Posts Tagged ‘bj harris’



Jul21

What are you scared of?

By Harris III | 3 Comments

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”   - Helen Keller

I love that everyone thinks it’s awesome that my wife, Kate, and I are “willing to go travel the world” and do missions work.  But so many times, the “I think that’s awesome” comments are followed by, “I could never do that.” And if you try to determine why they think that, it almost always boils down to comfort and security…

“It’s just too unsafe.” Baloney. (And that’s to put it nicely.)

The chances are good that READ ALL

Jul14

My Future Competition: Jordan the Great!

By Harris III | 8 Comments

Not long ago, I received a Facebook message from someone who had seen our show in Roanoke, VA, and had bought one of our magic sets.  It included a video that almost made me cry.  It’s pretty long, and you may not have time to watch Jordan’s entire show, but you HAVE to take 60 seconds out of your schedule to watch the first minute of this video.  I promise, you’ll smile.

It’s videos like this one that make me realize the value and importance of illusionism.TV.  Magic is awesome for kids, for so many reasons, and I can’t wait to see what kind of aspiring magicians are born out of such an exciting project!  If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to take a look.  It’s child friendly, safe and secure, and your kids will love it! Check out the site, and learn magic tricks now: http://illusionism.TV

But first, you’ve gotta see this:   READ ALL

Jul12

What I’ve learned from Social Media

By Harris III | No Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I made an urgent request for help.  We found ourselves in quite a pickle, after violence sprung up in Thailand, and our tour there got cancelled last second.  (Click here to read about that.)  So rather than sit around for a month or two, we decided to go out and use our talents, and serve anyone who was willing to let us show up and do what we do.

I’ve been blown away by how people responded so immediately!  Everyone started tweeting, re-tweeting, posting to Facebook, making calls and sending emails, and before you know it, we had plenty of opportunities and invitations to make a huge dent in our July & August schedule.  We’re even going to Nicaragua for a week…more on that in a later post.

Honestly, I can’t believe what’s happening.   READ ALL

Apr14

What I think about other magicians…

By Harris III | 7 Comments

Not long after I first launched this blog, I shared my honest opinion about Criss Angel. People always ask me what I think about him, so I told them.  Since then, I’ve shared more than one of other opinions I have about a lot of things.  I’ve also learned a lot along the way, mainly that one’s opinion usually doesn’t matter, and that sometimes, sharing it doesn’t do much more than push people’s buttons.  I enjoy pushing people’s buttons, but pushing them for pushing’s sake…well, what’s the point in that?  That’s stupid.  And yes, I’ve already admitted that sometimes I’m stupid.

Though I’m not always good at it, I’m more interested in encouraging others to think, and motivated by the potential of influence or change. So here’s an opinion that will hopefully influence a few others to consider getting over themselves, and making a better attempt at being who they were actually created to be.

My opinion:  READ ALL

Apr8

The Illusion of Success

By Harris III | 12 Comments

When I was 9 years old, I got a magic set for Christmas from my grandmother.  Not at all what I asked for, but that’s what I got.  Turns out, it changed my life.  When I was 11, I got paid $25 to do my first “real” show.  By 14, I was traveling, performing for schools and churches, and even at all kinds of public and private parties and events. By 16, I got my first cruise ship gig, performing on a big boat back and forth from the Carribean.  By 18, I was making almost $200,000 a year.  By 25, I had made a million dollars in my lifetime.  And I had wasted every penny of it.

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

Mar12

Ever been hit in the crotch with a Deck of Cards thrown at lightening speed? I have…

By Harris III | 2 Comments

Back in January, I performed for a group of about 5,000 teenagers at a conference called TCTC.  Let me simply say that in live performances, especially if performing for kids or teenagers, you never know what’s going to happen.  Enjoy one of the most painful moments I’ve ever experienced while performing live on stage…   READ ALL

Feb15

“We would do more events if…” Really??

By Harris III | 5 Comments

This past weekend, we had the honor of partnering with 88.3, a radio station based in Springfield, MO. They did a Valentine’s Day event for their listeners, and we had an absolute blast performing for a PACKED house.  It was a really, really fun event for us, and is probably the 4th or 5th radio station we’ve partnered with here in the U.S.

This morning, my assistant Beth got the following email in her inbox from Ben Birdsong, the Station Manager. It was completely unsolicited, and 100% unexpected:   READ ALL

Feb12

Video Blog, February 12, 2010 – “Questions about Self-Image”

By Harris III | 6 Comments

I’m struggling to process my thoughts on self-image, and how God feels about it.  Will you join the conversation and help me figure it out? Or at least make some progress?

[Facebook users click here to watch the video. Facebook doesn't not embed videos when automatically importing these notes from my blog.]

What do YOU think?   READ ALL

Feb10

How to Lose Weight & Avoid Deception Throughout the Process – Interview w/ Biggest Loser Contestant, Sean Algaier

By Harris III | 1 Comment

Last week, Kate and I had the privilege of performing three shows aboard the Monarch of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, in partnership with the K-Love Friends & Family Cruise.  We had a great time connecting with long-time friends, relaxing, and even working, sharing the stage with folks like the Newsboys (w/ Michael Tait – very interesting), Big Daddy Weave, MercyMe, Mandisa, 33 Miles, Fireflight, Tenth Avenue North, Francesca Battistelli, Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, the guys from 321 Improv, and more.

We also made some new friends, including Sean Algaier, a contestant from Season 8 of the Biggest Loser.  Turns out, Sean had seen one of our shows in Indiana, and was already a fan.  I was excited to hook up and hang out with him a little, and even more excited to be able to sit down with him for a quick video interview.

In my last post, I sat down with music artists, Everlife, and discussed their new song “What’s Beautiful”, and we talked about the role deception plays in self-image.  This video is closely related to a similar topic, as Sean and I talk about his experience on the show, how to lose weight, and how he was deceived throughout that process.  Enjoy!   READ ALL

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