Dear Luke,
It’s hard for me to believe that three years ago today I got to hold my third little boy for the first time. A lot has changed since then. You were born in Mount Vernon, WA but you’ve lived almost your whole life in Cool, CA. In 2010 your Birthday was four days before Easter, but today your birthday happens to fall on Easter Sunday.
Over these last three years you have developed into quite the young man. I like to call you my “little monkey” because you love to climb everything that you can get your hands onto. Honestly, we find you in the strangest places sometimes 
.
Most recently we have seen your speech develop dramatically. To be honest, we were getting kind of nervous for the last few months but just this last week you have simply exploded with new words and new ways of getting your point across. This has been much to the relief of your mother and I and to our great joy to finally be able to talk with you a little bit. You see, mommy and I understand how important communication is. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the “communication” (Word) of God. My prayer for you this Birthday is that God would open your ears and help you to understand how exceedingly precious His Son (Jesus Christ) is and that He would loose your tongue to worship Him for the rest of your life. Luke, I love you with all of my heart and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with you in the years to come.
‘Til Sin is Bitter Christ will not be Sweet,
Daddy
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March 31 2013 | Blog | No Comments »
Dear Cody,
This last year has been full of big changes for your little heart and I’m so proud of the way that you’ve handled them. In September you started going to pre-school two days a week, which was a huge change since you had never really been away from mommy and me. Then in January you began attending Northside’s Prep-K program everyday of the week! It took a few weeks to get used to this new schedule, but you’ve adjusted very well and you love your new teachers Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. McComb.
I think that the one thing that has stood out to me the most about your time in school is how easily you have made friends. Cody, you are a very likable little boy. You have a naturally sweet disposition and a very tender, loving heart. I’m convinced that these personality traits will serve you very well in the years to come. But my real hope is that God will take these traits and use them for His glory and your good.
Now the only way that God will be able to use these things in your life is if you come to understand two profound truths: 1) That you are a great sinner, 2) That Christ is a Great Savior. Your mommy and I came to understand these things when we were quite young and my prayer for you on your fifth birthday is that you too would come to believe the gospel. Cody, I pray that God would open the eyes of your heart and let you understand how great your need of Christ is and how much He loves you. I pray that you would see the love of God in the Father giving His Son’s life to make you His own. Son, do not delay in trusting in Christ! Run to Him for your salvation, for your joy, for your meaning and for life. I love you more than you will ever know.
‘Til Sin is Bitter Christ Will not be Sweet,
Daddy
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March 28 2013 | Blog | No Comments »
Dear Amy,
As I look back over our last year together I can’t really think of anything that stands out as a major change for our family. We didn’t have any big moves in 2012 (thank goodness). Our children have continued to grow and flourish here at the church and at Northside School. We did add a dog and somehow we’ve inherited another cat, but in the grand scheme of things those are rather trivial matters…So on the whole I’d say that 2012 has pretty much been a quiet year for the Buell family and that makes my heart glad.
When I look back on the common, quiet, everyday events of this last year together I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness for another year that I’ve got to spend with the love of my life doing the common, quiet things that contribute to our life together. I’ve come to realize more and more that life is not made up of big moments that change our course (although there are some of those), but small, quiet moments that cumulatively make up the character of our life together. That’s why my heart is so glad looking back on this last year of life together. It’s been full of small, precious, tender moments that have refined, sharpened, and crafted our life together. It may seem strange but I’d rather watch TV with you on the couch than pretty much anything else in the world because it’s part of our life together and I have to tell you that life with you is nothing but pure joy.
So here’s to another year together raising our family, loving each other and living this very quiet, common life that God has so graciously given to us together.
I love you with all of my heart,
Andrew Buell
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March 21 2013 | Blog | No Comments »
My Grandmother MaryBell Walden passed away on February 1st after suffering with Alzheimers for a number of years. While Grandma’s passing was not unexpected, it has left a great hole in my heart and has given me much reason to think about her legacy and love for Jesus Christ.
When Jonathan Edwards passed away suddenly his wife Sarah wrote a letter to his oldest daughter in which she wrote:
“What shall I say: A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left to us! We are all given to God: and there I am and love to be. Your ever affectionate mother, Sarah Edwards.”
While MaryBell Walden was not Jonathan Edwards, she has left me and my family with a great “legacy” of following Christ. I’ll be posting more on her in the coming weeks, but right now it seems that Sarah Edwards advice is very appropriate that “we may kiss the rod” and trust in God’s goodness during this season of sorrow.
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February 11 2013 | Blog | No Comments »
Russel Moore has a great post over on his blog about How to Deal with Holiday Family Tensions. Here’s an excerpt:
We tend to idealize holidays, but human depravity doesn’t go into hibernation between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. One thing that will hit most Christians, sooner or later, are tensions within extended families at holiday time…
Some Christians think their belligerence is actually a sign of holiness. They leave the Christmas table saying, “See, if you’re not being opposed, then you’re not with Christ!” Sometimes, of course, divisions must come. But think of the qualifications Jesus gives for his church’s pastors. They must not be “quarrelsome” and they must be “well thought of by outsiders” (1 Tim. 3:3,7). That’s in the same list as not being a heretic or a drunk…
The Scripture tells us to fear God, to obey the king, and to honor (notice this) everyone (1 Pet. 2:17). If your parents are high-priests in the Church of Satan, they are still your parents. If cousin Betty V. does Jello shots in her car, just to take the edge off the cocaine, well, she still bears the imprint of the God you adore…
Follow the link for some good counsel on How to Deal with Holiday Family Tensions.
