Posted on: 10/13/19 9:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee
Last week my daughter sent me this video and simply said, “This is so cool.”
And I agree.
And apparently much of the country does… because the video has gone viral.
If you haven’t seen this yet…some very powerful words from Ellen. We need more of this.
Posted in Humor, TV | Tags: Ellen Degeneres, George W | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 10/7/19 5:52 PM | by Jonathan McKee
Every once in a while a movie or TV show comes along that actually “gets” young people today or provides a glimpse at “how to reach them.”
Well, Netflix just released a series titled, Unbelievable, that literally took my breath away, on several levels.
First, I’m writing a book on social media right now and happen to be waist deep in research about predators (which sadly sometimes turns into sexual assault, rape, sex slavery, etc.). And this series is about rape victims.
Secondly, this series provides a picture-perfect example of how not to treat people who are victims of abuse, bullying, rape, etc. I mean perfectly! As in, I would actually make my youth ministry volunteers watch episode one and then episode two of this series, and then we’d all meet together and compare the two polar opposite ways we could treat those who are abused, assaulted, etc. and discuss what this looks like in the youth ministry world. Continue reading “A Netflix Show Youth Workers and Parents Might Want to Watch”
Posted in Discussion Ideas, Entertainment Media, Movies, Parenting, Sexuality, TV, Youth Culture | Tags: counseling teenagers, Netflix Unbelievable, rape, sexual assault | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 10/1/19 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee
Last week Canadian TV show 100 Huntley Street had me in the studio talking about how to help today’s young guys battle the four biggest distractions in their lives…
I touch on all four in this 11 minute interview.
Here’s a peek…
If you are looking for a tool to help a young man fight these battles… this book might be exactly what you’re looking for: The Guy’s Guide to Four Battles Every Young Man Must Face.
Posted in Books, Parenting, Self Image, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, TV | Tags: lust, Porn, self esteem, teen guys, teen temptation, Weed | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 09/25/19 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee
Kids have always liked celebrities, and celebrities have always had influence… but never to the extent they do today.
In 1984 Madonna shocked the world at the first MTV Video Music Awards, rolling around on the stage in a wedding dress provocatively singing, Like a Virgin. Before you knew it, Gen X teens everywhere (now 50-year-old moms) were wearing lace gloves, 20 bracelets, a rosary, and if Mom and Dad weren’t looking—lingerie on the outside of their clothes. Madonna was an influencer (great documentary on how video killed the radio star- Episode 7 of this Netflix series).
But how much influence did a celebrity have at that time?
Kids could play Continue reading “Who do your kids follow?”
Posted in Entertainment Media, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture | Tags: celebrity influencers, social media, teenagers | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 09/17/19 4:13 PM | by Jonathan McKee
Mom, can I watch ‘The Boys’ on Amazon Prime?
What’s it about?
Superheroes.
Sure. Why not?
I guess that’s a good question. “Why not?”
Helping our kids learn to make good entertainment decisions isn’t easy (just like helping our kids escape porn isn’t easy). And with all the easy access to raunchy entertainment today, parenting has become a little more complex.
Some might call it unrealistic to wish that superheroes were always good guys. Today’s demand for authentic entertainment calls for more “real” or “gritty” characters… i.e. superheroes who are rapists, peeping toms, liars, murderers, hypocrites, drug addicts…and that’s exactly what you get with almost every hero in The Boys. Because that’s “real”, right?
Let’s just say that The Boys, based off the graphic novel/comic book series of the same name, provides Continue reading “Not so “super” heroes”
Posted in Entertainment Media, Parenting, TV | Tags: Amazon Prime Video, teaching discernment, The Boys | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 09/9/19 11:05 PM | by Jonathan McKee
Last night we went to the Broncos game in Oakland…sitting in the nosebleeds!
I had heard numerous stories about Oakland fans, but this was my first opportunity to experience them firsthand.
Here’s my top list of what I observed:
10. Antonio Brown is not a popular fellow in Oakland
9. People on parole certainly do enjoy football
8. More Raiders players prayed at the beginning of the game than Broncos players.
7. A person can get high on second-hand smoke (and I hope I don’t need a drug test anytime soon)
Continue reading “Top 10 List: What I Learned at the Raiders/Broncos Game in Oakland Last Night”
Posted in Humor, Personal | Tags: Denver Broncos, Oakland Coliseum, Oakland Raiders | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 09/3/19 5:07 PM | by Jonathan McKee
In the shadow of yet another shooting this year, I’ve been reflecting on my research not only about bullied kids or even school shooters…but young people in general.
Looking for meaning, purpose…belonging.
I read the following quote this week in the book, Mindhunter, by John Douglas, the FBI legend who first coined the term “serial killer” and birthed the “behavioral science” unit at the FBI: (emphasis mine)
“Whether we’re talking about a mail bomber like Ted Kaczynski, Charles Whitman, or any number of school shooters, or the raft of religious terrorists have come to plague much of the world, we’re exploring similar psyches. These are people who take up mass violence as a Continue reading “to compensate for their own hopelessness”
Posted in Bullying/Cyberbullying | Tags: parenting, purpose, shootings, youth ministry | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 08/26/19 4:57 PM | by Jonathan McKee
And some ideas how to dialogue with your kids about it
The CDC director released a statement just a few days ago in response to the death related to the outbreak of “severe lung disease in people who use e-cigarettes or ‘vaping’ devices”:
We are saddened to hear of the first death related to the outbreak of severe lung disease in those who use e-cigarette or “vaping” devices. CDC’s investigation is ongoing. We are working with state and local health departments and FDA to Continue reading “Vaping Concerns Rise”
Posted in Drugs & Alcohol | Tags: CDC, marijuana, vaping | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 08/20/19 8:52 AM | by Jonathan McKee
I love Simon Sinek’s passion about this subject… the problems smartphones are causing in homes and the workplace.
This little YouTube video is a great one to play with your families (and then ask the questions I posted below)
5 questions to ask your kids:
“Have you ever noticed this dopamine-driven desire to Continue reading “Smartphones, dopamine and phubbing”
Posted in Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media | Tags: dopamine, phubbing, Simon Sinek, smartphone addiction | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 08/15/19 9:10 AM | by Jonathan McKee
When July came to a close there had been 22 school shootings to date in 2019, and that’s just school shootings. That doesn’t include Dayton, El Paso, Gilroy, Brooklyn, or Mississippi… all mass shootings in the last month. That’s over 2,000 mass shootings since Sandy hook, killing over 2,400, wounding over 9,000… leaving us wondering, are the only safe places in the US Wyoming and North Dakota?
Some people love to debate the cause behind the shootings. I chuckle at my wording: “the cause”… if it were only that simple.
When I was researching school shootings for my fiction book, Bystanders, Continue reading “The best weapon against school shootings”
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: bullying, empathy, prayer, school shooting | Leave A Comment
Follow