Time to Get Busy

I will be busy for the rest of the summer!

It has been a little while since I updated the Coming Events section of the right-hand column. Mostly because I really haven't had anything to update about. Although, I've done a few things, none of them really had to do with preaching or magic, but it does appear that the rest of the summer will be pretty busy.

When it's been several weeks  (or months) since I've done a magic show, it does take a little bit of time to work on the old effects and get ready for another performance. When it's been a little while since I've been in the pulpit preaching, it also takes some time to prepare for that.

Of all of the coming events, the one that I'm really looking forward to is the one that will require the most prep work--the weekend youth retreat. For that event I'll be teaching two sessions on apologetics. I'm pretty stoked about it but I need to get busy getting the material together and organizing it into a couple of good lessons.

In addition to the "working" events, I've been trying to be more regular about getting some exercise. It is mostly walking or riding a stationary bicycle, but I've started to add a little bit of running into my walks. I'm currently toying with the idea of a 5K run in the fall--no commitment to it yet, but it's in my head and I'm looking into some of the training programs that are available to get a fat boy in shape to pull it off without being hauled away in an ambulance at the finish line.

Though I am an advocate of the diet for weight loss, exercise for health philosophy of healthful living, I'm sure that the physical activity is having its effect on weight loss as well. Better dietary habits have helped me to lose 13+ pounds since the beginning of June and that is a pretty strong motivator to keep it up. I'm certain that dropping a few more pounds will make the whole running thing less taxing on my joints and my knees will thank me for every pound that I manage to shed. I still haven't wrapped my head around the idea of running the 3.1 miles, but I'll start working up the running distance for now and see what happens with the knee pain, lung burn, fatigue and all of the other negatives of physical punishment that running causes.

I hope that the weekend is good to you and yours.

John <><

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The Ministry Month in Review

It has been a little while since I've sat with the intent to write a meaningful post. This post won't mean much to most of you, but it helps me to keep things in perspective as life tends to hurry by.

Typically winter is a slow time in my ministry programs. That's okay, we all need those times to reflect, retool and recharge our areas of ministry. From time to time I have the opportunity to perform a magic program for a Valentine Day dinner at a church, although it has been several years since I've done this. This year I received three calls for the same Saturday night!

Pastor Jim Erwin won the first call contest by contacting me through LinkedIn, a social network for business contacts. This was my first booking made through LinkedIn! And although I have served with Pastor Jim in the past, this was my first trip to the First Baptist Church of Washburn MO. I hope to be able to serve there again in the future.

The following Saturday night found me in Buckhorn MO at the First Baptist Church of Buckhorn for the annual Pulaski County Association Evangelism Conference. I shared the message of salvation through the use of illusions on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday nights. I was at two of the association churches on Sunday morning and Sunday evening and shared a message about telling others about our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus. I had an opportunity to reconnect with some of the evangelists that have greatly encouraged me in my ministry and to hear them preach great messages during the four day conference.

On the Thursday of the same week, the ReFRESH conference in Branson MO was taking place. I missed the Thursday evening session, but made it for Friday's morning and afternoon sessions. I had some things to get done before flying to Chicago on Saturday, so I also missed the Friday evening session.

Saturday I flew to Chicago via Atlanta and had a wonderful conversation with a fellow laborer in the Kingdom--but that's a story for another day.
On Sunday morning I shared the message in magic with the kids from Holy Trinity Church in Chicago. I stayed with Aaron and Jenny and had a nice visit.
On Monday I was able to attend the church's weekly Chicago Plan meeting.  I have always been thankful for the church's ministry to Aaron and Jenny and the way they are helping him in developing into a pastor/servant, but seeing this part of the discipling first hand has given me a greater appreciation of the work that HTC is doing in developing the next generation of leaders in our churches.

And any trip to Chicago is going to include some great food! I did enjoy the awesome Chicago Dog, Polish Sausage and Italian Beef sandwich that the Haymarket Pub and Brewery served. No, I didn't have that all in one visit, after Aaron and I had lunch there, we had to make Jenny happy by going back for dinner!

Tuesday, I arrived home in time to get to work and finish out the work week.
The week also included a lunch meeting and evening business meeting in our own Tricounty Baptist Association to complete the work of calling a new Director of Missions.
Tomorrow, we're off to St. Louis for the weekend to meet with the kids (Hannah, too) and have a day to relax a little bit.

Right now, there seems to be a lot of things going on that would indicate that the coming year will be filled with ministry opportunities. Maybe that forced day off every pay period from the government's sequestration will end up being a good thing for me.

Remember--
God loves you.
Jesus died for you.

John <><

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Random Thoughts...

