Text YGC to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Sam is joined by John Scarborough and Mackenzie Smolin for an episode that somehow keeps escalating, starting with a chaotic camp game that should have never existed and only gets worse the more you think about it… From a silent disco that completely backfires, to a cave tour that turns violent in total darkness, to a prayer night that accidentally destroys thousands of dollars worth of art, every story somehow tops the last. There’s also a painfully awkward small group moment that spirals out of control, a children’s pastor who says the absolute wrong thing at the worst possible time, and a late-night church gathering that crosses every possible line. Just when you think it can’t get more unhinged, it absolutely does…

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Text YGC to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Sam is joined by John Crist and Cole Clark for an episode that starts with a seemingly normal interaction that spirals into one of the most uncomfortable moments you could imagine—thanks to a “Tap to Pay” situation that goes completely off the rails. From there, the stories only get more chaotic: a youth leader’s hiding spot turns into a full-blown rescue mission, a harmless group text takes a wildly unexpected turn, and a van ride with a complete stranger leaves everyone questioning every decision that led them there. Add in a teaching illustration that gets way too real, a painfully awkward misunderstanding in front of an entire church, and a few moments that should’ve never required adult supervision, and you’ve got an episode that somehow keeps getting worse… and better… at the same time.

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Recorded live at the Unleashed Conference in California, Sam is joined on stage by Cole and Isaiah for a wild collection of youth group stories that somehow get more unbelievable with every minute. From a youth leader who tried to reward his students with pizza only to become the victim of their prank, to summer camp challenges that definitely should not have existed, the guys react to stories involving dangerous activities, questionable leadership decisions, and youth group games that went way too far. But the most unforgettable moment comes from a late-night lock-in game of sardines that leads one student to unknowingly share a dark closet with someone who absolutely wasn’t supposed to be there. It’s chaotic, hilarious, and the kind of live episode where the audience reactions make the stories even better.

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In this laid-back After Hours bonus episode, Sam is joined by Sha and Dustin for a chaotic, hilarious deep dive into everything from our most expensive pieces of music gear to who would actually win in an arm-wrestling match (it gets competitive fast). We share our thoughts on the Olympics, Sam breaks down his homeschool curriculum, and we give a behind-the-scenes YGC studio gear reveal. Plus, we open some awesome YGC fan mail and tackle the debates that really matter—original trilogy or prequels in Star Wars? Star Wars showdown included. We also go head-to-head on The Lord of the Rings vs. The Chronicles of Narnia, settle the breakfast-lunch-or-dinner debate, and reveal our favorite pizza picks. It’s unfiltered, off-the-cuff, and packed with laughs from start to finish.

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This week, Sam is joined by Cole Clark and George Johnson to relive “The Tap Heard ’Round the Room,” a youth group lock-in moment that started with an innocent game of sardines in the dark and turned into a hilariously unforgettable misunderstanding that no one in that room could un-hear. From there, the episode dives into a lineup of youth ministry chaos: a high schooler collapsing during a full-speed inner tube showdown at camp, a student confidently walking into the wrong house (and straight into a stranger’s living room), a sixth grader who took hide-and-seek a little too seriously, and a neighborhood game that escalated far beyond pretend cops and robbers. Add in an accidentally forwarded “news” link to an entire church staff and a parking lot showdown between a furious mom and a youth pastor, and you’ve got an episode packed with the kind of absurd, high-stakes stories only youth ministry can produce—equal parts cringey, chaotic, and unbelievably funny.

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This week on Youth Group Chronicles, Sam is joined by Sha Racks and Buddy Jenkins for an episode that spirals from awkward to unhinged in record time. What starts as a simple mission trip translation swap slowly unravels into a situation no one saw coming, forcing leaders to make a decision that could’ve had serious consequences at the border. From a construction zone accident that goes horribly wrong, to a worship hype moment that absolutely should’ve been rephrased, to a trench coat mystery that keeps everyone on edge, the chaos just keeps stacking up. There’s a lost child wandering out of the woods, a cabin prank that backfires in the worst possible way, and a camp lesson involving Icy Hot that no one will ever forget. It’s damage control, secondhand embarrassment, and questionable leadership decisions all packed into one episode…

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This week on Youth Group Chronicles, Sam is joined by John Scarborough and Mackenzie Smolin for an episode that somehow escalates from mildly awkward to completely unhinged in record time. A concerned mom follows suspicious laughter into an upstairs closet and discovers four boys conducting what might be the strangest science experiment youth group has ever seen. Elsewhere, a simple baptism mix-up turns into an accidental worship service scandal, a new women’s Bible study launches with an unfortunate acronym, and a well-intentioned wake-up prank goes horribly wrong. There’s also a prayer that almost took a very dark turn in front of an ambulance, a youth pastor forced into an unforgettable burial decision, a summer camp outbreak so intense it shut everything down, and a worship leader whose stage move ended in the ER. It’s chaotic, uncomfortable, and exactly the kind of stories you only hear after youth group ends…

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Sam is joined by Cole Clark and George Johnson for an episode that spirals straight into summer-camp chaos, led by a story that starts with a leader walking into a cabin to solve a problem and immediately realizing he has become the problem. From there, things only get wilder—near-disasters at the pool, well-meaning Bible knowledge shouted at the worst possible moment, a youth trip that goes sideways after midnight, a fishing lesson that turns into a biological hazard, and a sermon illustration that somehow ends with flashing lights and very real consequences. It’s a nonstop run of camp legends, bad decisions, and moments that felt funny later… but absolutely did not in the moment.

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This After Hours bonus episode gets unhinged in the best way as Sam hangs with Sha and Dustin for a wide-ranging, no-rules conversation that somehow covers everything from Lord of the Rings vs. Star Wars debates to ranking the height and weight of podcast guests. Things take a turn when Taylor Ransom gets pulled into the chaos to settle whether blowing a shofar actually boosts your rizz, Dustin attempts rapping for the very first time, and the group dives into how you really know what your calling is. Add in a surprise phone call from YGC chaplain Tim Stearns, a breakdown of which YGC guests secretly serve on worship teams and what instruments they play, and a walk down memory lane with some all-time favorite YGC stories, and you’ve got a classic After Hours episode that spirals quickly and never recovers…

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Sam is joined by Sha Racks and Buddy Jenkins for an episode that somehow keeps escalating. The centerpiece story sets the tone as a simple youth group moment turns into a split-second decision with consequences no one saw coming, and it only spirals from there. Along the way, the crew works through stories involving a late-night lock-in gone horribly wrong, a prank with catastrophic timing, wildlife encounters that end in ER visits, camp mornings that take an immediate medical turn, mission trip chaos, and the kind of sleepwalking that makes leaders question reality. Every story feels harmless right up until it absolutely isn’t, making this one of those episodes where you’re constantly bracing for what’s about to go wrong next.

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