Jonathan's Blog From The Source
Posted on: 11/23/15 6:54 AM | by Jonathan McKee
The youth ministry was fizzling out and no one knew why.
It was as simple as this: kids weren’t meeting Jesus, and the ones that already knew Jesus weren’t growing. As a result the group had sputtered and was on the verge of dying.
If it were a horse it would have been put down.
This past year I have had the opportunity to spend time with Continue reading “Poor Leadership 101”
Posted in Church, Evangelism, Jonathan's Rant, Leadership, Youth Ministry Philosophy | | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 11/19/15 6:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee
This week I flew to Kentucky to speak at four different venues: two venues for parents, an event for young people, and finally two workshops at the National Youth Workers Convention.
For those of you who are curious about my content, here’s a glimpse as well as some links for further reading:
All Pro Dad’s Breakfast—for Dad’s and Teens/Tweens
In this venue I basically raised the question to adults and kids alike if their phones helped or hindered their communication. I shared some basic research, then expanded on three thoughts Continue reading “Inside My Teaching”
Posted in Speaking/Training | | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 11/16/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee
Black Friday is just around the corner and parents are already thinking about what to buy their kids for Christmas. What do you think kids really want from their parents?
Ikea posted a poignant YouTube video of an experiment they did with 10 families interviewing young kids about what they really want for Christmas.
The results were both eyeopening and heartwarming.
First, they asked kids what they would ask the “three kings” for Christmas. The results were as expected: a guitar, a Wii, a game…
Then they asked the same kids Continue reading “What kids REALLY want”
Posted in Parenting | | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 11/12/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee
I’m putting the finishing touches on my new parenting book this month, and I’d love your help! I’ll make it simple. If I use your idea, I’ll send you a FREE copy when this book is released.
BONUS: Even if I do NOT use your idea, I’ll randomly draw 3 names out of the comments below and send them a book! So don’t hesitate to send your best idea.
Many of you remember the title of this upcoming book because you voted on the best cover in September (the cover on the right won, hands down). The book is titled, 52 Ways to Connect with Your Smartphone Obsessed Kid: How to Engage with Kids Who Can’t Seem to Pry Their Eyes from Their Devices.
This book has been an intriguing project. I’m providing parents with tools to help them entice their kids to naturally set their phones aside and engage in rewarding face-to-face interaction. As you can imagine, this can be quite tricky, in a world where today’s teens spend Continue reading “A Free Book for Your Idea”
Posted in Books, Contests | | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 11/9/15 6:25 AM | by Jonathan McKee
How many hours per day do your kids digest entertainment media and technology?
Think about it for a moment. If you add up all the screen time, music, social media, video games, TV, mobile video… all of it! How many hours would it be?
Common Sense Media just did the math in their exhaustive study of thousands of teens (13-18) and tweens (8-12), and the total hours today’s young people spend soaking in media per day might surprise you Continue reading “Teen Media Consumption 2015”
Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Movies, Music, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, TV, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 11/5/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee
Some youth workers aren’t very good at math.
Let’s do a little simple math from my new SKINNY book about recruiting volunteers.
If you lead a youth ministry and you take an honest look at the time you spend with teenagers each week, you could go out on the front lines and spend 20 hours a week with students by yourself.
You put in 20 hours, and reap 20 hours of impact.
20 = 20
Or you could take that same block of time, spend 10 hours with students, and 10 hours a week developing Continue reading “The Math We Miss”
Posted in Youth Ministry Planning | | Leave A Comment
Posted on: 11/3/15 5:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee
As I sit here on my 12-hour flight from Cape Town to Munich, my mind can’t help but decompress, processing my week of teaching at the Imagine Ignite conference and hanging out with youth workers in South Africa. God’s hand was so evident through this whole experience.
The week provided plenty of perks (pardon my alliteration), from the trip up Table Mountain, to wine tasting in the beautiful coastal vineyards, tasting a “Pinotage” for the first time. But none of those moments hold a match to the interaction my family and I experienced with the Continue reading “5 Realities That Made Us Pause in South Africa”
Posted in Personal, Speaking/Training, Travel | | Leave A Comment
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