Listen to Your Day

Paul Angone is one of the leading voices in the nation on getting generations to work better together. He is a Young Life kid and grew up around Young Life.

He is the best-selling author of the new book 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties: (and let’s be honest, your thirties too),  101 Secrets For Your Twenties and All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and a Freaking Job!, a sought-after national keynote speaker for corporations and keynote speaker for colleges and universities, and the creator of AllGroanUp.com, which has been read by millions of people in 190 countries.

Paul is also an organizational consultant, trainer, and Millennial influencer who specializes in helping companies attract, retain, develop, and harness the best strengths of the Millennial and Gen Z generations. Paul has been honored to work with amazing companies like Intel Security, Wells Fargo, and Aflac through speaking engagements and Millennial influencer branding and awareness campaigns.

Paul also has created a cutting-edge proprietary process to assist organizations in attracting, retaining, and motivating the younger workforce, called “Millennial Mapping”.

Listen to Your Day

What are you supposed to do with your life? What deserves your limited reserve of energy, attention, and time? What's making you anxious or frustrated right now? What would make you happy and fulfilled?

The world is shouting its answers to these questions, but the real answers are quieter--and right in front of you. They are in the details of your day, every day. But we usually look right past them. Or we are simply so distracted we've lost the ability to see and hear the life going on right in front of us. If we're not intentional about changing this trend, this "inattentional blindness" can rob us of years of joyful productivity. But when we learn to observe the details of our days, we discover new lenses through which to see and new practices of paying attention that add meaning to life.

Stop drifting. Stop worrying. Stop living distracted. Walk purposefully through life with a firm grasp on what's important to you and what you're working toward--all by listening to the details of your day.

THE ONE QUESTION WE NEED TO ANSWER

A QUESTION I ANSWER EVERY YEAR! 

This year marks my 33rd year on Young Life staff! The memories, laughter, challenges and transformation that I have witnessed are some of the great blessings of my life. That being said, this week I was asked a question that stumped me. A good question can do that, and this one, perhaps, we should all answer. It was simple, straightforward, and considering all that we are navigating as a mission, it was good for me to stop, pause, and then respond.

QUESTION: “KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WOULD YOU COME ON YOUNG LIFE STAFF IN 2024?” Immediately, I noted the challenges of the past few years. 

  • A Global Pandemic

  • Racial tension

  • Political unrest / fiscal uncertainty

  • # Movements

  • Climate change, floods and wildfires

  • Adolescent Bullying, Depression,Self Harm

  • Cultural shifts regarding sexuality and LGBTQ+ 

  • “Rising inflation”; “Food supply crisis” and “Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure

Then I thought about my first few years leading a YL Area. Here were the challenges then: 

  • The Gulf War begins in the Middle East

  • The World Wide Web debuted

  • H5N1 influenza pandemic threat

  • The Cold War ended / USSR dissolved

  • 1990 - 1,000,000 Cell phones / 1991 - 8,000,000

  • Adolescent Bullying, Depression, Self Harm

  • LA riots in response to the Rodney King beating

  • Hurricane Andrew in the Southeastern US

  • Bill Clinton replaced George Bush as President

It’s true, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It seems like every year is ‘unprecedented’ in the challenges they present. Then I had my answer. “YES, I WOULD COME ON YL STAFF TODAY! WHERE WOULD I RATHER BE?.” Jesus seemed to always embrace ‘messy.’ He entered tough rooms, hard conversations and complex situations armed with good questions. The Gospel message itself is disruptive and believers are charged with sharing that message while being comfortable in the mess. Listening well, and being present is at the core of our ‘calling’ and what YL leaders, staff and Committee are made for! Simply, this is when Ministers, minister! 

Frederick Buechner said it best:

“The first ministers were the twelve disciples. There is no evidence that Jesus chose them because they were brighter or nicer than other people...Their sole qualification seems to have been their intentional willingness to rise to their feet when Jesus said, “Follow me.” When Jesus sent the twelve out into the world, his instructions were simple. He told them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal (Luke (9:2), with the implication that to do either right was in effect to do both. Fortunately for the world in general and the church in particular, the ability to do them is not dependent on either moral character or I.Q. To do them in the name of Christ is to be a minister. “  -Wishful Thinking, Buechner

Maybe it is true, ‘The best Young Life is yet to be done,’ and maybe it is going to happen during this season, if we take this semester to focus, reset, simplify and preach the gospel and provide healing. Why don’t we (Staff, Volunteers, and Committee) do three things-

  1. Enter the mess that is the adolescent world with the MESSAGE of the Gospel. 

  2. Ask good QUESTIONS.

  3. Listen, then respond and watch the HEALING begin. 

Those three steps make me hopeful. The world needs a community of believers that lean toward hope right now. I am ready for 2024 and I don’t want to miss the opportunity in 2023. The question may be complex but the answer may be simple. 

