Been writing about the Bills this week. A two part, detailed preview of the 2008 team. Most of it is now in place after the draft, they even had Rookie mini camp last week. If you’re interested in such things, check out our Buffalo Bills Review: Articles page.
Title of the articles, “The Team The Bills Will Field”
This weekend we did get some pretty decent weather, despite a good bit of rain, and we took advantage of it!
On Sunday afternoon, the boys and Kirstie and I headed up to the high school football field (just a few blocks from our house) and we found our way in through an open gate and played one on one football (Ian vs Alex, with Dad as the QB) … using the FULL FIELD!!! Kirstie ran right along with us, too. They would get the ball at midfield to start (no kickoffs) and they even had me kick extra points and FGs! 🙂 (I went something like 4-5 on XPs and 0-2 on FGs… not too good!)
It was a blast, and they were quite exhausted at the end! 🙂
Can’t wait till next time, though!!
The night concluded with a walk for the whole family around a couple blocks, and a visit with some new friends who live close by. We met them on the way and walked with them back to their house and visited for a while. They have three little girls about the age of our little girls.
As the kids were all playing in their front yard, Alex lost a tooth… literally! It came out of his mouth, and he lost it in their yard!! 🙂 Ha! The Tooth Fairy still came and left him a dollar in his (empty) tooth pillow, though. 🙂
A fun, full weekend of being a family of seven. Even got a visit from Jen’s bro and his son. Very nice. Hopefully a good recharge for me. Busy week ahead!!
(So, may be kinda quiet here!)
Definitely enjoying this season of life though. We love being the Campbell family. 🙂
After a frustrating morning (perhaps nearly entirely self-inflicted – at least, maybe it didn’t need to be as frustrating as it was) and a frustrating lunch, I reluctantly decided that I should take our two-year-old Julia on her OK Night. She’s been waiting for quite a while (I’ve been busy) and there’s an eager queue behind her, of course.
We gathered everything together for a walk. I had planned some fun things for her, but also was going to make efficient use of my time and make the post office our destination on the walk, so I could pick up my mail. Gotta multi-task, right?
Nope. And it took a beautiful little two year old to remind me of that.
As we embarked on our walk (under the windy, rainy, overcast skies) we were chatting. Julia is a wonderful talker. She has a lot to say, and mostly I know what she’s talking about. 🙂 As she was talking, she would just throw in a happy, sing-songy refrain of “OK Night” every once in a while. 🙂
She definitely began to melt my heart.
As we walked – not really all that far yet – I saw some flowers, and we crossed the road to go see them up close. She was very excited, and loved everything her Daddy suggested they do. At this point, she started helping me to enjoy the moment, and I cancelled all plans for multi-tasking on the trip and decided to just enjoy each moment of this short hour or so with my little Julia.
We ended up walking to a store to get some baseballs for the boys and to get a fun snack to eat at the park. Except, when we left the store, she said she wanted to see the water… so, we headed up to the Erie Canal marina not too far from that store. We sat on the bench eating iced animal crackers (she loved the pink ones!) and just had fun time looking at the water.
The rain brought us home, but we still enjoyed every moment along the way. Stopped to smell every flower. Listened to every word. Breathed every breath.
I am pretty sure that is all I need right now. For whatever reason, my work, and my life have become “pressure” to me. I have had a hard time recently just stopping to relax and enjoy. Julia knows how to do that well, and helped me to do that today. I thanked her for it when we got home as I laid her down for her nap. 🙂
There’s good reason for the pressure I think. The bills still need to be paid. The work still needs to be done. Raising kids is hard work. When will I ever get to enjoy a nice evening out with my wife again? (Without the attached baby?) 🙂
This too shall pass. But hopefully not too quickly. I’d like to enjoy the moments along the way.
Going way back to my college years – when I first started to grasp the reality of life with a living and interactive God who loves me more than I can possibly imagine – I have seen God lead me. Almost step by step.
When I was a student at the University of Buffalo, studying English towards the goal of being a journalist as my profession, God began to gently suggest to me that I should somehow make a “career” (my word, not his) out of helping people understand him the way I had come to. He had finally reached me as the living Being that he is, not just the main Protagonist of the stories I heard at Sunday school. Not only was he alive, and reaching out to me, he loved me and accepted me completely, and wanted me to do life together with him. This was fantastic, and he was right, it’s what I wanted to spend my life doing: helping people know him like I had come to know him.
So, following his lead, I transferred to Cincinnati Bible College to pursue some “career” in “ministry”. I have said before, I had no intention of being a preacher, or pastoring a church, or anything like that. I just wanted to make spend my days helping people know Jesus. It was up to God to show me what that would be.
For two years I studied under people who had spent many more years that me studying Scripture. I still very much appreciate those days and weeks and months spent learning from those guys. I may not feel exactly the same way about every detail in Scripture, but I respect them and am glad to have learned from them.
Right about the time we were to graduate, it seemed God had directed me to work with college students, and I had an opportunity to do so at Miami University in Oxford, OH. I was all set to go there when – I believed then and do believe now – he opened another door, and suggested I go through it.
