CJ Penn's Online Writing Hangout

The reason I write: To promote Christian truth and help Jesus get His Christianity back.

Author Archives: CJ Penn


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Looking for Stress Relief?

Do you feel surrounded by stress-inducers? Take world events—I don’t need to mention which ones might be causing you stress. You know what they are. At least we’re not under attack by another pandemic.

Some look to their religion for stress relief. But what if that’s not doing it for you? Take Christianity for example. What if your experience with Christianity isn’t giving you the peace you’re looking for, the answers you’re looking for, or the sense of God’s presence and protection you may be looking for?

Look, Jesus Christ created a masterpiece when He lived and taught what came to be called Christianity. Then, over the centuries, men splattered graffiti on that masterpiece, graffiti in the form of manmade rules, doctrines, beliefs, and traditions. Today, the manmade sometimes obscures the God-made to the point where, in some Christian circles, Jesus’ masterpiece is barely visible.

Sensing that the Christianity I’d been experiencing was influenced more by man than God, many years ago I left church and stepped off on a multi-year journey in search of the masterpiece. My newly-published book, “Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity,” is a record of what I found when I peered beneath the accumulated graffiti of the past 2000 years, graffiti painted by church history and human nature.

I found the masterpiece. And in that masterpiece, I found the peace I’d always been looking for, the answers I’d been looking for, and God’s presence in my life in a way that’s far beyond anything I’d been looking for. By seeing Jesus’ masterpiece as revealed in my book, maybe you can find what you’ve been looking for.

Paperback and ebook now available on Amazon.

Mockup


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Help for the Hurting

Do you know someone who’s been wounded by an experience with a church or a Christian? Do you know someone who, though a long-time churchgoer, eventually gave up on church, maybe because of a bad experience? And though giving up on church, they didn’t necessarily give up on Jesus? Is this describing you?

Whether this describes you or someone you know, my just-published book, “Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity,” may help them recover from wounds inflicted by past experiences. It may even help them find new meaning and purpose by revealing to them authentic Christianity, a Christianity they may not have experienced at church, a Christianity that reflects the way of life that Jesus lived and taught.

Paperback and ebook now available on Amazon.

Cover


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A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity

For reasons I at first didn’t understand, I began to doubt the authenticity of the Christianity I’d been experiencing, at least the Christianity practiced in my small corner of the Christian world. So, after leaving the church I’d been attending for over twelve years, I went looking for the truth. That is, I went searching for Jesus’ Christianity, a Christianity I could believe in without doubts, a Christianity that wasn’t stained by the influences of man and the world.

In my just-published book, “Beneath the Graffiti; A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity,” you can follow me as I look beneath the graffiti of manmade rules, doctrines, beliefs, and traditions, to uncover the original masterpiece that Jesus lived and taught.

Paperback and ebook now available on Amazon, where you can read a more detailed description. Plus, there’s a generous “Read sample” selection for the Kindle version (the paperback version shows less—just an Amazon quirk, I suppose).

View on Amazon

Mockup


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What’s beneath the graffiti of modern Christianity?

Jesus Christ created a masterpiece when He lived and taught what came to be called Christianity. Then, over the centuries, men splattered graffiti on that masterpiece, graffiti in the form of manmade rules, doctrines, beliefs, and traditions. Today, the manmade often obscures the God-made to the point where, in some Christian circles, Jesus’ masterpiece is barely visible.

MockupSensing that the Christianity I’d been experiencing was influenced more by man than God, many years ago I left church and stepped off on a multi-year journey in search of the masterpiece. My book, “Beneath the Graffiti; A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity,” is a record of what I found when I peered beneath the accumulated graffiti of the past 2000 years, graffiti painted by church history and human nature.

What I found confirmed my suspicions that, when we look on the surface of modern Christianity, we don’t always see what Jesus lived and taught—we don’t always see the truth of what it means to be Christian. Yet, by scraping off the graffiti and revealing Jesus’ masterpiece that’s been hidden beneath, I hope this book will help reverse the decline of Christianity in the US—I hope this book will help Jesus get His Christianity back.

