[NOTE – this post has been updated HERE]
Well I finally have a bit of time on my hands and am putting the perks of being an independent consultant in front of me. I’m headed to the next Joseph Company retreat at the end of May in Kansas City. Gonna get some prayer, impartation, motivation, consecration, integration, habitation, manifestation, and other things ending in -tion.
2nd Time Around
It has been 5 years since I have visited the IHOP and back then it was very different. I recall sleeping intermittently through the nightwatch until the “warring in the spirit” was so intense that I had to get up and shokle in my chair for another 20 minutes! They had all manner of comfy cushions and pillows on the perimeter of the room which was ideal for my 36 hour trip down there.
What I did in the ’02 Trip
I stayed in the prayer room and plugged in the whole time except for a tour of the Shiloh property that my friend Gregg gave me. Another highlight was former Clevelander Ed allowing me to sit in on a prayer team prep meeting before their slot. Since I was helping to build the Cleveland HOP at the time I really appreciated that opportunity to see how a team would prepare for ministry.
One Bummer
One thing that was not really a highlight was that I was wanting to just plain talk to people and ask various questions. I understood that plenty of people just show up and leave from out of town all the time so that could be tiresome, but there was another factor: Soon after my arrival I read a posted announcement regarding “40 days of glorious fasting in the grace of God”. This was not really about fasting from food as much as other things I had never heard of one fasting from: unnecessary staff meetings, unnecessary conversations, legitimate forms of recreation, and oxygen… well maybe not oxygen. So as a result I did not find people to be too talkative which was a minor bummer!
What I Learned
Basically I learned that every prayer room has the same basic dynamics and frustrations… overzealous visitors, people hogging the mic too long, unauthorized transient visitors, to name just a couple. It was refreshing. Plus, this was a suburban IHOP a few miles from the city line, and there were the same sorts of challenges as having a prayer room in the city.
The Cheesesteak Challenge… in KC?
I’m due to come down there in late May, and for any readers in the area I am contemplating holding a local challenge, NOT of the cheesesteak variety, but one involving free food at a popular local eatery that does not exist in Philly… so stay tuned!
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