Top 10 Zombie Apocalypse Survival Activities

Posted on: 10/15/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

The Walking Dead premiere broke all the records Sunday night, with 16.1 million total viewers, 10.4 million of those in the 18-49 demographic. That makes “Dead” the most-watched show in the demo on any channel, broadcast or cable, this fall, and that includes sports. No NFL game has drawn more viewers in that key age bracket this entire season.

Survival stories like this always stimulate creative conversations (that’s why I use the genre to provoke discussions with teenagers). What would you do if your water supply were shut off tomorrow? What if the grocery store shelves were empty? Where would you try to hole up and survive? Continue reading “Top 10 Zombie Apocalypse Survival Activities”

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What Does the Fox Say?

Posted on: 10/14/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

From viral YouTube video to Jimmy Fallon to the top of the charts, and it’s just a bunch of guys dressed as animals performing a song that sounds like something from Sesame Street.

You can’t argue with numbers. Young people are going crazy over the viral hit, What Does the Fox Say? by the Norwegian brothers known as Ylvis. The song, which began as a joke, became a viral YouTube video, and it has exploded in popularity. Ylvis performed on Jimmy Fallon last week and the song currently is No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and in the top 10 on iTunes as well.

My daughters showed it to me about 10 days ago and I used it in my seminar’s pre-show as people were walking in. Sure to get a laugh.

Take a look at the video:

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How to Kill a Hooker

Posted on: 10/8/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Hey kids, it’s that time again! Grand Theft Auto just released their brand new game, Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5). The game broke all the records, raking in literally a billion dollars in the first three days. It’s the hottest thing on the shelf right now for young gamers… oh… and it teaches you how to kill a hooker.

In a country where over 90 percent of young people between the ages 2 and 17 are playing video games, this is pretty concerning. In fact, there are so many Continue reading “How to Kill a Hooker”

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Boring Them to Death

Posted on: 09/19/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“Long boring sermons just don’t work.”

It was the one common denominator on almost everyone’s paper. I just spent two weeks speaking to young people and training youth workers in Uganda… and their kids are just like ours.

The training workshops were particularly revealing. We started each session breaking up into groups, brainstorming ideas on a large piece of paper, listing ministry practices that were working… and also models that, sadly, weren’t working. Then we discussed each item in detail, speculating why, and learning from each others’ successes and failures.

Despite our many differences, I was amazed at the similarity between Uganda and American Continue reading “Boring Them to Death”

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Miley’s Wrecking Ball

Posted on: 09/17/13 7:44 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s really been sad watching the downward spiral of Miley over the last 5 years. I say that with sincerity, as the father of two girls who used to watch the Hannah Montana show. It’s sad seeing a childhood hero make decisions that hurl a wrecking ball through her life.

Miley gets completely naked in her newest music video Wrecking Ball, in true iTunes “clean” style, never showing the few inches of real estate that would result in an explicit label. She just rides the wrecking ball naked, licking a sledgehammer while singing “all you ever did was wreck me.” The video has Continue reading “Miley’s Wrecking Ball”

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The Infiltration of US Culture

Posted on: 09/9/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Do you ever wonder if teenagers are the same across the globe?

I’ve been in the city of Kampala, Uganda almost a week now hanging with teenagers, parents, and youth workers. I’ve spoken at several youth events, taught a parent workshop, and spent four full days (so far) training and interacting with youth workers (two days of training to go). It’s been a wild ride… literally!

I think you’ll be intrigued by Continue reading “The Infiltration of US Culture”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Movies, Music, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Speaking/Training, Travel, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

The VMAs: Insight into Our Kids Music

Posted on: 08/28/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

What music videos are most teens watching?

What songs fill your teens’ music library in that device in their pocket?

Which artists are the biggest role models for young people today?

What truths are your teens gleaning from these heroes?

The VMAs answered these questions with a megaphone on Sunday night, and surprisingly… people were actually surprised with the answers. Funny. The event wasn’t surprising in the least. It was typical Lady Gaga, typical Miley Cyrus, typical Justin Timberlake, Typical Bruno Mars… typical MTV.

Sad that “typical” is often confused with “no big deal.”

So what can we take away from cable’s #1 entertainment telecast of 2013 among young people age 12-34? Glad you asked.

Here’s our Youth Culture Window article unveiling what millions of young people gleaned from this eccentric and aberrant pop culture jamboree this year.

CLICK HERE FOR THIS ARTICLE:
THE CULTURE BEHIND THE MUSIC

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music, Parenting, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, TV, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

Video Interview

Posted on: 08/26/13 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Last week I did a few interviews about parenting, youth ministry and springboarding conversations with young people today.

Paul Turner posted his Google+ video interview up on YouTube already; some of you might find it fun to eavesdrop into our conversation about my new piece of fiction I wrote to start conversations with teenagers.

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