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November 21 2012 | Blog | No Comments »
You can go ahead and file this post in the completely “random” category, but I’m pretty excited about this, so here it goes.
I am one of a very select group of men who can honestly call themselves “Cool Pastors”. As far as I know, there are less than 10 men who have ever been able to call themselves “cool pastors” without sounding goofy. The reason that I belong to this elite group of men is because I am the pastor of a Cool Church, Cool Community Church to be precise.
While I do live in a Cool town and shepherd a very Cool flock, the sad truth is that it isn’t always cool in Cool. In fact, sometimes it’s downright hot here. That’s why it’s important for me to keep my family cool, which is what this post is all about.
Now for most people the question of how to keep their family cool isn’t worthy of a blog post, they just turn on the A/C and magically they are kept cool. But, things are different here in the country. Some of the “high fluting” folks in our community have those fancy shmancy A/C units, but the rest of us have to stay cool the old fashioned way with a swamp cooler (by the way, that last sentence was meant to be a joke, almost everyone I know here in Cool has an Air Conditioner).
In my war with the heat, I have found two powerful weapons that have kept my house at under 77 degrees all summer long (even on 102 degree days). The first is what I call my secret weapon, and the second is what I call my super weapon. Here’s the run down:
1) Secret Weapon – It took me over a year to learn this so in the hopes of shortening your learning curve should you ever become as Cool as I here’s the secret. Learn your swamp cooler on over night. It’s true that a swamp cooler can’t do a whole lot of good against a blazing 100 degree sun, but if you’ve got your house down to about 62 degrees over night then it’s got a lot further to go during the day. This has been the single most effective thing that I’ve done to keep cool.
2) Super Weapon – In the worst case scenario, where the secret weapon doesn’t work I pull out my super weapon in a last ditch effort, before I pack up the kids and go to the church sanctuary for an all night movie marathon of Pixar films. The super weapon is ice! I climb up on the roof (where the swamp cooler is at) and put a frozen jug (usually a used milk carton) of water right in the pan. The ice cools the water, which cools the swamp cooler pads, which cools the air being pumped into the house…at least that’s the theory, I haven’t actually had to try this since my secret weapon is so unbelievably AWESOME!!!
Neither of these things do anything to keep rattle snakes away (rattle snakes love to come out when it’s hot), but that’s what I have this for:
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July 30 2012 | Blog | 3 Comments »
Dear Luke,
As I sit here at the desk, you are standing right next to me looking intently into my eyes as if to ask what I’m doing. You are one of the most inquisitive little boys that I have ever seen and it’s a joy to watch you grow and learn.
This has been a year full of exciting new developments for you. In September you learned how to walk, which has opened up a whole new world of drawers, cabinets, and door knobs to explore. One of your favorite things to do is to open the refrigerator and to bring us random items from it. Your speech has also been developing lately as you’ve learned to call our names and especially to let us know when you’re unhappy with something.
As I watch you grow, it’s funny to observe some of the similarities between you and your brothers. You’re very athletic like Micah, it’s funny to watch you climb all over the furniture like he did. You’re also very passionate like Cody is, we pretty much never have to wonder what you’re thinking. You have your mother’s good looks and hopefully you won’t get my receding hairline 
…all right, non-existent hairline.
One other thing that you did inherit from your mother and I is a sin problem. The Bible tells us that we are estranged from God from the womb, which means that we desperately need someone to reconcile us to Him. Luke, that’s why Jesus came. He came to live a perfect life and to die a brutal death and to be raised on the third day, so that we could be reconciled to God. My prayer for you this birthday is that this "good news," that God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, would be very sweet to you and that you too would come to know Jesus.
Love,
Daddy
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March 31 2012 | Blog | 2 Comments »
Dear Cody,
This last year has been a big year for you and for the rest of our family. Shortly after your last birthday we moved into our new home here at the church, which has been nothing short of wonderful. At first, you had a hard time leaving our house in the trails. Like me, you still have a hard time with change of any sort even when that change is so obviously good. But within a short amount of time, you grew to love what you affectionately call the “Giant house”.
One of the highlights of my day is seeing your little head walk by office at the church and waiting for you to burst through my door and ask for a jolly rancher and a kiss, quickly followed by your little brother who proceeds to pull all of the books down off my shelves J.
As the years have gone by, it’s been a pleasure to watch more and more of your personality come out. I think the one thing that has become most clear about you this last year is that you really feel things. What I mean by that is that you seem to live your life with a great deal of passion. Whether it’s joy over a jolly rancher or tears over having to go to bed, you don’t take anything lightly, you live your life with gusto and passion.
