Annual Ichthus Awards

Just got back yesterday from the Ichthus Music Festival in Wilmore, KY...took my youth group again this year, 12 students and 5 leaders total...we had a great weekend, judging from the grades that everyone gave the weekend...now here are my own random awards from Ichthus 2005:

Needs Less Caffeine Award
This one goes to the drummer for Mute Math...when he came out on the stage with his headphones duct taped - literally - to his head, I thought, "Here's another one of those rocker-types doing something weird to make a name for himself."...boy, was I wrong!...the dude never stopped moving, to the point that I thought his head - with the headphones attached - was going to fall off...the lead singer was pretty energetic, too, but nothing compared to this guy...after watching Mute Math play, all the other drummers looked pretty boring...

Sybil Award
This award goes to the one that shows the most sides to his/her personality (see the IMDB listing for the movie Sybil)...easily, this goes to the weather...we were expecting rain the entire weekend, as we got last year causing a ridiculous amount of mud...instead, we ran the gamut...it was nice on Thursday and most of Friday...then Friday night, severe storms and tornado warnings blew in, forcing us to run for our lives...then Saturday, it was windy and cold and it eventually snowed...I think Jordan put it best: "This is the first time in my life that I have gotten a sunburn, run from a tornado, and been snowed on in three days."...how true...

Jughead Award
Has to go to Trevor...I knew he had never been to Ichthus before, so I asked him, "Have you ever been to a festival before?"...to which he replied, "A peach festival."...I almost dope-slapped him right then and there in Wendy's, but I was laughing too hard...

Jughead Award Runner-Up
Has to be Jordan...a group was playing Catch Phrase...the word was "honey"...the clue given was, "What is sticky and inside a bear?"...he replied with, "Gummi? (as in Gummi Bears)...dope-slap...

Overcoming Fear Award
Studies show that public speaking is always at the top of people's worst fears...there were several people who showed that this fear can be overcome...Duffy Robbins was great and very funny as he spoke about taking the leap for Jesus...Mike Breaux from Willow Creek was my personal favorite as he spoke about saying, "Whatever and Wherever" to God and making ripples in the world...but the award goes to Adrian Despres as he really shook the worlds of a lot of the people in the crowd - including some that came with us - as he challenged them to sit in the first seat, the seat of being sold-out for Jesus...

Making Us Feel Like Family Award
This one is a tie: Fran and Nina...they let us invade their homes and stay with them this weekend, going against every possible common sense that they might have had...thanks big time Fran and Niner!...

I Think I'm Going To Puke Award
This year, it's not going to Hannah...she steered clear of Fazoli's, thank goodness...she still got a little sickly, but nothing compared to last year...this year, the award goes to GattiTown...where else can you eat enormous quantities of pizza and then spin in circles on the bumper cars?...pretty fun...

What Were They Thinking Award
Michael W. Smith as the festival closer...come on!...is it still the late 80s/early 90s, or is it 2005?!?...heck, two of our students had no idea who he was!...I know I didn't go see him, but I'm pretty sure they could have done better...actually, most of Saturday's lineup was pretty weak...that's why we went to GattiTown...

They Didn't Gargle With Thumb Tacks Award
Many of the artists at Ichthus are know for their screaming: Pillar, Kutless, Thousand Foot Krutch, Skillet, etc...for a vocal purist, it must have been painful...but then along came Saturday afternoon, which featured Watermark and Selah...very smooth vocals with great harmonies...they brought some nice balance to the festival...

Put Him On The Board Of Trustees Award
We took a tour of Asbury College on Friday before heading over for the shows...Drake could have done the tour...he had most of the answers for any question brought up on the tour, including some that the tour guide didn't know...I think he knows where he's going when he graduates...

Colgate Poster Child Award
Peter Furler of the Newsboys had the most unique singing style...it was like he just got hired to promote Colgate's latest whitening toothpaste...he sang the entire show through his teeth, like he was some kind of creepy ventriloquist...I just wish he had some chunk of parsley stuck in his teeth...now that would have been funny...

