Which Title Do You Like?

Posted on: 07/16/11 9:42 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I want your opinion!

(Okay… I know this is a Saturday, but I figure that some of you can chime in on Monday when you get around to it.)

I’m working on the script for a DVD curriculum for YS/Zondervan. It’s a video training that will be sort of a student version of my Do They Run When They See You Coming? book that won the outreach award a few years back. Basically, training young people to reach out to their friends without scaring them away. Evangelism 101 for students, if you will.

I’m brainstorming titles and wondered what you thought. First thought was to keep the Do They Run When They See You Coming? title. But I didn’t think that students would necessarily identify with that. Plus, this curriculum will have a student book that comes along with it and I don’t want it to be something that they’d be embarrassed to have on their desk at school, etc.

So here’s a couple thoughts. I’m really favoring the main title THE REASON. I’m picturing a book where in faded print you could see part of the theme verse, I Peter 3:15 and 16, with the words “the reason” standing out. 

Maybe something like this:  (this is just my quick mock up- I’m sure it would look much better)

But with all books, we need to consider several titles. So here’s some thoughts. Which do you like? Or any other ideas?

TITLES:
The Reason
Give the Reason
As You Are Going… (using the Great Commission theme)
Reach
Teenagers Reaching Teenagers

SUBTITLES:
Reaching Out to Your Friends without Scaring ‘Em Away
Reaching Out to Your Friends without Scaring ‘Em
An Authentic Faith Opening Doors to Authentic Conversations
Sharing Hope with Your Friends without Scaring ‘Em

Thoughts??? I’d love your feedback so I can pass it on to the marketing team. Use this blog’s COMMENT feature so we all can read your thoughts.

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Just Comment to Win DVDs and Books

Posted on: 06/20/11 10:46 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Let’s have us a little contest. I’m gonna throw 10 prizes into this one and make it really simple to win!

Here’s the skinny: we just totally revamped our GAMES & ICEBREAKERS page on TheSource4YM.com last week and now we want your comments and votes! Every comment or vote you make, you get entered to win any one of my books (your choice) or a DVD of the brand new Christian comedy concert, Thou Shalt Laugh 5. Ten Prizes total (more on the contest in a minute).

YOUR COMMENTS COUNT
It’s like this. When some people think of TheSource4YM.com …they think “Awesome game ideas!” Well… our GAMES & ICEBREAKERS page just got logarithmically more awesome, because now you have a louder voice!

Let me explain. Our web guys have been working hard, revamping many of the free resources on our web site to include comment and rating features. This way, you can rate resources with 1 through 5 stars and/or comment. Our GAMES & ICEBREAKERS page now has this feature on all 919 of our free game ideas. That means when you play HAPPY SHAKE and your junior highers love it, you can give it 5 stars and use our comment feature to tell us the game was a hit! (I just did!) Similarly… if you jump on our SICK & TWISTED GAMES page and choose to play CHOCOLATE DROP… but don’t organize the game so that the audience can see the action, then you might want to comment and share your experience. That way others will steer clear of the same problem.

So get to it! As you browse through the 919 different game and icebreaker ideas on our GAMES & ICEBREAKERS page, be sure to add your vote and share your comments. Your voice is important! PLUS… every time you vote with 1 through 5 stars and/or give a comment, your name is entered in to win in our little contest! Hurry… time is limited! (We end the contest on July 4th, Independence Day, and post winners July 5th!)

BOTTOM LINE:

– jump on our new GAMES & ICEBREAKERS page.

– vote 1 through 5 stars and/or comment about games you’ve tried (“This one was a hit with my youth group- but make sure and have plenty of buckets of ice! We ran out!”)

That’s it. Every time you post a comment or a vote, your name is dropped into the hopper to win!

PRIZES:

10 prizes total: 5 DVDs and 5 books. You can win any of my books in print, or a DVD of Thou Shalt Laugh 5. Personally, I’m a big fan of standup comedy. I love the Thou Shalt Laugh concerts because it’s comedy that the whole family can watch. Thou Shalt Laugh 5 has some great comedians… my favorite being Bone Hampton (a Thou Shalt Laugh alumni. My son and I still quote lines from his previous standup. “$4.50. Bye!”) You can get Thou Shalt Laugh 5 at most Christian retailers, Amazon, etc.

Massive DVD Give-away

Posted on: 05/19/11 9:05 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Earlier this week we were going through our office and I found some of our FINAL COUNTDOWN DVD’s from a few years back. This DVD has three really cool countdown videos on it that I use before workshops, at youth events, etc. (I’m actually using it this weekend in Pittsburgh- one of the countdowns has some great extreme sports shots, while couting down to the beginning of the program.)

We have a few hundred of these DVDs left, so I thought, “Hey, lets give these away!”

