Middle School Survey

Posted on: 10/7/11 11:31 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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I love asking kids  what they’re thinking, watching, listening to…

My friend Rob has been taking surveys in the most interesting of locations. Rob runs an amazing ministry  in Granite Bay, CA (home of many of the Sacramento Kings players and families). Rob is on campus at several schools every week. One is a very “well off” high school campus, and another is an older community surrounded by apartments, fairly racially diverse (about 60% white, 20% hispanic, 10% black, 10% asian). It’s to this middle school that he offers a weekly “breakfast club” where over 100 kids come out each week for breakfast, conversation and just hanging out with adults that care.

Rob started taking a weekly survey at this breakfast club. When kids walk in they are offered this optional survey and a pen. Kids are growing to love these surveys and often anticipate it when they walk through the door, “Where’s this week’s survey?!!” Usually over 80% of the kids take the survey.

Rob and I talked about these surveys last week and I offered a few ideas for questions. One of the ones he implemented was “What is the last artist you listened to on your iPod?”

Here’s his results from this week’s survey– a fun peek into the mind of today’s middle schooler:  (the question, followed by the number of answers)

Please circle your first choice…

Would you rather…
1.    Be good looking  – 50
or
Be really smart – 33

Would you rather…
2.    Play sports in high school – 61
or
Play in the band – 22

Would you rather…
3.    Be rich – 30
or
Be happy – 51

Who was the last artist you listened to on your ipod?
4.    ______________________I have an actual list (per your suggestion) but summary 30 hip hop, 10 pop , 3 country  (Top answer: Lil Wayne, 2nd Eminem)

Does the music you listen to influence your life?
5.    Yes – 48
or
No – 32

If you had a family emergency is there an adult on campus you could talk to?
6.    Yes – 43
or
No – 38

I LOVE questions 5 and 6. Are you surprised at the percentages? (over a third of kids surveyed think the music doesn’t influence them… and almost exactly half of them don’t have an adult on campus they feel they could talk with- interestingly, those who checked “yes” probably meant Rob)

Hmmmmm.

What questions would you like to see on this survey? (Rob does this weekly and I’m sending him ideas)

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Should Ashley Download Pumped Up Kicks?

Posted on: 09/30/11 9:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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My 14-year-old daughter Ashley wants to download the popular song Pumped Up Kicks. Okay, you’ve heard me repeated tell you my two cents on plenty of music. This time let’s change it up. You tell me… should I let her download it?

The other day my wife and I were shoe shopping (Lori loves shoes… and I love Lori) and we heard the song come on in the store. Lori said, “I really like this song. I keep hearing it everywhere I go. It has a great sound!”

I laughed and agreed. “It is really catchy.” But then I asked her, “Do you know what it’s saying?”

She looked at me with an expression of, “Oh no… is this one of those bad songs too?”

Sometimes it’s not fun being the guy who’s always researching the content of the top music, TV shows and movies teenagers are watching. Especially with songs like this. At times I feel like a teenager and want to just say, “I don’t listen to the lyrics!”

Lori had never heard all the lyrics. She told me, “Isn’t this just about some kids with “pumped up kicks?”

I told her… “Keep listening.”

She tried for like 5 seconds and couldn’t make out the words.

I gave her a line or two:

Yeah, he found a six shooter gun.
In his dad’s closet hidden in a box of fun things, and I don’t even know what.
But he’s coming for you, yeah he’s coming for you.

[Chorus x2:]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you’d better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

I did a little research on the song because parents have been asking me about the song’s meaning at my workshops lately. The song is basically about a kid who has had enough, he grabs a gun out of his dad’s closet and goes on a shooting rampage trying to shoot the kids with the “pumped up kicks” (really nice shoes, possibly the rich popular kids that bullied him).

Mark foster, the band’s front man, in a radio interview said “I was trying to get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid.” Foster claimed “the lyrics were written to bring awareness to the issue of gun violence amongst youth.”

I’m sure songs like this help “bring awareness” Mark. Thanks!

