ten reasons you should read 'churched'

These reasons were not written by me.

silly dobson

"While I will not endorse either candidate this year , (in fact, I’ve only endorsed one presidential nominee in my life) I can say that I am now supportive of Senator John McCain and his bid for the presidency." James Dobson

Now, please, DO NOT mistake that quote as an endorsement of Senator McCain. My gosh, are you just plain stupid? Dobson is just being "supportive" of McCain on his radio show AND in a press release that went out to every major media outlet. But those words do not constitute as an endorsement.

Can somebody explain to me how that man is able to keep his tax exempt status?

daddy and elias (in pastels)

Untitled from Matthew Paul Turner on Vimeo.

Forgive me for the poor color editing.

another review of 'churched'

This one comes from my wife and my blog friend Sara! 

Thank Sara. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)

to those who won books at...

Angie Smith's "Bring the Rain" blog: 

Your books are in the mail! 

I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been waiting for a new shipment of books to arrive. They did. And are now on their way to meet you!

Jessica Here

Hello JNNPR readers - Jessica here. First off, how sweet was that anniversary post that Matthew wrote yesterday?! I am a lucky girl.

Matthew is on the road today, but he said I could do a quick post and try to get your help. As many of you know, I am a bit of a scrapbooking fanatic. One of my favorite scrapbooking lines is Cosmo Crickett. I am obsessed with every line they release. It is all amazing. They are doing a contest where they are trying to drive traffic to their blog. Will you do me a quick favor and hop over there and leave a comment on this post saying that Jessica Turner sent you? They are doing a HUGE paper giveaway to the person that drives the most commenters.

Once you have done that, leave a comment here saying you left one there. :) I will select one random person to get a goodie box from me. I love putting together giveaways! THANK YOU!

cathedrals by joan osborne...

today is jessica and my fourth wedding anniversary...

In celebration of our relationship, I thought I'd list out some of the reasons why I love my wife. (No particular order)

-When Jessica Nicole Turner wakes up in the morning, she does it with passion, like a lightening bolt with a to-do list. She's on a mission, and while it sometimes annoys the hell out of me (and she knows this), more often that not I believe it's one of her sexiest qualities.

-Jessica still writes letters. As in, with an ink pen. The real kind that get delivered to people by people (and not DSL). Seriously, who does that anymore? My wife does. And I love her for that.

-Jessica adores our son Elias. I see it in her eyes as she's holding him just after he's finished one of his lengthy breast-feeding sessions. He clings to her and I swear she's clinging to him too. Passionately. Like she could live in that moment for forever. So amazing. Three months ago I watched my wife turn into a mother, and that was one of the most beautiful transformations I have ever witnessed.

-Jessica forgives me when I f**k up. So true. She has shown me a type of grace and forgiveness I'm not sure I ever encountered in my life prior to knowing her.

-When Jessica gets excited she does this cute little jump-in-place thingy that I think is adorable. It's sort of like skipping in place if you only skipped once and you did it straight up and down. Not sure if that makes sense.

-Jessica loves me despite the fact that my job sometimes makes paying our bills difficult. Never once has she questioned my calling.

-Jessica says the words, "I love you, Matthew" at least five times a day.

-Even though I'm a skinny bald guy, she makes me feel like the sexiest man alive.

-Jessica enjoys trying new recipes.

-Jessica is comfortable in her own skin.

-When Jessica worships God through music, she raises her hands with freedom and abandon and somehow I find myself worshiping God too just by watching her.

-Jessica prays for me. She likes to dance in our living room. She volunteers. Sometimes she's stubborn as an entire herd of mules. (Do mules come in herds? Not sure.) She's unafraid to say exactly what's on her mind at any given moment. She's full of life. She's my biggest fan.

I don't deserve Jessica, I know that. She's not perfect, but damn, sometimes I'm so smitten by her that I think she is. This last year has been the most difficult of our marriage. But with the arrival of our little bundle of love Elias, it's also been the most joyous year of our marriage.

So, since it's Jessica and my anniversary, let's forget about Churched for a day... and instead, answer this question. Come on, do it.

What are some of the reasons why you love the special person--spouse, boy/girlfriend, parent, mentor, etc--in your life?

(But after you write your "whys" down, make sure you tell that person why you love them. Because even though it's nice to hear the words "I love you," sometimes it really helps to also hear why.



