Movies minus the language, violence, etc.

Posted on: 05/4/20 2:13 PM | by Jonathan McKee

If you’re a parent and you like movies, then you might find it difficult to find some “family friendly” movies or shows that are actually appropriate for your kids.

Take Neflix’s Stranger Things for example. Really fun show, creative, well written… but if your kids are 6, 8 and 10, the language and frightening scenes might be a little much.

Or let’s say you nostalgically remember watching Goonies as a teen, so you rent it and stream it on Continue reading “Movies minus the language, violence, etc.”

A fun new podcast

Posted on: 12/3/19 3:31 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Disney Princesses, Hallmark films, giving your kids screens…. these are all topics we’re talking about in a new podcast I’m a part of.

The podcast is called The Plugged In Show, and Focus’ Plugged In team of writers has invited me to join in with them to discuss movies, music, TV and the entertainment young people love.

Being completely honest… I love these guys! (And I used the term “guys” loosely, because one of them is a girl!) They are really fun. Most of them are movie buffs like me, so we really have a fun time getting together and talking about movies, music, Netflix… Continue reading “A fun new podcast”

A Netflix Show Youth Workers and Parents Might Want to Watch

Posted on: 10/7/19 5:52 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Every once in a while a movie or TV show comes along that actually “gets” young people today or provides a glimpse at “how to reach them.”

Well, Netflix just released a series titled, Unbelievable, that literally took my breath away, on several levels.

First, I’m writing a book on social media right now and happen to be waist deep in research about predators (which sadly sometimes turns into sexual assault, rape, sex slavery, etc.). And this series is about rape victims.

Secondly, this series provides a picture-perfect example of how not to treat people who are victims of abuse, bullying, rape, etc. I mean perfectly! As in, I would actually make my youth ministry volunteers watch episode one and then episode two of this series, and then we’d all meet together and compare the two polar opposite ways we could treat those who are abused, assaulted, etc. and discuss what this looks like in the youth ministry world. Continue reading “A Netflix Show Youth Workers and Parents Might Want to Watch”

New film about South Carolina Church shooting

Posted on: 06/17/19 7:39 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Many of you might have heard the buzz about the new film, Emanuel, about the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC (a film produced by Steph Curry).

Our THE SOURCE writer Rob Chagdes had an opportunity to preview the film and gives us his two cents:

Emanuel Movie Review
Rob Chagdes 

Nine African Americans were murdered by a white male Dylan Roof. The new documentary Emanuel tells the story. The 75 minute film weaves themes of racism, faith, and forgiveness through interviews with survivors and others who were impacted by the tragedy Continue reading “New film about South Carolina Church shooting”

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Avengers: Endgame on Opening Night

Posted on: 04/26/19 2:01 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last night Lori and I went to see the new Avengers film on opening night (It’s weird how now we can see these “openings” on Thursday as early as 6PM in California… because I guess it’s Friday somewhere).

Loved it! In fact, it’s by far my favorite Avengers film yet.

Let me start by saying I wasn’t a big fan of the previous film, Avengers: Infinity War for the same reason everyone else didn’t like it… really depressing! But Lori hadn’t see it yet, so Wednesday night we sat down to watch it together to prepare for Avengers: Endgame Thursday (yeah, we’re kind of nerds). Continue reading “Avengers: Endgame on Opening Night”

Refreshingly brutal advice to young guys

Posted on: 04/24/18 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Today’s guys face a lot of distractions… a lot more than I faced as a young man.

Let’s be honest. When I was 13 in 1983 I had access to porn, drugs, and raunchy entertainment media.

  • But porn wasn’t just a click away in my pocket, it was in a magazine at my friend’s house if we dared to sneak into his dad’s bedroom.
  • Marijuana was available, but it wasn’t mainstream or encouraged… and it sure wasn’t legal.
  • I loved movies, music and television, but my house had one screen and a boombox. Now I have a dozen screens, and my entire entertainment media library is available in the cloud. Name a movie or music video. I can watch it within seconds, regardless of rating.

But I think the biggest difference between then and now is Continue reading “Refreshingly brutal advice to young guys”

Why 13 Reasons Why

Posted on: 05/1/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Suicide, upskirt photos, social media, bullying… it’s almost as if someone posted a hidden camera in the hallways of the high school down your street. The realism is a little too close to home, and parents are beginning to worry.

Should our kids be watching this?

If you have teenagers, work with teenagers or even have crossed paths with a teenager in the last month, you probably have heard them talking about 13 Reasons Why. It’s the newest bingeable series from Netflix touching on everything teenager Continue reading “Why 13 Reasons Why”

Mixed Feelings about Rowling’s Newest

Posted on: 01/10/17 4:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Lori and I went to see the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them over Christmas break, a fun movie introducing great characters… but it left a bitter taste in our mouths.

As you know, Fantastic Beasts is yet another fantasy adventure story written by JK Rowling, and a prequel of the Harry Potter Series. Like the Harry Potter films, it’s well written with creative dialogue and likable characters… and also plenty of magic, wands, spells, and incantations.

On the positive side, it was a really fun film with a noticeable battle between good and evil. But at times I really struggled to enjoy it, because I was struggling with… there’s no better way to say it… the beguiling comfort with witchcraft.

Don’t worry… I’m not turning into someone crying “Satan” with the rationality of Chicken Little. We’ve all seen Continue reading “Mixed Feelings about Rowling’s Newest”

New Netflix Discussions Page

Posted on: 11/17/16 4:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

new-Netflix-Discussions-pageA few years ago we launched TheSource4Parents.com as a sister page to TheSource4YM.com with similar FREE resources, but specifically for parents who want to build into their kids. That page features unique resources (like our Parenting Help articles)…

…and we just added a brand new one that I’m REALLY excited about!

NETFLIX DISCUSSIONS

This new FREE resource for parents features questions and Biblical discussions of popular Netflix shows, both TV and movies.
Continue reading “New Netflix Discussions Page”

The 30 Most Influential Teens

Posted on: 11/10/16 4:31 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Time-Most-Influencial-Teens

Time has released their annual list of the 30 most influential teens of 2016, and it’s intriguing to see the personalities who are resonating with today’s young people.

When you read through the list you’ll probably discover some common denominators. Most are TV and music stars, a few Olympians, some entrepreneurs, and then another prominent category… LGBTQ.

Here are some of my observations about this year’s list:
Continue reading “The 30 Most Influential Teens”