Christian Illusionist/Magician based out of Oklahoma

Hi my name is Kevin Slough,

What I do?    
I am a part time evangelist who uses illustrations and illusions to present the gospel.  I can preach and/or do a "Magic show" for all types of venues. I can do library shows, bullying and drug prevention school shows, and of course Church Revivals and outreach events. Some might use the label "Christian Magician". I try to shy away from the word "Magician" because it might give someone the wrong impression of what I do. Which is why I call myself a Christian Illusionist. Every show that I do I make it very clear that what I do is an optical illusion and only God can do real miracles. I use slight of hand, comedy, and illustrations as ways to present the gospel to a lost world. God does the miracles like changing a persons heart of stone and softening it to the word of God!...I just do trick!

Why I do what I do
I have been serving in student ministry for ten years. I currently serve as the pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. While I was in student ministry, I realized how visual this generation of students and children are. Because they are so visual I tried to find out ways to illustrate Gods truth in the form of illustrations. In the bible Jesus constantly used illustrations to get the peoples attention through parables and things going on around him and the disciples. Which is why I use comedy, audience participation and slight of hand to earn the right to be heard even to this day.

How much does it cost
For Churches and other non profit organizations Housing and travel expenses are the responsibility of the organization issuing the invitation. Everything else if done by a love offering/honorarium. Fee arrangements are available for all other groups that are non profit.


How do I get a hold of you if I have any questions
You can email me at kevinsloughgospelillusions@gmail.com
Facebook me at www.facebook.com/kevin.slough.5
Or call me at 580-374-5079

(Free gospel illusion trick download) How to share your faith with someone using Strolling Magic

What is it?
Here is a free gospel trick/illusion I put together. It is a strolling magic trick/question game that you can use to share your faith.  It guides the conversation from a secular topic to a religious topic until the end where it leads to you talking about Jesus and what he did on the cross. On the back of the paper I put the steps to follow the Discussion Guide / Question Game.

Below this paragraph is two links to download the free trick. The first one is in English and the second one is in Spanish. I put the files in a PDF format so you will need Adobe Reader to open it. (once you print it off... fold the paper in half so the colored squares are on one side and the words are on the back)

 Magic Square in English Free Download link

Magic Square in Spanish Free Download link

Influences for this trick
The trick involves a few old ideas that I brought together to use as a discussion guide to start a conversation with someone so you can share your faith. I looked and looked to find who invented the square idea that I am going to show you but...I couldn't find who "designed it". I got the concept of the square trick and the formula how it works from a video that an  Australian Magician named Julian Mather posted in his magician school video. In Julian's example he uses the square trick to trick the person into thinking they will win some kind of amazing prize..but in the end the prize is letting him do a magic trick.

How to use it
The square trick is neat in that it helps you start a conversation...and keep one going jumping from a secular topic to a religious topic and eventually leads you to talk about Jesus and what he did on the cross. The neat thing about this trick is no matter what choice the individual makes(as long as they follow the instructions exactly). The person you are talking to will end up on Jesus Christ and the Cross by the time you get to the last step. Below is a pic on how to do it...(I kinda rushed it so the grammar is bad...oh well you will get the idea how it works).

Once you Get to step 4 the person will end up on the blue square that says "Jesus and the Cross". At this point you know a bit about them by the way they answered the questions. You can ask them if they know who Jesus is and what he did on the cross for all sinners. Ask them if they would like to know the 4 steps to come to God. If they feel like they would like to put their faith and trust in Christ and what he did for them on the cross. I put a small 4 steps on how to come to God and a Sample prayer on the bottom.

Another idea for the Magic Square
You can also use the trick as a illustration in your sermon or Sunday school lesson. No matter what we like to do... or how hard we might try to earn salvation by doing what is in the yellow squares (reading bible, going to church, showing love to others etc...)We cant earn Salvation its only through what Jesus did on the cross. We might even have different hobbies (like the blue square shows) but in the end we all come to Jesus the same way. Through Jesus and what he did on the cross!

The illusion is free to you! Make as many copies as you will need. I Pray you can use it to share your faith with others...If you would like to donate something for the use of the trick I put a button below.

Comment below I  would love to hear from you! 

How to illustrate the Trinity with a magic trick/illustration for Youth, Children, and small groups.

