I’ve had some amazing dinners recently. By God’s grace (I certainly don’t deserve the privilege), in the past two weeks I’ve enjoyed the mealtime company of Pastor Rick Warren, Pastor John Piper, Dr. Ed Stetzer, Pastor Greg Laurie, and a bunch of other pastors like myself who no one has ever heard of—men like Dave Lomas who is slugging it out in the trenches of a San Francisco church plant.

Are you gonna eat that?

The shortcut to humanizing any person—renowned or unknown—is to eat a meal together. You realize we’re all dependant on God to provide food for our sustenance, and the barriers of formality begin to crumble when you take turns in the buffet line, reach for a chocolate chip cookie, or wipe your face with a napkin. These are small reminders that we’re more alike than not, just men united by Jesus and a shared mission to preach the Word and make disciples. I noticed another common and encouraging theme over the course of these interactions.

More questions than answers

Each of these pastors could sit and teach for hours on end, dispensing wisdom they’ve accumulated over the years. But they didn’t. They took time to listen and ask questions—not just questions with simple, factual answers but deep questions that revealed a desire to humbly learn from the others at the table. The last few weeks have been profound, and I’m deeply challenged to take every moment and every conversation as a learning opportunity. If these men ask a lot of questions then I’ve got no excuse.

An abundance of counselors

Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." I saw this verse in action thanks to some very influential pastors. I was extremely encouraged by these meals that I’ll probably never forget. And the sushi in LA was the best I’ve ever had.