Gospel Trick Shots
Gospel Trick Shot #25 Bad Influence History of the Trick Shot: This month we are returning to the WPA Artistic Pool program using a jump shot from Disciple 7 Shot 2b. The value of this shot in the recent 2020 Artistic Pool program is 7 points which makes it a relatively easy jump shot. Brian “Superman” Pauley is a world ranked Artistic Pool player and demonstrates this shot in the video. He decided to call it “Bad Influence” when converting it into a Gospel Trick Shot. This is yet another example of using an Artistic Pool shot or any other trick shot for that matter to relay a spiritual principle or life lesson message that will not only entertain the crowd but will leave them with perhaps a life changing message. GTS Name and Why: As Brian explains in the video sometimes in life there are bad influences or bad choices that can creep up on us and we become trapped. When we make poor choices, we suffer the consequences! Jesus always makes a way of escape for us! Most importantly, he died on the cross and paid the penalty for our mistakes. After that atoning sacrifice on the cross, Jesus ascended back to Heaven and sent us the Holy Spirit to help guide us to good choices and make a way of escape when needed. Brian also mentions Heaven and uses the 9-Ball to illustrate the goal. Someday after trusting Jesus in this life our struggle with poor choices will be over because we will be with Him for eternity! That’s a good choice and Good News! Scripture References in NIV Translation: I Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” And Romans 10:9 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Cue Ball Placement: In hand between head cushion and blocker balls. Object Ball(s) Placement: ‘A’ ball is in hand, but frozen to the cue ball. ‘C’ ball is hanging in pocket ‘C’. A row of 6 blocker balls is exactly two ball widths from head cushion.
12 | Billiards Buzz • March 2022
Objective: Jump cue ball over the blocker balls. ‘A’ ball will go in to pocket ‘A’. Cue ball will hit ‘C’ ball in to pocket ‘C’. Special Notes: Blocker balls may not be contacted by any means until after object balls are made. Crowd Reactions Through the Years: In Artistic Pool competition this shot is expected to be made by all competitors and if not the contestant as well as their peers are disappointed as most Artistic Pool players and fans want to see the shots go in. The first time I saw this shot as a Gospel Trick Shot
was when Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman, Brian “Superman” Pauley, and yours truly Steve “Leapin” Lillis were on a Midwest Gospel Trick Shot tour in Indiana a few years back in a high school gymnasium on the Gospel Trick Shot portable pool table. For Brian’s portion of the show, he did this shot as the bleachers were packed with people from the local town. I remember looking at their faces as they were thinking about what was said. Following Brian, I mentioned what I wrote above in “GTS Name and Why” above. That day we all witnessed people making a good choice to follow Jesus.
