"Hear No Evil"

I have to admit I was pretty excited when I was given the opportunity to be part of the Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner (@JesusNeedsNewPR) blog tour this week. There is something about getting a book to review in the mail, especially a book like this, before it hits store shelves that makes me feel cool. I don't really think I'm that cool but I thought the book was.

I am at a point in my life where I have to read a lot and rarely do I get to pick what I'm reading. Hear No Evil was different. MPT writes in a way that is not only easy to read but so conversational and engaging that it is exactly how I would imagine a conversation would be with him while sitting at one of those hip Nashville joints he writes about. He shares openly and honestly about growing up looking at the world through a fundamental Baptist lens and how music helped him see a broader view.

There were times when he had me laughing out loud at things like his plan to become "God's Michael Jackson" (60) or his references to the classic CCM artists I grew up listening to myself like: Michael W Smith, Sandi Patty, and Petra. And then there were times when MPT would drop bits of insight that left me thinking and thoroughly challenged:

"people talking about how to create something "real" and "authentic" rather than just being real and authentic" (11).

"A person's first steps into grace are usually unsettling, more like walking into a minefield than a meadow" (72).

"Because of Jesus, I wanted to love people, which meant I didn't want to engage in relationships with an agenda" (214).

If you're looking for a great book that describes a journey of faith, grace, and music while making you laugh on one page and cause you to stop and think on the next, Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner is right up your alley. Get a copy and check it out for yourself.

The publisher gave me 1 copy to give away for FREE. A couple ways to enter...
-comment on this post listing the first CD you ever owned (be honest)
-follow me on Twitter & share the link to this post (include @mattlipan in your tweet so I know who to count it for)
-write a blog about it & include the link
*please leave some way I can contact you if you win

You can also purchase a copy from Random House here.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.