A tiny church in Victor, NY was looking to hire a youth and worship minister, and their main candidate was my college roommate! Add to that the fact that the preacher there was the brother of Jen, who was even then one of my bestest friends. There were many appealing things, and it seemed God was saying, “Go there.” So, I did.
And there were many fruitful years of meeting people, and I think, helping them know Jesus as I had come to know him (and was still growing in knowing him.) I (and later Jen too) worked with a couple fledgling groups at a couple different local colleges. We worked with college and young adult folks who were part of the church who had brought me in to work with them. All good, years well spent. Certainly there were difficulties, but only the fond memories remain.
Looking back now, that seems to have been a season of life working through the “local church”. (I don’t like to use that term, but you know what I mean when I say it.) I was chatting with a friend the other day and realized that God has been “suggesting” new avenues for me to help people know him in roughly five-year intervals. This one was from roughly 1996-2001. In 2001, we began (in earnest) a new journey.
And boy was it a journey! 🙂
2001 was the year that I resigned as the worship minister of that tiny church (which had grown quite a bit in those 5 years!) and began focusing full-time on our music, basic music ministries. God had actually led us back into that around 1999, and we were slowly moving toward it from 1999-2001, but it took several extenuating circumstances in that year to move us fully into the place I really believe he wanted us to be.
Looking back now I can see that God was completely leading that, arranging the places we would sing and share and help people to know him as we were coming to know him. It was really cool to see him lead and provide along the way, and more confirmation that he was the One behind all of it is that now, since we have transitioned to the next five-year phase… the music has almost completely dropped off the radar!
How did that happen? I really did not change that much in what I was doing. The requests to come share our music basically just stopped coming in! Before, they came all the time. But in 2004, God prepared both Jen and me separately for a coming change. We weren’t sure what it would be, but were confident he was “suggesting” again.
We realized in the middle of a tour that it was time to lay that down and see what else God had for us. My only inkling was that I could probably do web design for people. Up to that point I only did my own and two or three others, very much on the side.
But again, God confirmed immediately that we had made the right decision. Almost the instant we agreed with him that we should not schedule future tours, and “lay down” a “ministry” that seemed to be still in its prime… the requests came pouring in. For web design!
Too funny. So amazing to see God provide and lead like this. The year 2005 was spent phasing out of the music “career” (for now, at least) and phasing in the web and graphic design “career”. The other very obvious “phase” that we are in now is the family phase! We have five young kids now, three of whom have been born since Feb 2004. That is certainly another emphasis of this current “five-year phase”. 🙂
So 1996-2001 was local church related. 2001-2006 was our musical phase (roughly, as 2005 was still fairly populated with musical things). And now since 2006 I have been doing web and graphic design for people, and it has been the same as the music – completely at God’s provision. He is the one who has brought every single client to me. Every one. I have not advertised, nor sought out new clients. Haven’t had to! God has again led the way!
But there’s the issue I face today, and have faced recently. Maybe even most of this “phase”. I don’t think I am made to do what I am doing, nor do I really enjoy it – at least, not as much as I had the other things.
Am I just ungrateful? Am I missing God’s blessing? Certainly not that. As I have said, I am completely aware that God is providing this current “career” as a way to provide for our family. And certainly I am grateful for that. I am confused at how it still seems to not quite completely “provide” but I see him providing, and so I am confident that he will figure out the details.
This is the first phase that I am wishing would end sooner though.
Perhaps that is just a temporary glitch with me. Perhaps I am overwhelmed by other things in life? It is a lot to take care of five children! 🙂 Money is always an issue, as I know it is for most folks who will stumble across this blog entry. But really… I am frustrated. Frustrated by the provision I am seeing, and just not really wanting this particular provision.
Maybe it’s like my kids at the dinner table. I most always make meals considering their fairly limited pallets, but frequently they will still complain that the food is “not their favorite”. My typical response is to let them know that the current meal is all the food we have for tonight, and that they need to just eat it. Even though I know they don’t really like it that much, I know it is good, and their little bodies need it.
Perhaps it’s time to eat my vegetables?
I do certainly enjoy many parts of this current “tour of duty”. Really. I obviously love computers, and the internet, and have considerable knowledge and experience that I can offer to people. I also think I have a pretty good eye for design. There are certainly many ways that this current “career” that God has provided fits me well. I’m not sure why it’s not as fun. Could just be these are the vegetables I don’t like so much. According to the path I’ve trod so far, it would seem I have till 2010 or 2011 to figure it out. 🙂
If you’ve read this far you are a true friend, a good/fast reader, or just had some extra time to kill. I appreciate it. One way I process things is to write them out. God definitely – most definitely – made me a writer. A word smith. I look forward to that five-year phase. 🙂 (Certainly, that theme has woven through all of my years so far. But perhaps there will be a season where that is the primary focus?)
The best part of the story, and what keeps me going on? Very clearly seeing that God is leading all of this. This is where he wants me, and I know and love and trust him… and so I know it’s where I also want to be.
Just have to get my heart to match my head on that one.
