This is probably a non-starter- but is there a reasonable/usable Bible based Gospel routine using "The Invisible Deck"? Again, I don't want to force a round peg into a square hole. Most card tricks simply don't have a non-contrived or silly Gospel reference.

If no, this is still a great trick in my judgment in an adult setting to "earn the right to be heard" later.

I have quite a few versions of this great card trick, including the very reasonably priced jumbo Invisible Deck version (Dan Harlan) available from Penguin Magic. I probably did my first "invisible deck" trick more than 50 years ago, was always well received even as a teen performer. I once saw a very big name illusion show performer in Vegas do the jumbo version (while changing sets) and get the wrong reversed card- so it is important to be able to do very simple math in one's head "under pressure". I whispered to my wife- he is reversing the wrong card!!! The performer then did a "well that was at least close" line which kinda fell flat to say the least.

Another fun short children's gag that I know of no Gospel routine for is "Hat-A-Rama" by Devin Knight (also available from Penguin Magic). This too is another example of a good "warm up" fun thing to do with kids as the first non-Gospel portion of an overall routine (unless anyone knows of a Gospel application for that- I can't think of one).

As we are expecting another major snow blast in SW Michigan tonight, one trick for sure I won't be doing Sunday morning is the trick hated by all janitors everywhere: the beautiful but very messy "Snowstorm in China" (from the fist ala Kevin James) routine... I posted this true story before- I once saw a teen performer walk down the aisle in an indoor auditorium doing this trick- and I saw the standing janitor watching from the back practically having a heart attack while he saw his cleaned rows and rows of hard to clean theater sets being trashed with fine white confetti by an uncaring magician... Not good... I always wondered if that janitor made the teen magician later sweep and clean the seats of the entire auditorium.

I did a simple routine a long time ago where I talked about making the choice to turn your back and go against the flow of the world... you will stand out when you're willing to turn from sin.

Hi Roger,
I purchased the invisible deck 35 years ago at Disneyland's main street magic shop. I love it. This may be overly general and seem contrived, but this is how I use it.
Emphasis: God's Omniscience, foreknowledge

I hand out the deck in it's box with rubber bands enclosing it having spectators watching it the whole time. While doing the trick I emphasize the phrases "know" and "ahead of time" several times in my patter. "There is no possible way I could have known what you would think before we even began" etc

After the reveal - This is a trick, I can't really know your thoughts or know what you would choose ahead of time, but the bible tells us that God knows everything. The bible tells us that God knows our every thought and feeling. He even knows them before we think them. Before God created you, he knew you, and knew every thought you would ever think. He knew every secret and sinful thought you would ever have, and yet even with that knowledge He still chose to love you. Romans 5:8 God chose to love us, and Jesus chose to die for us even though he knew how sinful we really are.

Card tricks with a standard deck never seemed to translate well with kids. Several years ago I made my own invisible deck with UNO cards. Kids just relate to this so much better. The other thing I do with kids is have 2 spectators, one boy and one girl that have to work together to choose the card from the invisible deck. This is hilarious, and amps up the comedy of the invisible deck and card.

Even with a masters in statistics, I can goof up while under pressure. A simple work around, if the performance setting is appropriate (audience in front of you), don't do any math - just hold the cards upright as you spread the cards. You just need to remember what the chosen card was (I can even mess up there too )

John

Roger:

love your approach to this problem.

Just saw this thread and wanted to share a BIG sized routine I like to do with this for a teen to adult audience:

You will need a large sized Invisible Deck wrapped in wrapping paper. (I made my own with a jumbo deck and a "roughing stick"), A large balloon (I use a 12" diameter "punching ball"), a white board eraser, a large Dry Erase Board and an easel on stage, a black dry erase marker and a red one.

