Happy New Year from the Bastians

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Season – we went to visit family in California, so I got to swim in an outdoor pool over Christmas. Then came home to a delayed White Christmas and enjoyed spending my New Years Eve snow blowing about a dozen homes around my house on a beautiful snowy evening. I wanted to post our Christmas Letter and Year-End Video before now, but life was just too busy enjoying the holiday, so here they are now: #1 Enjoy Our Christmas Letter: (Click to download PDF) #2 Watch Our Year in Review Video! Looking forward to a new year of deepening friendships and serving you!

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A Hazzard Birthday Party for my 8 Year Old

We celebrated Luke’s eighth birthday “Hazzard County” style! He’s loved the “Dukes” since he was little, just something about those cars flying through the air and crashing! As is the annual tradition, Mom made an amazing cake to go with the theme: You can enjoy a video tour of the cake here: It was an amazing cake! Luke wanted to decorate his own cake, so Mom gave him a cake he could have some fun with, so here is HIS cake: For our first game, I gave each of the kids a LEGO car chassis and let them get creative with my LEGO in building a car… then we sent them down a ramp to let them crash! They had so much fun: Then Luke got TWO monster trucks that were designed to be able to run at the same time (often remote control vehicles signals conflict!) – so I set up a “Monster Truck Rally” and the kids took turns getting to race the monster trucks, it was a ton of fun. Here is a short YouTube video to show how it worked: Then it was time for the Magic Show: Of course, kids always love magic – but…

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One Man Christmas Story

I was invited to be a special guest again at Cherry Hill Community Church, where they have a wonderful children’s ministry. Whenever you are given the opportunity to teach at Christmas time, it presents a unique challenge. You are, of course, teaching the greatest story in HIS-Story – but it is also a very familar one. So how do you tell it in a new and creative way that will still engage children who can easily “check out” when they start to hear the familiar parts of the story. I searched my computer for countless ways I have addressed Christmas in over twenty years as a children’s pastor – and then walked into my vast kidmin prop warehouse and started seeing things that could be used to tell the story! At the same time, as I prayed about it, I was wanted to elevate the story above the mere facts of the traditional story to WHY did God sent Jesus? The story is truly epic and transcends the birth of Christ from the origins of time all the way to Christ’s Resurrection all the way to today! Then it hit me! Why don’t I tell the ENTIRE STORY OF CHRISTMAS…

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You’re a V.I.P. to R.O.B.

That smilin’ guy to the right? He helped lead my son to Christ and he wasn’t even in the same state! How did he manage that? Well, it was his music. And in particular the song “I’m Follin’ Jesus.” (Free download below.) Here are the lyrics: “I’m Followin’ Jesus” (from the CD “GET OUT THERE!”) words and music by ©2005 Rob Biagi/BMI On the road of life There are two ways to go: You can choose Abundant Life, or say, “Whatever, dude – We’ll see how it goes…” Now I don’t know about you I just know about me And I know what to do If I wanna be free! I’m followin’ Jesus – Jesus I’m followin’ Jesus – Jesus Down the road we go – it’s really rather odd We can play it safe and slow – or fly through life with God! I don’t know about you And everyone’s goin’ that way I just wanna be free So I’m gonna walk by faith! I’m followin’ Jesus – Jesus I’m followin’ Jesus – Jesus! My son explains to me one day that he accepted Christ all by himself in bed. When I asked how and why, he said, “Well, it’s…

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Times Flies When You Are Growing Up!

Just marveling how my “little boy” is growing up! I went back through my iPhoto and grabbed the first day of school pictures since Luke started pre-school and it’s fun to see him growing up: Luke going to first day of preschool… Luke going to first day of Pre-K: Luke going to first day of Kindergarten: Luke starting 1st grade this week: On one hand – I am amazed at how BIG he is, it seems only yesterday I had my first Father’s Day with a little baby: But on the other had, it hasn’t gone quickly. I know parents are always saying “the time flies” but it hasn’t seem to fly for me. I have been so enjoying each and every day and the unique aspects of Luke’s personality at each age, and what he can do, and what he is learning, that I feel like it’s been going at a pace that I’ve been truly enjoying. I’m sure when I’m at his wedding, I’ll join the chorus of “how did it pass so quickly?” But for now, it’s going at a great pace. There are things I’m eager for him to be older and able to do with…

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