We have decided that our upcoming March 8th (Thursday night) meeting will be FAMILY NIGHT. That means we formally invite spouses to come with you that night. Julia will provide the meal and there will be time for the ladies to socialize, while the guys watch Thumb tip Magic videos. We will then, all visit the magic room, for our normal meeting. We can share magic with each other, and share tricks. I also promise an easy to do trick for each spouse!!! Bottom line....put on you calendars now -- Thursday March 8th at 6:30 pm - fun, food, and fellowship (plus, free magic!!!!)
This will be our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY MEETING!!!!!!!! Can you believe it, our Chapter will officially be 1 year old in March 2012!! |
Hope each spouse and member can attend!!!!!! Keep the "SON" Shining.................... John
WOW!!! Can you believe it has been one year since we started the Atlanta Chapter of the FCM? We had a record turnout: John and Julia Jefferson; Rick and Angela Jeffers, Leland and Brenda Davis, Randy Burt, Lynn Fox, Jim and Melania Magus Saltarella, Judy Neyland. We were thrilled to welcome our guests and a new member, Judy!! After great appetizers and dinner, we watched Duane Laflin’s “ Basic Magic, The Thumbtip--The Magician’s Secret Weapon”—a great way to start our new year. We adjourned to the magic room and each magician shared an effect or routine. As always, fellowship in the Lord is so sweet. The efforts of all are truly appreciated. Our next meeting will be April 12, 2012 at the home of John and Julia Jefferson. We welcome guests and prospective members. Please feel free to join us. Attached are the detailed minutes of the meeting. Until next time, Keep the “SON” shining… John March 8, 2012 -WOW!!! What a great way to celebrate our very first year as a chapter of the FCM!! We had a record attendance: John and Julia Jefferson, Rick and Angela Jeffers, Leland and Brenda Davis, Randy Burt, Lynn Fox, Jim and Melania Magus Saltarella, Judy Neyland. We were thrilled to welcome our guests and a new member, Judy!!! After great appetizers and dinner, we adjourned to watch an excellent video –Duane Laflin’s Basic Magic, The Thumbtip—The Magician’s Secret Weapon! We all watched and learned great ways to use the thumbtip. Our next venture was upstairs in the Magic Room. John opened the meeting, welcomed our guests and explained to them the order of events. Lynn opened with prayer. Angela reminded us to sing Happy Birthday to ourselves!!! John told the group that he and Julia are going to the magic conference in Tampa, FL next week. He also reminded all that the FCM Conference will be held the last week of July/1st week of Aug. and encouraged everyone to attend. John then gave out DVDs of the Nashville Conference last year. Gilbert Adams was kind enough to send us copies to give to those who attended. We discussed David Ginn’s offer to do a 3 hour live workshop for us as a group. The fee would be $35 per person and the topic would be Kid Biz. We decided to think about it and each member will contact John to let him know if it is something of interest. Leland headed up our meeting with a great presentation based on Genesis 1:26-27 which he passed out to all to read. Leland asked us to find phrases that are repeated in those two verses. Two of them are “image of God” and “He created them”. Leland used the coloring book to illustrate the fact that God could have created us in a very plain, nondescript manner, but he chose to create us in full living color—in “Our image”. Leland then passed around a box and asked us if we ever wondered what God looks like—the box had a mirror in it. Leland related the story of the Israelites making a golden image of a god, while Moses was with God on Mt. Sinai –sin had come between the Israelites and their God. ( used a change box–skull and crossbones between the scarves representing the Israelites and God) Leland’s next illustration was about Daniel in the lion’s den using Dock Haley’s “In the Fire”. It is believed that the 4th man in the furnace is perhaps, Jesus, the image of God. “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” If we have Jesus, we can reflect God—used change bag to show the beauty of Jesus in us—streamer. Thank you, Leland for a super job presenting the gospel combining several effects!! Randy was next. He used a tear apart change bag to illustrate that life without Christ is empty. If we put our trust in God, our hearts will reflect the beauty of God’s love—produced the blue/silver streamer that John gave him last year. Great use of the streamer! Rick had agreed to discover a gospel illustration for a mental card trick that Jim showed us the last time we met. Rick had made a large card version of the effect. and showed us that the gold stood for heaven; white for sinlessness; red for God’s love (Jesus’ blood);blue (because we blew it!) for sin. He asked someone to choose one of the books of the Bible on the front of one card. He then asked,–one card at a time, if the book he had chosen was on that card. Rick showed us how he made it easy for him to discover which book had been chosen. Thanks, Rick, for your great gospel illustration of the mental card trick! Lynn Fox then showed us many versions the