So soon enough Ashley asked me, “Dad, can I download Pumped up Kicks.”

Here’s where all my teaching has real world application in my life. Chapter Six of my parenting book is actually titled, “Dad, Can I Download This Song.” It’s something I hear in my house almost weekly.

In this case I asked Ashley, “Did you read the lyrics?”

“Yeah, I didn’t understand them.” Then she cut to the chase, as Ashley always does. “So can I have it?”

I tried to give her a little bit of information for her decision-making. “Well, the song is about a young man who has had enough and decided to gun down all the other kids that have possibly bullied him or think they’re better than him.” Then I did one of my favorite parenting moves. I returned the question to her. “So… do you think you should listen to that over and over again?

“But Dad, I’m not going to shoot everyone. I just like the song!”

So what do you think. Should Ashley be able to download Pumped Up Kicks?

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Mixed Messages from Lil Wayne

Posted on: 09/6/11 12:24 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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One minute his foul lyrics treat women like objects, and on the same album he cuts a heartfelt song providing an accurate glimpse into the world of a girl who struggles to find love because of her abusive past.

Which is it Lil Wayne? Do you care for them or are they just toys to you?

Lil Wayne has 2 songs on the iTunes Top 10 right now, a total of 14 songs in the top 200 (more by far than any other artist… Adele has 7, Gaga and Perry each have 4).  His soft and sentimental song, How to Love rides at #9 right now on iTunes, and #7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The music video is actually really touching.

But then we see the other side of Wayne… a side he doesn’t seem to hide. Look at his song She Will, a song so popular that it appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 at the number 3 spot (currently #17), his 5th song to debut on the top 10 of the Hot 100 chart, breaking records along the way. The song opens with the line: “I tell her ‘now go on, pop that p**sy for a real nigga.”

Of the 14 songs on iTunes right now, only one isn’t explicit. Want a taste? Just pop onto iTunes yourself and try their free sample of his songs like Two Shots, or How to Hate, or Blunt Blowin.

Are teenagers listening? Literally millions of teenagers watched as Lil Wayne performed the highly publicized and eagerly anticipated closing number at the MTV VMA’s last week (the most watched TV program by viewers age 12-34 this year). The song was so censored, the performance was literally laughable at times, with more censor bleeps than audible lyrics. This isn’t the first time we’ve asked, “How will Lil Wayne affect today’s teenagers?”

So I ask you: What messages are young people really hearing from Lil Wayne?

Which is the real Wayne… the sensitive guy… or the foul mouthed, blunt smoking, gun yielding playa?

Can you be both?

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Four Inescapable Realities about Youth Culture

Posted on: 08/29/11 3:54 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Yesterday I quickly chimed in with my late night thoughts after watching MTV’s 2011 VMAs and the new show that premiered after. (Wow! And I thought Jersey Shore was racy.) Today I wanted to give you even more about what the VMAs teach us about pop youth culture, along with a couple nice little resources to springboard discussion with your teenagers.

After David and I watched the show and discussed it, we both landed on four inescapable realities about youth culture spewing from this influential network. I posted our article, 4 Observations from the 2011 MTV VMA’s, about two hours ago now.

We tried to make it easy for you as a youth worker or a parent who wants to keep your thumb on the pulse of youth culture: you can read the 5 minute version of our article, or, if you have a few more minutes you can dive into as much research as you like, probably spending more than an hour, because we provided you with over 20 links in this article alone with research and resources. Click on any of the links and you can dive into more of the research (such as Pew Internet’s research about the religious makeup of our country, or the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics about the sexualization of our young girls).

You’ll also find some links that might help you kick off some discussion with your kids. For example, in our 3rd point about MTV’s promotion of “Coming Attractions,” we link a bunch of shows and commercials. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to jump on our article and click on our link for the Pac Sun commercial, “Dress Irresponsibly.” Personally, I’m going to show that video to my own teenaged daughters and ask them, “What do you think the message of this commercial is?” I might even ask a couple follow up questions. (“Do you think commercials like this subtly influence our culture?” “What does the Bible have to say about the topic?)

