Several times in the last week or so, I have received a communication from someone which says ‘I know you are very busy…’ and these have stuck in my mind. One of these said ‘I am sure you are very busy—I know that I am.’
A couple of things struck me immediately. The first, and most urgent, was: What have I said or done that has provoked this comment? Am I looking tired, or hassled? Have I failed to give people my attention? Have I not replied to messages? What is it that makes me look ‘busy’? If I am giving off signs that I am busy, that suggests that I broadcasting a signal ‘I don’t have time for you’—and that is worrying.
Christianity Today a while ago republished their best 40 articles from the last 36 years of their existence, and they have just reposted the 1981 article by Eugene Peterson ‘The Unbusy Pastor’.
The one piece of mail certain to go unread into my wastebasket is the one addressed “to the busy pastor.” Not that the phrase doesn’t describe me at times, but I refuse to give my attention to someone who encourages what is worst in me. I’m not arguing the accuracy of the adjective; I am, though, contesting the way in which it is used to flatter and express sympathy.
So my second question is, how do I reply to this comment? In our culture, are we allowed to say ‘Actually, I am not very busy’? I practised saying this in my head, and it sounded odd. What kind of people say ‘I’m not busy’?
When my late mother retired, one of her comments was ‘I don’t know how I ever found the time to work!’ Even in retirement, she was busy. We appear to have created a culture where the only people who are not ‘busy’ are people who are, well, a bit sad. Busyness has become the mark of a full and satisfied life. But is it really so?
So what do we mean when we say ‘I am very busy’? It might actually mean ‘I am in a role which demands more of me than I want to give.’ This might be the case for those in ‘secular’ employment or with responsibilities for family members. We might genuinely be in a situation which, through little choice of our own, makes unsustainable demands of us. Economic pressures have recently robbed us of an hour’s sleep; we sleep too little on average; and the hyper connectivity of digital devices makes it worse.
Clergy in particular need to take this reality seriously. They are in the incredibly privileged position of having more control over their own time than most in their congregations; woe betide the vicar who takes the morning off and then complains when commuters who were up at 6 am don’t attend an evening meeting!
Peterson takes a more ruthless approach to the possible reasons behind this phrase:
I (and most pastors, I believe) become busy for two reasons; both reasons are ignoble. I am busy because I am vain. I want to appear important. Significant. What better way than to be busy? The incredible hours, the crowded schedule, and the heavy demands on my time are proof to myself-and to all who will notice-that I am important…
The other reason I become busy is that I am lazy. I indolently let other people decide what I will do instead of resolutely deciding myself. I let people who do not understand the work of the pastor write the agenda for my day’s work because I am too slipshod to write it myself. But these people don’t know what a pastor is supposed to do.
I believe that the phrase ‘I’m very busy’ is sometimes a cry from the heart—I feel oppressed by the burden of the things I am supposed to do—either from a sense of guilt, or need, or the agendas others impose on me.
One of my favourite books on time management is Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster, who also wrote Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play. Mark refreshingly blows away a lot of nonsense about time management—including the idea that you can ever ‘manage’ time. The issues about busyness we face are not issues of time management, but issues of self management—how we perceive things and how we organise our lives. Romans 7 is actually highly relevant to our ‘time management’ issues!
But Forster also highlights early on a key reality: if we are ‘busy’ then it might simply be that we are over-committed. How much work can you do in an hour? Answer: an hour’s worth. But if you are committed to 2 hours’ work in an hour, no amount of ‘time management’ is going to solve that.
You actually need to cut down on your commitments. That is more easily said than done, but it still raises a challenge for me. Do I take on too much? Am I too quick to say ‘yes’ to things? Even if a large part of the commitments we have is not under our control, there are always parts which are.
Saying ‘I am very busy’ can express a different kind of frustration too. It might not simply be the amount of work we have, but the way it comes to us. Constant demands and a steady stream of interruptions can frustrate our sense that we are achieving anything. (Ask my wife!) Mark Forster again puts his finger on this: what we need is ‘sufficient focussed attention’ on the things that are important. And that means setting aside some of the immediate demands.
Do emails need to be answered on the day they are received? Can I talk to that person tomorrow, rather than right now? Does that meeting need to be this week, rather than next? This is where we need to use careful judgement; putting people off can communicate the ‘I am very busy’ line. But surely better to say ‘I’m not too busy; let’s chat tomorrow’ than ‘Yes, I can talk now…but I have a lot to do!’
