Will I get to Chicago?

Posted on: 02/2/11 3:50 PM | by Jonathan McKee

The front page of my Sacramento paper today shows a picture of a bunch of people on the streets of Chicago walking through a blizzard. The paper provided details of horrible weather conditions and canceled flights, basically warning people, “I hope you don’t plan to fly to Chicago this week!”

Sigh! Tomorrow (Thursday) my son Alec and I are flying to Chicago and then driving up to Wisconsin where I’m speaking at a camp for the weekend. Our original flight has already been canceled and we have been rebooked to come in later in the evening. The temperature will be 8 degrees when we land, -9 degrees with wind chill factor. (And those of you who have been to Chicago and felt that breeze blowing across the lake KNOW how cold that wind chill factor really is!!!)

Despite the delay, if our plane actually gets to Chicago, I plan on giving Alec a little “taste” of Chicago. We’re gonna hit my favorite place, Giordano’s Pizza on the way up to the camp, and maybe even a taste of Gino’s or Lou’s on the way down. (Those of you in the know… what’s your favorite Chicago pizza place? Comment below)

Pray for our speaking weekend. I share the Gospel on Friday night, and then on Saturday night I’m talking about bullying– how one person can make a difference (using Philippians 2:1-5). Alec will be sharing a little too, sharing his story. Many of you have heard a little of our experience being bullied in my article, Voices of the Bullied, I wrote a few months ago. Also pray that I can survive an entire weekend with a camp full of Packer fans on a Green Bay Super Bowl weekend! (Aye, aye, aye!)

If you want to hear some of the highlights, I’ll tweet our experiences throughout the weekend.

Sunday afternoon we’re going to catch the first half of the Super Bowl on an airport TV (I know… lame!) and then board our flight home just after halftime. Hopefully the pilot will keep us posted of the score…

… that is, if we make it to Chicago!

In Korea

Posted on: 01/14/11 1:07 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday I flew to Korea. I’m hear to speak for the weekend. So far we’ve had a great time.

I think the highlight was when my buddy Lorin, who traveled with me, asked our host (a U.S. civilian who runs a youth ministry on the Yongsan military base over here), “So is it true that they eat dog over here?”

More on that hilarious conversation in a minute.

We flew over here yesterday on a direct flight from San Francisco (2 hours from my house) to South Korea (near Seoul). The flight left at 11:30 am and was about 12 hours. So we landed about midnight California time, but it was 4PM the next day in Korea.

I didn’t sleep on the plane for two reasons:
1. It’s uncomfortable anyway in coach!  🙂
2. I figured that I wanted to sleep a good night’s sleep when I arrived… so I didn’t want to mess with my sleep.

Mission successful. I stayed awake for the whole flight, reading, watching the in flight movies, etc. then met the people I’m going to minister with for the weekend, went to my hotel and slept a good 8 hours right away!

So it was on our ride from the airport that my friend Lorin asked, “So do they eat dog over here?”

Randy, our host, says, “Yes, but it’s not like they just kill dogs on the street. They raise then like cattle.”

Lorin says, “What!!!”

I’m laughing. So I ask, “What kind of dog?”

Randy says, “I don’t know what kind of dog it is. They kind of look like Old Yeller.”

Lorin and I both say in perfect unison, “They raise Labradors for food?!!!”

“Yes, it’s not bad.”

To which Lorin says, “You’ve had it!!!”

I can’t even talk at this point because I’m laughing at Lorin. Plus, I’m trying to figure out how to tell my daughter that they raise and eat yellow labs. I’m sure they aren’t really yellow labs. I think I’m going to have to research that one. But it sure was a humorous conversation.

We eventually got on the military base and met some of the workers for the ministry here reaching out to the teenagers that have parents in the military. Great group of people. I look forward to ministering with them for the weekend (I speak to the kids Saturday, then preach Sunday and doing a parenting workshop)


PLEASE PRAY:
Today I speak three times to the kids here at the ministry here on the US Military base. Pray for this time. There are going to be about 200 that I’m speaking to. Most of what I’ll be doing today is outreach. So pray as I share the Gospel and invite the kids to respond.

Also pray that I don’t eat Old Yeller!

In PA and TX this Weekend

Posted on: 01/3/11 4:19 PM | by Jonathan McKee

If you’re in the Pittsburgh, PA area or the San Antonio, TX area, you can see me this weekend.

