my little guy

confe$$ion

I'm taking care of Elias today. He's currently sleeping his in the swing. I thought I'd try to write a quick blog. I've had a hard time blogging lately, mostly because I've been working on a couple articles for Lifeway and the deadlines are fast approaching.

The last couple months have been a little hard on Jessica and me financially. The tour I was supposed to be on got moved to the spring. The election and the economy was making it difficult to book, so it was decided to just move it. Which is understandable, of course. But because I expected to be out on the road, I decided to take time off from scheduling writing assignments. I didn't think I'd have time. So yeah, that has made this holiday season a little tight. Thankfully, Jessica and I don't live beyond our means. I don't say that proudly. It's just the way it is. But even when you try to live modestly, it's hard sometimes.

I just hate how financial woes or setbacks or "$urpri$es" almost always seem to affect my mood. Seriously, it's pathetic. Anytime Jessica and I are going through a rough patch relationally--you know, fussing at each other more than usual (often about stupid things), it can almost always be threaded back to money. How sad is that? When our financial life is good, easy--comfortable--then it seems everything else is easy and comfortable too. We're happy. We never argue. Life seems almost perfect. But as soon as we hit a spot where the money isn't flowing in like we think it needs to--bam!--suddenly, there's a whole list of reasons to bicker at one another.

Perhaps that's why scripture says the love of money is the root of all evil.

So anyway, I'm really going to try to not let our financial situation--whether good, bad, or in-between-- dictate my emotions. Jesus was pretty clear about the control money can have on you, that it can lead us down destructive paths. I think sometimes we think those words are only for the wealthy. But they aren't. They were meant for poor people too. The middle class. The upper middle class. All of us, no matter what our financial situation might be. At least, that's what I am learning...

So... how does "money" affect your mood?

hope is the thing with feathers

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

by Emily Dickinson

happy birthday to me

So far, today has been awesome. I got woken up by my favorite little boy in the whole wide world. Of course, his beautiful mother helped a little bit. 

And I must say, Facebook is very nice on your birthday... thanks to everybody for your wonderful messages... I so appreciate your kind words... 

mpt

35

My birthday is tomorrow. I'll be 35-years old. I could be stereotypical and say that the years have flown by and that it's hard to believe I'm 35, but the truth is, some of the years have crept along the same way a three-toed sloth inches through a tree in the Amazon and on certain days I feel 35.

Some days I feel 25.

Some days I feel 40.

How old do you feel?

a good quote

"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature" Ralph Waldo Emerson

another review, another giveaway...

Thank you Grace!

Click the link and win. :)

the story of adam and eve

As told with Facebook.

Clever. Scary.

coffeehouse theology

Coffeehouse Theology-Reflecting on God in Everyday Life

Sadly, I'm still working my way through this title. It's taking me awhile, not because I don't like it-I actually like it a lot-but because of time. But I thought I would go ahead and mention it at my blog. As the title suggests, this book is about theology.

And as I've recently learned-I'm a theologian. Or at least according to my friend Adam.

Adam is a pastor, and I don't hold that against him. In fact, I pretty much look forward to having conversations with him. Not only is he one of the most intelligent people I know, every time I have a conversation with Adam I leave encouraged, hopeful, and more comfortable in my own skin.

One time, during one of our many discussions about God, he told me that it was his belief that everybody is a theologian. "All of us have the ability to think about and study God," he told me once. "You don't need a degree to do that."

I believe author Ed Cyzewski would agree with Adam. In his book, Coffeehouse Theology, Ed invites everyone into a theology discussion, one that blends story, study, topics, and critical thought into a well-crafted, though not too crafted, conversations about God and the things he's passionate about. Coffeehouse isn't a difficult read, not like many theology books, and unlike those other books, Ed doesn't write with a heavy hand and beat his readers over the head with his point of view. He simply let's you join his journey of experiencing the many sides of a particular theological discussion, offering pertinent information, explanation, and a few theories, but ultimately let's the reader form his or her own opinions and thoughts. I think that's what makes this book such an important read for the church. While I didn't agree with everything stated within these pages, topics are presented with grace and humility, so I'm pretty sure anybody can read without getting hurt. Also, big thumbs up to the person who designed the cover of this book--quite trendy.

Buy it @ Amazon.com...

this band is hot (for country)

Though I'm not a huge fan of country music, Lady Antebellum has a pretty sweet sound. Yeah, I know the lead singer sounds like Jeremy Camp. Or Third Day. Or Creed. Or Pearl Jam.

But for country, it's not bad.

what's your point of view?

bam! boom! pow! (it's beginning to sound a lot like christmas)

Oh goody! Now that the election is over, we Christians can turn our hearts and minds toward more important things... you know, like fighting the war on Christmas!

Fa la la la la la

And guess what? The "other" side has taken it's first shot, yep, and it's an oozy. Read what those humanists are up to this time.

My God the atheists are now running ads! On buses! In Washington DC. What will we do?

Quick, somebody guard our nation's supply of tinsel and evergreen, and don't forget to protect all the little statues of baby Jesus. These people are out for blood. Jesus' blood.