 -Ken B. Tank. 


Savannah Bananas

Written by: Brian Summerall

You belong here.  

That’s the message I received loud and clear at my first Savannah Bananas baseball game my wife, Michele, and I attended not long ago. And it started with the break-dancing first base coach. 

A break-dancing first base coach? Yep. 

Throughout the game I could not take my eyes off of him.  

He had routines to everything from soundtrack to “Titanic”  

to Micheal Jackson. Michele, a dancer herself, stood in line with all of the 10 year old kids just to get a picture with him. Turns out he is classically trained in ballet. 

At the end of the evening, outside the stadium on the plaza, we circled up. And by we I mean the fans, the players, the, the ushers, concession workers, and the owner. In the middle of the circle was the dancing first base coach and a Tuba player. They lead us all in a sing-a-long of the song, “Stand By Me.” 

Old, young, black, white, hispanic, male, female, Democrat, Republican, gay, straight, Pro-Life, and Pro-Choice all linked arms, swayed and sang every word to the song at the top of their lungs. 

“If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall 

Or the mountains should crumble to the sea 

I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear  

Just as long as you stand, stand by me”  

In a world of school shootings, the war in Ukraine, racial tension, and political parties  screaming at each other, a diverse group of people linked arms for just a moment in Savannah,  Georgia and sang. 

“Whenever you’re in trouble, won’t you stand by me…”  

In that moment, we knew we all belonged. We knew we were a part of a community and a  bigger story. 

I did not want it to end.  

I couldn’t wait to go back. (and I’ve been back 3 times now!)  

I began to ask myself on the way back to the hotel, “Is that the experience kids get when they  come to Young Life or that most people get Sunday mornings at Church?”  

Do they get the message, “YOU BELONG HERE?”  

Can they say at the end of weekly Young Life club or the church service, “We knew we all  belonged. We knew we were a part of a community and a bigger story. We did not want it to  end. We can’t wait to go back.”

My good friend once told me, “Brian, I grew up in an East Texas Church. At the end of the  service we would invite people to walk the aisle while we sang the words ‘Just As I Am’… but  we didn’t mean it.” 

It was not a true message of, “You belong here.”  

Reminds me of Luke 19. 

“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down  immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him  gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a `sinner.’" 

The Pharisees probably weren’t big on the hymn, “Just As I Am.” 

I think we would all do good to remember the words of author Brennan Manning. 

“Here is revelation bright as the evening star: Jesus comes for sinners, for those as outcast as tax collectors and for those caught up in squalid choices and failed dreams. He comes for corporate executives, street people, superstars, farmers, hookers, addicts, IRS agents, AIDS victims, and even used-car salesmen. Jesus not only talks with these people but dines with them—fully aware that His table fellowship with sinners will raise the eyebrows of religious bureaucrats who hold up the robes and insignia of their authority to justify their condemnation of the truth and their rejection of the gospel of grace.”  

In other words, you belong here. 

If it’s good enough for the Bananas, then surely it’s good enough for our Young Life clubs  around the world and Sunday mornings. 

Want to learn more about the Savannah Bananas and what they can teach us all about both  our work and ministry culture? Join Brian Summerall, Director of the Tod Bush Leadership  Center, for a free, live webinar called “6 Keys to Peeling the Bananas” on November 15 at  2:00 CT. Register for the free webinar HERE. 

Better yet, would you like to experience the Savannah Bananas live and in person??? Join us for our 3-Day Savannah Banana Experience, February 22-25, in Savannah, Georgia. You’ll dive in deep to their hospitality, customer experience, and core values as we  learn the “Fans First” way of the Bananas. To learn more about this once in a lifetime experience, click HERE.


THE MORE THINGS CHANGE

Watch this OnE minute video from Eric Scofield:

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…THE MORE ADOLESCENTS STAY THE SAME!

