Posts by Young Life Leader
I Am Yours: A New Young Life Content Club Song
Listen/watch the video of ‘I Am Yours’ on YouTube. In our local YL club, we often have a hard time finding ‘content songs’ that fit well with talks we’re giving during the semester. Typically we have to choose between a secular radio song that alludes to the topic or a straight up worship song. There…
Read MoreI Am Yours Lyrics
Here are the lyrics to the new club song I posted earlier. You can download it here. I Am Yours When the world around me’s crashing down, would you remind me you are strong? When I feel alone and have nowhere to turn would you remind me I belong? When I don’t know who I…
Read MoreHow To Fix Your High School Friends
My high school friends often …ask me questions I can’t fully answer. …bring me problems I can’t possibly solve. …reveal pain I can never heal. ‘How can a loving God torture people in eternal hell?’ ‘Where should I spend holidays after I go to college? At my mom’s house or my dad’s?’ ‘How do…
Read MoreWhile We’re Away…Read Denny’s Summer Blog
The Young Life Leader Blog is taking the weekend off. I’m taking some recently graduated high school friends to Work Week at Carolina Point, one of YL’s newest properties. It’s on the border of NC/SC and opens next week with Campaigner Camp. You can read more about Carolina Point on Denny’s summer blog. And all…
Read MoreIf You’re A YL T-Shirt Fanatic…
If you love Young Life t-shirts as much as I do, you’re willing to make one for any and every occasion. Part of the problem, though, is that it can be a lot of hassle! Collecting money from everyone, handing out shirts, ending up with way more unclaimed extras than you know what to do…
Read MoreTips On Saying Goodbye: Make Friends LIKE You’re Going To Know Them The Rest Of Your Life
Originally posted June 2012. Odds are some of your Young Life team members are entering a season of transition. Maybe they’re moving. 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 expensive. Abandonment…
Read MoreTime Capsule: How One YL Leader Spoke Into The Future
A guest post from Jesse Papirio, YL staffer in Clarence, NY. The freshman class at Clarence high school, where I’m a YL leader, buries time capsules every June. This long standing tradition is carried out by each freshman English class at the end of their first year of high school. Students include keepsakes, mementos, pictures,…
Read MoreThe Complete Guide To A YL’d Bus Ride
Some of us have LONG bus rides to summer camp. Instead of just enduring the ride, why not make it one of the highlights of the trip? If you haven’t read the 4-part blog series from last summer, “A Better Bus Ride To Camp,” you can find it at these links below: A Better Bus…
Read MoreWhat You Might Have Missed In May
For those of you who are new to this online community of Young Life leaders, welcome! My name is Drew Hill and I’m a YL leader in Greensboro, NC. (About Me) YoungLifeLeaders.org was created to be a place for sharing ideas, encouragement and resources. Currently thousands of Young Life leaders around the globe interact here on a weekly…
Read MoreMore Pics From #YLWorkWeek
Now that Memorial Day is behind us, many Young Life summer camps have already begun…and thousands of campers will never know who it was that spread that mulch and scraped the gum that was previously underneath their table. Thanks to everyone who made #YLWorkWeeks a HUGE success! If you didn’t get a chance to help…
Read MoreNew Mashup For Summer Camp 2013
If you’re doing music at a Young Life camp this summer, check out this NEW MASHUP from Cameron King at WVU. He put it together for the first ever YL College Week at Rockbridge last week. Word is that it got dat crowd a rockin’. It’s a mashup of the following songs: I Gotta Feelin’ Don’t…
Read MoreIf A YL Leader Were To Give The Graduation Commencement Speech
I’d love to give the graduation commencement speech for the high school where I lead Young Life. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s on my bucket list. When preparing, I’d take some pointers from Rhett & Link’s Pokemon Pinata decapitation, but it might be even more helpful to listen to the commencement address King Solomon would’ve given. …
Read MoreA New Book For Dads, Written By Young Life Staff
