An interesting thing happened on the way to school

Today, my daughter, Deanna, asked me to come into her history class and show a few of my favorite magic tricks.  It is only a half-day of school before Christmas vacation, and there really aren't any assignments being handed out or getting turned in.  Why magic tricks in a history class?  Because Deanna's history teacher also does some magic in the classroom, and when Deanna told him what I do for a living, he suggested she bring me in some time.  So I did.

Why do I tell you this?  Deanna feels challenged by this teacher on more than one level, mainly because of her faith.  But when Deanna told him I was a professional magician, he said "prove it", and bring me into class sometime.  

Apparently this teacher has also asked Deanna to defend her beliefs from time to time.  From Deanna's recollections, this teacher is not a Christian.

This teacher asked her "how can you believe in creation, when you can't prove it?"  She said he asks other similar questions, regarding God, Jesus, Christianity, etc.  Not because he believes, but more as if he's asking, "How can you possibly believe THAT?!"

My first reaction was to think, "How dare he question her belief system, when he can't prove his own beliefs, such as species-to-species evolution, entropy is regards to higher evolution and other small things like that."  But then, things changed.

In MY mind they changed.

I realized that the quote by Friedrich Nietzsche stating, 

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger"

 is true in this situation.  I think EVERYONE, regardless of what they believe should be questioned and challenged about WHAT they believe, WHY they believe it and what the BENEFITS of their belief system are. If you don't understand your OWN faith, then why believe it in the first place?

I think that if this teacher is simply challenging her to explain her beliefs, and not belittling nor condemning her for them, then I think it will deepen her understanding of her Christianity.  It's not going to kill her to be faced with those questions, so my hope is that it will MAKE HER STRONGER.

Does this mean I can explain every little nook and cranny of knowledge about God and Jesus and Christianity? Obviously not.  But neither can scientists explain every nook and cranny about how the universe came to be, how species evolved from one to another, how if the universe is slowly running down how can there be higher life forms "evolving" from lower ones.  I understand the evolutionary process involving "survival of the fittest", and how lions get to be stronger lions, giraffes get to be taller giraffes, but not how an iguana "evolved" into a dog.

I believe what I believe because 1) it makes the most sense to me, 2) it brings a hope and peace that I couldn't have if I trusted only in my own self for my survival, and 3) it has changed my life.  If studying evolution brings those things to someone else, that's wonderful.  For them.  For now.  But I hope he/she is ready to defend what they believe the same way that I am challenged to defend what I believe.  

In the end, I have put my hope in God and the promises that he has laid out before me in the Bible.  Am I an idiot?  Some people would say so. But I'm sticking with it.  

Oscar Wilde summarized it this way:

A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.

Think about it...

...and have a merry Christmas.

DonB!

Lio Comics

Merry Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas everyone!

Greetings everyone. As we get nearer and nearer to December 25th, lights go upon houses, stockings are hung, we eat too many wonderful baked goods, and the music programs become more abundant.

Our church musical, "Journey to Bethlehem", as well as the high school choir concert, were both postponed due to the frigid cold we had last Sunday. The church musical was presented on Wednesday instead and all went well, despite the music director being laid up at home in bed. The high school musical is rescheduled for next Monday.

This is the first in 6 years that I have not worked for UPS during the month of December, due the desire to get a lot of my own ministry tasks accomplished. I spent about 60 hours editing and reediting the church musical video segments. I've been learning more and more about PhotoShop and the fun ways to use it. I'd love to say that I've spent much of the time cleaning around the house, but...(insert laughter here).

I've been working on a couple of new routines for my shows, but I can't disclose what they are at this time until they are done and ready to try out on an audience. Watch for them: one has to do with fishing, and one has to do with juggling, but it's not by me. I also have started working on a bigger project that should be ready by Summer, and it will start showing up at corporate events by June (I hope).

Our family has chosen to spend less $$$ this year at Christmas time than in the past. One of the things we opted not to do is set up a Christmas tree (it was already December 6th). Deanna wasn't too happy about that, so she and 2 of her friends took the task upon themselves, and when we arrived home that weekend, we found this sitting in the living room:

It looks very Charlie Brown-like, and we love it. I think there are less than 100 total needles on the entire tree. We love it.