PS: Happy Anniversary, Jessica. I love you more than the sun, baby. More than the sun.

great review (and a great blog, too!)

Read it here.

some "churched' love, and one 'churched' hater...

Kelly @ Sleeping Kelly is sarcastic like me, and she loved Churched!

Bill @ I Am Bill Power gives his opinion about Churched

Tanya @ Tanya's Mood Ring related to Churched.

Amy @ My Friend Amy enjoyed Churched.

Jamie @ My Band of Boys reviews Churched.

Brian @ BrianBaute.com didn't like Churched AT ALL.

dream job

For the next few weeks, this is the topic that we'll be discussing at church.


Dream Job Promo from Matthew Singleton on Vimeo.

new christmas music

I love Christmas music. I'm one of those freaks who begins listening to certain Christmas records right about the first day of fall. I hear emotion in Christmas songs that I don't hear in other music. Only rarely do I enjoy a "new" Christmas song. "Breath of Heaven" is definitely one song I think might stand the test of time. Anyway, here's two new ones worth checking out...


It's nice that Sixpence None the Richer is making music together again, but I must admit: I think it's odd that they decided to release a Christmas album, considering Leigh just released a solo Christmas EP last year. But since they did, I decided to give it a listen, and while this isn't Matt and Leigh's best effort, there's certainly a few gems on The Dawn of Grace you might consider downloading. The best: "Silent Night," a hauntingly beautiful duet between Leigh and Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay. The worst: "Christmas Island," a terrible Jimmy Buffet holiday cover song.


I'm a huge fan of Sara Groves. I think she's one of few true artists left in Christian music. Not only is she a passionate songwriter, but her vocals are intricate and beautifully imperfect. And that's a good thing. I've only been able to hear a couple songs off this record, but what I've heard is stellar. It's out today, so make sure you give it a listen at iTunes.

after his show at tpac, check out who i got to meet...

here are the latest "stops" on the blog tour...

Churched is currently being discussed at the following blogs... thank you.

@ Cross Driven Radio

@ my Ron Edmondson's blog

@ Living the Dash blog

@ the Christian-Endeavor blog

@ Kari's blog

@ Stephen's blog

@ Matt's blog

@ Michael's blog E-Devotion

@ John Greco's blog

@ Jay Hardwick's blog

@ Jeremy's blog

@ Kathy's blog

@ Domestic Goddess's blog

@ Amy's blog

Okay, PLEASE, if I left anybody out, let me know! It's completely by mistake, or it's Google's fault. :)

the blog tour continues!

Brad at his blog "I'm a Little Different" reviewed Churched... The above graphic is Brad (even the tie matches the book cover) How cool is that? Read his review here.

Pamela writes about Churched @ her blog "Pen to Paper, Spirit to Soul." One quote from her review is this: "I have laughed and cried my way through this book! It has been a healing balm for me in many areas."

At his blog "A Journal for the Journey" Tommy writes a great review about Churched.

I'm loving the conversation happening at Mandy's blog about Churched.

The Steve Stockman quote in the Churched review at the blog "Livingloud" was perfect!

And finally, check out what Chris had to say about Churchued @ ChrisHubbs.com!

The online conversations that are happening about Churched have amazed me. Thank you for your desire to help me get make this book known. Releasing a new book is a marathon race and it's nice to have friends to encourage me along the way!

mpt

part two of my interview with jason boyett...

READ IT HERE.

play by play @ church...

Interesting commentary for sure.



Thoughts?

the blog tour continues...

OK, the blog reviews keep coming... lots of gratitude goes out to the following bloggers for taking the time to read and review Churched...

Gavin @ Hit the Back Button to Move FWD

Cari @ Dugans Incahoots

Gene Jennings @ Timely Words

Whipple @ Quill Upon the Paper

Susan Isaacs for the Burnside Writers Collective

Rochelle @ Small Steps of Faith

Daniel @ Living In the Word

Dan @ Sully Media

Kristin @ The Smith Family Journey

Mike @ Digital Musings

Mrs. Lowell @ The Lowell Six

Triple P @ Poetry, Prose, Ponderings

@ Scribbling Suit

Mandie @ Mandie's Mumblings

Dave @ As I Travel Through This Pilgrim Land

Knotter @ Can't Find Normal

Wow. That's a lot of blog reviews in one day. Please, if you can, post your blog reviews @ Amazon.com! Thanks!!

mpt

interview (my thoughts about humor)

My friend and fellow writer Jason Boyett interviewed me about my thoughts on humor and satire. Read part 1 of the interview here.

this cracked me up...