But there is also a third possibility: we make ourselves busy because that is the way we gain a sense of significance. If we were not busy, there might be the gnawing sense that we are not, after all, totally and absolutely indispensable to the projects we are involved in and the people we are in contact with. And that is deeply threatening unless we have a well-rooted sense of identity and confidence in who we are.
God gives us two gifts which can serve as a defence against these feelings. The first is the gift of Sabbath. The command to rest (not just me, but all my household) is at once an invitation to trust in God for his provision (the crops will still grow, the emails will wait another day) as well as a bulwark against the presumption that the universe will not run unless I do my bit to keep it going. In fact, Sabbath rest can often be a key to fruitfulness. I recently saw an interesting ‘infographic’ which suggested that the world’s greatest creative geniuses had only achieved what they had because they took rest seriously. (Click on it to enlarge—and then take time to reflect on the reality here.)
The second is the gift of calling. If we are involved in the things we are because God has called us to them, is our level of busyness a reflection of that call? Is God calling us to be busy? In one sense, yes. We are to ‘redeem the time’ (Eph 5.16). But I am not sure that this is always the source of my busyness.
Peterson believes it is vital to address this question if we are to do what God has called to. For this in full-time Christian ministry, this has significant consequences.
I want to be a pastor who prays. I want to cultivate and deepen my relationship with God. I want all life to be intimate–sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously–with the God who made, directs, and loves me…
I want to be a pastor who preaches. I want to speak the word of God that is Scripture in the language and rhythms of the people I live with. I want to know the Scriptures thoroughly, personally, intimately; and then be able to say them again to the people around me…
I want to be a pastor who listens. A lot of people approach me through the week to tell me what is going on in their lives. I want to have the energy and time to really listen to them so when they are through, they know at least one other person has some inkling of what they’re feeling and thinking.
So: are you busy? What is the reason for your busyness? Is it poor use of time? Or circumstances beyond your control? Do you need to give more ‘sufficient focussed attention’ to some of the things you are doing? In the end, is your activity borne out of your sense of God’s call on your life? Are you free to say to someone ‘I’m not busy’?
(I have published various versions of this article over the last ten years. The problem does not appear to have gone away!)
Buy me a Coffee
You don’t mention the two biggest reasons:
1. The desire not to say No, partly to please others and partly because of the backlash if you do;
2. The amount of completely useless admin involved in modern human leadership.
When someone says, Im sure you are very busy.., are they in fact saying, regardless of your busyness, this is important?
I assumed you were busy because you weren’t posting. I made this assumption because the first post seems to have been pinned and is August 20.
I’ve taken to responding with words to the effect of, “I’m not too busy for you,” “Talking to you is exactly what I should be busy with,” or even simply, “It’s okay, I have time.”
Very wise article (especially about respecting the busyness of the non-clergy!) and also wise comments. Another reason surely for claiming and wanting to be busy is so as not to think of ourselves as, or be, lazy. For those of us not in full-time employment or childcare, this is a reasonable concern.
As a non-Anglican and long-retired senior manager, who has until recently been attending a conservative evangelical CofE church, I have been struck by the poor secular management skills of the clergy team. I understand that their ordination training includes nothing to equip them for these aspects of their role and while they may have the help of paid or voluntary staff to assist, in practice this does not work well. I think the word “significance” is key: I have concluded in my case this could be more appropriately called “control” and it became only too evident to me that one member of the clergy was determined to keep their finger on all the sinews of power and communication. But in terms of their busyness, this control-freakery falls apart because the Controller has too much to do. Result, a large ekklesia has very limited koinonia. And unhappiness holds sway. Very sad.
I can understand why people might say this phrase. It’s more about not taking the vicar for granted and giving him a chance to suggest another time if he is busy or limit the time. The vicar’s role is different to the classic employee who turns up at work at expected times and leaves work at generally expected times, whereas an incumbent’s timetable is not necessary known to the flock (except perhaps knowing the day off)-during the week it might be less structured. (apart from Sundays) the parishoner may not know and wants to give space for you to say you are in the middle of something.
I’m relatively recently retired (from a secular job). A few months ago I was doing something at my desk and I wondered how I ever had time to go to work! With retirement my focus has changed – I can walk to the leisure centre to swim (x3) and do gym (x2) and walk home via the coffee shop (sometimes). I can attend a late afternoon evening prayer (not timed to suit most people out at work or for those with child care responsibilities or needing to prepare a meal for the family) on a Monday. I can attend a mid-week small group and a mid-day Holy Communion. I can do some shopping. I can spend a day every couple of weeks visiting my father who now lives in a care home 65 miles away.
