Kidologist.com: Karl Bastian's Personal Site and Blog
Archive for October, 2009
October 21, 2009 at 10:53 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Kidology, Online Resources
I’m EXCITED to announce the release of the The Kids Church Cookbook, a project I have been working on for OVER 3 YEARS! This is a 7-PART massive RE-WRITE of my classic Kids Church Book, but this time with 7 TRAINING VIDEOS TOO!
Just as I rewrote my classic Kidology Handbook and revamped it into a THICK PDF that sells on CD-ROM, this time I went even farther! Inspired by the online training, Leadership Labs, which provided a 5-PART PDF each with a training video, for The Kids Church Cookbook, you get 7 TRAINING VIDEOS and 7 PDFs that cover a TON of material on how to “Cook up a service kids are gonna love!” Each is sold separately and the first is about to be released in the next newsletter.
NOTE: If you are a Leadership Lab student, there is a KEY DIFFERENCE between the Leadership Labs and The Kids Church Cookbook units. In the Labs, the videos and PDFs are related in content, each building upon the other. In the The Kids Church Cookbook, each is independent of each other. The Kids Church Cookbook is a 7-Part book on children’s church and “The Kids Church Cooking Show” videos are training videos, each introducing a different skill for teaching.
THE COOKBOOK OVERVIEW:
Part 1: Called to Be a Chef
This introductory unit establishes your role as a Chef of God’s Word and lays the foundation for the rest of the book. It is loaded with tips and secrets on planning, launching and running a successful children’s church as well as addressing the issue of whether of not to have a kids church in the midst of a resurgence of emphasis on family ministry.
Part 2: Setting the Mood
Learn how to create an atmosphere where kids can’t help but learn. Develop your personal presence, tips regarding discipline, and how to promote and launch your children’s church service.
Part 3: Developing the Recipe
Curriculum has its place, but should not be a crutch. After this unit, all you will ever need is a Bible to teach children! Learn how to create powerful lessons from any passage of scripture. Your presentation skills will be transformed as you learn how to develop your own recipes and formulate your own “secret sauce.”
Part 4: Choosing Ingredients
Learn how to bring your lesson to LIFE! Discover the best ingredients for Kids Church, many often overlooked. If your DVD player is your primary tool, your kids are missing out on tastier ways of learning. A whole smorgasbord of ideas awaits you!
Part 5: Getting Creative
Especially for those who don’t think they are creative, this unit will have your brain exploding with ideas. Learn the secrets of creative people. This unit includes an EXCLUSIVE INVENTION of Karl’s that will help even the most uncreative person create amazing lessons out of thin air!
Part 6: The Kitchen Crew
Developing kids into leaders has been the hallmark of Karl’s Kids Church for over fifteen years. Learn what happens back in the kitchen to get kids in charge as well as how to get parents and other adults helping out in children’s church.
Part 7: Menu Planning
No longer will you be planning a week or month ahead. A true Chef has a master plan for the spiritual health of the children in his or her care. This final unit will equip you to develop a master strategy for making disciples of the children in your stewardship. Kids Church may be fun, but it will now be strategic as well.
“THE KIDS CHURCH COOKING SHOW” EPISODES: The order of “The Kids Church Cooking Show” episodes will be a surprise with each release, but the topics are:
- Magic
- Puppets
- Balloons
- Games
- Object Lessons
- Hats and
- Story Telling!
In case you are wondering where these pictures were taken, it is a cool story of God’s provision! Last December, through a nearly chance encounter, God provided a connection to a Christian business man who allowed me to use his custom kitchen showroom to film all the training videos while his business was closed after Christmas. So I spent the day after Christmas through New Year’s Day and into January (very long days) filming all of them at Bliss Kitchens! If you happen to have a need for custom kitchens, cabinets or doors, please consider giving Bliss Kitchens your business! www.blisskitchens.com
I had a lot of fun filming and making these videos, and even made a full length introductory video where I give away the secret of my favorite FOOD RECIPE while telling about The Kids Church Cookbook.
SHOWN HERE FIRST ON MY BLOG – You are invited to sit back, relax, and enjoy this 19 minute video that will introduce you to The Kids Church Cookbook as well as show you just what a wonderful REAL CHEF I am when it comes to real food. Perhaps, when it is done, you may think I should stick to children’s ministry and not real food, but it was fun to make, if not to eat!
