See You At The Pole

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”-Jeremiah 33:33

This was this year's theme verse for the annual See You At The Pole event. What a great morning it was!

I traveled to 6 area schools to pray with my students, and as always it is an awesome thing to see hundreds of students on their own initiative, gather to pray, sing, and fellowship around their school's flag pole an hour before school starts. Tonight we conclude the day with a large rally to celebrate what God did around the flag poles this morning.

Last year more than 2 million students gathered around their flag poles in all 50 states. Internationally, reports came in from countries on six continents, including Congo, Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Guam, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and South Africa. Wow! It gets bigger each year!

We can all learn from this event. If only all of God's people lived out their faith in such a bold manner. If only all of us were committed to taking a stand in front of our peers, and if only all of us had a greater committment to prayer. Think what this world would be like!

If we call to Him....He will answer. (Jeremiah 33:3)

See See You At The Pole for more information on this great movement.

See You At The Pole

In two weeks "See You At The Pole" will take place. SYATP a student led prayer movement that began 17 years ago with a handful of students in Texas, has now become a movement that has swept across our country and even around the world. On September 26, thousands will gather around their school flag poles an hour before school to pray. It is always an awesome site to see students boldly standing before their peers to seek the God they love. Two years ago I wrote about my experience with the event. Read it here

There are mixed feelings on the event. There are some who no longer support it because of how commercialized it has become. I agree with the sentiment but am not ready to throw it out. It is always a sad thing when a great movement of God becomes institutionalized. What was once the vision of a small gathering of students has now become an organization with offices, salaries, and expensive merchandise. While disheartening on one hand, I suppose the same can be said about the Church. I'm certainly not ready to throw out the Church.


As I see it, any time we can encourage students to gather and pray....do it! I really appreciate the theme of this year's SYATP. Gather. Unite. Pray. Come Together. John 17:20-23. I believe it brings God great pleasure and honor to see his children coming together to seek Him and pray. It is something the world sees far too little of. We are good at airing out differences for the world to see, but lack in coming together as one Church. Let the Church pray!

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23.

Wonderfully Awkward

Today is the day of See You At The Pole. Due to the fact that there are many schools represented in our ministry, it is impossible to get to all of them, so I decided to go and pray with some of my middle school students. It was a wonderfully awkward time.

It was awkward simply because the middle school years by themselves are awkward ones. Developmentally they are at a very self-conscience and awkward stage in life. Take that same kid and place them in front of their school around their flag pole and it gets even more awkward. It was wonderful because they were willing to take a stand for Christ despite the staring eyes and rude comments by their fellow peers passing by.

It was such a wonderful honor to stand as the only adult with the small group of students who showed up. It was wonderful helping them introduce themselves to one another, and discovering fellow brothers and sisters. When we bagan to pray, not many of them prayed aloud, but I'm sure they were praying inwardly, and based on the conversation we had afterward, continued to pray throughout their day.

I love middle schoolers. That small group of them were truly seeking to live out the words of Philippians 2:15, "...become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."

To night is our post SYATP rally with our students. I am look forward to a great night of seeking our God together, and witnessing what He accomplishes through the time.