Most of these activities go on the calendar. Do all these things make me busy? If so, I choose to be ‘busy’ as opposed to going to work, but I can also choose not to do these things and not be too busy to spend time with family or friends or others in need of a visit, and so on.
Must be nice not having to kowtow to the demands of managers (in my work everyone has a manager!). That is one thing I wont miss when the time comes.
One of my favourite letters, when Vicar of Mitford, Northumberland, was from a lady who said:
“Dear Vicar, Please can you send me a copy of your parish magazine. I would ask my sister but she is so busy that I thought I had better ask you.”
She inspired me to laugh but also to remember that I was not ordained to be busy but to be available, to God and to others. I did send the magazine myself but could have asked my brilliant volunteer PA to send it instead.
Hello, I found this article.
THE RAPTURE IN 2026 AND THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
The Rapture can Biblically be proven to happen in 2026 by understanding Certain Events of the Bible.
The Rapture is Signified by the Biblical Jewish “Day of Atonement” Feast (not the Feast of Trumpets), just as other Biblical Jewish Feasts Signify different Events between God and His People. (E.g, The Feast of Passover – the Lord’s Death. 1 Corinthians 5:7, the Feast of Firstfruits – the Lord’s Resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, etc).
All Biblical Jewish Feasts (which are Sabbaths) are Signs between God and His People. (Ezekiel 20:12 (NKJV) “Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them”).
THE RAPTURE IN 2026
According to Matthew 24:32-34, the Lord said “the generation that sees the Regathering of Israel as a Nation” won’t pass till they see all things mentioned in His teaching be fulfilled. (Parable Translation).
Israel was regathered as a Nation in 1948 and a Person’s Complete Generation is 80 years. (Psalm 90:10).
The generation that saw the Regathering of Israel in 1948 is an “Active” generation which means they were in existence before 1948 to be able to See the Event that took place in 1948.
The youngest person of a Generation that can See and Register lifelong Events in memory is a Child of 2 years old. Hence, if a child of 2 years old saw the Regathering of Israel in 1948, then they only have 78 years to complete their generation.
1948 + 78 = 2026
Thus, they can’t go past 2026 without seeing all things be fulfilled.
If the Parable Translation of “The Regathering of Israel” is not accepted and the Parable is taken to mean the literal Seeing of the Sun being darkened, the Moon not giving her Light etc, then the generation that sees it don’t need to “wait” to see “all these things be fulfilled” because they are already “seeing the things being fulfilled”. Hence the Lord is talking about something else (Israel).
(Israel as a “Fig Tree” in the Bible. Hosea 9:10, Jeremiah 24:1-10, Luke 13:6-9)
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT (Leviticus 16:1-30)
The Day of Atonement is a Day which:
To the Israelites: Atonement for Sin is made.
To the Church and to God: It is a “Sign” that “On this Day” the Church is “Ready to be Raptured” and the World is “Ready to be cast into Tribulation” at the appointed Season.
This Sign is indicated by “All the Activities” of this Feast.
THE SIGNS OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AND THE INTERVAL BEFORE THE RAPTURE.
(Leviticus 16:1-30)
The Signs
Aaron’s Bull and the People’s Goat – Signifies the Mortal Body of the Lord and the Mortal Bodies of the Church. (Notice it’s not Lamb and Sheep which signifies a Glorious Body)
Aaron’s Bull Slain and Offered “First” on Behalf of Himself and its blood taken into the Holy of Holies by Aaron (Leviticus 16:11-14) – Signifies the Lord’s Death (in His Mortal Body), Resurrection (in a Glorious Body) and Ascension into the Presence of God at His First Coming.
The People’s Goat Slain “Next” by Aaron, offered in exact Pattern and Manner as Aaron’s Bull and its blood taken into the Holy of Holies by Aaron (Leviticus 16:15) – Signifies the Lord transforming the Mortal Bodies of the Church at the Rapture to look like His Glorious Body and taking it into God’s Presence. (Phillipians 3:20-21).
Two Goats – Signifies Two Living Groups of People in Mortal Bodies
The People’s Goat – Signifies the Church in Mortal Body
The Live Sin-Laden Goat – Signifies the People of the World who are Alive During the Rapture.