There are several random thoughts that are rolling around in my otherwise empty head. I thought that if I would take a few moments to write them down in an unorganized fashion, maybe they would find an escape and leave me alone.

I'm laughing a little bit at the arrogance that we often have. Many years ago I was invited to an evangelism conference and then subsequently uninvited. At the time I suspected that it had something to do with the sometimes negative perception that "magic" has among Christianity's conservative core, although the reason that was given was that they had invited too many evangelists and had to cut back a few. Years later, I did find out that it was because of magic. That's okay. I've learned to accept that it is going to be a part of what I face as a Gospel Illusionist. I did get to go to that conference about six or seven years ago, but haven't been invited back since then.

Really, I'm good with it today. The only reason that it comes to mind is that I was at a church in the area of that conference last night and this is the weekend that it is being held this year. Perhaps the churches in that area are better served by the more traditional evangelists. We all have our places in the work of the King.

Many years ago, I was invited to a church for a children's program. I suspected that the church had a very fundamental core and so I asked the pastor if using playing cards would be a problem. He told me that it would be better if I didn't.

My initial reaction was -- Really? You've got to be kidding!
But as I thought about it, I realized that he was probably really sticking his neck out by having me come in the first place. I decided to honor his request and give him a great program, sans playing cards. I've been invited back to that church many times now--and the use of playing cards in no longer an issue. I've developed a relationship with them and they trust me to deliver a clear gospel message. Today they give me the freedom to share using whatever props or illusions I feel led to use.

Building relationships is often the key as we work to share the gospel. I recently saw a Facebook post that shared a picture with the words, "A woman that has an abortion isn't a victim; she's a murderer!"
I thought, "How sad."

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of abortion, this is not the way to build a trusting relationship so that we can share the love and forgiveness found in Jesus.

I immediately thought of Jesus when the adulteress was brought before him. The crowd wanted to stone her to death and pointed out that the Law called for her death. Jesus didn't condemn her; the Law already had--the people already had. He would have been "right" to say that since she had violated the Law and the penalty was to be stoned to death, they should stone her. But he didn't. He said that whoever had not violated the Law (whoever had not sinned) should throw the first stone.

I'm wondering if Jesus would have the same thing posted on His Facebook timeline. I don't doubt that Jesus would preach against sin. It's just that I remember all of the times that Jesus seemed to go out of his way to build relationships with sinners! There was the woman at the well in Samaria, the tax collector's home where he had dinner, the Pharisee's home and the encounter with the prostitute who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. There were great numbers of unclean lepers that he touched, blind that he gave sight, sick that he healed, hungry that he fed.

And what about you and me? What about our sin? Our uncleanliness? Jesus came a great way to build relationships with us. He left the glory and majesty of heaven to take on our flesh; ultimately to take on our sin and our punishment so that we could have eternal life in heaven. Isn't that the story that we need to be telling?

Last night I issued a challenge that I've issued many times before. I'm issuing it here, again.
Tell somebody--somebody that desperately needs to hear it: God loves you. Jesus died for you.

When I started writing this, I was going to cover a few more of the random thoughts in my head, but this rant has gone gone on long enough. Be kind to the masses that are struggling with life. Share the love of Jesus with them. Give them hope in a hopeless world.

And remember--
God loves you.
Jesus died for you.

John <><

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It's Showtime!

Today begins the first of three consecutive weekends with shows. Tonight I'll be at the First Baptist Church of Washburn MO. I'll be doing a program that follows their Valentine dinner. Several years ago, I did a Sunday morning program for this pastor while he served at a different area church. It's always nice to be asked to come back by a pastor/church!

Next weekend is the annual Pulaski County Evangelism Conference. I was unable to attend last year's conference but am thrilled to be invited back for this year's event. The four-day conference begins with a "music-fest" on Saturday night that features the music evangelists. It's a fun night of worship through song led by several different singers/groups. There is a short time set aside for some guy to share a message using magic. On Sunday morning and evening, all of the evangelists will be in various churches around the association. Then there are morning and evening sessions on Monday and Tuesday that provide opportunities for pastors and churches to hear the evangelists preach and the singers sing. It's a nice get together for the evangelists and a chance for pastors to book us for events for the coming year.

The first weekend of March I'll be travelling back to Chicago for an annual All Church Event at Holy Trinity Church. This is the church where my son and daughter in law serve, so I get the added bonus of a visit with them!

We have plans to spend the following weekend in St. Louis to relax with family and friends. If you are with a St. Louis are church and are up for a guest preacher that weekend, there will be two of us available!

Time to start getting things together for tonight's show!
Have a great weekend!