Age: all ages
Prep time: another instant prep item
Cost: Pretty much free...you can find items in most houses
What you will need: A one Dollar Bill and 3 paperclips

The paper clip trick is another classic of magic that you can do almost anywhere. I personally use it to illustrate the trinity to people.When it comes to the trinity it is almost inevitable that you will need to use an analogy when talking about the trinity because it is one of the more complicated things to grasp about the bible. This illustration in my opinion works just as good as any analogy one can use...and did I mention its entertaining at the same time. So this illustration has two advantages it helps you illustrate the point...and keeps peoples attention!(please note I realize there is not a "perfect way" to illustrate the trinity because almost every analogy falls short...in some way if you think about it.)

Alright now here is how you fold it

As a side note if you do face one of the small parts of the paperclips facing outward the clips will connect in a triangle formation. Experiment and see what works for you!

I like to use this with my lesson/sermon to talk about the trinity. The three different clips represent God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit...(then you pull ends of one dollar bill *watch out...if you pull hard on the ends of the dollar bill, the paperclips will go flying into the air connected...but I think it adds to the effect!)and as you can see in the picture above they are all connected as one(hint hint...one dollar bill+3 paperclips+3 paperclips connected= Trinity ( they are all one )

Here is a good article written at gotquestions.org that explains the trinity more in depth  if you are wanting to look more into it.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Trinity-Bible.html

If you found this useful please comment...It really is a blessing to hear from you!

Some advice on how to add Magic Tricks to your Sermon/Lesson

 Here is a few practical tips on putting Magic tricks as an illustration in your sermon/lesson for Sunday School, Youth and Children:

• Base your lesson on the bible and where the spirit is leading you. (I am assuming you have already prayed about it) Don't start with a cool trick and throw a bible versen on it....Start with the bible and see if your Magic trick will help you illustrate Gods word. 

     Remember the parable of the sower that Jesus told? In that parable the bible is the seed. The Word of God is our seed, and it works it never turns back void!! This seed WILL do what it's intended to do - change lives - . As long as there's a sower spreading the seed, the Spirit that empowers the Word and will do a supernatural work...start with scripture then add your magic illustration!

•  You need to think if it is appropriate to use the magic in this case to illustrate the point. Sometimes magic tricks are great ways to illustrate Gods wonders. Other times they can be too distracting.

 An example of magic being too distracting might be using a razor blade to cut through your finger and using fake blood (to make it seem more real) to illustrate Christ being pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our sins. The reality is if you use a illustration like this people most likely will be grossed out about the fake blood and will be too busy soothing their scared child because you made fake blood go everywhere.

• Look for ideas from sites like You Tube, your favorite search engine, or from this blog and other sites like it to get ideas. Once you have your scripture and have prayed about it...see if there is a magic trick that will help you illustrate Gods Word. (I will later make a new post about websites and places I use to get ideas)

I use these magic tricks just as I would use a illustration. Illustrations like magic tricks serve dual purposes. The first purpose is to help bring your audience back (aka get their attention) (I have heard some say after 7 min peoples minds can wander...if you use a illustration it helps bring their attention back to the sermon) The second use of illustrations/magic tricks also can help you better explain the point of the message. 

•  Be a rifle...not a shotgun! This applies to putting together a sermon/lesson and when hunting deer. When you are hunting a deer you want to use a rifle instead of a shotgun. The main reason you want a rifle is you want your bullet to go the distance. The same applies to your lesson.  

When I was first starting out in ministry I was given the opportunity to preach a sermon one Sunday morning. I took everything I knew(including a magic trick as part of the invitation) and threw it all together and thought I had the perfect sermon...what I really had was a big mess of thoughts that didnt really apply to each other. I tried to throw all my knowledge into one sermon.(if you know me I am kinda scatterbrained) FYI everyone was confused that Sunday.... So my advice is to focus on one theme that God has laid on your heart and integrate it throughout the lesson/sermon and go from there. 

Leave a comment if this article was helpful or if you have any ideas or questions.
 

Should a Christian use Magic Tricks?

Here is a Nice article about Christians and the use of Magic. I found this article on the International Fellowship of Christian Magicians Website. It was written by a guy named Robert H Hill. He addresses a few concerns some may have about the use of "magic" in the church setting.

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Should a Christian Do Magic?

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Is it right for a Christian to use sleight of hand and illusion--aren't these instruments dishonest and deceptive?  Doesn't the Bible forbid magic, fortune-telling and ventriloquism?

