For the next 24 hours, my book Stuff Jesus Never Said is available free on Kindle. Grab your copy before they run out of 1’s and 0’s. Stuff Jesus Never Said is my most awarded-book. It’s full of good news that’ll put a smile on your dial and make you thankful for Jesus. Got friends who don’t read? Send them the download link and tell them Stuff Jesus Never Said is full of funny pictures. Got friends who haven’t heard the gospel and would never set foot in a church? Ditto. SJNS is free of Christian jargon and presents the good news in a humorous and disarming manner. This Christmas giveaway is funded by the generosity of patrons. Patrons are readers like you who have signed up to make a small monthly contribution. Patrons keep me writing. Patrons also keep this website ad-free and fund the giveaway of “grace bombs.” Patrons are truly partners in this gospel venture. Since it is Christmas, I want to thank you all for sharing the journey. If you commented on a post, thanks for joining the conversation. If you shared something I wrote, thanks for passing it on. And I particularly want to thank [...]

“Paul, can you tell me how to get my book published?” I sure can. I have been in the publishing game for 20+ years. I have published more than a dozen titles including a few award-winners. I’ve worked with traditional publishers and gone the independent route. And I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons, such as this one: Lesson #1: There has never been a better time to be an author If you have a book inside you, your options for getting it published are better than ever. “Well I don’t have a book inside me, and I don’t understand why you’re talking about this. I thought Escape to Reality was a gospel blog.” You’re right, and this is the wrong place for a discussion on the how-to’s of publishing. But I get asked the question at the top of this post so often that I thought I’d share my experience with all the writers and budding authors out there. Not a writer? You may want to pass this along to your writing friends. Want to be an author? Then read on. My heart is to help people do what I do, which is write about the gospel. Writing is [...]

In a warehouse near Long Beach, there are 200 hardback copies of my book Stuff Jesus Never Said. These are the ONLY copies remaining from our big print run, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Chances are we will not be printing any more.

As a token of my gratitude, I want to give these last remaining copies to E2R subscribers. Here’s how you can get your free copy:

1. Go to the book website
2. Click “Add to Cart” then “Checkout”
3. Enter the following coupon code: [For email subscribers only – sign up today]
4. The book price should fall to zero (you will have to pay for postage)

Already got one of these award-winning books? Then grab another to give away. There is a limit of one book per subscriber and it’s first come, first served. Based on past experience, I expect these books will go very fast.

So grab your free book now while you can.

Enjoy!

Paul

PS: For readers outside of North America, I apologize but the United States Postal Service will sting you on the postage. You may find that getting the book from one of our international retailers (eg: Book Depository – free shipping worldwide) is actually cheaper than paying postage for the free book.

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This giveaway was paid for by the generosity of E2R’s awesome Patrons.

When I started writing about the gospel of grace, I had no idea that this message would go all over the world. I figured I’d get maybe 20-30 subscribers, and that’d be it. But I discovered something: people everywhere are starving for good news. Almost every day I hear from those whose lives have been radically transformed by the good news that their heavenly Father loves them as they are. It’s amazing stuff.

About a year ago I hit a financial hurdle. I prayed about it and the Lord told me to get on Patreon. (Patreon is a crowdfunding thingy where a lot of people give a little each month to help send the gospel all over the world.) I knew this was from the Lord because I had dismissed Patreon as not-for-me, but he said do it and I obeyed.

Again, I underestimated the response. Many of you decided that you wanted to partner with me in this exciting venture and signed up as patrons. I was super-encouraged.

Since that was 12 months ago, I thought you might like to know how patronage has changed things around here:

• It has kept E2R clean and ad-free, and we’ve had a makeover
• It has funded the delivery of “grace bombs” – boxes of grace resources – into parts of Africa and Asia
• It has paid for hundreds of grace books that have been distributed to pastors
• It has enabled me to hire artists and designers for things like book covers and infographics (because not everyone likes to read)
• It has helped promote new grace books from up-and-coming authors
• It has influenced the direction of my writing (I listen to patrons)
• It has enabled me to write more which means more good stuff for you

And this is just the beginning, the warm-up act. As more people become patrons, you’ll see more and better things going on. I’ve got tons of ideas that are just waiting for a little water and sunshine before they sprout and grow.

