I am wondering what has been your most memorial experience while performing a Gospel Magic presentation?

If you have a very interesting story to share, let's read all about it

I've been involved in the AWANA program for close to 20 years and involved in magic for close to 15 years. I don't have the gift of teaching, so I never taught a bible lesson in AWANA until about 5 years ago. Up until 5 years ago I was a helper in AWANA, listening to 3rd and 4th grade boys say their bible verses. Then one day, the regular bible teacher for AWANA was sick and his fill-in was also sick, so they asked me if I could fill in. I told them I would. I performed the "peanut butter and jelly" effect telling the kids how Jesus traded places with us.

Then I gave the invitation and asked if anyone wanted to accept Jesus to be their personal Lord and Savior, to see me after class. This boy came up to me after class and said he wanted to receive Jesus. I explained to him the way of salvation and he accepted Christ that night. The very next year in AWANA I started teaching the bible lesson every other week and have been ever since.

Reading you post, I believe that God planned a "sick out" to give you the opportunity to teach the class because he thought you were ready to move forward and teach the word, reaching children in your own special way.

AWANA is a wonderful children's program; When I'm traveling and am able to attend a local church on a Sunday morning, in my search for a church to attend, I always look for a church that provides an AWANA program.

I must say that the use of PB&J for the presentation of the Gospel is the best use of the illusion that I have ever heard of.

Thanks for sharing....

You are absolutely correct about the "sick out" Howie Diddot. I was way out of my comfort zone when I taught that lesson. I was sweating like a pig. I had to rely totally on God and not myself. But I know now that was all God's plan and timing to get me to teach.

My home church, Grace Community Church in Sun valley California was where I taught Sunday School many years ago.

It was before I was a magician and I remember the pressure I felt teaching the word to children and making sure I was very exact with the interpretation of the Bible; at that time I had no method of making it fun; now that I have magic to assist, I am enjoying Gospel teaching.

Lots of neat things have happened in my Gospel Magic life including: ***Performing at the prison in Grenada with OM/Logos II and at the prison in Bermuda with MagicBob & SuZie *** Working the entire summer of 1971 with John de Vries, then President of the FCM *** Being awarded a life time membership in the FCM by President Del Wilson at the American Museum of Magic *** Being a part with many others setting up the videos for www.ChristianMagician.org *** Being able to see live Bill Baker, Jimmy Lake, John de Vries and many others at the Winona Lake FCM conventions in Warsaw, Indiana *** Being able to shop for a tie with the late great Kif Anderson of Oz and Wilde *** Buying lots of stuff from Duane Laflin over the years and putting it to good use in my wife's kids Sunday School class *** Going to a late night dinner with Andre' Kole and his crew after his show at Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo *** Barry Mitchell telling me he liked my "Beverly Hillbillies" routine with the caterpillar to butterfly silks *** The joy of knowing so many in the FCM- wonderful folks like Sheldon Rhodes, Randy Craven, Leo Peters, Steve Varro, the late Jack Alexander and so many more!

MagicBus,

I really enjoyed watching all the videos on www.ChristianMagician.org and it's a great resource website and was wondering if you are going to make any other videos in the near future. I'm sure it takes a long time and countless hours getting everyone together to make the shoot.

Tom

I am also a BIG fan of those vids!

First, I am not a Gospel Magician. When I became Born Again in 1977, a Baptist church near Rumford Maine, asked me to entertain the kids downstairs during service. It was very successful, and I was invited back. The last time I was there, the pastor asked if I could perform something for the congregation upstairs.

I did The Zombie! Big mistake. A lady near the front freaked. "Satan! SA-TAN! Eeeeek! Gotta get out. NOOOO! Satan! It is SATAN!!!" She tripped and fell scrambling for the exit and crawled out the door! Needless to say, I was never invited back!

That sure was memorable! LOL! I've never performed in a church since!

Not what you expected, I guess?

Doug

Mine would include moments far from the spotlight...

Such as a park event, where before going on I noticed a man off by himself. He had "been asked" to not hang out by the port a potties, as he was found sleeping in one.

No puppets, no magic, no music, just me Listening.



On stage I remember asking one of my puppets if he was going to dance(Like David).
Nigel replied not with THESE LEGS.
looking around the church audience, until "he' saw my wife, he quipped...
NOW ANNIE, she has THE LEGS.

It was our home church and the audience roared.., while Annie slowly disappeared into the pew. A friend of ours and Annie were laughing so much they started crying. It was a true adlib.

