The term “Thinking Outside the Box” has an obscure origin, but ultimately can be put into the simple phrase of removing oneself from the boundaries of their normal thought constraints in order to see things from a different perspective.  Hi, my name is John Stough and I am an Entrepreneur, Innovator, Software Architect, Management Consultant, Church Planter, Non-Profit Founder, Father, Husband, and (most importantly to this blog) Free Thinker.  People should not be defined by just one thing, their career or hobby for example.  I suppose I think of myself as a post-modern renaissance man.

I have intended to write some of my thoughts on those various topics, but alas I have not dedicated the time; as you can tell I am a bit busy from day to day so writing has been a desire but “author” has not yet made it to the list!  My kids keep telling me I need to write a book.  I have written a few things, White Papers and technical stuff, articles on Church Planting, and some poems that only my wife reads, but I suppose this blog is really a place just to explain how all of those very different worlds come together.  How does a Skeptic become a Church Planter? Don’t those concepts stand in direct opposition? No, being skeptical is about a critical thinking skillset and perspective, not about dismissing things outright.  Being a Christian also does not mean checking your brain at the door!  I hope to spend some time here developing some of the thoughts and concepts that make up my perspective on the world, perhaps some of that other stuff I never get around to, and maybe even some guidance on how creative thinking really works in the real world – from Software Architecture to Interactive Art to the Meaning of Life.

Hope you enjoy it.  Please leave comments, but don’t be terribly offended if I am slow to post or respond!

– John