Young Life’s first club with kids with disabilities happened 40 years ago this month! Here’s the story of how the ministry began and many of the lessons the mission learned during the early years. Nick Palermo, front row, second from right, with his friends at Capernaum club in the fall of 1986. Who Are Those…

Any golf or tennis coach teaches the importance of follow-through in your swing; what you do after the ball is struck. Follow-through determines the trajectory of the ball and whether or not it lands in the desired location. Jesus stressed the importance of good follow-through at the end of the Sermon on the Mount when…

Young Life’s founder on making the gospel matter What follows is an excerpt from Jim Rayburn speaking at the Leadership Training Institute on August 27, 1950. Here he addresses young staff from Acts 17, where Paul addresses the Athenians about their “unknown god.” I wonder why it’s such a strange idea that we should be…

It’s a question you may be asking in your own life or that of your kids. It may be a quiet burn or an alarm you can’t seem to escape. The answers often aren’t as simple as we think. When you look back on your own life, the answer often changes from what? to who?…

I grew up not knowing Jesus. But through a beautiful and life-changing series of events, I came to know Jesus and found my heart for ministry with those with disabilities in my senior year of college.  When I started working with Young Life, I didn’t know the first thing about working alongside our friends with…

What Genesis teaches about dignity and agency. Creation Story The creation story flashes out of the first few chapters of the Bible, reframing for ancient minds how the earth was formed — not out of some battle between gods, but in a way that created structure and order in our world, and gave humans agency…

The weeks leading up to Easter offer a special opportunity to slow down, reflect, and draw closer to Jesus, especially in a noisy, fast world. For Young Life leaders, staff, and families across the community, Lent isn’t just about giving something up, it’s about leaning in. It’s a season to practice spiritual disciplines, wrestle with…

Celebrating our 2025 Community Network Award Recipients Regardless of age and generation, whether Boomer, Gen X, or Gen Y, the impact of a “Quiet Yes” over decades cannot be underestimated. Young Life is a mission that’s been blessed for over eight decades by countless individuals who have said “Yes.” “Yes” to Jesus. “Yes” to kids….

It’s the age-old dichotomy — leadership from a position of authority or leadership from a position of influence? In my 40 years on Young Life staff, it always feels better, clearer, and cleaner to lead when I have the position of authority, but I’ve learned the hard way that leading with authority is far more…

As funny as it may sound today, Young Life was once a tent ministry! That’s right, some of the very first kid gatherings happened in circus-sized tents. In the early part of the 20th century, summer tent revivals were extremely popular. Young Life’s founder, Jim Rayburn, whose father was a traveling evangelist, adopted the large…

We all have that friend — the one who knows the latest music, owns the newest technology, and somehow stays up to date with everything.  Or, we did have that friend — for some of us, what’s happening with younger generations seems absolutely foreign. It leaves us with questions: These may be questions you have…

5 steps to see where God’s been and where he’s leading Remember that childhood lesson drilled into us by every caring adult in our lives? Stop. Look left. Look right. Look left again. Then cross the street. It seemed so basic then, right? A simple safety rule for navigating busy streets.  But what if this simple practice…