Ian & Jocelyn Barker

Over the weekend, my friend, Brandon, and I took a short little backpacking trip to the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri. The first time I went backpacking was three years ago when Brandon and another friend, Wes, took me to Colorado just before I got married. Since then, we have been back to Colorado two other times. Unfortunately, each time I have gone I have been sick with altitude sickness. Though I love the views and the adventure of Colorado, I don’t think my body can take it. So the rolling hills of Missouri are a good alternative.

We left KC early Saturday morning and hit the trail around 11am. Though we thought the weather at this time of year might be a little chilly, it was blue skies and about 70 degrees. All the leaves had fallen from the trees onto our path making our steps loud and crunchy. We hiked a couple hours in, getting lost a few times because we couldn’t find the path, and set up camp for the night under some cedars on a few patches of dried up grass.

Brandon is much more of an outdoorsman than myself so he’s a good man to go camping with. My interest has been piqued over the last few years and I have found that I really enjoy it. There is nothing like setting up camp in the middle of a forest with only that which you have packed in our your back. The quiet and solitude is like nothing you can find in the busy city. Hanging out with your best friend around a fire and a cup of coffee is something special.

We woke up in the morning a little cold and groggy, but Brandon made a fire and some pancakes while I packed up the tent. After a slow morning of breakfast and coffee, we packed up and found the trail we had lost the day before. A couple hours later we were back at the car, and four hours after that we were back to our wives.

It was refresing to be able to have a short get away of adventure and nature. I find that it is good for my heart and mind to remove myself from the busyness and rapidity of life to enjoy God’s creation and reflect on His goodness. I definitely look forward to doing it more in the future.

(Pictures to come…)

Mike & Jill (Jocelyn’s sister and brother-in-law) are now the proud parents of Sova. Isn’t she adorable? Be sure to read the story…

She’s now 23.

We went to Chipotle for dinner and then went to Sam’s Club to get a little birthday cake for her. We went to pay and it dawned on me that we went to Sam’s Club, the place where you get big stuff, in order to buy a little cake. I felt like we should be getting a cake to feed 20, but we were getting one to feed 2. Ironic.

We’re going out on Friday for a bigger celebration with a gift certificate to a super sweet expensive restaurant down on the Plaza. Belated wedding gift – long story. We’re pretty stoked because super sweet expensive restaurants are not places we frequent very often.

I want to give space to brag on Jocelyn. She’s my wife, so of course I think she’s beautiful, funny, caring, fun, smart, cute, creative, spiritual (in the earth connected kind of way), loving, and just all around cool.

But what I like about her today is her hunger for justice and righteousness. She has a hatred of things that are evil, which is rare on the earth.

She is not loud about it, nor is she about to go and join Greenpeace. Yet in her quiet and subtle way, she loves righteousness and hates sin. It’s like it hurts her. I suppose that’s because it actually does.

So my beautiful wife, thanks for keeping that standard in your heart and provoking my dull heart to strive for truth and righteousness. And thank You Lord for giving me a woman such as her.

Jocelyn and I flew back from Connecticut last night where we were visiting her family during Jocelyn’s Spring Break and over Easter. We went to see Jocelyn’s new nephew, Eli Thomas. He’s just over 2 months now and he’s super cute. Pictures later.

It’s always fun to connect with family, albeit, a bit overwhelming as she has a big, tight-knit family. This time, we were able to take part in a family Bible study. Every Wednesday, some of the guys in the family get together, and some of the girls get together – separately. So I was downstairs with the guys, and Jocelyn was upstairs with the girls. It was great to hear them talk about what God is speaking to them and growing in the faith. Some of them are new believers which is awesome.

Another day, we visited with Jocelyn’s old youth pastor and were able to hear how the youth group is doing. In the past 9 months, a bunch of the youth have been prayer walking in the halls of the local high school and been seeing some fruit. It was encouraging to hear that these youth are taking seriously the call to impact their little community and seeing the necessity of paving the way with prayer.

I was able to get some reading done including “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage”. If you have never read the book or heard of the man, I recommend that you get the book and read it. It’s phenomenal.

It’s nice to know that it’s the same temperature here in KC as it is in California and South Carolina. My brother lives in California and my parents in South Carolina, so it’s always hard during the winter knowing that they are enjoying nice weather while we shiver. For one day, we are equal.

Jack and Caleb with their baby brother, Weston. I love the look on Caleb’s face.

This is my brother Matt’s new baby boy. He was born yesterday so he’s not even a day old yet. I want to hold him so badly because he’s a part of my family now. He joins his two older brothers, Jack and Caleb. Congratulations Matt and Leanne! You are an amazing mother Leanne. (You’re a good father too, Matt.)