I’ll be in Bridgeville, PA on Saturday doing my all-day Connect Workshop for youth workers, both volunteer and paid, from area churches and ministries. It’s from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the cost is only $20, and that includes lunch. (here’s quick video clip of me doing this training)

I’ll be at Cibolo Creek Community Church in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX on Sunday afternoon doing my 2-hour Connect Workshop for youth workers, then a 2-hour Parenting Workshop. These are both free.

Click here for more info on either of these training opportunities.

I’m starting to book a lot of both youth worker trainings and parenting workshops already for 2011. If you’re interested in bringing me out to your city, send me an email at [email protected]

I’ve also developed a new training workshop based on my brand new book, Ministry by Teenagers. I taught this at the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention last year. I’ll be teaching it again this coming year in ATL and CA.

Feel free to contact me with any questions about these training opportunities: [email protected] (I wonder if it’s possible for me to stick just one more hyperlink into this email?)

Battle of the Philly Cheesesteaks

Posted on: 10/16/10 1:57 PM | by Jonathan McKee

So I’m in Philly for the weekend doing one of my parenting workshops at a local high school and preaching at a church Sunday a.m. I flew in yesterday and met with some new youth worker friends today for lunch. They asked me where I wanna go, I said, “Some place truly ‘Philly.'”

They said, “Okay, we gotta take you to get a cheesesteak.”

Here’s where it got interesting.

There are three cheesesteak places here that have really made a name for themselves. Two of them (Geno’s and Pat’s) are huge rivals and right across the street from each other, and the other is a little place in South Philly called Tony Luke’s. My friends like Tony Luke’s the best, so off we went!

As you can see from the picture, this little outdoor dive was PACKED with a line of people all the way down the street! We waited for about 20 minutes and when we finally made it to the front, I let my friend Chris order for me. He ordered the traditional cheesesteak with grilled onions and the cheese wizz.

Yeah… it didn’t sound appetizing to me either.

But then I tasted it.

Pretty good! Surprisingly good actually! No, it’s no Giordano’s Pizza (shout out to Chicago), but it was definitely worth the wait! Plus, the atmosphere was authentic Philly. It was like going to The Varsity in Atlanta. More of an experience than  mindblowing food.

We then drove through South Philly wear Rocky ran, then through the downtown, etc. Great town, great history.

Back to work. I’m throwing some last minute touches on my parenting seminar. Gonna show them a few music video snippets tonight (Katy Perry, Miley, Far East Movement…)

Posted in Food, Personal, Travel |  | Leave A Comment

This Weekend

Posted on: 09/30/10 9:34 PM | by Jonathan McKee

This weekend is going to be a little crazy for me. I’d love your prayers.

On Saturday I’m running a 5K for our ministry. When I finish that event, I quickly shower, then hop on a plane and head to San Diego to the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention where I’ll be mingling with youth workers and friends, and teaching two workshops:

Using 10-Minute Talks: Speaking to Generations with Short Attention Spans

Ministry by Teenagers: Developing Leaders from Within

I’ve taught the “10-Minute Talks” workshop a few times at the conference. The “Ministry by Teenagers” is new, based off my brand new book coming out this December (we’ll be selling it on our site as well then).

I’ll be Twittering from the conference. I’m supposed to get together with Greg Stier, Wayne Rice, Adam McLane and others… so I’ll keep you all updated via my Twitter page.

While all this is going on… my 15-year-old daughter is going to her first dance… and I WON’T BE THERE TO SEE HER OFF! That’s terrible! (can someone hear “Cats in the Cradle” playing???) I’m going to blog more about this later- I need to talk more about this. Also, I’m going to be chaperoning a public H.S. school dance in one week (a great way to keep current with youth culture), so I’ll be blogging and tweeting about that as well.

Thanks for your prayers!

“Just Let Em’ Watch TV!”

Posted on: 07/19/10 4:31 PM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s amazing how often parents just stand by and watch their kids lose their innocence.

This past weekend on my flight coming back from speaking in Nebraska two elementary-aged kids sat next to me. Their mom sat a couple rows behind and her kids ended up by me– a boy and girl, probably 3rd and 5th grade.

I introduced myself and joked a little about the drawings on the emergency card. They laughed and I asked them questions about flying, “Have you ever flown before?” “Do you like flying?” I wanted them to feel comfortable with me for the flight. After the takeoff, I helped them order their drinks and work the tray tables. They were really polite, sweet little kids.

Soon the little girl pulled down her seat tray, removed a stuffed monkey from her bag and placed him up on the tray, sitting comfortably with his legs crossed and staring back at her with his shiny black little eyes. The boy pulled out a toy dragon and placed it with care on his tray table.

I remember thinking, “How young. How innocent.”

