(Skillet at the 2007 Icthus Festival)

I remember 1969 all too well.  I went to N.Y. to Fillmore East with my Methodist Youth Group and we saw Joe Cocker and the Jefferson Airplane.  The first CSN album had just gone on sale at Sam Goody’s. Then we went to New Hampshire, and decided to skip this little music festival down at Woodstock…… big mistake.    What was not a big mistake was Bob Lyon’s (former professor of NT at Asbury, pacificst, music lover, whom I was honored to succeed here)  response to  Woodstock.  He decided the Devil should not have all the good music, and so some 40 years ago now he started the first large Christian music festival—- named Ichthus which is both the Greek word for fish, and the anagram in Greek for ‘Insous Christos, theos uios soter or Jesus Christ son of God Savior.’  It’s been a long journey for this festival as Christian music has evolved over the dedades from being Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Larry Norman, Phil Keaggy and a few others, to being major acts who chart on Billboard’s hot one hundred as well as on the CCM charts. 

Tonight for instance the headlines in Wilmore are Toby Mac and the Newsboy.   Still to come on subsequent days Skillet, Switchfoot, Phil Keaggy, Reliant K, Sanctus Real, etc.  You get the picture.  The heavy guns are showing up this time (thanks economic downturn for giving some of these acts a reality check), and then there is a plethora of  alternative, indie rock etc. bands playing on various of the smaller stages.  And there are various speakers here as well, including surprisingly—- Dave Ramsay  (‘now teens, here is how you can better invest your twitter money……’).  A good time will be had by all, and it appears Icthus may well break some records in attendance this week, which would certainly help the old bottom line.

Bob Lyon could not have forseen how high tech this Christian festival would get,  nor would he have imagined 2,000 volunteers trying to help some 30,000 or so people. In various ways, Ichthus is not just another festival, not least because it involves worship and teaching and all kinds of family events.  Its more like the Cane Ridge Revival of the early 19th century—– ‘pack up the babies and grab the old ladies, cause every one knows, and everyone goes to Brother Love’s traveling salvation show’ (to borrow a phrase from Neil Diamond).  It is one part celebration, one part exhortation, one part jubilation,  one part carnival, one part catharsis, and shoot—- you get to lose weight as well (as long as you don’t eat too many funnel cakes) as it is HOT out there is camping land at Ichthus.  By evening everyone is a sweaty mass of good vibrations and excitations.

My friend Jeff James is the head of this here rodeo, and I will be going out to join and support him this evening when Toby Mac and Co. are heading up this shindig.  Ya’ll should come too, not least because Jesus always shows up, and enjoys the whole deal, and so will you.  Check it all out at http://www.ichthusfestival.org/.