A blog reader sent this to me. It's a clip from "The Critic."

funny little story (out of the mouth of babes)

My sister Elisabeth has three-and-a-half-year-old twins--Sierra and Emma. This year they began going to a local Christian preschool. Last week my sister asked Sierra, "So what did you learn at preschool today, Sweetie?"

Sierra thought for a moment. And then she loudly proclaimed, "ALL THINGS ARE MADE BY HIM."

"Well, that's nice," my sister said. "Did you learn anything else?"

"YES," she said proudly, "HE TOOK A RIB OUT OF ADAM AND THEN HE MADE STEVE. And Steve became Adam's big helper!"

I thought that was awesome. So cute.

our little pumpkin...

This was Jessica's idea... :)

monday morning (an update)

I'm sitting at Starbucks this morning. It's a beautiful morning here in Nashville. Lots of sunshine. A nice breeze. Just perfect. It's one of those days where it's hard to imagine Heaven feeling better than this.

Jessica, Elias and I had a good weekend. We took Elias to a local pumpkin patch. If you want to see pictures, you can visit my wife's blog. Jessica's sister Melissa and her boyfriend Dan are in town. We've had such a nice visit with them. It's been awesome getting to know Dan better (great guy with a huge heart), and they've had a blast hanging out with our little Elias.

Today is the first day of the Churched blog tour, which is pretty exciting. I'm sure some of you are very tired of hearing about Churched. Hopefully not too much. But I'm pretty stoked about the tour. So far, here are newest blogs that are either mentioning or reviewing Churched, or they're featuring an interview with me. I know I sound like a broken record, but thank you so much for the support. While I know I'm repeating myself, I don't mean it any less than the first time I said it. Blogger: Jesus Needs New PR--Author Matthew Paul Turner - Create Post

At many of these blogs, you can actually win a copy of Churched, so make sure you check them out.

• Burnside Writers Collective: This site was started by writer Donald Miller. I've been a huge fan of the site for a long time, so it's an honor to be featured. There's an interview there, as well as a review of Churched.
• Christopher at the blog Centerpoint interviewed me last week. I loved this AIM conversation. Chris is a pastor, so many of his questions came from that perspective. Check it out.
• At his blog Light the Darkness, Scott wrote a review of Churched.
• Another review of Churched is up at Jason Grant's blog Emerging Thinker. Jason has been Twittering some about the book, so I'm really glad he enjoyed it.
• Eric at the blog Between the Trees is kind of so-so about the humor and insightfulness of Churched. Though he's a bit critical of Churched, I'm honestly grateful for his perspective. More often than not, I learn a good bit from both good, bad, and indifferent reviews. Sure, they hurt once in a while, but "art" with a price tag warrants critique. Here's his review.
• Brian Johnson is giving away a copy of Churched at his blog Worship Journey. And I love how he's doing it. You should definitely check out the picture he's posted and then come up with a funny caption for it. Maybe he'll choose you as the winner!
• Paul Stewart reviews Churched at his blog. He also offers readers a short snippet of the book, so make sure you check it out!
• Chilly at iChilly.com doesn't believe my childhood church was so bad. But he seems to have enjoyed the book anyway.
• And Gabe is giving Churched away! Go win now.
• Jeremy at Insert Title Here has been offering ongoing coverage of Churched, which is greatly appreciated. Check it out.
  

Also, my book signing is tomorrow at Davis-Kidd here in Nashville. I'm so honored to do this. I'm just hoping people show up for it. If you live in Nashville, please consider coming by Davis-Kidd at 7:00... I've love to meet/see/read to you!

Matthew

blog review...

This one comes from Cindy @ the blog "Consider It All Joy."

even more blog reviews...

Thank you so much for your support.

The reviews I gotten to read have been so encouraging.

Leona at the blog "My Life Is For Him" had this to say.

My friend Jason Boyett will be featuring an interview with me on Tuesday, but got the Churched conversation going with this post. If you haven't read Jason's books/blog, you need to!