I want to encourage all of you, whether these are lean times or richer times, to simply think about all of the blessings that your family has experienced this year. Take a moment and thank God for his great love for us, and for the birth of his son, Jesus.

Merry Christmas everyone,

DonB! and Family.

For those who like words...

I was shown a website that generates word images based on blog feeds or internet sites.  So I tried it, and it generated this image:





Now try it with your own text. it would make a great logo or t-shirt printing.

DonB!

UPDATE: I forgot to give you the link to the site. Click HERE.

Bursell family involved with Pirates

I am so proud of my family.  They were all 3 involved with the Junior High production of the Pirates of Penzance Jr. at our local high school.

Click HERE to read about it, as well as see a nice photo of Dale as the Modern Major General.

Martin Luther's Wisdom

My good friend, Randy Christensen, sent this quote to me.  It reiterates the idea I've felt for so long that the Gospel, spoken in simple words and actions, is most easily understood by most people.

“Cursed be every preacher who aims at lofty topics in the church, looking for his own glory and selfishly desiring to please one individual or another.  When I preach I adapt myself to the circumstances of the common people.  I don’t look at the doctors and master…but at the young people and children.  It is to them that I devote myself.  Take pains to be simple and direct.”   

          - Martin Luther

Another fantastic "Sens de Vie" trip

I returned home from Dallas, Texas, yesterday, and I slept about 10 hours last night into today.  Needless to say, I am tired.

I flew into Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was picked up by a friend from Sandia Presbyterian Church, Mike Malony, who took me around Albuquerque until it was time for lunch.  We had some great Mexican food, and then he dropped me off at the hotel for a little rest.

The rest of the Sens crew showed up that afternoon, and we all got a good night's rest.

On Friday we did the show in Sandia Presbyterian Church to a very responsive group.

We then drove down to Ruidoso, New Mexico, arriving early in the morning hours.  I was able to get about 5 hours of sleep before heading over to the venue at noon to help with the set-up that Josh and Danny has begun at 9 AM.  This time the stage size was very small, but everyone agreed that we would do the full show on it anyway.  And we did it.  It involved a lot of lifting of illusions on & off the stage throughout the show, but the audience never knew the amount of work we were doing backstage to make it happen.

We chose to spend the night there in Ruidoso.  The next morning it was remembered that BJ was supposed to do a presentation in the church in Artesia that morning.  So with Josh at the wheel, we were able to make the drive in lightning speed, just in time for BJ to walk into church at 10:20 for his part.

While he performed at church, the rest of us went to the show venue and began the set-up.  Of all of the volunteers that helped us on this tour, the guys in Artesia were the best.  When the winch we use broke during load-in, two guys sat down on the floor and fixed it.  When the 2 big illusions that I am responsible for needed assembling, at least 6 guys jumped in to help, setting record time for complete set-up.  (Usually it takes about 1.5 hours to set-up the 2 big illusions.  This day we did both in under 25 minutes!)  

Here's an idea of what our day is like on the road:  I wake around 6:30AM, eat, shower and pack.  I start unloading by 9 or 10AM at the venue.  Unloading takes about an hour, depending on how many extra people help us. Set-up takes until about 3 or 4 PM, when we usually sit down to a quick dinner backstage.  The doors open at 6, with the show at 7 PM.  The show runs just over 2 hours.  We go out and meet the audience in the lobby for about 30 minutes, and then change I change out of my performing clothes.  Tear down takes about 90 minutes.  Loading takes another 60-75 minutes, and then we go for dinner somewhere.  I have been getting to bed by 12 midnight (at the earliest) and 2:30 AM at the latest.  The next day we do it all over again somewhere else.  IT'S A BLAST!  Really!

All 3 shows these days went really well.  Almost all of the technical and staging glitches were gone, and the audiences were so responsive.  All 3 shows ended with standing ovations.

