Walt Mueller - Saturday Morning Sessions

As I mentioned Saturday, the computer I was typing "live" from Friday Night crashed, so I was unable to blog live while Walt shared with us during our morning sessions, but here's my notes I was able to write down.

POP MUSIC & MEDIA

What's Currently going on:

1. More Pain & Brokenness: Where pain and brokenness is greater, the need for healing & wholeness is greater (reference to American Teen documentary... filmed in Warsaw, IN.)
2. Younger and Younger: Kid's recognize brands @ 18 months (this is true, Katylynn recognizes Mickey ears and Mickey gloves immediately).
   AGE COMPRESSION - Kids are dealing with issues at ages 9, 10, 11 that 10-15 years ago were dealt with at 17 or 18
3. Any Kid, Any Time, Anywhere: Homeschool/ Christian School/ public school; non-Christian or Christian Family... it doesn't matter; culture will affect them.
4. Sooner or Later: They will encounter, brush up against, or find themselves swimming in the midst of it at some time sooner or later.

Top 4 Institutions of Influence (research by Jr Achievement).

1960:
1. Family
2. School
3. Friends/Peers
4. Church
- At this point in time, these institutions were pretty much in unanimous agreement.

1980:
1. Friends/ Peers
2. Family
3. Media*
4. School
*1980, MTV enters the picture. Music changes from something you listen to into something you watch.
-A significant shift.

NOW:
1. Media*
2. Friends/Peers
3. Family
4. School
*Media has gone viral. MTV no longer shows videos, but there are over 16,000 videos available to watch any point any time.

Media as a life shaper:
In 2006 (meaning this is dated already)
Daily total media exposure of 8-18 year olds: 8 hours and 20 minutes.
Daily time spent in media exposure: 6 hours and 21 minutes

8-18 year olds are masterful multi-taskers.

Perscentage with medium in their Bedroom:
TV - 68%
VCR/DVD - 54%
Video Game Console - 49%
Cable/ Satelite - 37%
Computer - 31%
Premium Cable - 20%
Internet - 20%

From this point in the seminar we went into a time of watching several music videos, ads, and discussing specific Media (the Twilight series, Chris Brown and Rhianna were some hot topics).

One video showed was Asher Roth's I Love College (currently the most watched online music video).



We spent much time considering the messages that are being presented in the various media out there.

The Keys Approach:
RELATIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP... They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

A 3-Fold Response:

1. Prophetic - Take any lies being communicated in culture and proclaim the truth in it. Consider Jesus approach in the sermon on the mount... "You've heard it said..., But I say to you..."
2. Preventative - Speak ahead of where they are currently (don't speak over them, but give them a heads up of what's to come). What are you going to do to when...
3. Redemptive - "As Christ is to me, so will I be to my children." (didn't catch who said that, but Walt was quoting some really smart guy).

OVERALL, I believe Walt caught as he went that he needed to play the role of informer... make parents, teacher, grandparents, youth workers aware of what is out there, and the messages being presented. I believe, although some parents may have walked out a bit overwhelmed, I think they can be sure that there is a need to be engaged as a student of the culture in order to help navigate their students through it. BIBLICAL REALISM.