IHOP-KC Staff Interview – Audra Hartke
Nate: How long have you been at IHOP–KC, what drew you here, and how did you get involved with the prayer room?
Audra: I came here seven years ago in January of 2003. So, I think that makes exactly seven years. I moved here originally with my family; I was eighteen and my brother was fifteen. The Lord had actually spoken to me a year before I even found out about IHOP–KC and said that I was going to move to Kansas. He said Kansas, and I was mad at first because I liked my home in Seattle, Washington. Then my mom and I came for a conference, and we felt that we were to move.
Nate: So you moved here with your entire family?
Audra: Yeah, we came as an entire family.
Nate: So how did you get involved initially? How did you even hear about IHOP–KC?
Audra: Well, it was at a harp and bowl conference. That was the first time I had heard anything. I was going to come and do the One Thing Internship, but when my parents decided to move I just decided to do Intro to IHOP–KC with them and jump on staff.
Nate: So you moved here as a family and then you all did an internship together!
Audra: Yeah, we all did Intro together, then joined staff right away. My parents joined the NightWatch staff, and I was in the mornings for about two months. Then I started doing the NightWatch.
Nate: How long did you do the NightWatch?
Audra: For four years.
Nate: Tell me a little about that. It is such a huge part of the house of prayer that not a whole lot of people know anything about. Just give me a couple points of what you learned in your four years doing the NightWatch and what you loved about it.
Audra: First off, I learned the absolute necessity of community in the NightWatch setting. You’ve got to have community with people, even more so than in any other part of the house of prayer; otherwise you fall to pieces. You lose touch with reality because it is so challenging. I mean it’s really good. Spiritually though, it’s a sifting.
Nate: Because it’s contrary to everything you’ve ever known?
Audra: Yeah. For me though, I was always naturally a night person. So the actual night schedule was always easy for me. Most people struggle with the physical demands of staying up all night on a consistent basis. I was fine.
Nate: So, did you feel like there was a special grace from the Lord to do the NightWatch for that long?
Audra: Yes, because I knew that’s where the Lord had me. There were many times I wanted to leave because it was hard, but I knew the Lord had me there and I stayed with it until He released me. For some people it’s not that clear, but I absolutely had a lot of grace!
Nate: Did you start worship leading on the NightWatch?
Audra: I did. I was on Clay Edwards’ team. I was on his team the whole four years and started leading about three years after being on his team.
Nate: So, you started as a singer, right?
Audra: Yes, I started as a singer and then eventually became his associate worship leader.
Nate: Did you just stumble into worship leading, or was this something that you always wanted to do?
Audra: I’ve actually been leading worship since I was sixteen. I’ve been singing at churches since I was little. My mom was a worship leader.
Nate: Did you learn a lot from her?
Audra: If there was anything my parents were mostly concerned about, it was that we would understand spiritual gifts. My mother didn’t necessarily teach me musically, but she gave me some basic pointers on my guitar, and when I had questions she would show me. But, I learned my instrument a lot by myself. With singing, she pointed me in the right direction. She was great at giving us direction and helping us while also letting us learn for ourselves. I liked that.
Nate: So she kind of gave you vision and values?
Audra: Yes, and she really imparted confidence to me from the beginning. She was always really good about encouraging me with my voice, even when I was only three and couldn’t even really sing yet. She would always say, “You have such a pretty voice!” It gave me such confidence that I was a good singer and that I was called to be a singer. She was really good at making sure I understood what goes with that, the prophetic and spiritual gifts. It was really encouraging.
Nate: When you started worship leading—taking a trip down memory lane here—when you were first learning to lead, what were some of the biggest challenges that you came up against? How did you overcome those challenges?
Audra: First of all, I didn’t feel like I was skilled enough on my instrument. I wasn’t very confident, but that just takes diligence and practice. I wasn’t confident in knowing what I was doing. So just becoming skilled on my instrument and being confident in what I was doing was a challenge. Also, it was challenging to not be timid when I was feeling the Holy Spirit’s direction. It was hard to actually learn to trust that whisper. That has taken years, and I’m still learning this one.
Nate: What are you studying right now in the Word, and what are you feeding your spirit on?
Audra: Right now I’m primarily meditating and studying Psalm 30. It’s been food for my soul because at the beginning of it there’s a threefold deliverance that David talks about. He discusses how the Lord heals his soul, then his body, and then delivers his spirit, which is similar to what we are seeing here at the awakening. It’s just happening over and over again. I’m also doing this passage as my worship with the Word outline. So, we do that first part then it goes into “We praise you, oh Lord, because you have delivered us.” Then the next part talks about the Lord’s faithfulness with, “I trust you Lord, I know that you have delivered me.” David says, “You’ve made my mountain stand strong!” Then he says, “You’ve hid your face from me and I despaired.” Right in the same verse he says two different things. I think, “Where are you going with this, David?” But the other day I totally understood where he was coming from because one minute I feel so elated by the Spirit and then the next minute I feel so far from God. Then, the next part is, “You’ve taken my mourning and turned it into dancing; you’ve taken away my spirit of heaviness.” The end is my very favorite. David says, “Lord, I will sing your praise and will not be silent!” The whole point of the whole thing is that every ounce of glory that He has given me in this life is to reflect God and His praise because I’m so elated by what He’s done in my life!
Nate: Do you think part of what David is saying in the reality of the ebb and flow is that he is holding his confession even in the midst of trials?
Audra: Yes, because we were made to exalt God, and this is our confession despite how we feel.
Nate: That’s really good. Last question, your next CD! When? Where? Why? How? Give me all the good stuff.
Audra: I don’t know when yet.
Nate: Are you currently working on stuff?
Audra: I am looking into it. I’m in communication with some people, but we are still brainstorming.
Nate: What about the style? Is it going to be similar to what you’ve done before, or are you going to be shifting gears?
Audra: My style is definitely more “straight up rock” and I love doing it, but with the combination of musicians that I’ve had in the past it tends to come out sounding really eclectic with a little gospel in there (laughing).
Nate: I love the gospel stuff, by the way.
Audra: Yeah, and that’s more where I want to go for the next one. Way more folk, way more acoustic. Not as much electric. I want a lot more strings, cello, hammer dulcimer. I just want to bring it more to a “grass roots” style.
Nate: Thank you so much for your time and insights.
