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English speakers have for 1500 years found contractions to be a very efficient way to speak our complex language.  Yet, it took an almost-two-year-old to come up with our latest contraction:  el'bow="all by my," as in "I will climb up into...

We have had TWO big changes in our house this week with Parks. First was the switch to a Big Boy Bed. We came home from Nana and Papa's on Saturday, where he had been sleeping in a big bed, and wanted to sleep in a big bed in his room too. All we had...

We went to the Harris' farm in Goodwater today to start our Thanksgiving celebrations.  Parks had a great time! He loved throwing rocks into the pond, walking around with Papa, riding the Gator with Brandon to see the Cows, and exploring Libba and...

This is a little late but I need to record our voting day. Brandon and I had been watching all the election news for weeks and Parks has seen it all on TV so much that he knew the main characters of the election.  The morning of the election Brandon...

Since I last made an entry, Parks has had quite a run with doctor visits.  Monday night the 13th, Parks managed to run into the corner of a wall at church and split his forehead open.  Thank goodness Brandon was on Parks duty that night while...

As I have played around with Community Server, I have found that the content of Sermonater heretofore isn't really blog-type material, especially when held up against a more robust collaborative tool like Forums.  So, from this point onward, I'll...

Tonight Parks read me a story at bedtime! He opened his Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? book and began to say "bown bear. ah-do-ee?" Then he turned the page and said "ello duck. ah-do-ee?" This pattern continued through the whole story. Perhaps...

After a fun evening of riding on daddy's back from one room to another all around the house, I said, "It's time for your bath." So, Parks grabs his Elmo doll, puts it face-down on the ground, and then proceeds to climb on Elmo's back, saying, "Hold on,...

Everyday Parks seems to be saying more and more words, doing more and more for himself, and mimicking us at every moment - good, bad and ugly. Tonight at church dinner I asked Parks if he was ready to eat, and for the first time ever (that I have seen)...

Parks is now 20 months! It is hard to believe that he has been with us for 20 months and in the last several weeks he has become a real little boy. He has decided that the plastic footstool (that did live in my closet so I could reach the top shelf) is...

Title: "Hope: The Doorway to Change" Scripture: Is 43:18-19; Rev 21:5 Key Verse: "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in...

Title: "Sex and The Family" Scripture: Col 3:1-17 Key Verse: "If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (v. 1). Theme: The Republicans are pro-family and the Democrats...

Title: "True Security" Scripture: Micah 4:1-5 Key Verse: "They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid" (v. 5). Theme: When we hear what the prophet Micah says will bring security...

Title: "The Politics of Race" Scripture: Luke 10:25-37 Key Verse: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself" (v. 27). Theme:...

Title: "The Economics of the Kingdom of God" Scripture: Luke 1:46-55 Key Verse: "He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away." (vv....

Title: "The War of the Lamb" Scripture: Matthew 26:47-56 Key Verse: "Then Jesus said to [Peter], ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword'" (v. 52). Theme: In Revelation 5, we find a peculiar image:...

Title: "The Politics of Jesus" Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20 Key Verse: "In him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him...

Well, it took a combination of talent and cronyism, but The Blacktop Kings are slated to play Summerfest on the Harley-Davidson stage on Sunday, July 1st.  We will be playing a two hour set from 12:00PM until 2:00PM.  I'd be lying if I said...

Why am I blogging? It has been almost two and a half months since my last entry. Parks is now three and half months old, and like some kind of twilight zone miracle, he went down with only about five minutes of fussing tonight. Last night was the beginning...

We've just been scheduled to play Beloit Riverfest, the 2nd biggest music festival in Wisconsin (after Summerfest of course)! We'll be playing at 10:00PM on Saturday, July 14th right after Grand Funk Railroad and Steppenwolf (before you get too impressed,...

We're almost there.  The press kit is done, the demos glossed, the stickers printed, and the T-Shirts in the works.  We submitted through HD's official Summerfest contact with the assurance that we'd have a slot.  I'm not going to get too...

Some people are often perplexed by the concept of original sin, the idea that all humans are born sinful, contaminated by our relationship in nature to the original sinners, Adam and Eve.  Some would even argue that babies are not originally sinful,...

Well, not to be outdone by Brandon and Jennifer bringing home a newborn family member, I too have expanded the inhabitant count of the Milwaukee Harris household. Last night at 7:05PM we brought home a healthy 226lb baby Hammond organ! She's a spry...

Brandon, Parks and I had out first big day out on the town today. We did venture out last Friday to the pediatrician but this was a real outing to a store, lunch and around the town.  Brandon and I decided this morning that we were ready to hit the...

We have been home now with Parks for 4 nights. And last night was our first night as "real parents" home alone with our little one.  We have had such an exciting week.  We have learned so much already and have watched Parks learn new things...