The Prayer Room

The prayer room is the center of the IHOP missions base. While there is a lot of activity, teaching and ministries associated with IHOP, the 24/7 atmosphere of prayer is the heartbeat of everything that goes on. Everyone on staff commits to spend 12-24 hours a week in the prayer room, whether they are a janitor, teacher, student, bookeeper or worship leader. Like King David established a tabernacle that had singers and musicians who ministered to the Lord day and night, the prayer room gives us a place where we never cease worshiping God and interceding for our world.

The prayer room operates in sets, with singers and musicians rotating every two hours. These sets are either what they call "worship with the word" or "intercession" sets. During a worship with the word set, the band will focus on a passage from the Bible and sing about it. It's kind of like musical meditation :) It's a prayer format in which we agree with God's heart as we sing the biblical truths of who God is and what He promises to do. During the intercession set the focus is on corporate prayer centered around a specific theme. Individuals in the room are able to pray on the microphone and lead the room in prayer on a topic. These times are always centered around scriptural prayers and interwoven with music.

These two pictures are from the other day during an intercession set when Jason was leading the room in prayer for the church in America. Good times! ~Kara

Intro to IHOP has begun!

Hi friends in blogland!

Well, we started our official internship this week and it looks like it's going to rock! We have awesome leaders and gifted teachers and lots of time set aside for prayer and seeking God. 

I have to admit, I signed up for this internship a little hesitantly- as 24 hours a week in the prayer room seems like quite a bit of prayer time to me! I wasn't sure I was up for the intensity of that or for the hours of teaching and processing new information. But, as of day 3 at least, I have to say I think this is going to be good for my heart. I can already tell that I am more open to the Lord teaching me and changing me and taking those things from me that are getting in His way. I think it's going to be difficult in the sense that He's tearing down the things I've leaned on and the things I've become comfortable in. But I know that He is going to build me up again stronger in Him and more fully dependent on Him. I don't know how to quite put what I'm trying to say into words. Hmmm. Maybe I'll just leave you with a psalm. I feel like this verse sums up where I want to be and how I am hoping God will use this internship!

Psalm 62: 5-8

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, 

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

O my people, trust in him at all times.

Pour out your heart to him,

for God is our refuge.

Thanks for "listening" ~Kara

A Rumbling economy calls for steadfast hearts in prayer

"The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth... "...I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,  for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains and the creature of the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you,  for the world is mine and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice thank offerings to God,  fulfill your vows to the Most High and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me." 

- Psalm 50:1,2...9-15 (NIV)

"Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.

- Malachi 1:10,11 (NIV)

The two passages above are spoken by God to a corrupt priesthood who semi-adhered to a religious system but failed to offer God their whole hearts in gratitude with a true spirit of prayer. Paul spoke of many in the last days who would be much the same: "having a form of godliness but denying its power."(2 Timothy 3:5) These people would be "lovers of themselves, lovers of money...ungrateful... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." (3:2,4) And Paul's description of these is preluded by this statement - "Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days." (3:1)

Why am I writing this? I guess because I see a convergence of themes in these passages that I believe are very relevant for this hour of history we find ourselves in. Many in our country are beginning to panic because of the rumblings in our current economy. Major banking institutions that many thought were unsinkable ships are either faltering or filing bankruptcy. The housing market is suffering from the fallout of unscrupulous loans made in the name of greed. Gas prices soar as the stock market plummets and speculation on Wall Street of the impact of natural disasters like Hurricane Ike only make matters worse. At the same time, we continue to hear of spiritual leaders falling into sin. We have seen many men with big ministries, but not enough with large interior lives before God. I believe what America is experiencing is just the beginning of the beginning of a shaking...something that all nations will be experiencing in the not so distant future, if they aren't already. Jesus calls it the Great Tribulation in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation. Haggai wrote about it: 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'in a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations (Jesus) will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty. 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty. The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the Lord Almighty." (Haggai 2:6-9)

In  the above passages, there is a reminder that God is the one who owns all the wealth of the earth. There is a cry for us to not find our security in anything or anyone but in God and in Him alone. In all of the passages, there is a decrying of religious form void of supernatural power and in each there is the promise of an end-time global prayer movement "from the rising to the setting of the sun" (see also Psalm 113:3, Isaiah 45:6, 59:19) that will truly bring God the glory that He deserves. (For the symbolic significance of incense see Ps. 141:2, Rev. 5:8, 8:1-5, Num. 16, Hebrews 13:15,16)