THE FIRST “KIDS CHURCH COOKING SHOW” – INTRODUCTORY VIDEO!
If you have any questions about The Kids Church Cookbook, you can ask me here!
BY POPULAR DEMAND (seriously!)
The download: “The Kids Church Cooking Show” Introductory Video (95mb)
October 20, 2009 at 11:11 pm · Filed under Kidology Update
It is no secret to those who have been on Kidology.org for awhile that I am a HUGE fan of Speed Stacks. Perhaps you’ve seen my 32,000+ views YouTube video, or me beating then world champ Emily Fox, or challenging NFL Roookie of the Year Chicago Bears Tommie Harris, or read my Speed Stacks Object Lessons, or just read my Wacky Art of Kupstacko PowerPoint and scratched your head. What can I say? I love stacking cups really, really fast!
In fact, I have been “sport stacking” since before I ever heard of Speed Stacks. I thought I invented it and used to claim it was the next Olympic sport. I used my own version of stacking in kids church and at camp long before I ran into my first official Speed Stacks spokesperson, Roger Washburn, and was excited to buy my first set of official Speed Stack cups. I showed him how I stacked and he TOOK MY CUPS AWAY until I promised I would stack according to the sanctioned rules of the WSSA. I crossed my heart, hoped to die and all that, and he allowed me to buy my first set of cups, and mini-cups, and a timer, and a mat. Now I’ve got weighted cups, shirts, hats, a backpack, battlestack and more.
BUT HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT THEY HAVE NOW!? It is way too cool and a MUST HAVE for your children’s ministry!
GIANT SPEED STACKS CUPS! I can’t wait to do games with these! And you get a SET OF THREE for only about 100 George Washingtons! ($119 retail, $109 members)
ORDER YOUR JUMBO CUPS and let the Big Fun Begin! I think this is yet another great idea from Speed Stacks. I love how they keep innovating on a simple concept that kids love – and a tool that helps adults connect and engage with children in a highly interactive and competitive way but where the playing field is truly level.
If you have not discovered the power of Speed Stacks in your ministry, you really are missing out. But its never too late to start!
October 19, 2009 at 12:42 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
For the last two Sundays I’ve visited a church with an ATARI logo on the side of the building:
Compare to:
(Actually, it was my wife who pointed out the comparison!) and it made for a great twitter post.
While we are “church shopping” and I’ve been posting comments on churches on facebook, twitter, etc. I’m not posting names or links to churches so that I can be honest and respect the churches I’m visiting and save their church websites from being pulled down from massive traffic. (ha!) But I will say, that this church so far has been my favorite. And not only because of the “Atari” logo – but because of what it might hint at. I have no idea if this symbol is from some denomination or has any significant meaning (help me out in comments if it does) but like Atari, which is dated, there are some dated things about this church I liked, besides the fact that building was a bit old and obviously one they are eager to replace or move out of, so there isn’t much point in investing too much in improving it, and they were bursting at the seams. There was an energy and excitement that was contagious. If I had to choose one word to describe the experience, it would be Authentic. While they had all the “stuff” of a modern cutting edge church (band, PowerPoint, wireless mic, pastor in polo shirt, etc.) it wasn’t so polished you felt like you were going to a concert or a show. I liked that. The pastor prayed for people by name, and not from a list. He knew these people. He had visited them during the week. The children’s ministry may not have been one that prompted pictures to blog, but the children were smiling, and the volunteers were enthusiastic and welcoming. And unlike the church the prior week at another church that didn’t even ask me for mine or my child’s name (!) they had decent security and a lesson. (Though Luke said he liked the place the week before where he got to play cars the whole time. Eh hem.)
You know, when it comes to Atari, there is a funny thing. I get my ATARI out at kids overnights, and the kids LOVE it. Often, more than all the modern games despite being so old. Why? Because they can instantly play any game without reading a book first. There is nothing to learn, they can just immediately plug in and play. Church should be that way too. I think some churches have gotten too complicated. Maybe that’s why I liked this church. Like old fashioned Atari, it had all the stuff you could count on – solid biblical preaching, but that connected with the audience. Good worship, but contemporary too. Friendly, upbeat, easy to feel welcome. Small groups and a staff I could relate to. A children’s ministry I could see easily fitting into. Perhaps.
