CHOCOLATE JESUS CANCELLED

Why? Catholic leaders complained about the candied crucifix.

But don't worry; it's my understanding that church leaders still maintain crucifixes made out of gold, bronze, wood, stainless steel, pewter, and plastic are Holy Church approved.

Praise Jesus!

Hot chocolate anyone?

JESUS, THE FORCE IS WITH YOU

A new book recently released through WinePress Publishing called Star Wars Jesus: A Spiritual Commentary on the Reality of the Force. The book is written by Caleb Grimes. I haven't read the book, so please do not take this post as any kind of statement for or against this actual book. I promise this is not a review!

But of course, I do have something to say: This kind of book, the one that takes one piece of pop cultural fare and squeezes every last spiritual truth out of it, is always a strange journey for me. On one hand, I think it's cool that someone is able to watch both trilogies of Star Wars and see a thread of Christian thought throughout. To be honest, you don't have to be brilliant to notice a semi-Christian message in many parts of the movies. Then again, you might have to be Christian, but you most definitely don't have to be brilliant.

Here's the deal; there's the part of me that wonders if by doing a "hunt for Jesus" within every corner of popular culture whether or not we're doing a disservice to the art and the artist. In other words, are we doing the art justice by literally outlining every possible Christian theme and turning it into a lesson for the faithful? And when does that stop? I mean, it's pretty easy to take every good story that deals with the battle between good and evil and harness some kind of Jesus-infused faith out of it.

It's one thing to look at Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings and decipher the Christian themes--both writers were Christian and they obviously allowed their faith to influence the allegory they wrote. But I guess I feel like sometimes Christians, in our longing to see the story of Jesus painted creatively in the culture at large, get a little over the top in trying to see Jesus in every work of art.

I do it, too, sometimes--perhaps more than I realize. But once in a while though, isn't it nice to just a let a good story be just that--a good story? And by doing that, we're allowing the one who partakes in the art to come up with their own conclusions. Sometimes--not always--this kind of product is as obnoxious as those Christian billboards I see when I drive from Nashville to Knoxville on Interstate 40--supposedly trying to point me and everyone who passes, to Jesus. Many of these types of books are like that for me, it's like you're enjoying a good movie and suddenly a billboard pops up and asks, "Hey you! You just missed Jesus in that scene between Darth Vader and Luke--he was there!"

Like I said, I'm guilty of it, too; seeing an advertisement for "Star Wars Jesus" just made me think of it.

Am I the only one who is at times bewildered by this?

JESSICA'S BLOG

If anyone is interested in hearing more, my wife wrote an update about her headaches on her blog.

USA TODAY TALKS TO ARTIST DEREK WEBB

It's a good read.

An artist who is good PR for Jesus.

Am listening to his new album "The Ringing Bell" right now. Will comment on that soon.

MY BOOK 'MIND GAMES'--READ MOST OF IT FOR FREE AT GOOGLE BOOKS

I had no idea this was available online until today. Click here and instantly get access to all but 20 pages of my book "Mind Games: Advice, Stories, and Truth For Thinking Free." This book didn't take off very well, so I say--if you want, read it for free! And send it to all of your depressed, anxious, and ADHD-stricken friends.

:-)

Here's to thinking free...

mpt

MAD TV PRESENTS: JESUS AND THE TERMINATOR

SWEET JESUS.

"My Sweet Lord" a 6-foot-tall chocolate creation by artist Cosimo Cavallaro will be unveiled at a midtown Manhattan hotel on Monday, April 1.


AND WAIT JUST A MINUTE! Shouldn't he be made with white chocolate?!?

ALERT!: DOBSON CAN TELL IF YOU ARE CHRISTIAN

According to the original 'family guy' James Dobson, the former senator from Tennessee and actor on NBC's "Law and Order" Fred Thompson is NOT a Christian.

Somebody sound the alarm. According to Dobson, there's ANOTHER non-Christian running for president. My gosh, what will we do?

Dobson says of Thompson's rumored bid for the White House: "I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression."

And we all know that it's Dobson's impressions that truly count.