Or try clicking on our link for the Plan B “Here’s Emergency Contraception” commercial. Ask your kids, “How does the unexpected happen?” “Do we sometimes put ourselves in situations that set us up for failure?”

Enjoy the article:  4 Observations from the 2011 MTV VMA’s and What They Teach Us About Pop Culture

You can find a couple hundred articles just like this on our Youth Culture Window page.

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MTV Sinks New Lows

Posted on: 08/28/11 11:05 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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I just finished watching the MTV Video Music Awards (the VMAs) and collaborating with my buddy David about our annual Youth Culture Window article (now posted) we’re co-writing about the show. (Funny side note: I emailed him my portion of the article and it went straight to his junk box. An omen perhaps?)

Although the VMAs were indeed disappointing again this year (on so many levels), I think I was most disturbed by MTV’s brand new series immediately following the VMAs, a show aptly titled, I Just Want My Pants Back. More on that in a minute.

As I mentioned in my VMA blog last year, the VMAs show is typically the #1 watched cable event of the year, watched by well over 10 million people (not including downloads in the days to follow). Why watch it? This show sadly provides parents and youth workers an accurate glimpse of what our kids are absorbing daily from pop culture.

This year’s show began with Lady Gaga literally dressed up as her alter ego, a man named Joe. The foulmouthed Gaga (bleeped for the f-word four times in the first two minutes) started the show singing her hit song You and I, a song currently in the top 10 iTunes song and video charts. The show digressed, not only with racy performances and more foul language (including an over-the-top swear-fest from Lil Wayne that was truly ridiculous), but also commercials for new MTV shows that will be sure to lure in millions more teenage viewers, shows like the new I Want My Pants Back. I watched the first 5 minutes of the show and I can honestly say that this show is probably the lowest that MTV has ever stooped. Yes… even lower than the most watched cable show, Jersey Shore.

In the first two minutes of I Want My Pants Back, a college student picks up on a girl in a bar. He mentions the fact that he hasn’t had sex in a while. She asks him, “How long has it been?”

He says, “Six weeks.”

She makes a comment like, “Wow. Six weeks! You’re practically a virgin,” to which he responds something like, “Yeah, I’m kind of going through a dry spell right now.”

The couple then hooks up at his place, with scenes way too graphic for TV, but somehow now acceptable.

It would be nice if there weren’t a lot of young people exposed to this strong sexual content combined with blatant lies, but unfortunately, not only is MTV the most recognized network among young adults age 12 to 34, it’s also just a click away for the overwhelming majority of young people. According to Nielson’s recent Quarter 1, 2011 “Cross Platform Report,” 91 percent of US households have paid for TV subscriptions (like cable or Satellite) which includes MTV.

It’s only been a week since I said it, but I’ll say it again: if only parents knew what their kids were watching.

Check out our Youth Culture Window page and we’ll have our VMA article up today! (Now posted)

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No Consequences- A Glimpse at the Top 10

Posted on: 08/1/11 11:56 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Every week or so I like to take a little tour through iTunes’ top 10 songs just to familiarize myself with the content of the most popular songs that young people are saturating in day after day. This morning, I thought I’d take you on this tour with me. I won’t hit every song… but I’ll give you a birds’ eye view.

The first thing I notice is what songs are still hanging on the charts that have been riding the charts for weeks (or months) now.

The #1 song, Party Rock Anthem, by LMFAO (yes, that acronym means what you think it means), is still #1 and has been for weeks, actually months now. This song also claims the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart where it has sat for months (it’s been on that chart for 18 weeks now).