Do you find yourself stressing because of these financially stretching times? (Trust me, I too have been there myself of late). Prayer and thankfulness are what rises to God like a fragrant offering in such times. Do you want to know what the Lord is looking for? He is looking for a people who will take up their crosses and follow in the steps of Jesus our Great High Priest, who not only offered sacrifice - He became the very sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Nothing can replace that once and for all ultimate atoning for sin. But we too, in gratitude for what we could not do for ourselves, are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). It is in doing so that we "are to God the aroma of Christ...the fragrance of life" and "the fragrance of the knowledge of Him" (2 Corinthians 3:14-16) John Wesley use to pray each day: "God set me on fire so that people would come from miles around to watch me burn." True, we are to burn before men. But first and foremost, our hearts are to burn, our very lives are to be like incense - an unbroken prayer to God, a  pleasing aroma to the One who owns the whole earth, who holds it all in the palm of His hands and who paid such a price to see it restored, for He is worthy. When we choose to pray, we choose to make God's name great instead of our own...for when God answers prayer and does the impossible - no one can take the credit but rather His Great Name is exalted. God promises that if we call on Him in our day of trouble, he will answer and He will deliver. He promises that He owns the silver and the gold. It was a originally a promise to those who would rebuild the Temple after it's destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, but I believe it spoke also of the generation before the Lord returns. We find ourselves with the influences of Babylon all around us once again. God is looking for Daniels who will fast and pray regularly, regardless of the flack they get for it. God is rebuilding his Temple, restoring it as "a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7, Mark 11:17) once again. Where does this building project begin? Ground is being broken as we speak in the hearts of believers all over the earth who are hearing the call to pray. His name will be made great again by a praying church, for we are now the Temple of God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16)

With the troubles you face and the pressures that seem to only be increasing all around us, I urge you to choose the pleasing aroma of thankfulness and prayer and find the Lord's deliverance. The Mighty One, God the Lord is perfect in beauty and He shines forth from Zion. Let His light shine in whatever darkness you are facing. He says, "the world is mine and all that is in it." Will you trust his leadership, even as it feels as all that can be shaken is being shaken? The shaking is a necessary prelude for the 'Desired of the Nations' to come. He will use the least severe measures to bring the greatest amount of people to Himself at the deepest measures of love at the heart level without violating man's freewill. But because of our great propensity to selfishness and sin, that least severe measure will be actually rather jarring from our perspective. The rumblings on Wall Street are nothing compared to what is coming, but they are a foretaste of the shakings to come. And as the shakings continue to occur, His name will be made great by a praying church. The word in Malachi 1:10 and 11 is a prophetic word for the church in this hour - shut down business as usual and give yourself to the place of prayer.

May you see God's deliverance and blessing as you choose this day the sacrifice of a thankful heart, (some days it feels more like a sacrifice than others) and cry out for Him to do what only He can do. I pray that in doing so, you will see the Mighty One as perfect in beauty, shining forth in answer to your prayers. ~Jason

The Excellencies of Christ

"For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices Himself for man and puts Himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone."  

-John Stott

Awesome! We've been auditing a class on the "excellencies of Christ" and this quote was part of the session where we talked about the cross. I don't have much to say to expand on it, but I just wanted to share it with whoever is out there in "blogland"!!  ~Kara

The Call DC

On August 16th, 70,000 people gathered on the mall in Washington DC for twelve straight hours of prayer and fasting, asking God to forgive the sins of our nation and to send revival to America. It was not a day of finger pointing, but of humble soul searching and earnest repentance. I had the privilege to be a part of that historic day.

I had originally planned on not attending so as to save money and to be with my wife in this strange new city we had just transplanted ourselves to...though inwardly I had longed to attend ever since I heard that the event was happening last spring. On the Wednesday before, Kara (who could not attend due to a schedule conflict) made a comment that she would feel bad if she was the reason that I didn't attend. "Really?" I said. "You mean, you won't be resentful if I go?" - She assured me that she wouldn't be. "You should go, if you can find a ride." I spent that afternoon looking for anyone caravanning to DC from KC and before I knew it, I had rounded up 13 strangers and three cars ready to embark on an epic journey to our nation's capitol within a few hour's notice. [I give God all the credit for this, but it did confirm again a sense of calling to pioneer new things and a gifting to recruit folks into wacky adventures for God]. It was a crazy five day ride, full of divine appointments, miraculous provisions and hours and hours of bonding with new friends in cramped quarters. 