You can follow this link to get a sneak peek at Chapter 1.

And if you’d like to be notified once the book is available on Amazon, please click Follow in the right sidebar, or follow my Facebook page.


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I’m trying to publish 2 books in one month. Am I crazy?

Last week I independently published a revised edition of a novel I first published over fours ago. Now I’m getting ready to publish my second book, a Christian nonfiction book which is scheduled to go live on Amazon in about two weeks. That’s launching 2 books in less than a month.

In some ways, my workload is doubled. There are final tweaks on two book cover designs. Two book descriptions to craft, and polish. Two marketing and promotion plans to finalize and implement. Two books to load into Amazon KDP, and on, and on, and on. Am I crazy for trying to launch two books in one month.

Well, crazy or not, I’m really enjoying all this. What’s more important is that those who read my books enjoy the fruits of my labor. That hope is what keeps me working through my ever-growing list of book launch action items.

BUT, I am looking forward to a bit slower pace. 😊

Both book covers


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Following Jesus down the dusty roads

What was life like 2000 years ago when Jesus walked the roads of ancient Israel? Are you curious what it may have been like to have Jesus enter your life, and then follow Him as He traveled those dusty roads?

To begin to get an idea, follow this link to read the first 2 chapters, which is more than you’ll see in the Amazon “Read Sample.”

Now available on Amazon.com.

Ebook We Called Him Yeshua


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Book Launch Days are Such FUN!

Ebook We Called Him YeshuaI’m really excited today! I first published this book back in the spring of 2020. At the time, apart from transitioning to working from home, the activity of publishing my first book was a great distraction from the 2020 chaos. But today I’m launching a revised edition of that book, and though the original edition was received well and earned some nice comments and ratings on Amazon (4.4 stars, 28 ratings as of Oct. 5th), I think this revised edition is much better.

To get a brief overview of what this book is about, here’s an excerpt from the Amazon description:

Based on stories in the Bible, We Called Him Yeshua imagines following Jesus Christ as he traveled the dusty roads of ancient Israel. Told from the perspective of those who followed, their stories will help you see what they saw, feel what they felt, and experience Jesus as they did.  What they experienced was not only the healing power of God, but also the love, compassion, and humility of a friend.
When they first met Jesus, they felt almost like life was beginning anew. Then, they followed Him to the end. But for them, that end was another new beginning.

Please consider checking out the book on Amazon.com. And if you do, thanks.

View on Amazon

If you find the “Read sample” snippet on Amazon not enough to satisfy your curiosity, you can get a sneak peek at more right here.


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What Difference Will a New Book Cover Make?

When I first published “We Called Him Yeshua” over four years ago, I decided to go with a cover design that my niece had created. At the time, I thought the cover was cool and I really liked the idea of honoring my niece by using it. Yet, as time passed, I learned that for several reasons, the book could really benefit from a more professionally looking cover. However, since the Amazon review ratings and comments were looking good, I left the cover as-is.

Recently, I decided to take a look at what I’d written 4+ years ago. It was no surprise to me that while reading those words, I saw room for improvement. Motivated by the opportunity to enhance the story, I embarked on a project to make revisions and re-publish the book as a revised edition. This also gave me the chance to get a new cover design.

So, what do you think of the new cover? If you saw this book on a shelf in a book store, would you be tempted to open it up and peek inside?

By the way, if you’re curious about what you’d see if you peeked inside, please following this link to learn more, and even read the first couple of chapters if you’d like to.

(original cover …………… new cover)

Final Front Cover    Ebook We Called Him Yeshua


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They followed Jesus to the end. But for them, that end was a new beginning.

Ebook We Called Him Yeshua“It can be hard feeling close to God. The divine can feel intimidating and unapproachable. Yet it was easy feeling close to Yeshua, for though he was both God and human, to us he felt more human.

“You may know of him by his divinity and his Greek name, Jesus Christ. We knew him mostly by his humanity and his Hebrew name, Yeshua. You may know about him by what you read in the Bible or hear in a sermon. We knew him by his presence in our lives. My name is Anna, and along with my brother Neri and the others, I’d like to tell you about our time with Yeshua. We’d like to show you what it was like and how it felt to follow him.”

