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Category: Life

Living on Mission – Discovering my Ministry Manifesto

Why Did God Make YOU? By Pastor Karl Bastian, aka the Kidologist I received my call to ministry when I was ten years old. A children’s evangelist came to our church. I was completely captivated. He used magic tricks, puppets, and storytelling to teach the Bible in a way that made kids laugh, think, and listen. I remember sitting there thinking, That is the greatest job in the world. After the service I told my mom, “That’s what I want to do when I grow up.” Her response surprised me. “You start next Wednesday.” I protested. “Mom, I said when I grow up!” She calmly replied, “If God has called you to children’s ministry, what does growing up have to do with anything?” Then she did something that changed the trajectory of my life. She started telling me about the many young people God used in the Bible—David facing Goliath, Samuel hearing God’s voice as a child, the boy who gave his lunch to Jesus, and others who were young but willing. My mom didn’t just encourage me—she equipped me. She helped me get my first puppet. She coached me on learning simple magic tricks. She gave me opportunities to…

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Gratitude Changes Everything

Gratitude Changes Everything By Pastor Karl Bastian The celebration of Thanksgiving every November is wonderful. Families gather. Tables are full. Traditions are honored. Gratitude gets a full day on the calendar. But the downside is that it can subtly relegate gratitude to something we focus on once in a while—sadly, perhaps annually. We pull out thankfulness like fine china, use it for a day, and then pack it back into storage with the pumpkin decorations. The reality is that an attitude of gratitude is the secret to contentment and happiness every single day of our lives. By our human (sinful) nature, we tend to focus on what we want, need, or are striving for. We fix our eyes on the next goal, the next opportunity, the next improvement. In doing so, we often neglect to realize we are living what we once hoped for. The job we prayed for. The ministry we dreamed about. The family we longed to build. The friendships we once asked God to provide. How quickly we stop appreciating where we are, what we have, and WHO we have. Blessings that once brought us to tears of joy can slowly become background noise. They are taken…

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Expect the Unexpected

“Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.” My dad used to say this often as I was growing up, and the older I get, the truer it feels. We love plans. We like calendars that behave, weeks that make sense, and outcomes we can predict. We pray for God’s guidance, but if we’re honest, we often hope He’ll guide us exactly where we were already planning to go. He also told me once, “Ever notice the word IF is in the middle of life?” IF is central to life, but we forget that when we settle into routine – especially routine we enjoy. Then life happens. The phone rings with news we didn’t want. A door closes we were sure God had opened. A conversation takes a turn we didn’t rehearse. A season stretches longer than expected. A calling looks nothing like the picture we had framed in our minds. Change hit us hard. That’s when we are confronted with a choice: Panic or Trust? Here’s the tension we wrestle with: we believe God is sovereign, but we still resist surprises. We trust His plan, but we prefer advance notice. We quote Jeremiah 29:11, yet we panic when…

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Yosemite Reflections

  I’m often asked why I return to Yosemite time after time. I think the answer lies partly in the words of Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Listening to God is something every Christian knows they should do. But it’s hard—especially with all the noise, distractions, and daily demands of life. As I enter my mid-fifties, I find myself becoming more reflective… I wonder: What will be the sum of my life? What will I have truly invested my days in? I’m thankful that, as a young college student, I read a book that challenged me to create a life ministry manifesto— To reach and teach as many children as possible with the good news of God’s love, and in the process, to enlist, equip, and encourage others to do the same. This mission has led me to countless outreaches, guided me to become a children’s pastor, and maybe—just maybe—part of my legacy will be this annual event I created for children’s pastors: Yosemite Summit. It’s a chance to unplug, to get away, to spend time with the Lord in…

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A Mother’s Birthday Legacy

Happy Birthday, Mom Celebrating Patti Eileen Bastian: A Legacy of Faith and Joy Today marks the birthday of my incredible mom, Patti Eileen Bastian. Though cancer took her from us far too soon, (1996, age 53) her impact on my life and countless others remains immeasurable. She was not only my mom but also my first mentor and the reason I dedicated my life to children’s ministry. Her unwavering belief in my potential and her passion for making faith fun and engaging have become the foundation of my life’s work. As a young boy, I once told my mom that I wanted to be a children’s evangelist “when I grew up.” Without hesitation, she replied, “Why wait until you grow up? You can start this week!” True to her word, she helped me write my first lesson and encouraged me to turn my magic tricks into object lessons. Next, she found a puppet at a thrift store, gave it to me and suggested I use it to do announcements at our weekly kids’ club. “Harry Jinkle, my first puppet, became the first of many, sparking a love for creativity that still drives me today. Mom was a master of seeing…

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