“Hey that’s great, Paul. But what does that have to do with me?”

Why not join us? Why not sign up to this adventure of proclaiming the gospel of grace? For less than a Netflix subscription you can become part of a great endeavor that is changing lives all over the world.

“Why would I pay for something I can get for free?”

Everything here is free and always will be. But consider this: If Escape to Reality has been a blessing to you, wouldn’t you like others to experience that blessing as well?

I’m not raising funds for a building or a jet, but to set people free from condemnation and dead religion. The investment payoff is clear: Patrons of Escape to Reality help people discover their Father’s favor. Patrons give this message wings.

“If I sign up, what do I get out of it?”

The satisfaction of being a partner in this gospel, plus immediate access to a lot of patron-only content along with various rewards (e.g., exclusive Q&A sessions, draft chapters of future books, etc). Patronage has its privileges.

“Paul, I believe in what you’re doing and want to help, but I’m not ready to sign up for a monthly commitment.”

I understand. Netflix isn’t for everyone. If you would like to help spread this good news message you can always make a one-off donation via our support page. Every dollar you give goes into promoting the gospel of grace.

If you are a long term reader or if you have been blessed by this blog, I encourage you to become a patron, but if you don’t that’s fine. There’s no guilt here. I’ll keep writing regardless. But if you support my work, I’ll write more and you’ll get more. Patronage is a two-way street.

One more thing: To celebrate one year of good times, every Patron who is signed up by 1 July 2017 will get a coupon code entitling them to a free hardback copy of my award-winning book Stuff Jesus Never Said (excl. shipping). That’s just my way of saying, “Patrons rock!”

So why wait? Sign up today.

See this? This is the world’s first paperback copy of my new book, AD70 and the End of the World. It is also the world’s only paperback copy, because it is the proof sent to me by the printer. It is the paperback equivalent of a world premiere. It’s a red carpet book. Do you want it? Would you like to get your hands on the paperback four months before it goes on sale? Would you like to own the only copy of this book in the world? Because I’m going to give this book away to one special reader. Read on to find out how you can get it. As you may know, the ebook version of AD70 and the End of the World came out last month. (The paperback comes out at the end of September.) I want to thank all of you who got the ebook version, either on Kindle or PDF. This paperback proof is going to one of you as a token of my gratitude. I also want to say thanks to those who’ve taken the time to write a customer review on Amazon, because books with reviews get read. So here’s how you can [...]

Short version: I’m running a logo design competition over at CrowdSpring. You don’t have to be an artistic genius to win. If you know what E2R is about and can convey that in a simple logo, you could shape the face of this website. Enter to win a prize of $200!

Longer version: When I started Escape to Reality I cast about for an image that conveyed what the new blog was about and came up with this…

If you’re younger than 40, that’s Steve McQueen from the film The Great Escape. The scene where Steve’s escaping from the Nazis is brilliant – except for one small detail. (You’ll have to watch the film to find out.)

As the blog grew it became apparent that I couldn’t make my mark with a stolen image of a dead actor, so I changed the header to this…

And then this…

As you can see, I was trying to convey the sense of a journey or adventure, the idea that we’re going places in grace. We’re exploring the uplands of God’s favor and freedom.

Another angle I have explored is the idea of breaking out (of dead works) into something bright and exciting (abundant life). You might remember this one:

But as logos go, none of these was very good. They were too detailed and couldn’t be easily put on the back of a book. So what to use?