When I think about the "Sens de Vie" show, it amazes me that with only 6 people on the road (and one dog), that such a large production can happen.  It is a HUGE show for 6 people to do, but it happens, and has done so for almost 10 shows now.

Please stay tuned to my blog here, or to BJ's website for future dates to be announced.  Or, join us in Dayton, Tennessee, on November 16th for this year's final "Sens de Vie" performance.

NOTE: Wonderful pictures to be posted here after this weekend.  I've seen them, and they are fantastic!

Whatever

Kids and cameras.

PC and Mac: DonB! now uses both!

After looking at laptop computers for 3 years, and wondering when I would actually get around to purchasing one, it finally happened.

Thanks to 2 generous gifts from supporters of DonB! Ministries, I went and bought a laptop.  The change for me is that it is a MacBook, and not a Windows-based PC.  So now I have two different computers, running two totally separate types of programs.  The good news is that I now can continue working even while I am on the road (which will be quite a bit in the next 5 weeks).

The reason that I went with a Mac is this:  I talked with graphic artists that I know, and ALL OF THEM said that if I plan to continue doing my own photographs and web photos, a Mac is more stable (no crashes) and runs much faster.  And they are right.  This computer loads fast, runs fast and is very "intuitive", meaning that if I don't know how to accomplish something, I experiment with what seems right to me, and I'm usually right!

So, next time you find me travelling, ask to see my newest baby, born only yesterday.

DonB!

Photos from "Sens de Vie" Show

Here are a few photos from the show I did in Georgia with BJ Harris.

In the audience Pre-Show.

A light moment with BJ

My Plate Spinning, without any injuries.

The Amazing Sawing A Woman in Half Illusion

On My 7-foot Unicycle

Feeling that God can't use you?

This excerpt is taken from the SundaySchoolNetwork.com newsletter. It is an interesting perspective on who God chose to be teachers of his word.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zacchaeus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer...

AND

Lazarus was dead!

Now, no more excuses! God can use you to your full potential...Besides you aren't the message,you are just the messenger. And one more thing...Share this with a friend or two...In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential.

DonB! and "Sens de Vie" Show

An amazing new touring show, "Sens de Vie", featuring illusionist B.J. Harris is hitting the road. And DonB! is a big part of it.

I spent a week in Franklin, Tennessee, working with BJ Harris and his managers (former Audio Adrenaline members) on this new touring show. I could try and describe it, but I will instead provide you with some links to information about it.

To see the promotional video click HERE

To see BJ describe the purpose behind the show click HERE

We did the show for the first time in Jekyl Island, Georgia, and it was a huge success. Amazing lighting, curtains, sound, and the show itself is probably the highest quality 3-performer show I've ever been a part of.

If you can get out and see the show, wherever it tours to over the next 2 years, do it. You will be glad you did.

Wow! Look who DonB! is with

WOW! I opened the page of artist listings for the upcoming K-Love Friends and Family Cruise I am performing on in January, and saw this listing: ARTISTS

It is a real honor to be listed among so many talented people.

What a blessed time in my life. Every day I am reminded of how much God has put into my life that adds value and meaning to it. I have a great wife, 2 beautiful kids, a family that all are unique and extremely smart and talented in their own individual ways, friends that span the globe (literally) in all walks of life, performing opportunities that go far beyond anything I could have ever imagined or hoped for and so many other things that I cannot begin to try and list them all.

I constantly ask myself how people, that don't have a personal relationship with God through his son, Jesus, ever find deep joy in their lives. Happiness: Yes, but not true joy that goes beyond our circumstances.

What an amazing God we serve.

A great quote about kids.

While waiting for my plane at the Minneapolis-St.Paul airport, I walked into a small store and saw this saying:

There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise.

Isn't that true? For some folks, having kids is not an option, or they've chosen not to. I simply hope that each of them allows the laughter of a kid to permeate their life. What a joy. I've always said that there is no better sound than a baby, or a young kid, laughing.

The above quote is from a website, Story People. It contains many unique and fun sayings regarding life. Feel free to check out their site HERE.

DonB!

