly about her own journey through trauma, toxic theology, and the surprising ways Jesus met her in the lowest places.If you’ve ever wondered whether your questions make you unsafe, rebellious, or “the problem,” this conversation will feel like a deep breath. Ruth normalizes the psychological process of questioning, explains why doubt is developmentally healthy, and offers a therapist’s insight into how to stay emotionally safe while everything you thought you knew feels like it might be shifting.In this episode we exploreRuth’s personal story of trauma, faith, and early deconstructionWhy deconstruction often begins with crisisThe emotional stages people commonly experience: doubt, confusion, anxiety, shame, and the “tortured soul” seasonHow reading the red letters can reintroduce you to the real JesusWhy questioning is a normal developmental stage—not rebellionWhat reconstruction can look like when it’s rooted in honesty and freedomHow to stay emotionally safe while your beliefs are changingWhy Jesus consistently shows up in the low, unexpected placesKey Quotes“Deconstruction isn’t throwing Jesus away. It’s peeling back the layers to find what’s actually true.”“Doubt and confusion are normal emotional stages—not signs that something is wrong with you.”“Jesus was subversive. He always stood with the underdog, the outsider, the overlooked.”“You’re not bad for questioning. You’re human.”If You’re in the Middle of ItYou’re not alone. You’re not broken. You’re not losing faith—you’re searching for what’s true.Subscribe to Thoughts from the Middle for weekly journal promps: www.prayersfromthemiddle.comEmail Bria: briannarwasson.com

This one is for those who grew up learning that following Jesus meant performing for God.If the world feels unsafe right now, you’re not imagining it. And if this is somehow bringing up old fear around God, you’re not the only one trying to make sense of that. This conversation is for the ones who are trying to untangle all of that and still believe that Jesus steps into the middle of real life.In this second part of my conversation with Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Ruth Friend — someone who understands trauma, identity, and spiritual wounds from the inside out — we talk about what happens when your earliest experiences of God were shaped by fear, shame, pressure, or conditional love. Ruth names the things you’ve felt but maybe never had language for: why God feels unsafe and why trust feels dangerous.We talk about what safety actually does to your brain, how to recognize a spiritual community that won’t gaslight you, and why integrity — not performance or perfection — is the only foundation for a relationship with God that doesn’t re-traumatize you.And toward the end, Ruth offers a way to reconnect with God that doesn’t require forcing yourself into someone else’s version of faith but that honors your story, your wiring, and your genuine self.In this episode, you’ll hear:why your body reacts the way it does around God or churchhow shame rewires your sense of identitywhat spiritual trauma actually is (and isn’t)how to recognize people and communities that are truly safea simple, compassionate practice for rebuilding trust with GodThis episode is not about fixing yourself.It’s about finding a God who is safe enough to be honest with.Connect with Ruth: www.ruthfriend.org — trauma‑informed counseling and resourcesGet Ruth's journal prompts: www.prayersfromthemiddle.com — If you subscribe, you'll also get weekly journal prompts.Email thoughts and feedback to Bria: briannarwasson@gmail.com — questions, stories, or collaborationIf this episode feels like oxygen, share it with someone who needs a safe space to find their way back to God without losing themselves again.

Most of us were taught to tell our testimony as a tidy before-and-after story. Before Jesus I was a mess. Then I met Jesus. Now everything is better.But what happens when that's not your story?In this two-part conversation, author and mental health advocate Chris Morris joins Bria to tell the truth about a life that stayed messy even after he met Jesus. Chris shares his long-term struggle with depression and suicidality and the myths that can sometimes keep the church from offering real help.Together, Bria and Chris explore why the church is so uncomfortable with long-term suffering, how Scripture can sometimes get weaponized against people in pain, and what it looks like to follow Jesus when healing is slow and God feels silent. Chris offers some pure gold and give new ways of seeing God's presence as His goodness even when He feels absent.This episode is for anyone who has wondered why their healing hasn't come yet, why their faith feels messy, or why God feels so far away. It's for those of us in the middle, still wrestling and waiting and strying to make sense of a God who doesn't always move quickly. You belong here!Content note: This episode includes a gentle, non-graphic discussion of suicidal thoughts from Chris' teenage years. Please listen with care and honor what you need.Follow Chris on Instagram: @ChrisMorrisWritesHis Tedx Talk is here: http://chrismorriswrites.com/ted It’s about The Power of Deep Listening and is totally worth the listen.Find Chris online here: https://www.chrismorriswrites.com/Find out about Chris' books here: https://www.chrismorriswrites.com/books/email Bria with questions, feedback or for journal prompts: briannarwasson@gmail.com

In this episode, I sit down with author, speaker and mental‑health advocate Chris Morris to talk about a moment that changed everything for him. In 2020, during one of the darkest seasons of his life, Chris attempted to end his life. What came next were two conversations - in the psych ward, in the middle of shame, anger, and despair.Chris heard God speak the words he least expected: “I still love you.” Not after he got better or after he pulled himself together. Just right there in the middle of the mess.The next day, his pastor walked in and spoke words that restored dignity instead of demanding performance: “Our church is incomplete without you.” For Chris, those words were life from the dead.So many of us ache for belonging. That’s why this episode and Chris’ story matters. Because two truths thread themselves throughout the episode: You cannot un-earn God’s love. And. There is a place for you inside of God’s family.In this conversation, Chris and I talk about:what it’s like to meet God in the middle of depression and suicidalityhow spiritual dismissal and “pray more” theology deepen shamewhy belonging is not earned through performancethe power of going first and giving others “the gift of going second”how to discern when a church space is harming your mental healthwhat hope looks like when the season feels endlessIf you’re in a dark place, or you’ve been carrying the fear that you’re too much, too broken, or too far gone, hear this clearly: you are not alone, and your story is not over. Chris’s honesty is an invitation to breathe again — and to believe that God’s love does not flinch at your darkness.Connect with Chris:www.chrismorriswrites.comInstagram: @ChrisMorriswritesFind journal prompts to go with today's episode: www.prayersfromthemiddle.com