Recommended for you

Start writing a post

Lifestyle

You Hate YoungLife

No seriously, you do.

Alyssa Lipsey

Sep 17, 2019

78030

Personal Photo

Let's face it, you've heard of YoungLife before, and you've definitely heard about YoungLife if you live in the South. You hate it. You've seen every teenage girl post that same caption, "Come join us at YoungLife club at 7:27". You've seen the videos they post at club, and you're just a bit confused as to what actually happens at a YoungLife club. It seems like they go to socialize with friends rather than learn about Jesus, as they claim. The people who go to YoungLife club every Monday night are the same people who party on the weekends. You and your friends call it a "cult", and would never step foot in there because it's YoungLife - who needs that.

You hate YoungLife because kids who don't go to Church on Sunday go to YoungLife.

Read that again. That's the real reason. YoungLife is full of the kids who party on the weekend and cussed out their teacher the day before. It's full of the kids who have never stepped foot in Church, much less heard the Bible story of Adam and Eve. It's full of the people you talk bad about behind their backs because WE ALL KNOW what they did with who a week ago, I mean why do they go to YoungLife? Crazy Right?

NO. NOT CRAZY AT ALL.

Jesus loved these people so hard, he reached out to the people that we shun. Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Christ wants us to love the people who find their value in worldly things. He wants us to love the girl who is struggling with her alcohol addiction and the boy who looks at porn every night, but nobody knows. These are the people I want to love on as well, not just your every Sunday church-attendee.

For a while, I too, hated YoungLife. I hated the reputation it got. I hated inviting my Christian friends to club and having them criticize me because I was hanging out with the party-goers every Monday night. I hated hearing them tell me that I was going to have social-hour with friends and that I wasn't there for the message at the end. I hated feeling like I was doing something wrong when I went to YoungLife club. I hated the smart comments I always received when people found out I was a "YoungLife girl". I hated that my Church friends threw me under the bus for hanging out with the people that Jesus told us to love. I didn't understand how they felt like criticizing people for attending YoungLife and hearing a message about Jesus (that they would otherwise never hear because these people would NEVER step foot into a Church) was OK.

I learned to block it out. I acted like it didn't bother me at all and I laughed it off. Sometimes, I even cracked jokes about YoungLife myself because that's what they wanted to hear.

But, here I am, pouring out my heart to you on a Monday night after the first YoungLife club of my senior year, and I'm deciding to take a stand.

I'm Alyssa, and this is why I love YoungLife.

I remember my sophomore year I was sitting in the student section of my High School and it was halftime. I was talking with my friends and I saw this older man in the student section, I mean I knew he had to be at least 25 and no longer in High School. I didn't think anything else of it, until a few minutes later when he came up and talked to me. He told me that his name was BJ Riley and that he was the YoungLife leader for my High School. Now, I had heard about YoungLife, but I didn't know much about it at all, and I definitely thought it was creepy that an older guy I didn't even know was inviting me to come to some YoungLife Club. From then on, I saw BJ at everything and every time I saw him, he invited me to YoungLife.

It took a lot of convincing on BJ's part, I mean A LOT. It took a couple of consecutive months of him asking before I ever attended my first YoungLife club, but little did I know that YoungLife would change my life forever.

I attended my first YoungLife club at a very dark time in my life. My dad had been diagnosed with cancer just a few months before, I was transitioning into the main campus of my High School and trying to deal with drama in my friend group, and I was having a difficult time growing in my Church. I felt alone and I was searching for something, anything. So, I walked into Kickin' Kids for my first ever club.

Sure enough, BJ was the first one to meet me at the door, with a big smile, hug, and a look that said, "I knew you'd come." I can still remember the game they played that night, they tricked people into thinking they were stepping on goldfish, but it was just orange slices. I remember seeing the people I go to school with get lost in the moment and forget what was going on in the world, at school, and at home. I remember the happiness and joy I felt. I remember the leaders coming up to me and telling me to come back next week and asking for my number.

So, I kept going.

One leader in particular who really stuck out to me was Grace Hollingsworth. I remember the first time I saw her, I thought "Wow, she's crazy." Then I got to know Grace, and I learned to love her craziness. She showed me love from day one like nobody ever has. She invested in me and made it her mission to get me to keep coming back every week. She checked up on me and asked me how I was doing daily. She made me feel wanted and accepted. She made me feel like I wasn't alone.

So, yes, I LOVE YoungLife. No seriously - I really do.