Since the Young Life mission started in 1941,  there has been change! We’ve seen lots of change culturally, politically, globally, and theologically. Many believe that our current ‘season’ represents more change than ever! Hand-written notes have been taken over by texting and social media platforms have replaced in-person relationships creating an artificial closeness while fostering distance. Young Life staff and leaders are cultural observers and pride themselves on being informed about these shifts and prepared to address them.

I’ve been leading Bible Studies and Campaigner groups with our Young Life kids for over 30 years and have seen so many things that change. Recently I have been encouraged, though, by what has stayed the same! 

In the midst of constant pivots and adjustments, let’s take a look at how adolescents and the Young Life ministry have stayed the same.

Over the last three decades, I have been leading various breakfast Bible studies for high school boys. We all come from different schools, zip codes, and generations. Pancakes, syrup, bacon, laughter and a simple thought about the person of Jesus Christ are on the menu each week. I relish the early morning conversations in the middle of the week because they make me hopeful. 

While surrounded by constant change, there are a few things that I can count on in the world of teenagers: They are funny, curious, thoughtful and have questions about life, God and what life with God could look like. 

Here are FOUR observations that I have regarding Young Life and adolescents from my perspective across the breakfast table.

PRESENCE

Every year I wonder, will kids show up? Moreso, I am reminded that WE should show up too! Time is the currency of today and good Young Life work costs a lot of time. 

Last week I showed up for a three-set tennis match. As I walked up, there was a ‘double take’ from the student I came to visit as he yelled “Thanks for coming!” Young Life leaders show up; it’s what we have always done and it is a constant in determining the health of the local YL Club. Presence speaks loudly!

RELATIONSHIPS

The favorite word in an adolescent’s vocabulary is their own name! Knowing kids, their interests, the cars they drive, the sports they play and all aspects of their life lead to a conversation. When those interactions find a home in a lifelong relationship it is a beautiful part of God’s design “We loved you so much we not only shared the Gospel but our very LIVES.” (1 Thess. 2:8). It is encouraging to me that we are built for relationships, community, and being known. 

ACCEPTANCE

Kids today need to be heard, seen, and accepted. This year, I am watching 11th graders navigate life. It is different than it was a few years ago when they were in junior high. As I have grown older, I have been reminded of a simple truth: the need to belong. They are going to make mistakes, have break-ups, not make the team, have fender-benders, and struggle with grades. Being the person that shows love, acceptance, and grace highlights a quality of the person of Jesus that is compelling and sorely needed today. 

JESUS

The focus on the person of Jesus is foundational to the mission of Young Life. It is both a guiding principle and a core value. Even a student who may be minimally involved with their local faith community can’t help but be drawn to the person of Jesus. The things He said, and the things He did paint a picture of God that is….different. We remind ourselves constantly that sharing Jesus isn’t just part of what we do… it is all we do. The ability to talk about Jesus with ease may be the most attractive quality of the Young Life ministry. 

Change is transformation, and changing (transforming) lives is the goal of the Young Life mission. What teenagers around the globe desire today is exactly what the Young Life ministry has been known for over the years. 

Here’s to staying the course and focusing on the list above. Now, more than ever! 

-Eric Scofield, Principal Gifts Officer, Young Life 


THE GOSPEL CHANGES US

Perhaps, like many, you were moved to hear that Tim Keller passed from this life. Many didn't know until recently that Kathy Keller was a Young Life kid, Tim & Kathy were committee people who planted Young Life in Hopewell, VA, and that Young Life shaped the ministry approach for Redeemer Church in NYC. Wow! Listen to Kathy's testimony from our All-Staff Conference in 2012. We’ve also included the links to the two messages Tim gave the mission back then.

(Thank you to Mike T from Virginia Beach for sharing this content!)

Alaska 2024 Trip

Join us!

Experience the beauty of Alaska, while learning about local ministry there as well! Get a unique Young Life experience in the middle of Alaska’s iconic beauty.

What?

Saltwater salmon fishing in Alaska. 22 Spots available!

When?

August 1-5 2024, *may require flying in and out day before and day after

Where?

Fly in and out of Sitka, AK. Lodging Accommodations: https://www.talonlodge.com


Price: approximately $5600, does not include flights


Interested? Or want more details? Talk to Brigit Mustaine (bamustaine@gmail.com)

Message & A Bottle Gathering

 WHO:

You & some other fun people!
Hosted by Ken and Shannon Tankersley

WHAT:

This year we will benefit from special guests who have been tied to the larger Young Life community and are doing incredible work in their field of expertise.  Get ready to hear from some ‘Artists’ who are part of the larger YL Community! During our evening you will hear from...

