Kidologist.com: Karl Bastian's Personal Site and Blog
Archive for August, 2007
August 16, 2007 at 9:29 pm · Filed under Adventures, Devotional, Family, Luke
NOTE: Click on any image to view full screen!
As I have posted before, LUKE LOVES WATER! So we were delighted to just learn of a “Spray Park” only a few miles away this week!
When we looked at it online, we knew Luke would be absolutely beside himself with delight when we got there! So when I woke Luke up in the morning and we did our usual talk about the plans of the day, I told him we discovered heaven, and it’s in Mundelein, and it only costs $2 to get in! It became our joke of the day that I repeated over and over and over, “we found heaven! and it’s in Mundelein! and it only costs $2 to get in!”
And we were right! HE LOVED IT! (Dad loved it too)
Since we don’t live in Mundelein, we pay double… but no complaints here! But we are a little envious of Mundeleinians who only have to pay $1 to get into heaven!
We may just have to sell the house and move to save $1 every time we go here! We’ve already been there twice, and that’s $6 we could have saved if we sold our house and moved!
As I thought about the sheer delight Sara and I had bringing him here and the joy we had seeing his smile as he paddled around as though he were in heaven, I was reminded of the words of Jesus, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11) Just as parents love to find toys and places that will bring delight to their children, so our Heavenly Father loves to give us gifts that will bring us delight!
We are blessed with a delightfully happy little boy, but to see his happiness reach new levels where water simply poured and flowed in a variety of ways, it made us feel so happy as mom and dad to have brought him here. So God loves it when we accept and enjoy even the simple gifts he prepares for us! THANK GOD for the gifts and places He has prepared for you! Let Him enjoy your delight as you live each day to the fullest despite the pains and struggles of daily life. Your Father is inviting you to a “Spray Park” of the Living Water… bask in it and be refreshed!
August 8, 2007 at 6:01 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Kidology, Leadership, Technology
Whew! It finally happened at 6:27 p.m. today!
After literally years of work, the NEW, REVISED, and GREATLY EXPANDED Kidology Handbook is NOW LIVE for pre-order in the Kidology Online Store!
Not only is the Kidology Handbook GREATLY expanded – it now includes a short but practical LAB ASSIGNMENT at the end of each chapter to help you put what you learn into practice so you will see the changes in your ministry as a result.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s MORE!
The ALL NEW Kidology Handbook is ALSO an Audio Book! That’s right, you can download and print the 143 page PDF for your personal self study guide, but you can also listen to the book in your car, on your iPod, or while you are biking, cooking, doing laundry or mowing the lawn if you want! The entire book is read by yours truly (me) so you auditory learners can benefit as well. It’s practical training “on the go” for busy teachers!
AND (yes, it gets better) because it is a dual-function CD with data and audio, you are not limited by the restrainsts of a print book! For an additional fee you can purchase the rights to reproduce the book and audio files and give them to all your volunteers. (The license is limited to 50 readers/listeners per group license) What a fantastic tool to give your teachers this fall!
What are you waiting for?
Download The Kidology Handbook Sample Chapter
(PDF, 596KB)
So, HOP OVER TO KIDOLOGY and be the first to get the Kidology Handbook at a SIGNIFICANT PRE-ORDER DISCOUNT! PLUS, the first three people to order who mention my blog will get a FREE Jesus Action Figure included in their order, just as my way to say “Thanks for making my day!” I’m so excited to see this project finally coming to completion! Just put in the comments field, “Give me Jesus!” If you are one of the first three, he will be included with your order!
It is my sincere prayer that this Kidology Handbook will be a huge blessing to the teachers who will read it, apply its unique message, and find their classrooms and their effectiveness transformed as they discover the power of relational teaching!
August 7, 2007 at 11:24 pm · Filed under KarlTube, Star Wars
What if Star Wars had come out in the 1920′s? It would probably have looked like this:
I think it would be cool to do some Bible Stories for Kids Church in this style? Anyone ever seen that done?
August 6, 2007 at 8:29 pm · Filed under Blog World, just cool
ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL!
OK, for the first time I am asking my vast reading audience to help out a friend in need. It’s not a crisis, but with just a few minutes of effort you can help a good buddy of mine.
His name is Pastor Andy, and his brother Ray (Raymie) VanDerLinden has been chosen as a finalist in a contest to design the paint job on a NASCAR (Ryan Newman #12. The Kodak car). There are three days left in the competition and he is in second place.
Here is were you come in. If you are willing, you can visit the web link below and cast your vote for his brother’s car. It only takes half a minute, and could make the difference in him winning or coming in second place. You will need to fill out a quick entry form before you can vote. You are able to vote once per day for the next three days.
