The A Li'l Bit Podcasts are free weekly Bibles Studies to encourage your students in their relationships with God. This podcast presents God's word in a real and relevant way. Nothing crazy, nothing too hard to understand... just pure truth shared in 10 minute "easy to understand" segments.

by Jonathan McKee and David Smith

No celebrity fistfights. No lesbian lip locks. Slightly fewer racy jokes and censored vulgarity. Has MTV gone soft? Unfortunately no; the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards still had plenty for youth workers and parents to detest.

This year provided some of the most ironic "I thank God" accolades yet, a host with no refrain from ridiculing the Jonas Bros about their purity rings, and an impressive retort from 2007 American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks. Who knows? Maybe the message communicated this night was "not as it would seem."

Nothing Is As It Seems...
That's what this year's host Russell Brand kept telling viewers at the 25th Anniversary of the Video Music Awards (VMAs) hosted live on MTV. Not only did the entertainment include an exciting lineup of stars that just kept getting hotter, but the "nothing is as it seems" theme kept audience members on the edge of their seats. Just when viewers thought that a concert was happening across town, a wall would fall and reveal the singer in-house. A celebrity might go missing temporarily, only to be found by a frantic race around the studio. Several times, artists would strut in from the "back lot" of Paramount's huge property. Remember, nothing is as it seems.

Even when it comes to God.

Our Disclaimer
Now, I don't want to lead you astray with my title; yes, we at TheSource4YM.com would consider this to be a "tamer" VMA than we've seen in the past, but keep in mind that "tame" is relative when MTV is involved. (Here's our re-cap of the 2005, 2006, and 2007 VMAs so you can decide for yourself.)

Nobody ever truly knows what to expect from MTV's live VMAs each year. But given that this was the 25th Anniversary of the awards show, and MTV has a reputation for being...well, MTV...some of us were holding our breath to see what was in store for America's youth.

As far as celebrity behavior was concerned, most of them - I repeat - most of them, kept it fairly clean. However, while commenting on Katy Perry's song " I Kissed A Girl," host Russell Brand said, "I was so inspired by Katy Perry's song's message that teenage girls will do anything for the taste of cherry chap stick, that I'm currently going through nine chap sticks a day, and my bleep has never felt more moisturized."

And when Christopher Mintz-Plasse (of "Superbad" fame) snuck on stage with Slipknot, the metal band's leader explained that Chris had been doing body shots backstage. Chris' reply? "Is that what I was doing? I don't even remember how the hell I got out here...I'm bleepin trashed!"

Far more damaging than the verbalized personal moisturizing practices of the host, and the pre-show stunts of Chris "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse, were the comments about God. All of them!

I'd Like To Thank God...
That's how several of the artists started their acceptance speeches. When Britney Spears held her first of three Moonmen aloft for Best Female Video in "A Piece of Me," she gave credit to God for her "blessing." When the same video earned her a second award, this time for Best Pop Video, she repeated her gratitude to God. (View the video here to see if God had any part in its production. Be warned; it's typical Britney!)

Next up was the Pussycat Dolls. That's right, the Pussycat Dolls. They won Best Dancing in a Video for "When I Grow Up," a song all about becoming rich and famous. How they beat the incredibly talented (and fairly clean) Chris Brown with their mediocre yet racy moves is beyond me, but after securing their Moonman, front woman Nicole echoed Britney's praise of God. So I guess God really does want us all to be rich and famous! (You can view that theologically-challenged video here.)

And, in a moment that I can only call ridiculous, Lil Wayne held up his award and thanked God for allowing him to win the Best Hip Hop Video award for "Lollipop." Here are a few lines from his risqué hit:


I don't think I need to link the video. You can go ahead and thank God for that.

Frankly, I wish some of these stars would stop thanking God. With celebs like Paris Hilton and Amy Winehouse, it's probably true that there's "no such thing as bad publicity." But I do think "bad publicity" exists when it comes to God...and I think this was it.

But MTV wasn't done...

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

Jonathan is training in five different locations across North America in the next seven weeks. See if you can catch him at a training near you!


WHEN: THIS SATURDAY! September 13th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Orillia, Ontario, CANADA

DETAILS: Jonathan will be up in Canada next weekend (Saturday, September 13th) doing his Connect Workshop. The training event is at St. James' Church in Orillia, that's only an hour and a half north of Toronto. The cost set for the event is $40 a head or $30 a head for groups of 4 or more, and that includes a lunch! Take a look at www.stjamesorillia.com/churchgrowth for some more info and the number to call to register.

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WHEN: Saturday, September 20th, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: Midland, MI (90 minutes North of Detroit)

DETAILS: Jonathan will be doing his Getting Students to Show Up Training Workshop. This Saturday workshop challenges youth workers, both paid and volunteer, to rethink their methodology when it comes to outreach. But more than that, this training will guide them, step-by-step, how to plan and execute great outreach programs, activities or events for 10 or even 10,000 students.

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WHEN: October 9-13th

WHERE: Sacramento, CA at the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention

DETAILS: Jonathan will be doing two seminars at this year's convention, one on speaking to a generation with a short attention span, based on his new book, 10-Minute Talks, and then he will be teaching a 90 minute version of his Connect workshop.

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WHEN: October 18th, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Crossroads Church, Thornton, CO

DETAILS: The Denver Youth Leaders Network is bringing Jonathan out to do his Connect workshop. This Saturday workshop equips youth workers, both paid and volunteer, to initiate contact with today's teenagers. This training provides unique insight how to connect with kids one-on-one, equipping youth leaders with resources and ideas to help them reach the different kids they will encounter in this rapidly changing culture. Cost is only $15 a person.

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WHEN: October 31-November 3rd

WHERE: Pitts, PA at the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention

DETAILS: Jonathan will be doing two seminars at this year's convention, one on speaking to a generation with a short attention span, based on his new book, 10-Minute Talks, and then he will be teaching a 90 minute version of his Connect workshop.

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