Welcome...Back

* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
​ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND VIDEOS MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

Welcome to The Youth Worker Daily!

I started The Youth Worker Daily in 2019. It was my hope to bring youth workers daily tools, tips, resources and helps so that you, as a youth worker, might thrive in your ministry. Through a mix of blog posts and video-based tips, I wanted to encourage youth workers with simple but practical helps that might aid in their work.

So far I've created almost 100 videos and countless blog posts that date back to 2015 when I was writing under my personal domain name of www.JayHigham.com. Along the way I wrote articles for Youth Specialties, Youth Ministry 360 (YM360), Group, and Called to Youth Ministry. For a little while, I oversaw the blog management at Controlled Chaos, a blog and podcast for Middle School Ministry. Then in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I launched a podcast called, Conversations with Every Day Youth Workers, a podcast that invited youth workers to share their story of youth ministry. During that time, most of the conversations were about how we were surviving ministry while in a historic season of shut downs and stay-at-home orders.

Then 2021 came. Promises of a covid vaccine and hopes of returning to "normal" brought little rays of excitement and anticipation. It was also an opportunity to get back to doing student ministry. It was still touch and go at first, but slowly, we managed to eek out a series of student gatherings; first as small groups, then finally in large group gatherings. During this time, I set aside my extracurricular activities of blogging, vlogging and podcasting to focus on the work at hand; rebuilding our student ministry, our kids ministry, and our college ministry.

And while 2021 came with its fair share of ups and downs, I saw God at work in the lives of my students, my leaders, and the families I serve. Ministry, though it looked a little different, was coming back. Families were coming back. Students were coming back. Life and ministry seemed to be moving in a good direction.

Then the fall came. We were giving the green light to do student ministry, so we jumped into our first semester with both feet. And it was good! Really good! September, October, November, and December brought weekly gatherings, activities, a fall retreat and an amazing Christmas Yule Ball Semi-formal. God showed up and did something amazing. Oh, there were still some difficulties. We had to postpone some things due to Covid, and numbers sometimes fluctuated depending on who was under quarantine. It certainly wasn't perfect, but we trusted God to show up and he did.

In 2022 came and I was ready to launch our second semester of student ministry. God was been super active in our ministry and with our students. While the season of Covid shutdowns and virtual everything was difficult, it brought about the opportunity for us to take a good look at what we were doing in the way of ministry. It was a time to refocus, reinvent, and reenergize. I was reminded of the importance of relationships over programs, personal connections over blast texts and bulk emails, and the power of a conversation versus great social media posts. We learned a lot. I've learned a lot. 

2022 was supposed to be an exciting year. Covid aside, I believe we were poised to see God do something amazing. I was getting ready to dive back into The Youth Worker Daily, and with it, more tools, tips, resources and help so you thrive in your ministry! New content, weekly ministry recaps, games and resources, and a look inside what we as a student ministry are doing with our leaders and our students.

I was also looking forward to bringing the podcast back. I love talking with youth workers; listening as they share their stories and what God is doing with their students and within their ministries! Along with these conversations there will also be more interviews and sharing of what's happening within the realm of student ministry. It's was going to be great!

But in shortly after starting the year, my wife and I were rocked by the diagnosis of breast cancer. This news reshaped all of 2022. We also faced the deaths of both of our fathers, only weeks a part. By the end of the year, we found ourselves in desperate need of a break. We decided to step away from ministry for a bit. We needed to put our attention on our own health as we worked through all we had experienced in 2022. 

2023 was a year of pursuing new opportunities as we navigated our way through the griefing and healing process. Thanks to the support of family and friends, we made through the year and started 2024 with a renewed hope. We started asking God, "What's Next?" Little did we know that God's 'Next' was still a year away. We committed to prayer, trusting that God had a plan for us. We just needed to wait to see what that plan would be.

God is faithful. At the start of 2025, we moved from our West Virginia home to a lakeside community in Ohio. God had opened the doors to a new ministry role working with students. He also provided an opportunity to work with youth leaders through the National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM). I'll talk more about that later. Now here we are, about 5 month in, and man, it's been amazing.

All this is to say, it's time. We are back in full-time student ministry. I am working more closely with youth worker than I ever have. I feel like I have been renewed. I am thinking student ministry, dreaming student ministry, talking youth ministry, living youth ministry. (All in healthy ways...) 

But post covid, the world is changed. Student ministry is changed. Students are changed. As youth workers we are facing new complexities and challenges as we looking to reach a generation with the Gospel of Jesus. It's an isolated, anxious generation. A generation worth reaching. So what better time than now to come back and begin sharing tools, tips, and resources that might help youth workers thrive in their ministry.

Welcome back to, THE YOUTH WORKER DAILY! We're so glad you're here!

- jay

---