Thompson's spokesperson, in reply to Dobson's comment, had this to say: "Thompson is indeed a Christian; he was baptized into the Church of Christ."

BUT WAIT! There's more...

Focus on the Family's spokesperson Gary Schneeberger didn't refute Dobson's claim in a follow-up interview. When he heard about Thompson's church membership, he said: "We use that word "Christian" to refer to people who are evangelical Christians.

DID YOU CATCH THAT?

Well, I guess that settles it. If you happen to be Methodist, Catholic, Prebyterian, or a part of any other mainline denomination, looks like you are not going to get the thumbs from Dobson when it comes to being truly fit for eternal glory--at least, according to Dobson and his friend.

Pitty.

It's hard to believe that there are people who still listen to that man. Oh well, another day, another stupid comment from an evangelical leader.

For what it's worth though, I want all of my non-evangelical peeps to know: I love you and you most definitely have THUMBS UP from me.

Oh wait. I almost forgot; my impression doesn't matter, either. What was I thinking?

PREPARING FOR A REDESIGN, NEED YOUR HELP

Hey friends,

I am getting ready to redesign my web site. FINALLY! One of my good friends is speerheading it for me, and his design eye is fantastic. So, be on the look out for change happening sometime in May. But before then, I need your help.

Would you mind telling me your favorite web sites, from a design standpoint? Now, keep in mind that MatthewPaulTurner.com or JesusNeedsNewPR.com will never look like VH1.com or CNN.com. But please, tell me your smaller scale favorites.

mpt

MOTHER OF MAN HELD IN NICARAGUA ON 'TODAY'

The Today Show interviewd Eric Volz's mother this morning. Gosh, I cannot imagine what it must be like knowing that your son has been thrown into a Nicaraguan prison for 30 years for a murder he didn't commit [10 eyewitnesses say so]. She feels helpless, at least, from a human standpoint.

Who can blame her? I would feel hopeless, too.

It's funny how easily I become frustrated with God about what is happening in my own story. I give up quickly. And I have nowhere near experienced what this dear family is experiencing at this time.

Think about Eric's story--watch the video of his story here--with all that he has endured since December, I'm sure he's never really had a chance to process the death of his ex-girlfriend.

Such a complicated story. Please continue to pray.

Pray for a miracle.

CHRISTIAN SEX VIDEO

First of all, I think it's funny that a post labeled "Christian sex" video is PG-13, heck maybe even PG, and not at least R. I think it was Ted Haggard who said evangelicals have the best sex. Eh, PG13 sex is not that good of sex. LOL. No comment.

Well, I've been noticing that the views on this video commercial for my sex book have been going up lately. I'm not sure how people are hearing about it, but I thought I would post it again for anyone who hasn't seen it. Also, if you would, please forward it to anyone and everyone you know or post the link from YouTube.com onto your blog. Would love to see this video hit 100,000 views. And it's not a bad way to spend two minutes; I've been told that it's funny. But...

I'll let you decide. Email me and tell me what you think--but be nice!

MatthewPaulTurner@gmail.com

LAMB: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST'S CHILDHOOD PAL

Am only six chapters into this novel about a fictional character named Biff who was Jesus' best friend, but must say that, so far, Christopher Moore is fantastically funny and quite insightful about Jesus. No, it's not the gospel truth, just one man's perspective about God's son.

But seriously, by page two, you'll be laughing.

THE PASSION OF TALKING GOD WITH A FRIEND

Confession.

I did it again.

I got a bit worked up while talking God with my best friend. It's sad how open minded I can be until someone disagrees with my spiritual point of view. In most circumstances, a disagreement over theology won't make me blink an eye, not because I am some righteous guru who is well known for his level head, but because I don't usually feel comfortable boldly interjecting my opinion. It's almost always not worth going there.

But with a best friend it's easy to interject your personal feelings on almost any matter. I suppose I sometimes naively expect my close friends to just agree with me without question. Oh, I know--ridiculous! But as ridiculous as it might seem, I still do it.

