Here's one I wrote earlier!

This is where the spark for the ebook came from. In 2001 Grove books publishers (an Anglican Theology publishing house) invited me to submit a proposal for a Gospel Magic book. this has now been expanded in ebook form. Check out How To Do Gospel Magic at www.gospelemagic.com You can also order the orginal copy at Grove books.

Enjoy

John Louis performs an intense gospel illusion.

One useful skill is to work with modelling balloons. There are so many ways which you can use them as simple visual aids for the Gospel. I use modelling balloons as gifts to give away freely, for making animals and using them as part of a story and even a complete retelling of Jonah and the Whale. I think I better get these ideas together in another ebook. This youtube video shows a fun and wacky stunt with a balloon. It's not magic but it sure is memorable. Enjoy.

another Gospel magic Blog

Hey!

I've just discovered another blog devoted to Gospel magic. Check out http://miraclemanshow.spaces.live.com

His latest posting is quite moving and is dedicated to a young Christian minister who was also using his gifts as a magician for the LORD.

Blessings to you Tom

Chinese New Year

Well, this is a first for me! I was invited to share the Christian message for group of Chinese at the New Year party very recently. They are celebrating the new lunar year of the Rat.

Clearly that was an invitation to use my rat trap - (mentioned in the last post) as a challenge to the chinese to trust God with the their New Year and my Rocky Raccon puppet made it's first ever appearance as Rocky the Rat!!

(A good magic show should always seek to contextualise to the occasion!)

The Chinese Linking Rings also perhaps inevitably made their appearance. I explained to the Chinese that their nation have invented one of the world's oldest illusions and went on to demonstrate the Rings. Illusions is a familiar metaphor in Chinese philosophy and some of the more Eastern forms of spirituality urges their believers to see all life as an illusion.

I went on to challenge that philosophy by pointing to a God who created our world as reality and who intends us to enjoy his created order in all of its fullness. I then shared my personal testimony with a handcuff escape and talked of how God helped me to be set free from my sin and freed me to be myself.

The this is where Rocky the Rat appears and goes through his routine of eating, drinking and sleeping. He is just a puppet though and is empty on the inside. Surely there is more to life than eating, drinking and sleeping. (The Chinese are an incredibly hardworking people and eating, drinking and sleeping really does describe their lives) . I introduced them to the Augustnian concept of a God shaped hole in each person and how we ask God to come and fill it with the presence of His Holy Spirit.

The Rat Trap illusion goes onto challenge the listeners that this requires a great deal of trust. We need to trust God in His Word and to respond to the message and work of Jesus Christ. As my volunteer trusted me by putting his face in a powerful springloaded trap, the same kind of trust is needed to step out in faith and follow Christ.

It was a fun evening. Lots of laughter and I felt the Spirit of God touch and move people's hearts through the messgae of the magic - or is that the magic of the message?

Happy New Year!

Blessings

Rat Trap Illusion

I have been travelling this last week. Went to the beautiful island of Cyprus. One night I did a comedy magic session for about a hundred conference delegates. The audience were brilliant and very responsive. The highlight of the evening was persuading a VIP to place his nose in a vicious rat trap in order to set off the powerful blade.

If you have not seen this effective but simple stunt it looks extremely dangerous. Most magicians use specialist props for their dangerous illusions ranging from guillotines, to powersaws going through thin boxes. The problem with this is that though they look great, the audience knows that most households do not have a guillotine lying around. They suspect the equipment is gaffed and so the tension in the performance is minimal.

A rat trap though is a familiar item. It is larger version of a mouse trap. When demostrated before an audience the blade is pulled up and the trigger switch is inserted into the bait plate. I demonstrate the force of the blade by seting the trap off with a plastic teaspoon. The teaspoon is shattered into several pieces by the smash of the powerful spring loaded blade. the audience gasps and it is genuinely scary.

It's when a volunteer is bought out and you set the trap up again that the danger really kicks in. My guest in Cyprus was quite certain that there was no way I was going to damage a VIP, but the fear in his eyes was priceless. He watched all my moves carefully and could not see how he was going to avoid the trap going off in his face. The audience loved it and the tension and the comedy maxed out leading to a perfect climate to the show.

Want to know what happens with the rat trap? Check out the e-book How to do Gospel Magic for instructions at www.gospelemagic.com

Enjoy