Zack Eswine

Dive into the godly wisdom of Proverbs with Zack Eswine’s guide to living well. The biblical book of Proverbs exemplifies how to live life on this earth in the best way possible. However, rather than giving us step–by–step instructions on how to live a more efficient, productive, and successful life, the ancient book of Proverbs encourages us to meditate on the person, posture and pace of wisdom. In our pursuit of wisdom as Christians, we find that ultimate wisdom is embodied in Christ. We must pursue wisdom as we would a person, relationally and with love. The posture of wisdom is one of humility and teachability, and the pace of wisdom encourages meditation rather than immediate action. In this valuable book, Zack Eswine shows us how these things play out in our everyday lives. He emphasizes the importance of relating wisely to people, including to ourselves, before considering how to grow wiser in life skills. But to grow wiser of heart, whether with people or with life skills, wisdom invites us to prayer and community. Biblical wisdom invites us to seek wiser hearts in communal rather than lonely ways. This book is a treasure for anyone seeking to live life more wisely. Contents Introduction Part 1: Relationally Wiser with Jesus Your Wisdom Story & MineWhen We’re NaïveWhen We’re FoolishWhen We’re Tempted to ScoffWhen We’re Crushed in SpiritWaking Up to The Menu of Loves Part 2: Skillfully Wiser with Jesus Making Better DecisionsAnchoring Your Life in God’s Steadfast LoveGetting a Handle on TimeYour Youth, Gray Hairs & Old Age Postscript

Christians should have the answers, shouldn’t they? Depression affects many people around us; we and our loved ones are not exempt. With this compassionate exploration of the struggles faced by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a renowned 19th–century preacher, who himself endured bouts of severe depression, Zack Eswine provides realistic hope and practical guidance for those grappling with depression. Drawing on Spurgeon’s experiences and wisdom, Eswine offers readers comfort from a fellower sufferer, and hope from the same God. Spurgeon’s words are not shallow: he knew the valley and he knew the God who walked him through it. The light Spurgeon found in his darkness can serve as a light in our own darkness and enable us to shed light on the darkness experienced by others. Understanding Depression: Depression is complex and can affect anyone, including people of faith, without being a sign of spiritual failure. Spurgeon’s Experiences: Spurgeon’s transparency about his struggles with depression provides an authentic example of dealing with mental health issues. Biblical Insights: Biblical teachings and theological reflections offer comfort, emphasizing God’s constant grace and love even in despair. Practical Advice: The book offers practical tips like seeking professional help, self–care, and community support, encouraging patience and trust in God’s presence. Role of the Church: Advocates for a compassionate church culture that supports those with depression without judgment. Realistic Hope: Emphasizes acknowledging the pain of depression while holding on to the hope of healing and comfort, assuring readers they are not alone. Spurgeon’s Sorrows combines historical insights with practical and spiritual guidance, making it a valuable resource for anyone affected by depression, as well as for those who seek to support them.

Dear Pastor, Desire burns within you. You’ve trained and dreamt of doing large things in famous ways as fast as you can for God's glory. But pastoral work keeps requiring your surrender to small, mostly overlooked things over long periods of time. You stand at a crossroads. Jesus stands with you. You were never meant to know everything, fix everything, and be everywhere at once. That's his job, not yours. So what now? Let the apprenticeship begin.

Zack Eswine starts this unique pastoral resource with a captivating question: Could I now reach who I once was? Challenging the idea that today's preachers must do away with biblical or expository preaching if they are to reach non-Christian people, Eswine offers a way of preaching that embraces biblical exposition in missional terms. Recognizing all of the different cultural situations in which the gospel must be preached, he gives preachers practical advice on preaching in a global context while remaining faithful to the Bible.Pastors, seminarians, and church and ministry leaders who speak in various contexts will welcome this fresh, thoughtful examination of bringing the Word to today's multi-everything, post-everything world.

What would it have been like to sit in Spurgeon's classes? I hope this book gives a sense of what a student would hear Spurgeon say about preaching if Spurgeon were to speak with them in the hall, from the pulpit, or on a walk down the streets of London. Thus, the purpose of this book is to enable preachers to "apprentice" with Spurgeon for a season in order to learn from him about preaching. It is hoped that such an internship will prove valuable for contributing to preachers as they mine resources for gospel relevance and power in the twenty-first century. But how could Spurgeon help the twenty-first century preacher?The preacher today in the West will recognize some profound similarities with Spurgeon and his times. It is true that postmodernism and Enlightenment Rationalism are very different philosophies. But their results are similar in that they promote wide spread scepticism and doubt regarding the authority of the Bible. The debates about the use of art and sermon length at the turn of the twenty-first century are no different in substance than those found in England at the turn of the twentieth. The effect of attention span and the need for story to accompany logic are not new topics of discussion for preachers. In addition, pressures that reduce time for sermon preparation and engender the temptation for shallow or borrowed sermons are nothing essentially new.