Laughter is good medicine...and I still use the theme Spiritual Wellness through laughter(included in the Physical, Mental and Spiritual series) in some of my Dr. Laugh programs.

love and prayers

I am so far behind on editing more video footage, just my fault completely.

We filmed more than a year ago before a live audience at Lighthouse Community Church in Kalamazoo about 1.5 hours more of brand new Gospel magic, puppet and storytelling stuff. It was fun!

We (our church) also has a brand new pastor as of last Sunday who already is a supporter of Gospel magic -- as he knew a Gospel magician previously that he had a good experience with for a youth program he was putting on. A previous good impression was made on him regarding what we do, I do not even know who that magician was.

So I am going to film him (Doug) in the next few weeks doing some new intros for the next series of "Magic With A Message" video programs. Our new pastor's name is Doug Swink (our last pastor was Mark Swank- who we all loved- but went on to take a national denominational front office missions position), so Lighthouse has gone from Pastor Swank to Pastor Swink. What are the odds of that? www.Lighthouseon11th.com Our big joke now is that our next new pastor years from now will be Pastor Swunk.

Doug Swink was a national speaker for the last decade with the "Winning at Home" ministry, we are thrilled he is our next pastor. Some of his sermons are on youtube, he is a real Spirit filled dynamo, fasten our seat belts time!

So in short, I hope to have at least one more program ready for our local tv station in the next month or so, and then MagicBob will post it onto the www.ChristianMagician.org site. This latest video will feature amongst others MagicBob, chalk art by SuZie, the "Bible Blabbers" puppet team, magician Alan Kazam, artist Carol Clark, and yours truly.

It takes me forever to edit even a single program, more than an hour or more of work for every 5 minutes produced. Ugh...

Oh, that chalk art by SuZie ROCKS! One of my favorites!

Doug

As a musician it is kinda magical to be part of a Worship service.
Back in my early Rock and Roll days, I was full of myself and
E.
G.
O.


Recently I started working with a band that shares music at our Cities Homeless shelter Mission.
In between songs I sometimes share Gospel Illusions.
EGO = Edging God Out.

Music and Magic has a new meaning to the New me.
One doesn't put on that old suit over his/her new clothes.

Love and prayers
Brother Harris

Well said above Harris.

DID A PROGRAM AT A REGULAR Sun.. MORNING SERVICE FOR A Methodist Church a few years ago- the Pastor gave his regular sermon -etc- after the service the Pastor told me he wasn"t feeling well and wish he knew befor hand how my program was to be - he said he would of let me have the WHOLE servic time - - after another program for a Presp. Group of Sr.s the Pastor rushes up and gave me a great big hug - scared me for a minute - I guess they all liked the programs -/this reminds me -made up a parable??- " if they and I liked the Program - its like eating a delicious pc of cake - if anyone come up and compliments me - its frosting - a good cake doesn't need frosting but its ok as long as its not deeply expected, as too much frosting can make you FAT (headed). Cake is good enough. from the crazy ol Man - Blessings to all-- Ralph(russo)Rousseau

Recently did a program for over 5,000 kids (at one time) in Kenya. It was a truly memorable moment as we invited kids to respond to the message of the Gospel. The closing effect was using a fold flat production box that I built so I could bring it overseas. Every silk that was pulled from it, got an oooh... an ahhh... and a gasp with lots of smiles.

Click here to view attached image.

5,000 kids at one time...YIKES...a very loud show

Did you have the five loaves and two fish with you?

HA - no loaves or fish - I did have a good mic so I could be heard however

A few weeks ago as I started to share the mic went out.

I looked at the mic, then the congregation and slowly said
God Grant Me The Serenity.....

Just because the mic works before service doesn't mean they will continue to work.

Performing gospel magic. Once, outside a store, a guy asked me for some money. He didn't look like a drunk, or a homeless person, but he looked like me once; broken, broke and hopeless. I did that bill roll trick where one bill starts out on top and ends up on the bottom. Straight out of Mark Wilson. I had a patter that went something along the lines of us being like a filthy dollar bill and Jesus- represented by a million dollar bill, which was a gospel tract- covered our sins and paid the price for them. I shared the gospel and some of my personal testimony as well. The guy I showed it to said he would never forget the words I said. I've never forgotten that because those were his exact words. He said them quietly as I was walking away and he was looking closely at the bills in his hands. Never seen him since. Who knows, maybe I'll see him in heaven.

Gospel magic would be the morning my six-year-old daughter responded to my invitation.

I had the opportunity to go to Nairobi once. Didn't do magic. Got absolutely mobbed as soon as I pumped up the first 260.

Ed