Too often we ministers plead busyness as the reason for little time spent in prayer and in our own spiritual formation. We find ourselves reacting to the demands of our church, and our ministry becomes a stream of ceaseless activity. What happens is that our inner life and the depth of our preaching suffer. We may continue to talk about God but very little with God, and soon the words that we speak take on a hollow, shallow ring. Saying no to a request for our help as ministers is difficult for most