There are a lot of blogs out there about Jesus, about Christianity, about religion.  One of my favorite lines in theology comes from the Augsburg confession – “the chief purpose of all ceremonies is to teach people what they need to know about Christ”   There is a lot of theology out there, but what is critical is to understand is that God desires to have a relationship with us, and to understand what He has done to start and secure that relationship.  That is what these sermons are about, that is what the devotions are about…. that is what life is about, for life begins in His love!

About the title “A Simple Christian”  ( Wasn’t this “justifiedandsinner”?)

 

When I first started putting my sermons online, I used a blogging service and generated enough hits that they gave me a domain, and “A Simple Christian” was born.  They had a simple system, not pictures and they put a lot of ads on the side of my blog.  Some of them I didn’t like all that much, and so I started “justifiedandsinner” on WP.  Over 1000 hits later, I noticed my old blog name was available, and so I grabbed it.

Justifiedandsinner is a theological title – a very true, very accurate theological proposition.  That we are simultaneously sinners who Christ hs redeemed and therefore we are saints.  It is the Romans 7 thing, the things we want to do, that we know we should do, we do not.  The things we don’t want to do, that we know we shouldn’t, we don’t. But it is a theological proposition, something most people struggle with, but don’t quite understand.  it works, it’s good, and it resonates deeply with me.

I think “A Simple Christian” works better. For one thing, it reminds me to keep it simple.  That doesn’t mean shallow, but I want as many people to understand what I write as possible.  Deep enough for someone who has walked with God for a lifetime, yet expressed in a way that someone who grew up without knowing of Jesus would be able to understand.  Simple enough to focus on God’s love, yet hopefully, leaving us in awe at what it means to be loved by Him, a love that is beyond the ability to measure, even as we are invited to explore it, rejoice in it, revel in it, and find peace there.

So, A Simple Christian is back… and may it bless those who are willing to be shepherded and introduced to a God who simply loves you enough to make your life proof of that love.

P.S.  Come Join us at Concordia Lutheran Church in Cerritos. Ca. sometime, and share in this simple life with Christ.   (see concordia.org for more information)