Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category



May20

I found Jesus…if you’d like to visit him.

By Harris III | 1 Comment

JesusIt’s not every day you meet someone and feel like you’re hanging out with Jesus.  He asked his followers to live a certain way, and there’s a lot of people out there claiming to be “Christ-like”, by calling themselves “Christians.”  Unfortunately, the real ones are actually hard to find.  This shouldn’t surprise me I guess.  Jesus himself said that the “road was narrow,” and that “few actually find it.” (Matthew 7:14)

These past two weeks have been the first time in about two years that just Kate and I have traveled without crew.  That means I’ve loaded my own gear each day, EQ’d a lot of my own sound checks, and done all of the driving.  We thought it’d be a nice break from the norm, and we also spent a few days off in Charleston, SC to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary, so it was a better idea for us to just enjoy some time together alone on the road.  Turns out, it’s been an unbelievable blessing.

As some of you have heard already by following me via Twitter and Facebook, we’ve had a lot of engine trouble.  We sputtered all the way into Charleston, and after spending almost a thousand dollars on repairs, we’re still having the exact same problem.  We’ve managed to make it to each of our shows on time…it’s just been slow going.  Kate also managed to READ ALL

Mar24

Is your church a club?

By Harris III | 2 Comments

“Where Church is Not a Club.” That’s the tag line of 24/7, a community of believers in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.  They hosted us last summer. Amazing people. So amazing, that I’ve been hanging on to a small card for almost a year now.  It’s been sitting on my disk ever since, and I came across it again yesterday. (Just like the mail I shared with you in my previous post.)

I like this “not a club” mentality for two reasons:

1. The building they now gather in used to be a nightclub.  How they ended up with the building is a very cool God story.
2. Before we moved, I used to live in the wealthiest county in my state, and churches there are more like country clubs than churches. There are “insiders” and “outsiders”, and “membership certainly has it’s privileges.”

But, I’m getting side-tracked.  Here’s the real reason I’ve hang on to this card all this time: Their story, which is printed on the back of the card. It is beautifully written, exceptionally inspirational, and it makes my heart beat faster.  I love it.  May it do the same for you…   READ ALL

Mar23

Lives changed by magic…

By Harris III | 1 Comment

In this day and age, it’s rare to get mail from real people. And when you do, it’s even more rare that it’s hand-written.  Today, I cleaned off my desk, and rediscovered some hand-written letters that have come in. As I read through them, I was once again blown away that God actually uses something as crazy as simple magic tricks, performed by an incredibly imperfect guy like me, to actually impact people’s lives.  Here are a few excerpts from recent letters…

Recent Letters

In a child’s handwriting:

“Dear Mr. Harris, The story you told us about following your dream really inspired me.  I learned that I need to follow God with my dream.  God has given me the dream of being a doctor in poor countries in Africa.  The only problem is that I’ve been trying to follow it my own way, not God’s.  Your story taught me a big lesson that I will never forget.  Thank you!”

From a teenager:   READ ALL

Nov29

Ahhhh, so that’s what you want to do with your life.

By Harris III | 2 Comments

It’s 6:00 am on Monday morning. Our whirl-wind schedule begins on Tuesday. It’s been so nice to have a couple of days to adjust and recover from travel before our intense show schedule starts.

We spent all day yesterday (Sunday) doing church, then celebrating Thanksgiving with vocational missionaries from all over the world.  Ha.  Missionary.  Don’t let that word fool you.  Forget about all the stereotypes of what you think of when you hear that word.  These guys are doctors, teachers, community leaders, pastors, and business people. They’re amazing.

Most people need their perceptions of what it means to be a “missionary” totally shattered.  And “most people” likely includes you.   READ ALL

Nov24

Sorry, but you are out of control!

By Harris III | 2 Comments

The last few months have been amazing, and I’m not taking one moment of it for granted.  Because it’s been a long few years!  Whether it was selling everything we had to get out of debt, going through two failed management experiences, or our last house sale falling through and us having to carry the cost of two homes, our journey, as likely yours, has been filled with ups and downs.  Right now is one of the good times.  You know…the kind of season where you can’t believe how many good things are happening, and you keep asking yourself, “Okay, is something bad just around the corner? Because this all seems too good to be true.”

We just sold out our entire fall tour, followed by some amazing solo performance opportunities, and 2010 is shaping up to be unbelievable.  And while huge financial gains haven’t been connected to those opportunities, there’s just a lot of really, really amazing things coming together that are big wins for our ministry.  Call it whatever you want…favor…success…it feels amazing. Especially after working so hard, and having the perspective gained from contrasting experiences, (like all the times it didn’t seem like there was light at the end of the tunnel).

But, (and that’s a BIG but), I’m nervous. Because my previous track record shows that I couldn’t handle success in a healthy way. READ ALL

Oct21

Scientists ask Magicians, “How are we deceived?” Should the Church start asking, too?

By Harris III | 5 Comments

There’s an illusion that I perform in our show, “Sens de Vie” where a newspaper is ripped to shreads and instantly restored back to its original condition. Every page is shown front and back, both at the beginning and at the end.  Audiences love it.

This past weekend, in the process of performing the illusion with a copy of the USA Today, I noticed a page with a huge photo of a guy holding a deck of cards, along with a headline referencing magic.  After looking into it, I discovered an incredible article titled, “Neuroscientists: Why is the brain deceived as if by magic?”

There was a large meeting recently in Chicago where scientists gathered to watch magicians performing their art, and then had a large discussion about attention, memory, and perception.  The article featured a great quote by Thomas Carew, the president for the Society of Neuroscience:

“There is no better way to see how the mind works than to study how we can be deceived.”   READ ALL

Oct1

Sens de Vie: Can I Walk on Water?

By Harris III | No Comments

Our fall tour this year is titled “Sens de Vie“, which is French for “The Meaning of Life.” It’s inspired by Vaudeville, which to many people is a lost performance art in America today.  Vaudeville is based on a french word, and provided much of our inspiration for the evening variety show we’ll be presenting to audiences across the Southeast and Midwest this fall.

Joining me will be my good friend and world champion circus performer, DonB!, as well as my new friends Everlife, 3 sisters who became Hollywood Records recording artists, toured with Miley Cyrus, and just opened for the Jonas Brothers.  With that kind of resume, as you could expect, these girls are incredibly gifted, and you’ll be blown away by their moments throughout the show. They’ve been given a big platform in today’s culture, and they utilize it with courage and humility.

Three years ago I started telling people, “I’m going to create a production that reaches the kind of people who aren’t interested in going to church on Sunday. And I’m going to do the shows in the kind of places they’re already going to experience entertainment. And, I’m going to charge people to get in.”  A few said, “That sounds amazing! Go for it!” But most just laughed and said, “It won’t work.” READ ALL

Sep29

I’m Not a “Christian Illusionist”

By Harris III | 6 Comments

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post announcing that I would no longer be marketing myself as a “Christian Illusionist”, but just as an “illusionist” who happens to be a Christian.  It turns out, the decision was a wise one.

Because I am open about my faith, and often incorporate it into my show so that my art has substance, I am most certainly a different kind of illusionist.  Who I am affects what I do. What I believe affects my work. And my Creator is involved in the experiences I create.  Like me, who you are affects how you do what you do…whether you’re aware of it or not.

Because I’ve discovered over and over again that labels ultimately fail, and because it got piles of conversations going 4 years ago, and then again when reposted 2 years later, here’s the original post yet again. Enjoy, comment, and pass it along… READ ALL