-An Award Winning Filmmaker

-A Musician/Author

-A Watercolor Artist

...and more!  More details to come!

WHAT CAN I BRING?

 Please bring a bottle of your favorite wine/spirit/beverage to share.

WHEN/WHERE:

Thursday, September 28th, 5:00pm-9:00ish
The Downing House  -  3680 S. Downing St, Englewood, CO 80113

Chuck Reinhold - A Life Worth Living

 CORE PRINCIPLES- Chuck Reinhold

A LIFE WORTH LIVING 

THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST-  Chuck Reinhold. 


About the Author

Chuck Reinhold

January 7, 1939 – January 11, 2023

By Jeff Chesemore

When pushed by the inevitable challenges a life in ministry would present, Chuck Reinhold would thankfully proclaim, “But that pressed me against the Lord!” Chuck is now present with his dear Savior, the One he began every morning with since he was a teenager. Chuck’s daily discipline of reading and memorizing scripture (for nearly 70 years!) helped equip him as one of Young Life’s foremost pioneers. Chuck was by nature a “starter,” whether beginning new clubs, areas, training methods, or the work in a foreign country.

As was true with any accomplishment, Chuck, armed with a twinkle in his eyes and self-deprecating wit, would quickly deflect the praise to his Savior and say how thankful he was to have been used by Him.

Reflecting on his own teenage years, Chuck often said, “I’m glad Young Life didn’t stop before they came to my high school!” This is the quote the larger mission of Young Life associates with Chuck, but there were so many more. Consider this remembrance from Senior Regional Director of the Greater Northeast, Rick Rogan:

“In September of 2016, I sat in a meeting with a dozen other Young Life staff. About a handful of us are on staff and still on staff because of Chuck. Each day over our time together, someone in that room quoted what they learned from Chuck over twenty-five years ago. ‘There is nothing more important than your personal walk with Jesus Christ.’ ‘There are no shortcuts to spiritual leadership.’ ‘The Muslims don’t even think their bible is the Word of God and they memorized it, what about you?’ ‘People are more important than programs.’”

Chuck met the Lord on a Young Life weekend in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania in 1956. After college, Chuck chose missions work in the wild African jungles over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who informed Chuck of their interest if he declared for the draft.

“In Ethiopia, I prayed every day, ‘Lord, what’s the most important thing I could do for you?’ The Lord spoke loud and clear to me that high schools were lost tribes and Young Life was a mission to them. I’m absolutely positive God took me to Ethiopia to help me see the lost tribe of teenagers, a tribe that has few missionaries.”

Chuck returned to the states and began his career with Young Life in 1962. His first assignment was in Baltimore, where he met his eventual wife (and ministry companion) of 55 years, Linda. Three years later he moved to Rochester, New York, where he began the work there, and then back to Prince Georges County Maryland in 1969 to start the work there as well as a brand new training program for incoming staff. He lovingly called the program “a graduate school for Christ'' and set the bar high. The principles born out of this time left an indelible mark on the hundreds of staff who have sat under Chuck’s teaching.

By the age of 59, Chuck had spent 30 years on staff (another seven were spent serving at National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C.). Feeling he owed the country of Ethiopia a debt of gratitude for all he received in his year after college, he and Linda moved across the Atlantic in 1998 to start Young Life there.

In the end, the couple stayed for more than seven years, and since returning to the states in 2005, the work in Ethiopia (and so much of the continent) has indeed flourished.

Young Life’s Old Dominion Regional Director, Joe Marks, shared this telling story:

“At Young Life’s Global Leadership Conference, I was in a room with several African staff. I was talking with one of them and found out he was from Ethiopia. I told him my Young Life leader was Chuck Reinhold and that he had helped start Young Life in Ethiopia. The man next to him, who was not from Ethiopia, held up his hands dramatically and said, ‘Oh no, Chuck Reinhold is the father of Young Life in all of Africa!’”

In 2019 Chuck’s family and friends helped him “tell” his story in the book, A Life Worth Living. The work addresses Chuck’s life of adventures and the many life and leadership principles (below) he shared with kids and leaders all over the world. The title came from another of his favorite sayings: ‘In Christ we all have a life worth living!’”

Chuck followed Linda into glory one month to the day after her passing, Dec. 11, 2022.