Based on stories in the Bible, We Called Him Yeshua imagines following Jesus Christ as he traveled the dusty roads of ancient Israel. Told from the perspective of those who followed, their stories will help you see what they saw, feel what they felt, and experience Jesus as they did.  What they experienced was not only the healing power of God, but also the love, compassion, and humility of a friend.

They followed Jesus to the end. But for them, that end was a new beginning.

This book was originally published just as the pandemic erupted—perhaps bad timing on my part. The revised edition, with a new cover and slight changes to enhance the story, will be available initially on Amazon very soon.

If you would like to be notified when the revised edition is available on Amazon, please click the “Follow” link in the right sidebar.

If you’d like to get a sneak-peek at the first couple of chapters, which is likely more than the Amazon “read sample” would give you, please follow this link.


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They Relied on the Holy Spirit

Rely on the Holy SpiritFirst century aspiring Christians didn’t have a written word to rely on—they didn’t have a New Testament—which may have been to their advantage. They didn’t need the written word, for as promised, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide them. The paradox today is that the written word can sometimes be a distraction, getting in the way of someone becoming truly Christian. For as Jesus warned:

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. … The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” (John 5:39-40 and 6:63)

Oh sure, Jesus relied on scripture when He walked the roads of ancient Israel. But He relied on His Father more.  And if we’re going to consider ourselves Christian, Jesus calls us to do the same:

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth. … But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” (John 14:16-17, 26)

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:12-13)


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Does God Hate Sinners?

Does God hate sinnersThe Bible does talk about God hating sinners, such as in Proverbs 6:16-19 and Psalm 5:4-6. Some so-called Christians take these verses as license for them to shout out that God hates a particular person or group of people. Yet there are two thoughts regarding this that I’d like to place before you.

First, maybe it’s possible for God to both love and hate the same person. Maybe God can love the good, and at the same time hate the evil and sin within a person. I’ve felt that odd combination of emotions, and if I can, God certainly can do even better.

Second, it’s not up to me or anyone else to declare who God hates. That privilege is reserved for Him, and Him alone. For me to declare a particular person or group of people as an object of God’s hate is an act of judgment. And maybe that’s one reason so many outsiders view Christians as judgmental.


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There can be danger in manmade versions of Christianity

I just came across a post on Reddit showing an example of the harm inflicted by manmade versions of Christianity. The title of the post is “Goodbye Christianity,” and here is, with a few bits edited out:

“I first joined Reddit because at the time I was very evangelical. Now that 4 years have gone by along with events in life that involve the church, I have come to the conclusion that people who profess the name of Jesus Christ are untrustworthy and rotten to the core just like everyone else. … If you all can stay in this religion with peace in your heart and you’re not a terrible person towards others, then God bless you, as for the rest who do not have the aforementioned trait then you can only blame yourself and people likewise yourself as a sole reason why Christianity is on the decline, not the devil, yourself. So long my former Christian brothers and sisters, I’m gonna live my life now.”

Upon reading this, I first felt sadness for the person who wrote it. I then felt anger, anger toward the true root cause of what has led this person to leave Christianity. It’s not the people who the writer claims are untrustworthy and rotten, for those people are just more wounded victims. The true root cause is a manmade version of Christianity, a version of Christianity that promotes such things as judgment, hypocrisy, bigotry, and arrogance.

Manmade wounds - Jesus healsBut, where manmade Christianity inflicts wounds, true Christianity, Jesus’ Christianity, heals wounds. So if I were to try and comfort the person who wrote that post, I’d encourage them to leave their painful experience in the past, turn to God and Jesus and their words in the Bible, and pray.

And as Brother Lawrence said in the book “The Practice of the Presence of God:”

“It isn’t necessary that we stay in church in order to remain in God’s presence. We can make our hearts personal chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately.”