On the board, (mine is 24"X36") I draw a Heart and Diamond in Red at the top on the Left and a Spade and Club symbol in Black on the right. Next I vertically write AKQJ1098765432 on the left in Red under the diamond and heart, and on the right in Black under the spade and club. I say, "Since we know that God is sovereign, and since we know that He already knows who will be saved from before the foundation of the earth, how can we also have free will? God's word says "whosoever will may come" and "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." To the human mind, these can not be reconciled. Both can not be true, and yet, God's word says both ARE true. This is because His ways are greater than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts! God says we have complete free will to come to Him for salvation! Everyone! and yet He already knows who will and who will not. Here is a little experiment we can use to illustrate that we can have free will within God's sovereignty. You see here I have a large balloon ball. As the music plays, I am going to toss it to the audience to bounce around the room. When the music stops, the next person who touches the ball will be my first assistant.

I let the ball bounce around for about 10 seconds to music then my assistant is selected. I ask the assistant on stage and hand them a whiteboard eraser and instruct them to erase entirely either ALL of the Red or ALL of the Black. After they are done I ask if that was completely their choice or did someone tell them to do that? Did I have ANY influence over their choice? They of course say no. I jokingly announce, "I knew you were going to make that choice!"

Follow the same process to bring the next 3 assistants to stage. The second one erases either the Diamond or the Heart if Red remains, or they will erase either the Spade or Club if Black remains. The third assistant will erase either AKQJ or 1098765432. The fourth and final assistant will erase all of the remaining numbers or letters leaving only one so the board will be totally white except for a suit and a card. After each assistant erases their part, I look to the audience and announce, "I knew you were going to make that choice!" with a big smile.

Ask each assistant in turn the same questions about their free choice and ability to change their mind. This is the way we have the privilege to come to Jesus Christ for salvation. All are free to make their own choice, but God already knows the outcome from the very beginning! Just like, for the purposes of this illusion, I knew which card you would all work together to chose before you ever came to the stage! As you can see over there on the small table their is a large deck of cards that has been in view since the show began. Would one of you go over and bring the deck here and unwrap it from the wrapping paper for me please?

I take the unwrapped deck from the assistant and fan the deck to show the one and only reversed card to the audience (usually to gasps) and ask one of the assistants to remove that card and show it to the audience. It of course matches the card chosen freely by the combination of all four assistants randomly chosen from the audience!

I Finish by explaining that God knows the end from the beginning and we can rest in the power of His word in Romans 8:28, "All things work together for good to those who Love the Lord, who are the called according to His purpose." We can know that He has made the way for ANYONE to be saved by simply receiving the gift of Salvation from Christ our Lord. That's John 3:16, and we know that Romans 10:10 in God's word tells us that "With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation!" God is giving you a choice this day. Will you not believe on Him and confess Him as your Lord and be saved!?

LifeWay 2017 VBS "Galatic Starveyors" had the theme from Colossians 1: 15-16: "Searching the visible, discovering the invisible." After doing the invisible deck routine on the street, could be used as a simple invitation to your church. Could say something like this/modified what works for you best (and I fortunately still have my 2017 VBS shirt that says the above quote on it): "At Lighthouse Community Church (name of your church), we search what is visible in the life of Christ and as in His revealed Word, and marvel at His creation, only to discover more about our "invisible" (holding up quote fingers) loving Father and His transforming our hearts. In that last fun card trick, we traveled from the invisible to the visible. At Lighthouse, we marvel to learn about Christ from His very visible life to find God's amazing "invisible" love for us which so many folk are not aware of (or show the printed words on the Galatic Starveyors T-shirt). Hope you can join us at Lighthouse sometime to join with all of us folk and our kids in this great trek, feel free to check us out, we're friendly I promise."

If you are not familiar with the "Invisible Deck", put that in the search box at www.PenguinMagic.com - pages and pages of different routines, cards and DVD handlings show up. Most every magic dealer or shop carries at least one version of "The Invisible Deck".

You might talk about invisible decisions becoming visual / manifesting in life and then do the classic ID routine, where someone invisibly decides to turn a card face up and then you take it out of your pocket and show this decision manifested.