The Young Life Blog
Culture is changing. The next generation is searching for friends, hope, truth — and much more. We live at this intersection, offering insight, encouragement, and practical ways to show up in the lives of students.
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…
May 11, 1931 – March 9, 2026 Maybe you’ve never heard of Jerry Kirk, but in Young Life lore he holds a special place in the hearts of countless teenagers, whether they realize it or not! In 2017, Jerry recounted the story of how a couple of work crew kids helped the mission acquire the…
August 25, 1937 – January 26, 2026 Don Reeverts was a man dedicated to the idea that people need the love of Jesus, and did everything in his power to give it to them. From Knoxville, Tennessee, to Pasadena, California, to Denver, Colorado, he sought to spread this love to everyone he encountered. A gifted…
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…
When Dr. Raquel Harrison and her husband first considered volunteering at Young Life’s Saranac Village in Upstate New York, they were simply looking for a way to serve. Her husband, a Young Life alumnus who found the ministry formative to his faith journey, was passionate about Young Life in their town. Though Raquel hadn’t grown…
Ed Purgason said “yes” and was part of God’s movement in Africa. Every movement begins the same way — with a seed buried where no one sees it. For Ed Purgason, one seed was his phone ringing in 1983: “Ed, this is Lou Mattia from The Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, Virginia. I’m calling…
Looking at the Last Supper, the cross, and the empty tomb to see what we might have missed. Easter doesn’t always get the same attention as Christmas — maybe because the Easter Bunny isn’t quite as cool as Santa, or because of how Christmas fits with other holidays, or let’s be honest: because Christmas has…