Posts by Alexis Howard
Young Life’s Global Day of Prayer
In a year where so much has been different, difficult and lost, we continue to run to the Lord in prayer. Prayer is the first work that we do in this mission, and our Global Day of Prayer is a time to gather and do that very work together. On Tuesday, March 2nd, we encourage you…
Read MoreApply to be on Summer Staff!
We are all looking forward to getting to take our friends to summer camp again this summer, and camps around the ministry are looking for Summer Staff! As a month-long volunteer on summer staff at a Young Life camp, you’ll have the chance to grow personally and spiritually — you’ll be surrounded by other people from all over…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Tierney Kearns
In this week’s Deeper in Christ video, we get to hear from Tierney Kearns. Tierney works at the Young Life Service Center in Colorado Springs and is a leader at a local high school. She also coaches basketball and has been able to be on the court with her team this year. In the video,…
Read MoreInnovation: Courage
Many of the ministry approaches that worked in the past won’t work the same in 2021. In this series on ministry innovation, we explore how to have Courage, Creativity, and Compassion in a new season of ministry. It’s based on the new book by Steven Argue and Caleb Roose called: Sticky Faith Innovation: How Your…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Kyle Bush
In this Deeper in Christ video, we hear from Kyle Bush who is a Young Life Leader in Colorado Springs. Kyle is also on the marketing team at the Young Life Service Center. He helps areas tell their stories through published materials, banquets, etc. Today is Ash Wednesday, which means the start of the Lenten…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with JB Ward
In today’s “Deeper in Christ” video, we get to hear from JB Ward, Young Life staff in Pittsburgh, PA. JB lets us in on a secret- he is a terrible listener. According to his family, he listens about two-thirds of the time, and all the other time he is distracted or focused on something else.…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Aretta Zitta
In this “Deeper in Christ” video, we get to hear from Aretta Zitta the International Field Director of Young Life Military/Club Beyond. As Field Director, she gets to handle the “not fun” stuff like reports, plans, and administrative documents. But she does that behind-the-scenes work so that her staff can be free to reach out to…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Marty McCarty
In this “Deeper in Christ” video, we get to hear from Marty McCarty, the Vice President for Young Life Military/ Club Beyond. The passage of scripture Marty has been continually drawn to is Romans 12:9-21 which is known as “Traits of a True Christian.” Marty focuses in on one particular verse from that passage. “Be…
Read MoreSign Up for the Team Leader Zoom Call
Are you a Young Life Team Leader? Could you use some encouragement, fresh ideas, and a chance to connect with other Team Leaders from around the mission? If so, you can sign up here and we’ll send you details about how to join the call. Depending upon how many folks sign up, we may offer…
Read More“Deeper In Christ” with Genaro Lawhorn
G comes to us from the woods in Atlanta, GA to bring us another edition of Deeper in Christ. We hear his perspective on a Young Life leader favorite- the story of Jesus calming the storm. What we need to focus on right now is not the storm, it’s the hope in the midst of…
Read MoreThe Forward Planner
My wife and I came on Young life staff in 1994. We were recruited by Young Life military to start a new chapter in the middle of the Mojave Desert in Southern California. We were 22 years old, newlyweds, nervous, but excited to reach kids with the Gospel. We went to new staff training in…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Rachel
Rachel shares with us from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. She talks about the live-action version of the beloved Disney movie, Mulan, particularly the chaotic battle scene in which swords are swinging and cannonballs are being launched across a great field. All of a sudden, everything slows down, and in rides Mulan, hair…
Read MoreCoaching as Contact Work
As a father of five, I’ve had the great joy of coaching my own kids in a variety of sports. When I joined the Young Life staff at age 40, I’d already coached the spectrum of kindergarteners to high schoolers. Doing Young Life in New Jersey, schools are not open to outsiders, so in addition…
Read MoreHow Starting Small Gets Big Results
As you think about this past fall and the coming winter, pause for a moment. Stop thinking about your calendar (and what you may or may not be able to put on that calendar). Instead, think about the kids you miss most. Who were you planning to take to camp? Who loves to laugh with…
Read MoreDrew’s 20 Favorite Things from 2020
Below are 20 things that made our family smile in 2020. We hope they do the same for you in 2021. Happy New Year from the Hills! Favorite Easy Recipe Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken. Quick, easy, and yummy. Serve over egg noodles! Favorite Card Game Codenames. It works best with 6 people or more,…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Kelsey Jenney
In this “Deeper in Christ” video we hear from the wonderful Kelsey Jenney who is on Young Life staff in Michigan. Kelsey absolutely LOVES Christmas and reminds us of the reality that “the Lord is coming near.” She shares how she has been “stuck and struck” by Mark 6, the familiar passage where Jesus walks…
Read MoreThe Mandalorian: The Next Best Young Life Leader
*There are no spoilers in this article. The Mandalorian: A show that is taking over the world and taking over everyone’s hearts. Okay, that may be a bit dramatic but this show is a masterpiece. With an interesting storyline, admirable characters, and eye-popping effects, this is one of the best additions to the Star Wars…
Read More3 Phenomenal Video Series to use in Campaigners
There are a ton of helpful video resources out there that could work well for your Campaigners group. We asked the Alongside: Young Life leaders Facebook group which ones they liked best and below are some of the top responses. The Bible Project The Bible Project makes animated videos to explore the themes and books…
Read More“You Just Gave Me My Senior Year Back!”
A few weeks ago we were sitting in the Cook Out parking lot having milkshakes and hanging out with our new high school friends after a socially-distanced game night. I was talking to two senior guys named James and Cam. They had both come to Young Life for the first time that night and were…
Read MoreVideos for your Virtual Banquet
Need shorter banquet messages that can be easily added to a virtual banquet or shown in a small gathering? We have four different messages below from short (5 minutes) to long (13 minutes). They rely heavily on storytelling to illustrate the importance of Young Life in your community. These stories will take your audience on a journey…
Read MoreThe Social Dilemma
2020 has been rough. A few things have been particularly challenging for me in youth ministry: Not being able to be around kids as much. Not being able to have traditional clubs. Helping kids navigate a pandemic Having things get canceled last minute. But ultimately, none of that compares to the difficulty that some have…
Read MoreBecoming a Backyard Pilgrim
I was in New York City on March 9 and two days later the NBA called its season. Like many of us, I was forced to slow down as the world shut down. Not an easy task for an extroverted Young Life staff person. Thankfully, I was introduced to Godspeed. It’s life-changing documentary by Matt…
Read MoreYoung Life’s Newest Arm of Ministry
“If there was one area within Young Life you would say was lacking, what would it be?” It was a fairly innocent question, asked by a Regional Director I knew from years prior. “Oh that’s easy,” I replied, “The way that Young Life is set-up traditionally makes it virtually impossible to reach kids who are…
Read MoreYoung Life Virtual Women’s Retreat
LADIES- If you missed the first-ever “Women’s Young Life Virtual Retreat” on October 10th, you’re still in luck and can plan a day to participate whenever works for you and your people! An Invitation to “Different“: Simplicity-Intimacy-Significance. ALL women are invited into a unique kind of retreat experience—i.e. instead of going to Trail West for the retreat,…
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