When "Pray More" Isn't Enough: Chris Morris' Story
Episode 17 of Prayers from the Middle
Hi my friend,
This week’s conversation is with one of my very first online friends, Chris Morris. He is an award-winning author, a speaker, and his birthday is the same day as mine so obviously he’s a great guy. We were in a small group of writers who became friends through an online course we all took several years ago. And now here we are: Chris with his West Coast 2025 Christian Writer of the Year Award (GO CHRIS!) and me talking to him here about all those amazing books he wrote in 2024. His story really is incredible.
You know how most of us were taught to tell our testimony as this tidy before-and-after story? Before Jesus I was a mess. Then I met Jesus. Now everything is better. Well, Chris didn’t get that memo. His story is not that one.
Chris tells the truth about a life that stayed messy even after he met Jesus. He shares his long-term struggle with depression and suicidality and the myths that can sometimes keep the church from offering real help.
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
Together, he and I explore why the church is
uncomfortable with long-term suffering, how Scripture sometimes gets 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 trying to make sense of a God who doesn’t always move quickly. You belong here!
Follow Chris on Instagram: Chris Morris
His Tedx Talk is here: 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