A Problem of Vocabulary

First, let's get our terms defined. When the Bible (especially certain translations) uses the term "magic" (e.g. Revelation 22:15, Isaiah 47:12, NIV, Acts 19:19, NASB) or “magician” (Genesis 41:8, KJV) or “witch” (Exodus 22:18 KJV) or "sorcery" (Leviticus 19:26, NIV, Deuteronomy 18:11, NIV) or "ventriloquism" (e.g. Isaiah 8:19, the King James Version says “wizards that peep”), it is clearly dealing with a person's involvement in the supernatural, usually with the collaboration of evil spirits. The context of the Bible prohibitions makes it clear that God does not want people to dabble in games with the devil. Today's manifestations of these forbidden activities are such things as ouija boards, tarot cards, the occult and horoscopes. The Christian has no business playing with these, since they open the door to demonic influence.

Let it be emphasized that no true Christian magician or ventriloquist is in any way involved in the use of supernatural powers.

There may be confusion due to the fact that certain words have two meanings. "Magic" has the meaning of witchcraft or sorcery, but the word also means sleight of hand and illusion, the surprising, fascinating and entertaining performance. Obviously the Bible is talking about the first of these meanings and not the second.

Etymologically, the word "ventriloquism" means "belly-talking." As used in the Old Testament, the word refers to fortune telling by means of reading the entrails of slain animals, or demon possession, wherein an evil spirit spoke through a human mouthpiece. Modern ventriloquists create the illusion that their voices come from another source, using this to entertain. Spectators unable to explain this skill misnamed the illusion "belly-talking." Again, the Biblical prohibition has reference to one meaning of this word, but does not prohibit the animation of puppets as is done in the modern entertainment medium. The first thing we must be sure of when dealing with Biblical prohibitions is that we understand what the Bible is in fact saying, so that we do not misapply the truth because of a confusion in vocabulary.

Confusion with the Supernatural

One could raise the objection that it is wrong for the Christian to do any performance that could so easily be misinterpreted as sinful by someone who doesn't know. Doesn't the Bible warn us to "avoid all appearance of evil"? (I Thessalonians 5:22, KJV) Couldn't innocent parlor magic or ventriloquism be easily confused with forbidden activity?

In fact, a better translation of I Thessalonians 5:22 is "avoid every form of evil" (NASB) or "avoid every kind of evil" (NIV).  In dealing with right and wrong, one must always be careful of appearances, but it is not the appearance that makes something right or wrong. The emphasis on appearance is the essence of hypocrisy!  If the issue were that Christians are to refrain from doing anything that looks like sin or could be misinterpreted by someone who does not know, then we would never be able to do anything with confidence. According to this thinking, Jesus was correctly rebuked for eating with publicans, for forgiving prostitutes and for touching lepers. Certainly these actions confused many people, but the Son of God knew His mission and performed His ministry in spite of possible objections.

The Gospel magician could easily be confused with the secular entertainer, or worse, with the occultist, just as the Christian singer could be associated with the acid-dropping Satanist, or the radio preacher could be identified with the immoral talk-show host. Or we could insist that it is wrong for the Christian to read any magazine or paperback book, because immoral people publish sinful books and magazines. Do we believe that because of the sin of some broadcasters, there is no value in the ministry of broadcasting? Part of the issue is whether a godly performer should stop a ministry he knows to be right, just because someone else might misjudge his motives or his methods.

Some Christians assume that anything they cannot themselves understand and explain must be supernatural. Hence they see negative effects as being produced by demons, and every positive event must be a miracle of God. There is great room, however, for neutral items which can be used either for good or for evil.

Ministry by means of "Deception"?

Another objection is that it is not right for the Christian to use trickery in presenting the truth. No matter how you slice it, magic involves deceit (illusion). Of course some "Gospel magicians" try to get around this objection by never actually saying their hand is empty when it isn't, but they say, "my hand looks empty." This skirts the issue, since the intent is for the audience to believe that the hand was empty (or that the bunny materialized from thin air, or that the red scarf actually turned white, etc.) The deceit was there, regardless of whether the performer told a lie with his words or with his actions.

Here we must deal with the nature of truth. At any given time, a presentation of truth only represents a portion of reality. I carry a photograph of my wife that everyone claims is a very candid likeness, yet it deceives in certain ways. For one thing, my wife is not black and white and gray; for another, she is more than two inches tall and is not flat. But the image abstracted by this photograph captures her expression and personality very honestly. It is an honest--though partial--representation of the truth. The issue is whether the Gospel magician conveys the impression that he is doing supernatural things, or whether he honestly acknowledges that what he is doing is trickery.