YoungLife came into my life at a time when I needed it most. It allowed me to escape reality and it kickstarted my faith. Without it, I don't know if I'd be as far along in my faith as I am today. Now, that crazy YoungLife leader Grace is genuinely one of my best friends. We've done Bible studies together, we've laughed together, and we've cried together many times. I text her daily and love getting advice from her. I would do anything for my YoungLife leader, but I could never repay her for the impact that she has had on my life.

Yes, I go to YoungLife at 7:27 every Monday night. I mingle with the kids you shame because I was one of those kids. I was hurting and lost and I found YoungLife. Or I guess you could say it found me.

It's honestly one of my favorite things to see the kids who party on the weekend walk into club because in my eyes, they are learning about Jesus (even if they don't know it sometimes)...what could be better. Maybe they did come just to hangout with their friends, but who are you to judge them for that. It's a process, but it's God's process. You do the loving, let him do the hard stuff. Another one of my favorite things is seeing the kids who talk bad about YoungLife walk through the club doors because usually, they end up loving it. I've watched people I went to High School with call it a "cult" every day, never attend a single club, but become a YoungLife leader in college. Like I said, you do the loving, let God do the work.

See you Monday at 7:27.

39 Traits You Know You Have If You're A Libra

You are fun, but firm.

Stillwater, OK

628

39 Traits You Know You Have If You're A Libra

Flickr

If you were born between September 23rd - October 22nd, then you are a Libra. Let's be real, Libras are the best because you are the perfect balance of all things in life. Some may find this boring, but they don't know anything about what it means to be all things at once. As Libras, we hold much on our shoulders that no one can understand. These are traits you know to be true if you are a Libra:

Keep Reading...Show less

libra

Entertainment

12 Types Of Drunk Girls You'll See In Every Friend Group

"Getting drunk with your best friends is an experience in and of itself. It takes us on wild and ridiculous adventures with the people we trust with our lives."

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

432

Cloud Front

Getting drunk with your best friends is an experience in and of itself. It takes us on wild and ridiculous adventures with the people we trust with our lives. Each one of you plays a vital role in making sure the night goes (relatively) smoothly.

Keep Reading...Show less

drinking

Entertainment

20 Times When The Kardashians Summed Up Your Finals Week

It's so rude that we have finals.

University of Iowa

120

Cosmopolitan.com

Finals week is so rude! So, there's no one better to explain it than the Kardashians themselves!

1. When you look at your finals schedule and become immediately overwhelmed:

2. When your professor says that the final is only going to be short answer questions:

3. When you text your parents to tell them that you're going to have a mental breakdown and drop out of college and they're just like:

I'M Sorry You'Re Overwhelmed GIFfrom Keeping Up With The Kardashians GIFs

4. When you're trying to study with friends, but then you realize that you haven't gotten anything done:

Khloe Khloekardashian GIFfrom Khloe GIFs

5. Then you just end up going on your phone.

6. When you're two weeks away from finals and your professor tells you that you should probably start studying now:

7. When you sit down to take your final and the first question hits you like:

8. When you start the practice problems and you're just like:

9. When you're in your final and find a question that you actually know the answer to:

10. When that one annoying kid in your class says that the final was super easy and they aced it:

Hit You In The Throat Serious GIFfrom Hit You In The Throat GIFs

11. When you come back from your 7:30 a.m. final and crash:

12. When your professor tries to teach you new material a week before the final:

13. When you decide to eat away the pain that is finals week by ordering massive amounts of food:

14. Filling out course evaluations for that one difficult professor like:

15. When it's right before your first final and you're just like:

16. When your professor tells that you the final is cumulative:

17. When the kid next to you keeps looking over at your test:

18. Looking back on the outfits that you wore during finals week like:

Kimk Tears GIFfrom Kimk GIFs

19. When it's been two hours and you've only gotten through five notecards:

20. When you finally make it to the end of the week:

kardashians

Lifestyle

10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant

There's always chaos in the restaurant business.

