Jonathan McKee, Author at Jonathan's Blog From The Source

What is your biggest concern with young people and mobile devices?

Posted on: 08/16/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Let’s have a little CONTEST!

I have 5 “Advanced Reader’s Copies” of my upcoming The Teens Guide to Social Media and Mobile Devices sitting right here on my desk… and I want to give them away. (I don’t know if you saw… for some reason Amazon is offering these right now as a pre-order for just $7 and change! Grab that price while you have the chance. Wow.)

Simple: post a comment in this blog post answering this question Continue reading “What is your biggest concern with young people and mobile devices?”

Posted in Books, Contests, Smartphones/Cell Phones | Tags: contest, mobile devices, parenting, smartphones, teenagers, The Teens Guide to Social Media and Moblile Devices | Leave A Comment

building into young people during their gap year

Posted on: 08/9/17 9:32 PM | by Jonathan McKee

What do Chick-Fil-A, rapper Trip Lee and Sean McDowell have in common?

All three captivated my attention last weekend… and I think you’ll find ‘why’ fascinating.

Let me back up. For the last decade the youth ministry world has been wrestling with a tough question—one that parents are asking just the same:

Why are so many kids walking away from their faith during/after high school?

Continue reading “building into young people during their gap year”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Faith, Leadership, Travel, Youth Culture | Tags: chick-fil-A, Christian Education, Impact 360, kingdom influence, sean McDowell, transformed, trip lee | Leave A Comment

Talking with teens AND parents about social media

Posted on: 08/2/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

How can we get teens AND parents to engage in conversation about the devices that are dominating most of their waking hours? (yeah… even parents)

I’ve been teaching parent workshops for about 15 years now, and speaking to teens about 20. But I’ve never done a workshop with them in the same room… until now! This is a subject that needs to be addressed to families, together… in the same room.

This fall when my new book (The Teens Guide to Social Media and Mobile Devices) hits the shelves I’ll be launching my “WISE POSTING IN AN INSECURE WORLD” family workshop. In this two hour workshop I’ll address Mom’s, Dads and kids about something we all struggle with– wisely navigating the digital world. Much like the book, I’ll be asking Continue reading “Talking with teens AND parents about social media”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Family, Parenting, Social Media, Speaking/Training, Youth Culture | Tags: healthy conversation, Jonathan McKee, Parent workshop, social media, The Teens Guide to Social Media and Moblile Devices | Leave A Comment

Teen Summer Bucket List Goes Viral

Posted on: 07/25/17 7:21 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Go to a party
Have sex
Give two blow jobs
8 hoe pics for Instagram
Hook up with Jacob again
Get a boob hickey…

These are just some of the items on a young person’s “bucket list” gone viral on Twitter.

Does this surprise me?

The timing is intriguing. Just last week I had a 3+ hour drive to the airport on my way back from teaching youth workers at a convention in Indiana. I took the opportunity to listen to the current Billboard Hot 100 to get a glimpse into the top music today… and apparently teen thinking today Continue reading “Teen Summer Bucket List Goes Viral”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Jonathan's Rant, Sexuality, Social Media, Youth Culture | Tags: billboard hot 100, pop culture, pop music, teen summer bucket list, teens, viral tweet, youth culture | Leave A Comment

Sex in the Top 10

Posted on: 07/18/17 6:32 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I’m always amazed how shocked parents are when I simply take them on a tour of the top 10 songs in the charts at any given time.

Many of you have heard me take parents on this tour (here’s me doing it in Amish PA). In a world where young people average 2 hours a day listening to music, it’s always wise to hear what messages they’re gleaning through their headphones. Today… that message happens to be pretty sexually charged.

David and I just did a quick review of the top 10 in this week’s YOUTH CULTURE WINDOW article. Take a peek at what our kids are hearing this summer and several free resources we provide to engage kids in meaningful conversation about these songs.

SEXY SONGS OF THE SUMMER

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music, Sexuality, Youth Culture | Tags: billboard hot 100, music charts, parenting, sexually charged, sexy songs | Leave A Comment

“Here’s the passage”

Posted on: 07/5/17 3:34 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I’m as type-A as you get. My wife says I’m borderline OCD. I don’t go on a picnic without exhaustive preparation and planning. That’s why Africa is always a stretch for me. Africa is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

“I’ll meet you at 9:00.”

That means maybe 9:00… or maybe 10:00. Depends on if something else comes up.

They call it Africa Time. Continue reading ““Here’s the passage””

Posted in Money, Speaking/Training, Travel | Tags: Kampala, parable of the shrewd manager, sermon prep | Leave A Comment

Talking with our kids about Katy Perry

Posted on: 06/19/17 10:34 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Katy Perry’s back on the charts with her brand new album, Witness, which will debut straight to No. 1 tomorrow on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

What will our kids hear from Katy this time around? More importantly, how can you talk with them about what they hear?

In 2013 I asked the same question about her album Prism when I wrote the article, “Dad, Can I Download Katy Perry’s New Album?” In that album we saw Katy get honest and talk about fighting depression, but we also saw the typical themes of partying and sleeping around. This time expect a little more of the same—some vulnerability, and some DGAF mindset (don’t give a…).

For example, in her song Roulette we notice Continue reading “Talking with our kids about Katy Perry”

Posted in Discussion Ideas, Entertainment Media, Music, Parenting, Youth Culture | Tags: discussing music, Katy Perry, Katy Perry new album, parenting, Witness, youth ministry discussions | Leave A Comment

When teens regret what they post

Posted on: 06/13/17 1:51 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last month a youth pastor friend called and left me a message:

Jonathan, we have a teen who sent a naked pic of himself to some girls at his school (Christian school), and now everyone at the school has seen it. It’s all everyone’s talking about at youth group. How do I deal with this?

I wish I could say the situation is uncommon.

No, I’m not going to tell you that every kid with a phone is posting nudes, but we do live in a day where SEND NUDES is definitely “no big deal.” And even if kids aren’t sending nudes Continue reading “When teens regret what they post”

Posted in Parenting, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media | Tags: mobile devices, parenting, regret posts, send nudes, smartphone, social media | Leave A Comment

Helpful new free resources

Posted on: 05/31/17 2:27 PM | by Jonathan McKee

We have posted some really helpful free resources in the last month or two. I wanted to highlight a few in case you missed them.

NOTE: Whenever I meet any of you in person at conferences and events around the world, the one common statement I hear is, “Thanks for your web site.” Of which I always respond, “You welcome. What is it you use the most?” The responses are always intriguing. I think “games” is the most common response I hear from youth workers, and the “youth culture articles” is the second most common answer. “Parenting help articles” is by far the number one answer from parents.

I’m glad you like them… that’s why we keep them free.

Here’s a few you won’t want to miss Continue reading “Helpful new free resources”

Posted in Parenting, Youth Culture, Youth Ministry Planning | Tags: free, new, parenting articles, youth ministry resources | Leave A Comment

Stop dwelling on past mistakes

Posted on: 05/23/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This month I was interviewed by Host Maggie Johns on Canadian TV show 100 Huntley Street about my parenting mistakes… and what I’d do over.

The interview provides good news for parents. We’ve all made mistakes. Instead of beating yourself up, ask, “How can I learn from this? How can I make changes? Lets stop dwelling on the past and let’s look at the future.”

Here’s a six minute clip Continue reading “Stop dwelling on past mistakes”

Posted in Parenting, TV, Youth Culture | Tags: 100 Huntley Street, If I had a parenting do over, Jonathan McKee, Maggie Johns, Parenting Advice, parenting mistakes | Leave A Comment