A refreshingly honest and humorous perspective on the myths and misunderstandings of sex, and a guide to lead readers to pursue intimacy from a godly perspective.
Matthew Paul Turner has made his mark as a force in the Christian children's book publishing market. With his unmatched gift for rhyme blended with deliberate messages of hope and empowerment, Turner's books When God Made You and When God Made Light have become bedtime favorites for families across America. His latest anticipated release is When I Pray for You, which will debut in February 2019.
Turner's storied writing career started nearly 20 years ago, and he has published a book every year. Called “one of Christianity’s fresh voices” by Publisher’s Weekly, Turner's other notable works include Our Great Big American God, Churched, Coffeehouse Gospel and The Christian Culture Survival Guide.
When God Made You was an Evangelical Christian Publishing Association Bestseller, described as “‘Oh, the Places You'll Go' meets the Divine” by recording artist Amy Grant.
Additionally, Turner is an accomplished photographer and journalist. Turner traveled all over the world documenting National Geographic’s “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman”. For the past decade, he has also traveled extensively with World Vision to places such as Tacloban, Philippines; Entebbe, Uganda; Cochabamba, Bolivia; Gyumri, Armenia; and other locations documenting the vast effects of poverty and the humanitarian efforts of the non-profit. His writing has appeared in outlets that include the Washington Post, National Geographic, USA Today and Daily Beast.
Turner lives in Nashville, Tenn. with his wife Jessica and their three elementary-aged children. In his free time, he enjoys portrait photography, woodworking, and cooking for his family and friends. Connect with him at www.matthewpaulturner.com
Well, I will probably be the only one to review this book and not like it. I suppose, if you are one of those people who believe a marriage is between one man and one woman, then you won't like what I have to say about this book. I know there are Christians who hear Jesus and will love others without judgement and be allies for those who are different than they are. Some "Christians" make others feel so guilty about their personal feelings and that's wrong. I was hoping that this book would just state facts about sex and leave the judgement out. I have problems with some of what the author writes.
First of all, the author sounds like an adult trying to talk "kid". He doesn't pull it off.
-page 40-41 "most of the time, those who "lie" -who tell outlandish stories about their "sexual" escapades - are the guys who have had armpit hair since they were ten or the girls who have huge breasts when they're thirteen." Seriously?
-page 119 the author is speaking about masturbation. Titled "You're not ready for this one!" Ladies, you might want to close your eyes as you read this. Is the author saying the ladies aren't strong enough to read about Sumerians masturbating and being proud of it.
-page 132 "Sex Help! In case you need something to think about instead of masturbation, why not think about butterflies?" Is masturbation so wrong that you need to think of something else to get past your thoughts? The author just finished telling us that masturbation is not wrong.
-page 150-151 The author is talking about pornography, cybersex and strip clubs among other things. "You have to get help."
-page 211 The author writes about how men actually need sex. There are glands that fill up, like a bladder, and need to be released. According to a web site that is mentioned often, these glands fill up every twenty-four to seventy-two hours. "Guys need sex." What about those people who are celibate?
-page 212 Ways to pursue your husband. Wake him up for sex. (Just brush your teeth first.) Evidently, ladies, we are too offensive for the men. Do we need to put our make-up on too?
-page 230-231 Also, ladies, don't forget the lingerie. This is from the Wedding Night Time Line. Six to eight months prior to the big night the ladies need to plan this party. Whereas, men need to get new underwear three days prior. It does say to buy something fancier than boxer briefs. And at least, the author tells the men to "trim, shave or wax where necessary. Yes, there, too, if necessary."
And finally, page 234, he tells the guys to go slow because your wife may be a virgin. Shouldn't the guy be a virgin too? He does mention the guy being a "first time shooter". (Is that the same thing?)
I know the author is trying to make young people more comfortable with their sexuality and if it does that for the reader then great. But for those who don't get what they are looking for, keep looking, there are many books out there.
I read this book years and years ago. The things I remember most are: 1) A specific idea I'll explain in a bit below. 2) The cover art. 3) Turner's willingness to bring up the "grey" areas of Christian sexuality and admit that they are grey, but that there are spiritual ways to figure out which way is up. 4) It was fun and easy to read.
But back to #1. The number one thing I took away from this book is the "formula" by which Turner addressed the "grey" stuff (severely paraphrased):
Question 1: Is it actually addressed in the Bible? Yes -- Abide by what the Bible says. No -- Proceed to Question 2.
Question 2: Can you engage in (sexual activity in question) with total love and respect (not just lust) in your heart for your significant other? No-- Then don't engage in (sexual activity in question). Yes-- Only engage in (sexual activity in question) if you can truly answer "yes" to this question, and so can your significant other. Whoever has the more conservative line drawn in the relationship should never be pushed to redraw said line further out.
Turner also acknowledges that this line between love/respect and lust may be drawn at different sexual activities for different people. Some people might not be able to engage in kissing without getting lusty, while some might feel totally loving and respectful skinny dipping together.
And even now that I'm married, I think that question 2 still applies-- are you bothering your spouse for (requested sexual activity) because you're feeling lusty, or because you're feeling genuinely lovey? One will likely lead to more long-lasting satisfaction.
I kinda liked this one. The author had a good sense of humor. His information isn't overly deep, just more of a surface grazing. Good Bible-based ideas, though. Also, he's really honest about things and doesn't try to sugar coat them, which is nice for a change.