Taking a Stand

What is right

is not always popular.

What is popular

is not always right.

In 1990, as a part of a Disciple Now weekend in Burleson, Texas, 10 students in one of the groups expressed a burden for their friends.  In response, the group decided to go to the flagpoles at their schools and pray for their classmates, teachers, and leaders.  After the weekend, a plan took flight with a group of youth ministers who wanted to provide an opportunity for their students to participate in the experience as well.  June, 1990, “See You at the Pole” was officially introduced to 20,000 students at a conference at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.  It was decided that students would gather at the flagpole at their school on September 12, at 7:00 a.m., and pray.  That year over 45,000 students, in four states, met on the same day, at the same time to pray.  A year later, there were over one million students across the United States who assembled for the purpose of praying for their fellow classmates, teachers, and administrators.  The tradition has continued and on the fourth Wednesday of September this year, students again joined with their peers from all over the world as they surrounded the flagpoles to pray for God to bless and make a difference in them and the people at their schools.

As reports were called in, some schools had hundreds of participants, but at Lake Minneola High School there was one lone student praying by the flagpole.  At first, Hayden Philpot thought he would go ahead and pray as he waited for others to join him.  After a while, when he realized no one else was coming, he said, “The cry of my heart changed.  I asked that God would do something with me standing alone.”   A driver who rode by the school posted a picture of Hayden. 

Janet Philpot, Hayden’s mother, began to receive calls telling her to check Facebook.  When she did, she saw the picture of Hayden standing alone by the flagpole along with hundreds of comments.  “People who professed no faith commended my son for standing up for his.”  Janet texted her son, “You should know that people in our community are going crazy about a young man who stood at a flagpole alone and prayed this morning.  They are talking about what an amazing young man he must be and how proud his parents should be.  And I want you to know that your parents are so proud of you.  You are an amazing young man.  I love you so much.”

When Hayden returned from school, Mrs. Philpot sat down with him and they read the responses together.  Amazed at the comments, Hayden told his mother that when he realized he would be alone that the cry of his heart had been “God, as people drive by, let them wonder, let their hearts be pricked.”  What a big way God answered Hayden’s prayer all because he was willing to take a stand alone.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

1 Corinthians 15:1