Installing a new Linux build on a Debian distro

["Randy Patterson - [Tech]" <tech@patterson-pcc.com>]

Hey,

I'm looking for some advise before installing a version of Linux that I built 
from the latest source. I am very pleased with the Debian/Lenny distro that I 
use and my only real reason for building my own kernel is more for 
educational purposes than anything but I would also like to compile a kernel 
that is configured for the specific system that I install it on. But here's 
my question. So that I don't break my Debian distro do I always need to 
download the version of the kernel source of my current distro? My current 
version is 2.6.18-4-486 but the latest stable Linux kernel is 2.6.23.1. If I 
build that version will it break my system? Or maybe someone could point me 
to a good updated reference doc that deals with this subject.

Thanks,
Randy