April 2017 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

Alone

Posted on: 04/24/17 8:09 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday I sat in a restaurant on my drive back from a speaking engagement and voices grew loud behind me.

“You don’t understand!”

“I understand perfectly. You’re failing.”

The voices were growing loud enough that people at other tables were pausing and awkwardly looking over at the commotion.

I snuck a glance. A teenage boy, probably 16 or 17-years-old, was typing on his phone, trying his best to ignore his mom while she sat across the table from him with her arms crossed Continue reading “Alone”

Posted in Church, Parenting, Youth Culture | Tags: parenting, rebellious teens, sticky faith, teenagers, teens need mentors | Leave A Comment

Lost a friend

Posted on: 04/17/17 7:03 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Youth Ministry lost a good friend this past weekend. My friend Rob Maxey, Executive Director of Youth for Christ here in Sacramento passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer.

Even if you didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Rob, many of you actually knew him by reputation. Rob is the friend I featured in my book CONNECT who literally taught me how to talk with kids on campus (the guy who said, “Hi, I’m his parole officer”). Rob is the friend whose stories I’ve used at countless youth ministry trainings and parent workshops because of his amazing grasp on how to connect with today’s young people Continue reading “Lost a friend”

Posted in Personal | Tags: lost a friend, Rob Maxey, Youth for Christ | Leave A Comment

Men really hate solitude

Posted on: 04/11/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This week as I read about Jesus’ final hours, I can’t help but notice how often He went alone for some time of solitude to pray.

Men hate getting alone to just be quiet!

I think you’ll be surprised to discover exactly how much they hate it.

I’m co-writing a book right now with my friend Curt Steinhorst about capturing attention in a world full of distractions, and we devote an entire chapter to finding solitude, turning off the noise and actually allowing ourselves to process.

Men don’t do this naturally. Continue reading “Men really hate solitude”

Posted in Faith, Prayer | Tags: Can I Have Your Attention, Curt Steinhorst, Easter week, Jesus, Jonathan McKe, prayer, solitude | Leave A Comment

When Teens Doubt

Posted on: 04/4/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s sad, but I hear it more and more each year.

Every weekend at my parent workshops I get at least one question about it… and I constantly receive emails asking the same thing:

What do I do when my teenager tells me they don’t believe in God?

Here’s an email I just received:

Jonathan,

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and advice! We are taking it all to heart in raising our teens. The question I have is, how do you apply these strategies in your book with a 16 year old who has decided she doesn’t believe in God the way you’ve taught her? She is not going to have the same moral compass you’re wanting her to make decisions from . . . Continue reading “When Teens Doubt”

Posted in Church, Faith, Family, Parenting, Youth Culture | Tags: answers to tough questions, apologetics, christian faith, doubt, faith, parenting, skeptics, teenage doubters | Leave A Comment