Something to bear in mind is the nature of drama.  We are not “deceived” by the actor who is playing a part, and in fact we say that he played his part well.  In drama we suspend what we know to be true rationally and enter into imagination and “believe” the story.  But when it’s over, we don’t actually believe that we saw the real person being portrayed.  Howard Thurston, a famous magician of a century ago, said “A magician is actually an actor playing the part of a magician.”

After all is said and done, most people acknowledge that magical entertainers do not actually have supernatural powers. If the total presentation is an accurate representation of Biblical truth, the audience will be impressed with the message, and not dazzled at the thought that a person has been doing actual superhuman feats.

A Biblical Basis for Gospel Magic

It is fine to say that doing Gospel magic is not wrong, but is it right?  Is there a Biblical justification for using magic to present Scriptural or spiritual truths?

The first part of the argument comes from Jesus' own use of parables--visual aids. Matthew 13:34 indicates that in Jesus' teaching, He always used object lessons. Sleight of hand and illusion provide a way of presenting some very powerful spiritual messages in a visual way. When a dirty handkerchief--representing sin--is transformed into an egg, it makes a very striking illustration of the change God makes in a person's life when he trusts Christ. Magic tricks have power to gain and maintain attention.

The second part of a Biblical basis for Gospel magic is God's own use of the spectacular as an attention-getting device. He could have dealt with people without using the miraculous, but with Moses He chose to use a bush that burned without being consumed; with Balaam He used a talking donkey; with Joshua He used a destructive trumpet blast to bring down the walls of Jericho, and with Belshazzar He wrote on the wall with a giant hand. Many of the prophets used spectacular attention-getting devices, such as shaving their head, wearing a disintegrating garment, making a model of Jerusalem. And what a sight Jonah must have been, bleached from the digestive juices of the great sea monster, as he paraded through Nineveh proclaiming the judgment of God.

But perhaps most spectacular of all are the descriptions of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. It could have happened without a lot of fanfare, but Christ’s death was accompanied by darkness and earthquake. The resurrection was accompanied by a blast of light that left the guards stunned and dazed.

There are some very impressive effects of "magic" that illustrate principles from the Scripture. When sleight of hand and illusion are harnessed for the purpose of explaining Gospel principles, they can be very powerful from a psychological and educational point of view.

Performance Leads to Pride

A serious objection is that when people are amazed and admire the performer, this leads to pride on his part. This is certainly a possibility, and the Christian performer (no matter what art form) must guard against pride. This is true of the Christian singer, actor, magician, ventriloquist--and even preacher! Let us condemn pride in any form and in every presentation, but the possibility of pride should not deter from exercising a skill that can point people to God's truth and lead them to Christ.

Conclusion

To wind up this brief treatment, let me make several practical suggestions about your own attitude towards "Gospel magic;"

• Enjoy "magic" presentations. Don't worry about being fooled. You don't need to understand how every trick is done in order for it to be all right.
• Pray for the Christian magician. He wants to present Gospel truths in an effective way, without violating what is proper. It is easy to give in to the sins of pride and presumption. He needs your understanding and support. Praise God that He has given this performer opportunities to present a message at places where a preacher would never be able to speak.
• Seek God's mind. Be sympathetic and ask God to help you understand what attitude is right to have towards forms of ministry that you do not wholeheartedly understand or endorse. Realize that the same skill may not be best for everyone, but God can bless it and use it for His glory.
• If you continue to have reservations, work them out. Talk to your local Christian magician. He will be happy to discuss them with you!
• Thanks for being open to consider some new ideas. I hope they have helped you to gain a new perspective. Read Acts 10:9-20 and rejoice that God opens the hearts and minds of His children who are ready to receive His messages.

"Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks [and honor and glory] through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17

 © 1988 by Robert H. Hill, revised 2010. This article may be freely copied and distributed provided that it is done so in its entirety and without charge. You can correspond with the author, Robert Hill, at /roberthill@fcm.org
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My personal advice is if you are planning on using "magic tricks" in a church setting my advice is to call them "illusions". Also explain that what you are doing is a trick. We can not do miracles...only God Can...WE just do tricks to help illustrate the scriptures.

Leave a comment if this article was helpful or if you have any ideas or questions.