If he wins he will get to fly to California (all expenses paid) for a NASCAR race and his design will be painted on Ryan Newman’s race car. Andy’s brother is a huge NACAR fan, and this would be so cool if it happened. Make sure when you vote, you vote for Ray VanDerLinden, Springfield MO. His car is the only one with black in it.
If you vote, post a comment here so Andy can be encouraged! And if you don’t want to give out your e-mail, you can put a fake one in and still vote!
AND his car design really is the coolest, so you can vote and keep a clear conscience too!
Is that cool or what?!?!?!
COME ON! HELP HIM OUT!
As we say in Chicago, Vote Early, Vote Often!
8-10 UPDATE: He’s now in first place!
Thanks everyone who voted…
we will know the winner in 
from now!
UPDATE FROM ANDY:
My brother did won the on-line contest! It is a neat story. There were
three votes the winning car was supposed to receive:
1. The public vote – online
2. Ryan Newman the driver
3. An NBA player
All three were split, but because my brother had so many online votes he
won the contest! Thanks everyone for your support! You can see a short article with a interview with my brother HERE.
Andy
August 3, 2007 at 11:05 pm · Filed under baseball, Family, Sports
OK, I am officially still a Sox fan, but who can turn down free tickets to a Cubs game, especially the FIRST PLACE Cubs, and on Build-a-Bear Day! I got to be a good uncle and take my niece when travel plans and other conflicts prevented her family from getting to all go as originally planned when they got the tickets way in advance. Poor me.
Headin’ to Wrigley in Style!
My wife saw my “Do the Dew” hat as I left and said, “You don’t have a Cubs hat?” (um, I’m a Sox fan!) But I answered, “I will when I get back!” We went to pick up some friends (see below) and were on our way to root on the Cubs! I should mention that my niece is the only Cubs fan in her family, the rest are Sox fans, but she is loyal to her other uncle, (my brother), who is a serious Cubs fan.
My first pleasant surprise was that that there is FREE PARKING at a Cubs Game! Granted, we were there early to get a Prebuilt-a-Bear for the girls, but we parked right on the street just a few blocks away from the park, only one hour before the game. Hmmmmm. Can’t do that at a Sox Game.
A reason to switch back to being a Cubs Fan?!??
Then I saw it, a Taco Bell across the street from Wrigley Field! With a Cubs hat on the sign AND they let you take your Taco Bell into the park! Hmmmmm, maybe I should rethink this whole switch to Sox thing….
And THEN:
The Force is with Me
THEN I finally get to see one of the R2-D2 Mailboxes, right across from the park. I haven’t even gotten to the game and already… free parking… Taco Bell you can take in with you… R2-D2…. hmmmmm
Sprained? Strained? Twisted?
Call 1-877-Athletico! Save this number!
We finally got to the park, found our seats up where the birds fly, and settled in. With my extra two tickets I brought Master Ron, a new kids pastor, and his daughter, made our balloon hats, and settled in for the game.
It’s always fun with Master Ron around!
It’s fun to watch the fans… like these girls who kept holding their sign upside down, even after looking at it from the top (looks right to us!)…
Upside Down Fan Sign!
I did buy a hat, but I got a Wrigley Field hat since anything with a red C on it was $10 more! But I do like Wrigley Field. It just feels more like baseball than Sox Park which feels so commercial. (excuse me, US Cellular Field.. even the name, yuck!) Wrigley has little food and sourvenier shops tucked in every available spot, and a fun atmosphere. Our girls were squirting (well, misting) people who walked by our seats, since we were row 1 in front of a walk way, and it was 96 degrees out, and everyone was friendly, even the Phillies fans… which there were a LOT of there!
House Top Bleachers!
Plus, it is cool to see the skyline and the houses across the street that have bleachers set up on top of them!
Close up view of the house top bleachers.
We had a great time, despite the intense heat… at least we were in the shade. But by the time we got to the end of the long game, I remembered why I am no longer a Cubs fan… they lost, and I’ve never been to a winning Cubs game, even when they are supposedly in first place. Oh, well.
Uncle Karl with his any team baseball shirt on and niece
Like I said on Sunday night, GO SOX, GO CUBS, GO ANY TEAM someone gives me free tickets too… anyone got any Bulls tickets? I haven’t been to a Bulls game since Phil Jackson was there! I’d even go to a Bear Game!
August 1, 2007 at 11:54 am · Filed under Star Wars
A good friend of mine just instant messaged me about this church sermon series:
Man, does this look GOOD! Here is an overview of the series:
Check it out yourself at: Mariner’s Church (though from the URL the page will most likely change for the next series, that’s why I captured it here)
All I want to know is, can I buy the sermon CDs????
I’m hoping you will be able to watch the sermons here