So we have been to the Mega Big Super Duper We Have Everything Church. The Bible Is Everything But Kids Aren’t Important Church, and now the a really awesome church I can’t make up a label for. And that’s a good thing. Not sure it’s the final one for us, but so far, we like it. We thought the church search would take longer, so we still want to see what other churches are in the area, but we are glad to have discover the….. Atari Church. I guess that can be my nickname for this church!
October 4, 2009 at 9:00 am · Filed under Devotional, Spiritual Growth
If you follow my blog or facebook or twitter (especially recently) it is no secret that I love the mountains! It is one of the reasons I moved to Colorado. But I was reminded by my mentor Oswald Chambers that it is how we live in the valleys that truly matters. Let me encourage you with his words:
The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation that we find our true worth to God – that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of us can do things if we are always at some heroic level of intensity, simply because of the natural selfishness of our own hearts. But God wants us to be at the drab everyday relationship with Him…… when you were on the mountaintop you could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the facts of valley?
I love going to the mountains, but I know I must live in the valleys. And I’ve been in some pretty deep valleys too. Some were just the natural valleys of life – others I dug myself! But I love having a view of the mountains now as a constant reminder that there is HOPE that I do not need to stay in the valley that there is a God who not only is in the valley with me, but who invites me OUT, and to go to the heights with Him!
You may not have a “mountain view” – just as I lived without the past twenty-three years, but all along, I knew they existed and it made valley dwelling easier. In life, there are valleys, but just knowing that our God is High and Exalted is enough to sustain us in the valleys. So look to the mountains for Hope, but live in the valleys honoring Him no matter what, for that is where your character shows and therefore where it really matters. Praise Him!
October 2, 2009 at 11:54 am · Filed under Adventures, Devotional, Life, PK Cruiser
Yesterday I spent most of the day at the Garden of the God. (I leave the ’s’ off on purpose!)
I went to see the sunrise and to work in my new office: Colorado!
This was my view for my morning staff conference call. Not too shabby! It was a little chilly, so I eventually moved to the Visitor Center across the street where I had a counter, power outlet, free refills and an elevated view:
Next I headed off to Chipotle for lunch and on my way back I noticed a Navigator’s sign right before the turn to Garden of the Gods, and turned in. Soon I was at a Castle Gate being stopped by a Gate Keeper. I wasn’t sure if I would get in, but after speaking a little “Christianese” I was granted a pass and allowed to proceed into the most amazing compound that rivaled the Garden of the Gods next door! Turns out the Gen Eyrie retreat center may be one of the best kept secrets of Christiandome! Not only are there more red rocks….
and over 700 acres with lodges and hiking trails…
there is even a Castle!
But on to the CAVE!
As I was exploring, I noticed a CAVE up on one of the cliffs!
Now, GUYS, why is it when you SEE A CAVE you have this thought… I must go up in that cave! I’m sorry, but I REALLY TRIED not to. I seriously thought, I could get hurt. It might be too much for my heart. There could be a bear or a cougar or something worse! No one who loves me even knows I am here at Glen Eyrie, how long until my car would be found? I signed a release to hike, so they wouldn’t even cover any medical costs if I got hurt. Would my insurance…
but the CAVE WAS CALLING TO ME… so I climbed!
I got closer! I half expected some fierce animal to peek out at me! Would I run? Or would freezing work? What if I found treasure? Bones? I’m sure no one else has ever climbed up here!
Finally, I made it! Here is the view from INSIDE THE CAVE! And there is the PK Cruiser, to prove it is really the same cave! It was about twenty feet deep. No wild animals or bones or treasure. I was actually a little disappointed. (About the treasure and bones that is.)
I put on the fisheye lens to try and show the entire cave from the back!
Just as I was about to head down I was surprised by a great view of the Glen Eyrie Castle from the opening of the cave! Pretty cool, huh? You know, if you don’t get out of your car in life, you miss out on some of the best experiences.
The next time you are driving in life and you see something cool – don’t drive by. STOP, and just do it! I’m way behind on email and a bunch of stuff from moving last week, and I know just as I get caught up when I’m moving in next week, I’ll get behind all over again. I have every reason to work all day and into the night non-stop.
But then, I would have missed out on this neat cave!
WHAT IS CALLING OUT TO YOU TODAY? GO FOR IT!
