Ian & Jocelyn Barker

I had an interesting encounter today at the JPR. I was quietly reading my bible when a man walked in wanting prayer. I walked over and the two ladies already talking to him told me that he had had cancer for 4-5 years and was recently given 4 or so weeks to live. We prayed for him that he would be healed and then I asked him if he knew Jesus. He said that he did. He had been saved 11 months ago at Joel Osteen’s church in Houston. Someone had told him about IHOP and he had come up to KC. He said that he wanted to talk to someone.

I took him into the office and he proceeded to tell me his story. He was a NY fireman when 9/11 happened and was in one of the towers when the first one came down. He was at Ground Zero during the weeks and months after the attacks cleaning up debris and bodies. He attended 137 funerals in 2 weeks. How a man lives through that and remain sane, I do not know. Anyway, it was because of the fumes at Ground Zero that he got cancer in his lungs. He has had many surgeries and appears to be homeless, although those details weren’t made clear.

I did some research tonight on what has happened to those “heroes” who were the first to respond to the attacks and helped clean up afterwards. It appears that this man is not alone and there are many who have contracted diseases of some sort due to exposure at the site. It’s amazing that I have never heard of this. I’m either ignorant, or this is simply not something that the media has chosen to discuss. (You can read stories here and here.)

He began to talk about how he has been treated like an “animal” when all he wants to do is have a job to have some dignity. As I was talking to him, I became increasingly burdened by the enormity of the injustice done against this man, and the inability to help this man outside of the healing power of God. Things went downhill when he became increasingly angry at those who have not helped him out with food and bus tickets. When I offered to buy him some food next door, he refused as he was walking out. Chasing him down, he again spurned my invitation. I let him walk away with his prophecy that he would die tonight if he did not get food still ringing in my ears.

I went back inside because I had to drum for the next set. I walked in and only wanted to crawl under a chair and cry and groan out of desperation. Heba was talking about the prophecy over IHOP that comes in the form of a burden. There is not a prayer meeting in town where a young man can find deliverance. The prophecy is an invitation for our little prayer ministry to become a place of power and deliverance.

My thoughts turned back to the situation and I imagined one of our singers singing the word of the Lord over him. Cancer and oppression would be lifted. Bitterness and rejection would be washed away. The prayer movement would not longer be irrelevant and confusing if people began to be healed and delivered. That is what we are crying out for day and night.

It’s raining today in Kansas City. It’s not quite freezing rain, but close enough. It would be a good day to be at home with a book and tea, but I’m here at the Justice Prayer Room. There’s hardly anyone here except for the worship teams and a 2-3 other section leaders. We just did 4 hours of intercession with barely a soul in the chairs. I’m tempted to ask, “Is this worth it?”

But they I realize that this is glorious. We are here asking God to pour out His Spirit and reveal His name. We are here singing His word and worshipping Him even though no one is here and can hear us. This is a day where you truly realize that we are not praying night and day because we want to entertain people. We are praying because He is listening and He is worthy.

Though it’s cold and wet outside and it would be nice to be home, there is nothing else I would rather be doing than keeping the fire burning with my fellow comrades.

About a month ago, I got asked to be a Section Leader at the Justice Prayer Room. What is the JPR? It’s a second prayer room that we started at IHOP on July 2nd. Since the main prayer room is live on the web and on GodTV around the globe, we needed a second prayer room to train up musicians, singers, and intercessors.

I joined the leadership of the JPR last month as a section leader in the afternoon section (noon-6). As a section leader, I am responsible for ensuring that the worship teams are prepared for their set and to help teach them the model and the dynamics of team ministry. My schedule has changed around so that I work at FSM in the mornings and lead in the JPR in the afternoon. The downside of being at the JPR is that I am no longer at the Global Prayer Room very much

However, I am loving my role at the JPR because I am learning how to lead in the prayer room which I have never been able to do even though I have been here for 4 years. I am involved in training the worship teams and interacting with them before and after sets. I am getting to prayer lead a lot and really enjoying that. Though I have been here for 4 years, I am discovering how little I really know about prayer and the dynamics of team ministry and corporate prayer. I am being challenged to impart vision for the prayer movement to young people.

In short, I am being majorly stretched in my new position. The Lord is putting a zeal in my heart to see His House of Prayer established on the earth as it is in heaven. I want to play a part and help others take their positions. I am thankful to the Lord that this is what I get to do every day.

Marcus Meier and his team are playing “August 30th” by Delirious in the prayer room right now. What’s the problem? It’s August 31st. I don’t understand.

Great song though and surely missed.

The new FSM (including FMA and The Call Institute) students arrived today to register and start their orientation. FSM (Forerunner School of Ministry) is IHOP’s Bible school and includes many different programs of study. About 200 new students are here and I helped register them this morning and have been sitting in on the orientation as I work up in the office this afternoon. Lou Engle, Mike Bickle and Allen Hood just talked for a while in a wild dialogue as they cast the vision of night and day prayer with Bible study leading to worldwide revival. When you get Mike and Lou on a stage together with microphones it is something to experience.

It’s going to be an exciting semester. Not only is this the first time that I will not be a student at the school, but the school is changing and things are exciting. The joining of theological study and night and day prayer is something that has not been done in the modern Western world before so we experience lots of change but great fruit. Young peoples lives are being changed as they exchange old ideas and patterns of living for new.

I’m excited that I get to work at the school to help facilitate the administration of the school, but also to be able to teach and invest my life into students who will change the world for Jesus.

The onething Podcast is a weekly interview with different people from IHOP. It’s hosted by Dwayne & Jennifer Roberts who are the directors of onething Ministries, a ministry to the young adults of this nation based out of IHOP. We sat down with them this week and the interview is up (download directly or subscribe to the podcast). We talked about The Call Nashville and the need for a life that is lived in the power of the cross. It’s a subject that I am passionate about but have little clarity on — even though I’ve wrestled with it for years. Maybe one day I will write about it here or on the onething blog. Anyway, go get the interview…

Our friend, Brent Steeno, has requested help in formulating some thought-provoking and anointed questions to ask some IHOP leaders as he hosts this week’s IHOP conference on God-TV. He really wants to ask questions that inspire Holy Spirit anointed answers. Go to his blog and leave a question that you think would do such a thing.

God has been speaking to IHOP about ensuring that our house is cleaned and kept in order. Today I was struck by my fear of change in relation to invasion of God-TV into our midst, and our longings for revival. As we cry out for revival, I find that I am holding something back in my heart. I want to keep revival or His coming in the future because I fear what will happen to my life when He does move in an increased way. I don’t want my life to be disrupted. |inline

I am amazed at the goodness of God right now. I feel so grateful that He has placed me in a place like IHOP in Kansas City. When I came here 3 1/2 years ago, I had no idea about the prayer movement and certainly didn’t have much understanding of the end of the age, Israel, or the Bible for that matter. But now I am going to graduate from the 4-year program at FSM in 3 months. |inline

Today is my first day of class for this semester, and it is my last semester at FSM (the Forerunner School of Ministry). I will graduate in May with an “Apostolic Preaching Program” degree. Nothing special really. It just equips me to pray and preach better. At least, that’s the idea. I’m really grateful for the school. I don’t know of another Bible school in America that stresses prayer and true knowledge of God as much as FSM does. At the same time, we have a high emphasis on the Bible. It’s brilliant. |inline