For most people in Kansas City, MO. St. Patrick's day is a big excuse to get hammered on green beer and act crazy down Grand Ave. in downtown KCMO. For me and about 500 other IHOPer's we spent it a little different. We marched down Grand Ave. dancing and singing praises to Jesus in a display of true "foolishness". It was a blast even though we were soaked to the bone form the cold rain and wind mix. Last year due to being on crutches I missed the St. Pat's outreach that IHOP puts on every year. This year I was determined to make it rain or shine.
The IHOP shuttles arrive at the parade sight a couple of hours early and unload around 500-600 IHOPer's. Using different methods, they evangelize the mounting crowds. I joined a prayer walking team and to escape the cold we decided to pray in the bars. We ordered coffee (w/o Bailey's which shocked the bartender) and engaged in "conversation prayer". Then as we "looked" for the bathrooms we prayer walked the bar. It was interesting but we knew that it mattered. Later that day we found out that a guy from IHOP "made an announcement" in a bar(preached for about 30 sec) until he was thrown out by the bouncers. Hey maybe that was our bar?
IHOP enters a huge float in the parade, that is shaped like a mountain, that one lucky young man gets to stand on top of and preach 30 second sermons in an Irish accent. The rest of us(about 500-600) all dance and sing behind the float waving streamers while an IHOP worship team plays "Hallelujah, Grace Like Rain". This year the rain washed out our plans for a sound system and we ended up having a drum circle with the voices making up the difference. A friend and myself lined up in the front and decided that we were going to give it our all. It was a blast and at the end of the day I was glad that for one day in the month of March 2008 I made a public declaration that I love Jesus to the City of Kansas City. We were a witness to a "wicked and perverse generation" that true joy and peace are found in only One. Check out my friends blog for some awesome pictures! http://blog.shelleypaulson.com/?p=223
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