Tyler, TX — Today marks a global day of prayer. "See You at the Pole" took place at schools around the world Wednesday morning and East Texas was no different.
The tradition started in Burleson, Texas where students gathered around the school's flagpole to life up their friends, family, teachers, and school in prayer.
On Wednesday evening the Rose Heights Church in Tyler held an "after party". Over 150 students gathered in prayer and worship before learning about finding time for their faith and balancing that faith with their day-to-day lives.
"My faith in God is what got me through as a teenager going into my early college age," Student Ministries Pastor, Jeremy Laux said.
That is one of the reasons why he works as a youth pastor.
"I was put on this earth for a purpose and that was to help other teenagers who were struggling in ways that I struggled with, and other ways I may not have struggled with," Laux said.
Laux went to several different schools Wednesday morning for their "See you at the Pole" events.
"That's a very good way for teenagers to really get together and say 'Oh I'm not the only Christian at my school'," he said.
That's one of the reasons for the after party; bringing the youth together and continuing the message. Laux even asked his longtime friend, Akin Ayodele, to speak to the kids.
He believed the former NFL player could relate to the kids, something Ayodele seemed to agree with.
"I see a lot of me," he said, "I see their reactions to some of the stories I tell and I see how they turn around to their friend or within themselves and they start nodding their head."
Explaining a common struggle school-age people go through.
"I think what a lot of youth go through is trying to find themselves and what role does my faith in God have in all that," Ayodele explained.
Ayodele was open about some of his struggles, emphasizing how stubborn he was and still can be, but you can't be because walking with God, "is you letting him hold your hand, and you letting him guide you along the way. Not through your understanding but through His… I fought that for so long."
Not to mention keeping his Faith and his Football
"My faith is everything, and I understood. Like I was telling the kids today was that Sunday I would have these three or four verses that I would use, that I needed to read and it gave me so much confidence in going into battle, but part of that was I would get whatever I needed to do Saturday evening, or go to Chapel, or even Sunday morning," he said.
Just because I don't go to church doesn't mean I can't go to church. And that's one thing that people don't realize is if you are not able to go to church you can have church in your own house, your apartment, your own car you know with friends. It doesn't have to be in a building that's designated as church.
"You have to be courageous but once you do but once you do I promise it is worth every single day. It is worth every single moment. It is worth every heartache and every pain that you have to go through to have him be part of your life."