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One of the stranger pressures of religious life is the pressure to appear as though your religion is working. Scott Sauls reflects on what happens when the person everyone else knows becomes different from the person we know ourselves to be. Through Psalm 32, Jesus’ story of two men praying in the temple, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s reflections on confession, this episode explores how grace helps us tell the truth, ask for help, and become more fully known without abandoning wisdom, boundaries, or responsibility.

Feeling like an outsider at church can come from very different places. Scott Sauls brings together C. S. Lewis’s uneasy experience of worship and Hannah’s painful encounter with a priest who misread her grief, asking what each story can teach us. Rooted in Ephesians 2, this episode considers loneliness, church hurt, the need for trustworthy community, and the belonging Jesus has secured for his people even when God’s house does not yet feel like home.

You apologized. They forgave you. But when you are alone, the memory still returns. Scott Sauls considers why receiving forgiveness can be so difficult, and how the mercy of Christ meets us without minimizing the harm we have caused. Through 1 John 3 and the wisdom of historic Christian prayers and confessions, this episode explores lingering regret, responsible efforts to make amends, and the help of another believer who can remind us of what God has said when our own hearts condemn us.

What do we need when the explanations people offer only make our pain harder to carry? Scott Sauls reflects on Kate Bowler’s experience of cancer and the prayers of Psalms 13 and 23, considering how sorrow and trust can belong in the same prayer. For anyone waiting on frightening news or walking beside someone who is, this episode explores the comfort of Christ’s presence, the freedom to lament, and the quiet care we can offer when we cannot explain or fix what hurts.

Why does someone else’s success have the power to make us dissatisfied with our own lives? Comparison promises that we will finally feel secure when we have what someone else has—or move a little further ahead. But the finish line never stops moving. In this episode, Scott Sauls explores why comparison and envy steal our joy, what Psalm 73 teaches us about finding our true “portion” in God, and how the gospel frees us to enjoy the life we have actually been given. Drawing from C.S. Lewis, Bertrand Russell, and his book The Mercy King, Scott considers a simple but liberating truth: Someone else having more does not mean that you have less. This is Part 4 of a 12-part series exploring themes from The Mercy King. Follow the Scott Sauls podcast for weekly Christian reflections on faith, identity, spiritual growth, and life with Jesus.

Most of us reach for the phone before our feet hit the floor, hoping something on the screen will tell us we matter. That reflex points at something older than technology. In part 3 of this 12-part series on The Mercy King, Scott Sauls looks at what Scripture actually means by idolatry, and why it has almost nothing to do with statues. An idol usually isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing we start asking to carry weight it was never built to carry. Money is a good gift until we ask it for peace. Recognition is a good gift until we need it to tell us who we are. The episode moves through David Foster Wallace's "This Is Water," Tolstoy's judge Ivan Ilyich, who succeeded by every standard his world recognized and found on his deathbed that something had gone wrong at the center of it, Tennessee Williams on the catastrophe of success, God's promise in Ezekiel 36 to remove a heart of stone and give a heart of flesh, and C.S. Lewis on aiming at heaven. Idols demand our sacrifices. Jesus became the sacrifice. Idols keep score. Jesus meets our failure with mercy. The grip doesn't break because we get strong enough to break it. It breaks when we start believing we're already loved, already secure, already home.

What does true success look like in the kingdom of God? Scott Sauls explores how Jesus challenges our culture’s pursuit of status, control, power, and recognition—and offers a radically different vision of greatness. The world tells us that success means climbing higher, defeating our rivals, and making a name for ourselves. Jesus shows us another way: humility, sacrifice, service, and love. His victory was not achieved by crushing his enemies, but by giving himself for them. In this episode, discover why humility is not weakness, how servant leadership redefines strength, and why lasting purpose is often found in the places the world overlooks. If you are wrestling with ambition, identity, leadership, or the desire for a meaningful life, the way of Jesus offers a better path. Follow the Scott Sauls podcast for weekly Christian reflections on faith, culture, spiritual growth, and life with Jesus.

Feeling far from God? In this first episode of a twelve-part series based on The Mercy King, Scott Sauls explores Psalm 23:6 and the God whose goodness and mercy never stop pursuing us. Faith begins not with our search for God, but with God’s search for us.

Can you have real joy if you're carrying something that may never get better on this side of heaven? Fanny Crosby was blind from infancy. She lived with that limitation for more than ninety years, yet became one of the most prolific hymn writers in Christian history, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, including “Blessed Assurance” and “To God Be the Glory.” Her joy was not denial. Her blindness was real. But Crosby learned to interpret her suffering through two greater realities: the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this episode, Scott Sauls explores why the cross gives us confidence in God’s love even when circumstances seem to suggest otherwise, why the resurrection means our suffering is temporary rather than ultimate, and how Christian hope becomes “an anchor for the soul” when prayers remain unanswered and circumstances don’t change. The Christian claim isn’t that pain is pretend. It’s that pain isn’t final. Whatever will not be fixed on this side of heaven does not get the last word. And whatever we offer to God in the meantime—our faithfulness, work, love, prayers, and perseverance—is never wasted. Scripture: Ephesians 3:18–19; Colossians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:18; Hebrews 6:19–20 Podcast Keywords / Topics Christian suffering, joy in suffering, Christian hope, unanswered prayer, suffering and faith, Fanny Crosby, Blessed Assurance, chronic illness, grief and loss, resurrection, resurrection hope, cross of Christ, faith in hard times, hope in hard times, Romans 8, Hebrews 6, Jesus, Christianity, Scott Sauls

