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

Trump, The P-word, and Hypocrites

Posted on: 10/10/16 4:44 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I try not to get political and I try not to rant. I’ll keep my momentum of NOT getting political in this post. This post is not about Trump… it’s about our hypocritical nation.

Last week we all heard recordings of Trump saying some really explicit and degrading stuff about women. It was pretty eye-opening and disappointing.

But it’s funny that while Americans, both conservative and liberal are all shaking their heads at Trump, and calling his statement “offensive”, “degrading” and “intolerable”… Continue reading “Trump, The P-word, and Hypocrites”

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Are Any of These Cities Near You?

Posted on: 09/29/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This month I fly to 5 different U.S. states to teach parent workshops… and I’m hoping that I’m coming near you! (and if not… let’s start a dialogue about bringing me out to your city)

ARVADA, CO
It all starts this weekend when I fly to Colorado to record a radio interview about my new book on Jim Daly’s show on FOCUS ON FAMILY, and while I’m there I’m teaching a FREE parenting workshop just outside of Denver. The workshop is Sunday night, October 2^nd, from 6:00 to 8:00 at Peace Lutheran. This will be my brand new workshop: Continue reading “Are Any of These Cities Near You?”

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Walking Alongside a New Believer

Posted on: 09/26/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“What tools can I use to help new Christians understand the commitment they just made?”

It’s one of the most common questions I hear from youth ministries who are actually reaching young people for Christ. And I’m glad to hear the question, because it means these ministries realize the need to walk alongside new believers and disciple them.

My friend Scott Rubin, the Director of Student Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago, just wrote a helpful little resource called The Essential Guide to My New Life With Jesus. I just read it and felt compelled to tell you about it… Continue reading “Walking Alongside a New Believer”

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Will Your Kids Watch “Easy” on Netflix?

Posted on: 09/22/16 4:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Today’s young people love Netflix. It’s mobile, it’s commercial free, and as a bonus… most parents have no idea what their kids are watching.

That’s why parents should probably be aware of the new sexually-charged Netflix original series, Easy, streaming on their devices starting today, September 22^nd. The show follows (and I quote) “diverse Chicagoans fumbling through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture.”

I’m not telling you to write your congressman and get the show banned. I’m just suggesting, in a world where 49% of 15-20-year-olds stream on demand content like Netflix daily, and 78% of “on their own Millennials” have subscriptions to these entertainment venues… it might be good to know what exactly it is they’re watching, how we can use Netflix binging for bonding, and how to respond if we discover them watching mature or adult content (which is why I’m going to provide you with 3 ways to overreact react when this happens).

In the trailer we observe…

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, TV | | Leave A Comment

The Christian music kids like… or do they?

Posted on: 09/19/16 6:22 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last week I hosted a contest in this blog asking you which Christian songs today’s kids actually like and wouldn’t hesitate playing to their friends. Here are the results.

The response was overwhelming. You’ll probably find that post’s comment section is a great resource for you to peek at the variety of some of the top Christian songs kids like today!

Key word: variety.

In fact, if you pour through those comments you’ll discover two things:

Continue reading “The Christian music kids like… or do they?”

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What Christian Music Do Today’s Kids Actually Like?

Posted on: 09/12/16 3:53 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Okay… it’s time for me to give something away. A Christian CD of your choice to the winner. Here’s what I want– answer this simple question:

What Christian songs (I want song and artist) can you play that today’s young people actually enjoy?

I could expand the question like this: What Christian music would they not be afraid to play around their friends?

Continue reading “What Christian Music Do Today’s Kids Actually Like?”

Posted in Contests, Music | | Leave A Comment

Kanye West, MTV and Small Screens

Posted on: 09/6/16 1:13 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Kanye West debuted his bizarre new music video on the MTV Music Video Awards (VMAs) a week ago… and nobody cared.

Until the next day. Then it went viral.

The reason is simple: young people are changing the way they view entertainment media.

Young people are no longer limited to a time and place to watch what they want to watch. With almost 88% of American teens owning smartphones this year, this allows young people Continue reading “Kanye West, MTV and Small Screens”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Smartphones/Cell Phones, TV, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

An Interview with Doug Fields & Josh Griffin

Posted on: 08/25/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Effectively Resourcing Today’s Youth Workers
An Interview with Doug Fields & Josh Griffin

Both Doug and Josh have served on the front lines of youth ministry for literally decades. They are two of the leading thought-leaders in our profession and know incredibly well what it takes to equip teams of volunteers with the tools they need to effectively reach today’s young people with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. I was excited to sit down with them recently to talk a little bit about serving youth workers and running my favorite youth ministry resource organization: DownloadYouthMinistry.com (DYM).

* Be sure to peek at the freebie they are giving away to my readers at the bottom of this post… no strings attached!

JONATHAN: What are some of the resources each of you found yourselves on the hunt for in your own ministries decades ago?

JOSH: When Doug started, way back during the middle of the Civil War, there weren’t Continue reading “An Interview with Doug Fields & Josh Griffin”

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Top 5 Impactful Christian Music Artists in the 80’s

Posted on: 08/22/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Did you grow up in the 80’s?

Did you listen to Christian music in the 80’s?

My wife Lori was playing Amy Grant’s Straight Ahead album in the car the other day and my girls began complaining. Lori and I both defended the album because it was nostalgic for each of us. In a time where there wasn’t a lot of good Christian music options, Amy delivered something that resonated with young believers.

Amy wasn’t the only one. In fact, I recall 5 Christian artists that really made an impact on Continue reading “Top 5 Impactful Christian Music Artists in the 80’s”

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