So the title of this post sounds like the beginning of a bad joke (or possibly the exact opposite), but this is just some of the great stories that author Matthew Paul Turner offers in his newest book, “Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God despite a Holy Mess”.

This book is something like I have never read before. Turner offers a great combination of thought provoking stories, great, hilarious, witty humor, and a chance to take a walk down memory lane in some form or another. At many times I could picture myself in some place or another, in other places I sat there thinking “this couldn’t of happened”, and some of the stories just made me say “Wow” and thank God for the up bringing that I had.

The book is about Turner’s journey as a young child into the world of an independent, fundamentalist Baptist church. With parents that had a sincere desire to follow God, Turner takes us into his world of coming to know God in a sometimes confusing world. However, with all of the entertaining stories and humorous happenings (again, see the title of this post), Turner turns our attention into the beauty of finding God among the mess of a sometimes tainted “religion”.

For me, this book is one of the most “real” books on spirituality that I have read. This is life in the church, especially in that time. This is Turner’s story with his early journeys with God. Sometimes the journey will be filled with humor and sometimes horror but what Turner points us to is a continual search for true relationship with others and with God.

This book is great for young and old. This book is great for those that have been in the church for a long time and even for those who aren’t in the church or have moved away from the church. This is a most read and one of those books that was hard to put down and so enjoyable to read. It was such a nice change in pace of reading from other things I read.

So pick up a copy today! You can order at Amazon.com right now!