We arrived into DC the night before the Call and I stood in awe of the Athenian structures that spoke of the power that is wielded from this place. But the next day I was reminded that there is a hill that stands higher than Capitol Hill. That place of ultimate authority is spoken of in the scriptures as "the mountain of the Lord" , and the day is coming when Jesus, the King who is above every other king will establish true justice and peace on the earth once and for all. This king has such tender love for His people, the scriptures describe Him as our Bridegroom. And the Bible ends with the reminder that He will not be returning to Earth in a vacuum. No, the Bible tells us that he will return in response to the heartfelt cries of his Bride, the church: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!" (Revelation 22:17). It was in that spirit, that we cried out for the breaking in of the Kingdom of God in our nation's homes, schools, media and governments.

The event, [known as "the Call DC"] was spearheaded by Lou Engle who is now on staff at IHOP as of the last year. Lou hosted the first Call gathering in DC in 2000 with 400,000 in attendance. He has hosted other "solemn assemblies" (see Joel 2:12-17) around the nation including one I attended last summer in Nashville, Tennessee on 07-07-07. God has raised up this man to be a prophetic voice to our generation of the desperate need for the church to change the direction of our nation through prayer and fasting. His greatest passion is to see God send another Great Awakening to our nation but he believes that the issue of abortion is perhaps the biggest hindrance in our day to seeing this come to pass. 

I know that some of our friends out there can resonate with this position, while others are already bristling at the thought. Let me begin by saying that I know this is an emotional and deeply personal issue to many. Perhaps many of our friends have had an abortion or know someone who has, or simply resonate with the thought of having the right to choose to have an abortion. Before you proceed further, know that we love you and so does God. And before you feel condemned by my thoughts on this issue, know that God's forgiveness extends to you no matter what you've done in the past (1 John 1:9). But I cannot stay silent on this issue regardless of how politically incorrect it makes me. I believe that deep down we know that abortion is wrong. To take a stand for life is to speak up for those without a voice (Prov. 31:8). It is also an act of compassion for the mother's who are haunted by the choice to abort years after the fact. To say that life doesn't start at conception is a little too convenient. Dr. Suess had it right in the mantra of Horton Hears a Who: "A person is a person, no matter how small." I applaud both Rick Warren and John McCain for not wavering on this point (see YouTube for the interview that happened on the very day of the Call DC). The fact of the matter is that since Roe v. Wade in 1973, 50 million babies have been aborted in our nation. Every 22 seconds, someone chooses to kill another potential Martin Luther King Jr., Flannery O'Conner, or Abraham Lincoln. The problem I have with the pro-choice camp is that the child within has no choice in the matter. It grieves God because he knows the destiny he had dreamed over each child while they were in their mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-18). In fact, we are enraged when we hear about the genocide of 200,000 in Darfur or of six million in Nazi Germany. But the abortion of 50 million babies is a holocaust that makes World War II pale in comparison. I believe that like Abel's blood, their blood cries out from the ground (Genesis 4:10). And because God is just, we stand as a nation deserving judgment. But, praise God there is a blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel's (Hebrews 12:24). And when a nation is in crisis, when there is no human solution, God still has a holy remedy. It is found in Joel 2:12-17. It involves massive prayer and fasting. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land." 

That's just what we did. It was an exhausting day. But it was also exhilarating. I was moved to see so many, so hungry to see God do what only He can do. Watch for the Call coming to a city near you. The next one is planned for November 1st in San Diego. Don't let the testimony of Ezekiel's day be what is spoken about our generation:

"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." - Ezekiel 22:30. 

~Jason

Our new address

An update for our supporters 

(or anyone wanting to send us snail mail!)

Jason & Kara Kelly

4201 E. 115th St.

Kansas City, MO 64137

7 states in 2 days

We made it!! Monday morning we took off from Moscow, headed up to Spokane, drove through the top of Idaho's panhandle across Montana, down in to Wyoming and stopped for the night in South Dakota. The next day we saw the rest of South Dakota, a bit of Iowa and finally arrived in Missouri. Phew! We are tired but happy to be here. 

We are starting the process of getting settled and finding our way around. As we adjust and begin our adventures, we will keep you posted on all our happenings!

For more thrilling pictures of our 7 state tour, visit: www.picasaweb.google.com/karalynnkelly/7statesin2day

6 days till take off!

Sorry if there's anyone out in blogland that's actually been checking our blog for updates. We intend to update it more often once we have landed in Kansas City. We leave on Sunday for our roadtrip across the country!

Thanks to all for your prayers and support. Please pray that we would have safe travels and for our transition once we get to Missouri. It's pretty weird to be leaving Moscow and doesn't feel real at this point... but it will in about a week!

We're heading to IHOP!

And the countdown begins...

We're planning on moving August 4th. Until then we're doing all the fun stuff of moving: packing, finding housing, applying for jobs, meeting with supporters, planning a yard sale. Wahoo!

Keep an eye on our blog for updates on our adventure!