Storytime!

We all have a story to tell.
We are all living a story.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that our lives are simply stories that need to be shared.

It's certainly true that not every part of our life is a thing that needs to be shared, but we are natural story tellers and most of us love to hear a good story, as well.

Last weekend I had an opportunity to do something that I rarely get to do--walk around magic! Most of what I do in the way of magic would be considered "stand-up magic" or "parlor magic." It's a rare thing for me to get to do anything in the way of "close-up" magic and to have that kind of intimate relationship with my audiences.

One of the fun things about "walk around" magic is that it generally consists of ordinary things that you can carry in your pockets or that your audience has in their purse of pockets. You are also able to do the same few effects repeatedly as you move about and simply find a new audience!

Each mini show is done for a very small group of people and becomes personal as you are right there--talking to them or their close friends! I knew that my walk around audience included a good number of Haitian people. I also knew that magic has a special meaning to many Haitians as Voodoo and magic are a part of their religious culture. I remember a friend that used to do mission work in Haiti told me that he was always very careful about using "magic" because he was thought to have special powers. He generally did very simple effects and often revealed the "secrets" to show them that it was only a way to share his stories.

In the course of the afternoon, I found myself sharing a few simple effects with a small group of young Haitians. The moment wasn't any different than any of the other brief mini shows...at first. However, in only a few short minutes I was completely surrounded by young Haitians, demanding to see more. I really felt that I was being pressed in upon as everybody wanted to see, wanted to be closer, wanted to be the next person to participate. In retrospect, maybe the little mentalism effect wasn't the best choice. Mentalism is hard to explain away as slight of hand and has a way of appearing a little bit more like real magic. During that effect, one young man (obviously a popular guy and a bit of a leader in the group) began to speak in their native Haitian Creole. His repetitive words sounded like a chant or incantation. It kind of freaked me out. I know that he could have simply been saying something like, "I don't believe it. I don't believe it!" or "How is he doing that? How is he doing that?"

In any case, a few effects before moving on is the standard practice and it was time to move on! I think that they were all intrigued enough to attend the show that was held at the end of the afternoon. I always hope that the "story" I tell is remembered more than the way that I tell it. The story is of God's great love for us and of the great gift of salvation that He offers to each one of us.

What's your story?

John <><