One of the most unsettling experiences in life is getting what you wanted — and discovering that it still isn’t enough. Leo Tolstoy reached extraordinary heights of wealth, fame, and literary achievement. Yet in the middle of his success, he found himself confronting questions his accomplishments could not answer: Why am I here? What will remain after I die? What makes any of this matter? Psalm 90 speaks directly to those questions. In this episode, Scott Sauls explores three truths about a meaningful life: our lives belong to a story larger than ourselves, our deepest worth rests in a love we don’t have to earn, and our work matters because God — not the world’s recognition — is the one who ultimately establishes it. Achievement isn’t the enemy by any means. But it makes a terrible substitute for love, identity, and meaning. In Christ, we don’t work our way into the love of God. We work from the love of God. That frees us to pursue excellence without asking our accomplishments to prove that we matter — and to discover that some of life’s most meaningful work may be the ordinary faithfulness directly in front of us. Scripture: Psalm 90 Podcast Keywords / Topics meaning of life, purpose, finding meaning, Christian purpose, achievement, success, fulfillment, identity, identity in Christ, faith and work, Christian ambition, Psalm 90, Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, meaningful work, spiritual growth, Christianity, Jesus, Scott Sauls

What do you do when someone has hurt you deeply – and isn’t sorry? After Dylann Roof murdered nine people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, several family members of those he killed publicly forgave him, even though he showed no remorse. Their response raises one of Christianity’s hardest questions: Can we forgive someone who refuses to repent? In this episode, Scott Sauls explores what biblical forgiveness is – and what it isn’t. Forgiveness is not forgetting, minimizing evil, removing consequences, restoring trust, or automatically reconciling. Reconciliation requires the participation of both people. Forgiveness can begin with one. Drawing from Romans 12, the cross of Christ, and the remarkable witness of the Charleston families, Scott considers how we can tell the truth about what happened, maintain necessary boundaries, pursue justice, and still refuse to let another person’s wrongdoing own the rest of our lives. Because forgiveness doesn’t mean the wrong was nothing. It means the debt is no longer ours to collect. Keywords: forgiveness, Christian forgiveness, how to forgive, forgiveness without apology, forgiveness and reconciliation, reconciliation, repentance, boundaries, resentment, Christian living, spiritual growth, Romans 12, Jesus, Christianity

We often think we need to be strong, polished, and "over it" to be effective at helping the people around us. But what if our biggest impact actually comes from the very places where we feel the weakest? In today's episode, Scott Sauls discusses: The "Wounded Healer" concept and why shared vulnerability is the ultimate catalyst for connection. How to transform shame into a source of healing for yourself and others. Lessons from Bill Wilson, the founder of AA, on why admitting "I'm not okay" and "I need help" is the first step to being helpful to others. Biblical perspectives on how God steward our flaws rather than despite them. It's time to stop trying to be the perfect hero and discover the freedom that comes from being authentically human.

We often look for peace by trying to escape the storm, but what if peace is found by standing in the center of it? In this episode, we unpack the life and letters of Samuel Rutherford, a pastor whose experience of unjust exile became a masterclass in Christian hope. Join Scott as he discusses: "Christ’s palace in Aberdeen"—finding joy in places of our deepest loss. The "eye of the hurricane" metaphor: How to find stability in Christ when your world is turbulent. C.S. Lewis’s profound insight on how "heaven works backwards" to redeem our past suffering. Why the Resurrection is the ultimate anchor for your hardest seasons. If you are seeking strength to stand firm through a "winter season" of life, this episode offers a roadmap to a hope that doesn't just survive, but thrives.

C.S. Lewis once described himself as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” He did not come to faith because he was eager to find God. He came to faith because, in his own words, God closed in. In this episode, Scott Sauls reflects on Lewis’s conversion, Adam and Eve hiding in Genesis 3, Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman in John 4, and the Father who seeks worshipers before they know how to seek him. If your faith feels weak, inconsistent, reluctant, or tired, this episode is a reminder that the Christian life does not begin with your pursuit of God. It begins with God’s pursuit of you. Links: The Mercy King: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243610949-the-mercy-king?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ffs0dWk8OZ&rank=1 Website: http://scottsauls.com Essays: http://scottsauls.substack.com Socials: https://linktr.ee/scottsauls

Why does anything exist at all? And why do we exist? It is the kind of question we can avoid for a long time, until awe, grief, success, failure, or exhaustion brings it back to the surface. Some answer by saying life is an accident and meaning is something we must create for ourselves. Others live as if meaning must be earned through achievement, usefulness, admiration, or success. But Christianity offers a deeper and more durable answer. The world exists because God created it. Not because He was lonely or needy, but because God is love. And if that is true, then your life is not an accident, your worth is not up for review, and you do not have to justify your existence. In this episode, Scott Sauls reflects on creation, ambition, anxiety, Genesis, Apollo 8, and the God who made you, came for you, and holds you together. Links: The Mercy King: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243610949-the-mercy-king?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Ffs0dWk8OZ&rank=1 Website: http://scottsauls.com Essays: http://scottsauls.substack.com Socials: https://linktr.ee/scottsauls