192: Scott Sauls | Beautiful People Don't Just Happen

Scott Sauls | Beautiful People Don't Just Happen

Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of Jesus Outside the Lines, Befriend, From Weakness to Strength, Irresistible Faith, and A Gentle Answer.

Scott also served at New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church as a lead and preaching pastor and planted two churches in the Midwest.

His work has been featured in publications including Christianity Today, Relevant, Q ideas, Propel Women, He Reads Truth, Leadership Magazine, The Gospel Coalition, Table Talk, and Made to Flourish.

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Scott Sauls and Amber discuss the message behind his newest book, Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen. Scott also shares some of the shifts he’s experienced in the church over the last 25 years as a pastor, what it means to bring are not enoughness to God, and how we can abide in Christ.

Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen Questions Discussed:

(0:45) You have been in pastoral ministry for 25 years. Did you begin at Redeemer Pres in New York or elsewhere? Share a bit of your pastoral journey with us and some of the major shifts you have witnessed in the church throughout the years.
(6:15) I read a review of Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen and it sums up my experience reading the book. Wes Van Fleet wrote, “Goodness! Sauls always writes such helpful and caring books. This one spoke to me as if he and I were sitting down together talking about all the things that haunt me, while being reminded of all I believe and hope for. You may need some tissues with this one but I highly recommend it.” This is a loaded question, but what do you mean by beautiful people don’t just happen?
(13:45) You spend several pages sharing how the darker and sadder seasons of life have expanded your belief in and experience of the goodness of God. What are a few ways you have personally experienced the goodness of God after seasons of darkness?
(16:42) “The thing God wants most from you is an admission of your not-enough-ness.” Unpack that a bit for us.
(22:10) How do you explain abiding in Jesus to others and how are you intentional about its practice?
(26:44) You share about your personal struggle with anxiety and depression and how debilitating it can be. What have you found helpful when experiencing seasons of “no comfort in God’s promises from Scripture’ and the struggle to pray?
(31:22) As we close, speak to the listener who is struggling to believe that God redeems regret, hurt and/or fear.

Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen Quotes to Remember:

“Once we’re in, we’re in with God. Salvation is fixed. It’s permanent. You can’t lose it. Nothing in all creation can separate you from God’s love, including you.”

“I think the human heart is wired for a good hero story. We want to find people that we put on pedestals and we don’t want them to get knocked off of those pedestals.”

“Don’t replace your pastor, with a celebrity pastor podcast.”

“Cultivate a habit of being fully present with Jesus every day.”

“Develop a personal, deep abiding friendship with your Bible. Learn it, dig into it, dive into it, access all the wonderful resources that are available, and become a Bible person.”

“God loves you more than you love you.”

“This is the really good news, whether we feel God at work or not, God’s at work.”

“God does not want to entertain us, or take our breath away for a moment, as much as he wants to form us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.”