YoungLife

I first learned about YoungLife around 3 years ago. Jess on the other hand, has a long history with YoungLife. Up until about 1 year ago, I considered YoungLife as the enemy (I was kidding...mostly). YoungLife embodied all the crazy people who went to ridiculously awesome camps and were always out of control. YoungLife was the unknown, unstructured, and chaotic ministry that I had no room for in my life.

Today, much has changed. I have been leading YoungLife for just over a year now in Prescott, and it has been one of the best parts of my life. Jess and the rest of my family convinced me to join the "dark side" and begin leading at Prescott High School. Now, most of you don't know what a YoungLife leader is. In short, a YoungLife leader is a volunteer who is intentional about reaching into the lives of students in local schools. Our intentions include discipleship, friendship, fun, camp, and mostly just meeting students where they are in life.

At first, the newness and unconventional elements of YoungLife were hard to get used to. Unfortunately I live inside of a box, from which God is constantly pulling me out from. YoungLife is full of loud secular music, dancing, ridiculous games, food, football games, crazy camps, and late nights. These things always have seemed fun, but not what I used to put in the category of ministry. But YoungLife does not stop with the craziness. YoungLife is full of passionate Christ followers, deeper bible studies, genuine prayer, loving community, and focused discipleship.

What I am finding through being in YoungLife, are lots of students who are crying on the inside for someone to relate with. Someone to care. Someone to understand. Someone to teach them about who Jesus really is without all the religious garbage. What I have found is a life that I think Jesus has asked us all to live.

Now, it has been challenging to put aside my past views of ministry and teaching. Many people in my life would tell me that it would be unwise to surround yourself in worldly situations. What I am learning now is that worldly situations is exactly what Jesus put himself in the middle of. He came because the love of our father couldn't simply be written in law, but had to be shown through life. He lived among us. In the middle of our failures. In the midst of our mistakes. And he has shown us a better way to live. This to me is YoungLife. To reflect the life of the man who put himself in our shoes.

Thanks to everyone who has helped bring YoungLife to thousands of young people throughout the world!