John <><

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Man Cave

I'm planning on spending the day in the basement. It's time to really get to work on putting the "Man Cave" in order. Some time ago, I started to convert Aaron's old room into my room but I haven't really put any consistent effort into finishing it.

It's time.

Putting the "cave" into order also means getting the rest of the basement in order since some things will be in the main area of the basement instead of the "man" area of the basement--a kind of man cave overflow. For example, the man cave will primarily be a place for my magic stuff and to practice magic. The TV will be in the main room of the basement along with most of the exercise equipment.

I'll still be able to watch the ball game in quiet comfort and the TV will be available for Chris to use for exercise videos. The main room will also be home to the futon and thereby the "guest room" for anybody that happens to stay with us for a few days.

Time to get to work...

John <><

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More on Deception

It's weird how something as simple as introducing an artificial light source can mess up the simple navigation system of a moth. If you stop to think that some insects use the bright distant light of the sun or moon as reference points for navigation and can fly a relatively straight line by doing so, it becomes easier to see that a close light source like a light bulb or flame might cause the same insect to spiral inward to its demise.

Unfortunately, our brains are just as easily deceived when it comes to artificial shadows or shading. We use the shadows and light to determine depth and color in most things that we see. When the shadows are false or not really there, our brains act as if they are real and present us with false truths.

For example:
In the picture below, the shaded yellow square on the front of the cube is the exact same color as the brown square on the top of the cube that appears to be in the light. We "see" the light and shadow and perceive the colors accordingly. But the reality is that it is just a two dimensional picture that only appears to have a light source.

The best way to see this for yourself is to copy the picture to your computer and then open it with Microsoft Paint or a similar program that will allow you to cut a piece out and move it to over lay the other color.
You can do the same thing for this picture that shows that both A and B are the same shade of grey.

Cool, huh?

This last one (for today) is one of my personal favorites.

You can just cover the middle area with your hand or fingers (or a narrow strip of paper). By removing the shading, you can see that A and B are, again, the same shade of grey.

If our natural perceptions can be so easily manipulated and tricked into false beliefs, doesn't it also make sense that our spiritual perceptions can be fooled. When we look at the things of the world through the eyes and perceptions of a natural man, we see things as men. We need to see the world as God sees it. We need to remember that, as believers, we are new creations, new beings in Christ Jesus our Lord and we need see and act as Jesus would act.

John<><

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Prov 16:25

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July 1, Post 1

It's July. It's hot and dry in the Midwest.
And I have managed to come down with a summer cold...

I don't think that it's allergies since the posted numbers for pollens are low in every category. It's been so dry that I don't think that molds are the problem. Whatever it is, I'm just glad that it wasn't with me last week at youth camp!

Speaking of youth camp, I may as well start my July posting quest by talking a little about the week I had at Grand Oaks camp. I was there for the Linn-Livingston Association's youth camp. We had 108 (I think) students, two adult cabin leaders for each small group and a great volunteer kitchen staff; all led by two well organized and  Spirit led camp directors. I was blessed to be called as camp pastor and doubly blessed to serve with four talented young men in the band Calling Glory, our praise and worship band for the week.

"Trade the Show for the Substance" was our theme for the week as we focused on setting aside the masks that we wear and actually becoming more like Jesus rather than just going through the motions. The students were challenged to boldly stand up for what they believe whenever they may find their faith and convictions questioned.

Our theme verse was Galations 6:3, "If any man thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself."

We started the week talking about deception; how we are deceived, how easily we are deceived and how we can even deceive ourselves. I showed several optical illusions and explained how our brains are tricked (deceived) by functioning naturally in a situation when our eyes are viewing something unnatural. I'll share some of these in the coming days.

We can also be deceived when we look at our situations through our own understanding--our natural way of seeing the world, rather than through the Holy Spirit's understanding. Proverbs 16:25 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."

We have to train ourselves to see things through the eyes of our Lord rather than as man sees them.

All-in-all, it was a pretty incredible week!

John<><

The ball at the top of the picture is the same size as the ball at the bottom of the picture. Even though this is a two dimensional picture, our brain interprets it as three dimensional. Therefore our brain "sees" the second ball as larger.

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Time for Some Magic!

Next Saturday, the 21st of April, is the weekly series spring opener at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland MO. It is a family event and the Missouri Baptist Convention will be there with games, bounce houses, face painting and give-aways for kids and all. There will even be a strolling magician that will be roving the crowd and having some fun. I just found out that in addition to the walk around stuff, I'll be featured on the Jumbo Tron sharing some effects from the booth! How cool is that!

