Starting IKTYS

Welcome to the very first newsletter in my journey to help co the path between those who don’t follow Jesus and those who do.

In this first newsletter you will be getting:

• Business update: The marketing plan (Please vote below)

• Music discovery: Eikon & Dâmares Gomes

• Bible Word of the day: Authority

Business Update:

The Marketing Plan Vote on the plan!

The idea behind IKTYS is pretty simple: creating something for those who follow Jesus and share their faith in a quiet, everyday way. It took a few rounds of thinking to land on the name IKTYS and starting with caps, but once I could clearly visualise it, I knew it passed the first big test.

Caps are something most people wear, and my theory is that there are plenty of people who’d love to signal their faith in a way that’s subtle—something that sparks curiosity rather than making people think, oh no, here comes the crazy Jesus person...

The branding follows the same spirit. Its minimalistic, quiet and yet strongly tied to Jesus. It’s also timely. The legend of the “Jesus fish” as a signal of safety in times of persecution is apt in a time when the world can seem so far away from wanting to follow Him.

The next big question is: Is this easy to market? Can I reach the people who would love this? That’s where you come in. If this speaks to you, I’d love for you to help spread the word. My job is to make it as easy (and fun) as possible for those who want to share it.

That’s why I’m leaning toward launching this with a Kickstarter. I’m not 100% sure it’s the right move, so I’d love to hear what you think in the poll below. Here’s my thought process:

Music Discovery

Hunger with Eikon, Dâmares Gomes

I love music. Over the years I have found that music connects with me deeply. But I don’t always find myself in the mood for the traditional “worship/Christian” style music. Don’t get me wrong, its great for certain times, but I want to find artists and music that are closer to the space that IKTYS seeks to fill. Music that people might never realise have ties to Jesus. Here is the first suggestion (no pressure Eikon and Dâmares).

“In my worst days, you call me beautiful”

• Has a lovely electronic beat to it, like a lighter "Daft Punk".

• The first 2 songs are the best, wait for the beat and I hope you like it.

• The album has 4 songs on it and some remixes.

• Although the lyrics are full of faith, the overall sound made the album seem so much like regular electronic music that I doubt most people would think of it as Christian music.

What do you think? Reply with your thoughts and if you have ANY recommendations I’d love to hear them!

(Bible) Word of the day:

Exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah) – Authority

Have you ever listened to Tim Mackie from The Bible Project? I just finished their Sermon on the Mount series—52 episodes breaking down Jesus’ most famous sermon, line by line, over an entire year. It’s incredible. In fact, if you haven’t gotten into it yet or knows someone who is interested, but not really keen on going to church I’d HIGHLY recommend this app / podcast and especially this series. Tim and John are so approachable, light hearted and full of cool knowledge.

In the final episode, one word really stood out to me: Exousia.

At its core, exousia means authority or power in the Bible, but its meaning runs deeper than just control or dominance.

This word appears over 100 times in the New Testament, but what I thought was really fascinating is that Jesus never explains His authority in terms of human hierarchy.

Unlike the religious leaders of His time, who leaned on tradition or titles, Jesus simply spoke and acted as if He had authority inherently. He never asked permission. He didn’t say, "By Rabbi so-and-so's authority, I teach this." He only pointed to His Father.

This was radical. It wasn’t just what He taught; it was how He taught—with an authority that didn’t need validation.

That’s why exousia isn’t just about power—it’s about trust and legitimacy. When people trust authority, they follow it. When they don’t, they resist it. Jesus’ authority was different because it wasn’t forced—it drew people in.

If you want to dive deeper, check out the Sermon on the Mount podcast series from The Bible Project. It took me two months to get through it in the car, but it was absolutely worth it.

If you did make it to the bottom, thanks 🙂