About 30 minutes into the flight, they slid their backpacks from under the seat in front of them and pulled out some magazines. The little boy had a MAD Magazine, the little girl had the newest tween magazine, littered with pictures of Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Robert Pattinson and other teen idols.

It was heartbreaking watching this little girl, probably just 8-years-old, looking in awe at pictures of Miley and Kristen, reading little “did you know” facts about their celeb lifestyles. It was upsetting because I saw the innocence slowly being sucked away. Here’s a sweet little kid who probably just learned how to ride her bike. Her favorite companion is a stuffed monkey. And what does our society want to do with these little girls? Grow them up much too fast!

Here little girl… look at this celeb named Miley. Or this one named Britney. Sorry, we can’t show you pics of Lindsey right now… she’s fresh out of rehab and back in jail.

Which ‘Twilight‘ guy do you like better? Robert or Taylor? Here they are with their shirts off. Aren’t they dreamy? Here’s a rapper singing with Justin Beiber. Oooops, don’t download any of this rapper’s music– it’s explicit.

I felt like covering the monkey’s eyes. I’ll protect you Baboo!

After the kids tired of the magazines, they started playing with their toys. It was adorable. “Hey, let’s say that Baboo rides your dragon!” The kids made their toys fly, wrestle each other (the dragon seemed to always prevail against the monkey), and romp off to an assortment of imaginary worlds.

All of a sudden their mother came up to check on them. “Hey, use the earphones and listen to the music or watch the TV show.”

The kids stared back at their mother like, Do we have to?

Mom dug the headphones out of their seat pocket and showed them how to put them on. “Here, watch this show.”

I looked up to see what United was playing for “family” enjoyment. An episode of Two and a Half Men (I kid you not).
The kids reluctantly put on their headphones and stared up at the screen while their mother returned to her seat. After two minutes the kids grew restless. The boy leaned over to his sister, “Let’s play some more.”

The headphones disappeared, Charlie Sheen’s sex jokes were silenced, and within seconds Baboo and the dragon were back to wrestling once again.

If only we could freeze this moment of innocence.

Unfortunately, in just a blink of an eye, middle school will arrive, the monkey and the dragon will probably be shelved, and the iPods of these two cherubs will be full of that day’s Katy Perry, Christina Aguillera and Miley Cyrus. Mom won’t have to encourage TV watching anymore; TV will trump building forts, riding bikes and playing with toys. ABC and MTV will become their teachers, innocence will be totally lost… all under the watch of well-meaning parents.

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’  (Ezekiel 33:6)

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

Goodbye Smart Car… Hello Mini

Posted on: 07/12/10 9:50 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Yesterday I flew to Nebraska where I’m speaking all week. When I landed, I did my normal routine, picking up my rental car. At the Omaha airport, they had a good deal on Mini Coopers- cheaper than almost any other car. The guy at the counter just clarified, “You drive a stick, right?”

“Sure. I learned on a stick.” My 1976 VW Bug. (Wow… that’s a leap through time)

Anyway… I pop in this Mini and… WOW! This thing was slick! It was white with black stripes, accelerated quickly, and cornered like it was on rails (here’s a picture of it where I parked it in the York, Nebraska Wal Mart parking lot).

Many of you might remember my experience a couple months ago with a Smart Car I rented. I’ll be nice. The thing was a piece of junk! It rode rough on the freeway, it shook like a vibrating bed (wow… that’s another memory from when I was a kid! We used to stay in these cheap motels! “Mom, can I please have a quarter!!!”), and it changed three lanes when the wind blew. It was like driving an enclosed skateboard.

The Mini was smooth and quick! It has 6 gears and a little button next to the shifter that says “SPORT,” which seems to change the way it shifts. In all honesty, I have no clue what that button does. But yes… I am a man… so I hit the button and tried shifting through the gears like a NASCAR driver. That Mini has some guts.

Okay… this is funny. So I’m shifting and playing around with the thing and I pass a Nebraska policeman going the other way. He flips a u-turn and pulls me over. I’m thinking, “Oh great. My first ticket in literally over 10 years!” The guy was really nice. He says that I was going 10 over, but he’d let me off with a warning.

How cool is that!!

There’s gotta be an illustration of God’s grace in there somewhere.

I wanna Mini now! (Is that an illustration of coveting???)

Posted in Humor, Personal, Travel |  | Leave A Comment

The Truth about West Virginia

Posted on: 06/7/10 8:38 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I’m going on the record: West Virginia is the friendliest state in the U.S.