Magic Stick/Hot Rod Strolling Gospel Magic Routine

Age: all Ages
Prep Time: None
Cost: Free(if you have the supplies to make one)
Things you will need to make it: 2 Popsicle sticks, Glue, color printer, scissors

The Magic Stick Trick is one of the classics of magic you can buy a Magic stick for less than 10 dollars at any magic store or at Amazon...but I prefer to make one! It has become one of my personal favorites because it is small can be taken anywhere. Not to mention it is simple to learn and is a very effective illusion. Below I put a nice Video I found that shows how it works (0:47 seconds in video) and how to make one (2:04 seconds in video). The flipping motion that the guy does in the video takes a little bit of practice before you can use it (probably less than 5 minutes to master the basic move). My advice is to sit in front of a mirror and practice the flipping motion with your magic stick until you can make it look like both sides are multicolored. After you watch the video I will show you how I tweaked it slightly to put together a gospel routine.



Build the Magic Stick exactly like it shows in video... except change the colors and their order that they are in. When you make your own stick put the colors in this order Black, White, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow. Make the back of the stick Red.

Gospel Routine
Have you seen one of these sticks before? (Flip the stick it so it looks like both sides are multicolored) As you can see both sides appear the same. This stick tells a neat story...but before I tell you I want you to pick a number between one and six and...and don't forget to tell me. Then count down like the guy does in the video to the third color (except instead of orange your third color is red)...So your color is red...that's interesting...do you know what the colors on here mean? The black on here(point to black) represents Sin. Sin is when you do bad things. White (point to white) represents purity... Now earlier you picked red right!? Red represents Christs Blood. ...did you know we all are sinners?...and its because of Christs blood we are made pure in Gods eyes. As a matter of fact if you confess your faith in Christ and repent and live for him scripture says his blood covers our sins. (Heb 9:13)(do the flipping motion with the stick a bit then make it all change to red) ask them if they have every prayed to give their life to Christ (if necessary lead them through the plan of salvation) then make it change back to the multicolor side at this point. The Blue(point to blue) represents baptism(describe that) and the Green represents going to church and Growing in your walk with God by reading the bible, praying, and telling others about what God has done in your life. Yellow(point to yellow) represents Heaven and the streets of gold which is where people go if they have put their faith and trust in Christ and his sacrifice.

Leave a comment if this article was helpful or if you have any ideas or questions.

How to Share the Gospel with a piece of paper...looks like magic

Ticket to Heaven Cool Christian Evangelism Trick 

Age: All ages
Prep Time: Less than 15 seconds to fold it
Cost: free...most of the time unless you have to buy a sheet : /

This is one trick I think every Christian should know because it presents the Gospel really well and once you learn how to do it you can use it anywhere there is paper. I personally have seen about 5 different variations of this. Here is a basic presentation from Magic4Jesus!

Here is another way of doing this paper trick by John Louis (at 2:30 the illusion is over and he shows you how to fold it)

Here is another variation that uses the HELL pieces of paper to spell LIFE and using the same pieces you can show three crosses.

Here is a Diagram I made on the computer to show you how I fold this trick with a piece of paper.

My Gospel Routine with Ticket to Heaven

  I use a story about two friends Mike and Joe who live in a house (see # 5 in illustration)Talk about how they planned on going on a vacation. So they got on a airplane (then I fold the house in half and make it look like an airplane and fly it around a bit...then I crash it into one of the kids.) Then they died... Mike and Joe are now waiting in line to get to heaven...Mike has a ticket(fold wings down flat so it looks like #6 in illustration)...Joe doesn't. Joe starts asking how Mike got a ticket? Mike explains to him when he was a child he Gave his life to God and lived for him. Joe was scared because he never thought God was real. Joe thought the Ticket was what was going to get him into heaven So he started fighting with Mike trying to get the ticket. In the process Joe tore 2 pieces off the ticket. He thought since he has most of the ticket he should be good now.  (keep the hell pieces to use next and give the cross piece to a volunteer and tell them to hold that piece and don't open it till the end.) God comes out during judgement and asks Joe why he believes he should go to heaven. Joe gives God his ticket and says because I have this ticket.(start unfolding the papers and start spelling out hell) God takes the ticket and Tells Joe that the ticket is not what saves you. Since you never had a relationship with me and never believed and gave your life to me. This is where you will be for eternity...(by now you should have hell already spelled out) Now Mike is really nervous because he saw his friend just get sent to hell. God asks Mike why should I let you into heaven. Read Romans 6:23and Romans10:9-10. (take Hell papers and start to make it say life) Mike was speechless...God said since you gave your life to me as a child and lived for me. This is your destination (have volunteer unfold cross paper)since my son payed the price for your sins.


Try this trick out! Take one of these routines or take a bit from each one...make it your own! Leave me a comment with your ideas! Now Go and share the gospel with someone.