It’s the beginning of a new year and that has me thinking about goals, ideas, and dreams. Some of those goals are personal and others of those are directly related to this little place here on the web. And since I’m thinking about goals and dreams, it’s been helpful for me to also ask myself, “Why do I do blog anyways?”

Blogging can be a bit odd at times.

At times, I almost feel a bit vain and narcissistic to think that people want to pay attention to what I have to say (not to mention the vanity url of my blog). And at other times I write something that excites me regardless of the amount of people that read it. Some days I obsess with metrics and subscribers.  And other days I find a way to ignore it all together.

So why do I do this?  Why does rjgrune.com even exist? 

Let me start being clear about what it’s not about.

The blog isn’t about some dream of being famous, being a best-selling author, and making ridiculous amounts sitting at my computer. And it’s not that those things are bad, I’d love to publish a book at some point. And I’d love for what I write to make some extra spending money… but those things aren’t the goal.

I believe that theology isn’t something just for the academics, the dead guys, and the professionals.  Theology is for everyday life. And so I write because I think good theology changes lives. It speaks hope into the darkest of situations and it gives meaning to the most mundane of circumstances. Good theology is loaded with history and beauty and meaning and depth. And our world needs more good theologians, and as a Lutheran I think we need more Lutheran theologians in the broader Christian conversations as well.

But here’s the problem when we start talking theology. People tune out because it is a foreign language or it’s too much like studying a textbook.  I don’t think theology talk needs to be that way.  And while I love the books by dead guys, I write for ordinary, everyday people.  The best theology isn’t meant to sit on our shelves but needs to be translated into the language of ordinary people who are trying to figure out how to apply this to their lives and go about their daily lives. And the best theology hardly inspires textbooks, but it inspires the artists and the storytellers that want to tell the story of the Gospel in a world that needs it more than ever.

So why do I blog?

Because theology matters.  And I want good theology to shape the way I understand God, the way I do my work, and the way I care for my family.  And I want the same for the people who read this blog.