The video is also one of the most popular videos (currently #2 on iTunes, playing teeter totter with Katy’s Last Friday Night) and features some amazing dancing. The video isn’t very raunchy (other than the typical girls in revealing clothes gyrating), but the song offers some interesting lyrics that most our kids know pretty well after 18 weeks of hearing this song again, and again, and again…

In the club party rock, lookin’ for your girl? She on my jock
Nonstop when we in the spot, booty movin’ weight like she on the block
Where the drank? I gots to know, tight jeans, tattoo ’cause I’m rock ‘n’ roll
Half black, half white, domino, game the money, op-a-doe

Yo, I’m runnin’ through these ho’s like Drano…

Lyrics like these usually slip under the radar of parents. Phrases like “on my jock” (which usually means that she’s my girl, often implying sexual activity) and “running through these ho’s” (ho’s is kindly bleeped out of the video lyrics) are just subtle phrases typical of this genre. Kids would most likely call this song “clean,” after all, no cusswords. But the message of the song is clear: partying, drinking, and dancing is where it’s at! And if you think that sounds innocent, then keep reading the lyrics:

One more shot for us, another round
Please fill up my cup, don’t mess around
We just wanna see you shake it now
Now you wanna be, you’re naked now

Enough said.

The #3 song, Last Friday Night, by Katy Perry has also been on the top of the chart since mid June. The song has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 weeks, currently sitting at #2 there. This song, another drink, party… and then do it all again next weekend song clearly pounds the message “our actions have no consequences.” No need to dissect this song, I already blogged about it and it’s still #1 video mid June when it first hit #1.

The #7 song, Super Bass, by Nicki Minaj is another song that has been in the top 10 for literally months. The song sits #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, a chart it has been on for 13 weeks now. The video is #4 on iTunes and shows Nicki and her girls half dressed giving what would best be described as lap dances to a bunch of guys. The lyrics are actually deemed “explicit,” no surprise with lines like this:

He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look
Then the panties comin’ off, off, unh

Nicki rarely refrains from this type of talk.

The #9 song, Give me Everything, by Pitbull, has also been on the top of the chart for months. The song has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks now, currently riding at #3 (#2 last week).

The song simply says, “Give me Everything Tonight” over and over again, and I assure you, he’s not ordering condiments for his hot dog (no pun intended).

The #10 song, Rolling in the Deep, by Adele, is the king of this particular cluster of songs. The song has been in the top 10 for literally half a year, riding at #1 for much of that. The song is currently #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, having been on that chart for 29 weeks now.

This song is well-written, agonizing words from someone recovering from a breakup. It’s one of the few songs on the top of the charts that I actually like right now.

But the iTunes top 10 also features some newcomers, including the #2 song, Lighters from Eminem and Bruno Mars. The song officially is by a group “Bad meets Evil” which is Eminem and fellow Detroit rapper Royce.

I am really curious to see if they will produce a “clean” version of this song, because the song is so stuffed full of curse words that I don’t know how they could really pull it off. It’s typical Eminem: great beat, very poetic… and filthy.

Another newcomer to the top of the charts is Tonight Tonight, by Hot Chelle Rae. This #4 song was featured on the #1 show on television last week, America’s Got Talent as the group performed it live. I predict the song, now 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, rising even higher on the charts.

The lyrics are pretty synonymous with the others in the top 10:

We’re going at it tonight tonight
There’s a party on the rooftop top of the world
Tonight tonight and were dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign
I don’t know if I’ll make it but watch how good I’ll fake it
Its all right, all right, tonight, tonight

I woke up with a strange tattoo
Not sure how I got it, not a dollar in my pocket

Sound familiar? Have fun tonight, party, dance… wake up the next morning not knowing what happened.

The rest of iTunes top 10 are easy to evaluate yourself. Britney Spears with her typical mindless “I’m gonna lose control” droll, and Lil Wayne with a surprisingly tame song. I encourage you to give these songs a preview and Google the lyrics.

The message seems clear to this younger generation: party, dance, have fun… no consequences. And seeing that these charts reflect the most purchased songs in circulation right now, I can’t help but wonder… do parents really know what their kids are listening to?

Hmmmmmm.

