Christian Magician

I've had the opportunity to minister at a couple church's in the past few weeks. In fact I spend quite a few Sunday mornings in church services other than my own. Sometimes I am invited in to present my gospel illusion show as a special "treat" for the children. Other times I'm given the sermon portion of the service for the entire church. Either way, I feel honored and pray that what I have to offer is a blessing to everyone in attendance.

The term "magician" brings some negative connotations with it in the context of a church service. So, I make it clear from the start that it is only tricks and illusion. That may not be necessary, but I want everyone to feel comfortable and free to laugh and be amazed. I also want everyone to take something of substance with them as they go. So my gospel illusion show is more than mere entertainment. It's an opportunity to share some truth -- in a very unique way. Maybe I'll come to your church some day and you can see what I mean.

Character Shows

I was out at a couple schools in Wisconsin today doing my "Bee Your Best" character program. I love doing this show for children. It's a fun way to impart a positive message. One of the PTA mom's had seen me at a library program last summer and liked what I did so much that she invited me to her child's school. Great bunch of kids! Thanks Yvonne. While at the second school, I met two children who saw me at a birthday party a few months back. I'm starting to have that happen quite often at just about every show I perform now. . . fame :).

Catching Up!

Busy, Busy this past week. Spent time in the office catching up on paperwork. I've also been practicing my new show for libraries this summer. This will be a fun summer.

By the way, if your company is having a gathering, give me a call. Company picnics or banquets are wonderful places for some magic.

Magic Around Wisconsin and Illinois

I'm getting ready for next week. Though I love just entertaining people, the opportunity to inspire, motivate and teach while doing something fun is highly appealing to me. This coming week allows me to do all of that. Tomorrow morning, I have a birthday party for a student at his school. Top that with a Corporate banquet in the evening where I will be entertaining folks with Close-up magic. Then on Saturday, I have three more birthday parties - in Illinois and the Milwaukee area. Plenty of driving.

Sunday, I drive north to perform two gospel illusion programs for a church in Sheboygan. This allows me to both entertain and present the Gospel at the same time-- a passion for me. And on the heels of that, I drive across the state to present a program for a cub scout pack in Mt Horeb. This program is a fun way to celebrate the scouting experience and highlight the achievements of each scout in the past year.

Monday, finds me back in Illinois presenting my "Clue Into Your World" program to two different school groups. This again is a fun show, but primarily has the dual emphasis of promoting reading and library use as it reinforces key elements in the school's world geography curriculum.

Wow. All of that, and it will only be Monday! But that's my life, and I love it. I also love my family, so I do have some down-time scheduled for them as well.

Fund Raising Magic Show

March 18 I'll be presenting a magic show open to the public. This is a fund-raiser and a great way for schools to raise money for some particular item. See the press-release below for an idea of what can be done. Plus information about this magic show can be seen at the Patch (an online newspaper).

Lake Country Magician Uses Skills to Raise Money for Students

Eighth grade students at Lake Country Christian Academy in Nashotah (a neighboring town west of Milwaukee) are planning their annual class trip to Washington DC in May. Each student must raise enough money to fund the airfare and other expenses involved in making the three day trip possible. In an effort to help students raise the needed funds, Great Scott, an area magician, will perform his amazingly fun comedy magic show for families on March 18th starting at 7:00pm.

“Parents and many of the students going on the trip are helping to organize this event and it should be a great show”, said Scott Obermann (aka Great Scott). “The trip is a great opportunity for students to see our country’s roots up close. That’s worth helping out with.”

The show itself is an hour of fun magic and ventriloquism followed by an ice cream social. Tickets are available in advance from the school office at W329 N4476 Lakeland Drive Nashotah, WI . Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Tickets will also be available at the door for $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under.

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Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks. Yes, it's only a couple of weeks until Thanksgiving is here in the US once more. This holiday seems to get lost in a muddle of things. Christmas, shopping, football, food, family, deer hunting (here in Wisconsin) all seem to drown out the meaning of the day. We gather together, feast and watch football. Is that what the day is really about? Oh, we get the day off too. Perhaps, as this day approaches, we should take a moment and review the history behind the celebration.

We all point back to the Pilgrims in 1621, after they left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. They traveled by sea for over two months. In late November the 102 passengers arrived in Massachusetts ill-prepared to brave the harsh elements that first winter, the Pilgrims prayed and began building hasty shelters. Nearly half died before spring. Yet, with firm reliance on divine intervention, and assisted by helpful Indians, they had a full harvest the following summer.

Grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends.

In 1789 George Washington issued the first official proclamation of thanksgiving for the United States of America. It would do us all well to read those words and see where the thanks was being offered.

Then, in 1863 Abraham Lincoln, "In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity," offered this proclamation of thanksgiving.

One thing I notice is that thanksgiving is about thanks. Thanks for something extraordinary and thanks to Someone extraordinary. Let's not lose that in the midst of everything else this year.

The Frog in the Car

Time does fly when you're having fun. That's what the proverbial cliche says -- and I think its a true statement. It seems like the summer just got started and here we are sending our children off to school for another year.

I hope you all took some time to enjoy the time with your children. It's far too easy to get busy with hobbies and business and yard-work and house repairs and, well...life. However important some of that stuff may seem (and it all has a certain priority in our lives), it needs to take second stage to the relationships in each of our lives. I read a great quote from an interview with Micheal J. Fox. The writer asked him to share some advice on parenting that begins "Always ..." "Always", said Fox, "be available to your kids ... I've never gotten up to see something one of my kids wanted to show me and not been rewarded." True enough.

Children require a lot of time -- both quality and quantity. So of course go to those football and basketball games to cheer on your kids, but don't neglect getting involved in their interests. Growing up, my Dad loved to go fishing. He'd wake my brother and I up at 4 AM so we could load up the boat and get to the lake or river by dawn. Frankly, I never loved getting up at 4 in the morning, and I never developed a deep and abiding love of fishing (at least not cleaning them). I did love frogs and turtles and that sort of thing though. I will never forget my Dad forgoing the fishing and asking me to go catch bull frogs and turtles with him. Not to eat, just for the fun of it. That was a fun day. Getting up at 4 AM wasn't hard that day, and paddling our canoe up the river wasn't a hardship. We slipped in behind bullfrog after bullfrog and caught a whole bunch that day. Even a couple turtles came home with us.

Somewhere along the way home in the car, the frogs got loose. The picture of my Dad driving and a bullfrog sitting next to him on the seat is one I will never forget. After we released them into our pond at home, we'd hear them mooing in low tones that whole summer. And it made a very fond memory and bonding experience. Why? Because my Dad took time to get into my world and enjoy the day.

We never know what memories will stick in our child's mind. It could be the hours spent cheering them on at a ball game or it could just be ...the frog in the car.