OK, I'll be honest Karen's comments about Churched at the blog "Fluctuating Certainty" caused me to tear up some. I know. I'm too emotional. Thank you Karen for sharing a little bit of your soul with us.

And Chris Martin shared these thoughts about Churched at his blog "Chris Martin's Blog."

Again, if you post a review--good, bad, long, or short--let me know and I will try to put a link up here at my blog.

And as always, thank you for sharing your thoughts about Churched with your friends, family, and fans. I'm really praying that this book gets out there to the masses, so every mention helps make that a reality.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074711

Hope your weekend is a good one!!

Matthew

we now interrupt 'churched' coverage for this...

I love Amy.

the blog reviews keep coming...

Here's Dave's review from Big Ear Creations!

Here's one from blogger Kelly Butler.

And this one from the blog "Adventures of Eric and Rachel."

Lastly, there's this review at "Even When No One Is Listening." 

I am blown away by the support/love that Churched is receiving. Thank you so much.

Matthew

one blog reader received her book...

Thank you Kristen! That was a great Facebook update! :)

another great 'churched' review...

Check it out. Thank you Catherine!

And btw: Churched is at #909 @ Amazon.com with a bullet (which means it's moving up). Maybe anyway.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074711

Thank you so much!

if you won a book from "bring the rain"...

First of all, congrats! And secondly, email me your address and information at MatthewPaulTurner@gmail.com with the word WINNER in the subject line!! Thank you so much!

Matthew

pete interviewing me...

Churched from Pete Wilson on Vimeo.

Pete's blog.

another churched update!

This week has been a crazy busy week. Both Jessica and I are pretty exhausted, but have had a really good time working together to rally support behind Churched. Did I mention my wife is a marketing/PR genius? She really is. It's sometimes sort of a turn-on to hear/see her in work mode. OK, so I realize that's a little too much information, but I'm just being honest.

Again, thank you so much for continuing to help us promote Churched. So many of you pitched in your support by not only buying the book at Amazon.com, but also by telling your friends about it, blogging about it, twittering about it, etc, etc, etc. Thank you!! All of it is so helpful in getting the word out about this book. And as many of you know, I believe in this title so much.

Just a couple things...

- The Nashville Scene (my city's alternate weekly newspaper) picked my booksigning at Davis-Kidd as one of its "things" to do this week! Here's the link if you're interested in reading their review.
-Big thanks to Collide Magazine, Dale Best, David Peck, my wife's Aunt Gail, Brian Johnson, Knotter, T.S. Harrison for blogging about Churched! If you blogged about Churched and I haven't mentioned it, please email me the post! I'm only going by what Google sends me in the form of updates. I'd love to mention you.

Keep telling friends, family, and strangers about Churched. Our goal is to try and keep it in the top 2000 for a week or two. Or heck, push it into the top 100!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074711

I'll blog more later... Thank you so much!

wow.

#687.

I can't believe it. :) Thank you.

WE DID IT!!! #848

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Today has been an amazing opening day for Churched, and I am so grateful to everyone who purchased a copy and helped me spread the word.

Let's keep the buzz going!!

we're almost there!

You guys are awesome. I think we can make it! How about you?

Here's the Amazon.com link.

shout outs!!

Or should I say post outs?!? That just doesn't have the same "ring" to it.

@Angie Smith: Angie and my wife Jessica are best friends (Angie and I are friends too!). But at her blog, Angie is giving a bunch of copies of Churched away, and is encouraging people to go buy it! So if you're visiting from "Bring the Rain," welcome to my blog!!

@Stuff Christians Life: Jon's a friend and was kind enough to mention Churched on his blog today! If you haven't checked out Jon's blog, he's a riot.

@Anne Jackson: Another blogging friend (and fellow church member) who is a fantastic writer! Big thanks to Anne for helping me spread the word about Churched despite her VERY BUSY schedule this week. She's at Catalyst! Check out her blog.

@Pete Wilson: My pastor is more than a pastor, he's a friend. Pete was kind enough to do a video interview with me at his blog! Check it out here.

@Michael Harrison: Thanks for the mention!

@Stephen Lamb: It was awesome hanging out this weekend, and as always, thanks for another mention about Churched.

