Toys Toys Toys

None of you care, but I do....

I sold all my guitar gear, except my guitars! Well most of it anyway. I was getting tired of hauling this huge wood pedalboard around. As much as I liked my setup, and was dialing it in, it was becomging difficult to use.

As friend, widely considered by this friend to be the "Eric Clapton" of IHOP-KC, helped me through something I had always struggled with; namely using the old school, MAGNETIC PICKUPS on my hyper expensive, custom guitar.

You know what these are, most every electric guitar has them. However, I never used them. I used the digital pickups secretly installed, and controlled synthesizers and "modeled" guitars and amplifiers. For the last several years, I used these pretty much all the time. And when I tried to use my own normal magnetic pickups, it sounded awful.

Then I took my guitar to Guitar Hell----I mean Center. I plaed it through the next generation of my gear, as well as through a normal old electric guitar amp.

What a difference! Even though this amp was a little beat up etc... the sound was sweet and rich. So then I took it over to Claptons house, and played it through his super cool and expensive amp. Wow. Then Mr Clapton played it! LOL. Then I realized what I was missing. Mostly talent and skill, but also real electric guitar tone!

So I realized it is probably time to update. But how? Then Mr friend says "Check out this stuff". I demoed it, and Im sold.

Then I checked out the synth they offer. Native Instruments makes what seems to be the industry standard Sampler and Synths. A Sampler is essentially a toolt hat plays back samples of sounds. And the samples are insane. There is over 50 GB of samples. Just to give you an idea, I have a flute sound. Each note is "sampled" 8 times, at different dynamics, or volumes. This sound is so realistic that as I change volume and aatack, the tone of the flute changes. When I play soft, you can actually hear the air and the click of the keys. As I play harder, the flute gets more sharp and bright.

There are tons of insturments, sampled Grand pianos, somuch stuff.

The synths that come with this are too wild. There is 11 different ones, so modeled after classic analog synths, and some wild digital stuff that IC ant even explain. Think The Matrix movies, because they were made using the same synth.

Then I have Hammond B3 organs that are so realistic, and a drum sampler that is far beyond what I ever thought to get.

This all adds up to an incredible palatte of sounds, that are far more realisitic and at a level of quality that is far out of my league. This is going to be very fun.

However, after selling most of my stuff, Im finding that I might not have scaled my set up down. Although I have a laptop, I also have a foot controller, and a midi converter, along with an external hard drive! SO I might have made a bigger mess, but I do have an awesome setup,a nd I will work on simplifying it.

All this just to play for intercessors! LOL. I cannot wait to get out into the regular world as well.

A strange Sense of Gravity

I found out Sunday that there is a meeting for all musicians cleared to be on teams here at IHOP. Every month they have a meeting on the second Monday for the musicians and "worship leaders". Every even month all musicians attend.

When I got there, I had a strange sense. I didn't expect it. I looked around the room, and I realized that this whole machine of IHOP/FOTB, as big as it is, was really only staffed by a couple hundred musicians. That may sound like a lot, but if you look at 2 prayer rooms, and almost constant 24 hour sets (JPR isnt always 24 hr), broadcast all over the world, you realize how much is getting done with far less than it seems.

Then I also had another interesting sense. I began to realize, I was a part of this. Albeit in a very small, almost insignificant way. I play on a few teams, but I play electric guitar primarily. If I dont play, it really doesnt change anyones experience of the music.

But the point was, Im in a room full of people, who have about the only 24 hour, mature, and focused prayer room I know about. And there is a tremendous prophetic history to this. And my personal history is tied event wise to this. Lou Engle spoke about having significant events in his life occurring at the same time that events were happening at IHOP. I have several scenarios like that I have come ot realize since we have been here.

Im actually a part of something, and it is a pretty cool something. It is significant, and helps people all over the world. It has a history, and a prophetic future that is integral to the work of the Kingdom. How did I get here?

And then I began to realize how comfortable I am with leadership here. This is the first time I know of personally, where I can look right at people who are leaders, and see the elements of leadership and servanthood God has described and related to me over the last 7-8 years. Im actually very comfortable with claims and directions and actions taken by the people here. It really doesn't have that sick and twisted element that communities I have been involved with before have had.

There is an ongoing self critique of leadership style and content, doing everything possible to make sure it is about God, not us. On every level. From the way things are set in vision, tot he way correction is handled, to the way ministry is conducted.