Some will laugh. Others won't get it.

I found this stupid saying in one of my emails today. Being an entertainer, I look for things that mention "unicycles" and "stilts". Laugh if you want. -DonB!

"I think that instead of burning people at the stake, we should have burned them at the STILTS. That way, it would last longer and it would be fun to watch them run around." Jack Handey

Touring Adventures

I'm writing this from a big RV that I am travelling in with 5 other people. We are returning back to Franklin, Tennessee, after presenting the first show of the "BJ Harris Variety Road Show" in Jekyl Island, Georgia. This was the first show of a tour that is being named "Sens de Vie" which means "Meaning of Life".

It was a 2-hour show, obviously featuring magician/illusionist BJ Harris. I was involved with the show as the preshow act, the juggler, the unicyclist and the plate spinner. Right before going onstage for my first act, the lapel microphone I was scheduled to use wasn't working properly. On a whim, I said "I'll do it all silently, without talking." I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish it, but IT WORKED!

I performed my Ring Juggling routine, followed by the Unicycle Medley. Performed solely to music, it was a challenge for me, but it was a challenge I enjoyed. In the 2nd half of the show, I then performed the Spinning Plates routine that many of you have seen over the years. I was told afterward, by the producer of the show, thhat it was this routine that "makes it for the audience". In other words, he felt that this routine was the capstone of what my character can be/do. It was a good compliment.

I had a little time to see the ocean, take a 2 hour morning walk and listen to a couple of sermon podcasts while I walked.

I will post some pictures, as well as links, when I get home to Minnesota tomorrow.

DonB!

The Grin Doctors returned!

On April 29th, in Garrison, Minnesota, Mike Norton & I revived "The Grin Doctors" show as a community fundraiser for the Garrison Seniors Federation. The event was organized by Mike Norton and Mike Palkie, the pastor of Garrison Alliance Church.

For those of you that have not had the opportunity to see the Grin Doctors show in the past, it is a 90-minute variety show that takes the "best of" Mike's shows and the "best of" the DonB! shows, mixes in a little new stuff, and cranks it all out as a community fund raiser event.

Mike & I are hoping to present another version of it around Christmas time here in Mora, along with some music guests, great door prizes and some other surprises that WE don't even know about yet! Watch for the postings on it right here.

My new job?

June, July updates

Hello, hello, hello. DonB! reporting in. Here is my latest journal/newsletter entry:

June 7th
I flew to Arkansas to work at Camp Quality, a place where kids and family members with cancer can have a special week all to themselves. I was invited by Chris Allison (one of my roommates at Ringling Brothers Clown College way back in 1984) of Cirque du Jour to work that week. It was an awesome week of teaching circus skills to kids aged 5-17. I taught various things, with my own focus on juggling in all aspects.

One of the 15 year old students, "Marie", started the week off very introverted, separating herself from others, taking an "I don't FEEL like doing that" attitude toward all of the circus stuff. Two of us circus staff befriended her, encouraging her to persist and not give up. We wouldn't let her have the bad attitude, but instead kept encouraging her to smile, to show her "good side" to others, and especially to show herself that her own image of herself could be better, but only with her own hard work.

Anyhow, at the end of the week, the campers put on a circus show for parents and other family members. Marie went out and did her part in 4 acts, and SHINED. She held her head high, she felt good about what she had accomplished, and I was proud of her.

When she signed my staff book at the end of the week, she actually wrote, "Thanks for not giving up on me, and pushing me to explore my own limits and abilities. I appreciate it." Wow. Comments like that really made the week worthwhile. Not to mention that I was able to celebrate my birthday (6/12) by flying on the outdoor flying trapeze and going across to the catcher for a successful plange. Happy 43rd Birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

June 16th
I drove down to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to perform for Oakland Church of the Nazarene's Upward Soccer Awards Night. According to the folks at the church, the whole soccer program was a huge success. We even saw at least 3 first-time decisions made that night. The church will continue to follow up with all of the folks that participated in the event.





