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Hokey Pokey: Curious People Finding What Life's All About

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This book from the former editor of CCM magazine is about finding and embracing your life's calling. Turner weaves many personal anecdotes both from his life and from conversations with others to help drive his point home. Turner's prose is full of sarcasm, thankfully much more held in check than on his personal blog. In fact, if I had read his blog before the book, I probably would have given it a pass, but that's a subject for another time.

There's really nothing groundbreaking here, but the book is a good read nonetheless. My biggest criticism is the length of the book--and that's saying a lot coming from a long-winded writer like myself. The book is not long, and really can be easily read in a day or two, but I found that the numerous stories and object lessons could have either been shortened or cut entirely and Turner's main points would have come across more cleanly.

I did appreciate the advice Turner offers for those who are searching for their vocation, and that "vocation" does not necessarily mean "job" but rather "calling." This is an important distinction. Another nice touch is the encouragement to be open to what the world around you has to offer--the idea that you don't have the market cornered on truth and would be better served by accepting truth wherever you might find it. In addition, the idea that calling is not a self-serving thing, but rather meant for the good of the community around you is a welcomed point. (The back copy quote of Tolkien is a plus in my book too.)

I would suggest this book for anyone who is sincerely searching for their place in this world and asking God for help in the right direction. Don't expect anything profound, but you may find focus in the reading.

Matthew Paul Turner has written about 15 books in the past five years, most of which challenge status quo Christianity through titles such as "Provocative Faith" and "What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents about Sex."

Turner's latest book, "Hokey Pokey," brings his sarcastic wit to the table along with personal stories and interviews to find what God's calling means for individuals.

This book is for college students and others who are still searching for some sort of purpose. Although the title sounds a little hokey, the content shows Turner knows what he's talking about. Turner carries an edge with him that you may be able to see with other authors such as Donald Miller.

One of the most appealing things is that Turner recognizes he's not a theologian, but a storyteller who doesn't have a set formula for "living your best life now."

"Hokey Pokey" shows that Turner understands the power of true stories over fiction, and he uses this to his advantage. He gets to the root issue of the book through the story of how he learned the Hokey Pokey.

Turner grew up a fundamentalist Christian going to a private Christian school that preached dancing of any sort was "sexual" and should be banned. However, he encountered a rogue substitute teacher who taught the class the Hokey Pokey.
Turner said this was one of the first times he felt free.

He delves deeper into what God's calling is through more stories from his past, and through insight he has learned through his journey. Turner shows that Christianity has made God's calling more of a career and not as much about a lifestyle.

It is here where he calls the subculture out and shows how living free is living God's calling for humanity.

Matthew Paul Turner is a gifted writer, a breath of fresh air in a marketplace often full of cliches. His book "The Christian Culture Survival Guide" had me laughing and nearly crying from the awkward moments I experienced as a Christian kid. His book "Churched" was equally as engaging, documenting his own journey from fundamentalism to freedom. Unfortunately, "Hokey Pokey" doesn't maintain that same degree of humor or depth.

Here, Turner addresses one of the most common questions in the Christian mindset: "Does God speak?" In other words, "Do I have a purpose and what does God want me to be doing with it? I need His voice, His direction. I don't want to settle into the routine of American consumerism, often disguised as American Christianity." These are valid concerns, and Turner tries offering gusts of honesty and freedom, to give us nudges toward a life of open curiosity and seeking, just as David often exhibits in the Psalms. Instead, though, the gusts seem more like whiffs and occasional breezes for those lost in a fog of uncertainty. He brushes up against some serious subjects, then quickly backs away. There is a sense of hope here, of direction, but it never materializes as clearly as I expected.

This is a light read, a bit rambling, yet enjoyable nonetheless. I recommend some of Turner's other books first, but if you get your hands on this one, it's worth the short time it will take to breeze through it.

i thought MPT was a great author. i respected him; found his books funny and refreshingly sarcastic. i read the beautitudes and i was hooked. i bought four of his books on amazon, in one shot, and decided to read hokey pokey first. in the mean time, i checked out his facebook page, thinking it would be nice to find out more about him. BIG mistake. as it so happens, he blogs. and blogs. and blogs some more. and then, he posts it on facebook for everyone to see. and its quite different than his books. his sarcasm wasnt as funny after a while; and pretty soon it got downright annoying. seeing him make fun of everyone and their mom wasnt my idea of a good time, so i questioned him about it one day after a post he put up rubbed me the wrong way. another big mistake. seems as though he can give and cant take. he makes a freaking living out of sarcasm and cynicism, but criticize him and you might get your head bit off!
so the next time i find an author i think i might enjoy (rob bell, anyone?) i think ill find out a little more about them before i dive into their book and get all wrapped up in what they have to say. i just cant take him seriously after our little encounter (yes, it pissed me off; can you tell?)and i guess ill probably have to let his books sit on the shelf until i have a yard sale someday; then ill sell them for about ten cents a piece, which is what i think they're worth.
for those of you who think that judging someones art by their personality and personal life is wrong, well, i beg to differ when it comes to authors, because reading books as personal and ''down to earth'' as his makes you feel like you know the person so much better. that way of thinking led me to a big disapointment, because it took a little interaction with him for me to realize that hes just an arrogant know-it-all who thinks he holds the world by the tail. and thats my story. probably not very helpful when looking for a book, but to each his own, i suppose.

Matthew Paul Turner, the former editor of CCM Magazine, has an engaging writing style so I decided to read this book. The author introduces the book as a "conversation about calling", which he presents in the form of a number of conventional chapters interspersed with interviews with "curious people" and questions for the reader to reflect upon.

Calling is a journey that takes a lifetime, rather than something that you arrive at. The journey is bumpy and uncertain. The freedom to experience your calling often just comes by getting out and living your life. Calling is not about you; it is about how you fit into God's story. We do not all have "burning bush" experiences, but God does speak into everyone's life. Waiting on God is about actively interacting with him, not passively expecting him to show up.

The book is filled with numerous interesting anecdotes and pieces of wisdom; however it was all a bit too random for my liking, and it took some effort for me to read all the way to the end. By the time I had finished I had already forgotten most of what I had read, and I had to hunt back through the book to find the pieces of advice outlined in the previous paragraph. What the author says is quite insightful, but the way he said it failed to connect with me.