This is the place where each month, I will either teach a new trick, or actually perform one for/on YOU! These will most likely not be EARTH-SHATTERING tricks, but I think you will agree that the lessons they are designed to teach are extremely valuable, and very practical for children's workers!

This page is dedicated to anyone who has ever had to teach children, and wondered, "what am I going to speak on this Sunday??". All materials are commonly available, and should cost little or nothing to gather up and use.

Effect: An erroneous equation made up of match sticks is shown to be absolutely correct without touching a single match!

Materials Needed: You need 10 matches, or any 10 straight items to make up the following equation:

Note: The equation above is designed in roman numerals, and as it is... is incorrect.

Presentation: Take a good look at the equation above.  It suggests that 11 + 1 = 10.  We know that to be absolutely false.  11 + 1 will never be 10!  It goes against the law... the laws of mathematics, that is.

Someone once told me that laws were meant to be broken.  I think that they were joking... but there's no joking about God's Law, and His intention for His children to follow it!  We can read about God's Law in Exodus, where Moses went up on the mountain and brought down the ten commandments.  Moses was so upset by people who were breaking God's Law, that he threw down the tablets in disgust!

Jesus Himself was asked about the Law... He was asked which Law was the most important.  This was supposed to be a trap for Jesus, but His answer perfectly fulfilled both the Old Testament truth, and made way for the New Testament revelation...  He said that the most important Law was for us to love God with all of our minds, hearts and strength.  And He said that the 2nd was like it... that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.  He suggested that if we did these two things, we would fulfill all of God's Law.

Now... back to the laws of mathematics...  Here is an interesting question: Can you correct the equation above without touching the matches, adding any matches, or taking away any matches?

Note: Allow the audience to ponder how the equation can be made right without touching any of the matches.  After a brief time of frustrating thought... offer this solution:

To make the equation correct, walk around to the other side of the table, and view the matches from the opposite side!

Note: If you are working on a stage, or for a larger group, you might want to make this up on a large poster, and instead of using matches, just talk about making it right without adding or taking away any of the lines... in essence, without changing a thing.  Simply turn the poster over (180 degrees) to show the answer.

It's interesting, isn't it... how the truth can be staring us right in the face... and we sometimes miss it completely.  I think that was the case with Jesus and the Pharisees.  They were unable to see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets.  They were unable to see Him as the embodiment of the Truth... and yet - there He was (is).  He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life... no one comes to the Father, but by me".

Note: Some people have asked me to make the archives of my Ministry Tricks available, and so I have started providing you with a historical record of them.  You will note that some (several) of the tricks are not available.  That is because many of them have been collected by me, and placed into book format.  That book, entitled, "Visual Object Lessons for Children's Workers", may be ordered from Eric Reamer's Illustrated Illusions for $12.00 US + $3.20 s/h.

How can one be a Christian, and also an illusionist?
The answer may be found by clicking: What is Gospel Magic?

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