thumbtip! He gave us lots of ideas about their uses and ways to hide them—inside sleeve, pinned on back of your pants using a rubber cork, etc. He illustrated that a thumbtip can be used as a die tube—using both ends of the thumbtip! It is easier to use a diamond-cut scarf as it is smaller. Lynn illustrated “6 reasons to use a thumbtip” –6 fingers on one hand. Lynn told of using a metal thumbtip as a launcher –flash cotton and confetti! Thanks for the great illustrations! Judy Neyland, our new member, said she will be going on a mission trip to North Africa and would love to present the gospel using magic. Most of the children do not understand English, but all will love the magic. She also goes to nursing homes and wants to do gospel magic for the elderly. Judy is excited about learning and presenting magic with a gospel message. We are so glad to have you join us, Judy. Jim told us that life without God was like a pencil without a tip—it has no point! Also, a metal washer glued to a clothespin gives us a free washer and dryer!—good jokes to share. He then showed us a dollar bill with George Washington’s face right side up. He changed it into a bill that was in four parts—all mixed up. Sometimes life gets mixed up. We need to look into God’s Book to straighten out our situation—the bill is then restored. John then demonstrated the three ropes trick—like Rainbow Ropes. John gave a brief illustration of the effect using the ropes. He then gave each person 3 ropes and choices of colors of tape to put on the ends. Each member made his/her own trick to take home !! Thanks, John! John will send the full gospel application via email. We are looking forward to next month when we will discuss The Professor’s Nightmare with a special ending and Gospel lesson. John led us in a closing prayer. |
I did not get to give the complete Gospel application for the 3 rope trick (taped colored ends of the rope we made during the meeting). So I have attached and included both of the write-ups Julia and I use for the trick. Note: One is detailed and one is the short version. Feel free to us any part that you want: Long version: Rainbow Ropes – The Trinity (God, Father, Holy Spirit) Basic Bible Message: Illustrate the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Method: Humor (one-liners), joke, and magic Effect: Rainbow ropes – Make circle Opening: I begin with a few one liners (select just a few) - Be ye fishers of men. You catch them – He’ll clean them. - Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous. - Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to Church. - Forbidden fruits create many jams. - God promises a safe landing, not calm passage. - Don’t give god instructions –m just report for duty. - The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us. Joke: A Sunday School Teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her 5 & 6 year old class. After explaining the Commandment to “Honor thy father and thy mother”, She asked “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat – one little boy said, “Thou shall not kill!” Message: Using the rainbow ropes – tell how each color represents one part of the trinity. The GOLD represents the Father (as He has a golden royal kingdom) and I tie the two gold ends together. I note how this one small loop of rope I made can barely go over my head, as many of us only have a basic “head knowledge” of the trinity. The RED rope represents the Son (red for the shed blood). As I tie the red ends together, I then show two loops – that are still too small to fit over my head. Last I tie the two GREEN ends of the rope together, letting them represent the Holy Spirit. I now show I have three small loops, each their own color and each separate. Each loop is too small to go over my head. Close: Talk about the Father who offers us paradise through His Grace (show GOLD loop), the son who offers Salvation by forgiving sins (show red loop), and the Holy Spirit that lives within us (show green loop). Now, throw the ropes into the air, grab them and show that all three are really “one big loop”. Step your body through the loops and show that The Trinity is three different, yet three of the same “Covering Us!” Short version: Rainbow Ropes – Trinity – Jefferson City 2011 Well, today we have talked about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. These three terms are often called the Trinity. Trinity – that is a unique word. The trinity is saying that even though God, Jesus Chris, and the Holy Spirit are three different things – they are also “all in one”. Boy, that is a hard concept to understand. How can three things be different, yet be one in the same? John, can you help us out with a magic trick. John does the trick from three ropes to one long rope. He uses the gold rope as God, the red and Jesus Christ, and the green as the Holy Spirit. After the trick – Julia summarizes. So, you can see that God “the Father” offers us paradise through His grace. Jesus Christ “the Son” offers us Salvation by forgiving us of our sins. And, the Holy Spirit “eg. The Living Water” lives with us and guides us through our daily lives. God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit – three in one! Keep the "SON" Shining................. John |