I'm looking forward to this event as well as looking forward to the camps that are starting in June. It looks like it will be a pretty busy summer! I'm glad that I've been working on some new things that are outside of my normal venue of stand-up magic. I am excited about doing some of the new things and using some of the science of magic to share some real world truths.

We are having a Magic Show fund raiser for our church's Nicaragua mission trip on May 18th. I hope if you are in the Ozark area, you'll make an effort to attend and help raise the money to build a home (or two) in Nicaragua. Bring your friends and family and enjoy a great evening of fun.

I will be in northern Missouri the first weekend in June, two churches on Sunday (3rd) and a kids camp on Monday (the 4th). The TriCounty Association camp will be in session through the 7th, and I hope to make it for a night or two of that event, as well. The following weekend is the Hopedale Kids' Camp -- one of my favorite weekends of the summer! At the end of June I'll be at a youth camp for a full week. I am really looking forward to that camp as I'm working on some new material just for them. Mid July will find me back in northern Missouri for another Sun/Mon event, this time the Monday will be a one day event at another youth camp.

Although I don't have anything currently scheduled, I usually end up preaching for a vacationing pastor a couple of weekends during the summer.

I mentioned in a previous post about building towards retirement. If I could stay this busy through the spring and fall, I'd be about where I need to be to hang up the headset.

It is time to head to the Red Cross for a platelet and red blood cell donation. When was the last time you made a donation? I'm sure that you know of somebody going through chemo treatments. They will need platelets. Somebody will need blood for a surgery or perhaps because of an accident. You CAN make a difference!

John <><

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Social Networking and Self Promotion

As I look to the future and to retirement from my career as an air traffic controller, I am beginning to try to set myself up for more work in the way of ministry and magic. I know that much of my work in ministry includes magic, but I would also like to do more preaching without the magic and more magic gigs without the preaching. The magic work would include schools (which I have done in conjunction with church events) and I would also like to do more corporate events (I've only done a few of these).

To this point in my career, I have done no marketing -- at all. I have participated in several evangelism conferences that did provide some good exposure to churches and pastors, but I have not actively pursued bookings for preaching, camps or magic events. Repeat engagements at churches and word of mouth recommendations have kept me as busy as I can really afford to be when you consider that I still have a full time job.

For a business after ATC retirement, I think I'm going to have to start doing some self promotion. I recently went to a seminar on using LinkedIn and Twitter to promote your business and have plans to attend a similar seminar on setting up a business Facebook Page. I'm beginning by building my LinkedIn connections with the idea of making connections that can book me for events or recommend my work to somebody that can book me for events. I haven't worked toward that end on Twitter yet, but will eventually do that, as well. I will also continue to build a Facebook Page (I've already started one) in addition to my personal Facebook. I'm also on Google+, but haven't really figured out how to use it to my benefit.

In addition to the promotional stuff, I'm setting up my 'man cave' in Aaron's old room and hope to work on some new magic for new venues. I've already booked some new types of events for the year and incorporated a couple of new effects. I'm really looking forward to stretching myself as I prepare for the next phase of life. I hope that Chris will be available and willing to travel with me on some gigs, but understand that she gets bored with seeing the same effects and most of my jobs are not at particularly exciting destinations. I sometimes drive 10 or more hours in a weekend for a morning service and an evening show. I don't mind the drive time, but understand that somebody else might not think of that as a great time!

I fully expect that the majority of my work will continue to be Christ centered and through churches or church organizations. I hope to do more camps and maybe more youth rallies or college events. In any case, if you are a pastor, youth minister, children's worker, camp director, educator (teacher or administration) or business owner, please consider connecting with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Google+. I hope to keep you posted on what's happening in both magic and ministry.

I am very appreciative of those that call me for work and doubly so of those that invite me back! I have received a number of great comments and recommendations and these mean a great deal. Your input has a far greater impact than any self promotion might have.

Time to practice...

John <><

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Final Lenten Report for 2012

It's late on the night of Easter. It was a good day.

This morning I was in Joplin at Forest Park Baptist Church for their kids' services. I thought the first program went very well. The second service was different since about half of the kids had also been in the first service. I knew that there would be some of them in both sessions but was really surprised that it ended up being so many. It really changed the dynamics of the program and I think that it was less effective the second time around.

I really didn't want to do two completely different programs (and still don't think I would) but some variation or an insistence that some different arrangements be made for the second time kids would have been better.

In the end, I hope that FPJoplin was pleased with the product delivered. There were kids in each service that will be talked to about decisions that were made. In any case, I had a great time (I usually do!).

I finished out the Lenten season with only two breaks in the fast food category (and that's counting a Sunday break which really doesn't count, right?). I managed to reduced intake and eat more healthful choices for most of the six+ weeks and am getting pretty good at taking the stairs at work.

