I got the great privilege of receiving an early copy of Matthew Paul Turner's newest book Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost and oh my goodness- what a good, funny, memory inducing book! MPT was raised much like me in a Baptist home where religion was the heart of the family and everything revolved around that. I was raised Southern Baptist- so things were not quite as strict in my home as his, but the churches were very similar. This book made me sit back and laugh (and commiserate) at many different points about the “bubble” Christians sometimes live and put ourselves in. I still have very vivid memories of a parents meeting held at our church by the youth pastor where he told all the parents that MTV was of the devil and that we all needed to be saved from it! He even had some video put out by some extreme group with various video and sound clip- not used in context- to prove it. My parents came home and blocked MTV from our television and I do not think it was unblocked until almost 10 years later when my sister and I were both in college. During those 10 years without MTV- we just figured out other ways to watch it: baby-sitting, at a friend's house, at our aunt's house. So we still got our MTV and oddly enough appear to have turned out just fine :-) I also remember this same youth pastor having a problem with the song "One Hand in My Pocket" - He was convinced that the other hand had to be doing something of a sexual nature. As a result of all of this and other insane things a lot of my friends and visiting youth were very turned off by church, religion and everything of the nature- which is really sad in retrospect.
This is an excellent book and I recommend it to both Christians and Non-Christians- everyone will be able to relate to and find humor in this book. It is very funny and extremely well written- it is more like reading someone's journal than reading an actual book. MPT is such a good writer and story teller- he has a true talent for making you feel at home within the first page of his books and speaks his mind by saying things that we all want to say about religion, but are too afraid to do so. If you do not win this book, I highly recommend purchasing a copy or getting in through Kindle- you will be glad you did! Be sure to check out his blog- he always has great post and cute photos and videos of his adorable son, Elias! Also check out his wife Jessica's blog if you are a mommy- she always post great deals, tips and advice for moms of toddlers, photo and scrapbooking ideas, and has such a sweet heart!
Now for the exciting part- I have one copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!!
To win leave a comment on how religion has shaped your life and who you are today- be it the way you live, raise your kids, or if the religious experiences of you youth has actually caused you to steer way from church. I will pick one winner with Random.org next Tuesday, February 23 - commenting will close at 9pm on Monday, February 22. Good luck and I look forward to reading everyone’s comments!
-----------------------------------------
Author Bio:
Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker, and author of Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess, The Christian Culture Survival Guide, and several other popular books. After a childhood in rural Maryland, Turner attended Nashville’s Belmont University, where he received a BBA in music business, and was the editor of CCM magazine before leaving to pursue writing as a career. Turner has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single, and other magazines. He and his wife, Jessica, have one son, and live in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his website: http://www.matthewpaulturner.com/.
Random House
*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
Disclosure: Compensated affiliate links used
Posts
When You Get to Turn the Chair Around
4 hours ago
3 comments:
The Lord shapes everything I do...instead of just touching my Sundays, I am convicted that He needs to touch every second of my day.
I was raised in the Catholic Church. Our Sundays were the only day that was devoted to Christ, but now He has reached in and chosen to make my every second a devotion to Him. What a gift!
http://sassyteach.livejournal.com for more info!
My religious experience has certainly brought to where I am today. I've always been involved and never strayed. I'm not perfect but my faith runs deep and always has.
Most recently the birth of my premature daughter has brought my faith to a new level. I really understood what it was like to continue to have faith even when things seemed like they could get no lower. There were times when I wanted to know why and questioned the plans he had for my daughter, but I always knew that He was there I was not alone. My faith is so much more real to me now that I have had that experience.
Mu husband and I intend to raise our daughter to know that Jesus is her savior and that like us she can depend on Him through everything in life.
Nikkie Reagan
I knew very little about the religious community while growing up. Its only been in the past 6 or 7 seven years that Ive been introduced and more active in my faith and now a baptized christian who walks close with my Lord and savior every day. As for how religion has affected me during this time...well lets just say im not very religious. However i consider my self to be a man of strong faith in God. The word religion get thrown around too much.
Post a Comment