This past weekend I did my second visit to West Virginia in the past six months. I’ve probably been there once or twice a year in the last ten years, and my experience is always the same: beautiful scenery, incredibly nice people, and a few chuckling moments.

You see, if you visit any state near West Virginia, you’ll hear them make fun of the state. “They’re backwoods hicks!” “Watch out for those banjo players!” You get the idea.

Yes, West Virginia has it’s share of ‘good ol’ boys,’ and even a handful of folks who seem to be a few fries short of a Happy Meal… but they are the nicest bunch of people you’ll ever encounter.

Allow me to summarize my observations:

1. Plenty of good ol’ boys: There’s a big difference between a ‘good ol’ boy’ and a ‘backwoods hick’ with three teeth! I’ve met plenty of good ol’ boys in West Virginia. I’ve met more backwoods hicks in Rio Linda (about 20 minutes from my house in California). This weekend I was hanging out with a youth worker named Chris. Chris was definitely a ‘good ol’ boy.’ We were starting to unpack some boxes and I asked him, “Isn’t this where a good ol’ boy would have a knife in his pocket to open up these boxes?” He smiled, pulled out a pocket knife and began cutting open the boxes. I laughted and told him, “I knew it! I knew you’d have a knife!” He smirked and said, “You know what we call a man without a knife around here?” I shrugged my shoulders and nodded– no idea. He folded his knife and put it back into his pocket, flashing another smile at me. “A woman!”

2. They know their reputation, and aren’t all bent up about it: I spoke at a conference in Pennsylvania a while back and someone on stage made a comment about “Even some people from West Virginia are here!” The West Viriginia group whooped and hollered. They were West Virginian and proud. People made West Virginian jokes all weekend and no one got worked up about it. Most of them would simply retort, “We’re hicks, and we’re proud of it.” I remember even joking about ‘road-kill’ at the conference. One guy at that conference came up and told me, “You know, they just passed a new law in West Virginia that if you hit  a deer with your truck, you can take it home and cook it!” I told him that it had never been a temptation for me.

3. They actually have manners: In California if you bump into someone in a store (particularly this younger generation), they will probably give you a hard look, maybe even flip you off and bark obscenities. In WV, they say, “Excuse me sir.” and smile. I was in Charleston, WV a while back and I was lost. I pulled up to a sidewalk and asked a guy for directions. This guy was ready to hop in my car and show me how to get there! Nicest people you ever will meet. I stopped by an Arby’s to grab a quick bite on the run this past weekend. Let’s be honest. Arby’s isn’t exactly a fine dining establishment. A teenager was walking in the door just before me. He stopped, held the door, then chatted with me about the weather when I walked in. Then the person working the counter smiled, called me sir, thanked me… it was amazing! In California there is only one place that treats you like that: In and Out Burger (They are trained that way). In West Virginia, everyone is like an “In and Out” employee.

If you haven’t been to WV… give it a try.

Don’t believe the hype. They’re not inbred, backwoods hicks. They’re incredibly friendly, they’ve got pocket knives, and they’re ready to cook you up fresh venison at any moment (just don’t ask them where they got it!)

Posted in Humor, Personal, Travel |  | Leave A Comment

Guess Where I Grew Up

Posted on: 04/18/10 9:10 PM | by Jonathan McKee

This past weekend on a speaking trip I had a little extra time Sunday morning to drive up to the small, one-high-school-town I lived in 30 years ago as a kid. What a reminiscent little jaunt!

Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll have a little contest seeing if you can guess where this town is (better keep reading).

I stopped by my little elementary school, the house I lived in back then (see pic to right), and the church that my dad pastored at the time. It’s crazy how nostalgic this small town is for me. I only lived there three years (from age 7 to 10). But I have such strong memories of riding my little bike with the big banana seat around the neighborhoods (yeah… it was rockin!), walking home from school with my brother (remember when kids walked home from school?), climbing a tree in my backyard, playing football with my dad and brother on the front grass…

Good times!

I drove around the town in my rental car taking it all in. I couldn’t believe how many of the little streets I remembered, although it was strange driving a car instead of peddling a bike. I drove by several of my friends’ houses—my 8 and 9-year-old friends from 30-years ago—wondering if their parents still lived there. I even saw the edge of the creepy-looking woods where my buddy Mark Krouse and I got lost for about 30 minutes—it felt like a day!

As I pulled up to my school a nice memory popped in my head. You see, my mom or dad used to pick up my brother Thom and I from school when the weather was bad during the winter. I saw the spot where they usually parked our little brown family car, a 1976 Volkswagen Dasher. One particular Friday after school my brother and I arrived at the car to find both my mom and dad in the car with a couple suitcases in the back.