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My Prayer for Lil Wayne

Posted on: 07/7/11 1:51 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Last night I had the most vivid dream about rapper Lil Wayne.

Don’t worry… I’m not gonna get weird on you, but for some reason I had a dream that I met Lil Wayne and we engaged in an intriguing conversation.

I don’t know what triggered it. Maybe it was because yesterday on the plane all day I was writing the shooting script for a new YS/Zondervan curriculum based on my book on evangelism, Do They Run When They See You Coming? My theme of that whole curriculum is, “An authentic faith opens the door to authentic conversations.”

In my dream I saw the famous rapper Wayne in some sort of office building passing in the hallway. He didn’t have any bodyguards- just him. We got into an elevator together and I leaned over and told him, “You’re very talented. You have the ears of this young generation.”

He politely said, “Thank you.”

I paused and said, “You know… you have an awesome responsibility.”

He didn’t say anything; he just looked at me. In my dream I debated whether to keep going. I didn’t know if I was pushing too far for a first conversation, but then I figured, this is going to be my ONLY conversation with him! It’s not like he’s gonna wanna come over and hang out with me. That would be the ideal way to have a conversation- one that flows naturally out of a friendship. Nothing forced.

But in stranger-on-a-train fashion, I went ahead and spoke the truth. I said, “Like it or not, you’re a role model for young kids. They love your music. They listen to what you are saying. They imitate you. They look up to you.”

I don’t know how true this dream was to real life, but in my dream he just stood listening.

I finally asked him, “What would you like them to glean from you when they watch you and listen to you day in and day out? You have the power to make an impact in their lives. It’s your choice what that impact will be.”

The dream got weird and next thing I knew Lil Wayne and I were at my cousin’s ranch trying to walk through some mud. It was hard to step through, but we worked together to get through it. We eventually got through it and he smiled at me.

That’s all I remember.

I woke up and couldn’t get that dream out of my head. I’m no Joseph, so I probably won’t offer any good interpretation to this dream, but I found it interesting that my initial “one-sided” conversation with him didn’t yeild a response from him. But once we went through the muck together, something happened. Possibly because that’s how it often works in real life.

I pray that Wayne would move next door to someone with an authentic faith, someone that will invite him over for BBQ and become friends with him. Someone that will be there to help him carry that heavy hide-a-bed from the living room to the den, and maybe even share a cold drink with him after helping him plant a tree in his backyard. Someone who will live such an authentic life that Wayne can’t help but eventually just ask him, “What is it about you?”

And this person will be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that’s within (I Peter 3:15-18). An authentic life will have opened the door to an authentic conversation.

That is my prayer this morning—my prayer for Lil Wayne.

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My 13-year-old's Perspective on Selena & Self-Esteem

Posted on: 06/30/11 2:53 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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My 13-year-old Ashley asked me this morning, “Dad, have you seen Selena Gomez’ music video for Who Says?”

I told her that I’d noticed the video in the Top 10 on iTunes, but never had taken time to watch it. Ashley told me, “Dad… it’s got a great message for young girls about self esteem!”

Ashley loves music and is always talking with me about the songs on the charts. (Many have already seen the video we just posted on our YouTube page of Ashley sharing her perspective to you about how parents can help set media guidelines for music in your house). So I took her advice and watched the Selena Gomez video. I was impressed with what Ashley saw, so I asked her, “Why don’t you write down your thoughts for my blog subscribers.”

Ashley did just that. Here’s her unedited “2 cents” about what young girls are learning from Selena Gomez’ video Who Says:

I usually don’t listen to Selena Gomez and don’t really have a lot of her songs on my iPod. But the other day i was on iTunes and i saw her newest album was out. So I clicked on it and saw one of her newer songs. It’s called “Who Says.” I decided to watch the video for it, cause i heard one of my friends at school say that this song was amazing and she loved it so much. I was very surprised when i finished it! This song is a message from Selena to all the insecure girls out there, saying to not worry because we are all beautiful inside and out.

