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That is what every MC and all bands seemed to yell to get a cheer from the crowd in Wilmore, Kentucky for Ichthus’ 40th Anniversary Festival.

 

pictured: DP praying with people after a break-out session

They so graciously allowed us (Dave, Tara and Hunter, Tredessa, Luke and his wife and son, and Kyle and myself, along with the techno kings) to attend, hang out backstage and ask questions of their leadership.  Their generous sharing of insight and wisdom is a priceless blessing to us.

pictured: Dess and Hunter and me; TP + DP; Tre and her “birthday man”; Hunter and Kyle.

Kentucky was wet, very wet…and muddy (we don’t get much mud here), but very lush and beautiful, too.  There is great community there and really good food!  I had lunch across the table from Shane Claiborne, and just a few tables away from Delirious  (although Dave and Tara actually got to “hang” with Martin Smith while Hunter played games on Martin’s phone), enjoyed some awesome worship at the New Song Cafe with Brenton Brown.  Skillet did a killer show (pictured below, right).  Israel Houghton is the all-new Andrae, incredible show and back-up dancer/singers!  Seriously, when I get to heaven, I better be able to dance like that!

One of the great highlights was Kyle and me facing backwards in the golf cart (Tre was riding shotgun) hanging on for dear life while Alpha-2 madly drove the hills explaining security measures to us.  Everyone he busted gave Kyle and me the looks.  It was like an hour on your favorite carnival ride.  Hilarious!

pictured: Tim, John and Dj DC (the rest of our Coloradan constituency) at the techno stage where the party continued until the wee hours…; Dave and Tara and Hunter with Jenn, Stevie (youth pastors at the big Alliance church in Lexington, where DP & TP did ministry on Sunday morning following Ichthus) and their daughter

And unless we end up promoting Delirious in October here in Colorado (which is still on the possibility-table), I got to see them perform as a band for my very last time and they are just.so.stinking.cool.  I L O V E Delirious!  They changed everything in the mid-90s, everything!  They were the final main stage show, a great end to a great festival.  I felt very hippie-ish and Jesus-people-early-70′s-ish.  (I wrote about Explo ’72 last summer) I was that sweaty and dirty, too.

We stayed in a town home on the Asbury campus and daily passed this house with a “garden” in the gutters.  My hair was fuzzy-crap the entire time.  Hunter ran himself (and maybe his mommy) totally ragged.  We celebrated Tredessa’s birthday there, walked a lot, slept little, ate lots of funnel cakes and onion blossoms and had a pretty great time, all in all.

Our thanks to the kindness and hospitality of Jeff James and everybody at Ichthus.  We have so much gratitude for getting to learn from the best!

It was family-party-celebration-time for Dave (DP) as soon as we got home Ichthus Festival in Kentucky. 

He L-O-V-E-S sushi like crazy!  But not everyone in the family has been wooed to the sushi-side.  So, we got sushi for the fishy of us and then made a bunch of other sushi-looking stuff (very odd combinations! ~ turkey and cheese wraps, tortilla roll-ups, egg rolls cut, etc) and made everyone eat them with chopsticks, wasabi peas and dipping sauces!  Throw in some Asian BBQ pork spare ribs and voila!  The weirdest meal we may ever have had.  All in Dave’s honor.

Yeah, we are that bourgeois.

His “cake,” instead of his traditonal Rice Krispie Treats with a side of Peachie rings each year (that is DP, for ya!),  was a giant chocolate chip cookie along with a super-fresh batch of niece-Elise’s incredible chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.  Can you count all 28 crazy candles?

Dave and Tara.  See those kind faces?  It’s because they really are.  Hunter and Gavin and the chopsticks.  See those ornery faces?  They are that and my heart-fillers, too!

Whew!  We have just completed  9 family birthdays in less than 3 months.  We have a slight reprieve until late July and then we crank up again for the fall season!  But how can I not mark the dates and celebrate these people?  I praise God for them!  O yes, I do!