HopeForYourFamily

I was recently asked to contribute a recipe to a cookbook for an organization that encourages step-families to live well.  Now that we have gotten some hints of fall in the air (my prayers continue to go up for the drought to end for the great state of Texas, where this recipe first began its evolution), I thought this would be something appropriate and different to share on the blog…

I have heard Ron Deal’s comment that step-families shouldn’t be
blended, but slow-cooked. In that spirit, here is a recipe I have
developed over the years that is a wonderful celebration of this
concept. Different ingredients cooked low and slow to lend their
unique contributions to one delightful, house-warming creation. I have
found that the longer it sits, the better it gets, provided you don’t
interrupt the process too much by reacting with the impulse to “fix” it
along the way. So true for stepfamilies! Slow and steady is a far better
recipe than quick and reactive. And isn’t that true with so much of life.
I have included options for making it hotter. Experiment to find the
best alarm-level for your family’s taste.

When serving it to large
groups, I typically make a big pot (triple recipe) that I would consider a
good 2-3 alarm chili. I will also make a small pot (half recipe) of a 5+
alarm concoction (heavy on chili peppers, including the almighty
habanero) that will burn a hole through your belly if eaten straight. I
then invite my family and friends to use the bowl of fire as a mix-in to
heat up a big bowl of the standard chili to their liking.
And if you ever join my family at our table for a big bowl of fiesta chili,
don’t be surprised if it seems a bit different than what you’ve been
cooking. I promise I’m not holding out on you – I just never really cook
it the same way twice. ENJOY!!!

Fiesta Chili

*1 – 1 1/2 lb. ground beef or venison (browned)
*2 cans Ranch Style Beans (undrained) or Texas Style (hotter)
*1 can crushed tomatoes (undrained) or 1 can Rotel (hotter)
*1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
* 3 green onions (chopped)
*1 poblano pepper (finely chopped) (can sub a bell pepper if poblano
is unavailable)
* 1 serrano pepper (finely chopped)
* 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) or 1 tsp. garlic powder
* 3 jalepenos (chopped) (hotter)
* 2 cups beef broth
* 1 Tbs. Tabasco Sauce (hotter)
* 1 Tbs. chili powder
* 1 tsp. paprika
* 1 tsp. cumin
* salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat – in a cast iron pot, if you have one. As the meat is
almost browned, add all fresh chopped onions and peppers. When
meat, onions, and peppers are cooked (about 3 minutes or so), add all
remaining ingredients. I like to serve this chili over rice, so feel free to
stretch it with another cup or two of broth or water to feed another
person, if needed. Cook on stovetop at medium-low for 1-2 hours (the
longer the better), or in a crock-pot for as long as you can resist the
mouthwatering aroma.  After pouring over rice, and maybe adding some Fritos, top with fresh cilantro leaves to go all the way with your chili fiesta!

With Hope in Him and eagerness for fall weather,

Dr. Butner

Tags: coming soon..., family, parenting, the journey

Tags: character, community, HOPE, the journey

Thanks to my buddy, Hans, for the title of this post.

Men of the Baton Rouge area (and beyond), it’s here.  The kickoff of a new season!  Men are suiting up and showing up for battle to show what they are made of, and to take their game to a higher level this year.  That’s right, gentlemen.  It’s that time of year again.  Time for…

MEN’S FRATERNITY!!!

I wish words on a blog could adequately tell you how profoundly my participation in Men’s Fraternity impacted my life over the past three years.  Men, I’m telling you, Men’s Fraternity will change your life!  For now, I will share with you the words of one our pastors, who was also my excellent small group leader the first year I joined this fellowship:

Tags: coming soon..., compasses, friends, leadership, manhood, spiritual formation

Tags: adolescence, coming soon..., parenting, teens

Here’s Shep – enjoying his new “big boy” room for the first time.  A fresh coat of blue paint (what I’m calling “Rubbermaid Blue”) picked out by him and a new comfy lounging/reading chair have transformed his space into something fit for…well, a big boy.  How he got here was a good life and faith lesson for me.

He has been asking us for a while if we would paint his room blue.  Chemaine and I readily agreed, then promptly moved on to other things.  Life gets busy.  You know how it is.  Priority for him.  Not so much for us.  Finally, he prevailed upon us a month or so ago to go to Lowe’s and pick out paint.  She and I picked out several colors of blue that we thought he would like, and we could live with, then presented them to him for his selection.  He went with “Classic Blue.”  He’s old school like that.  We bought two gallons of the good stuff, then promptly moved on to other things.  Blah blah blah.