For the first four weeks, the weight came off nicely. Week 5 ended up with no loss (and no gain) and in week six I managed to put a couple of pounds back on. In the end, I am 16 lbs lighter that I was a few weeks ago and was able to wear a pair of slacks today that I haven't been able to wear in a little while. My plan is to continue with the stairs, still abstain from the garbage fast food and eat more low calorie density foods. I've been adding a meatless day (or two) to my weekly routine. I don't know if that helps much, but I figure that it doesn't hurt and I wanted to try something a little different. I hope to drop another 10 lbs by the end of April bringing the total loss to 25 or more by vacation week in May, 40 by my birthday in June. I'll keep you posted.

The nice weather should help with outdoor activity, even if it's just taking an occasional walk.

Back at it tomorrow.

John <><

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Let's Do Some Magic!

It's just five short weeks until Easter Sunday!

I'm pretty excited about getting invited to Forest Park Joplin for the Easter Sunday children's program. The really good thing is the opportunity to share at a new venue and for a different church. The challenge will be the amount of time that I (1) need to fill and (2) need to keep the kids' attention.

A one hour magic show is a long time for kids.
Heck, a one hour anything is a long time for kids. Their attention span just isn't that long. I have found that you can keep kids entertained for longer; you just need to find a way to reset their attention span at a point before you lose it. Once it's reset, you're good for another thirty minutes or so.

I'm going to design a program that runs about 30 minutes, breaks for a brief (but planned) interlude and then finishes with another 20 minute set. That will mean two opening effects (the first one stronger than the second) and two good closing effects.

An additional challenge will be that there are two services and apparently some kids will be at both services. Do I keep the two services identical or do I change a few effects for the second service?
I'm still trying to decide on that.

There are a couple of routines that I haven't used in quite some time that I would like to use for this event. I'm glad for the five weeks to work on them and plan a program that includes them. It's going to be fun!

In addition to the Sunday at Forest Park, I have a date to participate with the Missouri Baptist Convention at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland MO on April 21st for the Weekly Series Spring Opener. This will primarily be a walk around event which is outside of my usual type of performance. I've only done a few walk around venues in the past (and really enjoyed them) so I'll also be preparing for this event.

I am glad to have the opportunity to expand my experiences and hope to do more of the walk around types of venues. Both of these upcoming events should be a blast! Sometimes I think that it is unfair to call this kind of service ministry. Shouldn't ministry be more like work and less like fun? I'm am truly blessed to be able to have fun for the Glory of God!

John <><

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Testing the Waters

In July, a group of people from Hopedale will be traveling to Nicaragua to build homes for 20 families. These are not the kind of homes that you and I are used to living in; they are really just cinder block shelters. In addition to these small "homes," Hopedale missionaries will be bringing shoes, clothes, school supplies, household goods and hygiene items. They will also be sharing the gospel in Bible studies.

It is an awesome way for us to share the love of God by meeting their needs as well as by sharing the Word.

Each person that is going is paying for their own travel. Each home that is being built cost about $2000 in materials. In addition to the many donations, we have had several fund raisers to help with meeting the $40,000 that is required. This past weekend I offered to do a magic show to help raise some money. I would really like to raise enough to build two homes. That may be a little bit ambitious, but I'm really counting on the generosity of God's people. The question becomes, "How many people would actually come to a John Hill magic show?"

I imagine that Hopedale people would come; but I'm wondering if my friends from other churches would participate in this mission by showing up and contributing to this work?

We haven't set a date or even confirmed that it's a go, but I would guess a Saturday night in April or May. It will be a show for the whole family and one that you will want to share with your friends and family. As much as it is for the purpose of raising funds for the mission trip, it will also be a fun night out. I can promise that the gospel will be shared and there will be an opportunity for you and your friends to respond to God as He stirs hearts.

So, what do you think? Any interest or thoughts?

John <><

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For My Magician Friends (both of you!)

Last Saturday night I did a first time "Card to impossible location" effect. It was for an Upwards Basketball Celebration, so naturally the selected and signed card ended up inside of a basketball that had to be cut open. I think that the handling went well, but I am certain that I will make some modifications as I continue to use this or similar effects. (However, I've not yet had any real feed back from an audience member.)

I'm interested to know what methods are the favorites of other magicians for this effect. Leave your comments here on Out of My Hat rather than on Facebook. All comments are moderated by me and your methods will not be revealed. If you prefer, you can e-mail me at gospelmagic@gmail.com. I'd be happy to share my method with you, as well.

Thanks for taking the time to share.

John <><

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Saturday AM

Just a quick post before really getting into the day...

