Golfing for… you

Posted on: 06/10/08 12:02 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday I went golfing for you.

Seriously… I did. Every year we have one large fund raiser that helps us raise funds to keep the resources free for youth workers on our web site. This fund raiser is a golf marathon… three rounds of golf in one day. Golfers raise $1,000 each to play. We raised a bunch of money for our ministry… and boy did we have blast.

I’m not much of a golfer. This was only my second time playing this year. I have never broken 100 (for those of you that don’t golf, breaking 100 is a huge deal for golfers. It seperates the men from the boys. It’s when your score is under 100… on a typical par 72 course that means you have to average less then “two shots over par,” also known as double bogey, each hole. I am a double bogey golfer which means I usually shoot about a 108).

Yesterday on one of the rounds I shot a 50 on the front 9. Yes, that means that I could taste “breaking 100.” Unfortunately I fell apart on the back nine and shot a 59!

Yes… my legacy as a double bogey golfer lives on!

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Abstinence-only Haters

Posted on: 06/7/08 8:50 AM | by Jonathan McKee

If you own a TV or watch media of any kind, it’s no surprise to you that much of the world (and most of the media out there) hates the idea of Abstinence-only, and DESPISES Abstinence-only education.

I stumbled across a feminist web site today that expresses some pretty deep resentment against abstinence-only education. A glimpse at this page provided a good perspective of some of the world’s thinking. The page mocked a video (made by abstinence-only believers) that showed people transferring a piece of duct tape from place to place. The video argued that two pieces of duct tape stick together forever, but one piece, transported from place to place, loses it’s effectiveness with each transfer.

And WOW… did this web site rip on this video. Here’s their post titled, “My vagina is, in fact, not made of duct tape” (I edited a bit of the language)

Okay, I’m well aware that this “PSA” was probably made for some class project, but I really think it shows how frigging bizarre (and dangerous) abstinence-only classes are. I mean, f***ing duct tape? I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that of the many places the slutty piece of tape gets stuck, a garbage can is shown multiple times. (Just in case you didn’t get the sex-is-dirty message clearly enough.) After all, there’s nothing worse than trashy, whorey, adhesives.

The first comment was what really hit me:

Is anyone else totally creeped out by the idea of being “stuck together forever” with someone else? Ugh.

Wow.

You can click here if you want to read the whole thing. (Warning… this web site has bad language.)

I’ll be the first to admit that it is very difficult to draw black and white lines in a “grey” world. We spent a week discussing some of the difficulties with trying to teach God’s design for sex in a world that embraces “Do what feels right at the moment.” I understand the lure of temptation. I can relate to the struggle of sin. But, WOW! I literally mourn for a world that gets “creeped out” by the idea of being with someone for the rest of their lives.

I’m going on year 17 with my wife and each year just gets better and better.

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The Top of the Charts… Not a Pretty Sight

Posted on: 06/6/08 8:54 AM | by Jonathan McKee

You can learn a lot about youth culture from pop culture… that’s why I try to keep my eye on the music charts and what kids are listening to.

This week the  Coldplay is making a move up the charts… a refreshing change, I must say. No bias at all, I’m just growing tired of the insult to our intelligence that has been riding the number one slot for months now. I’m referring to the number one song “Lollipop.” If you aren’t familiar with this song, I encourage you to take a quick peek at the lyrics. All I can say is… Wow!  (I don’t know… he looks like a nice fella from his pic, don’t you think?)

So you can see why I’m cheering for Coldplay.

Other songs in chart news were Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” also soaring up the charts. I blogged about this song a lil bit ago. Enough said.

Also holding on, Usher’s “Love in the Club,” … aka “Let’s Make Love in the Club.” This song is an ironic piece. Usher’s new album is supposed to be about fidelity and matrimony now that Usher is married and settled down. His album tells his life story, and “Love in the Club” is about a time in his live when he was clubbing every night and taking women home with him. But he says that he’s different now. His album tells the story. Sorry Usher… most kids are missing that message. They’re too busy “Making Love in the Club” to  your song! (you’ll hear more about this soon on our Youth Culture Window)

I admit… music wasn’t great when I was 16. But let’s just say…this chart below is a little different picture than today’s:

Holy “YouveBeenLeftBehind” Batman!

Posted on: 06/4/08 7:15 AM | by Jonathan McKee

In a world where only 16% of 16 to 29-year-old non-Christians express favorable view of Christians (Barna, 2007) , and only 3% of 16 to 29-year-old nonChristians express favorable views of evangelicals… we Christians should try to avoid doing stupid stuff like this!

