Quotes from Eugene Peterson in The Contemplative Pastor:

The word busy is the symptom not of commitment but of betrayal. It is not devotion but defection. The adjective busy set as a modifier to pastor should sound to our ears like adulterous to characterize a wife or embezzling to describe a banker. It is an outrageous scandal, a blasphemous affront … How can I persuade a person to live by faith and not by works if I have to juggle my schedule constantly to make everything fit into place?

I know I can’t be busy and pray at the same time. I can be active and pray; I can work and pray; but I cannot be busy and pray.

Pastoral listening require unhurried leisure, even if it’s only for five minutes. Leisure is a quality of spirit, not a quantity of time.

The question I put to myself is not, ‘How many people have you spoken to about Christ this week?’ but ‘How many people have you listen to in Christ this week?’