Posts by Young Life Leader
It’s Been A ‘Y-L,’ But We’re Back
Apologies that YoungLifeLeaders.org has been on hold for the past week, but starting tomorrow I’ll be posting regularly as the new school year is upon us. I was out of commission this past week as Natalie and I had our 3rd child. Macy Heart Hill, who we call ‘Heart,’ was born August 4th. Honey (5)…
Read MoreWhat To Do After College?
The Greensboro Fellows class of 2014 A Guest Post From Tripp Graziano, volunteer Young Life leader in Greensboro, NC and director of the Greensboro Fellows program. It’s hard to believe summer’s drawing to an end. In just four weeks the Greensboro Fellows will begin another ten months (September 2014-June 2015) of discipleship, mentoring, career development, classes and…
Read MoreBetter Than A Game Of Mario Kart
#Poetry #NeverGetsOld #JesusChangingLives #BestWeekOfYourLife Thanks to Slate Fluker for sharing this postcard. It was written by a high schooler to YL supporters after a life-changing week at Frontier Ranch this summer.
Read MoreThe Best Thing You Can Do With Your Campaigners Groups This Summer
Last summer I grabbed two of my high school friends with great leadership potential. We went on a car ride and listened to these talks below. I’m convinced that car ride changed the direction of their lives and deeply impacted an entire school for Christ. In my opinion, the most valuable thing you can do…
Read MoreWhen Young Life Leaders Say Goodbye
Originally posted June 2012. Odds are some of your Young Life team members are entering a season of transition. Maybe they’re moving this summer. Maybe they’re burned out. Maybe they’re called to another ministry. Their absence will be noticed. Not just by you or your team, but by the kids. Change is hard. Trust is…
Read MoreHow To Recruit New Young Life Leaders
We’re always looking for more Young Life leaders. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. (Matt.9:37). The summer is a great time to recruit new leaders. Here are 10 ways to do it: Ask your high school friends if they have any older siblings, friends, teachers or coaches they think would make good…
Read MoreHappy Birthday Jim Rayburn
Today is the birthday of the founder of Young Life, Jim Rayburn. If he was still living today, he’d be 105. Jim Rayburn Jr. was born in Iowa on July 21, 1909. He lived a short 61 years in which God used him to start the incredible movement of Young Life. The lives he touched…
Read MoreTim Keller’s Advice For Helping Teenagers Grow In Their Faith
Originally posted July 2013 When Tim Keller was asked his best advice for helping teenagers grow in their faith, this was his answer: ‘Teenagers have more information about God than they have experience of him. Get them in places where they have to rely on God.” It got me thinking. Where are the places where my…
Read MoreJoe & Ryan at Castaway Club: My Favorite Version Of ‘How He Loves’
Camp speaker Matt Margaron recently shared this video of Joe, a camper from Kansas, and camp musician Ryan Ahlwardt leading worship on the last night of camp at Castaway last month. Make sure you watch until the end and listen to Joe’s words. Beautiful. How He Loves – Joe and Ryan (Young Life Castaway Club…
Read MoreCrooked Creek Session 2 Program Team Video: A Stroke Of Genius
If you need a good laugh… If you’re missing Young Life camp today… If you’ve always wanted to see Steve Chesney rap… Be inspired by this beautiful work of art: Crooked Creek Session 2 Program Team Camp Tour Video Young Life – Crooked Creek – Camp Tour 2014 from Alex Widmer Video on Vimeo.
