If so, this book was written for you.
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Tag Archives: Christianity
Finding truth in a truth-starved world
Whether Christian or not, have you ever wondered about the validity of the Christianity you’ve seen and experienced? Have you ever wondered if that’s how it’s really supposed to be? Have you ever been curious about how true Christianity—that is, the Christianity that Jesus Christ lived and taught—might differ from the Christianity you’ve experienced?
You can find answers, and the truth, in the book, “Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity.”
Now available via Kindle Unlimited.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7VD71B
An old perspective of Christianity
Where modern Christianity reflects 2000 years of human influence, “Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity” uncovers old Christianity, the Christianity that Jesus lived and taught. It’s the Christianity of the Bible presented in a very relatable way.
Now available via Kindle Unlimited.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7VD71B
Did traditional church not work for you?
Many people who end up leaving church started out looking for something, something they perhaps couldn’t find in their traditional church experience. So, they left. Sensing that the Christianity I’d been experiencing was influenced more by man than God, and desiring true Christianity rather than some manmade version, many years ago I left church. Without having to look beyond the Bible, I then stepped off on a journey in search of answers, understanding, and a relationship with God that I couldn’t find while attending church.
It’s been about 18 years since I began my journey. Along the way I wrote a book, “Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian’s Search for Christianity.” My book 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—graffiti in the form of manmade rules, doctrines, beliefs, and traditions.
While writing this book, I found the answers and understanding I’d been looking for, I found healing and recovery from my de-churching experience, and I found a relationship with God and Jesus that’s far beyond anything I was looking for. I hope this book will similarly help those who read it.
If you’re curious about the book, please check it out on Amazon. The “Read sample” selection for the Kindle version is generous. For some weird reason, the paperback “Read sample” selection is small—Amazon quirk, I guess.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7VD71B
A new perspective of Jesus Christ
Get to know Jesus in a way you may not have experienced before. See Him from a new perspective. Hear His story as told by the nameless who followed Him along the roads of ancient Israel.
Are you de-churched?
Did you once attend a Christian church, but don’t anymore?
If so, from one de-churched person to another, you might be interested in this book. Writing it helped me recover from my experience with a manmade version of Christianity. Reading it might do the same for you.
Paperback and ebook are now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7VD71B
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.
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.
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).
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.
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 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.
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. 😊
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.
Book Launch Days are Such FUN!
I’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.
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.
How does this book cover strike you?
If you saw this book on a shelf in a book store, would the cover tempt you to pick it up, check out the back cover text, or even peek inside? If you’d be tempted, please click the “like” button below, and/or leave a comment. Thanks
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)
They followed Jesus to the end. But for them, that end was a new beginning.
“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.
They Relied on the Holy Spirit
First 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)
Does God Hate Sinners?
The 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.
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.
But, 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.”
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.
CJ Penn's Online Writing Hangout 