Thom and I were no dummies… we almost never traveled those days. So we immediately wondered what was going on. My parents tried to play it off. “Oh, really? Are there suitcases back there? Hmmmmm.”

I don’t even remember how far the drive was, but probably within an hour or so we pulled up to a little motel called the LampLighter(funny that I remember the name). I don’t know where it was or even remember what the rooms looked like. I just remember walking through the snow covered parking lot into the little motel lobby… and seeing the indoor pool! This was paradise for Thom and I! My parents’ little surprise trip to the LampLighter was the highlight of our year. (In retrospect… I think the place was probably just a rinkydink little motel. But we didn’t care. We were swimming in the middle of winter!)

It’s amazing what you can remember when you take time to look around your childhood stomping ground.

Random Contest Idea: I can’t remember if I’ve ever blogged or written about this little town. I know I’ve mentioned it speaking. So let’s see if any of you will be able to figure out where it is. Here’s the pic I shot of the church from my phone. This is the church I attended when I was 7 through 10 years old! My dad was the pastor there for 3 years. (If no one gets the answer by noon on Monday Pacific Time, I’ll add a hint in the comments.)

THE CONTEST: I’ll give a copy of any one of my books (your choice) to the first person who uses the comment section below to tell me where this church this is (what city, etc.). (one guess per person)

I’ll give you a quick hint to start. It’s not even half an hour from this thing!

Good luck!

The “C” in YMCA

Posted on: 04/17/10 8:41 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Do you know what the “C” stands for in YMCA?

I don’t recall the Village People mentioning it in their song.

This weekend I’m getting a glimpse of the “C” in action at the YMCA of the Ozarks here in MO. The YMCA networked with a group of churches for the weekend to host an event called Faithfest. They have brought me in to share the Gospel. I speak twice Saturday and once Sunday.

The weekend has been great so far, despite my battle with sickness and lack of sleep. But that’s my fault. I’ve been full throttle for a few weeks now without taking a day off. Unfortunately, my body is already rebelling (soar throat… feeling sick).

Friday morning when the alarm went off at 3:45AM… it was hard to get up. I jumped on a plane to Denver. Two hours later I hustled to my St. Louis connection… another 2 hours, and I landed in St. Louis. I actually dozed off a few times in the plane– uncommon for me. I usually can’t sleep on a plane.

I hopped in a rental car (not a SmartCar this time!) and grabbed a quick bite before heading to the YMCA of the Ozarks. By the time I arrived… I was beat. Luckily, the workers at the Y were warm and hospitable. They gave me a nice room overlooking the lake. Pretty country.

I literally went to bed at 8PM (which was 6PM my time), and I was out for the count!!! Next thing I know, the alarm went off at 8AM. Wow. 12 hrs in bed. I used every minute of it!

Do you think this is why God told us to take a day of rest. (Stop sinning Jonathan… take a freaking day off!)

The good news… I feel 100% better this morning.

Enough about Jonathan. Back to the YMCA. The acronym stands for Young Men’s Christian Association.

The people here at the “Y” are very cool. It seems that they want to bring the “Why” back into the “Y.” I can tell it’s a struggle in a world that wants to be politically correct. Let’s face it. For decades now, a lot of the people at the “Y” haven’t focused much on the C. So I credit these guys for being intentional about focusing on the C.

In a country where the word “Christian” is often a repellant, I hope that His believers can really bring a focus back on Christ. Jesus was amazing. His love, compassion and grace attracted crowds of thousands. The worse the sinner, the more they wanted to see Jesus. Even Samaritans– the ones who had seemed to sway so far from the truth– were amazed by his message of love and grace.

Balance that with the fact that Jesus never budged on his theology. The same Jesus that dined with sinners, and showed mercy to pagans and adulterers… that same Jesus wasn’t afraid to say, “I’m the only way.” (John 14:6) Or, Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14)

Far from politically correct.

The very Jesus that “didn’t come into the world to condemn the world,” (John 3:17) wasn’t afraid to tell people the truth.

He loved them that much.

Props (hat tip) to YMCA of the Ozarks.

If you’re reading this blog Saturday. Pray for me at 7PM Missouri time as I share the Gospel. If you’re reading this Sunday morning, pray for me at around 10 AM when I’ll be talking about living a life of faith in Jesus “day to day.” If you’re reading this after then… pray anyway. God is timeless.  🙂

Posted in Faith, Travel |  | Leave A Comment