Lot (Chance) Casted for the People’s Goat (Leviticus 16:8-9) – Signifies that the Church is Chosen and Saved by Grace (Non-human means) and not by Works.
The Live Sin-Laden Goat Sent alive into “Uncertain Fate” in the Wilderness after the Official End of Atonement (Leviticus 16:20-21) – Signifies the People of the World who are Alive during the Rapture being cast Alive into Tribulation immediately after the Rapture.
According to Luke 17:26-30, the very day Lot departed Sodom and the very day Noah entered the Ark, Judgement was poured out on the Earth. So also, the very day the Rapture happens, the Tribulation will begin.
Hence, there needs to be an interval of time between “When the Church is Ready to be Raptured” and “When the Church is Actually Raptured”, for the “Activities in Heaven (Opening of the Seals by the Lord which will bring about the Tribulation; Revelation 6:1-12, 8:1) to be completed.
The Interval
As the “Holy of Holies” was ready to Receive the Ministration of Aaron behind the Veil. (Leviticus 16:2), but he was given “Further Activities” of Preparation “Inside the Tabernacle” but “Outside the Veil” before he could “Officially” go behind the Veil to minister (Leviticus 16:3-12), and as Noah’s Ark was ready to receive Noah and his Family after its Completion (Genesis 7:1), but a “Span of Time” (7 days) was given to Noah for the completion of “Further Activities” inside the Ark (Genesis 7:2-4) before Judgement can be poured out. Even so, there is an interval between “When the Church is Ready to be Raptured” at the Day of Atonement and “When the Church is Actually Raptured” after the Day of Atonement.
This interval is 70 days and it is obtained by “Multiplying” the interval given to Noah by 10. (7 x 10 = 70), just as his age (600 years) is multiplied by 10 to correctly obtain 6,000 years which correctly signifies that “The World will be judged after 6,000 years of Human History”.
PARALLELS OF “THE DAY OF ATONEMENT” WITH “NOAH’S ARK”
Noah’s Completed Ark Ready to Receive Noah and his Family (Genesis 7:1) (Safety from Judgement) – The Holy of Holies Ready to Receive the Ministration of Aaron (Leviticus 16:2) (Safety from Tribulation)
Further Activities After Noah’s Ark is Ready to Receive Noah and his Family (Genesis 7:2-4) – Further Activities After “Holy of Holies” is Ready to Receive Aaron’s Ministration. (Leviticus 16:3-11)
Official Entering of Noah and his Family into the Ark after “Further Activities” are Completed (Genesis 7:12-15) – Official Entering of Aaron with the Blood into the Holy of Holies after “Preparations are Completed” (Leviticus 16:12-15)
People Alive in the Days of Noah Outside the Ark – The Live Sin-Laden Goat Alive and Outside the Holy of Holies.
Flood (Judgement) after Official Entering into the Ark (Genesis 7:10) – The Live Sin-Laden Goat Sent Alive into “Uncertain Fate” in the Wilderness after the Official End of Atonement. (Leviticus 16:20-21)
2026 DATE OF “THE DAY OF ATONEMENT”
This Year’s “Day of Atonement” (Yom Kippur) Officially fell on the 18th of September (Friday) but due to Dechiyot (Calendar Adjustments and Postponements), it was moved to the Evening of 20th September (Sunday).
This has no effect on our Calculation. Our Official calculation still begins from the 18th of September.
Hence we are Expecting the Rapture on the 26th/27th of November (Depending on Time zone).
POSTSCRIPT:
Activities of the Lord’s First Coming is Signified by “All the Feasts” of the “First” Month (Nisan) of the Biblical Jewish Year, while Activities of His Second Coming is Signified by “All the Feasts” of the “Seventh” Month (Tishri).
The Feast in between the Months (“The Feast of Pentecost” in the “Third” Month “Sivan”) Signifies the Fulfilment of the Promise of God in Sending His Holy Spirit to the World. (Joel 2:28-29).
ALL MAJOR JEWISH FEASTS AND THEIR SIGNIFICATION.
Feasts of The First Month (Nisan)
1. Feast of Passover – Signifies the Lord’s Death for the Whole World.
2. Feast of First Fruits – Signifies the Lord’s Resurrection as the First Fruit and First Born of the Dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
3. Feast of Unleavened Bread – Signifies the other “Potential” Fruits of the Dead (the Church) “Keeping the Feast”. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 1 Corinthians 15:23
Feasts of The Seventh Month (Tishri)
1. Feast of Trumpets – Signifies a “Wake Up Call” to the Church that the Time of the End is Near.
2. Day of Atonement – Signifies the Church is “Ready to be Raptured” and the World is “Ready to be Cast into Tribulation”.
