I Hate My Snowblower

I really rarely use the word ‘hate’ – but even Jesus would have pointed at my my snow blower and made it wither. I finally splurged and got me a decent snow blower at the after season sale in the Spring of 2007. It worked great except that it couldn’t blow snow. At first I assumed the snow was: a) too thick, so I’d shovel b) too heavy, so I’d shovel c) too wet, so I’d shovel Finally, I did some poking around and found out that the cord that goes from the handle to the motor was too long and wasn’t putting the engine in gear all the way, bending the pull bar worked! WOW! I could blow snow… for about three rows, and then the pull bar snapped. I took it to Ace Hardware, who promised to replace the pull bar and redo the metal cable at the right length (something you can’t do yourself) and have it back to me in six days. Anyone remember how much snow we got last year? RECORD SNOW. And they kept my snow blower until Spring, and I shoveled all winter. Not that I MIND shoveling, I’ve done it for years.…

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The Original Karl Bastian

FAMOUS IN GAS CITY, INDIANA It might surprise you that I am famous in a town that I’ve only been to a few times. Well, Karl Bastian is famous anyway! In fact, if I go around town and mention my name, people stop in their tracks and say, “Really? Are you really?!? Nice to meet you!” and shake my hand! Me at the source of my Indiana fame Here I am at the source of my fame… the Gas City Fire Station. Why am”I” famous here? Let me tell you the story in a fun way… a few years ago, I was in Sweetser, Indiana to visit a friend, Ryan Frank’s, church for a Kidology seminar. (which was really just an excuse to visit Ryan, a guy who shares my passion for reaching kids and encouraging and equipping others who minister to kids, just check out his magazine, K! which he started a year ago for that very purpose.) But I degress… Ryan with a collage of his kids When we had a few hours of free time, I told Ryan I wanted to go for a drive, but I didn’t tell him where or why. And I shold mention,…

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Gus Interviews Karl?

By popular demand (via e-mail) the Children’s Ministry Podcast featuring my trusty side-kick, Gus, is back! Only with a twist – in this first in a new series, Gus turns the tables a bit and interviews ME! What’s he wondering? What is the meaning behind the word “Kidology?” And in the process he gets me to share my unusual journey into children’s ministry in his own humorous way. You can always be sure to know when the next podcast is out by subscribing in one of the following ways: Subscribe via iTunes (Updates via Apple’s iTunes) Subscribe to this Feed (Updates via RSS) Discuss the podcast! (Kidology Network Forums) Or just remember www.childrensministrypodcast.com and check back often! BUT WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DON’T MISS THE LATEST EPISODE HERE!

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A Quiet But Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Big Turkey, Little Turkey This was the quietest Thanksgiving I’ve ever experienced, but I liked it! For the first time ever, neither of us had parents nearby and all our other local relatives had special plans so it was just the three of us. At first we were kinda bummed being used to big noisy family gatherings… but it was a nice change. Yesterday we dug out the Christmas stuff and got the tree up and started the always difficult task of figuring out how to arrange the furniture to accommodate Christmas. We have one of those front rooms where no matter what you do, something ends up awkward. I’d had a long nap so when Sara went to bed I was still full of energy. (Also in part due to some medicine that tends to put my metabolism into overdrive!) So I stayed up super late and got the whole front room all set up and decorated as a surprise for the wife, so she could just enjoy preparing the meal without the hassle of the dysfunctional house! Anyway, all that to say, the day started out wonderful as the little boy got to come down and see the…

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From Facebook to Sierra Madre

Just when I wonder if I spend too much time on Twitter or Facebook, I have an experience that makes me glad that I stay connected and accessible via the Internet. Case in point: Recently I traveled to California to speak at a Spanish conference and so I took the family along so we could introduce our son to Mickey Mouse in person while I was there. As I often do, I was posting my adventures (including my lost luggage!) via Twitter which auto-matically updates my Facebook status. Next thing I know, I hear from a Kidology user, Kristy, who’ve I met at CPC Kidology Gatherings: Turns out, I am available on the 9th – and so got the privilege of heading up to beautiful Sierra Madre for an afternoon of teacher encouraging! Good thing I have good prayer support, as you can see, I was really suffering for Jesus that afternoon. Notice the turtleneck! Funny thing was, it was in the 60’s and I was enjoying what I thought was a beautiful warm California day and yet the kids and some adults were commenting on how “cold it was.” Ha. These poor people don’t know what cold is! The…

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