I had several great conversations this week with a bunch of Pastors. Man, I feel so built up! I have been challenged, affirmed, exhorted, encouraged, and ministered to by each guy I’ve spent time with. So thank you!

We need this. I know I need this. I need environments where I can think out loud. I need safe places to talk about books, ideas, and random thoughts that need to come out and be bounced back and forth. I need people in my life that I can throw around crazy thoughts and views that I’m thinking through, without feeling judged for not following the company line. I’m thankful for the people in my life who let me dream, think, and rant out loud without judgment.

I want to be a Pastor who is a thinker, not just a repeater. When I simply repeat someone else’s conviction, I am just an echo. When I allow people and ideas to challenge me, I can filter them through the Scriptures and have a unique voice by forcing myself to think out the box.

I believe this is part of what it means to be a visionary leader. You have to see something no one else has seen and create a path no one else has gone on. This starts with a thought…