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C.J. Penn

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://cjpenn.com/

Twitter

cjpenn4jc740

Genre

Christian, Nonfiction, Religion

Member Since

December 2015

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After becoming an almost-every-Sunday Christian churchgoer in his mid-thirties, CJ Penn eventually volunteered for the challenging task of helping lead the church junior high youth group. Then, in his late-forties, CJ left church and joined the ranks of the de-churched. He soon discovered he wasn’t alone.

Shortly after becoming another church refugee, CJ fell into writing as a way to express his devotion to Jesus, a devotion that, if anything, grew after he stopped attending church. This devotion motived CJ to follow the advice of his favorite Christian author, Andrew Murray, and tangibly (not symbolically) surrender himself to Jesus. He’d gotten tired of trying and often failing to lead his life in any way that felt meaningful and beneficia ...more

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

C.J. Penn For me, the best thing about being a writer is ... well, there's really not just one thing. It's more like a basket full of things, such as:
- Opening…moreFor me, the best thing about being a writer is ... well, there's really not just one thing. It's more like a basket full of things, such as:
- Opening the stopper on bottled up creativity and just letting the creative ideas flow. Though I only tried this a couple of times, there is a method attributed to Hemingway (yet likely not from him), where he supposedly advised to write drunk and edit sober. I'm not advocating drunk writing, but if a little beer or wine helps the creativity flow, maybe it's not a bad thing.
- I also love editing. It feels like taking a crude clay sculpture, removing the ugly parts, adding some improved parts, and ending up with something a whole lot better than what you started with. And for some reason, I really enjoy deleting "junk." There's some advice from the Bible that goes something like this: "The more the words, the less the meaning. And how does that profit anyone." I tend to try to write that way.
- My time is my own, at least while I'm writing.
- It gives me the opportunity to share ideas with other people, through blog posts or books I write. And my writing, always with a strong Christian theme (though maybe not a traditional theme to some), fills me with a passion to share.
- Speaking of passion, I really enjoy the passion that goes along with writing.
- And I'll stop with the last thing that popped into my head: the experience of creating new worlds and new people. And then, once the characters are created, getting to know them and then looking to them to guide me in how to write their story.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

C.J. Penn Don't hesitate. Never for a moment think you can't do it ... because you CAN. Just get started.
If you don't know what you want to write about, maybe s…moreDon't hesitate. Never for a moment think you can't do it ... because you CAN. Just get started.
If you don't know what you want to write about, maybe start by journaling whatever comes into your mind. And then, if after several days or weeks, if still don't know what to write about, go back and read through what you've written in your journal. The answer you're looking for might be right in the midst of those pages.
Also ... READ. Read what you like, lots of it. And read about the type of book you want to write. If you want to write fiction, read books about how to write fiction, lots of those too.
And somewhere along the line, you may just fall in love with writing. I hope you have a blast.(less)

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Combine Editions
C.J. Penn’s books

Average rating: 4.5 · 12 ratings · 6 reviews · 3 distinct works

	We Called Him Yeshua 4.50 avg rating — 12 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian's Search for Christianity 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian's Search for Christianity 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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C.J. is Currently Reading

C.J. Penn is currently reading

Abide in Christ

by Andrew Murray

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Jun 19, 2020 07:28AM

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C.J.’s Recent Updates

C.J. Penn made a comment in the group Christian Book Reviews — ebook FREE on Amazon, Oct. 10 to Oct. 14 topic " Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian's Search for Christianity ...more "
Oct 10, 2025 02:57PM
C.J. Penn and 184 other people liked a Goodreads News & Interviews post: Goodreads Tips for Authors “ Hello authors! We’re sharing some tips to help you get the most out of Goodreads as well as how to get support when you need it. Connecting with Readers on Goodreads Building connections between readers and their favorite authors is at the hear...” Read more of this blog post »
Oct 06, 2025 01:34PM
C.J. Penn and 7 other people liked a Goodreads News & Interviews post: How Avid Reader Press Drove Early Engagement for The Ministry of Time “Learn how The Ministry of Time used various tactics including Goodreads advertising and went on to become a Goodreads Choice Awards Winner, The New York Times best seller and Good Morning America’s book of the Month. The Ministry of Time is a deb...” Read more of this blog post »
Oct 06, 2025 01:28PM
C.J. Penn made a comment in the group Promote Your Christian Book — ebook FREE on Amazon topic " Modern Christianity suffers from 2000 years of human tinkering, manipulation, and customization. For evidence, consider the hundreds of different deno ...more "
Jul 29, 2025 10:37AM
C.J. Penn made a comment in the group Christian Authors & Books — ebook FREE on Amazon topic " Modern Christianity suffers from 2000 years of human tinkering, manipulation, and customization. For evidence, consider the hundreds of different deno ...more "
Jul 29, 2025 09:37AM
C.J. Penn made a comment in the group Christian Kindle News — ebook FREE on Amazon topic " Modern Christianity suffers from 2000 years of human tinkering, manipulation, and customization. For evidence, consider the hundreds of different deno ...more "
Jul 29, 2025 07:44AM
C.J. Penn made a comment in the group Christian Book Giveaways — ebook FREE on Amazon, "Beneath the Graffiti: A De-churched Christian's Search for Christianity," CJ Penn, ends July 30th topic " Modern Christianity suffers from 2000 years of human tinkering, manipulation, and customization. For evidence, consider the hundreds of different deno ...more "
Jul 29, 2025 07:41AM
C.J. Penn joined the groups Christian Writing & Reading Community and Underground Knowledge — A discussion group
Mar 24, 2025 08:13AM
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