Looking for a Father’s Day gift? Alan Smyth & Kristy Fox, Young Life Regional Directors in California, have recently published a new book for dads of daughters. You can order it here and read more from Alan below. You can also win one of three copies, instructions at the bottom of this post. Friends, We’ve…
Read MoreThe Campies: An End Of Year Campaigners Tradition
This hilarious & meaningful Campaigners tradition is shared by Tom O’Neill, a volunteer leader of 8 years in Sammamish, WA. The Campies With “The Office” sadly coming to an end last week, I was reminded of a Campaigners tradition I started a few years back, after being inspired by Michael Scott’s shenanigans. I was watching an episode…
Read MoreGoose Eggs
Originally posted May 2011. I received this email from my friend Charlie who leads at another school in our area. He has three kids, works full time, and has been volunteering at the same high school for 11 years. May you be blessed by his honesty. Friends, Monday night we had Senior Club. Zero, that’s…
Read MoreA Letter From A Young Life Leader To Graduating High School Seniors
This letter was written by Virginia Gustafson, a leader in Raleigh, NC. She gave it to her high school friends that are graduating this year. You can find more of her writing here. Dear Sweet and Beautiful Friend, You have no idea what a gift it is to be your friend, what a…
Read More#YLWorkWeek
Young Life properties around the country are currently being beautified by thousands of volunteers. As you share photos, tag your pics with #YLWorkWeek and we’ll repost some of the best shots here on YoungLifeLeaders.org. Ideas 4 Pics Before and After pics of projects you’re working on. New features at the property: new hammock parks, new…
Read MoreThank People Well: Notes We Need To Write
As the school year ends there are tons of folks we as Young Life leaders need to thank. My YL Area Director in college drilled three things into our skulls: 1. Pray First. 2. Thank People Well. 3. Always have good breath when doing contact work. Who Do You Need To Thank? Administration The principal…
Read MoreLet Prayer Be the Work
This guest post is written by Ashley Coomes. Ashley is on Young Life Staff in Greenville, SC. She is a leader at Eastside High school, and she trains volunteer leaders from Furman University, Greenville Tech, and North Greenville University. “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work…
Read MoreAn Insta Confession: Why I Check My ‘Likes’
Okay, I do it. I feel silly admitting it, but.. my guess is you do it as well. I often check my ‘likes.’ When I post on Instagram, if it hits a magic number of ‘likes,’ I feel accepted and loved. If it doesn’t, I feel rejection. It’s stooopid, but sadly true of our social…
Read More10 Questions To Ask Graduating Seniors
I recently read this post by Chuck Bomar, and thought it was worth passing along. I’ve edited his questions to fit specifically with Young Life. Chuck writes, “Companies and organizations often do “exit interviews” and they do so for many different reasons. But the biggest one is that they get really honest answers. They do…
Read MoreA Rite Of Passage For Graduating Seniors
Originally posted May 2011 Fairly soon the seniors in your Young Life club will be graduating. What’s the best way to honor and celebrate them? Some male leaders in our area have a tradition of holding a “Blessing Service” for the graduating senior guys. They got this idea from a book called The Blessing by John Trent and…
Read MoreThe Newest Young Life Sport: Combat Juggling
Move over Spikeball. Say hello to the newest YL sport. Combat Juggling. Looks like I’m going to be stopping by the local bowling alley to see if they have some spare pins. I might borrow some helmets from the football team in the off-season as well. Safety first. Check this out.
Read MoreHEY! How To Have A ‘Happy, Happy, Happy’ Duck Dynasty Club
These ideas are shared by Alli Childers, a Young Life leader in Huntington, WV. She is a student at Marshall University and one of the WINNERS of our recent Spikeball Contest. “Hey Jack!” Here are some ideas for a Duck Dynasty theme club sure to make you “happy, happy, happy.” Announce it the week before…
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