I had 10 Jr. highers in front of me and a few crushed and empty soda cans beside me.

I said, "In life you may feel like an empty and crushed soda can", as I picked up one of the cans and turned it upside down to show it was empty.

"But when you have faith in Christ, God fills you up and makes you complete".

And the can 'undented' itself and the top was resealed. I opened the can and took a drink.

I used "Healed and Sealed" to do the effect.
Even the Pastor there said, "that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Any constructive criticism on this? I'm new at performing magic along with a Gospel message.

Thanks,
thor

Thor,

Congratulations on your first performance.
Your Coke ‘restoration’ was a good application.
I am curious to know if you received any other comments from other members of the audience regarding your message. (Other than that of the Pastor.)

My question here is to determine what kind of effect our message has on our listeners.
Of course, we may never know what that effect may be since an audience member may ponder the message without mentioning the impact to the performer.
Any feed back from your audience?

Andrew

Excellent Thor!

You don't have to try to be profound or stand on some high theological premise to reach the people's hearts!

You were clear and to the point, and the illustration matched the message wonderfully!

Way to go! Give them something to think about, and they will think! I believe that you got them thinking!

Good Work!

God Bless!!

BroDavid

Thor,
I think that was GREAT. Good illustration of how God can take a broken life and restore it, they are a new creation.(2nd Corith 5-17)

I feel as Christians we sometimes worry too much if we are saying just the right thing, to reach someone. That's God's job. We just have to be willing. The other thing I've discovered is that witnessing to someone is like a car assembly line. There are many stages a person may have to go through to come to a heart knowledge of Christ. One stage puts the bumbers on, the other the windows, the other the fenders and on and on. The finished product is a complete car.

Your show may have been just the beginning of the assembly line in one person's life and maybe further down the line for anothers. Ultimately God is using you. He knows what it is going to take. Everyone is different and in a different stage in life.
I'm just glad you are part of the assembly line crew. I hope to join you.
David Paul

Thank you all very much for your posts and encouragement. I'm happy to be a part of the assembly line---even in a small way!

I realize the youth may have been more amazed by the magic than the message I had to go along with it (I don't know if they even remembered what I said while the magic happened---I'll ask them tomorrow) but it kind of opened a door for me to talk with them more about my faith.

Tomorrow is my last day with these Jr. Highers. It's been a great week!

thor

Magic is a great validator when it comes to how young people react to you.

I can sit down with any age, any race, and because of the Magic, this "bald old white guy" is accepted and even sought by the young folks - because they believe I am
"real." I am credible in their eyes because I am willing to have fun, and laugh at myself, and I am willing to value what they think and say, and really listen.

It is rare priveledge when they accept you and allow that door to be opened to talk with them - about what is really important.

I praise God for your success in reach out, and making a difference through your magic gift.

And yes, you will miss them!! So where will you go next to reach others?? You have begun the journey friend! Where next/

Good luck and God Bless!

BroDavid

Well, at least 2 of the 8 kids who were at camp today remembered very well the message I had while doing "Healed and Sealed". One of my concerns about Gospel magic has been how well it really communicates and if the message is remembered. I felt really positive today that the message is retained even at the same time magic is actually happening.

I'm on staff at this church as the Music Director/Worship Leader and when we start Day Care for kids in the fall, I'll have more opportunities with music and magic with them.

God bless,
thor

Hi Thor,

Great job Bro! Excellent application! I'm sure that you made an impression on everyone who watched your performance. Now when any of them drink from a soda can, you can bet they will remember what happened, and what it represents.

In January, Tim Ellis (and wife Sue Anne Webster) came out from Australia and taught his "Soda Resurrection" to the LA chapter of the FCM. This effect killed us all! I'll never forget it as I watched from 6 feet away. What a magical effect.

If you have not see Tim Ellis' handling, you don't know what you're missing. Tim has taken David Harkey's idea of a crushed and restored soda can, started with Anders Moden's handling of it, and modified and tweeked it until it became what Matt Fields said (after seeing Tim Ellis perform it at Monday Night Magic in New York), "One of the most astonishing things I've seen in a very, very long time!".

Sure, I'm plugging Tim Ellis here. He and his wife Sue Anne are followers of Jesus Christ and have a wonderful story to tell about how they gave their lives over to follow Christ.

Great going Thor! Keep up the wonderful work. Maybe you will come down to southern California when we have our first west coast convention of the FCM in Los Angeles.

Blessings to you,

Joe Marotta

Thor,

Well done. If you are worried about your message and you are performing several effects. You can ask your audience which effect is their favorite. You can tell if you messages are getting through by how they answer. They can answer either of the following: "The soda can restoration" or "That God restoration trick" you will know the answer as to whether the message made it through. Even if they say the soda can restoration don't get to worried. Remember, God said their is different kinds of soil, some fertile, some rock hard. It's your job to scatter seed it's God's job to make it grow.

Hey Thor,
Long time no see or hear.
Sounds like the message was remembered and that is what Gospel magic is all about. That is why I choose things that are seen on the shows on television so if they see the effect there the person can reflect back to what Gospel presentation I had used. This works.
We got to hook up again.
Tamaka

HI Tamaka,
great to hear from you and I hope you're doing a ton of performing!
God bless,
thor

What is so special about Tim Ellis' handling? I'm just curious.

Hi Thor,
Great to see your first attempt at 'Gospel Magic' went so well. Great too, that you saw results of your work. (Perhaps God encouraging you?) A lot of water has gone under the bridge since August 2002. Are you still involved with 'Gospel Magic'?
You asked for "Any constructive criticism on this?" Who can criticise something that works?

I might just say, the way I try to communicate the message is to give the message I want to get across BEFORE the magic happens.
I feel then that the message has gone out BEFORE the 'distraction' of magic, they are informed AND amazed almost at the same time????
Hey, whatever works....

Keep up the GOOD work,
MIKE.