“ Searching for Grace invites you into the kind of relationship that we all long for deep in our hearts. The relationship between Scotty and Russ is scary, vulnerable, painful, but gorgeously loving and drenched in grace.” ―Paul David Tripp , author of New Morning Mercies Anxious? Burnt out? Weary? Why is it so hard for our souls to find rest? In Searching for Grace , Russ and his mentor, Scotty Smith, explore the contours of their lives and why embracing God’s grace unreservedly is so difficult for many of us. Their honest conversations offer priceless lessons for parched souls everywhere. Many of us feel anxious and unfulfilled by our everyday existence, yet deeply long for a purposeful, meaningful, and peace-filled life. That tension creates a background buzz of profound discontentment behind everything we do. There is a better way. Searching for Grace reveals the conversations between Russ and Scotty that transformed Russ’s life forever, helping him identify the mindsets that contributed to his restlessness. Straight from his little black journal, Russ shares the seven life-giving principles he learned from Scotty that unleashed him to a refreshingly new life, radically built on God’s grace. Scotty and Russ’s story of faith friendship welcomes us into a journey of vulnerability, honest questions, and the gift of being shaped by God’s grace. These healing conversations give me hope that we will one day know in full what we only now see in part. Sandra McCracken, singer/songwriter Consume this labor of love as precious wisdom. Even if you are not a pastor, read this book. I couldn’t help but wonder what levels of hell I might have avoided if I’d have taken this in at a younger age. Scotty and Russ engage in a deeply honest, compelling, and life-changing conversation that we not only get to overhear but also partake in as co-laborers living out grace. This book will fortify you for your work, and far more for your joy in the gospel. Dan B. Allender, Ph.D., professor of counseling psychology and founding president of The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology; author of Healing the Wounded Heart and Leading with a Limp Searching for Grace echoes so much of what I’ve enjoyed in my friendship with Scotty through the years. The best mentoring happens when leaders own their brokenness and weakness, and invite others into the welcome of God’s grace and the freedom of his transforming love. Scotty and Russ chronicle their shared growth in grace and invite us to risk more honesty, vulnerability, and openness to God’s pursing heart. Laura Story, Grammy Award-winning artist Years ago, feeling clueless and defeated and anxious and afraid, I picked up the phone and called the office of a highly esteemed pastor who didn’t know me from Adam. Not only did Scotty Smith take the call and give me two full hours of his time; he also invited me to call him any time, and often. Since then, Scotty has been to me the most important kind of mentor―a shepherd of my heart in the grace I so often struggle to believe. After more than two decades of friendship, Scotty remains my gospel mentor. I am so thankful that younger ministers like Russ Masterson have also discovered the treasure that Scotty is. For the joy of our souls, Scotty and Russ share their journey in grace together. Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee I’ve known Scotty for years, and every single time I talk to him, I feel seen, accepted, and loved. That’s not because Scotty is so awesome but because the God who sees, accepts, and loves Scotty is so awesome. When we believe God loves us, we’re free to love others. This book is a picture of Russ and Scotty’s wonderful friendship―two men with plenty of pain and struggle in their lives, reminding one another (and us) of the great, inexhaustible love of the Father. Andrew Peterson Where can we find peace? There’s no formula, but thankfully Russ and Scotty show us how peace has found them, and continues to find them, in the restless flux of ordinary life. While never being prescriptive or burdensome, these two trustworthy guides narrate their experience with intimacy, candor, and grace, such that, by the time you put this book down, fear and burnout have dissipated and the reality of belovedness has burrowed into your heart afresh. Balm for the soul! David Zahl, author of Seculosity and director of Mockingbird Ministries From the Flap: My first conversation with Scotty was on a long, narrow porch in the North Georgia mountains. The porch was filled with rocking chairs and was attached to a barn. Men sat scattered around, talking about SEC football, theology, and the life they had retreated from to take in some rare moments of quiet. . . . Just thirty minutes before, I’d perched high in the loft of the barn listening to Scotty teach the group of men sitting in camp chairs and hammocks while a fresh breeze filled the loft from the outside twilight.