Yes, this ridiculous website seems to be real: YouveBeenLeftBehind.com. For just $40 a year, believers can arrange for up to 62 people to send a final message exactly six days after the Rapture.

Sigh.

Wired.com offers pretty good commentary about this. They think most nonbelievers will be too busy freaking the hell out to check their e-mail. But if they do log in, now they can be treated to some post-Rapture needling from their missing friends and loved ones, courtesy of web startup YouveBeenLeftBehind.com.”

In the YouveBeenLeftBehind.com services overview section of their website they explain:

We have set up a system to send documents by the email, to the addresses you provide, 6 days after the “Rapture” of the Church. This occurs when 3 of our 5 team members scattered around the U.S fail to log in over a 3 day period. Another 3 days are given to fail safe any false triggering of the system.

Wow. My first thought is… whatever imbecile subscribes to this site doesn’t HAVE any unbelieving friends anyway! So who are they going to put on their list? (Probably family members that they have already repelled and alienated by condemning them their whole lives)

Hello people. Let’s model the “Christ” that gave us the name “Christians. Our actions speak volumes.

Authentic lives lead to authentic conversations.

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A Blatant Commercial for Smoking Weed

Posted on: 06/2/08 9:31 PM | by Jonathan McKee

In this week’s Youth Culture Window article, I dissect pop culture, taking a look through the lens of last Sunday night’s MTV Movie Awards. In that article, I described a moment that had me scratching my head… one of the most blatant “pro pot” moments I’ve seen on television.

If pictures tell 1000 words, then video clips reveal even more. Take a look at this clip (you’ll have to watch a 30 second commercial first) from the awards show, a moment with Seth Rogen and James Franco. I could try to describe it to you… but you just have to see it.

What was the network thinking?!!

Oh that’s right. This is MTV…

Hence my article.

Connected but Isolated

Posted on: 05/30/08 5:12 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Today I am turning in a draft to my publisher for one of my new books (one that won’t be released until late 2009). The working title is “Connect” (just like my workshop of the same title), with the subtitle, “Engaging One-on-one Relationships in a World of Isolation.”

After spending a couple hours working on the book this morning, I glimpsed at my inbox and saw today’s update from Ypulse.  Anastasia linked a fascinating selection of photos by photographer Evan Baden of today’s young people seemingly mesmerized by the glow of their electronic devices.”

As I read the artist’s explanation of his project… I chuckled because it was almost word for word what I had just written about this generation. (I guess it’s becoming pretty obvious… huh?)

Baden writes (emphasis mine) …

In Westernized cultures today, there is a generation that is growing up without the knowledge of what it is to be disconnected. The world in which we are growing up is always on. We are continuously plugged in, and linked up. We take this technology for granted. Not because we are ungrateful, but because we simply don’t know a world without it.

From our earliest memories, there has always been a way to connect with others, whether it is Myspace, Facebook, cell phones, e-mail, or instant messenger. And now, with the Internet, instant messaging, and e-mail in our pocket, right there with our phones, we can always feel as if we are part of a greater whole. These devices grace us with the ability to instantly connect to others, and at the same time, they isolate us from those with whom we are connected. They allow for great freedom, yet so often, we are chained to them. They have become part of who we are and how we identify ourselves. These devices ordain us with a wealth of knowledge and communication that would have been unbelievable a generation ago. More and more, we are bathed in a silent, soft, and heavenly blue glow. It is as if we carry divinity in our pockets and purses.

Click here for entire the gallary of photos… amazing snapshots of this generation.

That discription about this generation just keeps emerging: Instantly Connected With Others… Yet Isolated from Those Whom We Are Connected.

Hmmmmmmm.

She Kissed a Girl and Liked It

Posted on: 05/27/08 8:51 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I’m a regular visitor of the music charts to see what kids are listening to. Today, #3 on iTunes was a song titled “I Kissed a Girl.” No big deal… right?

Well, the song was song by female singer Katy Perry. Here’s the chorus:

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

I know that the homosexual issue is a touchy one for many people. If you want to read about my stand on the issue, I blogged about it in detail here and link numerous articles on the subject. But in short, I think we as a church need to love homosexuals and embrace them as we do anyone else. At the same time, I think homosexual activity is wrong and leads to hurt.

This song isn’t so much about homosexual activity as it is just “doing what feels good at the moment.” Just like current hit songs “Lollipop” or “Love in the Club,” this song preaches, “follow your gut in the moment.” Another misleading message for our kids.

Singer Katy Perry first emerged on the scene last fall with her her ‘explicit’ EP “Ur So Gay.” Her new song “I Kissed a Girl” is only three weeks on the charts and is already #3 on iTunes, and #29 on Billboard’s Pop 100 Airplay chart.

