Props needed: Strat-O-Spheres.

I use an older version of "Saturn Sphere II" made by Harry Allen of Daytona Magic (www.daytonamagic.com) which had an oversized and thicker inner clear tube, a wooden outer square cover, and a larger swinging door box (with no Joker on it). The round painted colors on the outside of my outer tube are red, orange (yours may be yellow) and green at the bottom. The newer version features the same larger inner and thicker plastic tube but with a larger round tube cover. Regular sized plastic fruit fits in this larger version with no problem. I have the letters "Know Your Fruit" stuck on the side of the outer tube going downward. A standard MAK Strat-O-Spheres will also work although you may have to search for smaller sized artificial or real fruit that fits in the smaller cylinder. I found the artificial fruit I needed at a dollar store (craft stores such as Michael's sell plastic fruit too). I bought two matching plastic red apples, an orange, a green pear, grapes, lemon, banana, lime, green apple, plum, all of which are placed in a large clear plastic punch bowl.

The apples, orange, and green pear must fit inside the inner plastic tube but loose enough to slide easily through the tube. I also use a "Fruit of the Spirit Bulletin Board Set" purchased from Teachers Center (http://catalog.teacherscenter.com/fruit_of_the_spirit_bulletin_board_set-p-131782.html) and an easel and portable magnetic bulletin board with magnets. Or you can simply place the Fruit of the Spirit cutouts on a poster board using double sided tape. If you do not have the cutouts, you can use this routine as a segue to sermonize about the Fruit of the Spirit.

Set Up: Place the plastic fruit in the clear bowl, with the apple, orange and green pear near the top. Place a matching red apple in the outer tube being held in position by the "catch" at the top of the outer tube (which normally holds the red ball). Use at least two flat stands to separate the props.

Routine: "I would like to play a game with you all now I call "Know Your Fruit!" Here I have a large bowl of fruit, such as grapes (pull the grapes out of the plastic bowl, same with the other fruits mentioned), a ba-na-na (stretch out this word when saying it as Keith Fields does- is just a funny word to say slowly), a lime, and lots of other delicious fruit. Over here, you see a large tube with three colors on it, red at the top, orange in the middle and green at the bottom (point to the colors on the side of the outer tube)."

"Let's see if we can remember the order of the fruit I place into the tube, while I do everything I can to confuse and amuse you (cover inner clear tube with outer tube) as I put them into the tube."

"First, as you can see at the bottom, I need a green fruit. How about this green pear? (or use a green lemon or other green fruit) What is Noah's favorite fruit? Pears! (place green pear into the tube). Get it? Noah put PAIRS of animals onto the Ark. That reminds me, why was there no card playing on the Ark? It’s because Noah sat on the deck!" “The reason the strawberries were worried was because their parents were in a jam!”

"Next, we will place an orange colored fruit in the tube (or use yellow fruit such as a large lemon if using a standard Strat-O-Spheres); shall we "concentrate" on this nice orange? By the way, why did the orange stop rolling down the hill? It ran out of juice!" "Why is an orange called an orange but an apple not called red?"

"Last but not least, we need a nice red fruit to put in there on top. How about this red apple? What do you get when you cross an apple with a shellfish? A crab apple! Why did the apple go out with a fig? Because it couldn't find a date! (Place apple in the tube). What reads and lives in an apple? A bookworm!"

"All right, I think now I have confused you enough. What fruit is on the bottom? Second? And, on top? (Go through the fruits: pear, orange, apple on top, then raise the outer tube). WOW! What happened? The apple is now on the bottom! Didn't we get the order right?" (You can then repeat this sequence or go into the final segment below. Recover the clear tube with the outer tube, with the extra apple being pushed to the bottom.)

"Let's try this again, (emphasize the green pear going in first, then the orange), only this time, let's place the apple way over here in this box. Can we make an apple turnover? Anyone like to see a fruit fly? Let's all say together the magic words, Applesauce! (Gesture the apple flying out of the box over to the tube, etc., then show the box empty). WOW! It's disappeared! Did it move over to the Big Apple or just over here? (Lift up the outer tube.) Not only is this apple the apple of our eye, it is also QUICKER than the eye!"

(Go over to the easel or poster board, and say the following or similar while you place the cardboard fruits taken from the bulletin board kit onto the board or point to what is already stuck on the poster.)

"The Bible also talks about very important Fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit. What is that? These are Godly attitudes that characterize God's children that have faith in Christ and now possess the Spirit of God. The Spirit then produces these qualities of Christ in us! But in order to have these qualities in our life, we need to Abide in Him, as He is the main vine from which this Fruit grows. The Bible says in John Chapter 15 if we abide in Him, we bear much fruit, for without Him we can do nothing."

"But we'd like to produce real fruit in our lives, not wax fruit that is fake. Some of us may be a little green when we become new Christians, but we can trust His Spirit to grow real Fruit in our lives. And what are those fruits?" (Then place on the board and/or go through the 9 outlined in Galatians 5:22-23, perhaps briefly defining what each word means: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control).

"I enjoy working in my garden and watching fruits and vegetables grow. But no matter how hard I try, I could never on my own cause an apple tree to have apples on its branches, God alone gives the growth. I can't "grow" anything. This is also true of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we need to allow God to work in our hearts and minds so we can produce these nine wonderful characteristics in our lives (go through the nine again). Next time you eat an apple or an orange, use it as a reminder of how we should be producing this FRUIT in our lives as His new growing creation!"

"Know Your Fruit" was videotaped by Roger in July, 2009, as part of an upcoming one hour "Special Edition" of Now That's Magic! This latest produced program should soon be posted at www.ChristianMagician.org along with many other new Gospel magic routines. Check it out!