We're here!!! Mexico Missions 2014 day 1

We started our trip yesterday as we flew down from Seattle to join 3 from our team already here in San Diego. Everyone made the flight(though some May have cut it closer than others). Safe flight for everyone, we'll except Richards bag, but thanks to the fine clothing store Inn 'n out burger he now has a replacement wardrobe. The border was an adventure and we are still waiting for our final 3 to show up but that may be because after they had a little detour at the border and got to go on a lil adventure. They may have stopped at a taco stand on the way down to reward themselves for surviving. Well deserved I might add.

So for all you concerned family members. We are all safe. We were greeted with a great meal and smiling faces as we arrived. Everyone is heading to bed soon and tomorrow the work begins.

It's been great to see our team already coming together and the genuine love and care they have for each other. This isn't just with our team but with Crossroads as well. It was great to see people from both teams pitching in to put these bean bags together for one of the games planned for the kids. You had people making funnels, others filling the bags, then even more people sewing them shut. All this while riding in a bus with no AC and some fairly tight quarters. 

It's like the guy who took this picture at the airport told me after he saw us praying and took my camera so I could get in the pic. " it looks like y'all are off to do some of God's work, as a brother I'd like to do my part no matter how small it may seem!"

We covet your prayers, appreciate your support and pray that our eyes will be opened to what God's planned for this week. 

Cory

For Father's Day!

This morning I was listening to the radio and as usual jamming in my car to the music and laughing at the DJ's as they went through their morning routine. But then one of them said something that made my heart sink. They were talking about calling there Dads for fathers day and one of them was posing the question who should he call? That the others had Dads that had stuck around but that his just left. The hardest part for me is that as I've been listening to these folks for awhile I know that he is a new dad and that in what I hear him talk about, it seems like he is doing an awesome job. What for many of us is a natural shift where we go from being the child in our primary child/parent relationships to being the parent couldn't and wont happen for him yet despite that he is bucking the trend and ensuring that his child doesn't have to grow up with that void in their life.

 The words that popped into my head were this. "Fatherhood is not about what he did, it is about what you are doing and will do."  

This fathers day as I reflect on my own life and my relationships with my Dad and my kids, I realize that I have a long way to go but that I've also come a long way. My wife and truly my partner has helped push me to have those conversations that I didn't want to have.  To seek help when I thought I could do it alone and to slow down when I became blind to what was happening around me. 

To all you fellow dads out there let me encourage you. Stick around. Sometimes it will be hard. You will need to occasionally be the rock when you feel like a sponge. It is no longer all about you, yet by pursuing your dreams you will help them to have dreams of their own. By loving your wife you will show your daughters how a woman should be treated and your sons how to love a woman. Find other guys with similiar values and circumstances to journey through life with. Don't fall in to the traps of self doubt and learn to focus on those things that are truly important. To all of you guys I wish a Happy Fathers Day, and to that DJ if you'd like feel free to give me a call because I want to wish you a happy fathers day, and tell you well done.

Got Questions??

First I have a confession, or probably better put let me let you know, that I know, that you know that I as a pastor don’t have all the answers. I cannot chapter and verse everything in the Bible. I am not fluent in Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic. Man I’m so bad that often when you bring up some of those weird names in the Bible to impress me I just nod my head and then Google it. In fact I have and struggle with many of the same questions you probably do.

Here’s what I do know. Many of you have a lot of questions that you are afraid to ask. Either you think people will judge you or look down upon you. Truth is you might just be really shy. Maybe you have been hurt by people in the church. Or you just see the church as hypocritical. You might even think that Christians are idiots or that church is only good for community. Maybe just maybe you really just don’t care if God is real. Or you follow another God altogether.

That being said here’s what I’d like to do about it. Twice a month, on a Friday evening starting April 25th Heidi and I are going to open up our house and invite you in. We will eat a meal together and get to know each other and then we’ll go after answering some of these questions together. I’m going to give people a site where they can go and ask the questions, and my commitment will be to do my best to see what the Bible says about it if it even touches on it at all. Here’s what I ask of you. No matter where you stand on the questions we will discuss I just ask that we be respectful of each other and that you respect us and our home. That and RSVP so we know how much food to make. It’s as Simple as that! We will try and limit the size of this so that everyone can have a chance to speak. So it’s kind of a first come first serve deal. Well there you be. If this is something that interests you or that you think some of your friends or family in Chilliwack would appreciate please share it on your own FB page and have them contact me at

cory@yarrowalliance.org 

A Letter to my Mom!!

Hey Mom,

I’ve been avoiding sitting down to write this because in all honesty I didn’t want to deal with all the emotions that are flowing through me right now.  But this is something I need to do.  I needed to tell you again how much I love you. How amazing you are and how much I’m going to miss you.  

First of all I want to thank you for a few things.

1.  Thank you for teaching me to have a relationship with God!!

You not only took me to church and youth group but you let me in on your relationship with God. The doubts, the struggles, you taught me how to forgive and how to apologize.  Even in your last days you were checking in with me telling me about your devotions and what you were learning for the first time at 71. But most of all Mom you allowed me to form my own relationship with God. When I was being a rebellious teen and when I was older and was choosing the world and myself over him you didn’t shun me or judge me. You didn’t ignore it either, no you prayed for me you loved me and you pointed me to him.

