Music Archives - Page 3 of 23 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

Parenting Amish

Posted on: 10/22/16 8:30 PM | by Jonathan McKee

In the beginning of my book More Than Just the Talk I give an example of speaking in a conservative Mennonite Brethren church in Amish, PA, and listening to parents share stories of the racy content their kids were exposed to in this perceived mecca of purity in North America.

This weekend I returned to Amish, PA to speak at yet another church (my third in Lancaster County), and I decided to visit the local Target to take a peek for myself. After all, every other state I visit I hear frustrated parents mumble under their breath, “Maybe I’ll just move to Amish, PA… then I won’t have to deal with any of this!”

Is that true?

Continue reading “Parenting Amish”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music, Parenting, Speaking/Training, Travel, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

Trump, The P-word, and Hypocrites

Posted on: 10/10/16 4:44 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I try not to get political and I try not to rant. I’ll keep my momentum of NOT getting political in this post. This post is not about Trump… it’s about our hypocritical nation.

Last week we all heard recordings of Trump saying some really explicit and degrading stuff about women. It was pretty eye-opening and disappointing.

But it’s funny that while Americans, both conservative and liberal are all shaking their heads at Trump, and calling his statement “offensive”, “degrading” and “intolerable”… Continue reading “Trump, The P-word, and Hypocrites”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Jonathan's Rant, Music, News, Parenting | | Leave A Comment

The Christian music kids like… or do they?

Posted on: 09/19/16 6:22 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last week I hosted a contest in this blog asking you which Christian songs today’s kids actually like and wouldn’t hesitate playing to their friends. Here are the results.

The response was overwhelming. You’ll probably find that post’s comment section is a great resource for you to peek at the variety of some of the top Christian songs kids like today!

Key word: variety.

In fact, if you pour through those comments you’ll discover two things:

Continue reading “The Christian music kids like… or do they?”

Posted in Music | | Leave A Comment

What Christian Music Do Today’s Kids Actually Like?

Posted on: 09/12/16 3:53 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Okay… it’s time for me to give something away. A Christian CD of your choice to the winner. Here’s what I want– answer this simple question:

What Christian songs (I want song and artist) can you play that today’s young people actually enjoy?

I could expand the question like this: What Christian music would they not be afraid to play around their friends?

Continue reading “What Christian Music Do Today’s Kids Actually Like?”

Posted in Contests, Music | | Leave A Comment

Top 5 Impactful Christian Music Artists in the 80’s

Posted on: 08/22/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Did you grow up in the 80’s?

Did you listen to Christian music in the 80’s?

My wife Lori was playing Amy Grant’s Straight Ahead album in the car the other day and my girls began complaining. Lori and I both defended the album because it was nostalgic for each of us. In a time where there wasn’t a lot of good Christian music options, Amy delivered something that resonated with young believers.

Amy wasn’t the only one. In fact, I recall 5 Christian artists that really made an impact on Continue reading “Top 5 Impactful Christian Music Artists in the 80’s”

Posted in Music, Personal | | Leave A Comment

From Disney Star to Vixen

Posted on: 07/11/16 4:21 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Demi Lovato is in the headlines again with her sexy new release, Body Say.

Sadly, her story isn’t very unique:

Disney star. My own girls watched her show Sonny with a Chance and the Camp Rock movies.
At age 18, she dropped out of a tour because of some “emotional and physical issues” (self-mutilation, eating disorders).
She returned to the scene with a new confidence… in fact… the name of her new album last year was Confident, sporting her new sexy look… and sexy new songs (you probably our post about her song Cool for the Summer, a song about her desire for a lesbian hook up).

Well Demi’s back, and she’s pushing the sexy envelope again with her Continue reading “From Disney Star to Vixen”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music, Sexuality, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

Top Tunes of 2015

Posted on: 12/22/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

As 2015 comes to an end, it’s always intriguing to look back at what young people were listening to.

Many of you may remember exactly how much young people value music from our recent Youth Culture Window article about entertainment media saturation. In this article we not only learned that today’s teens spend about 9 hours a day soaking in entertainment media and technology, but also that they sited music as their favorite media activity, devoting 1 hours and 54 minute per day to their favorite tunes (Common Sense Media, page 18).

The question you might ask is, “What are their favorite tunes?”

Here they are, all the No. 1’s of 2015, in our brand new Youth Culture Window article. These are the songs that made it all the way to the top… and then some tips on how we can dialogue with our kids about them.

CLICK HERE: Mature Messages in Today’s Music

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music | | Leave A Comment

MTV Helps Kids Make Sense of the World?

Posted on: 09/1/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“No art form in the world captures moments like this more powerfully than music. Music helps us make sense of the world. A song can elevate a movement.”
–Jussie Smollett of Fox’s Empire, in his speech at the MTV VMA’s, 8/30/2015

Jussie is right. It was probably one of the few noteworthy statements from Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards (The VMAs).

Music is powerful. It always has been. In the Old Testament we even read about David soothing King Saul with his music. Perhaps today David would send Saul his newest Spotify playlist (at a safe distance from any spears being hurled his way).

MTV is happy to talk about music’s influence… for good. How come we never see them owning up to the contrary?

After observing the effects of music on young people for two decades, I’ve noticed two observations Continue reading “MTV Helps Kids Make Sense of the World?”

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

Miley’s VMA Reprise

Posted on: 08/24/15 7:35 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This coming Sunday night MTV will be exhausting all means necessary to garner one thing: ratings.

MTV has a history of stooping to new lows for ratings for their Video Music Awards show. This year’s new low will be Miley Cyrus hosting the show.

Yes, MTV exploiting Miley is nothing new. But this year they’ve been already pushing the envelope, utilizing Miley’s desperation for attention in their TV ads for the upcoming awards show. Maybe you’ve seen them: the topless ad (with little greenscreen dots covering the essentials), the “giving us the finger” ad, or the cloud of smoke ad… Continue reading “Miley’s VMA Reprise”

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