When it comes to matters of faith, I think it's natural to desire affirmation or agreement from those in your personal community. I mean, think about it; most of us do our best to make our God-leanings, whatever they might be, our center. With faith being our core, it's no wonder we stumble whenever we run into what seemingly feels like non-acceptance.

So yeah, I just got off the phone with my best friend a bit heated just because he and I didn't agree on a couple lofty faith particulars. Oh, I know we'll be fine in the morning, but that's beside the point.

In my pursuit of God, I want to embrace my faithful brothers and sisters who surround me on this journey with peace and patience. Making them into a short-term enemy doesn't promote Jesus. It doesn't do his story justice. It's prideful and immature.

When talking about God, I want to learn how to mix my passion for the story he's writing in me with mercy for the story he is writing in others.

So hard sometimes.

I get in the way. My opinion becomes too important. My last word becomes what I set my sights on.

May God redeem us all, no matter what our stories entail.

mpt

P.S.: Thank you for your comments and emails regarding yesterday’s post about church hopping. If you would be so kind, tell your friends about my blog--I'm competing with my wife on how many views each of us gets... LOL. Don't ask. It's fun though.

NEW CHURCH?

Jessica and I visited a new church this morning, one named The Village Chapel.

We're currently members at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. Jessica loves FBC, which honestly makes me happy. I'm not as much of a fan, mainly because it's too evangelical for me. Not that being evangelical is always bad, but lately I've just been craving something more orthodox, emergent, raw, hope-filled--whatever you want to call it. Not a fan of titles.

I'm just not a fan of how many evangelical churches leave so many people out of engaging the story of Jesus just because they don't adhere to the "evangelical" rules. I think it's sad, really. The story of Jesus is for everyone, not just for those who clean up their act according to how we tell them to.

But can I just tell you how much I hate church hopping. Hate it. I think it might be worse than dating. It's definitely more complicated than dating, at least, for me.

Makes me tired. Makes me want to just stay where I am.

Happy Sunday night to you.

mpt

JOIN VIRB.COM

You can check out my account by clicking here. It's so much cooler [and friendlier] than MySpace.com.

WATCH. PRAY. HELP.

An innocent man is serving a 30-year sentence for murder in Nicaragua. If you know someone who can help him, please step forward.

THINGS I'M INTO RIGHT NOW

Here's a short list of pop culture that is keeping my interest longer than 32 seconds. Of course, that's 7 months in ADHD years. For the time being, I like the following things.

"The Kingdom," the new song by Bethany Dillon

"The Only Road North: 9000 Miles Of Dirt and Dreams," book by author Erik Mirandette

"300," the movie.

"Ordinary Day," new song by Cranberries' lead singer Dolores O'Riordan

"Sex God," the new book by Rob Bell.

"Twilight," by Future of Forestry

"Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal," a 2003 book by author Christopher Moore.

THE GUYS OF FUTURE OF FORESTRY SAY HELLO

Check out their web site by clicking here.

WTF?!?

I think I'm late on discovering this one: GodTube.com. What in the world? Do we really need a GodTube.com?!? It's tagline is: "Broadcast Him." And it's designed to look exactly like YouTube.

Somebody has way too much time on their hands--that's all I got to say.

LATEST VIDEO BLOG

HEADING OUT AGAIN

Leaving tonight for my last weekend of the TCU tour [spring edition]; please keep me in your prayers. Pray that people respond to the need to help the children of India [I've been giving the World Vision presentation each night]. This tour has been so much fun; I am not looking forward to it ending, mostly because of the people that I have been so fortunate to get to know. The people I have been traveling with are the best kind of people--passionate and hope-filled. People who chase Jesus with abandon, but also with brains and tact. Each of them have taught me something beautiful about my savior.

oh, and sad news: Jesus Needs New PR will not be releasing until February 2008. I know, I know--I'm so bummed, but Tyndale tells me this is a good thing. I know one thing--I LOVE who they've chosen to spearhead the PR side of things... so we shall see.

Please continue to pray that our soldiers in Iraq [as well as all those who live in Iraq] remain safe, and that we see safe and speedy exit out of war...

