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: [email protected]

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 culture
• why strategy became the center—and why it never belonged there
• the subtle ways corporate Christianity squeezed the Holy Spirit out of His own job
• what happens when we stop trying to manage outcomes and start trusting God to introduce Himself
• how surrender to God reframes personhood, worth, and the way we see every human story

This 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: [email protected]

If you’d like to go deeper with some journal prompts, check out www.prayersfromthemiddle.com

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.com

My email address is: [email protected]

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?

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/

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: [email protected]

In this continuation of Bria’s conversation with Sarah Bucy Klingler, they dive deep into the ache and awe of spiritual reformation. They name the loneliness of questioning and talk about the courage it takes to pull theological threads. And they discuss the longing for spaces where doubt isn’t dangerous.

Sarah shares how seminary became her sanctuary—a place where she could be her full, questioning self without fear. They explore the tipping point when church stopped feeling safe, the cultural forces behind evangelical certainty, and why deconstruction isn’t a curse but a sacred invitation to re-center on Jesus.

This episode is for the spiritually homeless and the ones who feel ghosted. It’s for those who wonder if they’re still welcome at the table—and a reminder that Jesus is always bigger than the boxes we build.

Find Sarah on Facebook, Instagram, and Substack at Sarah Bucy Klingler

Her website is www.sarahbucy.com

You can find her writing in the book Jesus Was Not What We Expected But Better Than We Imagined (click the link)

Other books mentioned in the episode: The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight and Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes DuMez

What happens when the roles you were handed—pastor’s kid, missionary kid, “good Christian woman”—start to feel like a costume? In this episode, Sarah Bucy Klingler shares her story of spiritual formation, inherited faith, and the slow, painful realization that her gifts didn’t fit the box she was told to live in.

We talk about protective suits, people-pleasing, and the ache of shrinking yourself to survive. We explore the moment when faith starts to feel off, the courage to ask dangerous questions, and the pivotal shift that led Sarah to seminary in search of safety, truth, and Jesus.

This is a conversation for the ones in the middle—the ones who are unraveling, questioning, and aching to be fully themselves. You’re not alone. And smallness was never the calling.

Find the book Sarah helped write Jesus Was Not What We Expected But Better Than We Imagined here's the link

Find Sarah on Facebook @Sarah Bucy Klingler, Instagram @Sarah Bucy Klingler, substack @SarahBucyKlingler, https://www.sarahbucy.com

This one’s short. No deep dive, no theological takedown, no poetic lament. Just a pause—and a question.

I’ve been naming hard truths, inviting Jesus into the mess, and watching this little podcast grow into something tender and bold. But before I go further, I want to listen. To you.

So today, I’m asking for your help. I made a weird, honest, slightly mischievous survey to find out why you listen, what you long for, and who you wish I could interview. It’s not about branding—it’s about belonging.

Click the link. Tell me what’s stirring in you. I’ll be listening, and I can't wait to hear from you.

Here's the link to the survey: https://forms.gle/XAdJBuE6wmB26JJQA

What does God’s voice actually sound like—and why have so many of us stopped listening for it? In this episode, Brianna shares raw stories of longing, silence, and quiet nudges that just might be divine. She traces how the American Church traded intimacy for formulas and created a culture of its own, turning discipleship into a checklist and revelation into a rulebook. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things but still can’t hear Him… this one’s for you. It’s not a how-to. It’s a holy invitation to get quiet, get honest, and remember that His sheep know His voice.

www.PrayersfromtheMiddle.com