I especially like the emphasis on not adding anything to the work of Holy Spirit. Staying out of the way as much as possible, and keeping theatrics and "signature" exhibitions of charismatic behavior out of day to day ministry. I love a good old Holy Spirit swamping, but I also feel comfortable knowing Im free not to draw any attention,a nd my goal tis to help someone be as focused on God as possible, staying out of the way. Mike said it very well "We just dont want anyone doing anything that could, in anyway, draw attention or intrigue to ourselves. We dont need to do anything to demonstrate how special we are during ministry to someone. We need ot be people who ALREADY KNOW HOW SPECIAL WE ARE, and because of that, dont have to exaggerate or distract. "

That isnt his exact quite, but it was very similar.

Im really blessed. Danie and I have talked about this a lot. We both feel so comfortable being here, and a part of this community. The way God leads here, via people as well as His own direct communication, is so helpful, and so easy. The goals and objectives are consistent with what we believe and understand. The openness to Holy Spirit, as well as the call to personal integrity is wonderful.

I cannot believe Im a part of this. All I can do is say thank you to so many, who have spent so much of themselves, to provide me with such opportunity. And I might never get to.

My thoughts on Florida/Lakeland

We are here in Florida for the last night. We have had the opportunity to go for 3 nights and 1 day service here in lakeland. It has been interesting, and progressively powerful.

The reality is, I agree with a few other people I know in that the experience has all the earmarks of being truly a move of God, coming through human vessels. And the humanity seems to be the biggest stumbling block for me, but doesnt seem to be any problem for most other folks.

For instance, there is a lot of talk about "not being religious". However, there is so much religious rhetoric it is silly. Last night, there was a 10 year old boy who was brough up on stage, and he was aksed " Do you love Jesus" to which he replied "Yes", and then "Do you love the anoiniting" to which he replied "No" and stunned a few people. However, when the term was explained, he replied "Yes"

There is so much culture in this, but in reality there is so much in my everyday experience. Just being at IHOP requires a handbook for terms (Literally. In the Harp and Bowl handbook there is a glossary of terms and phrases that are so common people outside the bubble need help).

But this has really forced me to look past my own religiosity. I have to make a concerted effort to come against it. This is small thin. It has revealed how much effort I spend in trying to get things ordered in my own mind, which is very quirky and suprisingly eccentric.

It took me 3 nights to warm up. Only by last night did I actually experience a significant connection.

Our first day Israel and I wentforward for prayer, and a guy essentially thumped me on the head, and moved on. I didnt feel a thing. All intensity, and no anointing I have no clue, but I have to assume I am far more responsible for that than anyone else in the equation.

The second nioght, during the music, I sensed a strong anointing come in for a time, and I actually had faith. To the point Ic ould easily have prayed for anyone sick and beleived. I dont know if that would have healed them, but I had faith.

The 3rd night, I began to drink it all in. Ithas been some time since I have done that. There was a child in a stroller next to us. I did not realize she was in need of healing. After a poit when I realized she needed healing, I looked at her. And a wave of what can only be called compassion hit me very deeply. It hit me, and I realized I had faith for her to be healed. Then it hit me. I have had so much impartation over the last few weeks, yet have not been healed. But at that point I felt something happen.

The little girls ended up suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, meaning essentially her muscles are not developing properly, and she cannot stand at all. As I looked up, her mother and her aunt were helping support her as she was beginning to stand. Her feet were actually pushing against her seat, and they were both crying.

They ended up going forward to the front to soak etc... and I went up with Israel later. More on that in the next post.


The point is, there is much going on, and there is much humanity trying to interpret it. There is lots of hype, I feel confident. However I realize more than ever how much hype there is to all of us. We just do it in different ways. The hype in this case is simply people being very excited, and wanting so badly for something so significant come out. Todd Bently is definitely in his element, and he is being as faithful as possible. I beleive he is earnest, and very much doing everything he can to invite, sustain, and nurture anything that he can to continue. I dont agree with where he is trying to head with all this, but I respect him, and beleiv he is called ot this far more than I ever am. YOu dont see me up there with that kind of faith, leading and marshalling the rsourcesneeded to allow thousands of people to visit nightly. And MUCH to his credit, he does not take offerings on TV except for 2 nights a week. The rest of the time, he takes it far too late for any business minded person to agree with, after most of his offerings are walked out.

Im looking forward to Kansas City getting hit with this. Im wondering what it will be like, and how IHOP will respond. I feel more at peace and more connected to the model of ministry IHOP intend now than ever. As conservative as it may seem, it is far more radical, and has far mroe room for full exdpression than people realize, while at the same tim removing every block to hype and exhibitionism humanly possible. I hope IHOP gets touched with this.