Things to Forget 6

“Ya got trouble, folks! – Right here in River City! – Trouble, with a capital T – And that rhymes with P – And that stands for pool!” Those famous lyrics from the song “Ya Got Trouble” penned by Willson Meredith for the hit musical The Music Man, when sung by conman Harold Hill got the people of River City worried about a pool table in their town. He got them to imagine all kinds of things. Well, if you want to have that kind of trouble in your show, start doing tricks with playing cards at a church.

While there is certainly nothing sinful about a deck of 52 playing cards, many people see them as “tools of the devil.” So rather than risk the trouble, play it safe. Even the classic effect put out by Dock Haley Gospel Magic, “The Original King of Hearts,” (three regular playing cards are shown, two spot cards and a "King of Hearts" in the center that is later changed into a picture of the head of Christ, the original "King of Hearts") can have a negative effect long before the message is driven home.

So take the effects you learn from card effects and change them, use different things. Alphabet or number cards work and are available from many dealers. But to get really creative, make your own. With a computer, some card stock, a paper cutter and a little imagination, many wonderful things can be done.

In Oz and Wilde: FX4 Christ we do effects where cards are chosen, but one set of cards has Bible verses on them and another has Biblical heroes. In another effect six different Hawaiian shirt greeting cards are used. One is selected and inside a gift box is a shirt that matches the card. This is a great way to start being creative and creating unique effects.

There is a place for effects with playing cards and that would be doing street outreach. Playing cards create excitement. They make people think about gambling…and if part of your message when using them is “don’t gamble with your eternity…pick Jesus and you are a winner every time” they can be quite useful. Just not at a church facility.


	FORGET ABOUT TRICK WITH PLAYING CARDS...BUT NOT CARD TRICKS
	“Ya got trouble, folks! – Right here in River City! – Trouble, with a capital T – And that rhymes with P – And that stands for pool!” Those famous lyrics from the song “Ya Got Trouble” penned by Willson Meredith for the hit musical The Music Man, when sung by conman Harold Hill got the people of River City worried about a pool table in their town. He got them to imagine all kinds of things. Well, if you want to have that kind of trouble in your show, start doing tricks with playing cards at a church. While there is certainly nothing sinful about a deck of 52 playing cards, many people see them as “tools of the devil.” So rather than risk the trouble, play it safe. Even the classic effect put out by Dock Haley Gospel Magic, “The Original King of Hearts,” (three regular playing cards are shown, two spot cards and a "King of Hearts" in the center that is later changed into a picture of the head of Christ, the original "King of Hearts") can have a negative effect long before the message is driven home. So take the effects you learn from card effects and change them, use different things. Alphabet or number cards work and are available from many dealers. But to get really creative, make your own. With a computer, some card stock, a paper cutter and a little imagination, many wonderful things can be done. In Oz and Wilde: FX4 Christ we do effects where cards are chosen, but one set of cards has Bible verses on them and another has Biblical heroes. In another effect six different Hawaiian shirt greeting cards are used. One is selected and inside a gift box is a shirt that matches the card. This is a great way to start being creative and creating unique effects. There is a place for effects with playing cards and that would be doing street outreach. Playing cards create excitement. They make people think about gambling…and if part of your message when using them is “don’t gamble with your eternity…pick Jesus and you are a winner every time” they can be quite useful. Just not at a church facility. NEXT - MORE GOSPEL ILLUSION TIPS - RESOURCES - HOME