After the show that night, and due to the extreme flooding that Cedar Rapids had been hit with, I made a trip over to one of the temporary shelters to perform for some of the folks that had been there almost 9 days by that time. They really seemed to appreciate some entertainment amidst that dreary time of patience and waiting.

June 27th
For the first time in almost 6 years I was able to attend the Minnesota gathering of magicians and illusionists at a conference called Close-Up and in the Parlour. I had the privilege of seeing some of the best magicians in the country perform and lecture, including a friend that that I hadn't talked with for a few years, Gregory Wilson. Greg is a great Christian, and he shares his faith openly and often in his work around the world.

July 1st
I headed up to Trout Lake Camp near Emily, Minnesota, to perform for family camp that week. Program Director James Rock gave me a great tour of all the new offerings that Trout Lake has, including an indoor climbing wall, a downhill scooter run, a huge outdoor paintball area, a full skateboard park, a double 17 second long zip line ride, many new cabins built on the side of camp's sloping hills, a new chapel, and much much more that attracts families, and especially kids, to camp. The neat thing about Trout is that they bring in really strong Christian speakers and teachers for every camp session they run. Lives are being changed there almost every day of the year. Amazing!

July 13th
Our family drove down to Robbinsdale, Minnesota, to ride our unicycles in the Robbinsdale Whiz Bang Days parade. We rode them, representing House of Hope Lutheran Church, my parent's church. The parade seemed longer than when I was a kid and rode in it with the Twin Cities Unicycle Club, but we had a blast.

July 17th
I had lunch with a Christian performer friend, Toby Travis, and learned of his life-changing plans. He recently has moved to Quito, Ecuador, to begin his preparation as a teacher of choral music, drama and performance ministry at a high school there. School starts in September, and it will be the first time he has used his formal education since receiving his doctorate a few years back. Please continue praying for Toby, as life has dealt him some other major blows in the last year. He can use prayer more than ever during this next year.

July 19th
I returned back to Sonshine Music Fest in Willmar, Minnesota, for my second time. Children's pastor, and long time friend of mine, Randy Christensen, invited me back this year after a great time we had last year. I presented my DonB! Variety Show complete with a fun message for the families in attendance. It was great, in that I started with only about 60 people at the start of my show, but finished with the entire tent filled to standing room only. I would guess that there were about 300-400 people when I finished.

On my trip to Sonshine, my daughter, Deanna, and her friend, Libby, accompanied me. After my show was done, we walked around and found quite a few friends from the Mora area attending. We ended up spending the rest of the evening with Mike & Connie Hart (former Mora folk), listening to Pillar, FlyLeaf and our favorite, The Newsboys. What a great way to round out the day, praising God with the music of the Newsboys. It was great.

July 20th
The day started by my returning from Sonshine at 2:30 AM, and having to get up by 8 AM. We went to church, and then headed over to the community swimming pool for one of the highlights of the last year: our daughter, Deanna, was baptized in the swimming pool by her wonderful youth pastor, Tim Reynolds. Amazing and awesome to see her publicly state her desire to follow after Christ for the rest of her life. Praise God for his wonderful and unlimited blessings.

Deanna, Tim Reynolds Deanna's temporary tatoo.

I then headed down to Elk River to do an outreach program for the kick-off of Vacation Bible School at River of Life Church. It was great to perform and speak before such a responsive crowd. I don't know the exact stats, but I believe there were at least 6 first time decisions made at my show that night. God is good, all the time.

July 21st
I drove to Hackensack, Minnesota, to do my first of 2 services/shows for Camp Patmos, a camp owned and run by Trinity Lutheran Church of Minnehaha Falls. I had the privilege of doing a show on Monday evening and also on Tuesday. I stayed right at the camp on Monday night, and had the day to run around with the campers and staff, playing games, swimming and trying the outdoor challenge course. This is a beautiful camp facility, and one to look into if you are looking for a simple, but relaxing place for you and your church to hold a retreat or getaway weekend.

