Matthew Paul Turner
This past weekend my parents and grandparents came into town for the big wedding. Okay, it wasn’t big, but it was a big deal – I guess any wedding is a big deal! Anyway, like most people who try to entertain parents and grandparents, I didn’t really have a clue what to do. It’s easy to figure out what to do with my parents, but to come up with something they, my grandparents, and I all end up thinking is fun is extremely hard, dare I say almost impossible.
We usually end up just sitting around on the couch watching television and talking. Yet this past weekend we did something far better than watching any television show; we sat on the couch and read Matthew Paul Turner’s book Churched. I have to admit that I received the book forever ago before it was even released, but I hadn’t read it. I guess I was waiting for the right time, which was this past weekend. ☺
I had heard a lot of the book already. I heard Matthew read from it on three different occasions, so when I began telling my grandparents about some of the stories, they wanted to hear them for themselves. So me, my parents and grandparents literally sat on the couches and each took turns reading the book aloud. Now this may not sound fun to some of you, but our bellies hurt we laughed so hard.
To be blunt, I didn’t know what my dad or my grandfather would think about the book. Sometimes Matthew pokes fun at some of the traditions and language that Baptist people hold dear. But I believe that’s what made the book so funny to my family. As much as we love being Baptist, Matthew said and talked about some of the things we have long wanted to bring up and make fun of but didn’t and don’t feel free enough to (I’ll let you guess at which things I’m talking about).
From a pastor’s perspective, the book taught me a lot. I learned that what I say and how I say it (whatever “it” is) does matter. It made me think about traditions that my denomination upholds. It made me see that through it all “love” truly wins.
How refreshing it was to read something that not only made me laugh and cry, but it brought my family closer together. I will forever be thankful for Mr. Turner. He is a good man, a great friend, and an even better father and husband. That man loves his family and talks about them more than anyone I know. Thank you Matthew for being the David Sedaris of the Christian world, inviting us all to join in on your story, and becoming my grandfather’s favorite author (the pic is of me, MPT, and my grandpa).
If you are trying to find something for your parents and/or grandparents this year, you won’t go wrong with Churched. You can buy a copy here. I promise you and your family will be more than happy you did.