2.  Thank you for adopting me.

Just over 36 years ago you and Dad took me in at 3 days old. You weren’t allowed to meet my birthparents, you received limited details about where I came from but you took me in and you loved me just as you loved Chris. The thing is I never felt unloved or different. You also realized that I was different from you and Dad but instead of trying to make me like you, the encouragement was to be who God made me to be. You never spoke negatively about my birth family but instead would tell me that if I ever met them you wanted to meet them and thank them for giving me to you. Then when the time came that I did meet them you did exactly what you said you would do.

3.   Thank you for putting us first.

As I read through the Obituary that Dad wrote I was reminded again about what an amazing, intelligent and talented woman you were. You had so many gifts and abilities. You could have done anything you set your mind to. Time and Time again you proved this. Whether as a young woman playing tennis and stirring up mischief. To graduating from college, running political campaigns, trailblazing the integration of special needs children into the public schools. The list goes on and on. But most of all you were a loving wife an amazing mom and an awesome Grandma. You always put us first and when other opportunities would come even if they were in line with your greatest passions and interests you didn’t even hesitate in choosing us.

4.  Thank you for loving my wife and kids.

The hardest conversation of my life was when you and I had to have a heart to heart and I told you that if I ever had to choose between you and Heidi that you needed to know I choose Heidi. I was worried that though we needed to have that talk I may have lost you. You were hurt and you took some time to process it but then you came back to me and told me I had made the right choice. You poured out your love on Heidi and the kids and pursued individual relationships with each of them while respecting us as a couple. In the last year especially I think you actually talked to Heidi more than you talked with me. Every single one of them misses you mom. They are all dealing with it in their own way and we are processing through this together, but I want you to know that every single one of them knows you loved them and that as we Buettners roll nothing was left unsaid or undealt with.

Now that some of that’s been said, and trust me I'm thankful for so much more, I need to say a few more things!

        Mom I miss you. I've caught myself picking up the phone to call or starting a text and deleting it half way through. As you know I've always been one who excels in crisis, but you finally got me stumped. I'm leaning on Heidi a bunch, and our church and friends have been great, but this is so freaking hard.

        Chris is hanging with us till the funeral and though we thought we were helping him out I think he`s been the one that’s been the most grounded. Every once in a while he tells me `` I miss Mommy!!`` That usually gets anyone in a 2 mile radius crying but then I ask him

Me: "where is mommy?"
Chris: "Heaven, With Jack Holderness, GaGa, Grandpa, Grandma, Cedrick!"

We cry a bit then he sits down with the kids and plays with them or watches a show with them. Mom you should have seen him jumping on the trampoline and throwing around the football. The kids are trying to teach him about mine craft and this rubber band loom thing.  I do have to confess though that we are finally trying out a goatee on him and are attempting to expand his Palette a bit. You’d be so proud of him Mom he’s doing great.

Well Mom I’m going to shut up a bit now don’t worry I’ll write again soon. And Dads going to be fine too, his brothers and sister have stepped up and are with him, we will see them in a week so they can’t get into too much trouble. Who am I kidding, you and I both know  I’m just waiting for a phone call needing to bail them out. (love ya guys!)   Tell God that I understand why he took you home, he decided to brighten up the place a bit. But I could have used some more time with you here, good thing we've got eternity together, Eh!!

Your loving Son,

            Corlin Francis Buettner

All she asked for was some water (Repostfrom281820)

I was out for a late night jog. These are the only type I get nowadays. With my schedule a wife and five kids you squeeze stuff in whenever you can. This is my alone time, I pop in the earbuds, turn on my Ipod and away I go. Sometimes I pray a bit but usually I just zone out and watch the rain fall in front of me as I run. Tonight was no different I did my usual run saw the usual people out and about and thought to myself as I trotted along , but when I was about 15 minutes away from home I saw her standing on the corner working away. If I crossed the street it would be obvious that I was trying to avoid her so I thought to myself just pass on by and don’t make eye contact, you don’t want to give the wrong idea. So I ran past looking straight through her as if she wasn’t even there. Then as I passed I heard a voice ask “can I please have some of your water?” It was as much a shock to me as it was to her when I stopped and turned around. She asked me again “I’m so thirsty can I please have some of your water bottle?” I handed it to her and told her to take the rest and to keep it. She said thanks and as I left I just said “take care kiddo.” As if we’d been friends for a long time. As I was jogging back home all I could think of was the women at the well. I didn’t have the wherewithal to share Christ with her tonight and who knows if it was my job to do anyways. What I do know is that the water I gave her will only quench her thirst temporarily but the living water that has been given for us all could quench it forever. I like to think that I accept all people and that I don’t judge others, but it’s just not true. Tonight a prostitute taught me that I am no better or more human than she is. I may have a roof over my head a family that I love and all the other stuff that I hold dear but I need that water just as much as she does. We worry about H1N1, the bills that are piling up, getting our way and about our rights being ignored. Yet there are people around us who have no food to eat no water to drink and no idea that anyone, especially God, could love them. I’m not going to be perfect and I won’t always have the right answer but from here on out I know that I’ll always run with an extra bottle of water.