3. Feast of Tabernacles – Signifies the Actual Second Coming of the Lord to the Earth to “End the Tribulation” and Set Up His “Eternal Kingdom”.
Feast In Sivan
Feast of Pentecost – Signifies the Fulfilment of God’s Promise in Sending His Holy Spirit to the World. (Joel 2:28-29).
Footnotes
Precise Numbers of the Times of the End is found in the book of Genesis in the Story of “Noah’s Ark” while, the “Manner of Life” of “People Living in the Time of the End” is found in the Story of “Lot in Sodom”.
There is a Difference between the “Holy Place” and the “Holy of Holies (Behind the Veil)”
Not knowing the “Exact Day and Hour” points to “Time Differences” around the World. 70 Days from the Day of Atonement is a Different Day and Hour in Different Parts of the World.
The Rapture Occurs shortly after the “Seventh Seal” is Opened and within 30 Minutes of its Opening; during the “Silence in Heaven” time frame. Revelation 8:1. And the Silence in Heaven points to the Absence of the Word for 30 minutes not total Heaven Silence. John 1:1-5.
The Tribulation doesn’t start despite the Seals being opened. They will only begin when the Church is in Heaven and the Seven Angels associated with each Seal are given Trumpets to sound to Signify their beginning. Revelation 8:2-13, 9:1-20, 11:15.
Thinking “No one knows the Time of the Rapture” is wrong because in Matthew 25:6, “A Cry” was made. (Matthew 25:6 (KJV) And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him). If no one knows the Time of the Rapture, “Who is making the Cry?”
Answer: The Holy Spirit through the Anointed Chosen Stewards of the Flock.
(Pass It On And Comfort The Brethren. 1 Thessalonians 4:18). God bless You. Amen.
Thanks for sharing. But this is a very article, and it is mostly demonstrably wrong.
For example, the Parable Translation is corrupt, and not a proper translation. Matt 24.32 says ‘this generation’ in other words, the people Jesus was talking to. So all those things happened within 40 years of Jesus speaking.
If you have the integrity, please come back and comment on 10th October, when the ‘rapture’ (which the Bible never teaches) has not happened.
You do realise he won’t be able to respond as he won’t be here!
Thank you for a wonderful example of giving precious time to someone whom others would quietly ignore
Quiet ignoring happens largely through stereotyping. Stereotyping is rarely either deep or accurate. There will often be good insights from anyone who has analysed anything in detail and over time.
The classic example is the reference to ‘green ink letters’. Somehow we are supposed to think that the surface overrides the substance, when clearly substance is more important than surface; secondly, that the surface somehow tells us all we need to know (!); and thirdly, that everyone who writes in green ink or similar can be lumped together. The writers (who are various rather than uniform anyway) might, to the contrary, be like orange-trousered people, indifferent to relatively trivial things like appearance because they are living the life of the mind and consequently have their priorities straighter.
In other words – Jesus is coming,look busy?
Some things just have to be done within a given time frame – others can be more measured (as you rightly point out: do I have to respond today?).
The hardest thing is deciding what fits into which category.
I came into church leadership after a good few years in other fields. The experiences and practices there – latterly as the day to day leader of a subsidiary company within a big UK financial services provider – taught me a huge amount about managing myself.
The skills were transferrable although not on a direct 1 to 1 correlation. That phone call from the regulator demanding an up to date report by the end of the day …. the person who’s facing major trauma. Sunday sermons and denominational returns? MFS and QFS – the 1st working day of the month.
Plan in what you can; allow for the urgent. Make space for yourself – in the old workplace I used to sit in the Libray for an afternoon: only 1 person used to know where I was: I graduated to the allotment when in Ministry.
Plan but be prepared to change. A “to do” list worked well for me and I always lsited the ongoing taskes the day before not on the day. Clear the decks and hit the ground with a easy wins (filing; deleting stuff; one line e mail responses) as i sets you up for the day.
Above all, I found prayer and silence helps through the day not just at the beginning of the day. The team around me respected what they called my “far away” moments
We may not be able to control what we come up against but we can measure our response to it – including a firm “no” without further explanation – to make sure we are not consumed by tasks but led by Grace.
Wise words! Thanks.
This post – I really need to learn from – and I suspect many others do too. Thank you.