According to a brief bio on Billboard.com, this young singer grew up in a Christian home the daughter of two pastors and as a teenager she found herself captivated by Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury and also Alanis Morissette.”  Really?

Keep your eye on this song… I only see it becoming more popular.

Here’s the entire lyrics.

Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl lyrics

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It’s not what, I’m used to
Just wanna try you on
I’m curious for you
Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

No, I don’t even know your name
It doesn’t matter
Your my experimental game
Just human nature
It’s not what, good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

Us girls we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain’t no big deal, it’s innocent

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

Yo Mama Showdown and Other Rejected Games

Posted on: 05/23/08 9:53 AM | by Jonathan McKee

As most of you know, our website has a huge collection of free game ideas for youth ministry. Many of these are submitted by youth workers around the world, screened, and added by us.

Have you ever wondered what the reject pile looks like?

We receive new game submissions almost daily. 50% of them are games we already have on our site. 30% just don’t make the cut. 10% are ludicrous… and we use that remaining 10% that are good.

The ludicrous category can be pretty funny. Years ago I shared a hilarious idea submitted from New Zealand that will make your insurance agent crease his seat! I’ll let you use the link to read it… but the title of the game is: Fireball Soccer.  I even posted a funny response from another Kiwi who actually played the game, only getting mild burns. I used that as an opportunity to create a hypothetical Top 10 list of games that your insurance won’t cover. Then a couple years later, in the aftermath of the WORLD Magazine’s rediculous thrashing of our website, I shared some other hilarious game additions and submissions.

This week we received another submission that won’t make our page- for obvious reasons… but a funny idea none-the-less. The idea is called the Yo Mamma Joke Showdown.

Yo Mama Jokes Showdown
Choose 2 volunteers to play who are ‘good at telling jokes’.  Have both volunteers leave the room for 2-3 minutes.  During that time each contestant will be given a sheet of written ‘Yo Mamma’ jokes.  Contestants will study sheets preparing for the showdown.  Once contestants are called back in, they will get up on stage and take turns telling ‘Yo Mama’ jokes. The first person who runs out of jokes loses.  The last one standing gets a prize.  I used the game as an intro to a teaching on the power of our words.

Yo mama so fat when her beeper goes off, people think she’s backing up.
Yo mama so fat she went to the movies and sat next to everyone.
Yo mama so fat last time she went to the beach people started running around yelling ‘Free Willy’.
Yo mama so fat that if you stand on her belly your ears pop!
Yo mama so fat she had to go to Sea World to get baptized.
Yo mama so fat she’s gotta iron her pants in the driveway.
Yo mama so fat she put on her lipstick with a paint-roller.
Yo mama so fat when she wears a yellow shirt, people start callin “Taxi!”
Yo mama so fat she goes to a restaurant looks at the menu and says “okay!”
Yo mama so fat she fell in love and broke it.
Yo mama so fat when she gets on the scale it says, ‘not for livestock’.
Yo mama so fat her neck looks like a pair of hot dogs!
Yo mama so fat she’s got her own area code!
Yo mama so fat that her senior picture had to be taken from a helicopter!
Yo mama so fat the animals at the zoo feed her.
Yo mama so fat they use the elastic in her underwear for bungee jumping.
Yo mama so ugly when she joined an ugly contest, they said “Sorry, no professionals.”
Yo mama so ugly the government moved Halloween to her birthday.
Yo mama so fat that when she heard it was chilly outside, she ran into the backyard with a spoon.
Yo mama so fat that she sat on a Nintendo Gamecube and it turned into a gameboy.
Yo mama so fat she fell into the Grand Canyon….and got stuck!
Yo mama’s so ugly when I took her to the zoo they said, “Thanks for bringin’ back our lost chimp!”
Yo mama’s is so fat she they had to make her car out of spandex.
Yo mama’s so fat she sweats mayonnaise!
Yo mama’s so fat, her belly button has an echo.
Yo mama’s so fat, when she wore a red sweater all of the kids pointed at her and said, “It’s the Kool-Aid Man!!!!”.
Yo mama’s so fat, that she has to put her belt on with a boomerang…

Hmmmmmmm.

Tragedy at the Steven Curtis Chapman Home

Posted on: 05/22/08 10:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Many of you might have read about the incredible loss Steven Curtis Chapman and his family suffered yesterday in their rural Williamson County home just south of Nashville.

The 5-year-old daughter of Grammy-winning Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

Please take a moment and pray for the family. Several family members witnessed the accident.

Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.

The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said.   –Tennessean.com

Pray for the brother who was the driver. I can’t even imagine the regret he must be feeling right now.

Maria was the youngest of the family’s three adopted children.

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