So right now we’re giving these DVDs away with any order of any of my books. It doesn’t matter what book you order, or how many you order… we give you a free DVD. They are flying out of here!

HERE’S THE DETAILS

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Tomorrow My Son Turns 18… Have I Raised Him Right?

Posted on: 05/16/11 11:11 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Tuesday, my son Alec turns 18.

In just a few months I’ll be dropping him off at his college dorm, over 300 miles from home, where he will start the next stage of his life… finally out on his own.

For 18 years Lori and I have been teaching him, coaching him, hanging out with him, laughing with him, playing with him, dragging him to events and camps that I’ve spoken at. I still have a drawing he made for me at one of those camps—he drew it during my talk to the teenagers. It says, “I’m proud of you dad!” I still have it. I keep it in my laptop case when I travel.

I love to think of those fun moments.

Of course there were also the times in the last 18 years when we were correcting him, lecturing him, grounding him… (gulp) yelling at him… it’s weird to think about it all—good and bad. My parenting was so imperfect. Constant second-guessing. Was I too lenient? Was I too strict? Did I teach him enough? Did I lecture too long?

My days as the primary mentor in his life are mostly over. Sure, I still have input, but the reality of the situation is, he’s now a young man and he can do whatever he wants.

Have I prepared him for this day?

For years now, at the end of my parenting workshops—almost every time—a mom will come up to me in tears and say something like, “I think I’ve blown it! It’s too late. I think I’ve lost my son.” (or my daughter) Each time this has happened, I tried to comfort them and offer encouragement, emphasizing the importance of looking for opportunities for relationship building with their son or daughter.

In the last few years when I faced these questions, I began to sweat a little more and answer these questions with a little less confidence. After all, I’m far from the perfect Dad.

In my latest book, CANDID CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPERFECT PARENT, I addressed these feelings as I wrapped up the last few chapters of my book. The last two chapters are titled:

   CHAPTER 9: BEFORE THEY’RE GONE—RAISING UP DANIELS

   CHAPTER 10: AM I TOO LATE? –LAST MINUTE EFFORTS

In those two chapters I talk about the calling that we have as parents to raise up “Daniels” who will someday be plucked from our safety net and thrown into the real world where they have to “resolve” for themselves how they will live their lives.

Tomorrow, those chapters become a reality for Lori and I.

As I look at who our three kids have become, I am truly humbled at God’s grace. In spite of my many failures, they are really amazing kids. They’ve traveled with me (Alec even spoke with me this year), they love their church and are involved in leadership there. I’m so proud of my kids.

Have I told them that enough?

Maybe it’s my turn to sit down and make a drawing for Alec.

“I’m proud of you, son!”

Giving Away “Life in Student Ministry”

Posted on: 05/12/11 2:43 PM | by Jonathan McKee

My buddy Tim Schmoyer over at StudentMinistry.org wrote a cool little book titled, Life In Student Ministry. I really enjoyed it, so I’m going to give away 5 of these books. Let’s have us a simple little contest!

Here’s how it will work.

In addition to my daily blogging and writing here, next week I’m going to start chiming in on StudentMinistry.org (every Wednesday), provoking discussion about current youth ministry issues. Tim has several authors chiming in on this blog— I’m excited to be part of it.

Here’s where you come in: I’d love to hear from you- what youth ministry issues do you want to hear about? Any specific questions you have? I want to make sure that both these blogs keep addressing relevant issues.

The contest is simple. You comment– you enter to win. Just use the comment feature in my blog (this blog that you are reading) to respond back with relevant youth ministry topics/issues that would be good to discuss, or any questions you have, and I’ll randomly draw 5 winners on Monday to receive Tim’s cool new book, Life in Student Ministry.

Let’s hear it!

Lame Tweet Guy

Posted on: 04/29/11 2:03 PM | by Jonathan McKee

I think I’m going to reward some of you for Tweeting. (Wow, that sounds really weird without context) Yes, let’s have another little contest where I’ll give away a choice of any of my books in print. More on that in a minute.

Call me a hypocrite, but I’m really not much of a Tweeter. Yes, I have a Twitter page that I tweet on about once a day… but that doesn’t mean I like it! I think some people do like it. I can see the excitement of it in some of the people I follow. But I gotta admit, I’ve never been a fan of tweeting stuff like, “I’m mowing my lawn now!”

So I’ve tried to be good with my Tweets. I’ve tried to make them either funny, or informative or announcing something pretty cool. But all along, part of me still wonders, am I just that guy who’s saying, “Gotta go gas up the car now!”

This gave me an idea. My daughter Ashley and I started coming up with some really lame tweet ideas. “I just shaved.” or “I just pet my dog.” This gave us an idea!

I won’t take ownership of this… but I’ll just tell you this. There is now a guy out there in Twitterland called LAME TWEET GUY. (Hmmmmm. I wonder who he is!)   🙂      Here’s some of his tweets so far:

I just changed a lightbulb. 

