A Peek Inside the Top Music of 2016

Posted on: 12/20/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Billboard-2016-NO-1Every year-end we write a special Youth Culture Window article dissecting every Billboard No. 1 hit song of the year.

This year there were eleven No. 1’s filled with break ups and hook ups, drugs and alcohol, sung by musical legends and unknown newbies. 2016’s most popular songs were marked by tremendous diversity in theme, genre, and artists.

But when the music ended, what did our kids really hear?

Take a peek at our breakdown. We share lyrical excerpts, some links to online videos, and a brief discussion of the song’s meaning to help you understand what elements were imparted to teenagers through the music.

Here it is!

The No. 1 Songs of 2016
What Impact Did They Make on Young Listeners?

Responding to argumentative teenagers

Posted on: 12/19/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Jim-Daly-John-Fuller-Jonathan-McKeeMany of you caught when I was a guest on Focus on the Family’s daily broadcast last month (a video clip of that show HERE). Focus had me back last week to continue the conversation with Jim Daly and John Fuller about parenting…

…and this time to talk about the 7 vital changes I’d make If I Had a Parenting Do Over.

While I was there they filmed a quick Facebook video about “Why teenagers argue with their parents!”

Good times!PARENTING-DO-OVER-cover-WEB

(And as nice as it is to buy it from Focus… Amazon has it at the moment for a crazy pre-sale price of just $6 and change!)

My Top 5 Titles in 2016

Posted on: 12/15/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

MY-TOP-FIVEThe year-end is upon us and we’re looking back at the best and worst of 2016. Here’s yet another Top 5:

At the beginning of 2016 my 19th book hit the shelves, and I signed contracts for two more, one which I finished writing this summer and will release next month. (You’ll hear about the second one soon enough—but I’ll tell you this. It’s based off the popularity of my candid book to young men, but this one is to ALL teens about what it actually looks like to be wise with social media.)

I always find it interesting to see which of my books resonated the most with readers… I can never predict it! Continue reading “My Top 5 Titles in 2016”

Top 10 Posts of 2016

Posted on: 12/13/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

top-10-Jonathan McKee postsIt’s been a fun year on this blog. We’ve had a bunch of exciting contests and giveaways, not to mention… this blog grabbed the No. 12 spot in the most recent TOP 30 YOUTH MINISTRY BLOGS from YouthMinistry.com. Good times!

I pulled up my stats and looked at the top 10 posts you guys trafficked this year… some really good ones.

Here’s what you liked the most:
Continue reading “Top 10 Posts of 2016”

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My Top 5 Time Traps

Posted on: 12/12/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

ackbarI love the year-end, because that’s when we post all the fun lists with the year’s top stuff!

That means we’ll be looking back at the entertainment media in our culture like the top movies, the top songs (our annual recap of the No. 1 hits of the year, see last year’s here)… and then we’ll look at your top clicks as readers like my articles you read the most, my most popular books, etc.

But let me start with the most random of lists…

MY TOP 5 TIME TRAPS OF 2016
Yes… these distractions have cost me countless hours in the past year!
Continue reading “My Top 5 Time Traps”

It Ain’t My Fault

Posted on: 12/6/16 4:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It-Ain't-My-FaultOxford Dictionary just released their brand new “word of the year” for 2016, and it should serve as a sobering slap in the face as to exactly how irrational and foolish we’ve become.

The word is post-truth.

The definition is basically this: who cares what’s true. It’s only what “feels right” that matters (see Romans 1:18 for an expanded definition).

We just posted our brand new Youth Culture Window article, Who Needs Truth?, about this dangerous mindset and how today’s young people are Continue reading “It Ain’t My Fault”