Beatitude: Relearning Jesus

Author Matthew Paul Turner

Revell

           Beatitude is unlike most Christian living books that I have read, in that this is more of a personal testimony of how one guy, namely Matthew Paul Turner, has journeyed through a struggling faith.  The difference is, most authors would take you down a seven-step process to becoming more holy, or in this case to applying the beatitudes to your daily walk, wher instead, Turner writes in a wholly different style, weaving together personal thoughts and stories on how others have impacted him in ways relevant to the beatitudes. In the end, you come out knowing much more about Turner, and possibly a little more about yourself.  Through his personal reflections, the reader is able to consider how the characteristics described in each chapter (peace, salt, heart, mercy, truth, light, humility, love, and magic) apply to their own lives. 

In the end, Beatitude: Relearning Jesus is more of an autobiography than a self-help book and with Turner’s usual whit there is hardly a dull moment in the book.  I can only be grateful for the fact that our personal contact was too brief to become a chapter.  However, I can say that I have personal been there as he faced one of the hardest chapters in this book, and it was a defining moment for me as well.  I too had learned through his humility and again in this book I can relearn humility and more. 

As a side note, although my first encounter with Matthew was during a trying time for him as he was leaving CCM Magazine, it was still a comical moment as well. Since he loves to share stories I would like to share one as well.

I met Matthew at Lifest, and shortly after being introduced for the first time I was riding to the main stage on a golf cart with the PR rep and with Matthew on the back. On the way there, Matthew went into his impersonation of Harry, from Harry and the Hendersons movie, when Harry was attempting to imitate a squad car. The publicist was not all too impressed, however, they're now happily married now.  It was a bizarre moment for me as I kind of idolized him for his position at CCM prior to this day.  I started to learn that day that rock stars, band managers, label presidents, magazine editors, and all of us, are just human beings on a journey towards faith and each one of us needs to be reminded to relearn Jesus when we get too busy to bother.

Aside from Beatitude, Turner has been busy writing other books.  Two of which are What You Didn’t Learn From Your Parents About Christianity, and What You Didn’t Learn From Your Parents About Sex.  For more information about Matthew and his writings you can check out his web site at http://jesusneedsnewpr.blogspot.com/.

- Ken W.