Pastor Karl Bastian, children’s pastor and founder of Kidology.org – and graduate of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Illinois, was honored in the Moody Alumni Magazine in the Winter 2025 edition. Karl graduated in 1993 and his wife, Sara, shortly after. (The article incorrectly dates her graduation much later.) Karl was the first Children’s Pastor at the Moody Church in Chicago, a church, founded as a ministry to children by the great evangelist, Dwight Lyman Moody. You can read more about Karl’s personal connection to Moody Bible Institute in his article: D.L. Moody: A Life Dedicated to Reaching the Lost, Starting with Children. Below is linked the article from Moody Alumni Magazine’s 2025 Winter Edition. It was such an honor to be included in the same issue as Alumni of the Year, Dann Spader, the founder of Sonlight Ministries – a ministry that had a profound impact on Karl in his high school years as a student leader being discipled by his youth pastor, Dan Gute in the Sonlife Youth Ministry Strategy, a philosophy of ministry Karl still employs today in youth and children’s ministry. A version of it can be seen in one of the first posts on Kidology:…

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DICTIONARY JOKES – Real Definitions! Gravity: Not just a good idea, it’s the law! Gross ignorance: 144 times worse than normal ignorance. Clock: A small mechanical device to wake up people without children. Karaoke: A Japanese word meaning “tone deaf”. Opera: Where a guy gets stabbed in the back and sings about it. Racial prejudice: a pigment of the imagination. Normal: A setting on a washing machine. Health: The slowest possible rate of dying. Poverty: Having too much month left at the end of the money. Boy: A noise with dirt on it. Sleep: That fleeting moment just before the alarm goes off. Cynic: Someone who smells the flowers and looks in the casket. Witlag: The delay between delivery and comprehension of a joke. Skier: Someone who pays an arm and a leg to break them. Kidmin: The greatest job earth. Want help making the definition of your ministry, “AMAZING” – Get Coach Karl on your team at KarlBastian.club

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A Tribute to Larry Mahan — “Mr. SONshine” By Karl Bastian I lost a dear friend in ministry this week—Larry Mahan. To many, he was a Gospel Magician. But to those who really knew him, he was far more than that. Larry was a joyful innovator, a creative light, and a humble servant of Jesus who spent his life making ministry not only impactful, but irresistibly fun. Affectionately known as Mr. SONshine, Larry lived up to his name. Wherever he went—whether a church, a school, or a Fellowship of Christian Magicians meeting—he brought the joy and warmth of Jesus. He wasn’t just shining; he was reflecting the “Light of the world” (John 8:12) with every trick, every laugh, every lesson, and every encounter. Larry created simple, fun illusions that anyone could use to share the Good News with kids. He understood something essential: ministry to children doesn’t need to be complicated—it needs to be engaging, joyful, and Jesus-centered. His book, Shtick: The Art of Entertaining Children, remains one of the first resources I recommend to children’s pastors. When I first read it, I felt like I could’ve written it myself—not to rob him of the credit, but because I found…

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