I'm looking forward to tonight's Upwards Basketball season ending celebration at South Haven Baptist Church. This is a little bit challenging as the time allotted to me is pretty short. With only a short amount of time, the challenge is to have a good opening effect, a killer closing effect and something in between. Also, since I generally provide an evangelistic message of some kind--well, you can see the problem.

For tonight I'll just go with an opening effect, a message from the opener, and then move into the closer. I'm a little bit concerned about the closer as this is the first time I've done anything like it. I know how it's supposed to work (in my head) but actual performance is generally a little bit different. I had to make some last moment changes in the presentation so ...
I'll get back to you on how it turns out.

And it's Superbowl weekend! I know that means a lot to a great many people. To me it only means that it's a week closer to baseball season starting. More than most big sporting events, the Superbowl is an event designed for the 1%. Yesterday, I heard (it was on TV so it must be true!) that the average cost of a ticket to the Superbowl in 1967 was $9. That's right, $9! The average cost of a ticket to tomorrow's event--$3800! And that's the average cost!

At least it's on NBC so we can all watch it for free.
Enjoy the game. Enjoy the weekend.
Find the time and a place to worship God in all that you do.

...And remember, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to camp in just a couple of weeks!

John <><

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Rejoicing in the Victories; Weeping for the Wounded; Longing for the Lost

I've had a pretty fantastic fall season as far as ministry goes. I've been blessed with great opportunities, great audiences and great responses to the callings of the Holy Spirit. This past weekend found me in Trenton MO for two magic events and one Sunday morning message. Friday night was a youth rally; Sunday night a college Thanksgiving dinner.

I recently wrote about celebrating our victories, so I wanted to share some things with you.

The youth rally was sparsely attended but it is a ministry that is just getting started and is in a building phase. Even so, there were several kids that brought their friends and some (6) that responded to the message of salvation through our Lord and Savior, Jesus. I'm extremely grateful for the adults that are working to build an associational youth ministry and provide activities that kids and their friends can enjoy and know that there are people and a God that love them dearly.

The Sunday night Thanksgiving dinner at North Central Missouri College is a very interesting venue. NCMC is a two year college that has limited on campus housing. As with most two-year colleges, the majority of the students live in the area and commute daily.  However, NCMC also has students that are from distant areas of Missouri and even some from out of state. These students live in campus housing. Every Sunday night, volunteers from the local Southern Baptist association prepare a meal that on campus students can enjoy--free of charge! As such, there are followers of Jesus that come, and there are many that are not followers that come. The meal is free. The love is free. There is no condition that you have to stay and listen to somebody preach, nor is there any kind of requirement to make any false promise or claim that you share a common belief. Just being hungry is enough to get you in and get you fed.

For the Thanksgiving feast there was turkey, ham, roast beef, beef and noodles, and chicken and noodles. There were mashed potatoes, stuffing, salads, dinner rolls and a great number of pies, cakes and other desserts. When every body had their fill, plastic containers were handed out to the students that wanted to take some food with them for a late night snack.  I had some fun sharing some close-up magic with some of the students before dinner and then had an after dinner show and also talked to them about my Savior. There were 60+ students that came for dinner and five that made first time professions of faith. I know that the volunteers that work with them weekly will be following up to help these young men and women grow in their faith and walk with Jesus.

In between these two events, I got to share a Sunday morning message with the fellowship at Coon Creek Baptist Church. They were a warm group of people and were generous in their blessing.

I wish that I could say that all is well in the churches of our God. Unfortunately, I am still hearing the stories of those that have left the church; left religion; and left God because of the human failings and judgments of those that claim to follow Him. My heart breaks for those that have forsaken God because of the way that we (the church) have failed them. I hope that they can find it in their hearts to forgive us and that they can love us and love God with the love that they expect from God and deserve from those that claim to follow Him.

Several years ago, I heard this statement from a woman in our Sunday school class:
"If you're willing to let a hypocrite come between you and God, then you must also realize that the hypocrite is closer to God than you are."

Followers of Jesus are far from perfect. We still need forgiveness, too. I firmly believe that my church is unlike most churches when it comes to that. I'm not saying that you won't run into those that harshly judge others and appear to be self-righteous and better than most other Christians. We have a few of those, to be sure. But for the great majority, we are a loving family of believers and would welcome you into our fellowship.  Others that have been hurt by fellow believers are healing and growing in a new found relationship with Jesus.

As an evangelist, I get to visit many churches...
...and there is no place like Home. I truly enjoy my calling to go and preach at every opportunity. But I miss my Hopedale family when I am gone. I had a recent opportunity to query another evangelist that was visiting my church. I asked him what he thought of my church. He responded by saying, "I can see why you love this church!"