For the uneducated, Christmas is 5 days away. Yeah, so you better get your shopping and planning done now!

I love Christmas. Growing up as a kid (since that how everyone grows up), Christmas was a lot of Church going and parties. My dad is an Anglican minister so we had lots of services which meant lots of carols and hymns. I loved it! I never grew tired of Church and miss the Advent season and emphasis on the nativity and such. I also remember my mom’s baking. She would always bake shortbread and Christmas pudding and all sorts of stuff.

So now we are in 2007 and Jocelyn and I are hosting our first Christmas together. We are staying in Kansas City and my parents are driving from South Carolina to spend 5 days with us. They arrive in 2 hours. On Tuesday we went and got a tree and decorated it last night. It looks amazing because Jocelyn is such a good decorator.

I always come into the holiday season with a certain apprehension because it is such a materialistic time. But I always come back to the fact that I want to celebrate our Lord’s birth with my family with good food and good gifts. We have been blessed this year to be able to have my family with us and we are looking forward to good food, good fellowship, and a good Christmas Eve service.

Happy Thanksgiving! Like all holidays, American culture celebrates this holiday in a distorted way far below what is truly called for. I suppose the pilgrims had a much better idea of being thankful because they knew what it was like to go without food and what would happen if their crops failed. My wife and I go to the grocery store and buy our food without a thought to the fact that one day there may not be food on the shelves. Or without a thought to the hard work and sacrifice of thousands of farmers throughout America and the world. So I’m thankful to the farmers across the world.

I hope I haven’t put a downer on your Thanksgiving because I like eating and football and all that good stuff. I’m just overwhelmed at the thought of true thanksgiving because there is so much to be thankful for and living under the watchful, caring eye of my Father makes me feel grateful and confident at the same time. So, here are some things I’m thankful for…

1. My wife. We have been married almost 16 months and she gives me joy every day. She challenges me to be more like Christ and find my identity in Him.
2. IHOP. I’m grateful that the Lord led me to Kansas City over 4 years ago when I didn’t really know what IHOP was. He has set me in a community of people who I am proud to run with and provoked by every day. Let us go to the end!
3. Our supporters. Thank you to all of our supporters who faithfully give every month and allow us to do what we do.
4. A working car. It’s the little things in life that matter, and I’m thankful that my little ’93 Toyota Paseo has been good to me (and now Jocelyn) for 7 years. It’s time is coming to an end, but it has been good.
5. Apple, the computer company. I’ve owned Macs for 8 years and I shudder at the thought of going back to PCs. Thank you for fun and reliable computers.
6. Books. I don’t know what I would do with myself if it weren’t for books. They open up new ideas to me, tell me stories that give me courage, and give me new and emboldened confidence that I serve a good God. Of course, you have to read good ones for all these statements to be true.
7. My parents. They have been faithful to the Lord their whole lives and have modeled for me what it means to fear and trust the Lord. Thanks for always loving and encouraging me.
8. My friends. Good friends that are more faithful than a brother are hard to find. Thankfully, I have a few of them which is priceless.
9. My brother and his family. Thankfully, my brother is more faithful than, er, a brother. We’ve always been close and his wife and two, soon to be three, are more than a blessing.
10. Finally, the gospel. The gospel is what has saved me from sin and death and transferred me into a kingdom of Light. My ideas of what the gospel is are constantly being challenged and modified, but I know for sure that it has to do with God’s plan to restore His blacked and damaged earth and people, and He has invited me to be a part of this new creation. For that I am thankful.

For this, and many things, I am thankful to God on this day. I will celebrate it at the Prayer Room and with friends. Thank You Lord for all of your many blessings and care-filled provision and watchfulness of Jocelyn and I. Happy Thanksgiving!

About 2 weeks ago my sister Jill commanded the troops to pray fervently for favor with an Indian adoption agency… She and my brother-in-law applied to adopt but since they are both under 30 it would be an exception for them to be approved. They pleaded their case and said they were open to older and special needs children. Within 48 hours they not only were accepted with the agency but were asked if they were interested in little Sova, a beautiful healthy 3 year old girl. Of course, they said yes! This all happened much sooner than they expected and they do not have any of the funds…yet.
We know:
“In You the orphan finds mercy.” Hosea 14:3
“The LORD supports the fatherless and the widow.” Psalms 146:9

Visit their website here to read their story and if you can, consider giving to them. We’re praying she will become our niece by Spring of 2008! (She will be our first niece among 7 nephews!)