University of Akron

1396

Brisanis

Working in the restaurant industry is possibly the most fundamentally challenging occupation I have ever experienced when it comes to hospitality and customer service. When you go to a five-star restaurant you expect the time of your life, a two hour getaway, a walk through another time period (rustic Italy, France, Spain, etc), or simply a honeymoon undergo. What you don't see are the behind the scenes scut work: carrying trays, polishing glassware and silverware, kitchen chaos, the list is endless. Now, I'm not saying being a host, server, or bartender is the worst thing in the whole wide world, there are definitely worse things. But the fact of the matter is that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows. In the two years that I have spent in restaurant and customer service, I have spoken my share of expletives, yelled at kitchen staff, and dealt with not-so-happy guests. It isn't easy to keep a bright and shiny smile on your face when all you want to do is choke every person who walks near you. Anyone who has spent even two weeks working in a restaurant understands the rigor and stress that comes with it. Restaurant culture is a tiny world in and of itself that operates on its own principles and creates its own society. It even has its own language. The sayings "runner", "corner", and "on a bus" wouldn't make sense to anyone otherwise. My mother and I both work in a restaurant and the best advice I can give someone going out to eat is to treat us like people. Yes...believe it or not we are people, people. Say "please" and "thank you", or stack your cleared plates before a busser gets to the table. Trust me, the gesture goes a lot farther than you may think.

So, if you work in a restaurant, you can relate with the following points. If not, check out how the brain of a restaurant service (or any customer service) worker actually works. See if you can identify any crazy weird habits your friends have a tendency to partake in.

Keep Reading...Show less

restaurant life

Recommended for you

You Hate YoungLife

No seriously, you do.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

You are fun, but firm.

"Getting drunk with your best friends is an experience in and of itself. It takes us on wild and ridiculous adventures with the people we trust with our lives."

The Mother Hen

The Instigator

The One Who Always Texts Her Ex

The Shakira

The Philosopher

The Reluctant Homebody

The MMA Fighter

The "I'm Not Even Drunk!" Girl

The Joey Tribbiani

The Horny Toad

The Aspiring Rapper

It's so rude that we have finals.

1. When you look at your finals schedule and become immediately overwhelmed:

2. When your professor says that the final is only going to be short answer questions:

3. When you text your parents to tell them that you're going to have a mental breakdown and drop out of college and they're just like:

4. When you're trying to study with friends, but then you realize that you haven't gotten anything done:

5. Then you just end up going on your phone.

6. When you're two weeks away from finals and your professor tells you that you should probably start studying now:

7. When you sit down to take your final and the first question hits you like:

8. When you start the practice problems and you're just like:

9. When you're in your final and find a question that you actually know the answer to:

10. When that one annoying kid in your class says that the final was super easy and they aced it:

11. When you come back from your 7:30 a.m. final and crash:

12. When your professor tries to teach you new material a week before the final:

13. When you decide to eat away the pain that is finals week by ordering massive amounts of food:

14. Filling out course evaluations for that one difficult professor like:

15. When it's right before your first final and you're just like:

16. When your professor tells that you the final is cumulative:

17. When the kid next to you keeps looking over at your test:

18. Looking back on the outfits that you wore during finals week like:

19. When it's been two hours and you've only gotten through five notecards:

20. When you finally make it to the end of the week:

There's always chaos in the restaurant business.

Anytime you turn a corner the words "corner!" without you even realizing.

People are amazed at how professional you are when speaking to strangers, or on the phone

When we say "table 17 is on a bus", table 17 isn't LITERALLY on a bus.

You understand the frustration of the functions of another existing restaurant when going out to eat.

When you repeat the same spiel 40 times you start to sound like a lifeless robot.

The rush of prime dinner service. The chaos is riveting.

You have "that guy" at a table that makes you want to pull your hair out.

Getting stiffed an entire tip is worse than dealing with a difficult human being.

When you're sitting in a restaurant you don't dare interrupt your servers table presentation.

At the end of the night, you take the first opportunity you get to take a seat.

Not everything you learn in college can be found in a textbook.

Your self control and motivation directly correlate to how close the end of the semester is.

Group projects seem to be something created by the devil himself.

Remember when you were young and you knew everything there was to know? Wrong: you knew nothing.

If there is free food offered - go!

Never believe a professor when they tell you "Don't worry, this won't be on the test."

If you want a relationship with someone, it will take effort.

Check your email before you trudge all the way to class to find out it is cancelled.

You do not need a ton of friends, just a couple of really good ones.

Take the time to do what you love.

Every Saturday you will avoid doing homework like it is the plague. When Sunday rolls around you will complain that you have way too much stuff to do and not enough time to do it.

Your college experience is what you make of it.

Trending Topics

Top Creators

Trending Stories

Best of Lifestyle

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments

Subscribe to our
Newsletter