Here are some of the lyrics:

I’m no beauty queen
I’m just beautiful me…

[Chorus]

Who says
Who says you’re not perfect
Who says you’re not worth it
Who says you’re the only one that’s hurting
Trust me
That’s the price of beauty

This song really stuck out to me after I listened to it. And what was even better was the video. It starts showing Selena at a photo shoot all dressed up and wearing really pretty make up. But then she leaves the shoot and walks around the city, the whole time signs in the city are spelling words like “beautiful.” Then, at the end of the video, Selena walks into a bathroom, changes out of her dress into shorts and a shirt, removes her make up, and walks out on the beach with her friends.

I will admit, I didn’t have high expectations for this song and video. But after watching the video and seeing how she wasn’t afraid to take off her make up and be real, my opinion changed. Its like a voice inside of me said “Why don’t you do that ever Ashley?”  I think that its really cool that Selena isn’t afraid to do that (take off her make up). I mean, we always hear about actresses and singers saying for us to not be insecure and stuff, but they never really do anything about it themselves. Seeing Selena do this was awesome!

This song and video really changed the way i think about myself, and it definitely inspired me to be true to myself and not be scared to be me.

I’m really glad that Selena had the guts to do that, and i applaud her for it.

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Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night”

Posted on: 06/14/11 11:59 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Katy Perry is at it again, and as always, our kids are paying attention.

Katy’s new video for Last Friday Night is already #1 on iTunes and has millions of views on YouTube. This funny but racy video features plenty of popular cameos, drawing viewers of all ages. Like much of Katy’s work, the song and video are really well done, but they are also chock full of subtle lies that our kids are definitely consuming a gallon at a time.

Sadly, most kids will call this video “clean.” It doesn’t have any sex, nudity or cussing.

Clean… right?

The lyrics say it all, opening with the line, “There’s a stranger in my bed.” Unfortunately, the song only digresses:

Pictures of last night
Ended up online
I’m screwed
Oh well
It’s a black top blur
But I’m pretty sure it ruled

Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot

Last Friday night
Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard

Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a menage a trois
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we’re gonna stop-op
Whoa-oh-oah

This Friday night
Do it all again
This Friday night
Do it all again…

The video takes a much more comedic approach, with Katy all geeked out with braces, glasses and a headgear (a creative alter ego named Kathy Beth Terry who she first tried on on Saturday Night Live). Katy wakes up in a house trashed from the party the night before. Rebecca Black (of the hit video Friday) helps give Katy a makeover, and then she’s desirable to all at the party (where she gets drunk, pukes, passes out…) You can check it out for yourself on YouTube.

As the song and video ends, our kids are left with the lyrics… “The Friday night, do it all again.”

The video is going viral, with cameos from Kenny G, Rebecca Black, Corey Feldman, Debbie Gibson, and some of the Glee Cast. An article on Billboard.com informs us that Perry has been “taking her kathy Beth Terry alter-ego to the next level, launching Facebook and Twitter pages for the fictional eighth grader.”

This video won’t be going away anytime soon.

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Scotty McCreery or Gaga

Posted on: 05/26/11 9:31 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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The stage featured Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Lil John, Judas Priest… and a humble, church-going teenager from Garner, North Carolina. America’s 10th American Idol winner Scotty McCreery has the opportunity to be a light in a very dark world.

One of Scotty’s youth pastor’s from Garner emailed me earlier this week. “This could not happen to a better young man.” (More from him in a minute)

Who is this kid Scotty?

If you missed it, most of America had their TV sets tuned to American Idol Wednesday night on the Fox Network. But at times, viewers probably wondered if they were watching the racy, no-holds-barred MTV network.

Parents across the world were forced to make a split second decision last night watching Idol as Gaga literally laid down, spread her legs and let one of her dancers climb up on top of her (no need to go further with that description). Just minutes before the announcement of this year’s winner, parents had to decide:
1. Cover our kids eyes?
2. Say nothing and wait for the moment to pass?
3. Fast forward- for those proactive enough to use a DVR for this show.
4. Lift the coffee table over our head and toss it into our 55 inch plasma flat screen.

