Youth Group Chronicles

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Latest Episodes:

208: Forbidden Serving (Sha Racks & John Scarborough) Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

Sam is joined by Sha Racks and John Scarborough for an episode that quickly descends into chaos, led by the infamous Forbidden Serving story—a well-intentioned act of “helping” that becomes deeply uncomfortable for everyone watching and perfectly sets the tone for the episode. From summer camps gone horribly wrong and youth group games that should’ve been stopped immediately, to moments where leaders say the absolute worst possible thing at the worst possible time, this episode is packed with stories that live in the gray area between good intentions and terrible outcomes. Add in public embarrassments, injuries that escalated fast, and situations where no one quite knew how to intervene until it was far too late, and you get an episode that proves youth group logic makes sense to absolutely no one once you say it out loud.

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207: Welcome to 'Nam (Isaiah Smallwood & Dustin Coe) Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Sam is joined by Isaiah Smallwood and Dustin Coe for an episode that spirals fast, led by the unforgettable Welcome to ’Nam story—a youth group game that goes from harmless fun to full-blown chaos in seconds and sets the tone for everything that follows. From Easter services that go wildly off-script, to camp rules that suddenly make terrifying sense, to leadership moments where one wrong move changes everything, this episode is stacked with stories that feel fake until you remember they happened at church. Add in youth group videos that take an unexpected turn, late-night camp searches that raise more questions than answers, and moments that left entire rooms stunned into silence, and you’ve got an episode that perfectly captures why no one ever believes youth group stories… until they hear them all back-to-back.

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206: The Hungry Water Slide (LIVE at Calvary AOG 2025) Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

This week, Sam is joined by Cole Clark and Isaiah Smallwood for a live episode filmed at Who Told You at Calvary Assembly of God in Demotte, Indiana, and it’s exactly as chaotic as you’d expect. The night is anchored by the unforgettable story of The Hungry Water Slide, where a routine youth camp activity takes a sudden, horrifying turn, setting the tone for an episode packed with near-misses, questionable decisions, and moments that probably should’ve ended someone’s youth ministry career. From youth events that go wildly off the rails, pranks with unintended consequences, and camp traditions that spiral out of control, to live-broadcast disasters and split-second decisions that still haunt leaders years later, this episode is a rapid-fire reminder of why youth group stories are never normal. Nothing is exaggerated, nothing is safe, and somehow everyone survived… mostly.

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205: Sam Exposed... Again? | After Hours Series (Ciara Moss & Cole Clark) Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

This After Hours bonus episode gets loose as Sam hangs out with Ciara and Cole for a wide-ranging, completely unfiltered conversation that somehow covers everything from personal weaknesses and settling long-running arguments to favorite movies, shows, and whether TV or films are superior. Along the way, we dive into homeschool lore, establish the pecking order in the Moss house, reveal middle names, talk dream travel destinations, break down our favorite sports to watch on TV, and spiral into plenty of side tangents that make After Hours what it is… and much more.

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204: The Mismatched Socks (Sha Racks & John Scarborough) Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

This week on Youth Group Chronicles, Sam is joined by Sha Racks and John Scarborough for an episode built around one painfully awkward youth group moment that spirals way faster than anyone expects, all sparked by a harmless comment about mismatched socks that goes very, very wrong. From there, the stories only escalate—camp chaos fueled by a misunderstood bottle of “relieving powder,” pranks that cross every possible line, games that reveal way too much about a student’s imagination, well-meaning leaders accidentally shouting the wrong acronym across campus, and multiple moments that end in emergency rooms instead of evening devotions. It’s a mix of secondhand embarrassment, bad decisions, and youth ministry trauma that proves once again that no matter how innocent it starts, youth group always finds a way to take a turn…

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203: The Youth Group Stowaway (Isaiah Smallwood & Dustin Coe) Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

This Christmas Eve episode of Youth Group Chronicles brings Isaiah Smallwood and Dustin Coe back with Sam for a lineup that somehow keeps getting worse the longer it goes, led by a youth trip stowaway story that spirals into full chaos before anyone realizes what’s happening. Along the way, things take a turn through painfully mistimed encouragement, prophetic words that land very differently than intended, youth group anatomy confusion, a camp lifeguard moment that no one involved will ever forget, a bonfire conversation that permanently scars everyone listening, a church camp demonstration gone violently wrong, a skit night reveal that can’t be unseen, an unexpected animal presence during youth service, a ladder illustration that goes off-script, and a retreat weekend that feels unsettling in hindsight. It’s one of those episodes where every story feels impossible, but unfortunately very real…

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202: A Ruff Night in the Church Van (Sha Racks & John Scarborough) Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

This week on Youth Group Chronicles, Sam is joined by Sha Racks and John Scarborough for an episode packed with stories that spiral fast and never quite recover. From a late-night drive in a church van that turns into an unforgettable moral dilemma, to youth group trips that make the news for all the wrong reasons, to public moments so uncomfortable they permanently alter walking routes, this episode is a steady descent into chaos. Add in festival security gone wrong, devotion times that take a hard left, camp rules that fail spectacularly, and one Easter service no one will ever forget, and you’ve got an hour of stories that feel illegal to admit out loud—but somehow still happened…

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201: High-Speed Dating (Ross Johnston & Cole Clark) Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Sam is joined by Ross Johnston and Cole Clark for an episode packed with youth-group chaos, questionable leadership decisions, and one high-speed love story that absolutely steals the show. From a late-night ride in Costa Rica that turns out to be much sketchier than anyone realized, to a campfire stunt that sends a show-off straight to the ER, to a leader who may or may not have facilitated some highway flirting, the disasters only escalate. Sam relives becoming that intern who roasted the wrong students, a nursing-home visit that turned into a full-blown sprint-for-your-life moment, and a camp prize that pushed one teenager’s heart rate into uncharted territory. Toss in Ross’s satanist saga and a missing kid secretly living at church, and this episode proves—yet again—that youth ministry might be the most unpredictable job on earth.

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200: Signed, Sealed… Sent to Voicemail | After Hours Series (Cole Clark & Buddy Jenkins) Dec 06, 2025

Show notes

In this 200th-episode After Hours celebration, Sam kicks back with Buddy Jenkins and Cole Clark as they call youth pastors nominated by their own students for some chaotic teenage-slang trivia, tear into a mountain of fan-submitted mail ranging from heartfelt letters to mystery packages, and spend the rest of the night hanging out on livestream—reacting, riffing, and answering comments with the folks who got them to milestone 200 in the first place.

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199: Mannequin Hunting (Buddy Jenkins & John Scarborough) Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Sam is joined by Buddy Jenkins and John Scarborough for an episode loaded with unhinged youth ministry chaos—headlined by the story of a group of teens who were convinced they’d discovered a discarded mall mannequin deep in the woods, only to learn it was something far more real. From camp relay games gone horribly wrong, to sermons that nosedived at the worst possible moments, to a prayer circle where the only thing holier than the moment was the uncomfortable amount of hand-kissing involved, this one is stacked with stories you’ll wish you weren’t imagining. If you’ve ever worked with students, buckle up—this episode proves that even the most normal youth group day can turn into a legend…

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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