Background
A Typical Story
My story is not much unlike the story of most magicians. It was 1973 and I was a second grader at the Sun City Elementary school in Bossier City, Louisiana. A magician came to our school to put on a magic show. It was held in our gymnasium, which had a stage on one end. We were all raising our hands hoping to get called on as his next volunteer. You can’t imagine the emotions I felt whenever he called me up on the stage. I was joined by three other classmates to be pranked by a few gag tricks like the spring snake in a can routine. There were a few other tricks he did with us that I don’t remember, but there was one trick I’ll never forget. Before going back to our seats, he kept us on stage as he performed Disecto (an arm chopper illusion). “Watch the carrot!” he said to my friend whose wrist had been locked into a miniature guillotine-type contraption. It was a bright red and yellow prop that had a knife blade hinged at the end so that the magician could take the handle and apparently slice the carrot in the first hole, pass through the volunteer’s hand in the center hole, and then slice another carrot in the bottom hole. It was awesome! After the trick was done, he gave the audience the impression that we all knew how the trick worked but swore us to secrecy to never tell anyone. Later that day, at recess, you can’t imagine how many kids came up to me wanting to know the secret! From that moment on, I realized how powerful it was to “know” magic.
I got my first magic kit when I was 8 years old. It included a magic wand, ball and vase, prayer vase, drawer box, and a few other tricks. I was hooked! In no time, I was performing my tricks on my family, friends, and church members.
In my Middle School years, we had a preacher visit our church (Bennet Street Church of Christ) who put on a magic show after Sunday evening services. His name was Jule Miller. Jule was best known for creating a very popular visual presentation of the gospel, using the old projector-style filmstrips. He and his wife had a heart for evangelism. In addition to soul-winning, he also enjoyed performing magic tricks, using them to teach the Bible. He was actually President at one time for the Fellowship of Christian Magicians and had published a couple of books on how to make spiritual applications with some of the most commonly known tricks. I can still see him in my mind that evening, performing the Linking Rings. He was amazing!
In High School, I grew out of my interest in magic and pursued other interests, but after a couple of disappointing years of college I was at a loss as to what I was going to do with my life. I was twenty years old when I “stumbled” into ministry. Preaching was definitely not on my radar! I eventually, however, felt the tug of becoming a minister. When I finally accepted that calling, I started thinking about what kind of preacher I wanted to be. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the preachers I enjoyed the most were the ones that knew how to engage the audience. Remembering Jule Miller from years before, I began looking into the area of magic known as Gospel Magic. I found that magic could be used as a tool to reach kids and adults, alike, to create visual effects that demonstrated the truths of Scripture.
I was at the Annual International Soul-Winning Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma whenever I was introduced to Mike Bolinsky. He was a schoolteacher who taught science and was very good with chemistry. He had a vendor’s booth at the workshop showcasing his Affirmative Guide ministry where he demonstrated Bible lessons with the use of chemical reactions (Alchemy) and magic tricks. Each year, I would visit his booth and add to my collection of gospel magic props and effects.
Several years had gone by since I had seen Jule Miller do that magic show at my church. I ran into him at the Tulsa Workshop one year. By this time, I had been preaching for a few years and had been performing magic for schools, churches, and camps. He took some of his time to show me a couple of routines he had been working on and encouraged me to continue doing gospel magic.
While I was commuting to Oklahoma Christian University to pursue my degree in Bible, I also stumbled across two different magic stores in Oklahoma City. One of them was called The Joke Shop on NE 23rd street, owned by Gene Pronk. Some of us referred to his store as Pronk’s Pranks. He had an inventory of every single item that was in the Mak Magic catalog. It was from this store that I started to buy bigger and better props like, The Square Circle, Crystal Silk Cylinder, Livestock Dagger Vanish, Stratosphere, Mirror Box, and Murder Inc. The other store was actually a party store on North MacArthur called Party Bazaar. That’s where I met Steve Crawford, the resident magician that was behind the magic countertop. Steve was a great resource and mentor to me and one summer I enrolled in his Midwest School of Magic. Eventually, I started building my own stage illusions like the Tip-Over Trunk (Mark Wilson) and Robert Harbin’s Zig Zag Illusion. I also created my own version of the Asrah Levitation/Suspension for a floating girl routine. At that time, I was calling my business “Backyard Productions,” because I had literally built those items in my backyard shed and someone’s barn!
I have performed many magic shows for schools centering on themes that address drug and alcohol awareness, stranger danger, fire prevention, and success in life topics.
My latest interest has been on an area of magic called mentalism. Mentalism is the art form that uses effects (mind-reading, predictions, and influence) that are more sleight-of-mind than they are sleight-of-hand. Having a degree in Psychology, I am intrigued by the cognitive processes of the human brain and amazed at how creative we can be.
I’m reminded of the words of David when he said to God, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).