Made me so proud of my church family!

Sunday morning, the pastor of the Coon Creek church challenged members to come on Sunday night to pray for the lost. I thank God that there is a growing concern for the lost in our community among the members at Hopedale. More and more, we are seeing people move the focus of ministry away from ourselves and onto those that are separated from God by their sin and by their choice.

As followers of Jesus, we do need to rejoice in the daily victories.
As followers of Jesus, we do need to weep for and work to restore the ones that have been hurt by religion.
As followers of Jesus, we do need to long for those that Jesus came to save. We need to bring the message of love and salvation to a lost and dying world. We need to share His story.

John <><

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Not Your Typical Saturday

I'm not too sure of what a typical Saturday actually looks like; I'm just pretty sure this isn't it.

I woke up with a bit of a headache this morning and so I closed my eyes to catch a few more moments of sleep before facing the day. A couple of hours later(!) I woke up feeling better but missing a meeting that I had wanted to attend. Rats!

Chris made coffee for me -- that definitely qualifies the day as a special day! Thanks, Chris. It was very good!

We took our time getting around and then went to Hopedale's WMU bazaar. Chris went with the idea of looking for a few Christmas gifts but just ended up buying a few things for herself. Now we're at the mall. She is shopping and I am sitting in the Starbucks sipping a 5-shot venti Americano with a little cream and killing a little time on the internet.

Like I said...not your typical Saturday.

It's actually pretty nice to have the excuse to just sit and do nothing for a few moments. It's been a pretty full fall up to this point.  Hopedale just completed a very successful crusade. That made this past week full. Next weekend I'll be in Trenton MO for the BSU (Baptist Student Union) Thanksgiving dinner and will be preaching and doing a couple of other magic shows, as well.  I just bought a new effect and would really like to use it next weekend--going to have to practice a lot this week.

That should pretty much wrap up the year--except for the senior adults' Christmas dinner at Hopedale in mid December.

I've been moving my magic "stuff" from the large storage area under the stairs to Aaron's old room. The storage area is really a large walk-in closet plus the under stair storage so it holds a lot of stuff. I'm finding things that I had forgotten all about. Some of it is stuff that I'll probably never use in a show, other stuff I've used in the distant past and should probably find a way to use it again. Some stuff I've just never become as polished as I would like to be before making it a "show worthy" performance. All-in-all, I'd say the moving project and the subsequent magic practice is a much larger project than I anticipated.

Along with the new effect that I purchased this week, I have a couple of new ideas that I would like to incorporate into my programs and some new ways to present old effects. Working on them will be fun. It's just hard for me to stay focused on any one thing for too long.

I have booked a couple of school assemblies for next January and would like to redo the show that I used this past fall. With only two months, it will take a focused effort. I think that I can come up with a really good high school program. We shall see.The slow winter months should be the ideal time to work on this kind of thing.

Have a grand weekend.
Come visit us at Hopedale if you are in the Ozark area and need a place to worship on Sunday!

John <><

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Better Than a World Series Win

Friday night was a super night...

...And I'm not talking about the Cardinals winning the World Series.

Yeah, that was great, but it was far from what made Friday a great day and Friday night a super night.

I got to see Hannah last night and celebrate her 20th birthday by taking her out to a late-night supper at Steak 'n' Shake (I know that's not a great place but there wasn't a lot to choose from at that hour)! We ate and had a few minutes to chat and I got to catch up on her school experiences and give her a small gift.

The dinner meant missing a few innings of the Cardinal's World Championship Game, but it was well worth it because time with her has become rare and is far more valuable than listening to another ballgame on the radio (even if it is game 7 of the World Series).

But even spending time with my favorite daughter wasn't what made Friday night a super night.

I got to spend some time at Unity Baptist Church in Fayette MO. It was the night of their Fall Festival and they honored me by asking me to come back for the second year in a row. Getting to share some magic and tell the gospel story is always good time. Being there to witness several people respond to the invitation of the Holy Spirit is an incredible experience.  There were several decisions made, both kids and adults. 8 hours in the car and a show on little sleep is no big deal when you know that you are being used to help people find the love of God and receive the gift of salvation.

It definitely makes for a super night.

The other stuff was pretty sweet, but nothing compared to knowing that the Kingdom is growing!

John <><

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Christianity...as a Hobby

hobby (hob ee) --noun; an activity pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.
from Dictionary.com

As a magician, I consider myself to be a hobby magician.  It's true that I perform at a level above the level of doing tricks for friends and family, but it is not at the level of earning a living at it.  As a matter of fact, I seldom promote myself as a magician and do little to no marketing for jobs, but still manage to have quite a few paid gigs every year.

