Kidmin Blogger Survey

If you are a Kidmin Blogger, jump over the KidminAndy’s site and give a few minutes and provide some feedback on how you blog for the betterment of the Kidmin Blogger Community. Your input could help others when he shares the results… maybe even you! As for me: I’ve been blogging since March 2005, but that’s only if you count when I’ve been using blogging software. I used to blog before there was blog software! I like to say I was blogging before there were blogs because I used to just make pages when I went places in pure HTML, like this: kidologist.com/alaska or Air Dad (If you look carefully, you’ll find a link to my first “web company” that is still live, even though the host company, Flash.net, has long since gone out of business. LOL) Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend WordPress because it is easy to use, themes abound and are easy to install (though I had a custom one made for me by a friend) hosting yourself on either One and One or GoDaddy.com (even though I hate their advertising, they are the easiest to use and have the best prices and remind you when you are up…

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A Last Post

I stumbled upon a blog post this week by a guy named Derek Miller, who died on May 3rd. He had his family put his last blog post live after he died: The last post It’s a nice final post that has received millions of visitors since last week. He declares pretty confidently what he thinks will happen (or rather NOT happen) after he dies, which stimulates a lot of conversation in the comments on his site, and as usual, the Christians make fools of themselves doing more to hurt the cause of Christ than to help it. I usually find myself wishing Christians would just SHUT UP or stay off secular sites because they never seem to remember that Jesus said we are to known by our LOVE not our mean-spirited holier-than-tho argumentedtiveness. Sigh. How do these “Christians” ever think the lost will come to Christ if we are yelling at non-believers on websites comments and in forums? Anyway – here was my comment on the site: I very much enjoyed his post – since I’m also 41, it was very sobering. I found it sad he didn’t have any eternal hope of any kind, but find the mean…

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Coming in Next to Next to Last

I’m excited to announce I came in in Next to Next to Last on the Church Leaders Top 200 Church Blogs on Two Websites! (Actually, it’s the same list in two places) and Yup, I was Number 198 on a list of 200! Barely made it! Whew! But what an honor to be noticed and because they did the ranking based on Google ranking and subscribers to Google Reader and RSS feeds, I must say: THANK YOU to those you YOU who read my blog, because it must mean you find my posts interesting, helpful, encouraging or something in order to keep coming back. I often say “I’ve been blogging since before there were blogs” and so it’s nice to know there are people reading! I don’t often post (or concern myself) with awards or recognition (my dad raised me to not give much thought to such things) but as long as I am here to say “Thanks”, I should mention Tony Kummer’s Blog List – not because I’m on it – but because so MUCH WORK goes into creating these lists, and he has 99 OTHER great Kidmin Bloggers on it, all worthy of checking out, in addition to…

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Social Media Bad for Kids?

Social Media and Kids from a Conflicted Social Media Junky by Karl Bastian (a.k.a. Kidologist) See at the bottom how to WIN A FREE BOOK and Download the Complete Kidology Report on Social Media and Kids that includes additional authors. I both love social media and fear it. I can’t attack it too much or I’d be a hypocrite I have over 10,000 “tweets” so far, and nearing 1000 friends on Facebook, but why do I still feel so lonely? Social networking is a part of my daily – O.K., let’s be honest, moment by moment, life! I do not, not, think it is an addiction or bad for me! (I could quit any time I wanted to, right? I just don’t want to!) Quite to the contrary, it has given me yet another avenue to amplify the message God has given me to share. Unlike many who live their lives like a pin-ball game bouncing through life from one opportunity to another with no clear game plan, I sought God for a very specific Life Mission at age nineteen and have had a laser focus on that Mission ever since. It is written and defined and has enabled me…

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Bastian Christmas Letter 2010

Merry Christmas! Once again it is time to post the Bastian Christmas Letter! We hope you are in the midst of enjoying a wonderful Christmas Season! As usual we are getting our letter out the week of Christmas! (Ahhhhhh!) We mail it to family and some friends, but to save on postage I also post it here on my blog so anyone interested can also download the PDF and enjoy it, just click on the image here: Bastian Christmas Letter 2010 (3.1MB) 2010 was our first full year in Colorado and while I don’t feel I have taken advantage yet of all the reasons I move here, it was a fantastic year. I’m glad it wasn’t as busy as 2009 was! In January, of course CPC is always a blast! Then, in February, I went on a personal solo sabbatical to experience “Yosemite in Winter” snowshoeing the valley. It was incredible. I didn’t blog about it, as it was a personal time between me and God. But I did make this highlight video: March saw another CPC – I’ve lost track how many I’ve been to, but I’ve been to every single once since 1995, so I’ve been to over…

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