He Burned Out as a Pastor (Then Discovered this…) w/Mark Buchanan

He Burned Out as a Pastor (Then Discovered this…) w/Mark Buchanan

From SeedTime with Bob and Linda Lotich by Bob Lotich, Linda Lotich

May 1, 2026 · 57 min

About this episode

Mark Buchanan discusses his journey from pastoral burnout to discovering the importance of Sabbath and spiritual practices.

Most of us have quietly convinced ourselves that busy-ness is a badge of honor. Mark Buchanan believed the same thing — until it almost cost him his health, his marriage, and his connection with God. And what he found on the other side of that is something the modern church has almost entirely stopped talking about. In this conversation, Linda and I sit down with Mark Buchanan — author of The Rest of God, God Walk, and his new historical fiction novel What Is Left of the Night — to talk about why busyness kills the heart, what Sabbath really means as more than a day, how walking is a deeply spiritual practice woven all through Scripture. His book The Rest of God is what started our practice of monthly sabbaticals 13 years ago, and this conversation took us somewhere we didn't expect. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE Here's a little of what we cover in this episode: Why Mark nearly burned out as a pastor — and how discovering Sabbath saved his marriage and his ministry Why Sabbath isn't just about a day of the week — it's an attitude and a way of seeing everything The phrase "busyness kills the heart" and what it actually looks like in your everyday life How Bob and Linda's 13-year…

People in this episode

Hosts: Bob Lotich, Linda Lotich

Guest: Mark Buchanan

Topics covered

  • Sabbath
  • busyness
  • spiritual practices
  • pastoral burnout
  • walking in Scripture
  • monthly sabbaticals

Keywords

  • pastor burnout
  • Sabbath
  • spirituality
  • busyness
  • walking
  • sabbaticals
  • Mark Buchanan

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Rest of God, God Walk, What Is Left of the Night

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