Show Of The Year Award
I have to go with Mute Math...I know most of our students will get upset with me over this pick, as they all seem to drool all over themselves about Relient K...but their show was pretty normal compared to the originality and energy that Mute Math displayed...maybe next year they'll be on main stage...

We Missed You Award
Definitely goes to tobyMac...no one in Christian music puts on a show like him, so we were all quite excited about seeing him on Friday night...sadly, thanks to the severe weather, his show was cancelled...I want a refund!...

I think that's quite enough awards for this year...overall, we had a great time...if you missed it this year, make sure you save up the days you can miss from school for the festival next year...

Pray for J.

The coolest thing happened to me the other day...I was in the middle of my Saturday morning ritual: eating donuts and drinking coffee while reading at the local donut shop...one of the girls that works there - we'll call her J. - approached me and asked if she could interrupt me...I told her to go ahead and have a seat, which she did...she said, "I know I don't know you very well, but I can tell you are a strong Christian, so I want to know if you would pray for me."...that about blew me away!...I don't know that anyone has come up to me, relatively out of the blue, and told me that they could tell I was a Christian, let alone a strong Christian...I feel pretty humbled by that...anyway, to continue with the story, J. filled me in on a lot of crud that she is having to deal with right now, which I won't get into...I told her I would pray for her and check in with her in 2 weeks (I won't be at the donut shop next week, as I'll be at Ichthus)...so if you are reading this and are the praying sort of person, please pray for J....she could use it...

My Kids Are Cooler Than Yours

I only have a few minutes before I have to head out the door for D-Group...last night at Splash - our junior high program - I told the utes how much I liked them...I really think they are cool, along with our senior highers...seriously...I love being able to work with them and just hanging out with them...after Splash, I was outside with them waiting for their parents to come pick them up and Brianne and Toni were acting completely ridiculous, like they had injected Mello Yello directly into their veins...it was hilarious!...my face hurt from laughing and smiling...and on Sunday, our senior highers did such a great job giving their input about the future of our youth ministry...I have the best job, and the coolest kids...yes, they're cooler than yours...

I Sorta' Know What He Feels Like

I don't know how many times I have heard - or taught on - the story of the Prodigal Son...if you are unfamiliar with it, it is about a man who had two sons...one day, the younger of the sons tells his father, "I wish you were dead! I want my inheritance."...the father concedes and gives him his share of the money...it doesn't take long before the son has bottomed out, spending all of the money on wild, sinful living...he decides that he needs to go home and apologize to his father and ask him if he can live as one of his servants...when he does, the father does something surprising...instead of punishing the son or making him apologize, he runs to him (he was looking for him), throws his arms around him, and throws him a huge party...his son, presumed lost and dead was now found and alive!...the father didn't care about all of the things his son might have done to waste the money and destroy his life...the only thing that mattered right now was celebrating the return of his son...

My dog ran away yesterday...Marcy and I were exhausted from a weekend with family and not much sleep...I was pretty excited about sitting in the recliner for a couple of hours between the SIMY meeting I had that ended at 3pm and the Vision Parties that I needed to be at by 6:30pm...as I was drifting off to sleepyland, I was startled awake by Marcy's voice: "Mike, Attie's gone!"...I had put her on the leash in the yard, and apparently she saw something that caught her eye because her collar was still attached to the leash and broken...we ran around the house calling for her...I then ran to the garage and got on my bike while Marcy got in my car and we began the search...I rode around calling her name trying to figure out where she might have gone...I asked every person I came across if they had seen her...some had, and they helped to narrow down our search area...finally, I saw Marcy walking across a field pointing in the direction that she saw Attie...I rode across the field, and when I got near the train tracks, I dropped my bike and began running...then I saw her!...I would have run to her, but I didn't want to scare her...so I called her name, and she stopped and looked at me...then when she recognized my voice and my face, she came running across the jagged rocks...she reached me and buried her head under my legs...I had no thought about punishing her or yelling at her...I was too overjoyed that we had found her...she had been lost, out on some great adventure, while I - and Marcy - was frantically searching for her, wanting her to come home...when at last we found her, the joy far overwhelmed any anger or disappointment that potentially could have been there...my dog was lost and dead, but now she is found and alive!...

I sorta' know what the dad felt like now...