Cleburne Times-Review

ILLUSIONISTS TAKE CENTER STAGE ON FRIDAY

One of the main events Friday, Dec. 5 is the "Seeing is not Believing" show presented by illusionist Jonathan and Lori Curtis.
They have performed their show for five years for groups as small as five to stadiums of thousands.
Some of the places they have performed are at church events, school assemblies and corporate events. Happily married for seven years, Jonathan and Lori are committed to reach people in non traditional ways.
Jonathan said that in all his years of doing illusions, he has never met someone who did not want to see something unbelievable.
He said there is a natural connection between performing something that is beyond belief and the unbelievable, undeniable and unconditional love of God.
Jonathan and Lori believe that the Bible is God's word to man and that these words are infallible.
The Curtis' use illusions as a tool to captivate people so that they can tell them about Jesus.
"Many people will come to see a woman get cut in half, but they would never set foot in a church building," Jonathan said. The use of illusions provide illustrations for biblical principles such as sin, separation, obstacles, and transformation.
Jonathan and Lori also want people to understand the difference between illusion and reality, explaining that they hold no special powers.
The entire focus of "Seeing Is Not Believing" is that audiences will see exactly what it means to have a relationship with God.
Jonathan and Lori are both graduates of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark. After moving to Fort Worth is 1997, Jonathan and Lori both enrolled in graduate school. Jonathan earned two Master's degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Finishing his Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages and Master of Arts in Christian Education, Jonathan is currently a graduate assistant in the Foundations department working on his doctorate.
Lori is a graduate student at Texas Women's University working on her Masters of Library Science. She is a published researcher in the area of Early Childhood Education and continues to pursue innovative ways to teach children information literacy.