Read MoreThe 1st Ever YL Summer Camp In El Salvador
A Guest Post from Jesse Papirio. History is being made this summer August 1st – 5th when El Salvador will be running its first ever Young Life camp. The first one will set the stage for the future. Teenagers will leave their homes and go into the hills outside San Salvador to encounter Jesus as never before. Help us…
Read MoreWhat I Learned At Woodleaf: Part 3
Justin McRoberts recently shared three lessons he learned while serving as Summer Staff coordinator and camp musician at Woodleaf. If you missed the first 2, you can find them here: Lesson 1: Real-Life Cost Benefit Analysis Lesson 2: Life, Like Dancing, Is About Joy Lesson 3: ‘Moving Mountains, Moving Lakes’ We are moving a lake here at Woodleaf.…
Read MoreWhat I Learned At Woodleaf: Part 2
Justin McRoberts recently shared three lessons he learned while serving as Summer Staff coordinator and camp musician at Woodleaf. If you missed yesterday’s, you can read it here on Justin’s Blog: Real-Life Cost Benefit Analysis. The last lesson will be posted tomorrow. Life, Like Dancing, Is About Joy The song’s low-end rumbles so deeply I can feel…
Read MoreWhat I Learned At Woodleaf: Part 1
Justin McRoberts recently shared three lessons he learned while serving as Summer Staff coordinator and camp musician at Woodleaf. I’ll post all three over the next three days. Trust me, they’re all worth reading! Real-Life Cost Benefit Analysis Mike, who is on Woodleaf Property staff, is instructing my Summer Staff about a particular element…
Read MoreFree Chick-Fil-A This Friday: Cow Appreciation Day
Grab your high school friends and head to Chick-fil-A this Friday, July 11th, for Cow Appreciation Day. If you partially dress like a cow, you get a free entree. If you dress in full cow gear, you get a free combo. Some ideas for dressing up from CowAppreciationDay.com Start With What You Already Have Cow-printed accessories stashed…
Read More‘Merica
Northwest High School guys at Crooked Creek session 1 volleyball tournament. Happy 4th of July! Do not fear. The Young Life Leader Blog is back to life after a few weeks of silence. I was having the #BestWeekOfMyLife at Crooked Creek Ranch and also on family vacation to Ocean Isle Beach. Don’t miss this upcoming week…
Read MoreThe Complete Guide To A YL’d Bus Ride
Many of us have LONG bus rides to camp this summer. Instead of just enduring the ride, let’s make it one of the highlights of the trip. Below are a ton of ideas stolen from many different YL leaders over the years. Bus Program This link has a script, music suggestions, and all you need…
Read MoreHow To Do Bus Program: A Run-on Skit For Your Ride To Camp
I’ll never forget my first time seeing “Bus Program.” A dark curtain hung from an extended shower rod across the back of the coach bus. The six seats closest to the bathroom were blocked off and something was going on back there, but I was honestly paying more attention to the ladies sitting around me. …
Read MoreIdeas For Work Crew & Summer Staff Packages
Do you have any friends doing work crew or summer staff this summer? You know they would love to get a letter or package in the mail. You can find all the camp addresses right here. Make sure to mail it in time so they get it before they leave. Below are a few things you…
Read MoreBrand New Young Life Content Club Songs By The Nashville Nine
‘The Nashville Nine’ are 9 anonymous musicians who love Young Life and wrote these songs below as a gift to the mission. The songs are incredible and we’ll be singing them this summer at Young Life camps around the country. Below is a letter from one of the artists explaining how these songs came to…
Read MoreGood Movies To Show On The Bus Ride To Camp
We leave for camp in a week and have a 64-hour round trip bus ride. Yep. You read that correctly! We’re doing club on the bus and making lots of fun stops along the way, but at some point, it’s just nice to stick in a DVD. It’s tough to find movies that are appropriate,…
Read MoreMy Favorite Summer Camp Idea: Random Bus Passenger
A few years ago we found out we were getting a new leader in our area. He was moving to our city just a few weeks before camp. Instead of letting him jump in right away, we came up with a fun way to introduce him to the kids. Another leader in our area had…
Read MoreTake Your 20’s & Be A Sponge: The Greensboro Fellows Program
Some of the best advice anyone ever gave me was this: “Take your 20’s and learn. Be a sponge. Be teachable. Be formed. You have the rest of your life to work a full-time job, pay a mortgage, start a family. Don’t rush into a career. In your 20’s, find people who will pour into…
Read MoreAs You Head To Young Life Camp, Remember…
This guest post was written by Jim Branch as an encouragement to Young Life leaders taking kids to camp this summer. Jim was on staff with YL staff for almost twenty years and now directs a ministry of spiritual nurture in Knoxville, TN. Many of you have been blessed by his devotional, simply known in…
Read More