Shame on us

Posted on: 03/26/14 4:26 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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THE WORLD VISION SAME SEX DECISIONS AND THE REPERCUSSIONS

Interesting… I was halfway through writing this blog Wednesday and everything flipped on its head. If you missed the scoop, here’s the skinny:

–       A few days ago international world relief organization World Vision decided to “hire gay Christians in same sex marriages.”

–       In response, evangelical Christians began pulling their support for World Vision, which, according to some sources with contacts at World Vision, resulted in thousands of children losing their sponsorships.

–       Then late Wednesday, March 26th, World Vision reversed its decision, posting, “We failed to be consistent with World Vision U.S.’s commitment to the traditional understanding of Biblical marriage and our own statement of faith.”

It’s sad to see how these events are polarizing people. I have just two things to say Continue reading “Shame on us”

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Keeping Social Media Safe

Posted on: 03/24/14 3:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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phone-safety-children“Should I allow my 13-year-old to use Twitter?”

It happens after every parent workshop I teach. Parents line up with specific questions.

“Is Instagram bad?

Should I let my teenager have her phone in her room at night?

“Should I be worried if I found my teenager using Omegle?”

“All my daughter’s friends are on Ask.fm and she wants to be too. Should I let her?”

(By the way, I know I’ll get comments asking, so my answers to those questions would be: no, no, yes, and no. I let my own teenage daughters have multiple social networking sites, but Omegle and Ask.fm both are venues where anonymous people can chat with little to no accountability, and that’s never a good situation. Here’s an article with more specific details about individual apps.)

The questions always vary, but they all root from the same question:

“Is social media safe?”

This is a pretty broad question. It’s like asking Continue reading “Keeping Social Media Safe”

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

Grandma’s Read Beyonce Lyrics

Posted on: 03/19/14 3:36 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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This is just too good for me to mess up with words. My friends over at Youth Culture Report tweeted me this. It’s three grandmas reading and commenting on the lyrics of Beyonce’s current hit song, Drunk In Love.

Classic!

(Warning… these grandmas got mouths on them)

(Click Here if you don’t see the embedded video)

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Young People and Selfies

Posted on: 03/12/14 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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teen-girls-selfieSmile!

“Aren’t we cute?”

Within seconds the selfie pic is posted to Instagram, and Tweeted to her 326 followers. Just another emblematic snapshot from the life of today’s teen.

Five years ago we didn’t even know the word “selfie.” Fast forward to the end of 2013 and it was declared “word of the year.”

What’s the fascination teens have with selfies? Does this desire to snap pics in everyday life make them narcissistic?

When most people hear “selfie,” they probably think of a Continue reading “Young People and Selfies”

Posted in Bullying/Cyberbullying, Entertainment Media, Internet, Jonathan's Rant, Self Image, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

The Bro App

Posted on: 03/10/14 3:25 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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broappOkay, this is either really hilarious… or really sad.

It’s called the BroApp. A couple of Australian tech guys noticed a market for a product that would help irresponsible “bros” text their girlfriends regularly to tell them they care.

Hmmmmm… I’m not sure if this is the same thing as when I used to hide little love notes in my wife’s luggage before she left on a retreat.

It’s like this. You select your girlfriends number, some messages, and the Continue reading “The Bro App”

Posted in Humor, Jonathan's Rant, Marriage, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Do You Really Want to Know?

Posted on: 03/5/14 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Do-You-Wanna-Know-the-TruthA teenager asked me about illegal downloading of music the other day, wondering if it was legal to turn YouTube videos into music.

“A friend of mine said he researched it and it was okay.”

The timing of her question was interesting, in a climate where I’ve witnessed countless ethical questions being answered with messy morality rooted in ignorance.

So my response to her was as follows Continue reading “Do You Really Want to Know?”

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The Biggest Surprise from the Super Bowl

Posted on: 02/4/14 3:15 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Bruno-Mars-Halftime-ShowBoring, depressing, a complete blowout… call it what you want, but Sunday’s Super Bowl game was the most-watched television show in U.S. history, drawing 111.5 million people on average. That’s a lot of people watching the competition between the top two teams, the greatest commercials of the year… and a 12-minute concert that literally changed the music charts.

So, what did families take away from this year’s Super Bowl television experience?

Past years’ on-screen antics have probably made some parents a little apprehensive about the content of this event that historically has brought friends and families together in one room watching one big screen together. Did this year prove to be the same?

Starting with a bad snap, the day was full of surprises, but the most unexpected element most people found was Continue reading “The Biggest Surprise from the Super Bowl”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Jonathan's Rant, Music, Parenting, Sexuality, Social Media, TV, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Searching for Sex Answers

Posted on: 01/14/14 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Don't Talk About SexGoogle has become the number one place young people go for answers to their questions about sex.

Why?

Two glaring reasons.

  1. It’s embarrassing. Who wants to ask Mom or Dad what they heard in the locker room that day, “What does ‘anal’ mean?”
  2. Mom and Dad will freak out. (Wouldn’t you if your kid asked you what ‘anal’ meant? Regrettably Continue reading “Searching for Sex Answers”

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Happy Birthday… Here’s Your Boob Job

Posted on: 01/8/14 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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free-boob-jobIn a world where our young girls seem to struggle with self-image more than ever before, what is the greatest thing we can do to boost their confidence?

How about the gift of cosmetic surgery for their 18th birthday?

“Happy birthday sweetie… let me fix that for you.”

That’s what Orange County cosmetic surgeon Dr. Michael Niccole did for his daughters when they were as young as age 10. He fixed his daughter Charm’s protruding belly button at 10, then gave Brittani new boobs at 18, followed by a new nose three years later. Now both sisters have had their Continue reading “Happy Birthday… Here’s Your Boob Job”

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What Ever Happened to Shrewd and Innocent?

Posted on: 12/19/13 12:46 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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phil-robertson-suspended“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” -Matthew 10:16

This week Phil Robertson was suspended “indefinitely” after “disparaging gays as sinners” in his GQ interview.

Yes, it’s true. America has definitely evolved into a country where anyone who speaks their mind against homosexual behavior will be blacklisted. Just ask Victoria Jackson, or Blake Shelton… or Chick filA.

But let’s not be daft. We know better than this.

No, I’m not talking about changing our theology (I have clearly shared my own two cents on the gay issue), I’m talking about changing our methodology Continue reading “What Ever Happened to Shrewd and Innocent?”

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