Can't we just be Friends? Again.

So here is the issue. When we first became friends, it was because I truthfully had an interest in you and what was going on in your life. Over time I feel like we’ve lost something. You give me tid bits here and there but I don’t really know “you” anymore. You talk about Politics, what’s new in the media and sometimes but rarely you’ll tell me a funny joke or tell me a story about someone else but what I really want to hear about is you, your life, and what is going on with it.

Maybe that sounds sappy, but for me it’s true. You see at my very core I love people, relationships and community. I have my own political views and my stances on things but for some reason at some time you became a part of my life. Now either part of, or the limits of our relationship, is social Media. I love to hear the things that are going on in your life. Your Relationships, children, passions and joys. I want to be able to celebrate with you a promotion, or a new relationship, to see where you are today in comparison to yesterday. To know when things in life aren’t going so hot. Or when you are experience loss or struggles. When you have questions or just need a bit of prayer, I want to hear.  Oh yeah and if its funny stuff, keep posting that as well. Your sense of humor is part of what makes you.....well you.

Who you dislike or which politician you endorse, well quite frankly I don’t care. I can make up my own mind, hear the same speeches and can even use google myself.

Your causes, now here is the tricky part. I believe that our causes and our passions are often intertwined, but as a friend if you are going to point me to a cause please tell me why it means so much to YOU. Why does something affect you the way it does. Why does it make you change your profile pic or spam us all? What is it about this subject that touches you so.  Whether it’s your faith or your lifestyle. Whether a wrong that needs righting, or a cause for social justice. What does it mean to YOU!

You see I do actually care about you. Whether you like it or not I take the time to pray when I hear things about your life. You see to know me you need to know that being a beloved Child of God is at my very center. It’s just who I am. Yes I’m also a Husband, a father, a Pastor, a friend but ultimately I’m a Bible believing, Christ following dude that doesn’t even pretend to have all the answers, but I know the guy who does!

Now, tell me more about you!!

A Note to My Sons, (On fatherhood)

A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be. ~Frank A. Clark

Hey guys you're too young for this, so put it in the file for now but here is just part of what I want to share with you. You and you're sisters are an amazing gift to Mom and I. God continually uses you to help bring us closer to him. I'm going to share a bit now and hope that it makes sense to you why I'm sharing it with others as well. I pray everyday that you grow to be great men and that God uses you to impact this world for him. That you have an amazing journey and see awesome things, but most of all that someday you too can hold a child in your arms and be able to feel what I felt the first day I met you.

“Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.” 
― John Wilmot

Fatherhood isn't what I expected it to be. Harder? Yes. Challenging? Certainly. Fulfilling? More than words can explain. But what really surprised me is how this thing called fatherhood has been revealing. Being a Dad totally refines the definition of who you are. It doesn't take away from what you were before but rather utilizes those parts of you that you chose to ignore or didn't even know were there. Yesterday I took my son to a dance competition. As we drove there we talked for over an hour. No life changing discussions. No deep questions about life and God but just talked and laughed and enjoyed being together. Well there was one question. He asked “Dad how do you know if a grown up is lying about their age?” To which I simply replied are they male or female?  It took a second to set in and then he giggled uncontrollably for a bit and I'm sure will repeat the joke at least 100 times until a new one comes along. It wasn't to knock women it was just a joke between a dad and a son. We talked about making sure that he did his best at the competition. That he was respectful to his team-mates  his instructors and to the other competitors. What I noticed about this conversation as well as many of the others that I have with my kids is that as a parent and for me as a dad there was this moment where it wasn't all about me but it is about them. God may use me to do lots of things in life. He has already given me the opportunity to see and do so much, but nothing and I mean nothing in this world has been as great a gift as being a Husband to my wife and a father to my children.

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. ~Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

The key there is first being a Husband to my wife.  I make no claims at being the perfect husband. I'm a 6’2” 260lb, ADHD dreamer who can think big, play hard and throw down with the best of them but without my girl, I’d be a lousy dad and an even worse husband.  She puts up with a lot but stays by my side. Guys, no matter who your wife is, or how different you may be from one another it is your job to love her, to take a step back and look at her in all the beauty and gorgeousness that God created her. She’s not perfect and can probably push any one of your buttons if she chooses. Your marriage may be going great or not so hot, but you have to own your part. In Ephesians 5 Paul writes

 ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^[a] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰ because we are members of his body. ³¹ “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

I don’t know what you hear in this but here is what I’ve realized. If Christ can give up his life for me, can go to the cross for this sinner of mass proportions and can love me unconditionally. If I look to him as someone to emulate, as an ideal to strive toward. Then isn’t it my job to show my children through my relationship with my wife:

1.    How to treat a woman (for my boys)

2.    How a woman should be treated (for my girls)

3.    That there is a God and he loves us all

4.    What is really important in life (it's not all about me)

5.    That I love them no matter what

6.    How to care for others

7.    How to care for our own family and those God will bring into our family.

No, Fatherhood isn't what I expected, it is so much more!!!