Pit Crew

I had a chance this past Wednesday to show off my mechanical skills. Pastor Dave reveals all.

Days of our lives

Today has been a good day. I took Trey over to the church this morning to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. He's been riding a scooter all summer, so he hasn't even worried about riding his bike. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he asked, "Why can't I ride a bike without training wheels like all the other kids my age?" Lori replied, "Because your parents are LOSERS!" OK, so we're really not that bad, but I definitely hadn't spent time with him in that area. So, we headed over to the expansive asphalt at Grace. He climbed on the bike, I pushed him to get him started, and that was all it took. After that one push, he took off. He rode his bike all morning. We worked on sharp turns and braking after awhile, just to keep him challenged. He's a pro! I couldn't believe it! I still remember my education in bike riding on Green Street in Frankfort, IN. The professor was my father, who has slightly less patience than I do. How he stayed with me through that, I'll never know. I fell countless times, ran into bushes, ended up in a small drainage ditch, and pretty much flunked my first lesson. It took hours for me to pick it up. Trey takes one push...

He must take after his Mom. He has taken a couple of nasty falls, but he pops right back up, so it's all good.

Also, I bowled 140 tonight. That's really good for me. All in all, it's been a good day. Hope yours was the same.

On Tour

Coming soon to a venue near you (techno sounds, pumping music, yells of excited throng): Liberty Quartet!!!

Hey, for all of you that read my blog and have no clue who these guys are that I travel with, now's your chance to find out for yourself. We're going to be somewhere near you (at least within several hundred miles, which out here is really, REALLY, close). Here's our eastern itinerary:

Aug. 24: St. Joseph, MI (First Baptist Church; 7:00 PM)

Aug. 25: Stanton, MI (First Baptist Church; 7:00 PM)

Aug. 26: Waterford, MI (Williams Lake Nazarene; 8:00 & 10:50 AM)

Aug. 26: Waterloo, IN (First Baptist Church; 7:00 PM)

Sept. 12: Inman, KS (Bethel Mennonite Church; 7:00 PM)

Sept. 13-14: Louisville, KY (NQC; we'll just be hanging out)

Sept. 15: Clearwater, SC (Midland Valley First Church of the Nazarene; 7:00 PM)

Sept. 16: Greer, SC (Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church; 6:30 PM)

Sept. 23: Copper Hill, VA (Parkway House of Prayer Campground; Painter Tabernacle; 6:00 PM)

Sept. 24: Covington, KY (Central Church of the Nazarene; 7:00 PM)

Sept. 25: Fortville, IN (Church of the Nazarene; 7:00 PM)

Sept. 26: Pekin, IL (First Church of the Nazarene; 7:00 PM)


For more info, visit our website.



This picture will make those kids wanna come...or run screaming!

Dave

And, I'd also like to welcome our new pastor, Dave Keep, to the blogosphere.

And the winner is...

I finally won a contest. I think this is the first time it ever happened. Well, actually, I won a "Masters of the Universe" light-up sword from a Bubbalicious gum package but my mom wouldn't let me collect it because she wasn't sure she liked the way the characters looked.

OK, so my design is a little corny. And, you have to either know Eval Knieval history or live in Idaho to get it. But, hey, a free CD is a free CD. I actually already have it. Maybe I'll come up with my own contest to "Give It Away" (sorry; couldn't resist).


***UPDATE***

Lori just reminded me that I won a lip-synch/dance contest in Cincinnati. I know this shocks many of you, but, yes, I did win a dance contest. It was at a Christian bookstore, no less. They were doing a big promotional push for Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD, so accompanied by my friends Carol Gardner and Lori Frederick (this was long before we were dating), I tried out for a contest. Let me rephrase that: Carol and Lori did not accompany me in the contest. They were there to provide moral support, which consisted mainly of leaning against bookshelves heaving with laughter. The grand prize was the SCC discography as well as all of his videos and a CD Walkman (for you young pups out there, this would be comparable to an iPod). I knew the words to nearly every song that Steven had ever recorded, so I figured I had a pretty good chance. The judges were the bookstore manager, some record company reps from Sparrow Records, and others. I believe it was the uninhibited joy of movement I displayed that won the contest. Whatever it was, I won. So, this is the second win of my illustrious career.

Hurricane Flossie

Congratulations are in order for my Grandma Kirkman. They finally named a hurricane after her. You know they're running low on names when they pull out Flossie.

I remember as a kid wondering why in the world someone would name their child Flossie. The obvious word picture associated with Grandma's name wasn't one that particularly impressed me. So, as a 7 or 8-year-old I asked Grandma if she liked her name. She replied that she sure liked it better than her middle name, Marie. I still don't get it. Flossie...?