If you are an NFL fan, you know that the annual college draft took place this past weekend… and perhaps you are happy (or unhappy) with your team’s picks. Well, the Bills used all TEN of their picks and have some pretty great new players. If you are interested in seeing what I wrote about the new guys, you can read my article here, or you can just head over to the articles page and browse the many videos and links I posted yesterday. Oh yeah… maybe even more fun… we also did a show last night, with four of the possible five BBR Guys in attendance! Fun stuff. Enjoy 🙂
Our friend, Laura, (who is from Argentina) sent me a link this morning to a series of videos from NBC’s TODAY show that were done from Buenos Aires. There were a lot of videos there, but the link/video I noticed was the one above about the most common Argentine beverage, yerba mate.
Laura has gotten me hooked on this, and I drink it most days. (It can be sweetened a bit more than apparently it was in the video…) 🙂 Ian kind of likes it, and perhaps another kid or two will… but Jen is definitely not a fan. 🙂
Anyway, just thought I would share this video here…
While I am tomando unos mates. 🙂
[RELATED LINK: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24315283/]
I took some more photos earlier this week of the “greening” of our town. Actually, as you can see above… they were more of the redding, pinking, yellowing, and whiting variety. Maybe even some purpling. 🙂 Tons of flowering and budding going on around here, and I captured some of it on a walk with two of the kiddos.
(Click the photo above to see the photo album at Facebook) 🙂
It’s been really warm here the past week or so. Today promises to be a bit nicer (at least, by my standards) with a high around 62ºF. Mostly I don’t like spring – probably least of all four seasons – because it means the hot weather is coming, and usually with melting snow and even more rain, it’s just a muddy mess.
But today, as I was out for a quick morning walk, I was looking around at all the new growth – the “greening” of our town again – and I just thought it was cool. The new life is a very cool thing about spring.
See? You can find a “silver lining” just about anywhere… 😉
Good night! 🙂
That word – “expectations” – certainly has some baggage, doesn’t it? I mean, even as I typed it for the title of this post, I thought, “That’s not exactly what I’m trying to say…” But I think it is. I do believe there can be good expectations. (And I fully acknowledge that, relationally speaking, there are the bad sort of “expectations”.)
But I was reminded again last night that sometimes it’s good to “expect” more.
The four oldest kids joined me at a birthday party where we were to have dinner. I’ll admit, it was a bit of a challenge to keep everyone in the same place when we first got there, amongst the many other strangers (we only knew the hosts, and had briefly met one or two others). But, the kids were great, and we eventually got some food and found a table to sit down and eat.
I got everyone set up eating their food, then went to go get drinks. They stayed there – they did awesome! – and just enjoyed their food, and I think Ian was chatting with the other people at the table.
After we had been eating for a while, the mom who was at the table said to our kids, “Why are you guys so good???” and then without pausing, said to me, “How do you get the baby to stay there???” Actually, when she said baby, I thought of Emma… but she wasn’t there, so that confused me. Then I realized she meant Julia, our two year old. We’ve actually been working on moving past a few “baby” things with Julia (mostly of her own desire) so I responded (with Julia) saying, “Julia, are you a baby? Or a big girl?” She cheerfully replied, “Big girl!”
What the mom was noticing was that our four kids (with only one parent at that moment) were sitting, happily eating and chatting, while her husband was chasing their two year old boy all over the place. A little more conversation with this mother revealed exactly why there was such a difference between our kids.
She didn’t expect anything from them.
Just to clarify, I completely understand that expectations can be laden with guilt and obligation and other unhealthy relational things. But also, I think a lot of parents are frustrated because their expectations of what their kids are capable of are far too low.
Kids are actually quite smart. 🙂
Many people comment to me on the way that I speak to children. To ours, and to others. Apparently, I speak to them “like adults”. I’m not exactly sure what they mean, but Jen has echoed those same sentiments (when spoken by others). Basically, I think most people talk “down” to kids. But I do not. I can see that they understand a lot more that we give them credit for, and I know they are quite able to choose (many things, at least) and so I give them the opportunity to choose “the right thing” and/or to exhibit some self control.
From that mindset, and with greater “expectations” from the start… our kids are (from my observation, and that of many others) a bit more “well behaved”. Not all the time, certainly. They are still just kids, and though they are capable of self-control… do not have life experience enough to be great at exercising it. 😉
That just comes with practice.
And, expectations of greatness accompanied by encouragement toward those higher expectations.
Failure will happen, and certainly “unmet expectations”. But with encouragement along the way, and not only believing in the “best” from our kids, but helping them believe it as well, I think our kids will go far, with confidence gained by encouraging, supportive parents who root on their kids to the greatness they are capable of!
[Note: I had a discussion re: parenting ideas with a friend recently, and there was some misunderstanding as to the intention of the thoughts I shared. Parenting is near and dear to our hearts, and so, uninvited “advice” can come across as condescending. Such is never my intention, nor is it the intention of this post. Just sharing some observations. If you find them helpful, please incorporate them into your parenting philosophy. If not, please happily ignore.] 🙂