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Jesus isn’t the problem—the church is

In a survey of both Christians and non-Christians, the Barna Group discovered that:

  •  71% of survey respondents have a positive opinion of Jesus Christ
  •  57% have a positive opinion of Christianity
  •  47% have a positive opinion of churches in their community
  •  16% have a positive opinion of megachurches

(https://www.barna.com/research/year-in-review-2023/   See item #3).

As the Barna article stated, Jesus isn’t the problem—the church is.


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The Best Evangelist

Best evangelist - HSIt’s not my place to convince anyone of the truth of Christianity. Christians are called to be neither an arguing attorney nor judge. All I’m called to do is be a witness, nothing more, nothing less. As Jesus said:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27)

And while being a witness, I’ll rely on the Holy Spirit to do the convincing. As Jesus also said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12-13).

Finally, notice the role of the Holy Spirit. D.L. Moody once said, “There is no better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit.”


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Manmade verses God-made

Manmade Ch. or Jesus' Ch.When we look on the surface of modern Christianity, we don’t always see what Jesus had in mind. Rather, we often see a manmade version, a form that at least partially paints Christianity in man’s image rather than God’s image, thus defacing Jesus’ truth.

Of course, many adherents to a manmade version of Christianity are reluctant to accept this claim. As I’ve experienced, some will vehemently argue that the nuances of their religion represent true Christianity, unpolluted by human influence. Over the centuries, their predecessors perfected the arguments approving the authority of their manmade version of church, and their definition of what it means to be Christian.

But consider this, from Jesus: “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). Now consider what Peter said when challenged by the religious leaders of his day who clung to their manmade rules and traditions: “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!” (Acts 4:19).

The choice facing all who call themselves Christian is, will they listen to Jesus and His truth, or to those who cling to a defaced version of Jesus’ Christianity.


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The End of the Other Pandemic

In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve fell for the temptation of Satan, the outcome was as if Satan had infected them with his sinfulness, pridefulness, and selfishness. This virus was then passed onto Adam and Eve’s descendants.

Then, Jesus Christ died to the sin, pride, and self that had infected humanity. And by His death and our faith, we can participate in Jesus’ death and also be dead to the virus of sinfulness, pridefulness, and selfishness.

The best part about all this is that, with death to our sinful nature, we make room for the Spirit of Jesus to take its place so that we can say with Paul, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

Galatians 2-20 & 5-24


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My Daily Filling … of God

Christ who lives in meIt begins or ends with sleep. I mean, my daily connection with God. Sleep has become a weird experience for me. There’s no control of my thoughts, almost never a thought of God. Though my body’s asleep, my mind seems to never stop. One strange dream after another. It feels like a waste of time. Since my mind’s going to stay active anyway, why couldn’t it instead be with God and Jesus in heaven, resting in their presence, getting ready for the next day?

But this morning it occurred to me that, where it feels like my soul empties itself of God’s presence during my dream-filled sleep, each morning with my coffee cup warming my hands and my eyes closed, I feel myself open up to God, like opening a valve. And then, with my heart and soul again fully open, God pours His Spirit into me.

So, my preparation for each day isn’t found in the rest of a sleepful night. But rather in the quieting and opening of my soul each morning, where I empty myself of self to make room for God. And the best days are when I open and empty myself enough to truly let God be all within me, so I can then say with Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

I no longer look upon sleep as a waste of time, which I know is a strange thing to say. For me, sleep now presents the opportunity to show my love and commitment to God each morning.


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Christ Living in You

angel & devil on shoulders 1When Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23), He was talking about denying the worldly and self-centered side of what makes up our personality.

And when Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20), he was referring to the same worldly self. He was talking about his little devil effectively being crucified when Jesus was crucified, making room for the Spirit of Christ to come in and take its place.

Yes, picture the Spirit of Jesus on your shoulder, in place of your sinful self. That’s what Jesus promised when He said, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). It can happen.


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Giving Truth a Shoulder to Lean On

Jonathan Swift quoteEntering the campus of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, as I followed the herd of other tourists through Library Square, I looked up to see a large sign with this quote from Jonathan Swift.

With respect to the state of Christianity these days, this quote has helped fuel my desire to give truth a shoulder to lean on, especially when so many people are kicking it in the shins.