A LIFE WORTH LIVING  

10 CORE PRINCIPLES- Chuck Reinhold


  • THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST- 

    • JOHN 15: 5     5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

  • OBEDIENCE AND LIVING OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE IS THE ‘KEY’ TO EXPERIENCING CHRIST-

    • JOHN 14:  21 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

  • I BECOME WHAT I THINK ABOUT.  WHAT AM I THINKING ABOUT? 

    • ROMANS 12:  2 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

  • I COMMUNICATE IN OVER 750 WAYS OTHER THAN VERBAL.  WHAT AM I SAYING? 

    • 1 JOHN 3: 18 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

  • I LIVE FOR CHRIST WHEN NO ONE IS AROUND 

    • COL 3: 23-24 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

  • NOTHING ETERNAL IS ACCOMPLISHED EXCEPT THROUGH PRAYER

    • MATT. 6:6 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

  • MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD AND LISTENING WITH OBEDIENCE IS THE “KEY” TO SUCCESS

    • JOSHUA 1:8 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

  • HUMILITY AND SERVING OTHERS IS THE “KEY” TO GREATNESS.

    • MARK 10: 33-35 33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

  • CONSISTENT, MEANINGFUL FELLOWSHIP IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE FOR GROWTH IN CHRIST 

    • HEB 10:24-25 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

  • AM I DOING THINGS THAT I WOULD NEVER DO WITHOUT CHRIST-OR DO I RELY ON MYSELF? 

    • PHIL 4:13 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Summer 2023 Devotional

MISSION-WIDE SUMMER DEVO 2023

Jesus The Suffering Servant

All Work Crew, Summer Staff, and Assigned Team receive a copy of this mission-wide devo when they arrive at camp. This summer's devo looks at the life of Jesus, the suffering servant, as portrayed in Mark's gospel. Each day includes a gospel reading plus engagement, discussion, and reflection.

Anyone can join in and study alongside our camp staff!


Windrider & Young Life

Young Life staff have participated in the Windrider Institute's programs for many years now. They hold programs for organizations like ours to engage with the intersection of faith and culture.

The Best Chef in the World

The French Laundry, run by legendary chef Thomas Keller, has often been recognized as the best restaurant in the world, but few know the story of its original founder, Sally Schmitt. In an emotional final interview before her passing in March 2022, Sally tells her own story as a pioneering chef of California cuisine and sets the table for another way to look at life: where balance, rather than recognition, is the ultimate prize.

View the film on Windrider’s site and check out their Exploration Guide and discuss the film with those in your own community:

This film from our friends at Knights of Columbus left a powerful impression on us. Mother Teresa carried out many of the values near to the heart of our generation as she sacrificially cared for "the least of these" in tangible ways — the fact that her work continues now worldwide is both encouraging and inspiring.

Mother Teresa embodied the hands and feet of the gospel through her radical love, and we as the next generation are called to love this way today. In our families, workplaces, church homes, and wherever we find ourselves, we can all be a part of loving and serving our communities.

We hope that you are inspired by this film as much as we were.

Be sure to check out a short personal reflection from our Director of Programming, Ryann Heim, on Windrider Studios.

As society's belief systems are seemingly changing, or even reverting in time, one Ohio artist is challenging his community by saying, "bring me your mistakes". Inspired by recent events, Billy Joe White and his Red Rose Tattoo Studio are promoting one simple concept…ERASE THE HATE. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hate and racism in the western foothills of this Appalachian region that reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.

Kintsugi is a 16th century process of mending broken shards of pottery. Visual artist Mako Fujimura and Kintsugi Master Kunio Nakamura, invite us to imagine how this ancient artform might help us find healing in the midst of trauma and come to a deeper understanding of the redemptive character of the Gospel.

Watch & Discuss:

  1. Why can it be hard to see the beauty from broken things?

  2. Where have you seen an example of beauty from brokenness in your life or the lives around you?

  3. How do you think culture and the church would look different if we didn’t immediately discard things and people that are broken, but were willing to “behold the fragments?”

Five friends recount what life was like in Brooklyn in the nineteen-seventies—from the games they played in the street to the criminal elements they tried to avoid—in this short film by Cristina Costantini and Alfie Koetter.

Watch & Discuss:

1. Describe the neighborhood you grew up in. What did you love? What did you miss? What do you find yourself taking with you wherever you are now?

2. How have things changed in the neighborhood that you live in now for better/worse?

3. How do you come to know the people in the neighborhood you live in now? What did you do?

4. If you could, what would you change about ‘communities’ today?