Buying some new socks.

Just filled my dog’s water bowl.

Trimming my nose hairs.

Eating corn right now.

I’m going to the store to buy some romaine lettuce.

You can find LAME TWEET GUY by popping on my Twitter page here— then you’ll see him in my list of all the cool people I follow (I only follow 17 people). What can I say. I really enjoy LAME TWEET GUY’S tweets! He’s way more entertaining than me!

Oh yeah… THE CONTEST!!!! Okay… simple. I’ll give 5 people a choice of any of my books in print by simply beginning to follow either LAME TWEET GUY or me. Just follow one of us, or both of us (If you don’t have a Twitter page, take a few seconds and sign up, it’s simple and free), and you’ll be added to the running to win a book. I’ll draw 5 winners randomly next week and post them in this blog.

Well… I gotta go mow my lawn now.

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Teaching Kids Lasting Values

Posted on: 03/28/11 8:23 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Have today’s parents just given up?

Then why is it that the average U.S. parent continues to lower the bar morally for their kids?

  • Do you think parents should allow their 14-year-old girls to dress however they like?
  • Should parents permit their middle school students to download, listen to, and watch whatever they want?
  • Are parents oblivious of what their teenagers are truly doing on a given Friday night?

Sadly, anyone who habitually hangs out in the world of young people knows that all of the random reflections above are overwhelmingly accurate about a majority of U.S. parents today. (Skeptical? Have you been on a public school campus lately? Have you seen the songs that frequent the typical kids’ iPods? Have you observed teenagers at a school dance recently?)

Is ignorance an excuse?

This week, for our Youth Culture Window article I’m including a timely excerpt from my new book, CANDID CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPERFECT PARENT, encouraging parents that they don’t need to lower their standards. While the world around us is lowering the bar, it’s okay to raise the bar and actually teach our kids lasting values.

Click here for that article, RAISING THE BAR: Parents Teaching Their Kids Lasting Values

Candid Confessions is in…

Posted on: 03/22/11 5:29 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Wow… cool surprise today. A huge shipment of my brand new parenting books (due on the shelves April 1) just arrived here today. I tore open a few of the boxes like a kid on Christmas… of course… I knew what was in this present.

I’m staring at a copy right now in my hand. Standard Publishing did a great job putting it together. The cover surprised me– it looks waaaaaay better on the book itself than on the computer screen. My compliments to the printers. The layout is really nice too. They added the “toast smoke” throughout by the end of each of the chapters next to the “Reflection Questions”. The back cover turned out really well too. They chose two good endorsements for the back (Jim Burns and Kevin Leman).

Anyway… they’re here! That means, for those who pre-ordered, AND who order the books from our web site now, I’m mailing out those signed books immediately! (I know, I know… I offered a special deal signing all pre-ordered books. I’ll go ahead and continue signing all copies that people order during this first month). So if you missed the pre-order, no worries. Just order HERE.

Here’s a peek at the back cover.

Standard was also really good about plugging TheSource4Parents.com, including the web address on the back cover. Hopefully that will drive a lot more people to the free resources on our parents’ page.

For those that are coming out to my workshop in PA this weekend… I’ll have my books there too.

A huge shout out to all my blog subscribers who helped us choose this cover and get this thing out quickly! Thanks everyone!

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Parenting Book and Training Workshop

Posted on: 03/16/11 10:52 AM | by Jonathan McKee

You’ve been seeing a lot of great resources for parents coming from us lately… and here’s a couple more you will definitely want to know about.

1. My new book, Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent:

I’m getting a shipment of these in just a couple weeks– before they hit the shelves everywhere else. So we just put them up for pre-order on our site- I’m signing every book that’s pre-ordered! (Sorry for some of you who tried to order these earlier this week- we had a glitch on our website book page- it’s ALL FIXED now!)

So pre-order that now and I’ll personally ship you a signed copy as soon as I get the shipment at the end of this month!

2. My Parenting Workshop:

I’ve already got six of these workshops booked across the country for 2011. Check my speaking calendar (about halfway down this pageand see if I’ll be near you. If not, contact me and see about bringing me out to your city.

A week from Sunday I’ll be near Harrisburg, PA doing a parenting workshop. If you’re within driving distance from there, come out to see me at that workshop. I’ll have copies of my new book with me. Here’s more info on that workshop.

Get a Signed Copy of My Parent Book

Posted on: 03/13/11 3:44 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Okay everyone, I just heard that I’m going to receive my shipment of my new parenting book, Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent, in just a couple weeks- the last week of March, a little earlier than everyone else. So I wanted to offer you a little something:

Anyone who jumps on my parenting page and pre-orders the book in the next two weeks, I’m going to personally sign a copy and ship it to ya.

You can read more about the book and check out what others are saying about it HERE.

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