I would have to say that I've invested in magic at a level far above the average hobby magician, but again, below the level of a true magician (professional)--especially in the area of time investment.

Some might say that since I'm regularly paid to do magic, I'm a professional magician. I disagree (and I think that the ones that promote, market, and make a living at magic would also disagree).

I have been to a number of magic conventions, workshops and lectures. I have belonged to magic clubs and subscribed to magic periodicals. These things help me to be a better magician. They are an investment of time and money, but they don't make me a magician.  Most days, I don't find myself thinking about ways to promote myself as a magician.  In fact, most days, I don't even think about magic at all. Most of the time I'm just John--husband, dad, air traffic controller, and just struggling to make it through another day.  Generally speaking, people don't see John and think -- magician.

Definitely not a professional magician.

I say all of this because I've recently been considering that I often pursue Christianity in much the same manner--as if it were a hobby.

Okay, so I may take it to a little bit higher level than your average hobby Christian. I rarely promote myself as a Christian and do little to no marketing to get jobs.  However, I do get called on to preach from time to time. I do get asked to special events and often end up with quite a few "paid gigs" during a year.

I might say that I've invested in Christianity at a level far above the average hobby Christian, but again, below the level of a true Christian (professional)--especially in the area of time investment.

I've been to Christian conventions and workshops (and committee meetings by the hundreds!), and attend regular club meetings (We hold them every Sunday, if you get my drift.), and I read Christian publications and blogs.  These things help me to be a better Christian. They are an investment of time and money, but they don't make me a Christian.  Most days, I don't find myself thinking about ways to promote myself as a Christian.  In fact, most days, I don't even think about Christianity very much at all. Most of the time I'm just John--husband, dad, air traffic controller, and just struggling to make it through another day.  Generally speaking, people don't see John and think -- Christian.

Truthfully, I don't expect to make a living as a professional Christian -- but Christianity should be my life.

When people see Criss Angel or David Copperfield, they think -- magician!
If I want to be recognized as a magician, I'm going to have to become a magician. More than being what I am, it has to be who I am.
It will take a change in attitude about myself and my surroundings. I will need to pursue magic in everything. I will need to promote myself as a magician.

In the same way:

If I want to be recognized as a Christian, I'm going to have to become a Christian. More than being what I am, it has to be who I am. 

It will take a change in attitude about myself and my surroundings. I will need to pursue Christ in everything. I will need to promote -- not myself as a Christian; I will need to promote Jesus as the Christ; the Messiah; the Chosen One; God's Son; God.

The time may come when I will work on the professional magician thing.

The time for me to move beyond being a hobby Christian is now.

How about you?

John <><

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Give Me a Break...

Actually, I'm giving myself a break. It's the day of the week that I've been posting my weight loss progress but I've decided that I'm not even going to weigh in today.

Wedding weekend was pretty brutal as far as diet and exercise went. Too much food and too much to do. Rather than get bogged down with a setback, I decided that I'll look at how I'm doing next week and go from there. I have managed to spend time each day this week on the exercise bike, as well as a little bit of time with weights. Eating habits are back to limiting the bad carbs and eating in moderation. I've decided that I'm going to cut back on the caffeine--still drinking my morning coffee but cutting back on the soda and going for more water throughout the day.

I'll let you know how that's going...next week!

*****

And now for a trick break! If you follow me on Facebook, you've already seen this. If not, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yw7oX5CXhk

John

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Kid's Camps

School is out and it's time for summer camps! I can't believe it's been almost four years since I wrote this post on kids! Maybe I'm mellowing as I approach 50 or maybe the little buggers are just wearing me down, but they really don't seem as bad as they used to be. This year(as always), I'm really looking forward to the upcoming camps.

Friday begins the Children's camp for Hopedale Baptist Church. I know that we're expecting 60+ kids (3rd-6th graders, I think) and we'll be there through Monday morning. This year our theme is "Who Are You?" We'll be taking a CSI approach at looking at our character as Christians and our relationship to God through His Son, Jesus.

Monday afternoon the kids arrive for the TriCounty Association camp. That will go on through Thursday night. Once again, the young adults at Sports Crusaders will be at camp with us.

Then on Monday, June 14, I'll drive across the state to spend an evening with the girls at the Mineral Area Association Girl's Camp.

It will be a busy couple of weeks. For those of you that are prayer minded, remember me over the next few weeks. Work is still apart of my schedule (the first to camps are close enough to drive back and forth--working a couple of day shifts and midnight shifts), as well as my annual MWT on the 10th of June. (That's always a blast!)

I hope that your June is as fun packed as mine.

John.

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