I feel like there’s a lot that I can learn from you in that, because as you’ll find out when you get older much of life gets kind of routine and you stop marveling at things like jolly ranchers and you start worrying about other small, less important things like bills, etc. My prayer for you this year is that you would take that same passion for life and in God’s time learn to cultivate a deep passion for Christ and for the gospel. Now this kind of passion comes from understanding four powerful things: 1) You have to know who God is, that He’s the Creator and He’s the one that life is all about. 2) You have to know who you are, that you’re a sinner in need of a savior. 3) You have to know who Jesus is, that He’s the Savior who came to save you from your sins. 4) You have to respond in repentance and faith so that you can know real joy.
Now, I know that it’s easy to say that you believe these things, but you and I both know that it’s something entirely different to feel them and to embrace them by faith. That is a gift of God and as your birthday draws near this year, I’m praying that in His time He will grant you that gift.
‘Til Sin is Bitter Christ Will not be Sweet,
Daddy
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March 28 2012 | Blog | 1 Comment »
Dear Amy,
As the years go by I continue to learn new things about you and to find new reasons to be thankful for you. Here are just a few of the things that this last year has taught me about the precious gift from God that you are.
1) You are an outstanding mother and our family is much richer because of you.
I know that much of what you do in our home seems to go unnoticed, but I want you to know how much all of those little things mean to me. You truly are the glue that holds our family together and without you…well, let’s just say it, everything would be a disaster around here. The sink would overflow with dirty dishes, the laundry would never get done, the house would never get cleaned and the children would rarely get bathed. All of that is to say that I appreciate you and I want to affirm the fact that you are a very good mom!
2) You are my best friend and I couldn’t do what I do without you.
Not only is our home richer because of you, but our church family is vastly richer because of the way that you support me. From late night phone calls to emergency hospital visits, I simply would not be able to do half of what I do if I didn’t have you at home supporting the ministry. God has been so gracious to our church these last couple of years and I’m convinced that a large part of it is simply due to your quiet faithfulness here at home.
3) You are a faithful representation of Christ to the flock that God has entrusted to me.
Most people probably have no idea how many things you do for the church body, but from quiet lunches with people who are suffering to brining special meals to the sick and bereaved, you truly are living out a Proverbs 31 lifestyle. More importantly than that, you are a faithful representation of Christ in our community and that makes me love you that much more.
4) You are even more beautiful today than you were 11 years ago when I married you.
I know you won’t believe me about this, but it doesn’t change the fact that you truly are even more beautiful to me today than you were 11 years ago when we got married. I love your hair, your Dutch cheeks, and everything else about you.
5) You complete me.
Last year I mentioned the fact that you are my ezer kenigno (my “helper suitable to me” from Genesis 2). I guess another way of putting it is that Amy, you complete me. I would not be the man that I am, if it weren’t for your powerful influence in my life.
I love you with all of my heart,
Andrew Buell
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March 21 2012 | Blog | 2 Comments »
Dear Micah,
In some ways I’m not quite sure how to start this letter. I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I want to tell you how much I love you. I want to tell you what a blessing you are to me and to our family and to our church. More importantly than all of that, I want you to know how much God loves you and how desperately I want you to love Him.
I’ve been so encouraged in this respect as I’ve watched you participate in Awana, memorize many verses, go to Sunday School and listen attentively at night as we read “God, Baby Jesus” (that’s what you call our family devotions ). While all of these things are wonderful and I wouldn’t trade any of them, I want you to know that being a Christian is about far more than participating in church activities. Being a follower of Christ is about loving Christ, treasuring Christ and setting our affections on Christ above everything else. This is my great hope and prayer for you, that you would grow to have deep affections for Christ and that you would find Him to be all-satisfying to you.
2011 has been a great year for you and for our family. In January you started the Prep-K program over at Northside school, your teachers were Mrs. McComb (I probably didn’t spell that right) and Mrs. Harvey and you loved them both very much. You also began working with Mrs. Singletary as your speech therapist and thanks to her hard work and yours, we’ve seen tremendous progress in your speech and in your all around development; I am so proud of you!
We had a wonderful summer together. You spent time with Grandma and Papa, as well as Nana and Granddaddy. We got to check out some of the great things to do here in Northern California like Lake Tahoe and we moved into the house at the church, which you and Cody like to call the “Giant House.”
This Fall you began Kindergarten, which you enjoy very much, with Mrs. Duff as your teacher. Your mom and I are still going back and forth about what the coming years will hold for you as far as schooling goes, but right now we’re very glad that you like Northside so much.
There are so many things that I want to teach you and talk to you about, but it seems at this time God is still calling me to wait as your speech has developed just far enough now so that we can have a basic conversation. That’s one of the funny things about waiting, there’s always more of it to do. But since He is my Heavenly Father I will trust Him and wait ‘til your ready, but in the meantime I am having a wonderful time enjoying who God has made you to be right now.
‘Til Sin is Bitter Christ Will Not be Sweet,
Daddy
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January 13 2012 | Blog | 2 Comments »
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Dear Luke,