Unfortunately, the article I wrote earlier this week about American Idol pushing the limits was spot on. (It will be interesting to see if the comments on that article might start changing in tone now that Idol pushed the envelope even further Wednesday night).

Now it’s time for the fallout. Forget about voting with a phone… who will kids across America choose to follow? Idol has provided them with a cornucopia of choices: Scotty McCreery, Lady Gaga, Lauren Alaina, Beyonce, Kirk Franklin, JLo… who will prove to have the biggest voice?

The Vote Isn’t Over
Idol’s season is done, Scotty has been crowned American Idol, and America is rushing to iTunes to vote once again… this time with their wallets.

Once again, we’re going to see the powerful influence of TV on America’s music. (I’ve talked about this before– the phenomena when someone performs on TV and their songs shoot to the top of the charts.– e.g., the Black Eyed Peas had a song at #13 on iTunes the day of the Super Bowl this year, and after they performed, their song was #1). Last night when Gaga performed her song The Edge of Glory on Idol, I quickly popped on iTunes to see where the song sat on the charts. It was #11 at that moment. As of this morning, it’s already #6 (I predict it to keep rising). On a positive note, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina’s songs skyrocketed to #1 (Scotty) and #3 (Lauren) as of this morning.

It will be interesting to see who America chooses to follow.

Scotty has his work cut out for him if he hopes to become a role model for our nation, because right now America has their sites set on Lady Gaga. Many of you saw my tweet last week, Forbes Magazine just announced Lady Gaga as the #1 most powerful person in the entertainment business, topping Oprah in their list of the 100 most influential celebs. The world is showing up in masses to listen to the woman who claims that God sent her the lyrics, “I’m still in love with Judas.”

But a small, humble voice from Garner, North Carolina has spoken. In a world that lifts Gaga on a pedestal, a church-going teen has been voted “American Idol.” Will the innocent message of a young country boy be heard over the overwhelming shout of current celebritydom? (Did I just make up a word?)

Scotty
I received an email this week from one of Scotty’s youth pastors from his church. He read my article about American Idol and wanted to let me know a little more about Scotty. This video from his local TV station shows Scotty in concert in Garner, NC, performing and even talking about his faith (for example, listen at about 8 minutes 10 seconds).

Scotty’s youth pastor wrote:

Hey Jonathan.

Thanks for all the free stuff, encouragement, etc. Here is something that may actually make you smile. I agree with you about the junk that they show on American Idol. I am proud of Scotty and Lauren and want to tell you that when they showed the Lady Gaga performance and the Beyonce performance, at the viewing parties that took place at Scotty’s high school, Scotty McCreery’s fellow Blue Crew actually turned their backs to the screen during both. Many of these guys are not Christians but I believe they are following Scotty’s example and lead. When they did this, the adults present cheered them on in support.

I have known Scotty since he was born and I am proud of what he stands for. I was his middle school minister. He provided us a little testimony and we made a tract with it and passed out about 8,000 of them at his homecoming, May 14th. Been some cool stories that has come from that.

The Scotty you have seen is the real thing. Just a good boy. Not perfect, but he has lived out his testimony on a consistent basis. This could not happen to a better young man.

On that WRAL video you will see that he spent most of the day crying. He was overwhelmed with the support he received when he came home. he really misses home and friends.

He is very humble. You also may have heard that they did a coin toss between him and Lauren to pick when they would sing this week. It is always believed it is better to sing second. Scotty won the coin toss but let Lauren choose singing order and she chose second. He’s just a good boy.

The day of his concert they were calling for rain/storms all day that day the whole week leading up to it. It didn’t rain a drop but watching the weather when we got home later that night, storms were all around us but never on the event. I believe he is being honored for bringing glory to the One that deserves the honor.

Thanks and God bless you and your ministry!

It was a nice moment last night when Scotty won and chose to give honor to the Lord.

Who does your household follow?

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

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