Posts by Drew Hill
See You in July
The World’s Greatest Road Trip
“So you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance?!” In 1994, the movie “Dumb and Dumber” had every high school guy in America quoting that line and dreaming of riding a moped to Aspen, Colorado. At the time, my friend Tim Safley was about to enter his senior year of high school in Raleigh, NC. One of…
Read MoreHow Charlotte Young Life Leaders Saved The Prom
When the pandemic canceled high school proms in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Young Life leaders came to the rescue. This coming Friday night, May 21, Young Life will host the first ever “Meck Gala!” Adam Riley, Young Life staff in Charlotte, was recently interviewed by the local news. “Let’s try to give them back what they didn’t…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Hannah Sabb
In this week’s “Deeper in Christ” video, Hannah Sabb shares about a hiking trip Jesus took with his closest friends in Matthew 17. She asks, “what elements make up a good trip?“ shared memories inside jokes adventure getting away and a deep connection with folks you go with Don’t miss these three minutes of gold!…
Read MoreHow to Overcome Anxiety
The year was 1995. Saved by the Bell was all the rage. It was my sophomore year in college and I was invited to do my first ever weekend program at Lake Champion in front of 500 high schoolers. I was excited… and so nervous. We were game show hosts—Pep Pepperson and Buck Buckelson, or…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Pete Hardesty
Lots of golden nuggets in these 3 mins. Below are a few of them: Our identity is RECEIVED, not ACHIEVED. We will operate in freedom to the degree we know that we are loved. God loves us with the love that He has for Jesus. Read more from Pete in his recent post “How to…
Read MoreA Ted Talk to Remember: My Last Conversation with Ted Johnson
I don’t remember the first time I met Ted Johnson; he tends to be the type of guy you need to meet a few times to truly ‘capture’ him. Over the years the settings varied: golf course, a hallway, a board meeting, or countless banquets. Adorned with a perpetual tan, wry smile, a glimmer in his eye,…
Read MoreThe Beautiful Mess
In this season we have been stretched in ways we couldn’t have predicted — so much that in some moments we felt like we would break. At the beginning of Lent in 2020, I wondered what I needed to give up or let go of in my life — something we commonly do during Lent — in order to be more…
Read MoreA Campaigners Guide: How To Draw Near To God
Trying to figure out what to do at Campaigners this week?Below is a 45-minute outline you can steal! Campaigners: Habits Show your Campaigners group this picture and ask them if they know what it is. It’s “the quietest place on earth!” Pull up this article below and have someone read it out loud: Earth’s Quietest…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Drew Hill
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In this week’s “Deeper in Christ” video, Drew: Shares some exciting personal news. Discusses the closeness of Christ. Encourages us to pray St. Patrick’s breastplate. Christ with me,Christ before me,Christ behind me,Christ in me,Christ beneath me,Christ above me,Christ on my right,Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down,Christ when I sit…
Read MoreInnovation: Compassion
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 Compassion, Creativity, and Courage Can…
Read MoreWhy Ted Lasso Is The Young Life Leader I Want To Be
*This article contains spoilers about the Ted Lasso show from Apple TV+. Show Summary At face value, the concept for Ted Lasso isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. Actually, the argument could be made that its a blatant rip-off of the 1989 film Major League. Basically, a professional sports team owner wants to drive their…
Read MoreA Simple Way To Celebrate Your Young Life Team
September 24th. There’s a 0.3% chance that date actually means anything to you. However, for me, it’s a super important day because that’s the day I was born. What does that have to do with Young Life? For the past several years, our Young Life team has entered into a rhythm of intentionally celebrating the…
Read MoreRedefining Adventure
How would you define adventure? What does the word mean for you? The dictionary would say: an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity to engage in a hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory How do these definitions make you feel? Do they get you excited and ready to run…
Read More“Deeper in Christ” with Zach Kreeger
In this “Deeper in Christ” video, we hear from Zach Kreeger who is an Area Director in Colorado. Zach has a tradition of hand-making a Christmas gift each year. This year he and his sister refurbished a family heirloom to give to his mom. Learn about his family table and hear a powerful message about…
Read MoreChristmas Break, Middle School Friends, and Hidden Gems
With your middle school friends on “Christmas break” this week, below are some ideas for a “socially-distanced viewing party.” There are a few hidden gems that I bet a lot of our WyldLife friends have not yet seen! JINGLE JANGLE (Netflix) This musical (I feel the eyerolls, but stick with me) is an unexpected surprise.…
Read MoreTop 10 Book Recommendations for Your Adolescent Friends
I often get asked the question, “What books would you recommend for high school and college students?” While most of my adolescent friends are not avid readers, I’m more convinced than ever that we’ve got to be teaching kids to read good books! When I was a teenager, my life was radically impacted by adults…
Read MoreCOVID-Safe Club Idea: Rotating Game Night
Are you looking for a socially distanced club idea? My friend, Melissa Lewkowicz, recently came up with this “Rotating Game Night” idea that was COVID-safe and A LOT of fun! It could work with middle schoolers, high schoolers or even college students. We had around 30 folks and set up 5 tables outside with 6-8…
Read MoreAn Unusual Thanksgiving
As we head into an unusual Thanksgiving weekend, one where many of us cannot gather in typical ways with family and friends, I’m tempted to be ungrateful and to wish things would just get back to “normal.” But then the chorus of one of my favorite worship songs starts playing in my head. “A thankful…
Read MoreAiming at Heaven
Read about how a Young Life area in South Carolina is experiencing the blessing of racial diversity. “A humbled Jason realized how few relationships he had in the Black community in Columbia. He urged his staff team to start calling African American churches in town to begin looking for wisdom and partners in ministry. They…
Read MoreHow Young Life is Reaching Military Kids around the World
Marty McCarty, Young Life’s Vice President of Military – Club Beyond, shares about Jim Rayburn and the origins of Young Life’s ministry with teenagers on military bases. Watch the video and find out how you can get involved! On this Wednesday, those of us in the U.S. will pause to commemorate Veterans Day and remember…
Read MoreA Dry & Desperate Place
Room is such a vital part of the spiritual journey. Having room and making room are key to the health and well-being of the soul. It is like oxygen—the inner life simply can’t survive without it. Crowd it or block it or rush it and the soul starts to shrivel up and die. And it is…
Read MoreDo You Love Me?
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” John 21:15 There is a definite order to life and ministry. And if we get it backward the whole thing…
Read MoreYou’re Invited to Create Content for YL Discipleship
As ministry continues to change and adapt in our current context, staff and leaders often find themselves needing to spend more time in order to connect with fewer students. As a result, they are especially in need of solid, ready-to-use resources that can help free up their time for in-the-field hands-on being-with-students. YL Discipleship is…
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