We should be scared. Really scared. Of the unknown! We don't know what those buses are capable of doing. What if they make regular people like you and me turn into humanists? What if the drivers of these buses get taken over by Satan and begin running over people? What if there are bombs inside?

I seriously think Christians should boycott DC for the entire Holi--I mean, CHRISTmas Season.

That will show them the reason for the season!

.....

"Then the angel said to them, 'Stop being afraid! Listen! I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.'" from the Gospel of Luke.

i'm pretty sure we had this record...

hmm...

elias..

Good morning! 

It's a cold one here. 

I'm exhausted this morning. Elias had an odd night last evening, in that he didn't seem to enjoy sleeping. So his mother and I (mostly his mother since she has the boobs in the family) didn't get much sleep. But one of the three times he woke up, he wasn't hungry, so I took him out in the living room and held him until he went back to sleep. 

Elias had a big day yesterday. At church he sat with Jessica and me. And he was so good. He's a very sound sleeper, so he slept through praise and worship performance. He woke up in the middle of the last song and didn't make a peep the entire service. He just watched Pete. 

Our midwife Emma came to church yesterday. It was awesome seeing/sitting with her. We didn't know this until yesterday, but she went to high school with Pete, so she was telling us some old stories about him high school. 

She held Elias during the service and then we went and had lunch at J Alexander's. And that's where Elias got to meet Amy Grant. Amy and I are friends from my time at CCM. She came over and oohed and ahhed over Elias for a few minutes. It was sweet. Jessica had never met Amy, so it was nice for them to meet as well.

I fall in love more and more with Elias every single day. It always seems like I could never love him anymore than I do in any given moment, but then he grins at me or farts on me or falls asleep in my arms and I feel this rush of love build up inside of my soul. It's hard to explain. But those of you who have kids know exactly what I'm talking about. It's like a shot of adrenaline hitting your bloodstream. Even in the middle of the night when all you want your kid to do is fall asleep, you sometimes feel that love buildup. Suddenly you realize that "this"--being up @ 4 a.m. with your precious child--is a moment that you are able to cherish, one that can fill you up in ways you never expected, heal you, bring you a type of peace that's beyond your understanding in that given moment. 

I thank God every single day for giving me each moment with Elias. 

On Saturday night, my friends Lee and Traci came over for dinner. For some reason, Elias thought Lee was hysterical. So we caught video of him laughing out loud at Lee. There's some boring space in the middle of this video, and I didn't have time to edit it last night. So forgive me. 

But here it is... Elias LOLing... :) 

stuff christians like

My friend Jon at Stuff Christians Like is currently featuring a giveaway of Churched! And the comments are pretty darn hilarious. 

Check it out. 

this choir is the hotness...

A bunch of my friends have posted this, so I decided to play follow the leader or copycat or unoriginal. Still, it's pretty funny.

the jean jacket

When I was in seventh grade, there were two kinds of people at my school: those who had a jean jacket and those who didn't. Otherwise known as the cool and the not-so cool. I was in the latter of those two groups until I was in the ninth grade.

Back then, my mother told me jean jackets were useless and expensive... And when I finally got mine, while they were still useless and expensive, they were uncool too. But that didn't keep me from thinking I was cool. Why? Because there's something about wearing denim not as pants that makes one feel cool.

Elias's Nana bought him his first jean jacket before he was even born. Lucky guy. Below are some pictures I took of him.

When did you get your first jean jacket? Did you feel cool?

another churched review...

Check it out.

Be on the lookout for the Churched study/reading guide for small groups and book clubs--I promise it's coming soon.

Oh, and can you do me a favor? Invite a friend to Churched this week! You might be doing them a favor too.

Happy Friday.

'kingdom coming' download--free!

happy 90th birthday!

six and a half hours...

This past weekend I was in Northern Indiana (twenty minutes outside of Chicago) for my friend Eric's wedding. I woke up early Sunday morning and drove home. I'm not a fan of driving long distances. I get tired easily. Bored. My ADHD runs wild.

But this particular drive was different.

The leaves on the trees throughout Southern Indiana and much of Kentucky were in full color, almost electrifying. Brilliant shades of yellows, reds, and oranges.

For most of the trip home I listened to music--Sheryl Crow, Brooke Fraser, the Killers, to name a few--and listened to books--David Sedaris.

But for some of the trip I turned off the outside noise and just drove alone with the noise running inside my brain. Which can certainly be loud sometimes. Thoughts sometimes don't have a volume button.

So I let my brain run wherever it wanted to go: happy, sad, frustrated, nervous, excited, worried, etc...

It wasn't music or perfectly constructed stories exactly.

But in a way, it was just as healing. And it did make the trip go by faster. Sometimes you just need to face the thoughts inside your brain, for clarity's sake.

Does the noise inside your head ever overwhelm you?

thank god...

The election is over.

Here are words from my pastor Pete Wilson...

"Today is a new day. It’s a new era. Regardless of who you voted for or why, it’s time to switch gears. It’s time to pray for Obama as he transitions to become the President of the United States."

To read further, click here.

no matter who you vote for...

here's a song that speaks volumes to each of us. The video is simple. But the song is breathtaking and hopeful. 

book title of the week!

what if starbucks marketed like a church?

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.