While on vacation last week, we decided to surprise him by letting him stay with his Nana on the night of our return, and we would paint his room for him and move in the cool Big Green Chair while he was away.  Only one thing stood in our way of fulfilling his desire for him – his room was a total wreck!  Just the week before vacation, one if his buddies spent the night and told us he loves coming to our house, because Shep has so much stuff.  He was delighted, but it gave us much food for thought.  Anyhow, no room makeover was going to happen without a massive cleanup of toys and other 7 year old boy room debris.  Massive cleanup.

“Shep, before you can go to Nana’s house (he loves going to Nana’s house), you have to clean up your room.”  *Groan*  *Grumble*  (He hates cleaning up his room.  He’s a 7 year old boy.  Nuff said.)  “We’ll help you, son, but you have to work and do your share.”  “…okay…”  (with hesitation and some sighing and moaning)  And the three of us proceeded to tackle the Cleanup together.  He really did work hard, with a fairly good attitude, and he even volunteered several items to give away to other kids.

Off to Nana’s for him.  Off to the store for a few additional supplies for me.  Taping, taping, taping for my wife.  And several hours later – it was finished.

When he returned the next morning and we showed him his new Big Boy Room, he basically spazzed with delight.  Actually collapsed on his bed with speechless, 7 year old boyish, exuberant glee.  It was glorious.  And it happened because he was willing to trust and obey, in a way he would much rather avoid.  He didn’t know what the reward for his hard work would be, even though we knew and could already see this moment of delight days before it actually happened.  But he trusted and obeyed.  He endured the temporary hardship of some unpleasant work and sacrifice of other much more enjoyable activity.  And he was rewarded richly.

God wants to do so much more with your life and mine than just paint it up nice and give us new stuff.  He wants to bless us beyond anything we could ask or imagine.  And He is already delighting in the moments of our receiving those blessings, before we even get there.  Will we trust and obey Him when life seems hard, unpleasant, and senseless to us?  I, for one, really want to find out what kind of Big Boy Room He is preparing for me…

Tags: family, HOPE, spiritual formation, the journey

Alright, fellas – this one deserves an encore from last year. (I’d be the St John’s Bay dude, btw – except with a son, rather than daughters.)

Tags: manhood

So, here are my new business cards (just have to get a new office phone number).  Any thoughts?  I am so grateful for opportunities to share the parenting message God has given me, whether with clients, churches, schools, etc.  The back of my card seemed a good place to pass it on, as well.

Tags: coming soon...

Thanks to Laura Story for sharing this beautiful and challenging song that expresses something I have reflected on for several years now.

Tags: HOPE, media, spiritual formation, the journey

Here are three key ways (there are certainly plenty more) to sweat with your kids to produce big results in your relationship and in their developing character.  If you live anywhere near my neck of the woods (South Louisiana), and you spend any time at all with your kids, you will be sweating with them.  But might as well do it with purpose.  PARENT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!  Right?

1. Get out there and join them in their fun!

Play in the yard.  Climb that treehouse (build it first, if necessary).  Ride that bike.  Throw that ball.  Try the disc golf park.  Practice that sport.  Play chase.  Sit and talk out in that special spot.  Play that weird, evolving game your kid is trying to teach you that seems to make no sense whatsoever.  Etc.  Joining our kids in their choice of fun outdoor activities helps to keep parents young at heart, and shows our kids that we are eager to be a part of their world and don’t insist on them always joining our world to spend time with us.

2. Invite your kids to assist you in your work or special projects.

Not all kids will jump at this chance, I know.  But many children (especially if you start when they are young!) are thrilled with the opportunity to be Mom’s or Dad’s right hand helper on a manual project.  It gives them such a sense of value and self-respect, as well as helping them learn valuable life skills, when we include them in that cleaning, building, planting, arranging, etc. project.

3. Serve someone together.

Find someone in your neighborhood, church, or school community who could really use some help with a special project or maintenance challenge that is beyond their capability.  Bring your kids and serve them as a family.  Your kids will learn the powerful spiritual and community value of blessing others (maybe you’ll learn it with them!).  Your relationship will be cemented in a fresh way by sharing the common bond of sweat equity together.

And don’t forget to have fun cooling off together when sweat time is over!

Tags: family, fitness, nature, parenting, spiritual formation

Heard this song today for the first time on KLOVE radio.  Had to share this amazing version of the Good News from Peter Furler with you!  Thank you, God, for reaching for me every day.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Tags: HOPE, the journey