I maintain several journals in both paper and digital form. One is labeled “Blog Ideas,” and another is labeled “Sermon Series Ideas.” I also have a file called “Sermon Illustrations” and one named “Random Ideas.” I have a “Church Projects” notebook and a “Personal Projects” notebook.

Quite often, I will sit down and reread these journals and slowly process what I have written. In time, well more than half will be destroyed. Another quarter of the material will get rewritten to add new ideas and provide clarity. Less than twenty-five percent will be used each year in one way or another.

I go through this process because I have learned that very few of my ideas are fruitful without time to think about them. My initial thoughts are often profoundly flawed, and I know that acting quickly is usually a recipe for disaster. This is true for my personal life, marriage, and career.

Just because you have an idea does not mean you should act on it. Taking time to pray, asking wise people about it, getting some emotional separation, and thinking through all the options are vital to making good decisions.

I am not saying everything I do is a great choice, but I can say that I rarely run into the future without taking the time to process my ideas. I firmly believe that God can work in your life effectively with an instantaneous decision. But most often, his leading comes with taking the time to think things through.