[God's gospel. not mine]

They weren't lying when they called this thing intensive training. I'm out in Los Angeles for a seven-week program to learn about world religions and missions, and a lot has happened in a couple of days.

I've been incredibly humbled by the request to leave my "spiritual resumé" at the door. I've had the opportunity and challenge of sharing the gospel with a Buddhist who had never heard it before and didn't know she could become a Christian because of that even if she believed in Jesus. I've been taught a new way of studying the Bible when our large group spent almost two hours looking at the same six verses. I've had some awesome and deep conversations with others in the program, and I've been reminded over and over again that I have a lot to learn.

Truthfully, I'm not even sure how to unpack it into simple words. The only thing I keep coming back to is Psalm 19 about the power and promise of God and His Word. And I like the quote that I wrote in my Bible next to the psalm which says, "Sometimes we get distracted and forget the simple power and wisdom found in the message of the Gospel of Christ. We want to enhance it with our wisdom. We want to attain it with our power. We want to make it more compatible with our world." Guilty. As. Charged.

To think I traveled half-way across the U.S. of A only to be brought back to the core message of what truly following Jesus means. That it's not about my efforts, my spiritual resumé or my understanding of God at this point in my life. That it's not about me. And that it's all about Him and His power and His gospel. Cool beans.