I’ve reread Blue Like Jazz three times, but many others have been tossed aside before I’m halfway through!
Hear No Evil was not one of the tossed aside variety – I couldn’t put it down!
Hear No Evil, by Matthew Paul Turner, is a light-hearted, but honest, look at the intersection of faith, music and life for the author. Everything from growing up fundamentalist to his calling to be a Christian Michael Jackson. The book follows his journey from childhood, through college and into fatherhood.
I laughed out loud throughout this entire book. At the image of Turner’s family covering their ears at Sea World when Michael Jackson come over the speakers. At his reference to the I’d-rather-be-dating-Jesus Pentecostal women. At God’s voice telling him to rewrite the lyrics to George Michael’s “Faith” to make them holy. Even his deep love for Amy Grant. I seriously could go on and on.
And in the midst of all this laughter, Turner sneaks in some great spiritual truths and deep conversations. One of the most memorable for me was a conversation with a friend who had just confessed a hidden sin to Turner. I love this excerpt:
His face blank, Shawn looked down at the table. “I’ve made God look pretty stupid, haven’t I?” He wiped a tear from his eye with a napkin and tried to smile. “A slob even. I’ve made God look like a slob.”
“I guess we’ve all made God look like a slob at some point,” I said, tracing a finger through grains of sugar on the table. “But I don’t think we do that by being human. I think we do it when we pretend we’re not.”
The humor and honesty of this book really reminds me of Blue Like Jazz, and of course, I loved the musical theme of the book. It is a fabulous read.
I will be passing my copy on to a friend tonight.
*This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
And thanks to WaterBrook, I am passing a copy on to one of you as well!
To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite musical memory from growing up – Christian or not!
For extra entries you can…
1. Tweet about this giveaway – leave the link!
2. Follow @JesusNeedsNewPR (Matthew Paul Turner) on Twitter
3. Follow @elmusic4kids (me!) on Twitter
4. Become a follower of Home with the Boys
Up to six entries per person! Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and include a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner!
Contest closes Monday, February 22 at 9:00 p.m. CST. The winner will be chosen by random.org.
I'm Erin, a wife, boy mom x 3, writer, and runner in Nebraska! I'm excited to share all my favorites relating to faith, family, fashion, and fitness in this space! Enjoy! 