I returned to the original escape theme. Of course the greatest escape artist of all time is Jesus – he escaped the tomb. That led to this:

That was another idea that looked better in my head than on paper. Eventually I settled on this:

You probably haven’t noticed, but that circle in the middle is meant to represent the open tomb. Pretty cool, huh? But the fact that I had to explain that to you reveals that it’s a poor logo. A good logo stands alone.

Do you have an idea for a logo, something that conveys a sense of escape or adventure or freedom or hope or rest?

If you have some thoughts, I’d love to hear them. If you’re able to sketch them out, even better! It doesn’t have to be perfect – at this stage a rough concept is good enough.

Submit your design over on the CrowdSpring page and you could win a big prize. Not only that, you will shape the face of Escape to Reality!

I look forward to seeing your designs.

Paul

PS: If you have artistic/creative friends, please let them know about the competition. Thanks!

My new book on the end times comes out today and many of you don’t care. You don’t care because you have been burned by bad end times preaching. Or you’ve had unpleasant conversations. You have found that discussing the end times is like discussing politics. No matter what you say, half the people in the room are going to jump on you. “End times? Who needs it? Jesus wins, that’s all I need to know.” This was certainly my view a few years ago. But then some of you began asking me about the year AD70 signaling a growing interest in preterism. (Preterism, in contrast with futurism, is the view that Biblical prophecy has largely been fulfilled.) In the past three to four years, I have been asked more questions about AD70 than any other subject. At first I was reluctant to join the eschatological conversation. But then I thought, “Why not?” Surely if there is any subject in need of grace, it is the traditionally scary topic of what the future may hold. Judgment Day, the rapture, the antichrist, and the great tribulation. The future is frightening apparently. Which is puzzling, because if grace is good news today, [...]

Before you are done reading this post, I hope you will press one button and possibly two. So get your button-pressing finger ready, because here comes the first button.

The first button

We’re test-driving some concept art for the cover of the new AD70 book. This is exciting stuff, at least for me. But I need your input.

Which of the books below would you be most likely to pick up in a store?

“Paul, how can I pick a cover if I don’t know what the book is about?”

This book is partly about the events of AD70, but it’s mostly about Christ’s parables and prophecies of judgment. In fact,  the subtitle of the book is Finding Good News in Christ’s Parables and Prophecies of Judgment. Here’s the blurb for the book:

Is the world going to hell in a handbasket? Is ours the generation that will be left behind? Are global events harbingers of the great tribulation? Such questions promote a fear and anxiety that is contrary to the hope-filled gospel of Jesus Christ.

In AD70 and the End of the World, Paul Ellis offers an alternative, gospel-based perspective of the last days. Based on an in-depth study of scripture and the forgotten lessons of history, he reveals the astonishing good news hidden within Christ’s parables and prophecies of judgment.

This book is the antidote to pessimistic prophecy. It answers questions about Judgment Day, the rapture, and the end of the age. It reinterprets dark tales of vengeance and wrath through the bright light of grace.

If you are weary of gloomy forecasts or are anxious about the apocalypse, AD70 and the End of the World will give you a confident and joyful expectation of a bright tomorrow.

Which cover do you feel best represents that blurb AND looks good enough to read? (Click on the image for a better view.)

Having trouble deciding? You can choose up to 3 covers in this poll:

I need your vote by Thursday 23 Feb 2017 at the latest. Thanks in advance. If you have any comments about these covers, feel free to let me know below.

The second button

I want to thank everyone who signed up as E2R patrons last month. As you know, your names are going in the ebook version of Stuff Jesus Never Said.

I did say that book would not come out for a couple of months, but things have been moving faster than expected. In fact, the ebook comes out today!

That’s right, Stuff Jesus Never Said is available right now on Kindle and PDF:

Personally, I still think the hardback version of this book is the way to go, but I appreciate it’s a little pricey and expensive to ship if you live outside of the US of A.

So if you have been waiting to read this gold-medal winning book (cough), your wait is over.

Just press the button.