Welcome to Karl Bastian's Blog

Kid Communicator Secret #9 – Use All the Senses to Target All Learning Styles

Kid Communicator Secret #9 – Use All the Senses to Target All Learning Styles
Use All the Senses: Reach Every Kid, Every Way Sight, sound, touch (and sometimes taste and smell!) — engaging more senses makes learning stick for every type of learner. Have you ever walked into a room and instantly been transported by a smell? Maybe fresh cookies reminded you of Grandma’s house… or the scent of pine brought you back to Christmas morning. Smell is one of the most powerful and memorable senses we have. That’s why I love this verse: “For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ…”
 2 Corinthians 2:15 What a vivid image — not just...

Kid Communicator Secret #8 – Be Visual: Help Kids SEE the Truth

Kid Communicator Secret #8 – Be Visual: Help Kids SEE the Truth
A picture is worth a thousand words — learn to use costumes, props, and visuals to make teaching unforgettable. Truth becomes clearer when it’s not just heard but seen. When you turn lessons into something visual, you’re creating snapshots of truth that stick for life. God, though Himself invisible, is a visual God – He always made His presence visible, from a pillar of cloud by day to a pillar of fire by night for His people, to His incredible acts in the Old Testament to the literal object lessons Jesus did in the New. God knows His people need...

Kid Communicator Secret #7 – Use God’s Word

Kid Communicator Secret #7 – Use God’s Word
God’s Word: Show Them Where Truth Comes From Don’t just reference the Bible — make it your visible, active teaching tool every time. Aside from our primary goal of leading kids to Jesus and helping them build a personal relationship with Him, a close second must be this: teaching them to love, trust, and use the Word of God. It’s not enough to simply teach from the Bible — we need to teach kids how to use the Bible for themselves. Long after they leave our ministry, if we’ve imparted a love of God’s Word and the skills to navigate...

Kid Communicator Secret #6 – Get Off the Stage: Teach from the Heart, Not Just the Platform

Kid Communicator Secret #6 – Get Off the Stage: Teach from the Heart, Not Just the Platform
Get Off the Stage: Teach from the Heart, Not Just the Platform Authority impresses; authenticity impacts. Learn the secret of connecting eye-to-eye with kids. This Secret of Excellent Kid Communicators is something I rarely see. For those in small ministries, it may not seem immediately relevant—maybe you’re in a room with no stage at all, just a circle of kids and a worn carpet. But trust me, this principle is universal. Whether you’re speaking to a crowd of hundreds or sitting with a handful of wiggly kids on the floor, the key is the same: connection over performance. When you’re on...

Kid Communicator Secret #5 – Create Experiences: Make Lessons Stick

Kid Communicator Secret #5 – Create Experiences: Make Lessons Stick
Feelings drive memory — discover how experiences anchor God’s truth deeper than any lecture. Want to make your teaching unforgettable? Then stop aiming only for the head — and aim for the heart. Kids remember what they feel. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”— Psalm 34:8 How many books have you read? How many movies or TV shows have you watched? Countless, right? But which ones do you remember? Without a doubt, it’s the ones that moved you emotionally — the ones that made you cry, laugh, sit on...

DICTIONARY JOKES – Real Definitions!

DICTIONARY JOKES – Real Definitions!
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...