July 24th
I drove down to New Hope and picked up one of my long-time juggling buddies, Craig Carlson. We then drove to Chanhassen, Minnesota, to do 4 hours of entertainment for Stratasys, Inc., the company that my uncle Del has worked for for many years. The neat thing for me about this event was the groups of people that just kept asking for more and more magic throughout the evening. In one case, I actually stood in one place and performed for over an hour for the 20 member group standing there. They kept challenging me to do something else, and thankfully my memory kept serving up more and more ideas to entertain with.

July 29th
Well, that about wraps up my travel adventures for the last 2 months. I have a lot to say on other topics, but they'll have to wait until I have a little more time.

Blessings to you all,


DonB!

What a great life I've been given!

DonB! & Mike Norton heading for the 24-hour ice cream

When I look at the events I've done over the last few weeks, I realize how blessed I am.

On May 14th, I drove to Chaska, Minnesota, and did my school show for the students at Clover Ridge Elementary. They were great! I told how to build character into their lives, utilizing HONESTY, HARD WORK and RESPECT FOR THE ADULTS that can help them reach their goals in life. The teachers loved it, I loved it, and especially the kids loved it.

On that evening I drove to Willmar, Minnesota and performed at First Baptist Church for their year-end celebration of kid's club. Dinner was served first, and when everyone came upstairs for the show the placed was packed. My sound had a few glitches (my fault), but with a little improvisation it all went down just fine.

Then, from the 18th-23rd I worked my 4th cruise with Premiere Christian Cruises , again sailing out of Miami. This was the second time I have worked on the MusicBoat Cruise for them. I invited Magic Mike Norton, his wife, Kathy, and Norm Barnhart to perform along with me. It was another great experience at sea with other Christians.

Norm, Kathy, Me & Mike

The main music artists on the cruise were Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, Dallas Holm (a MAJOR highlight), NewSong (one of my favorites), Todd Agnew (another favorite), Hawk Nelson, as well as comedians Mike Williams, Lanny Moody and a newer band on the scene that you can watch for: Unspoken. They won the onboard Indie band competition (actually they tied for 1st place) and opened that night for Toby Mac and Ayesha Woods. They have a cross-cultural sound that is "outside the box" for most Christian music and I believe that it is that sound that will bring them to the forefront of Christian music very quickly.

On our way to snorkel in underground caverns.

Oh look! Norm made some new friends.

The first night when we went to dinner, there were 2 empty seats at our table. Within 5 minutes, the "fillers" came and sat with us. To our great enjoyment it was Dallas Holm and his always smiling wife, Linda. Dallas performed the first concert of the cruise, and along with our favorite Dallas Holm songs, he also played some off of his new CD, Good News Blues. Between songs he told funny stories of life on the road and made us all laugh. A lot. To have Dallas and Linda at our table was a real treat.

Also, please pray for Linda Holm, as she has started her latest round of chemo (or radiation). You can find details on Dallas' website HERE. What a great family.

Club Juggling in the Ritz Lounge.

On May 27th I began filming for the new DVDs I will be releasing this Summer. Watch for them.

On June 1st, I returned to Woodland Hills Church in White Bear, MN. Patrick Showers invited me to open their summer ministry schedule, so I did. Two shows, each for all of the elementary kids at the church. Thanks Patrick for the invite.

A note of blessing: In 1989, when Debbie and I started in ministry work, Mary VanSickle, who at the time was at Trinity Baptist Church in Maplewood, MN, invited us to perform/minister at her church. She then passed our name onto 100s of other churches in the area, helping us expand our ministry around Minnesota. When I look back to 1989, she was one of 4 people that really kicked our ministry into full gear. I want to thank her for inviting me back, multiple times over the last 19 years, to her church. She's been at Woodland Hills Church now for....... a long time.

BIG THANKS goes to her, along with 3 other children's ministry directors that opened their doors right away to us: Dorothy Hansen (Wayzata Free Church), Barb Cionca (Calvary Church) and Phyllis VanRossum (Minnetonka Baptist). Because of them, I'm still here ministering around the country.

Well, I have to run. I am expected at my son's school at Noon to help disect pig hearts for biology. What a great life I have! All praise to God, the One that makes it all happen, in His time, in His will and in His way.