Peace to you and yours...

mpt

LEADING EVANGELICALS CONDEMN GLOBAL WARMING

Apparently, according to people like James Dobson, God isn't pleased with those who take global warming seriously; in fact, Mr. 'Family' Guy believes that putting emphasis on the evironment only takes our minds off of more pressing moral issues like gay marriage or abortion.

No comment.

Just love your neighbor today.

mpt

'SEX' BOOK GETS A FIVE-STAR REVIEW

The author of this book gives my parents too much credit. They took a stance similar to "Don't ask, don't tell" when it came to sex. I had to figure things out with a National Geographic and a medical encyclopedia. Okay. Now that I got that off my chest, I can get to the review.

This book should be required reading for anyone who has children. They need to read this book before they make an attempt at talking to their kids about sex. When they screw it up, like most parents do, they should just give the book to their kids, and let them read it.

This is not just some how-to manual. This is a book that takes a level headed, mature look at sex from a Christian perspective. God designed sex, and Matthew Paul Turner helps you make sense of it all. He doesn't just take a one-sided look at things. He provides links to websites for help and further information. There is some serious talk about porn addiction. One of the touchiest subjects (no pun intended), masturbation, is dealt with in the most realistic and straight forward way that I have ever seen.

Whether you are a teenager who is looking to figure some things out, a parent looking for a little help, or an adult looking to figure out how you got screwed up, this books for you. Turner writes in a style that keeps the reading interesting without getting awkward.

Get this book.

Justin Wright
Tollbooth.org

**Thank you Tollbooth for the great review!

RON LUCE IS AN IDIOT

Dear San Francisco,

I write this letter for one reason: I am sorry that your city must experience the mean-spirited company of Ron Luce. My prayers are with you and yours...

Many followers of Jesus believe he is little more than one who speaks hate. He is in no way a representative of any Jesus I read about in scripture.

Grace and peace to you,

mpt

JOHN EDWARDS SAYS, 'JESUS WOULD BE APPALLED AT AMERICA'S SELFISHNESS!'

What?!? America is selfish? I had no idea! I guess I've been too busy thinking about me, and how I can make life better for me.

Interesting article.

TCU Tour

Hey this is Matthew's wife Jessica... the scrapbooker. :) I am on the road with him, Bethany Dillon and the gang from Future of Forestry. We are in Green Bay right now and are heading to Minneappolis over night. Here is a picture I took during tonight's show - don't worry, it will DEFINITELY be scrapbooked.



Night friends.

TCU TOUR UPDATE

As many of you know, I've been out on the road with Bethany Dillon and Future of Forestry for a couple of days now. So far, the gigs have been amazing. Life on a bus is much simpler than I would have imagined. Sure, there's small things that make life on the road complicated, but for the most part, it's been a lot of fun, like a mini vacation. The first date was in Iowa was quite interesting, mainly because we ran into quite a snow storm up there. And though it was colder at Graceland University, than I have experienced all season, the people we met made the trip through the tundra worth it. It was amazing to meet a wealth of students there who are following Jesus by working toward ending poverty, improving the environment, and making meditation on the story of God a daily responsibility.

Our next stop was Napersville, IL, just a few miles outside of Chicago. We played a venue called The Union, a building that was once a church and now has been turned into a live-music venue. The manager, a college minister named Jeremy, made us feel very welcomed. The second night felt more cohesive from the stage; each of us felt as though we were hitting a bit of a groove. Instead of "speaking," I'm simply reading selections from a couple of my books, including the upcoming Jesus Needs New PR. I've been getting pretty good response; so far no one has flinched by my use of the word, "penis."

Bethany and FOF are unreal artists, people who engage in Jesus' story with beauty, excellence, and creativity. It's quite an honor just to share the stage with such talented and passionate people. Each person on the road has challenged and encouraged me in some fashion.

I hope you get to see one of the shows; if you do make it, come out and say hello. My wife is joining me in Green Bay and will travel with the tour for a couple of days. Cannot wait to see her. Need her touch.

Thank you for reading this blog.

mpt