The TV America is Watching

Posted on: 10/23/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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what-tv-families-watchI like to glimpse at the Nielsen charts every once in a while to see what Americans are watching on TV. And recently… it’s been football, Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead, even more football, and The Voice.

For those of you who don’t care how the numbers work… here’s the most popular shows “families” are watching, listed by me, derived from three lists (if you’re curious how I’ve come up with these numbers, keep reading below) Continue reading “The TV America is Watching”

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The Power of Coming Together

Posted on: 10/16/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Youth-Ministry-NetworkLast weekend I was in a small town outside of Minneapolis where I witnessed something I rarely see in the world of youth ministry. I saw a network of 8 youth workers from different ministries come together to share ideas and do ministry together.

I almost pinched myself. A Lutheran, a Baptist, a Methodist, someone from the Covenant church and a Campus Life leader were drinking coffee together (sounds like a joke, right?) Yes, it’s not the first time I’ve seen it, but let’s just say I don’t see it often Continue reading “The Power of Coming Together”

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Life in 6 Words

Posted on: 10/13/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Screen Shot 2014-10-12 at 10.07.32 PMA week ago I got to hang out with a good friend of mine, Greg Stier. And Greg’s ministry has an amazing giveaway right now for youth leaders—free books for their entire youth group.

The book is called Life in 6 Words. Many of you have already seen the video (with hip hop artist Propaganda). The book creatively and artistically spells out the same “GOSPEL” message… literally, using the word GOSPEL as an acronym to share the Good News Continue reading “Life in 6 Words”

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Talking with Teens about Their Smartphones

Posted on: 10/9/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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teen-social-media-hookup-cultureTeens typically think their smartphone use is reasonable.

Parents and teachers, however, think teen smartphone use is out of control!

Who’s right?

That’s the question I just proposed in the brand new blog I’m writing to teenagers every week (the blog is being hosted by that amazing new Faith Happenings site, the new online hub of Christian happenings in your city).

Here’s a snippet of that blog post Continue reading “Talking with Teens about Their Smartphones”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Jonathan's Rant, Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Free Books This Week

Posted on: 10/7/14 6:15 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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The-Gospel-Walking-DeadLots of opportunities to get free books this week:

1. CONTEST: Those of you who’ve followed me for a while know I love using pop culture as a springboard for conversations about the truth of the Bible. One of the ways we do that is by using the popular TV show The Walking Dead. This week, on our The Gospel According to The Walking Dead blog we are celebrating The Walking Dead Season 5 Premiere with a contest giving away half a dozen personally autographed books, my The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide for Teenagers. Continue reading “Free Books This Week”

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Sexual Consent… App?

Posted on: 10/1/14 9:41 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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sexual consent app

NOTE: As of Oct 7th, this app has been pulled by iTunes. See comments below.

We’ve seen apps helping people hook up, apps for people who just want to “cuddle”… I guess it’s no surprise that now some college students will rely on an app for sexual consent.

In a world where laws are emerging requiring mutual “affirmative consent” in attempt to prevent or reduce sexual abuse, miscommunication or regretted sexual activities, I guess I should have guessed this app would surface Continue reading “Sexual Consent… App?”

Posted in Jonathan's Rant, News, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Parent Reactions

Posted on: 09/30/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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teenagers-phone-adviceI love hearing feedback from parents after they attend one of my Parenting the Smartphone Generation workshops– it’s fun to hear how their kids respond when the parents arrive home with all this new information (knowing that I’m telling their parents to start paying attention to what they are watching, what sites they are browsing, etc.), and I’m always curious to hear how the parents responded to the glimpse I gave them of music, TV, video games and other entertainment media.

A good friend forwarded me the feedback from a church in Amish Pennsylvania where I spoke about three weeks ago. They actually printed the parent feedback right in one of their newsletters to the church.

Here’s the feedback, as printed Continue reading “Parent Reactions”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music, Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Speaking/Training, TV, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

10 Things That Made Me Pause in Uganda

Posted on: 09/22/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Uganda-childI’m in my second week of my visit here to Kampala. Three days left. We’ve done three full days of training, I’ve spoke at several schools, met with youth workers, preached three services yesterday (three 2-hour services… a little longer than I’m used to. Wow!), and spoke at an Anglican conference that brought people from all over the region. It’s been a crazy week… with some amazing moments!

Here’s 10 things that caused me to pause and take notice in Uganda: Continue reading “10 Things That Made Me Pause in Uganda”

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A Glimpse of Youth Ministry in Uganda

Posted on: 09/18/14 5:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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youth-ministry-ugandaAs I write to you at this very moment, my dad is teaching a little over 120 youth workers about how to prepare a sermon.

I wish you could see it. We’re in the basement of an Anglican church, and when I say “basement”, understand I mean dirt floor, echoing cement walls, and exposed electric wires that function most of the time (we were in the dark for a good 12 minutes of one of my workshops yesterday… I just kept going) Continue reading “A Glimpse of Youth Ministry in Uganda”

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The Good Lie

Posted on: 09/11/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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It’s always fun when a quality film comes out that points to faith and hope, and maybe even shows churches in a good light.

This little feature clip just crossed my desk yesterday. It’s a film called The Good Lie, and it looks like it’s going to be excellent. Reese Witherspoon… with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer behind it. Wow.

Maybe I’m biased because I’m heading to Africa this Sunday… but this looks GOOD!!!

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