Episode 37

Zack Eswine

A Stamina for Being Overlooked

Zack Eswine is the author of the book, The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus. It's on my must-read list for pastors.
Zack Eswine is the author of the book, The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus. It's on my must-read list for pastors.
00:00 49:16

Show Notes:37. Zack Eswine — A Stamina for Being Overlooked

I’ve read a lot of books on the vocation of pastor. Zack Eswine’s book, The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus, is one of my favorites.

As a pastor, there are the books we read to keep up with trends, the books we read to refine our understanding of theology and scripture, and the books we read to try and develop new skills. But occasionally, there are the books we discover that offer something far rarer, a deep and warm conversation with a good friend, a friend who isn’t ahead of us but walking with us. Zack’s writing has provided me with that kind of friendship.

His work is humble, transparent, and deeply contemplative. You won’t find strategies or novelty. What you’ll find is a holistic expression of the pastoral ministry: local, content, and awake to the subtleties of grace.

In our conversation, we talk about platform and a great phrase I picked up from Zack’s book, “a stamina for being overlooked.” I think this is one of the most important conversations I’ve had this year on the podcast.

 

Host: Chase Replogle

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Resources

Author's Books

  • Joyeuse Fête des Mères à la meilleure maman qui soit. On t'aime et on a de la chance de t'avoir. Partons en France !
  • Happy early birthday to myself.
  • Hard to beat.
  • There’s a new tour open at Notre Dame in which you can take the stairs up through the bell tower to the roof. Pretty spectacular.
  • Back from France.
  • Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
  • I want to share something I’ve been quietly working on… Your theology might be making you weak, sick, and tired. While Christian men have been taught to cultivate their spiritual lives, most outsource their bodies to the gym, fitness trends, and online influencers. The soul is sacred, but for most, the body doesn’t really matter. The result is a church full of men who know how to pray for their souls but quietly neglect or idolize their own bodies. Yet from the dust of Eden to the physical resurrection of Jesus, Scripture insists that your body is central—not peripheral—to discipleship. For the last couple of years, I’ve been working on a new book about faith and physicality. I’m excited to announce I’ve signed a contract to publish the book with NavPress. A More Physical Faith is set to release in 2027. In A More Physical Faith, I offer a Christian theology of the body and eight practical habits to better discipline your physical life. You’ll discover how the gospel transforms the way you eat, sleep, train, and live. You’ll learn how to: 1. Track what you want to ignore 2. Be honest about what you really want 3. Turn off the lights and pray 4. Eat what you can be grateful for 5. Lift progressively heavier things 6. Train your eyes on what is good 7. Take a little something when you need it 8. Think more often about death Whether you’re a lifelong gym-goer or just trying to get started, you’ll learn to recognize how the gospel is good news for your soul and your body. The book is an invitation to live a more physical faith for the sake of your body, soul, and witness to the world. I’m grateful to be partnering with NavPress to bring this conversation to a wider audience. Thanks to all of you who have purchased previous books and followed my work. Having an amazing audience like this makes publishing contracts like this possible.
Joyeuse Fête des Mères à la meilleure maman qui soit. On t'aime et on a de la chance de t'avoir. Partons en France !
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Joyeuse Fête des Mères à la meilleure maman qui soit. On t'aime et on a de la chance de t'avoir. Partons en France !
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
Happy early birthday to myself.
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
Happy early birthday to myself.
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Hard to beat.
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
Hard to beat.
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
There’s a new tour open at Notre Dame in which you can take the stairs up through the bell tower to the roof. Pretty spectacular.
There’s a new tour open at Notre Dame in which you can take the stairs up through the bell tower to the roof. Pretty spectacular.
There’s a new tour open at Notre Dame in which you can take the stairs up through the bell tower to the roof. Pretty spectacular.
There’s a new tour open at Notre Dame in which you can take the stairs up through the bell tower to the roof. Pretty spectacular.
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
There’s a new tour open at Notre Dame in which you can take the stairs up through the bell tower to the roof. Pretty spectacular.
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
Back from France.
Back from France.
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
Back from France.
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
3 months ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
Tonight we lost my bird dog, Millie. For thirteen years I followed her through woods and fields chasing pheasant and quail. She was there to welcome both of our kids home from the hospital. When I set up my writing LLC, I named it A Desk and A Dog because my dream was to write with her lying on the chair in my office. She did just that for years, resting beside me as I worked and helping me write several books. There’s a reason so many country songs mention the bird dog they lost. She was the best.
3 months ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
I want to share something I’ve been quietly working on… Your theology might be making you weak, sick, and tired. While Christian men have been taught to cultivate their spiritual lives, most outsource their bodies to the gym, fitness trends, and online influencers. The soul is sacred, but for most, the body doesn’t really matter. The result is a church full of men who know how to pray for their souls but quietly neglect or idolize their own bodies. Yet from the dust of Eden to the physical resurrection of Jesus, Scripture insists that your body is central—not peripheral—to discipleship. For the last couple of years, I’ve been working on a new book about faith and physicality. I’m excited to announce I’ve signed a contract to publish the book with NavPress. A More Physical Faith is set to release in 2027. In A More Physical Faith, I offer a Christian theology of the body and eight practical habits to better discipline your physical life. You’ll discover how the gospel transforms the way you eat, sleep, train, and live. You’ll learn how to: 1. Track what you want to ignore 2. Be honest about what you really want 3. Turn off the lights and pray 4. Eat what you can be grateful for 5. Lift progressively heavier things 6. Train your eyes on what is good 7. Take a little something when you need it 8. Think more often about death Whether you’re a lifelong gym-goer or just trying to get started, you’ll learn to recognize how the gospel is good news for your soul and your body. The book is an invitation to live a more physical faith for the sake of your body, soul, and witness to the world. I’m grateful to be partnering with NavPress to bring this conversation to a wider audience. Thanks to all of you who have purchased previous books and followed my work. Having an amazing audience like this makes publishing contracts like this possible.
@thepastorwriter
@thepastorwriter
•
Follow
I want to share something I’ve been quietly working on… Your theology might be making you weak, sick, and tired. While Christian men have been taught to cultivate their spiritual lives, most outsource their bodies to the gym, fitness trends, and online influencers. The soul is sacred, but for most, the body doesn’t really matter. The result is a church full of men who know how to pray for their souls but quietly neglect or idolize their own bodies. Yet from the dust of Eden to the physical resurrection of Jesus, Scripture insists that your body is central—not peripheral—to discipleship. For the last couple of years, I’ve been working on a new book about faith and physicality. I’m excited to announce I’ve signed a contract to publish the book with NavPress. A More Physical Faith is set to release in 2027. In A More Physical Faith, I offer a Christian theology of the body and eight practical habits to better discipline your physical life. You’ll discover how the gospel transforms the way you eat, sleep, train, and live. You’ll learn how to: 1. Track what you want to ignore 2. Be honest about what you really want 3. Turn off the lights and pray 4. Eat what you can be grateful for 5. Lift progressively heavier things 6. Train your eyes on what is good 7. Take a little something when you need it 8. Think more often about death Whether you’re a lifelong gym-goer or just trying to get started, you’ll learn to recognize how the gospel is good news for your soul and your body. The book is an invitation to live a more physical faith for the sake of your body, soul, and witness to the world. I’m grateful to be partnering with NavPress to bring this conversation to a wider audience. Thanks to all of you who have purchased previous books and followed my work. Having an amazing audience like this makes publishing contracts like this possible.
4 months ago
View on Instagram |
9/9

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