This one is a freakin’ treat!! If you have never experienced the righteous comedy that is Matthew Paul Turner, this is for you. I hope it blows your freakin’ suit off. I hope it blows your comb-over…well…..over! You get the point!

MPT has a blog that will either make you laugh, or will make you want to show up at whatever Nashville coffee shop he is writing in and throw rocks at him. Personally, he makes me laugh like a freakin’ idiot and I’m not affraid to admit it. First, here is my interview with him and then following it will be some info about him, his blog and his books. Dig it people! Dig it!!

1.  Let’s begin with the basics, in the event that a reader lives under a rock.  Or a pew.  Your blog…oh man your blog….”Jesus Needs New PR”…..tell us why and where that came from?

“The idea for Jesus Needs New PR began as a book. The blog was simply a way in which to promote that. But after working 18 months on the manuscript, the publisher deemed it too controversial to release. Four other publishers said the same thing. So the book got canned. But the website remains.”

2.  I check in on that blog frequently.  Some days you even make me blush and I used to be a meth addict who lived in his car.  That’s hard core.  I’ve seen some of the flack that you catch because you aren’t afraid to “put it out there” just like it is.  Have you always had guts?

“I’m not sure it takes guts to blog like me, I just think over the years I’ve earned the ability to talk/write/blog about topics that other people won’t touch. But that’s not all that gutsy. Quite honestly, it takes a lot of more guts to overcome a meth addiction than it does to point out one of John Piper’s mean Tweets. I should be interviewing you.”

3.  Which drives you more:  the blog or your books? 

 ”I love doing both. But writing books pays the bills. Or at least some of them… :)”

4.  Your latest work, Hear No Evil, is about to release to the masses.  What impact do you want it to have on the lives of readers?

“My hope for “Hear No Evil” is that it make people laugh, engage their own stories, and perhaps inspire them to create something unique of their own. And if while reading the stories in this book, people learn something or begin a journey toward change or hope, then that’s a bonus.” 
 

5.  I just read the 1st chapter and now I’m sucked in.  What can I expect when I get to thumb through the others?

“More story. More opinion. Hopefully, a few grins or laughs. But more than Churched (my last book), Hear No Evil turns the magnifying glass back on me. It’s really my coming of age story in a lot of ways.”

 6.  People connect to your writings because they’re real.  To quote a snippet of chapter 1 of Hear No Evil, makes the kid in me leap up like I’m in “frogger”.  You say, “At my church whenever somebody capable of emotional honesty became a member, it created a situation similar to my father’s lectures about a new puppy: “As long as it never poops on the carpet, I’ll let it be an ‘inside dog.’” Anyone was welcome to join us for worship on Sundays, as long as they never emotionally pooped on the carpet.Most of us kids were “house-trained” before we’d memorized our multiplication tables.”    I’m fairly sure that you weren’t raised in the dirty south, AKA the Bible Belt, but your experience with church as a kid would lead one to think so.  How much influence do your early church experiences have on what you want to communicate to the world?

“When Churched released, I knew that some people would relate to my story. But when the letters started pouring in, I was literally blown away by how many people related. For obvious reasons, when I engage my past in my writing, people relate. Perhaps they relate to the story or the time frame or the “child,” but they relate. I think writing about my past is an integral part of what I do. It’s not ALL of what I do… but it plays a significant role.”

 7.  If I’ve never seen your blog, heard your name, read your work or anything like that, why should I click this link and pay 10 bucks to read Hear No Evil? 

“Because Aaron B. Reddin said so. That, and the fact that there’s a story included about my desire to become the Michael Jackson of Christian music. I think those are two good reasons. :)”

This guy just cracks my junk up! This crazy cat resides in Nashville, TN. He has a cool wife that makes “cake balls”, and a super cool kid. I really encourage you to check out his blog, HERE. Also, make sure you follow him on Twitter, HERE. He won’t let you down, but he may blow your “Sunday best” right off your chest!!

But most importantly….BUY HIS NEW BOOK RIGHT HERE!!!!  It’s not released until February 16th, but you can pre-order it now and save yourself a few bucks!  Do it!  Right now!  For real.  I promised him that if you didn’t buy the book right this minute that I would round-house kick each of you in the face from point blank range.  Just sayin’.  I’ll do it.