Today I went hiking in Great Falls, taking advantage of the 70 degree weather we’re having in Northern Virginia.

I decided to hike the Billy Goat Trail, figuring that since it is a fairly challenging trail I would be able to have some time by myself in solitude, away from people. I don’t usually look for that, but recently I’ve found myself wanting to escape more and more.

However, when I got there I realized that approximately 10,000 other people had the same idea as me, as the trail was absolutely jam packed. Seriously. It was like sitting on the Beltway during rush hour.

In my attempt to be different than everyone else, I had actually ended up doing what everyone else was doing.

Sometimes I think in our quest for innovation we tend to do exactly what everyone else is doing. We look to see what the trends are and what is “cool” and then copy it. Here’s a thought: if you copy the innovation of someone else it’s not innovation. Sure, it might be a great idea, but you’re not doing anything original, and eventually you need to differentiate yourself from everyone else. So learn from others, and adapt it to fit yourself. Don’t simply copy someone’s innovation. It won’t work.

One of our Core Values at MBC is “To accomplish our mission we must be willing to step out in visionary faith and take risks for God.” This means doing things that are beyond what people expect. This means doing things that are a bit risky.

So do something completely unexpected. Do something completely out of left field. Take a risk, take a chance. Step out in visionary faith.