How a backyard project changed everything. In 2020, Zac West’s daughter asked him to build her a playhouse. Zac jokes that he’s “crafty enough to be dangerous,” so he pulled out his tools and got to work. When the playhouse was finished, his wife, Hannah, had another idea. “Why not build a few swings for…

Beyond the algorithm, what it really takes. It was 7:37 p.m. on a Monday. I was onstage at Young Life club, with an itchy fake mustache barely holding on to my sweaty upper lip, when I looked up to see a student staring — not at me, but at their phone. For a brief moment,…

The amazing story of how Young Life acquired the majestic Malibu Club. By 1952, the mission had a wonderful “problem”: all three Colorado camps were filled beyond capacity. Young Life’s founder, Jim Rayburn, recognized the need to have a camp in the Northwest, since so many of the kids coming to Colorado were from Washington…

Let me begin by asking you a few questions … What do we celebrate every year on December 25? Similarly, did you recognize Easter this year or do anything special to remember it?  When was the last time you received an Ascension Day card? When is Ascension Day and will you do anything special to…

Jeff Foxworthy has spent 42 years making people laugh. But ask him about his greatest professional moment, and he’ll tell you about the night he made Johnny Carson laugh.  Ask him about his most meaningful work, and he’ll tell you about the wild game dinner where everything went wrong: no microphone, no spotlight, just a comedian…

You’re comfortably in your seat, enjoying your all-you-can-eat meal that’s included in the price of admission, when the infield comes alive with a senior citizen female dance team (the Banana Nanas) and the dad-bod cheerleaders (the Man-Nanas) getting down to “Footloose” and “Dancing Queen,” while an inflatable banana mascot is cutting it up with the…

Since mid-February, Developing Global Leaders (DGL) has partnered with Drew and Ellie Holcomb in a limited concert series with a purpose far bigger than the music — to invite people into changing the world through education. We set an ambitious goal: sponsoring the education of 60 new students. Each sponsorship doesn’t just impact a single…

The Young Life’s founder’s most famous “RAYBURN-ISMS” As a communicator, Jim Rayburn spoke like no other. His impassioned pronouncements on Christ, kids, camps, and many other subjects revealed a man who longed for excellence in himself and others. Below are just a few of his gems … “That’s not just what Young Life’s all about;…

How retirement and Young Life can go hand in hand.  Is my life making a difference in retirement? It’s a question that many find themselves asking in this next chapter. We desperately want to know that we still bring value to the world around us. To some, this may sound like a challenge to solve;…

How do you trust him amid countless setbacks? The odds were not in their favor. In fact, looking back, the bar seemed impossibly high for these two people to meet Jesus and faithfully follow him, when obstacles such as these: Just one of the above burdens could break the most resolute of hearts. When taken…

An Interview with Gen Z Expert, Dr. Tanita Tualla Maddox Gen Z is asking big questions about life, purpose, and faith — and they’re not afraid to be honest about it. In her book What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God: Seven Questions About Life and Faith, Tanita Maddox explores the questions young…

Young Life women leaders on what they wish they knew when they started As we celebrate International Women’s Month, we asked women across Young Life’s global mission to reflect on their leadership journeys. More than 55 different voices responded, from regional directors in Russia to YoungLives coordinators in Africa, from Capernaum leaders to area directors…