@Scott Berkley: Thanks for the great review!

@Rochelle Southland: Thanks for the mention, and for being a supporter of my books for many years... :)

YES! Churched just jumped to #2300 @ Amazon.com

You guys rock! Thank you so much. Top 1000 here we come!!!

Keep forwarding the link... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074711

MPT

it's CHURCHED week, and I need your help!

Churched releases tomorrow morning!

Tomorrow is a big day. Yes, it's finally here! Churched will officially release. YAY! Aren't you excited? Come on, I know you are a little. Even if you're not excited, maybe you could just pretend to be.

So now that the book is officially released, that pretty much means my work has just begun. It's true. And I have a long road ahead of me.

And that's why I'm asking for your help. Of course, some of you have already so graciously offered to help me get the word out, and to each one of you who is blogging, handing out bookmarks, twittering, etc., etc., etc., please know that I am so grateful.

BUT. If you're feeling left out, and would like to help spread the word about Churched, here are a few ways that you can...

FIRST AND FOREMOST: Buy the book tomorrow! If you're planning on buying Churched, why not purchase it online tomorrow at Amazon.com! Seriously, do it before the stock market crashes. :) Here's the link. I'd love to see it break the top 1000! Or heck, top 100! That might take a small miracle, but it's not impossible! Amazon sales rankings help create buzz, PR, media interest, and store buy-ins, so it really helps to have a strong showing. So, just in case you didn't see it the first time... HERE'S THE LINK AGAIN!

SPECIAL DEAL FOR SMALL GROUPS AND BOOK CLUBS: Consider using Churched for your small group or book club. In fact, we're in the process of creating a reader's guide for the book right now. It will be available at my website on October 21. And here's the special deal (something I'm stealing from Oprah!): If you purchase 10 copies or more from Amazon.com for your small group or book club, I'll make an "appearance" at your group or club via Skype to chat about the book or answer questions or just join in the discussion for a few minutes. If this is something you would like to take advantage of, just email me your Amazon.com receipt. It could be a lot of fun!

Other ways to help:
-Send an email to your friends and family about Churched or "message" your Facebook friends, MySpace friends, Twitter peeps, or any other social networks you're currently using!

-Blog about Churched. Those who already have or are planning to next week for the blog tour, I love you. Seriously, I do.

-While it should be available in most bookstores (My mother found it in Borders today!), if you can't find it, request it...

-If you work at a radio station, newspaper, or podcast, and you'd like to book an interview about Churched, contact my publicist Liz Johnson @ LJohnson@RandomHouse.com.

-In addition to booking the "Lord Save Us From Your Followers" Tour, we're also taking requests from churches, conferences, and colleges for the Churched Tour, an evening of humor, conversation, story, discussion, and hope. If you're interested in learning more, contact Kortland @ Kortland@GroundWorksManagement.com.

Last but not least, do you have any ideas on how to get the word out? If so, I'd love to hear them! Send your ideas to MatthewPaulTurner@gmail.com.

I think that's it. So do you think we can get Churched in the Amazon.com top 1000? Maybe 100?

For now, keep checking my blog for updates, giveaways, announcements, a new excerpt, and other fun stuff. I've got a few mildly manipulative gimmicks up my sleeve. (That sounds worse than want it to.)

And as always, thank you for sharing in this adventure...

mpt

another review...

Read it here.

I can't believe my book releases on Tuesday. So excited.

don't worry! these puppets put satan in a wheel chair...

hey, are you a firm believer? (church on lp)

you're invited... (spread the word)

the father, the son, and the holy spirit... in a can!

Are you tired of searching for God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost? Well, you're search is over. Now you can get your daily supply of the God-head in a 8.4 oz. can. And only 10 calories! Just 10 calories.

I'm so excited about this. I mean, I've always wanted my living water to come with a little fizz and caffeine. And it's been infused with the fruit of the spirit! Gosh, it's like Red Bull for Christians, only infused with the fruit of the spirit. I bet love, patience, and joy tastes like a bowl full of liquid bananas, oranges, and a hint of lime.

Mmm.

I wonder what it tastes like with vodka?

Here's the link, just in case you're tempted to think this isn't real.

One question: Why?

See also Jason Boyett's thoughts on Jesus Jolt!

want to win a copy of 'churched'?

Just click here.

:)