Speaking/Training Archives - Page 5 of 11 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

A book signing

Posted on: 11/18/14 9:58 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Jonathan-Sign This Weekend the YS Store asked me to do a book signing where I’m speaking at the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta, a fun opportunity to connect with people who’ve bought my books. (Curious which book sold out on the first day of this convention in Sacramento?)

So if you’re heading to this convention in Atlanta, be sure to stop by the YS Store at 3:15 on Saturday.

If you’re NOT going to be there in Atlanta… NO WORRIES. I’ll do this:

order any of my books from me this week, and I’ll personally autograph them for you. Feel free to order books for your entire volunteer team… I’ll sign every last one of them!

Posted in Books, Speaking/Training | | Leave A Comment

Zombie Senior Retreat

Posted on: 11/4/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I’ve been speaking at camps for almost 20 years, and I gotta admit… this is a first!

I received a call this summer from a camp director of a big camp in TX and he told me, “I’d like you to speak at our camp this winter, but it’s going to be a little bit different than the typical senior high retreat.”

He wasn’t kidding. This camp is going all out. Each year they have anywhere from 500 to 1000 students at these retreats, but this year they are hosting a “Zombie Senior High Weekend” and they have Hollywood makeup and set designers Continue reading “Zombie Senior Retreat”

Posted in Books, Speaking/Training, Youth Culture, Youth Ministry Planning | | Leave A Comment

A Glimpse of Youth Ministry in Uganda

Posted on: 09/18/14 5:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

As I write to you at this very moment, my dad is teaching a little over 120 youth workers about how to prepare a sermon.

I wish you could see it. We’re in the basement of an Anglican church, and when I say “basement”, understand I mean dirt floor, echoing cement walls, and exposed electric wires that function most of the time (we were in the dark for a good 12 minutes of one of my workshops yesterday… I just kept going) Continue reading “A Glimpse of Youth Ministry in Uganda”

Posted in Speaking/Training, Travel | | Leave A Comment

Training Leaders in Uganda

Posted on: 09/9/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

This weekend my dad and I pop on a plane to Uganda, a 23 hour itinerary… which is pretty long when I’m wearing this stupid arm brace for my shoulder.

Most of you have followed my shoulder injury, my surgery 4 weeks ago, and Instagram posts like the one I sent two weeks ago… declaring “four more weeks” wearing this thing! Well, the good news is that my shoulder is healing nicely, and I’ll actually get to ditch the arm brace halfway through the Uganda trip. And frankly, maybe this injury will remind me how much I need to depend on God throughout this trip, pointing to Him, not myself (II Cor. 4:5-7). Continue reading “Training Leaders in Uganda”

Posted in Speaking/Training, Travel | | Leave A Comment

Free Online Training

Posted on: 09/4/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I constantly receive emails from people who can’t come to one of my training workshops, but wonder if we provide any free online training.

I’ve always answered, “Yes!” and provided a link to our Free Training Tools page, which includes a myriad of free online video training. But here’s the link to another training… this time… an entire workshop I taught online via “webinar” earlier this year titled, Grappling with the Smartphone Generation.

NOTE: I don’t typically like these kind of “online training webinars”… because they’re a little static and dry Continue reading “Free Online Training”

Posted in Internet, Movies, Music, Parenting, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Speaking/Training, TV, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

Traveling Near You

Posted on: 09/2/14 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Jonathan-McKee-speaking-B September is already here and I’m about to begin spending a lot of time in airports! That might just mean I’ll be coming to a city near you. Check out my fall schedule and see. Here are some of the highlights… staring with Eastern PA this weekend:

September 6 and 7, 2014 (Lititz, PA)
This Saturday night I’ll be training youth leaders at Grace Brethren Church of Lititz. Then Sunday morning I’ll be preaching in their services and teaching my Parenting the Smartphone Generation workshop later that afternoon.

September 14, 2014 (Woodville, TX)
I’ll be preaching in the morning services at First Baptist Church Woodville, then teaching my Parenting the Smartphone Generation workshop early afternoon following lunch.

Continue reading “Traveling Near You”

Posted in Parenting, Speaking/Training, Travel | | Leave A Comment

Training Your Own Volunteers

Posted on: 06/3/14 5:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

If you’re a ministry leader, what do you do to keep you leaders sharp?

It didn’t take long for me to discover that all my volunteers enjoyed two things: food and socializing. So I decided to provide both, by gathering all my volunteers together once a month for dinner, with a little dash of training and equipping. My budget was small so we just did a potluck dinner at a different house each month. We would spend the first hour just eating and enjoying each other’s company. Once we finished eating, I spent a little time teaching them about youth culture or sharpening their ministry skills.

So what kind of training can we offer our volunteers without having to bring in a professional? Continue reading “Training Your Own Volunteers”

Posted in Discussion Ideas, Leadership, Speaking/Training, Youth Ministry Philosophy, Youth Ministry Planning | | Leave A Comment

Not My Kid

Posted on: 05/19/14 5:00 AM | by Jonathan McKee

On Saturday I showed parents a glimpse into the world of today’s youth culture… and on Sunday a mom pulled me aside. “I have to tell you a story.”

It’s funny, but whenever I spend a weekend teaching parents at a church, the same thing happens. As I show parents samples of pop culture media and discuss the attitudes and trends prominent in the lives of young people today, parents always seem to think, “This is interesting, but I’m glad my kids don’t do these things.”

Then in the next week they discover, “My kids do these things!”

It happened again yesterday Continue reading “Not My Kid”

Posted in Parenting, Speaking/Training | | Leave A Comment

These guys stuck out

Posted on: 03/3/14 10:06 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I speak at about 25 events a year. And in a world where most Christian events contain two elements—a band, and a speaker—I hear A LOT of worship bands.

Last weekend I heard a band that really stuck out.

Let me explain “stuck out.”

I was hosting and speaking at one of the eleven Youth Specialties Team Training events. This one was in Phoenix, and Kara Powell, Brian Aaby and I were the speakers. The doors hadn’t opened; four of us were Continue reading “These guys stuck out”

Posted in Music, Speaking/Training, Youth Ministry Planning | | Leave A Comment